sunshine

There are vast oceans between continents and great distances from north to south, but ultimately, we are not separated by much. That is to say the people of one corner of the planet have the capacity to mold themselves in much the same fashion (they have the same vulnerabilities, the same emotions) as the people of a very distant region. I have to think that if Americans are being seen right now as "callous, sadistic, full of misplaced grievances and utterly resistant to introspection" (NYT commenter from Canada, who can hardly be faulted for viewing us this way), well this is because all of us have the potential to become that, and many over the centuries have indeed strayed in exactly this direction. It did not serve them well in the end, but hey, they surely were beasts before their ultimate fall.

As I keep reading reactions to the events as they unfold here, in the U.S., I see that some Americans feel unfairly chastised: "I did not vote for this and neither did 77.5 million Americans" they say. Maybe, but here's another truth: nearly 90 million eligible people did not vote at all in 2024, which is to say that nearly all of those fellow Americans were okay with handing over the presidency to the person now in charge (they did nothing to try to stop it), and of course 77 million positively endorsed the team now running the show. So tally the numbers: 167 million were at least okay with putting at the top the person who is in fact legitimately captain of this (sinking?) ship (unless you think that actually Elon is in charge and of course he got 0 votes, but that's another story). 77.5 million is not looking very sizable by comparison. 

I was born in Poland in 1953, then under a "communist" dictatorship. We didn't legitimately vote for that, it was forced upon us and though some tried to eek out the best possible outcome given what we were stuck with (my father was such a person I think), most just concentrated on getting by, because really, it was a challenge! And we did not get much sympathy for our plight from the rest of the world. Ultimately Poland dug its way out of that horrible autocratic era on its own, though it was helped by history handing us for once a deck of cards that allowed things to fall into place with some but not too much violence. But this much is clear: we couldn't be called "callous, sadistic, full of misplaced grievances and utterly resistant to introspection," because really it was not our fault. Later, as Poland once again toyed with a dictatorship, you could point fingers at those who voted in favor of it, but in the end the majority, and I mean a real majority of voters spoke and the autocratic beast was pushed aside. Sure, this is my reading of history, but I think most would agree with this narrative.

So what I thought deeply about this morning is this: how does it feel to live in a country where a vast majority of the people (167 million!) either voted for or indirectly supported what we have now?

To me it feels like something that could happen anywhere at this moment in time. To repeat, we all have the potential to become "callous, sadistic, full of misplaced grievances and utterly resistant to introspection." None of us is above being selfish, and when pushed, we can all take on behaviors that would make our grandmothers wince (or my grandmother wince, because she was such a sweet person!). Nonetheless, it feels awful to know that your country now leads the way in this world in being "callous, sadistic, full of misplaced grievances and utterly resistant to introspection." Yes it could happen anywhere, but it happened here, among my fellow country men and women. This is what pains Ed as well -- that the vast majority chose or at least was okay -- is okay -- with what is happening in America right now. And once more, I feel compelled to go on record here on Ocean to say that we, us two, are not okay with what is happening in America right now. Sort of like a bulletin being flashed on your TV screen (remember when that happened, in the olden days?!) -- we interrupt the regularly scheduled programing to bring you this special bulletin, so too here, on Ocean, I feel the need to flash our bulletin, even as Ocean remains apolitical and is a friend to all good and kind humans everywhere -- and here it is -- we are not okay with this! 

 

It's cold out there today! I feel it when I go out to feed the animals. It's before dawn. Another one of those nights where I may as well get up and get going because I'm not going to get any more sleep. But oh, do we have a pretty sky! I do think south central Wisconsin rules in terms of big beautiful skies! (Fine, that makes no sense, but it sure looks that way to me!)

 

We eat breakfast. No gloom today. It's not that we're getting used to what's happening, it's just that one cant ignore the tulips blooming on the table and the utter deliciousness of a cinnamon roll from Madison Sourdough.

Even though it is only 14f (-10c) out there and the wind is making it feel like it's really 0f (-18 c), I urge us to go out for  a walk. And we do. To the development next to us because it's close and there are buildings to shield us from the wind. Still, I feel like Ed came very close to significant frost bite! (I had my face covered by a scarf, but the guy doesn't own or acknowledge the need for scarves.)

(looking back toward farmette lands)

More reading and some munching followed, and now it's time to pick up the kids.

There is talk (among the young ones) about getting ice cream. I get cold just thinking about it. I postpone it for another day.

What really made this day more bearable weather-wise was the amount of sunshine that came our way. Even a thin haze in the afternoon failed to make this day seem gloomy. There is a special kind of magic behind February sunshine and I was thrilled to feel that magic today. 

Still, it was cold. Split pea and lentil soup for supper! Yeah, a perfect night for it.

with love...