Unfortunately there is another more insidious plague waiting in the wings for the wheels to completely come off for the liar-in-chief and it's vance! He does have a sort of brain that is now being groomed for even more atrocious acts against our democracy. But he's also weak and not well liked and as chaff in the wind he can blow both ways, forward and backward. Time will tell when he takes over, and he will, as the health of the liar-in-chief is questionable. And We the People know he will NEVER tell the truth.
Pamela, Gandhi was assassinated . . . Need I say more? MLK Jr. was assassinated. RFK was assassinated. JFK was assassinated. All of them were well-intentioned. Trump, on the other hand, is as violent as violent can be. All it will take is just one more act of violence . . . Let me further point out to you: Trump, who is OBSESSED WITH DRUGS, JUST PARDONED THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF HONDURAS, WHO BROUGHT 400 TONS OF COCAINE INTO THE UNITED STATES!!! What HYPOCRISY! MADURO . . . TRUMP AIN'T AFTER ANY DRUGS . . . TRUMP IS AFTER THE OIL . . . PERIOD. THE 100 PEOPLE IN FISHING BOATS THAT TRUMP OUTRIGHT MURDERED . . . A FOIL; SENDING 150 MILITARY PLANES IN TO "GET" MADURO . . . WHAT A HIDEOUSLY WASTEFUL USE OF U.S. FUNDS!!! TRUMP THE HIDEOUSLY WASTEFUL "SHOWMAN"/"STRONGMAN" -- IT'S ALL ABOUT THE OIL. THE OIL FOIL. WE NEED TO ADD ONE MORE "ASSASSINATION" TO THE LIST . . . T-H-E-N WE CAN BREATHE EASIER AGAIN. LET'S GET RID OF THE R-E-A-L PROBLEM!!! (Its name is T-rump!!!)
Although Ghandi was/is admired by many, his non-violent way, which impacted India's Hindu vs. Muslim warring, never held enough sway in the United States to curtail hatred & violence.
The biographical based movie was produced a long time ago & those younger than baby boomers likely never saw it nor learned about him in school.
Robert, hit the text-to-speech (TTS) button. I listen to your posts rather than read them. Substack says it is up to creators to add TTS and READ ALOUD VOICE.
Been asking the same. Then I realized it will come when I am ready! So, trying to shed all fears and insecurities and not worry about the outcome because it will be fantastic, no matter wha!
I'm going there right now. Thank you 2025 was a horrendous year for the country and quite difficult for me personally. I need to focus on the positive in '26.
I think you'll like them. Something else that keeps me sane these days is the British publication, Resurgence and The Ecologist. It is a quarterly and arrives in my mailbox just in time to give me a burst of hope. Resurgence is now celebrating its 60th year of publication. Good articles, good artwork, poetry, and good book reviews. They also have lots going on online. You might enjoy checking them out. We just can't let this bunch of crooks steal our joy.
Joseph Clark Walker, I think you're correct. It appears to me that between the Republicans in Congress and the Ogre in the Offal Office that they've hurt/offended/derided/insulted almost everyone in the USA except the billionaires. So, I posit that even the selfish won't vote for them again.
Some folks like to run with the winners and if they sense that the MAGA bunch is folding they will jump ship to sail with whoever they think will come out first in the race.
Tee Public! I finally ordered my 'Don't Poke the Bear'(!!!!) tee as a previous 60 year resident of the golden state. I have many annoying tees from them. 😎
My "Freedom - Democracy - Truth" cap drives MAGAts nuts. On the one hand, they get what FDT is short for, but they can't come right out and complain without looking stupid.
Well, it's no great trick for them to look stupid. They should really be paying attention to the power of the words as they are so under threat and loss!
Love your comment. I vacillate between the caterpillar and the butterfly in this seemingly never-ending storm. When I become the caterpillar and since I am so influenced by and resonate with music, I listen to "You'll never walk alone" and sing along. It's about hope and resilience and really helps me get back to hearing the voice of the butterfly. Thank you Susan. Music and nature can be so healing.
Lilla Russell, thank you for sharing your beautiful message. When you mentioned the song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, I was reminded not only of “Carousel” but of the fact that at our dear friend’s funeral, I learned that that that was her favorite song of encouragement. Further, I was so impressed because when I was young, she was with us the first time we saw the musical performed. We miss her, but the joy, the hope, and the resilience of many people in many ways live on and are admirable examples. Thank you so much for the reminder!
My wife loved butterflies. They are a great metaphor for new beginnings and the art of becoming . Who would think that something as indecorous as a caterpillar would be transformed into something as beautiful as a butterfly?
I'll never understand why people are so dead set on raking up all of the leaves every fall. They're supposed to decompose and add nutrients back to the soil.
The insects need the dead brush as well. Most humans are so far removed from the food system (bees=honey, etc.) that they don't consider how our desire for order disrupts nature.
And I live in New Mexico where there's really not grass unless you irrigate so the trees drop leaves, there's mulch to be had for free and I just let the native sages and such live on my non-irrigated property. Quail, roadrunners, bushtits, flickers and other birds come hang out by the bird blocks and the feeders. I love it!
Sounds like you have something like a xeriscape, Janet and is relatively maintenance free . Your "yard" sounds very nice . I, too, have inducements for birds and wild life to come feed, water and frolic. Looking out of my kitchen window to see who has come to visit from the bird world plus squirrels , possums ,raccoons and even a skunk or two ,at times. In this day and time ,finding something to help you relax and get through the day is so important.
Soon , I'll be adding a yard sign out front to induce passersby to consider voting for James Talarico for the US Senate seat from Texas . He's a man of virtue and seeks being good as many of our Founding Fathers did 250 years ago at the beginning of our great country when they wrote the Preamble ,the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that we aspire now to practice as faithful citizens of America. Among other things he wants to tax the rich to help the rest of us along with favoring what was once advocated in the Social Gospel of several years ago.
It's generally about 6" of top top soil enveloping our planet and that is the healthy remaining areas. That is where foundation of life exists. The least we can do is let what falls stay where it belongs.
Unless they're deep & dense (like they were when I lived in Massachusetts), and a rain comes, packing them thick, suffocating the grass for the entire winter.
Exactly, Leslie. If you are unfortunate enough to still live in the Northeast (I’m originally from Central NY), if you don’t remove the leaves (especially slow decomposing oak leaves) from your lawn….winter mold sets in and you have no green grass come spring. Come on folks, sometimes you have to rake depending on where you live…give us a break!!!
