March was a good month for us, despite the mindblowingly bad things happening in the world because of our psychopath president. Encouraging news is removal of Pam Bondi, whose condescension we will no longer have to stomach while she makes excuses for Dump. The firing of Kristi Noem, puppy killer and family-destroyer (and now her family is falling apart from within) was a relief, though her replacement Markwayne Mullin appears to be equally evil. Spain and Italy closed airspace to US military aircraft. Top US Republicans called the proposed takeover of Greenland absurd. The UK, France, and Germany have bypassed the US to begin working on a solution for the Hormuz Strait. Elon Musk is no longer his favourite boy. JD Vance has dared to suggest that Dump has started a war when he campaigned on never doing such a thing – the truth always makes Dump furious.
While his first time as President was non-stop turnover, this time things appeared surprisingly stable…until now. My fingers are crossed that things in the US continue toward chaos and ineffectiveness, and that economic hardship and scandal make him even more impotent in this Fall’s elections.
Ok, but I said March was GOOD! And that means more time not watching or listening to the news. So we tried to focus on other things, and had fun.
We watched an educational program about the history of modern domestic cats. Jupyter was invested, and I like to think we are good parents for helping her understand her ancestoral history.
There are only a few things that are the reason I spend so much time in my office: 1) blogging! 2) Volunteering as the editor (photographer, researcher, investigator, writer, designer, publisher, distributor AND editor) of the Mt. Hood Cherokees newsletter five times a year. 3) Volunteering as the editor (only designer and editor – whew) of the Great Spirit Methodist Church newsletter six times a year. 4) Part-time work for Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) anywhere from once a year to four times a year, in person and over Zoom, where I teach VFW employees about things going on in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Finally there is what I am trying to spend more and more time doing these days: 5) My book! I am writing a fiction book about a Postmaster of a small Idaho town.
Though my list above is only five items long, these things take SO MUCH TIME. I’m sure you understand, having many of the same kinds of things demanding your attention.
Our Nespresso machine is about 12 years old and is starting to fail. We use it in combination with a French press. Pedro and I drink a lot of coffee! In January we went to visit friends and Pedro began to covet their espresso machine. He found it online and marked it as a favourite, and watched as the price began to drop. Just before the war began, the price had dropped to $300 less than what it was in January, so we decided to buy it. It was good timing! Now everything is more expensive again.
When it arrived, we knew it would not fit the space we have been using as a coffee cubby in the kitchen. The microwave shelf was too low to accommodate the bean hopper. The old microwave was manufactured in 2009 and we have never liked it. We used the new coffee machine as an excuse to donate the old microwave and get one manufactured in 2026. The new one was inexpensive, more compact despite having nearly the same interior size, and much lighter than the old one. Pedro cut out the shelf and rebuilt a shelf 5 inches higher.
If you read my post about Winter Activities, I wrote that I was digging up paving rocks and setting them to make our rocks paths work better. That left some holes in the lawn. We had people come in and repair our irrigation system last fall and that tore up our lawn. Most of all, we have been under relentless attack from a resident mole, that simply destroys our grass, our landscaping, everything we try to do here. The mole mountains left bare patches all over the place too. So one spring activity was to re-seed the bare patches. And in the photo above, you can see the grass sprouting. Yay! Now we still need to find a way to rid ourselves of a mole…
Pedro’s kids were with us over the weekend. He requested a carrot cake because it’s healthier. “Just so you understand,” I clarified, “A carrot cake has just as much cakeness in it. It has no less sugar and fat. It’s all the cake of a regular cake, just with carrot also.” Pedro laughed, “I know! But at least there will be carrots, when otherwise the kids would not eat carrots.” So funny.
Happy Passover, Easter, April Fools Day, Earth Day, Springtime, or whatever it is you want to celebrate right now. Go outside and get some Vitamin D! (Unless you live in a different hemisphere, then please be careful of too much sun and enjoy the warmth while it lasts.)
Conscious Engagement 
I’m always amazed at how much you do, Crystal. And how much you contribute! You and Pedro are good people. The cat is magnificent. You need to talk to him about the mole. Feeding a squirrel in your office: That had me laughing. There is absolutely nothing healthy looking about the carrot cake. Yum. Painting your moulding. That may be a bit above and beyond, but good for you. As for Trump, it’s sad to hope folks suffer enough before midterms to understand how bad the man is, but I’m with you: Whatever it takes to get him under control before he can do more damage!
I really enjoyed your update!
Yes, Curt, you are so right. I just watched a video about that yesterday from a woman asking herself, “What has happened to me? I’ve never wished ill on a person before, and now I am planning celebrations for the day he is not around anymore!” The whole thing was a check-in to allow people to forgive themselves for thinking the kind of mean thoughts that we believed were not the kind of behavior we expect of ourselves. She said to keep in mind that we have been pushed into this; that things had to get really bad for us to change our behaviors. And keep in mind it’s many of us, not just a few.
I forget how much stuff we do, too, and usually get a reminder once a year when I do the Christmas Letter. Like, Holy Cow, how did we fit all that in? Our May is already super packed, and the first week of June will be too. People we met on tour in New Zealand are going to be spending a week with us and I have volunteered to be their Oregon tour guide.
Our thoughts about Trump keep getting darker and darker. Now he is doing “God’s Will in Iran” and is “going to destroy a civilization.” A scary thought is if he ever had as much power as he wants, our views on him would get us thrown in jail.
I’ve had a month of healing and I feel like I’m finally turning the corner. Yesterday, when I read tRumps uplifting Easter message, I shot out the door and spent the morning in nature, the afternoon with my family. It’s so past time for the 25th amendment. I am thoroughly disgusted by this excuse for a human. So. What I really want to know is: how was the chicken?!
Yay for Nature!! She always heals us. The chicken was very good! And moist. I love the idea of flattening it out so it cooks evenly, and faster. I think I want to do it again, though, and have a hotter oven and try for a little more crispiness.
Watch the genealogy thing with the cats! Tracing their lineages back to famous cats leads to demands for better food, soft beds, and a place on the pillow at bedtime!
I love the molding; it makes your office unique and distinctive.
Lou, thank you for the warning that Jupyter will demand more of us once she realizes she has descended from famous cats and worshipped cats. She is just the kind of personality to expect us to serve her even more. I built her a makeshift catio yesterday, from a disused baby chicken pen pushed up against the house to a dog door that was there when we bought our place. She spent the entire day outside in her catio, ha ha. So funny.
Thank you for the compliment on the moulding. It’s a lot of time and effort, but why not? I am having fun and I agree with you: it makes this space so unique and so Crystal. The design is partly to incorporate Sri Lankan design because a Sri Lankan friend of mine was sending me ideas. 🙂 She is one person who insisted I need some space for myself, and helped me push the idea of the back yard office sooner rather than later.
I enjoyed your culinary efforts to top and tail the post and you and your Mom in the portrait.
Thank you Derrick. That photo is how I think of her most of the time: exuberant and smiling.