Book Review - The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz

I like Erik Larson's books. He deviates from his usual true crime story with this biography of Churchill. Many books have been written about Churchill but this one draws upon the personal diaries of staff and family from the time that Churchill came to power until the US entered the war. It gives a unique insight into what was happening, both in the war but within his family as well.

 If you are a WW II history buff, this is a good addition to your library.

Another WW II history book by Erik Larson is "In the Garden Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin". This is the story of the American ambassador to the Third Reich in the early days.

The Glenrothes

Glenrothes is a Speyside single malt whiskey. The distillery was established in 1879 in the town of Rothes, about 30 miles north of Edinburgh, by a whiskey maker and a Presbyterian reverend who put the towns economy over his aversion to alcohol. The whiskey is distilled using a slower than normal process and aged in American oak and Spanish sherry casks.

My whiskey was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2015 making it about 17 years old. It has a pleasing dark amber color and an aroma of grass or hay. It is easy on the tongue with little harshness. It leaves you with a very pleasant warm feeling.

This whiskey can be found for about $50 to $200 depending upon age. It's well worth seeking this one out.

Second Wave is Almost Guaranteed....

My wife and I bought a small 2nd home in Orange Beach just before Mardi Gras. The long term plan was to be able to be near our son (and grandsons) when he retires and moves here but it turned out it was also a good place to hide out from the virus - especially after they sent all the college kids and snowbirds home. Baldwin County has had a low number of infections and only 4 or 5 deaths - so far. It was a lot better than being in a suburb of New Orleans.

The Governor just relaxed the beach closures and we've since had an influx of boaters in the past week or so. They act like COVID 19 doesn't exist. They don't wear masks, the don't adhere to the one way aisles at the supermarket and they aren't careful about keeping distance or touching things. It will only get worse when the condo folks show up.

Our plan is to lay low for a couple of weeks and see what happens to the infection rate after the relaxation. Now is not the time to be complacent.

Head Count

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia executed 2 last month for murder. One of them was for "terrorist murder" which seems to be a new category. In researching it, the man was a Yemeni who attacked a Spanish dance troupe with a knife, wounding three and a security guard. (The dance troupe was part of a effort to liberalize entertainment in the Kingdom). It appears that no one was killed but the Saudis blamed Al Qaeda for the attack, hence the terror connection.

In other legal news of the Kingdom, they have stopped the execution of minors and flogging as punishments.

Glenmorangie 18 Year Old

Being in a self imposed quarantine at home gives me a good chance to sample more of my scotch collection. It has been acquired over years of birthdays, Christmases and Fathers Days. This bottle is an 18 year old Glenmorangie. According to their website, This whiskey is aged in American oak for 15 years. Then, 30% of it is put into Oloroso Sherry casks for 3 more years. It is then recombined and, voila, you have an excellent scotch.

Color: Light Amber
Nose: Grass, citrus
Palate: Light and smooth, not harsh
Finish: Refreshing

You can roll a mouthful of this whiskey around in your mouth and it will not "burn".

This whiskey is an award winner and a good one to ask for if someone wants to give you a special present. If you can find this for around $100, grab it quick.

Head Count

I guess the executioner in Saudi came down with the virus as there were no beheadings in March! The count remains at 10.

Constitution under Covid

In case you ever had any doubt about what the Democrats might do under this crisis, Gina Raimondo, the governor of Rhode Island, just told you. She is getting the National Guard to go door to door to see if any occupants recently came in from New York and is requiring them to quarantine.

"What is constitutional in one scenario is different than in another."

This is from someone who was educated at Oxford and Yale. The constitution is not a flexible document but some governors seem to forget that. The Florida governor has just order the state police to stop cars with Louisiana plates and request that they isolate themselves. And I'm not really  sure how this politicians think they can enforce this as they just don't have the numbers to enforce this order.