In Los Angeles, we don't get that much rain. Nor is it freezing. This means the grass keeps growing. I rake the leaves off the grass into other planted areas so we can mow the lawn. I would get a complaint from "management" if I skipped the raking, mowing, weed removal.
Carlos they rot on sidewalks. I slid and fell on a pile of rotten leaves under a dusting of snow a couple weeks ago, still can't walk without limping or get out of bed without pain. If I were a few years older, or my osteopenia had advanced to osteoporosis (as it will), I'd have broken my femur. 80% of Americans live in urban areas.
Yes, I have lost my footing before stepping on a little something on the sidewalk . I'm very careful where I step now when I take my daily walk around the neighborhood.
At 72, with arthritis, scoliosis, and years of tai chi to counter these deficits, I bet I'm as careful as you are! But a dusting of snow on a small pile of leaves is a *hidden* pile of leaves, and it was early morning--snow was everywhere. In the immortal words of Elvis Costello, "accidents will happen," especially when there's slippery stuff around: rain-raised oil slick on the macadam, rotten leaves on sidewalks, black ice. Thus my suggestion to Carlos about a reason people might rake leaves besides hating Nature: the well-being of people more frail than he is.
True that Carlos. I find as I age I’m finding this behavior increasingly annoying. My condo neighbors not only take up all the leaves - leaving behind bare dirt. They bag the leaves in those big plastic lawn n leaf bags. And send them to the landfill. Then they purchase mulch and put that in the landscape beds. This makes me nuts. Thanks for listening. And it’s nice to know apparently I’m not the only one who sees this behavior as both nonsensical and environmentally destructive. When I attempt to gently suggest using the leaves as mulch - they look at me like I’m crazy !
Carlos, people don't want the look of chaos on their lawns and gardens. They don't care about the nutrients because they can buy more at the store in the spring.
Carlos - We get dinged every year by our HOA because we don’t cut back some of our plants. We have explained many times that we planted them on purpose because it provides some food and shelter for all of the animals needing it in the winter. Plus, we asked our neighbors if they mind that they stay up, explaining why we are leaving them there, and they don’t mind one bit. Really dislike HOA’s and some of their petty rules and gladly pay the “violation” fee each year and leave them there for the winter. We also rake some of the leaves under the covers that we put on the plants that need extra protection to survive our winter season to help insulate them and provide some nutrients. Sadly the neighbors do mind if we don’t rake the leaves off of the lawn.
I take all of that back since you have good reason to keep it on the ground ,but if the HOA insists and you don't want to pay the fine , you rake it up. My bad.
Rick, today on NPR they did a story about Trump down in Palm Beach out shopping for marble, and they said he is even thinking about changing out the armrests at the Kennedy Center and replacing them with marble!! What a super asshole! You can't REST your arms on marble! Trump out shopping??? What Trump apparently doesn't know is that marble contains lead!!! Imagine that! THAT'S probably what is wrong with his head -- all that outgassing from the marble has leached into every cell in his body, slowly poisoning him!!!
I view this differently. I think he's nesting for death, like women nest for the birth of a child. That's why he's up at night and sleeps during the day. He's afraid to waste a minute. He knows the grim reaper's on his heels and he is determined to fulfill his lack of meaningfulness with cutting words, his name on shit and trying to show everyone..."see how much nicer I made this? My life matters."
When he had that Art of the Deal book, he fancied himself a man who designed great buildings. I don't know if he knows or believes he's screwing up the economy, international relations, etc., and I don't care either way, but the little details on the chairs, the gold crap, is his way of cementing his presence on something he does believe he excels at. I think the end of him is near, those closest to him probably know it, but need his popularity to hold on to the MAGA'S, so they are keeping him afloat any way they can. His demise won't put us back to good, but it'll be a start, though. I think it's coming this year.
I've commented before that it will take some highly skilled plasterers to restore the walls of the Offal Office to as they were when it was the Oval Office.
Almost 72 here and will not see enough repaired. But I will see some repair. To that end I take solace in the knowledge I’m doing whatever I can. I love the caterpillar and butterfly story even those it’s hard to feel. Courage to all.
I think of my dad and stay strong. He was a medic in W.W.I.I. Many of us have family and loved ones who sacrificed for our freedom. I know I will answer the call for liberty and freedom.
Maybe no carnage. People are becoming tired of the careless criminal who has broken all his promises to them. They are recovering from their sickness of being MAGAts and reclaiming their better selves.
sumac01 - Starting in November I hope that we get the numbers needed to start dismantling T and his administration just like he did to the East Wing. Hopefully though not with any carnage.
Deborah, I'll be 81 in two months, and I'm certain I won't live to see healing before I die. The arc of history is plummeting, and taking everything with it.
Healing may be closer than you realize. The mood is turning. The nation is tiring of the mess, the disgrace, the criminality, the incompetence, the embarrassment ... A healthy anger is providing energy for change.
I'm with you, Rosemary. History shows that progress happens in fits and starts, and none of us knows how the cookie will crumble. (Okay, I do eat too many cookies when I'm anxious, but...) My daughter called today to revel in the inauguration of New York's new mayor, who fended off billionaires and tired old politicians to re-claim Gracie Mansion for the people. Mamdani took the oath twice—once with the newly exonerated prosecutor Tish James and again with Bernie Sanders. who seemed to relish the opportunity. As Joyce Vance says, "Giving up is unforgivable!"
I'm 73, but just too darn peeved not to keep pushing anyway. I so loved seeing AG James give the oath. And I can't _imagine_ what you mean with the cookies!🙄🥞🍥🍡🍰
Rosemary - I have that hope as well but I worry about the dirty tricks that certain republicans, states and this administration are going to pull in order to stop people from voting.
Joseph - Yep, call in the military and then use the military as an excuse to call out the national guard as well. Gerrymandering and roll purging is not enough for them. It also sounds like the USPS might help in their efforts to make mail in ballots late with the way they will stamp them and deliver them. I don’t like sounding like a conspiracy theorist but it’s close. Plus, one wonders if he will use his bogus “war” with Venezuela (or the next country) as an excuse to not hold elections. He forgets that the reason some other countries don’t hold elections is because that country is in a war on their own soil. I hope we don’t go there.
