It seems like forever since I’ve felt patriotic, or indeed this relieved.  I think many of us forgot to breathe for four long dismal years, most notably this last one.  Big breath of fresh air.

It’s hard to believe we have a legit president and VP again, who literally began getting to work undoing the damage, however symbolically, immediately after the inauguration ceremony.  It was refreshing to see actual civility and respectful behavior between attendees from opposing sides.  At least they showed up, unlike some.  Just having actual grownups in charge will be a huge improvement.

I’m thankful I lived to see this moment, and feel some hope again.  We have so much lost ground to recover on every front, but I believe Pres. Biden/V.P. Harris are determined to return us to a civilized state and membership in the world.  We need all the help and hope we can get.

Did I mention CROCUSES blooming?!  Just after I posted the previous, they opened!  Intrigued, I looked around and found tiny shoots of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, many of which I just planted last fall, not to mention masses of crocus shoots and columbine seedlings.  No going back now!  Spring Is Coming.  I just had to share.

Before I go any further, crocuses are blooming!!  In January.  It’s pleasant out and headed for the 50s, so all hope is not lost.  Birds are happily doing bird things, ‘shrooms are a-‘shrooming, and if you squint, the “prairie” almost looks inviting, despite it being winter.  Even this Asian stir-fry I made looks springy.

Tomorrow, barring another armed insurrection by idiots, our new President Biden and VP Harris will be inaugurated.  The evil ex will be skulking away to his cave to sulk and plot.  No matter; he’ll be busy being accused and tried for high crimes, along with his henchpersons.  We can’t be more pleased and relieved.

It’s a cold January day, so naturally it’s time to prep all my veg seed-starting paraphernalia.  I cleaned up pots, set them up in flats, and reorganized the plant racks.  Even Misu got a new bed on her window shelf, from which she could supervise the operation.  I rearranged cat-friendly plants around her.  I even improvised these clever pots out of saved coffee bags, a trick I borrowed from the internet.  In early February I’ll fill them with starter mix and plant seeds.

Meanwhile, E made one of her famous savory pies, featuring tons of cheese.  We really do like cheese (and pie).

Even more serious crimes and negligence connected to or implicating the trump admin are surfacing daily.  Again, not surprising, but still disturbing.  Did I mention he got impeached twice?!  I hope they get put away for centuries.  Maybe on Mars.  Some of the new crop of repubs are pretty vile, too, but hopefully sanity will trump stupidity.

And it’s cold and snowy again.  This is the southeast, right?  Is it spring yet?

I just have to say, who knew another old white guy for President could be such a relief!  Our outgoing abomination-in-chief has set the bar so low that any basically decent, competent, experienced alternative is like night and day.

Our ex accomplished less than zero; he made America medieval again [MAMA!], setting us back to savage times.  On Day 1, Biden/Harris, already exhausted from the preceding ordeal, will have to deal with the enormous backlog of disasters trump left us with, before they can even get us moving forward on track again.

That is, if they can even get through the inauguration safely.  Even with heightened secret service, national guard, local law enforcement, and strict security measures turning DC into a military state, nothing can be taken for granted in a trump world.  Even with him sulking elsewhere for the event, unlike any other president ever.

Still, seeing all his crap getting moved out was gratifying.  And presumably a hazmat team moved in to decontaminate.

And now back to hibernation.

Just some random winter scenes, while anticipating the transfer of power to wonderfully sane, competent leaders, and expulsion of the psycho lunatics.  That’s half the battle right there.  Let it be a safe, secure transition.

Misu is perfecting the art of hibernation in the closet.  Outside, the sun is warming things up after a cold rain.

I made these Italian-style lasagna rollups filled with ricotta, parmesan, fresh herbs, and topped with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, and cheese.  E made this excellent cherry pie.

