I Need Relief

"Toby, my buddy, I need some relief. Comic, if you're up for it."

"Well," he answered, "the last time I did stand-up comedy, that big white rooster kept heckling and crowing and interrupting so much I couldn't get a word in; it even hurt my dog friends' ears and they began to howl. That set off the whole neighborhood. There's not much audience for comedy around here except for the dogs. They're always happy-go-lucky. At the drop of a hat, they're ready for sports, too. I can't say enough about their great attitudes."

"That reminds me," he went on, "you know, I heard something this week when that loose wire in the barn picked up a broadcast. It would have been comic except it was so sad. Grown people were being really mean to a woman they were questioning; interrupting her, twisting her record of accomplishments and her answers. It was like that big white rooster all over again."

"Oh, I know what you heard! It was a D.C. Senate hearing. I watched it on my TV. Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson was answering D.C. Senators' questions. This is what nominees do before the Senate takes a vote to confirm or deny her a seat on the highest court in our democracy."

"Well, parts of it sounded like a barnyard!"

"Good point. I'm glad there were a lot of the senators that were respectful and asked her questions that made sense and were based on truth; some made decent or kind comments. Yet, here I am asking you for comic relief today. I lost my ability to absorb a few of the senators' ugly behaviors and attacks on Judge Jackson and just concentrated on drawing an image of her."

"Oh yes, I saw your drawing, he said. I liked seeing what she looks like. Thank you. And, you're right, some of the senators were respectful. Their questions helped to understand how she approaches the law and America's Constitution. She was rock solid through it all--whether the senators were good, bad, mean, or ugly. You humans can be very proud of her!"

"So true, Toby! We have to let the ugly parts rest and hope that decency, honor, kindness, and democracy will carry the day."

"Do you still need comic relief?" he asked

"Always welcome, my friend! After all, we still have war and pestilence to contend with among other calamities."

Toby sat right up and began...

        "A cat, a Rabbi, and a rooster walk into a bar..."

Just then, the big white rooster crowed--flapping his wings he sprang forward in attack mode, targeting Toby...

I still could use some comic relief. Feel free to finish Toby's story in the Comment section.

*

From the Arts Desk...

The Met Chorus singing the Ukrainian National Anthem...

Ukrainian National Anthem

*

From the Sports Desk...

We heard from Utah where Kingston with his young Jazz team finished their season...

Number 27, Kingston, with big bro Elijah.

Coach Sonja with the Jazz Men.

Jeff & Elijah with the team, too.

Trophy time!

A pause at the farm when a now rare family frisbee moment happened...

*

A Corner to Remember...

Ten years ago our Love families went to the beach in Florida. These pictures were from Cindi, Sonja's friend. She shared them this week with Sonja on the anniversary of the trip they were able to make.

2012 at the Beach...

Dimetrios & Sonja.

Valerie & Dimetrios.

Elijah, Sonja, and Dimetrios.

Elijah & friend.

Elijah & friend.

Dimetrios.

*

The Green Goddess of Our Good Earth stopped by the other day in the interest of helping tame, bit-by-bit, our convulsing planetary warming woe. She said she really likes Valerie's idea of a green desk to feature everyday things that anybody can do to help avert our climate crisis. It's not all EVs, solar panels, and wind farms. She says a lot can be done by millions of us doing better things every day. 

So here is...

The Green Goddess Desk:

Your ideas, successes, and failures are all welcome. Tell us in Comments or email me. We'll learn from all of it.

Here are a couple of mine:

I was surprised in recent times, while trying to wean myself from using plastic wrap, to learn how dependent I've become on plastic wrap!!! We did not have this stuff when I was growing up. It's darn hard to quit. Is there a rehab for plastic wrap users? So, I got a roll of good ol' waxed paper and some silicone stretchy bowl covers and decided to try it cold turkey. Well, I was partially successful. So I added some silicone-covered glassware for fridge storage, too. Let's say I've improved! Much less plastic use going on in this apartment.