Can you believe the blitzkrieg of crap happening in our country by this maniac? I've just now been reading the AP about the capture of Madura and his wife from Venezuela in one of the biggest oil grabs to date. He's out of control and what is Congress doing about it? It's BS supreme.
to me, the 'dirty tricks' you mention - are a forgone conclusion - coming from those authoritarian mind sets ~ at the very least 'they' WILL give the 'd t' a try with D T's backing ~ (I had to go there with the play on words)
Think about those like me who have children over 70! But I work on damping down the horrified part by trying to spread the word in a kind and gentle way to my fellows at the senior residence who don't understand. The ultimate goal of the orange plague would be to deport most of the people who work here for us. Many are birthright or sworn citizens, but many fine people have not been able to get accepted as citizens over their decades here.
Let's hope it's much sooner than that, whether from his well-earned heart attack or stroke, or from being politically deposed by a party who sees him as a liability.
Such a sad sorry state of affairs and so much more despotic DT to suffer through. Will the White House & garden and Kennedy Center survive as originally named & designed so well?
Can we rid the MAGA/Trump stench from this once free democratic republic? Or are we doomed to lose that forever
Jamie, Zazow, in order to rid the nation of stench, we must educate both young and old to reason with a critical eye. And, at the same time, we must take big money out of politics.
Yes David. All those 3--moral values, critical thinking skills and compassion/kindness/respect and empathy. We need a new revamped educational system hopefully but you're right that we need to teach all people in our culture those things somehow NOW. How can we get people to value people over money and power?? I don't have a short term answer or solution. At least I can become and model what I want to see happen on a large scale in my own individual life as best I can and be another raindrop of that change for a more progressive, moral and caring society. It's small but it's within all of our power in our own individual lives to at least do that. We can look inside and vow to become better people. Eventually if many of us do that, it will grow and someday reach a tipping point. Just be kind and live in alignment with your own moral values even amidst external chaos and destruction. I often think of Victor Frankl who is one of my most respected heroes and a source of great inspiration.
Thank you for sharing this. (I also love Victor Frankl) (It's coincidental that you should mention his name as I am reading today "The Pianist" and it has been all about the ghetto conditions in Warsaw during the German occupation.)j
David, I heard Eli Wiesel speak once and wondered how he, Frankel, and so many others maintained hope in the face of what they had experienced. It makes me see that we have within us individually and in groups, the ability to not only sow hope, but also to live it ourselves, making connections with people to keep us/them from losing hart and falling into the chasm of hatred, fear, unchecked anger, and utter hatred that feed the fascists and other authoritarians who want only power to keep people under their thumb to get whatever they want with impunity. We need to become the actors, as Bernie Sanders, AOC, and so many progressives have done, speaking, writing, drawing, composing works that can break through the walls that fascists and others build. Hiding our heads and pretending none of this matters and that there is nothing we can do is no longer acceptable.
I'm not qualified to judge, but to me a big factor is compassion. As long as you can reach out with compassion to others, you will not succumb to wallowing in the depths of despondency.
Lilla, I like your idea of finding ways to educate the people. We could do it through supposed innocuous advertisements by decent corporations and agencies, mentioning kindnesses people have done as part of their ads, giving a fact about our constitution and its amendments at the beginning or end of each ad, presenting cartoons with positive themes about immigrants and others who do good works to help the people of this nation and the world and make it "cool" to watch them and share them among young people. Introduce local scholarships for people who do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly, but not too humbly in this world. We have to be creative now in what we do because the creeps have had a half-century+ to do their dirty work against our nation and the world.
Ruth. I sure like your ideas in educating people! Giving information through positive messaging. Presenting different and moral values and ethics followed by positive examples for why. Thank you Ruth for being here. I really value your writings.
Lilla, thank you! I appreciate this. I especially appreciate your desire to educate the American people. I think most people do want to know what they can do to make this a better place for people, although some have gotten the wrong message, the one that says only rich white men count for anything. That can be corrected with person to person contact, with creative programs and advertisements in all media, and with stories of people opening their world to include people who are different from themselves which could make their lives more full if they let others' ideas in.
I did a little educating today. I taught the young man helping me with groceries to my card, the Winston Churchill motto: To jaw, jaw, jaw is better than to war, war, war. He got it!
Joseph the challenge for all of us is that we don't all have the same idea of what it means to be "a good person" or virtuous. For Trump and his toddler pool, it is to get as rich as possible, stepping on whoever happens to be in the way of their accumulation of money and power. People who want to just be rich as their life's goal think a good person is one who can do whatever it takes and not look back. I think we can put out some portraits of what it means to be a person of virtue, "a good person" through kids' books, articles, posters, t-shirts, TikToks and other social media directed toward young people, in the kind of people emphasized in our news and entertainment programs (skipping quickly over those who are not people of virtue instead of dwelling on them. We could do this. We need a campaign , pushing networks and even NPR to stop putting Trump's name as the first word on all of its news reports; he isn't worth the trouble, particularly when he has done something illegal, like kidnapping the president of Venezuela.
I'm finding way many video's on YouTube to be suspect of heavy A I influence = the improbability of what is being presented with the outcomes presented & I'm also seeing repeats of 'sets' in varied video's. ~ gak gak ~
Rick, if that is true, it is a good term. When AI has been used to undermine people and our nation, it can be said that we have been "slopped"! Perfect!
Dale, thanks for bringing this up. Now, when something suspect, it is critical that the word is spread quickly to let other people know. Some might not mind that they are being bamboozled, but a lot will and can force You Tube and other media to be more careful of what they accept and reward.
Since Citizen United unlimited "bad" influence $ has overrun elections. I do not know that that will change in a current adult's lifetime. The Supreme Court has taken away all protective good government statutes. Along with female bodily autonomy and protections for african americans and other minorities. $ will likely never be out of politics and US policy is once again overwhelmingly unfair racist & sexist with more & more restrictions of freedom.
Jamie, I do think we can rid our republic of the Trump and his toddler pool stench, but it is going to take all of us together to do it, guided by a vision of caring, loving, decent people, that is if we can dump the weird biases that our families, friends, and our society handed down to us
There have always been "weird biases" in this country BUT it has reached critical mass. Our strings are being pulled by the uber rich and powerful that have bought the Supreme Court and the presidency and the bulk of congress. At least as of now congress can change. And a slim possibility the presidency can change despite these big monied interests. But make no mistake that they are actively pitting us against each other.
