For a blog devoted entirely to utter nonsense, the choice could not be clearer. In fact, to us, he’s essentially running unopposed. From his priceless suggestion during a Covid press conference that disinfectants be injected into our bodies, to his call for dropping a nuclear bomb in the eye of a hurricane “to disrupt it,” to his praising Washington’s Revolutionary War armies in a July 4th speech for “taking over the airports” . . . What can we say?

You may recall the Lysol people immediately issued a panicked public warning against drinking Lysol or injecting it.

As far as nonsense goes, the man is unparalleled. There’s more: He repeatedly asserted that the F-35, a “stealth” fighter plane, is invisible — it can be right next to you: you can’t see it. His citing of a new coal mine for “clean coal.” As he explained: they take out the coal and they clean it: so then it’s clean coal. His observation that the noise from windmills causes cancer.

Could you plotz?

Intrepid OC photographer Phil caught Dr. Deborah Birx’s response as Trump was making those statements.

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This poem by Barbara Crocker from The Writer’s Almanac is called “All Saints.”

It’s one day past the Day of the Dead, and this has been
a bad year, six funerals already and not done yet.
But on this blue day of perfect weather, I can’t muster
sadness, for the trees are radiant, the air thick as Karo
warmed in a pan. I have my friend’s last book spread
on the table and a cup of coffee in a white china mug.
All the leaves are ringing, like the tiny bells of God.
My mother, too, is ready to leave. All she wants now
is sugar: penuche fudge, tapioca pudding, pumpkin roll.
She wants to sit in the sun, pull it around her shoulders
like an Orlon sweater, and listen to the birds
in the far-off trees. I want this sweetness to linger
on her tongue, because the days are growing shorter
now, and night comes on, so quickly.

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In yesterday’s puzzle, at 32D the clue was “Elizabeth of cosmetics,” and the answer was ARDEN. Commenter Son Volt was moved to share this Van Morrison song with us: “Linden Arden Stole the Highlights.” I’m way too stupid to understand what it’s about. An Irishman on the run, living in SF, a hard drinker, but also churchgoing and sentimental. When some boys from back home come for him, he confronts them violently. That’s a piece of it — take a listen for yourselves for the whole story.

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Today’s puzzle had a little edge to it. At 13A the clue was “Where opposites don’t attract?” and the answer was LESBIAN BAR. Who says the NYT is stodgy? And right above it, we had MOMS Demand Action: a gun control advocacy group.

At 14D, “Yeah, you’re lying” was a good clue for I CALL BS. And “Watchdog’s warning” was GRR. “Shoes, casually” was KICKS — that’s for the young, I think. And 41A was timely. “November handout” was an I VOTED STICKER. We got ours already! — voted in Morristown yesterday. Here’s what it looked like at our polling place.

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At 24D, “Bench coverings” was the clue for JUDGES ROBES. Did you know the Florida Supreme Court requires its judges to wear black robes? — no colorful or ornamented robes are allowed. Apparently, the U.S. Supreme Court has no similar prohibition.

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Thanks for popping by.