While I’m in here reviewing these reports, Rachel is outside having a blast and being ridiculously cute.
Spring is coming and I'm making lists
Also, I’m putting off reviewing financial reporting this morning. Projects to complete in the next couple of weeks: A 2x10 on one of our raised beds has buckled and needs to be replaced. When we first built these beds, we weren’t considering the chemicals in treated lumber, which is what we used. This will be the first board to replace and we’re going to go untreated from here on out.
Day trip to Jasper
Rachel had an appointment in Jasper, IN, last Friday so we made a day of it. Jasper is a pretty unique town in southern Indiana. While the area has a lot of German ancestry, Jasper is one of the few places where it has remained an ongoing identity. While Rachel was in her appointment, I went to Sturm’s hardware store, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. There’s a store dog, who raced toward me in a flurry of barks when I entered the store.
I’m developing an interest in folk art. I have a couple of pieces coming in the mail so I’ll share those when I get them. In the meantime, I’ve been doing a few searches and came across this wonderful video. Long live the weirdos!
Fascinating post by Ted Goia: The New Aesthetics of Slop. At the same time, perhaps it would be wise to balance it by recognizing the revitalization of handicrafts. Humans, bless them, will never fully give themselves over to vulgarity.
Ah, spring really is on the way. Woodland crocus is the first flower we see in our yard every year. I need to get out to the woods soon to see if any of the ephemerals are up.
One of my favorite songs 🎵
As for your tender heart—
This world’s gonna rip it wide open
It ain’t gonna be pretty
But you’re not alone
This, from Alan Jacobs, is one of the most clarifying things I’ve read in a while.
- In the current regime, what persons or groups are most harmed or most likely to be harmed?
- Where can I find those vulnerable people in my community?
- What organizations serve and seek to protect those people?
- How can I (placed as I am, with certain specific gifts and resources) assist those organizations?
Once I have answered those questions, I have a plan for meaningful political action.
Remembering Ivan Illich on international development
The text critiques the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID while invoking Ivan Illich’s anti-colonial perspective on the shortcomings of international aid.
Unexpected 2” of snow last weekend. Flurries right now. Temperatures below freezing all week. 2-4” more snow tomorrow. Flu rampaging the area. We are well and truly at the ass end of winter.