And what evil is being perpetrated inside this country is likely secondary to international forces of China and Russia and their ilk. Maybe these international powers are paying off or somehow influencing the internal forces. I would not be overly surprised...
Jamie, I believe it will be easier to put the brakes on the Orange Stain if things go well this coming November and to correct his institutional damage (legislatively) if we get a trifecta in 2028. The damage that the creep has inflicted on our relationships with traditional allies and on our international persona as a nation might take longer than some of us will live. (I'm 75.) But first things first.
Jonathan, and that preparation might include required recounting in the "swing" states because it is there the fraud of the 2024 election probably happened, and the votes were not checked with the tallying that may well have been influenced digitally by Musk and his AIers. In many states we now have paper ballots which could be counted and compared. There is nothing Trump, Musk, Theil, Vought, Vance, and the rest of the Republican toddler pool won't do to keep power they do not deserve and to keep people from voting who have the right as American citizens to vote. Clearly rich white men are scared and will do anything to harm those who scare them, and that is all the rest of us.
I believe we can’t go back to the way we were either or the democracy we had. It’s a living thing that grows and changes to improve. We’ve learned a lot about our imperfections now is the time to implement laws that cannot be contested like candidate fitness is a must transparency mentally and physically. That’s what I see and hope for
We need to be positive and plan now for changes to our systems such as wealth taxes, term limits, qualifications met before people can run for office, enforcement of anti-trust laws and the break-up of existing monopolies, a new Supremd Court with explicit ethics and term limits, restrictions on presidential pardons. And many more!
Please watch Zohran Mamdani's inauguration as Mayor of New York, and listen to his speech on YouTube. It will cheer and give hope for 2026. Too bad he wasn't born in the United States. He is the living rebuttal to $trump.
Thank you for this moving poem which I sent to my daughter who lives in the UK. I am in Montreal and listen to 'your music' every day with a heart that both hopes for and yet despairs about at one and the same time for you, my (our) neighbours to the South. I have enjoyed some wonderful times in the US. but am reluctant to visit now, things being what they are. I wish you all a happier, more hopeful year in 2026. Thank you.
How and when will we be free of the madness that is devastating our nation? And when will those responsible for this tyranny—above all, their leader, Trump— be held responsible? Justice requires that they be severely punished.
A day to breathe
A day to dare
A day to believe
A day without despair
When will this day come?
Today, tomorrow, next year?
Forever and a day
Who is to say?
Forever is the day
We make him go away.
Yes. It is up to We, The People to vote Trump and his ilk out of office .
VOTE him out, or DRAG HIM OUT??? I prefer the latter, so we can be rid of THIS HORRID PLAGUE NOW!!!!!
Unfortunately there is another more insidious plague waiting in the wings for the wheels to completely come off for the liar-in-chief and it's vance! He does have a sort of brain that is now being groomed for even more atrocious acts against our democracy. But he's also weak and not well liked and as chaff in the wind he can blow both ways, forward and backward. Time will tell when he takes over, and he will, as the health of the liar-in-chief is questionable. And We the People know he will NEVER tell the truth.
good points & jd vance is likely also racist, power mad, & a total liar
treat him like he did in Venezuela. No; we need the rule of law, Senators and House of Representatives to stop being sycophants.
wiresouth.com/jj879u
Klare, The non violent way of Gandhi is less likely to stir up the population into further violence.
Pamela, Gandhi was assassinated . . . Need I say more? MLK Jr. was assassinated. RFK was assassinated. JFK was assassinated. All of them were well-intentioned. Trump, on the other hand, is as violent as violent can be. All it will take is just one more act of violence . . . Let me further point out to you: Trump, who is OBSESSED WITH DRUGS, JUST PARDONED THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF HONDURAS, WHO BROUGHT 400 TONS OF COCAINE INTO THE UNITED STATES!!! What HYPOCRISY! MADURO . . . TRUMP AIN'T AFTER ANY DRUGS . . . TRUMP IS AFTER THE OIL . . . PERIOD. THE 100 PEOPLE IN FISHING BOATS THAT TRUMP OUTRIGHT MURDERED . . . A FOIL; SENDING 150 MILITARY PLANES IN TO "GET" MADURO . . . WHAT A HIDEOUSLY WASTEFUL USE OF U.S. FUNDS!!! TRUMP THE HIDEOUSLY WASTEFUL "SHOWMAN"/"STRONGMAN" -- IT'S ALL ABOUT THE OIL. THE OIL FOIL. WE NEED TO ADD ONE MORE "ASSASSINATION" TO THE LIST . . . T-H-E-N WE CAN BREATHE EASIER AGAIN. LET'S GET RID OF THE R-E-A-L PROBLEM!!! (Its name is T-rump!!!)
Although Ghandi was/is admired by many, his non-violent way, which impacted India's Hindu vs. Muslim warring, never held enough sway in the United States to curtail hatred & violence.
The biographical based movie was produced a long time ago & those younger than baby boomers likely never saw it nor learned about him in school.
I would like to repost on Facebook
Sure. Thank you.
Robert, hit the text-to-speech (TTS) button. I listen to your posts rather than read them. Substack says it is up to creators to add TTS and READ ALOUD VOICE.
Been asking the same. Then I realized it will come when I am ready! So, trying to shed all fears and insecurities and not worry about the outcome because it will be fantastic, no matter wha!
¡Feliz Navidad as Resistance!
Amen
And yet, to my dismay, he continues to stay
Todd, how about TODAY???
Beautiful. Onward through the rain, everyone. "It's the end of the world," said the caterpillar. "It's only the beginning," said the butterfly.
Susan, I'm going to focus on your image of the butterfly. Thank you.
It wasn't original with me. I got it from a magnet in the Northern Sun catalog. They have some terrific merch. I love that image as well.
I'm going there right now. Thank you 2025 was a horrendous year for the country and quite difficult for me personally. I need to focus on the positive in '26.
I think you'll like them. Something else that keeps me sane these days is the British publication, Resurgence and The Ecologist. It is a quarterly and arrives in my mailbox just in time to give me a burst of hope. Resurgence is now celebrating its 60th year of publication. Good articles, good artwork, poetry, and good book reviews. They also have lots going on online. You might enjoy checking them out. We just can't let this bunch of crooks steal our joy.
