A star magnolia tree covered in white Christmas snow: Glynn Wilson

The Big Picture – 
By Glynn Wilson – 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the sun comes up over the smokies, reflecting the first morning light off a thick layer of Christmas white snow covering the ground and the trees, it’s amazing how quiet it can be in a city.

As much as we love remote mountain campgrounds and log cabins in the woods far from paved roads and hordes of people — especially in the time of COVID — it’s enough to have a morning break from road noise with the first cup of hazelnut coffee.

It’s so cold in the teens that the birds are even taking a long, winter’s nap, huddling in the snow-covered bushes and waiting on the sun to shine before coming out for morning songs and breakfast.

An American tree sparrow looking for breakfast in the white Christmas snow: Glynn Wilson

It’s so quiet I hesitate to even light a candle, although there’s something comforting in the sound of fire on a wick, so I wait to turn on NPR and read the New York Times online in silence. You can’t do that with the paper edition. Turning the pages would disturb the silence.

A Northern mockingbird in a weeping cheery tree in the white Christmas snow: Glynn Wilson

Once I start to write, the sound of the keyboard reminds me of a typewriter in another, simpler time. This will most likely be my last column of 2020, although there could be a breaking news story or two to share before the clock strikes down to midnight on New Year’s Eve this Thursday, January 31.

A Northern mockingbird in a weeping cheery tree in the white Christmas snow: Glynn Wilson

Friday morning, New Years Day 2021, will come as a welcome relief, even if only symbolically. The worst year in the history of the world will be over. We can hope that 2021 won’t be so bad.

A Northern mockingbird in a weeping cheery tree in the white Christmas snow: Glynn Wilson

At least lame duck president Donald Trump won’t be in charge of the executive branch of the United States government for much longer, as well as the mass media agenda. Although the worst president ever did manage to get the last word on 2020 by flying to Florida to play golf and basically issue a pocket veto of the bipartisan $900 billion pandemic relief bill. He’s still trying to sell people to accept him by claiming the $600 direct payment to Americans called for in the bill should have been $2,000.

Most people would probably settle for $1,200 like the payment in the spring. But the Republicans in the House and Senate are all of a sudden worried about the damn deficit again. It’s recently been reported that in spite of his promises, Trump is responsible for the largest budget deficit in the history of the nation. The tax cuts for the rich did it, as well as the damaged economy due to Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic, and Trump’s trade war did not make a dent in it.

This was all very predictable, but a little under half the people in this country still don’t believe a word of it. Will Trump really remain their Messiah and Savior even after he is long gone from the White House?

What will it take to destroy him and his reputation for all time? Piles and piles of facts reported in newspapers and on TV don’t seem to matter. It may take some form of public execution, but that would likely just make him a martyr. A public trial could be useful, some serious jail time. But that’s not likely to happen either. I’ve previously advocated for foreign exile like the tin pot dictators he so admires.

The people of Palm Beach, Florida, don’t seem to want him as a neighbor, and neither do the people of New York. So what will become of him? Will they take him in Scotland? Maybe he could follow his Nazi friends down to South America? It’s said that the people of Russia love him. Maybe he can finally build that Trump Tower in Moscow he so wanted before? Golden showers could be on the menu, along with that $129 steak dinner.

Putin and the Prince of Saudi Arabia might join him, after he pardons the prince, of course. All his efforts to elevate Putin will likely be for naught, since President-Elect Joe Biden has already signaled that the new administration will likely retaliate for the massive hacking job perpetrated by the Russians over the past few months. Trump never did say a discouraging word about it, except to claim that it might have been China.

Well, at least we won’t have Trump to kick around for much longer. I can hardly wait. I’m already sleeping better, and I trust you are too, just knowing he will be gone soon. Some people may continue to pay attention to him and keep him in the news for awhile longer, but not I. Once he’s gone I will ghost his ass and not think about him again.

Anyway, the sun is up full now, and it’s starting to melt some of the snow off the power lines and tree branches, and the coffee is almost done. NPR has switched its programing to game shows, so it’s time for me to sign off and settle down for my first morning nap. There will most likely be an afternoon nap today too, after some brunch of leftovers from Christmas dinner and perhaps a mimosa or two.

See you in the new year. Here’s to hoping it will be as good a year as 2020 was bad.