There’s a generation a lot of people forget exists. We were born at the tail end of the Boomers, but we are not culturally the same as people born in the 40s and early 50s. We are Generation Jones. And honestly, it explains a lot. We grew up in a world that still felt fundamentally analog, but we were young enough to be dragged headfirst into the digital revolution. We are the bridge generation between rotary phones and smartphones, between slide rules and AI, between Walter Cronkite and algorithm driven media. We remember when there were only a few television channels and the entire country watched the same thing at the same time. We also adapted to the internet, email, forums, social media, streaming and now artificial intelligence. We lived before and after the technological singularity hit everyday life. That is not a small thing. People born in the 40s came of age in a post World War II America that was still industrial, deeply hierarchical and institutionally stable. Their formative years were shaped by the Cold War, Vietnam, the civil rights era and a society where information moved slowly. Generation Jones came later. We inherited the aftermath of all of that. We were the kids who watched Watergate destroy blind trust in government. We watched manufacturing begin to collapse. We saw divorce rates explode. We were the first truly latchkey generation in massive numbers. We learned independence early because many of us had to. We grew up with one foot in old America and one foot in whatever this new thing was becoming. We played outside until the streetlights came on but we also learned DOS commands. We learned cursive and keyboarding. We had card catalogs and Google searches. We went from vinyl records to cassette tapes to CDs to MP3s to streaming in one lifetime. We remember maps. We remember memorizing phone numbers. We remember life before GPS and before every human interaction became filtered through a screen. And because of that, I think Generation Jones developed a very unique perspective. We are adaptable because we had no choice but to adapt. We learned technology as adults instead of being born into it. We remember a slower world but were forced to survive in a rapidly accelerating one. That creates a very different mindset than either older Boomers or younger Gen X and Millennials. A lot of us also reject the caricature people now associate with “Boomers.” We were not buying houses for the cost of a sandwich in 1965. The interest rate on my first house was over 14% and that was after buying down a point. Many of us got hit by recessions, outsourcing, pension collapses and economic instability just like younger generations did. We watched promises evaporate in real time. We understand older generations because we were raised by them. We understand younger generations because we had to evolve alongside them. That’s why the Jones generation often feels culturally homeless. We are rarely discussed, rarely defined and usually lumped into categories that don’t actually fit us. But we exist. We are the human transition point between the industrial age and the digital age. And frankly, there will probably never be another generation quite like us again.

I love this! ♥️

A few more…

Middle East: Diplomatic Withdrawals, Missile Attacks, and the Growing Risk of Regional Escalation

I see Him everywhere.

Honesty, my favorite priest and I've never personally met him. I need to make a point of doing so. He's about four hours north of me. 🙏🏼

Breakfast is served! Farm to table. ♥️

A Passing Readiness Rating Means Nothing If You Cannot Sustain the Fight

Good Sunday morning from Eaglesmere! The moon was setting over the river this morning, casting the most beautiful reflections across the water. I took these photographs as the morning light began to fill the sky. You can even see Carl’s beloved red beacon light, the one he loves to stand watch over. Speaking of Carl, he just woke up and waddled his way up here for our morning coffee time. He knows there’s a treat in it for him. The trees are getting close to peak autumn color, and everywhere I look, there’s something beautiful to appreciate. Yesterday was such a wonderful day that I took almost 300 photographs. I’ll be sharing some of those with you. This morning, I’m making breakfast with fresh eggs and bacon I picked up from Seven Sons yesterday. Later today, the garlic goes into the ground, where it will spend the winter preparing for next year’s harvest. I am acutely aware of what’s going on in the world, yet I am at peace. The two are not mutually exclusive. I can be deeply concerned about the state of our world, the conflicts unfolding overseas, and the challenges facing our country while still finding joy in the life I’ve been blessed to live. Being informed doesn’t mean surrendering every peaceful moment to worry. Caring about the world doesn’t mean we stop appreciating the beauty right in front of us. In fact, I think those moments of peace are more important than ever. They remind us what we’re working to protect, what generations before us sacrificed to preserve, and why we should never take our blessings for granted. This morning, my world is a quiet river, a setting moon, autumn trees, a waddling goose who expects his coffee companion to be available, and the promise of another beautiful day. I’m grateful for every bit of it. Wishing you all a peaceful and beautiful Sunday. Take a little time today to notice the good things around you. There’s still so much beauty in this world, even when the headlines would have us believe otherwise. Love to all- ⚔️♥️🙏🏼

Encouraging News from Italy: Investigators Are Beginning to Follow the Organization Behind the Unrest We have an interesting and encouraging development out of Milan tonight. Italian authorities have detained Youssef Siher, 30, a researcher and freelance journalist suspected of being the principal figure behind the social-media operation known as Movimento 17 Ottobre, or October 17 Movement. The group has been associated with organizing demonstrations following last weekend’s violence in Milan. According to ANSA, Siher was detained on October 24 by order of Milan prosecutors. Investigators are examining allegations of incitement to commit crimes with a terrorism-related aggravating circumstance, as well as organized violence during public demonstrations. His wife is also under investigation for the same suspected offenses but remains free. Neither has been convicted, and the allegations remain subject to judicial examination. Siher is an Italian citizen of Moroccan descent with an academic background in geopolitics and political movements in the Middle East and North Africa. He previously collaborated with the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) and worked as a freelance journalist. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has described him as having connections within pro-Palestinian and radical activist circles. Those associations warrant examination, but they do not independently establish participation in terrorism or organized violence. What makes this development particularly interesting is the timing. The movement’s social-media accounts had promised to announce gathering locations for Saturday’s demonstrations. Those announcements never appeared. Police had identified and questioned Siher earlier that day. We cannot yet establish whether his detention directly disrupted the movement’s communications, but it is certainly a question worth pursuing. Italian investigators have also conducted searches and examined electronic material. This is precisely the kind of investigative work I have been hoping to see. Rather than concentrating exclusively on the individuals throwing rocks, setting fires, and confronting police, authorities are examining the communications and organizational activity that may connect people involved in the unrest. Italian Interior Minister Piantedosi has praised investigators for identifying the suspected organizer, emphasizing that individuals cannot assume anonymity on social media will shield them from investigation. I agree with the principle. Political violence should be investigated thoroughly, regardless of the ideology involved. This is encouraging because effective security operations require more than controlling a crowd. They require intelligence, evidence collection, identifying responsible individuals, and determining whether criminal conduct was spontaneous or organized. I want to see where this investigation leads, particularly what the evidence establishes about the movement’s organization, communications, and any financial relationships. If the allegations are substantiated, prosecutors should pursue accountability through the courts. For now, I consider this a positive development for Italian law enforcement. Investigators appear to be making progress, and that deserves recognition.