First, a disclaimer of sorts.  If I’ve ever used or implied the phrase “This is not who we are”, I withdraw it, with apologies.  It is obviously who we are as Americans, have been for centuries, just whipped into a violent frenzy under trump’s white supremacist regime.

As Arnold Schwarzenegger has pointed out from personal experience, this is much as Hitler’s holocaust began, with ordinary neighbors, with perhaps unacknowledged racist, antisemitic tendencies, just needing a small, egotistical fascist to unleash their fear and hate.

We built this nation on genocide, slavery, and immigrant labor, while claiming equality and justice, apparently for whites only.  This is who we are.  The consequences of our brutal atrocities are still coming back to haunt us.

If minorities dare to peacefully invoke civil rights or voting rights for all, instantly stormtroopers show up and start shooting indiscriminately.  If white nazi peasants with guns and pitchforks attack the Capitol as Congress is in session certifying a lawful election, a few security cops practically invite them in to loot, pillage, and kill.

Guess who looms large in both cases, goading them on?  A small, psychotic man and his fawning power mongers.  And your “normal, average” family and neighbors cheer them on.  A double standard, wouldn’t you say?

Meanwhile, many of the same people are blithely spreading this deadly virus, which is consuming us and our medical infrastructure at alarming, unprecedented levels.  Apparently convenience trumps survival, even that of your loved ones, until the virus eventually comes for you.  And marginalized minorities, as always, suffer disproportionately.  This too, it appears, is who we are.

There, I’ve said my little piece, and now back to the weather.  Which is snowing.  Again.  But…Spring is Coming!

Against my hibernating better sense, I ventured out in the cold to find something, anything, new and alive.  Nature, unlike some, is always busy transitioning and transforming, even in winter.  You just have to magnify your visual perception.  Look what I found, in these unpromising conditions– mushrooms!  Also, crocus shoots are already coming up in masses!  I predict a flowery spring.

One of the main rewards of nurturing a natural habitat, vs. a sterile manicured lawn with a few exotic invasive shrubs, is watching a growing wildlife diversity move in, drawn by their intended native species of plants and prey, as it was meant to be.

Today a large, beautiful hawk perched on the fence right outside my window, probably attracted by small critters that were in turn drawn by scraps I throw out there.  (Sorry about the poor photo quality through the screen.)  The “craven” gang (crows posing as ravens) circled close by, defending their food territory, which “coincidentally” keeps moving closer to my window!  Sometimes at night I hear owls right outside in a tree.  I know just out of sight are larger native mammals who feel more at home here now, which makes me happy.

I feed all the birds during the winter, plus maintaining water sources, and compost, so the species diversity keeps growing.  I love the large flocks of bluebirds that thrive here all year.  It’s a good sign.  Allowing native trees and plants to multiply, and leaving dead leaves alone, also provides all these critters with additional cover, nesting materials, insects, seeds, berries, and other foods, as well as organic material for returning nutrients to the soil.  In turn, larger native predators are provided with cover and food sources.

This is how we heal and restore biodiversity and the environment, one yard at a time.  The more yards people return to a more natural state, the more species are rescued from endangerment and extinction, a very real threat, especially with climate change.  All these local native species were intended by nature to interconnect and interact as a complex, healthy network, which in turn directly benefits us in crucial ways.  The added bonus is the incredible natural beauty of sustainable, low-maintenance surroundings.  The less we interfere, fuss, overwater, or chemicalize, the more nature will restore itself to a healthy balance.  It actually improves with a little neglect.

While all this action is going on right outside my window, we’re doing what any sensible mammals do in winter, semi-hibernating.  Misu approves of this message.  Sometimes we eat a homemade pizza by E.  And plan our spring gardens.  And dream of a more sane, democratic union.

So this white stuff is happening…

Here are water jewels on St. John’s Wort (Hypericum).

I’m taking a day off from political rants, as more experienced minds than mine have more constructive strategies to offer.  One way or another, this lunatic and his confeds will be removed and prosecuted.  It’s just a matter of time.