January 2022: was it sunrise for Democracy, or sunset?

We weren’t the only worried ones . . .
. . . In Washington, the Supremes were busy working up their new minority rule act, with a special interest in the coming midterm elections, and protecting their withering reputations from the “stench” of their “ethics free zone.”. . .
Meantime, I kept getting texts like these, a couple per week, plus phone calls, junk mails, etc.: they all claim to be individuals, but reporters have shown they are working for big real estate dealers, who pick up lots of small houses, turn them into rentals, jack up area rents, and sell stocks in the bundles. I suppose it’s legal, but it will push out lower-income folks and generally increase inequality. As for me, I’m not selling . . .
No wonder there were a lot of gloomy days . . .
But in early February, the first signs of spring were popping up . . . Yellow daffodils, and tiny red-faced henbit. Some folks say henbit is a weed, but I like it.
But the lift to the spirit that the dawn of spring usually brings was suddenly disrupted this year, by a move far to the east . . .
The shock of this horrible war has not yet worn off. It soon took me back to my old stamping grounds a protest vigil in Fayetteville NC.
From left: the Fair Wendy, Patrick O’Neill, this blogger, and Andrew Bryant.
Since then, I’ve been working to learn about Ukraine and the war’s background, and sharing my discoveries on the blog. And there’s more to come . . .
Yeah, finding out . . . .