I Know this day is hard for the Queen

 Good morning from the Stroock Northern Strategic Direction:

[You said you were going to switch posting to the afternoon - Ed]

I shrug in the most Mediterranean way possible.

We relax in the pastoral splendor of Lake Buel, in the Berkshires. It's a cool 60 degrees here this morning. This is where people in NYC used to come to cool off in the summertime. There's steam off the coffee mug.

There's tonnes of work to do around the house. 

It's Ungrateful Colonial Day here in the Colonies and we note with a touch of irony that we're just a few miles from the route Henry Knox took when dragging his cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. Everything around here has English names. Great Barrington, Berkshire, Lennox, Pittsfield (named after Prime Minister Pitt, victor in the French and Indian War. That's the Seven Years War to you people across the pond with the speech impediment.)

Actually, on me mum's side we're descended from Hudson River Valley Tories out of Thompson Ridge (my middle name is Thompson), Orange County. These were Scotch Irish, bible thumping Presbyterians, who as late as the mid 20th century wore Orange on St. Patrick's Day, a tradition I revived. 

Don't ask us about our boat.

The womenfolk will be hitting the outlets this morning. We will be staying right here, thank you. 

We'll do our patriotic duty and barbeque later. Someone may or may not be setting off fireworks tonight. 

Moving on to foreign affairs...

From the Jerusalem Post, this is idiocy. Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress,  calls for a 'Marshall Plan' for the palestinians.  'He argues that a plan offering Palestinians "a future of wealth, success and self-reliance" is a deal Palestinian leaders cannot turn down. The Palestinian plan "should focus on the creation of small businesses, home building, hotels, restaurants and job creation," the WJC president suggested. That would allow for a "positive future" for the next generation of Palestinians.' And get this, he wants Joe to do it. Ronald S. Lauder is a fool.