We're not going to let that happen.
Thank you once again, Susan Troy. I just placed an order on Northern Sun and next I'll go to Resurgence and the Ecologist. Happy New Year.
We're going to blow them away in this year's elections.
Joseph Clark Walker, I think you're correct. It appears to me that between the Republicans in Congress and the Ogre in the Offal Office that they've hurt/offended/derided/insulted almost everyone in the USA except the billionaires. So, I posit that even the selfish won't vote for them again.
Some folks like to run with the winners and if they sense that the MAGA bunch is folding they will jump ship to sail with whoever they think will come out first in the race.
I buy from Northern Sun, and also from TeePublic. My collection of TeePublic caps never fails to piss MAGAts off.
Tee Public! I finally ordered my 'Don't Poke the Bear'(!!!!) tee as a previous 60 year resident of the golden state. I have many annoying tees from them. 😎
My "Freedom - Democracy - Truth" cap drives MAGAts nuts. On the one hand, they get what FDT is short for, but they can't come right out and complain without looking stupid.
Well, it's no great trick for them to look stupid. They should really be paying attention to the power of the words as they are so under threat and loss!
Susan Troy, excitedly I looked up the catalog a moment ago. I am sorry that they are closing.
The site read, “Northern Sun Is Closing With Giveaways and Deals”. Still, maybe it will be helpful to many people.
I appreciate your positive attitude and sharing so much!
P. S.
I did find the Notthern Sun online catalog! In it I saw this quotation of encouragement of a positive attitude and thoughtful actions. It is:
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness,
only light can do that. Hate cannot
drive out hate,
only love can do that.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr
Yes, and we are the imaginal cells that will create the transformation!
Love your comment. I vacillate between the caterpillar and the butterfly in this seemingly never-ending storm. When I become the caterpillar and since I am so influenced by and resonate with music, I listen to "You'll never walk alone" and sing along. It's about hope and resilience and really helps me get back to hearing the voice of the butterfly. Thank you Susan. Music and nature can be so healing.
Lilla Russell, thank you for sharing your beautiful message. When you mentioned the song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, I was reminded not only of “Carousel” but of the fact that at our dear friend’s funeral, I learned that that that was her favorite song of encouragement. Further, I was so impressed because when I was young, she was with us the first time we saw the musical performed. We miss her, but the joy, the hope, and the resilience of many people in many ways live on and are admirable examples. Thank you so much for the reminder!
I just love this - thank you!
My wife loved butterflies. They are a great metaphor for new beginnings and the art of becoming . Who would think that something as indecorous as a caterpillar would be transformed into something as beautiful as a butterfly?
They are that metaphor!🦋🐛
Let’s start over says the egg
Much better than a moth before a flame.
Susan Troy, thank you for sharing that quotation. It reminds me of something hopeful HCR said in YouTube recently.
🦋
I'll never understand why people are so dead set on raking up all of the leaves every fall. They're supposed to decompose and add nutrients back to the soil.
Plus which, they provide a protective layer for the dormant plants.
The insects need the dead brush as well. Most humans are so far removed from the food system (bees=honey, etc.) that they don't consider how our desire for order disrupts nature.
Like SoCal being covered with ridiculous green lawns.
That's what I do - leave the leaves where they lie (alliteratively speaking) And, besides, the bumblebees overwinter in the fallen leaves...
When mowing the lawn leave the cuttings on the ground as it protects the roots and helps to hold moisture. ergo, less watering required .
And I live in New Mexico where there's really not grass unless you irrigate so the trees drop leaves, there's mulch to be had for free and I just let the native sages and such live on my non-irrigated property. Quail, roadrunners, bushtits, flickers and other birds come hang out by the bird blocks and the feeders. I love it!
Sounds like you have something like a xeriscape, Janet and is relatively maintenance free . Your "yard" sounds very nice . I, too, have inducements for birds and wild life to come feed, water and frolic. Looking out of my kitchen window to see who has come to visit from the bird world plus squirrels , possums ,raccoons and even a skunk or two ,at times. In this day and time ,finding something to help you relax and get through the day is so important.
Soon , I'll be adding a yard sign out front to induce passersby to consider voting for James Talarico for the US Senate seat from Texas . He's a man of virtue and seeks being good as many of our Founding Fathers did 250 years ago at the beginning of our great country when they wrote the Preamble ,the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that we aspire now to practice as faithful citizens of America. Among other things he wants to tax the rich to help the rest of us along with favoring what was once advocated in the Social Gospel of several years ago.
I, too, am for the same things .
It's called "autumnal phyllophobia", a variation of the cleaning freak.
Good to know.
It was a joke... sorry! 🤭
It's generally about 6" of top top soil enveloping our planet and that is the healthy remaining areas. That is where foundation of life exists. The least we can do is let what falls stay where it belongs.
Unless, maybe, it's on the sidewalk.
Then by all means sweep it up or blow it away.
Onto your property!!!
Basically because our HOA board insists on it.
That's a real drag.
Don't want to lower that property value because of a messy neighbor hood.
Unless they're deep & dense (like they were when I lived in Massachusetts), and a rain comes, packing them thick, suffocating the grass for the entire winter.
Exactly, Leslie. If you are unfortunate enough to still live in the Northeast (I’m originally from Central NY), if you don’t remove the leaves (especially slow decomposing oak leaves) from your lawn….winter mold sets in and you have no green grass come spring. Come on folks, sometimes you have to rake depending on where you live…give us a break!!!
I now live in Mexico. Saw the writing on the wall in Trump's first term.
I stand corrected . Good to know.
Makes me glad I live where I currently live.
In Los Angeles, we don't get that much rain. Nor is it freezing. This means the grass keeps growing. I rake the leaves off the grass into other planted areas so we can mow the lawn. I would get a complaint from "management" if I skipped the raking, mowing, weed removal.
Interesting. I didn't know that could actually happen.
Carlos they rot on sidewalks. I slid and fell on a pile of rotten leaves under a dusting of snow a couple weeks ago, still can't walk without limping or get out of bed without pain. If I were a few years older, or my osteopenia had advanced to osteoporosis (as it will), I'd have broken my femur. 80% of Americans live in urban areas.
Yes, I have lost my footing before stepping on a little something on the sidewalk . I'm very careful where I step now when I take my daily walk around the neighborhood.