I'm switching product by product to more sustainable (and far, far less toxic) haircare and personal cleansing purchases. That happened when I began using a gift bar of soap (that I'd been saving for--what?). It had sat in the linen closet for a long time, one of those things I regarded as too lovely to use. One day I read its ingredients and marveled that it was all stuff I could pronounce. It is so soft on my skin! So I did some research and learned about other products I never dreamt existed--"bars" of shampoo and conditioners! No plastic bottles, chemical distributions, or ozone-killing propellants. Yes, they cost a little more, relative to giant-size, super-cheapos mostly made of toxic chemicals, but so far the bars are lasting a good long while. Interestingly, my hair is softer than it's felt since I was a little kid. 

*

It's time to check with the Weather Desk. Hmmm. Persephone must still be having it out with Hades because it's cold again. But still, spring is happening.

Wendy's crocus.

Late afternoon break from spring rain showers here at Dock.

Ketanji Brown Jackson

 

Can't Sleep

Toby said, "I couldn't sleep last night."

"What! Toby, I can scarcely believe that. You've always been a blue-ribbon, champion sleeper. What's happened? Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Especially since it's going up into the 60s today. I'm looking forward to a place in the sun."

"Yes, I see your dog friend Bert stretched out there in the yard, comatose in the sun. But tell me, what made you stay awake."

"Oh, that loose wire in the barn picked up somebody's broadcast again and it was amplifying from the birthing stall camera. One bad news thing after another! The pandemic is being eclipsed by war! You humans have a lot on your hands. The war news is horrible. Lewis Carroll said, 'Oh, you can't help that, we're all mad here.' A kind of 'we' all are in it together and so are our foibles. Definitely not hateful, cruel, and lethal like this madman Vladimir Putin over in Russia using his soldiers to kill off his neighbors. Men, women, kids, even babies! so he can take over their whole country. God help the cats and dogs and animals that get in the way. I was so upset I couldn't climb up in a tree and I couldn't sleep."

"I do understand, Toby. I see news, too. Sometimes it makes me cry. The only hopeful part I see is people around the world are rallying to find ways to stop him. Even in Russia, many people want him to stop but he's made so many scared of him by being the worst kind of bully. His police pack off protestors by the thousands to jails and prisons. Plus, a lot of Russians are making the mistake of believing the lies he broadcasts to them. "

"I'm glad you see why I can't sleep."

I thought a minute, then made a suggestion, "Would it help if you slept in a crawl-space between some hay bales up in the loft so you didn't hear the broadcasts?"

"I'll try anything!" he said.

"Also, I came over to see if I could help with your kitty patrols around the perimeter to see that that Vladputin cat doesn't get any bad ideas about your territory."

"Thank you! I appreciate the help. I feel better already."

"That's good to hear. While you go find a place to nap in the sun, I'm going for a walk around the perimeter of the farm. Vladputin won't like the human spoor so he'll stay away. I'll come back often and keep up the walks."

Toby leaned into a circle around my ankles, then set out to join his buddy Bert who was stretched out full length, sound asleep in the sun. I went out the yard gate and began my walk. It felt like the next right thing.

*

From the Family Corner...

Keoni was here during some of the past week on his spring break in between trips to NYC and Cleveland. Then Aidan arrived home from Cincinnati on Sunday for a week at home. Quite a treat to see these guys in the flesh.

Here's a pic Wendy sent of Aidan when she picked him up from the airport...

From the Weather Desk:

The frogs have been croaking so they were pretty confident Spring is here. They have been busy laying and ferilizing thousands of eggs in the little pond by the farm...

On a walk with Aidan, he captured some pollywogs who are growing their legs...

*

The Arts Desk has a drawing from evenings trying to promote a better routine that helps sleep...

*

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.*

                                                                                        --Jimi Hendrix

*Sent from my sister Sandy.

*

Wage Peace, Not War!

Power to the People

"How's the war going?" my cat Toby asked while he climbed onto my lap as I sat on the farm's back porch after my walk around the fields and pastures. An unusually warm March breeze wafted over us. 

"It's looking horrible for the Ukrainians," I was sad to answer. "The Russian army is shooting them and blowing them up. The Ukrainians are fighting back with everything they've got, but it doesn't look like they'll be able to drive the Russians out. The whole world is against the war Vladimir Putin started with his Russian army. Well, except maybe China and India, but you never know. Who in this day and age actually thinks you can just roll war machinery into a country, bomb and kill everybody, and take over. There is something seriously gone wrong in Vladimir Putin's brain."

