Monday Morning Musings
First Monday in February
“February. Get ink and weep,
then of that sobbing February write.”
–Boris Pasternak, “February”
February, the snow moon glides
across the sky,
a gleam of light gilds
snow and ice
kintsugi on a porcelain plate
but is there enough beauty
to heal this fractured world?
Too many dead,
one bunny-hatted boy released.
How can one winter last a year?
We yearn for spring.
Groundhogs burrow, hide
from the dogs.
We light candles, light candles,
light candles,
create a thousand points of light,
yet through the susurration, wind and trees,
we hear the Snow Moon’s fierce humming,
then her sigh.
Hello again! How is every week a year? (See, Fulton County, arrests of [Black] journalists, continuing ICE action, and more measles epidemics just to start.) Will we ever see all the Epstein files released. We know the current resident of the White House is involved. One piece of good news was Liam Ramos, the little boy with the blue bunny hat and his father were released from their illegal detention.
It’s been very cold here,
and the snow that fell last weekend has not melted. I’m missing my walks, and I have had to rely on “indoor walkies”—where I jog in our kitchen while watching or listening to something, as well as strength training, which I do most days, not that you care, 😉 Our street is still not in great shape, and the battlefield park has been closed all week. I suppose the sidewalks there must be very icy. Tomorrow the temperature may finally go above freezing!
The cold weather has been good for staying in and reading. These are some of the books I’ve read recently. Now I’m rereading Something Wicked This Way Comes for a book club. I didn’t remember the book, which I remember I read when I was in my teens, except that there’s a carnival involved. I’m only about a quarter of the way in, and while I admire Bradbury’s dark, poetic prose–and Shakespearean title–it’s a very unsettling book.
We finished All Creatures Great and Small. I might have cried during the last episode of the season. I had suggested going out to a movie on Saturday, but it seemed like too much effort. Instead, we streamed Sentimental Value. I enjoyed it very much. It’s another Merril movie, more talk than action. We had also both really liked, The Worst Person in the World, by the same director, Joachim Trier and also starring Renate Reinsve. Sentimental Value also stars Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning.
And something that cheered us up yesterday–FaceTiming and seeing our almost one-year-old granddaughter eating spaghetti! 😂
So, the cold has not helped moods or getting out. But aren’t the people of Minneapolis wonderful? They don’t let the cold stop them! We did our own small part yesterday at the local weekly protest, “Solidarity Sundays,” in support of immigrants. Lots of honks in support; a few ignorant comments. One guy called us a bunch of “faggots”—there’s a man who needs therapy. I don’t think my husband did well with standing out in the cold. He’s still sniffling and blowing his nose.
I also did a “social banking” night with Red, Wine, and Blue. I go to bed very early, so it was late screen time for me, but what we did was amplify some Instagram posts. They supplied the links. Will it do any good? Who knows? But I’m willing to try. They’re doing another one for Springfield, OH on Feb. 4, and there are also some other virtual meetings.
On the probably upcoming action in Springfield, I suggest this essay by Timothy Snyder, “Ethnic Cleansing in Ohio?” In it, he traces the current VP’s lies and connections to Nazi groups and ideology. Professor Synder is an expert of fascism and authoritarian regimes, and he grew up in the Springfield, OH area.
We are beyond Democrats and Republicans; you are either on the side of people who support rapists, pedophiles, and White supremacy, or you are against it. I think of people in Nazi Germany who thought of themselves as “good people.” They loved their children, took care of their families, and stood silently while their neighbors were taken away and killed. Don’t be one of those people.
The next nation-wide NO KINGS protest is planned for March 28, 2026.
Look for the helpers and be one if you can.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 