At 72, with arthritis, scoliosis, and years of tai chi to counter these deficits, I bet I'm as careful as you are! But a dusting of snow on a small pile of leaves is a *hidden* pile of leaves, and it was early morning--snow was everywhere. In the immortal words of Elvis Costello, "accidents will happen," especially when there's slippery stuff around: rain-raised oil slick on the macadam, rotten leaves on sidewalks, black ice. Thus my suggestion to Carlos about a reason people might rake leaves besides hating Nature: the well-being of people more frail than he is.
True that Carlos. I find as I age I’m finding this behavior increasingly annoying. My condo neighbors not only take up all the leaves - leaving behind bare dirt. They bag the leaves in those big plastic lawn n leaf bags. And send them to the landfill. Then they purchase mulch and put that in the landscape beds. This makes me nuts. Thanks for listening. And it’s nice to know apparently I’m not the only one who sees this behavior as both nonsensical and environmentally destructive. When I attempt to gently suggest using the leaves as mulch - they look at me like I’m crazy !
Carlos, people don't want the look of chaos on their lawns and gardens. They don't care about the nutrients because they can buy more at the store in the spring.
Besides the neighborhood association will threaten and say you are lazy, so we must bring you up on charges; too much power corrupts!
Kathryn, you are right about the communities that stand against anything that makes a home look like less than a picture post card.
I am so glad that my neighborhood is not like that and I'm sorry that you have to put up with that. Again, a property value things ,right?
some of us love chaos in gardens. not in ... the ruling of the country. sigh. CIAO
Finding as I age these things are becoming increasingly annoying.
There ·is· one upside I've discovered to leave-raking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu3HN-MmJc4
Carlos - We get dinged every year by our HOA because we don’t cut back some of our plants. We have explained many times that we planted them on purpose because it provides some food and shelter for all of the animals needing it in the winter. Plus, we asked our neighbors if they mind that they stay up, explaining why we are leaving them there, and they don’t mind one bit. Really dislike HOA’s and some of their petty rules and gladly pay the “violation” fee each year and leave them there for the winter. We also rake some of the leaves under the covers that we put on the plants that need extra protection to survive our winter season to help insulate them and provide some nutrients. Sadly the neighbors do mind if we don’t rake the leaves off of the lawn.
They rake them up because they are neat freaks and anal.
I take all of that back since you have good reason to keep it on the ground ,but if the HOA insists and you don't want to pay the fine , you rake it up. My bad.
Agree. Of course, it's too keep the sun reaching the grass.
And you must find the funny little narrative of God talking to St. Francis or Moses about how we are caring for The Garden.The joke says it all.
I am horrified and anxious, for at 70 today, I will probably not live long enough to see this country healed from the orange plague.
A Egomaniac obsessed with gold has stolen the Golden Years from so many good souls. Sometimes it hurts so much you have laugh
Rick, today on NPR they did a story about Trump down in Palm Beach out shopping for marble, and they said he is even thinking about changing out the armrests at the Kennedy Center and replacing them with marble!! What a super asshole! You can't REST your arms on marble! Trump out shopping??? What Trump apparently doesn't know is that marble contains lead!!! Imagine that! THAT'S probably what is wrong with his head -- all that outgassing from the marble has leached into every cell in his body, slowly poisoning him!!!
I view this differently. I think he's nesting for death, like women nest for the birth of a child. That's why he's up at night and sleeps during the day. He's afraid to waste a minute. He knows the grim reaper's on his heels and he is determined to fulfill his lack of meaningfulness with cutting words, his name on shit and trying to show everyone..."see how much nicer I made this? My life matters."
When he had that Art of the Deal book, he fancied himself a man who designed great buildings. I don't know if he knows or believes he's screwing up the economy, international relations, etc., and I don't care either way, but the little details on the chairs, the gold crap, is his way of cementing his presence on something he does believe he excels at. I think the end of him is near, those closest to him probably know it, but need his popularity to hold on to the MAGA'S, so they are keeping him afloat any way they can. His demise won't put us back to good, but it'll be a start, though. I think it's coming this year.
Camille, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
I've commented before that it will take some highly skilled plasterers to restore the walls of the Offal Office to as they were when it was the Oval Office.
Not fast enough (poisoning)
Lea, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,! You got that right!
But - "he" has a heart of - gold = = = cold, hard, and yellow ! ! !
I'm not laughing.
Almost 72 here and will not see enough repaired. But I will see some repair. To that end I take solace in the knowledge I’m doing whatever I can. I love the caterpillar and butterfly story even those it’s hard to feel. Courage to all.
courage!
HI All -- At 95, I agree with all of you. Also like the Butterfly and Caterpillar story
I absolutely refuse to give up! (I am 71.) We have to stay positive.
More power to you. I'm 71 as well and having a very difficult time staying positive. So much damage done
Deborah, I am 76 and feel the same way.
I think of my dad and stay strong. He was a medic in W.W.I.I. Many of us have family and loved ones who sacrificed for our freedom. I know I will answer the call for liberty and freedom.
at 76 I hope to see the repair start in November, but what carnage will we see between now and then?
Maybe no carnage. People are becoming tired of the careless criminal who has broken all his promises to them. They are recovering from their sickness of being MAGAts and reclaiming their better selves.
sumac01 - Starting in November I hope that we get the numbers needed to start dismantling T and his administration just like he did to the East Wing. Hopefully though not with any carnage.
Deborah, I'll be 81 in two months, and I'm certain I won't live to see healing before I die. The arc of history is plummeting, and taking everything with it.
Healing may be closer than you realize. The mood is turning. The nation is tiring of the mess, the disgrace, the criminality, the incompetence, the embarrassment ... A healthy anger is providing energy for change.
I'm with you, Rosemary. History shows that progress happens in fits and starts, and none of us knows how the cookie will crumble. (Okay, I do eat too many cookies when I'm anxious, but...) My daughter called today to revel in the inauguration of New York's new mayor, who fended off billionaires and tired old politicians to re-claim Gracie Mansion for the people. Mamdani took the oath twice—once with the newly exonerated prosecutor Tish James and again with Bernie Sanders. who seemed to relish the opportunity. As Joyce Vance says, "Giving up is unforgivable!"