"Yikes!" Toby said, now alert. "Maybe that is why that strange cat prowling out there in the woods at the edges of the pastures calls himself Vladputin. I better step up my patrols so he doesn't get any ideas about taking over here!"

"Ouch! Your claws are flexing on my leg."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, then rubbed his head on my leg.

Then, I said, "Maybe it's a plus that you felines are not very social. Vladputin won't amass a swarm of cats, tell them a bunch of lies about you so they want to come fight you and take over your territory and the barn."

"Good point."

I could see he was thinking this over.

"Say," he said, "you social beings could do a big gun collection and a go-fund-me for ammo. There are more guns here than there are Americans. Pack up all that weaponry and airlift it over there for the Ukrainians. We sure don't need it here. People are just senselessly killing each other and themselves. Couldn't you all get together on that?"

"I doubt it. Americans just aren't getting along with each other very well. Still, I really do like your idea."

"Yeah!" he said. "Kill two birds with one stone."

I tried not to visualize that.

"Here's what I did," I told Toby. "I upped my monthly giving to Doctors without Borders. They help people in Ukraine, and all over the world."

"Also, I emailed my elected officials. I told them to please help stop the use of Russian oil and gas, and, this is important! I told them I don't mind paying more at the gas pump. I'll just cut back a little on other stuff or curb miles of car use."

"Yeah, you could skip my trip to the veterinarian this year."

"Hmmm. I think we'll still budget that in. But you have the right idea. Spending less and eliminating some everyday travels is well worth it for the Ukrainians and doing the next right thing, just like you said a while back. Maybe, just maybe, it'll be the push we need to make a really fast switch to renewable energies so nobody anywhere needs oil and gas."

"I think I hear another two-for!" he said and squirmed around on my lap so I'd pet his favorite spot on his head.

*

For the letters I wrote, I found an A-Z on how to contact federal, state, and local elected government officials. USA,GOV- Elected Officials with plenty more in the site's menus that actually show what our government is made of and how its parts do the work, so you can see our government is not a football kicked all over a political field. 

And, I remembered like in 2020, how to get good, trustworthy, voting information at the League of Women Voters and their really robust ballot site Vote411.org that has every bit of voting information all over the country, in every precinct, in every state, and Wash, DC. All the Republican, all the Democratic, all the Independent, all the Green, whatever others, all, all, all--size doesn't matter--their info is there wherever in America they exist. It's a relief to have up-to-date, reliable information, easy-to-use websites for these many years! It helps a lot to make well-informed decisions about who gets my ballot vote to represent and lead us.

  POWER TO  

 THE PEOPLE 

*

From the Sports Desk:

Our Utah family, Sonja, Jeff, and Elijah volunteered to coach one of Utah's youngest Jazz teams.

Ogden Jazz Man Kingston is ready to play!

Coach Sonja at work.

Mentoring a Jazz team member is Roy High School Royals' Elijah.

Thanks, to Jeff in there helping too and providing the photo-illustrated texts. He also provided the game-streaming links of Elijah's games that took the Royals through playoffs for an exciting overtime game when Elijah's final basket won them a place to play for the championship. They didn't win the championship game, but they're all in it to try next season, for sure.

From Cincinnati, ever more buff Cello Man shared his 365 lb lift moment...

Go, Aidan!!!!

*

From the Make Art, Not War Desk: 

In her words, Paula gives us a "Slice of Tucson" from a freeze a few days ago. She shows us how a local park-art gallery-eatery took care of their freeze-tender cacti...

...also recently, Paula has captured so well what it feels like living through our days fraught with much too much...

tangled in our weed patch

of much too much going on

we make art

we make music

we play games and sports

we gather medicine 

among the weeds

to make ready for sunshine

in our weed patch

in our minds

in our hearts

strong once again to resume

our quest for love

and joy 

to give kindness

and seek peace

Waging Peace...Bert and Toby...

...from Wendy.

If dogs and cats can Wage Peace...so can humans.