I watched Mamdani's swearing in and loved what he had to say (with tears of JOY in my eyes too) ~
I'm 73, but just too darn peeved not to keep pushing anyway. I so loved seeing AG James give the oath. And I can't _imagine_ what you mean with the cookies!🙄🥞🍥🍡🍰
Rosemary - I have that hope as well but I worry about the dirty tricks that certain republicans, states and this administration are going to pull in order to stop people from voting.
Like calling the military to be posted at polling places in some major cities .
Joseph - Yep, call in the military and then use the military as an excuse to call out the national guard as well. Gerrymandering and roll purging is not enough for them. It also sounds like the USPS might help in their efforts to make mail in ballots late with the way they will stamp them and deliver them. I don’t like sounding like a conspiracy theorist but it’s close. Plus, one wonders if he will use his bogus “war” with Venezuela (or the next country) as an excuse to not hold elections. He forgets that the reason some other countries don’t hold elections is because that country is in a war on their own soil. I hope we don’t go there.
Can you believe the blitzkrieg of crap happening in our country by this maniac? I've just now been reading the AP about the capture of Madura and his wife from Venezuela in one of the biggest oil grabs to date. He's out of control and what is Congress doing about it? It's BS supreme.
to me, the 'dirty tricks' you mention - are a forgone conclusion - coming from those authoritarian mind sets ~ at the very least 'they' WILL give the 'd t' a try with D T's backing ~ (I had to go there with the play on words)
Dale - Like your play on words. ;)
So, let's get into good trouble and turn this thing around.
Leslie, I'm two years older than you, so I understand your feeling. It hurts.
Please look after yourself. You are needed, and you will enjoy that delicious moment when Criminal Trump is lead away to prison.
Thank you my fellow Boomers. Keep the faith. ☮️
76. I'm terrified.
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
...
In peace there's nothing so becomes someone
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of conflict blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage; (modified from Shakespeare) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56972/speech-once-more-unto-the-breach-dear-friends-once-more
❤️😻🌹
Think about those like me who have children over 70! But I work on damping down the horrified part by trying to spread the word in a kind and gentle way to my fellows at the senior residence who don't understand. The ultimate goal of the orange plague would be to deport most of the people who work here for us. Many are birthright or sworn citizens, but many fine people have not been able to get accepted as citizens over their decades here.
I believe you will.
I'm 82 and fully expect to see the Donald kicked out in a year or two.
Let's hope it's much sooner than that, whether from his well-earned heart attack or stroke, or from being politically deposed by a party who sees him as a liability.
Maybe that way. We'll see.
Really liked the poem!
Such a sad sorry state of affairs and so much more despotic DT to suffer through. Will the White House & garden and Kennedy Center survive as originally named & designed so well?
Can we rid the MAGA/Trump stench from this once free democratic republic? Or are we doomed to lose that forever
Jamie, Zazow, in order to rid the nation of stench, we must educate both young and old to reason with a critical eye. And, at the same time, we must take big money out of politics.
Not only to we need to teach society critical analysis, but also Compassion and also Values.
Yes David. All those 3--moral values, critical thinking skills and compassion/kindness/respect and empathy. We need a new revamped educational system hopefully but you're right that we need to teach all people in our culture those things somehow NOW. How can we get people to value people over money and power?? I don't have a short term answer or solution. At least I can become and model what I want to see happen on a large scale in my own individual life as best I can and be another raindrop of that change for a more progressive, moral and caring society. It's small but it's within all of our power in our own individual lives to at least do that. We can look inside and vow to become better people. Eventually if many of us do that, it will grow and someday reach a tipping point. Just be kind and live in alignment with your own moral values even amidst external chaos and destruction. I often think of Victor Frankl who is one of my most respected heroes and a source of great inspiration.
Thank you for sharing this. (I also love Victor Frankl) (It's coincidental that you should mention his name as I am reading today "The Pianist" and it has been all about the ghetto conditions in Warsaw during the German occupation.)j
David, I heard Eli Wiesel speak once and wondered how he, Frankel, and so many others maintained hope in the face of what they had experienced. It makes me see that we have within us individually and in groups, the ability to not only sow hope, but also to live it ourselves, making connections with people to keep us/them from losing hart and falling into the chasm of hatred, fear, unchecked anger, and utter hatred that feed the fascists and other authoritarians who want only power to keep people under their thumb to get whatever they want with impunity. We need to become the actors, as Bernie Sanders, AOC, and so many progressives have done, speaking, writing, drawing, composing works that can break through the walls that fascists and others build. Hiding our heads and pretending none of this matters and that there is nothing we can do is no longer acceptable.
I'm not qualified to judge, but to me a big factor is compassion. As long as you can reach out with compassion to others, you will not succumb to wallowing in the depths of despondency.
Lilla, I like your idea of finding ways to educate the people. We could do it through supposed innocuous advertisements by decent corporations and agencies, mentioning kindnesses people have done as part of their ads, giving a fact about our constitution and its amendments at the beginning or end of each ad, presenting cartoons with positive themes about immigrants and others who do good works to help the people of this nation and the world and make it "cool" to watch them and share them among young people. Introduce local scholarships for people who do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly, but not too humbly in this world. We have to be creative now in what we do because the creeps have had a half-century+ to do their dirty work against our nation and the world.
Ruth. I sure like your ideas in educating people! Giving information through positive messaging. Presenting different and moral values and ethics followed by positive examples for why. Thank you Ruth for being here. I really value your writings.
Lilla, thank you! I appreciate this. I especially appreciate your desire to educate the American people. I think most people do want to know what they can do to make this a better place for people, although some have gotten the wrong message, the one that says only rich white men count for anything. That can be corrected with person to person contact, with creative programs and advertisements in all media, and with stories of people opening their world to include people who are different from themselves which could make their lives more full if they let others' ideas in.
I did a little educating today. I taught the young man helping me with groceries to my card, the Winston Churchill motto: To jaw, jaw, jaw is better than to war, war, war. He got it!
Just so. I also believe this way. Carl Jung fan myself.
How about virtue and just being good people.
Joseph the challenge for all of us is that we don't all have the same idea of what it means to be "a good person" or virtuous. For Trump and his toddler pool, it is to get as rich as possible, stepping on whoever happens to be in the way of their accumulation of money and power. People who want to just be rich as their life's goal think a good person is one who can do whatever it takes and not look back. I think we can put out some portraits of what it means to be a person of virtue, "a good person" through kids' books, articles, posters, t-shirts, TikToks and other social media directed toward young people, in the kind of people emphasized in our news and entertainment programs (skipping quickly over those who are not people of virtue instead of dwelling on them. We could do this. We need a campaign , pushing networks and even NPR to stop putting Trump's name as the first word on all of its news reports; he isn't worth the trouble, particularly when he has done something illegal, like kidnapping the president of Venezuela.
All good points, Ruth and worth pursuing .
Yes. The PVVs (Principles, Values, and Virtues).
The sad irony is that by our surrendering to parts of the coming AI our critical eyes won't have a chance. Everything will be suspect.
Yes. a thousand times yes... A I can be a great deceiver.
I'm finding way many video's on YouTube to be suspect of heavy A I influence = the improbability of what is being presented with the outcomes presented & I'm also seeing repeats of 'sets' in varied video's. ~ gak gak ~
I recently learned a new sort of accepted term for bad AI. Slop.
It's very appropriate and it's already forcing it's way into the mix
Rick, if that is true, it is a good term. When AI has been used to undermine people and our nation, it can be said that we have been "slopped"! Perfect!
Dale, thanks for bringing this up. Now, when something suspect, it is critical that the word is spread quickly to let other people know. Some might not mind that they are being bamboozled, but a lot will and can force You Tube and other media to be more careful of what they accept and reward.
Since Citizen United unlimited "bad" influence $ has overrun elections. I do not know that that will change in a current adult's lifetime. The Supreme Court has taken away all protective good government statutes. Along with female bodily autonomy and protections for african americans and other minorities. $ will likely never be out of politics and US policy is once again overwhelmingly unfair racist & sexist with more & more restrictions of freedom.
Jamie Zazow, Sigh. I sadly agree with your conclusions.
Jamie, I do think we can rid our republic of the Trump and his toddler pool stench, but it is going to take all of us together to do it, guided by a vision of caring, loving, decent people, that is if we can dump the weird biases that our families, friends, and our society handed down to us
There have always been "weird biases" in this country BUT it has reached critical mass. Our strings are being pulled by the uber rich and powerful that have bought the Supreme Court and the presidency and the bulk of congress. At least as of now congress can change. And a slim possibility the presidency can change despite these big monied interests. But make no mistake that they are actively pitting us against each other.
And what evil is being perpetrated inside this country is likely secondary to international forces of China and Russia and their ilk. Maybe these international powers are paying off or somehow influencing the internal forces. I would not be overly surprised...
Jamie, I believe it will be easier to put the brakes on the Orange Stain if things go well this coming November and to correct his institutional damage (legislatively) if we get a trifecta in 2028. The damage that the creep has inflicted on our relationships with traditional allies and on our international persona as a nation might take longer than some of us will live. (I'm 75.) But first things first.
If first things first, then we'd better start with going to the mat to make November a more or less free and fair election -- including both casting AND counting of votes -- because Trump/MAGA are all too aware now what a free and fair election would bring and so are hell-bent on making sure it isn't. Knowledge, preparedness, vigilance, determination. https://www.amazon.com/CODE-RED-Computerized-Elections-Democracy/dp/B087H83JCR/ref; https://codered2014.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TheRealSteal-IntroAnalysisCombinedUpdated-js8_WWW-2.pdf.
Jonathan, and that preparation might include required recounting in the "swing" states because it is there the fraud of the 2024 election probably happened, and the votes were not checked with the tallying that may well have been influenced digitally by Musk and his AIers. In many states we now have paper ballots which could be counted and compared. There is nothing Trump, Musk, Theil, Vought, Vance, and the rest of the Republican toddler pool won't do to keep power they do not deserve and to keep people from voting who have the right as American citizens to vote. Clearly rich white men are scared and will do anything to harm those who scare them, and that is all the rest of us.
agree with this assessment
Good point, Jonathan. First things first.
No we’re winning. You can’t keep the good down
I wish I could believe that
We're not going to lose it.
Love Alison! Thanks for sharing, Professor Reich.
Good, gentle poem. I enjoyed it. Thanks for featuring it, Robert. We will prevail.
I believe we can’t go back to the way we were either or the democracy we had. It’s a living thing that grows and changes to improve. We’ve learned a lot about our imperfections now is the time to implement laws that cannot be contested like candidate fitness is a must transparency mentally and physically. That’s what I see and hope for
We need to be positive and plan now for changes to our systems such as wealth taxes, term limits, qualifications met before people can run for office, enforcement of anti-trust laws and the break-up of existing monopolies, a new Supremd Court with explicit ethics and term limits, restrictions on presidential pardons. And many more!
Please watch Zohran Mamdani's inauguration as Mayor of New York, and listen to his speech on YouTube. It will cheer and give hope for 2026. Too bad he wasn't born in the United States. He is the living rebuttal to $trump.
Yes, it was quite inspiring. a great afternoon.
Thank you for this moving poem which I sent to my daughter who lives in the UK. I am in Montreal and listen to 'your music' every day with a heart that both hopes for and yet despairs about at one and the same time for you, my (our) neighbours to the South. I have enjoyed some wonderful times in the US. but am reluctant to visit now, things being what they are. I wish you all a happier, more hopeful year in 2026. Thank you.
Jennifer Powe.
Alison so good to see your work. I heard you present with Bruce Weigl when you won the CSU Poetry First Book prize. Well done.
Wow, that was 25 years ago!! Thanks for the shout out!
Sure!
While I LOVE your commentary, Robert, poetry beats political jawboning. :- )
This so perfectly captures the moment.
The storm is far from over. The cleanup in the aftermath will take a long time.
No more status quo, please. No more campaign and dark money distorting policy. The partisanship is killing us.
Above all, a return to our Constitutional checks and balances and the rule of law.
I'm old by calendar metric, not the head! Youthful voices need to define a new framework of what We The People believe gov't can and should deliver.
We need youthful voices who listen to wise elders like R.R. & others.
How and when will we be free of the madness that is devastating our nation? And when will those responsible for this tyranny—above all, their leader, Trump— be held responsible? Justice requires that they be severely punished.
Thank you for sharing this.
I needed that poem. Another one on being a “shallow Hal”:
“Look not for fame
nor beauty of skin
but look for the heart
that lies deep within
For beauty and skin will soon grow old
but a heart that is warm will never grow cold.”
-William Shakespeare-
That is not by Shakespeare.
Beautiful! Let’s remain hopeful this nightmare will end soon!