It’s only April. How has so much destruction and chaos occurred in just over 3 months? Legislators who can do something seem paralyzed by fear of the president’s retribution. Those of us who are being affected by higher prices at the grocery store are recalling the promises made to lower the costs of everyday purchases on day one. Promises made not kept. A pattern is recurring during this 2nd term. Are we like Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football? Trust must be earned. 

More Europeans are foregoing trips to the U.S. out of fear, anger, and a commitment to avoid enriching this country through tourism. Our allies can no longer depend on the United States to be there when needed. Trust must be restored.

We have friends who are avoiding air travel. Air traffic controllers have lost their positions. The FAA, always dependable in the past has been decimated. The same situation exists with NOAA. Weather forecasts are not being supported by the same level of expertise. Trust must be earned.

It’s easier to identify the problems than to effect change. Disgruntled citizens can gather in protest. Town Halls are happening less frequently than in the past. The legislators who are sympathetic to the problems have no solutions. Those who support the current administration through all its missteps are not holding meetings with constituents. Many of them fear for their reelections. I suspect a few are as dismayed by the current crises as their constituents. Easier not to face voters than to have no answers for the questions. Trust must be earned.

We carry on, hoping for events to offer solutions.  We in this country are better than this! We must continue to gather in protest, and hope to be able to trust again.

Nothing good seems to come from keeping up with the daily outrages in DC. Today I read about the military parade the president wants to have on his birthday in June. The event would cost the taxpayers $92M and involve all branches of the military. DC streets would be damaged by tanks, bridges may not bear the weight of some of the equipment, military personnel would be ordered to participate. The whole thing is no more than a reflection of narcissism and ego. On top of the golfing trips the president has taken, involving personnel, travel, millions in miscellaneous expenses, this expensive parade makes no sense. Meanwhile massive cuts of government personnel are leaving departments without the intellectual expertise and experience necessary to run the day to day business. All of this leaves the country vulnerable to serious delays, mistakes, multiple problems and foreign interference. 

Another piece of news yesterday was that a member of congress boasted about taking advantage of the volatile stock market to buy currently affordable stocks. And the rich get richer.

Possibly the most frightening was the Justice Department’s defying the Supreme Court. The Court ordered the return of an American citizen wrongfully sent to a prison in El Salvador. The Justice Department has defied that order. The Court is the one entity empowered to be the final arbiter. The Constitution makes that clear. 

Is there a way out of this nightmare? Other countries are unsettled because the US isn’t behaving predictably. Prices are rising here and abroad as a result of the outrageous tariffs that are changed whimsically, leaving our allies troubled, even angry at the unusual lack of US stability.  No longer leading the free world responsibly, the US is fumbling and erratic. Many of its citizens are frightened by all of this, and some MAGA faithful are feeling economic pain.

Life goes on, for now.

It’s interesting that annoyances are welcome when they keep me from the rage I can experience over the present state of our union. Annoyance can come from chores that need doing, drawers that can stand a clearing of excess “treasures,” closets where too many clothes don’t get worn, too many shoes are accumulating, and more treasures take up shelf space. I suspect “welcome” isn’t the right word, but it does refocus me from big events over which I have no control. 

I do have some consistent joys from my text exchanges with grandchildren who are off in the world making places for themselves. It’s important to watch them bloom in this present garden of weeds. Too many metaphors are necessary for me right now

Speaking of gardens, the time is approaching for us to do some outdoor planting. The tomato plants from seeds are growing in the house, awaiting the end of May when the gardens are safe from frost. Planting can occur. We’ll buy bell pepper plants, plant seeds for zucchini and cucumbers, and enjoy the chives and rhubarb that come up on their own. Gardens are a happy distraction. 

It’s time to rekindle my creative self. I love to write, but the muse has been hiding, waiting for some positive energy to emerge from somewhere. Since the 2024 election, I have been searching for the good I know exists in the populous. I see small pockets of empathy, positive activity, loving gestures. Mr. Rogers’ advice to look for the helpers is important for this time. The temptation to hibernate, avoid potential negativity in gatherings of diverse people, has been appealing. However it isn’t my nature to sit back and let the world implode. 

We joined a protest last week. It felt good to be part of a gesture that was replicated many times by millions of people in the US on Saturday. The next scheduled date for a Hands Off Our Democracy protest is April 19th. We will look for a location near us, and we may even create signs to carry. My causes are multiple: Education [Department of], Public Libraries [funding], Public Broadcasting [funding], USAID [funding] Alliances [Nato, UN, foreign aid [funding and participation], Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid [funding], Veterans [funding for hospitals and families], National Parks [funding for upkeep, employees], Welfare of the homeless, Environment: clean air, water, forests [Protection and attention]. In every instance, employment, support, serious needs have been ignored or attacked. 

For the world’s formerly dominant nation’s people to be exploited by its government is unconscionable, unconstitutional, and cruel. For the US to ignore the needs of its allies defies belief. The people will not accept the idea that tariffs are good; it will be obvious when price increases place the burden on the US citizens, not the foreign nations.

That hometown newspaper has been in the Deis family for as long as I can remember. I’ve been aware of at least three family editors with other family members having involvement. Local columnists had area followings. Sports teams were a big deal in small towns. The city baseball team is still competitive and the ball field has had several renovations in the past 80 years. Much of the community showed up for high school basketball, football, and baseball games. As members of the band, my sister and I were involved because the band played, except for baseball and wrestling. My brothers were both football players as well as band members.

Growing up in a small town offered so many opportunities for us to expand our horizons. There was a place for everyone who was interested. We had excellent musical training from band director Del Ingvalson and Luther Kolstad, choir director. The band marched in summer parades as well as at football games. Fall and Spring concerts were city-wide events. 

Back to the Hub. In recent months a new column has been added to the weekly paper. Titled “Growing Up In Gaylord,” it chronicles the writer’s youth in the 70s and 80s that closely resembled the 50s and 60s. I look forward to those articles each week to reflect on those experiences. The whistle that blew at noon and six each day is no longer there. It was a reminder of mealtime and we dropped whatever activity had us in its clutches in order to be present for family meals. The “Indian Trails” along the lake provided many adventures when our imaginations brought us there. School lunches were one of his topics. I regularly went home for lunch as it was only two blocks away. But occasionally when sloppy joes or pizza was on the menu, I stayed.

When Dad lived with us he got the Gaylord Hub sent to him to keep up with the place where he’d spent his entire career. He knew most of the people featured in articles and on the obituary page. For the 24 years since his death, I’ve received the Hub to read news of the community that raised me and my siblings. 

Several weeks ago an obituary appeared of the sister of one of my classmates. News of her family reminded me how very large it was. There were fourteen children, eleven were girls, three boys. Farm families tended to be good sized because of all the work required on a farm. It led to thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of such a large crew in the fifties. Advantages included companionship, hand-me-downs, shared responsibility for younger siblings, and sharing everything, including beds and rooms. I suspect there were rivalries and spats, but the love in that family was palpable. When the older ones were able to drive, younger ones had transportation without relying on parents. Chores were shared and there was homework help for the younger ones.

As I reflect on those days, my classmate and her siblings were involved in many school activities and events. It didn’t occur to me then how interesting life must have been in that family. 

Near the end of May we attended a memorial service for a friend named Richard Cheeseman. He and his wife Kristen Nelson were on most of the late April trips we made with a theater group to see Broadway shows in New York. We met them our first year, and we spent time with them on each following year’s adventure. They were game for anything, and when we weren’t at a play or dinner with the group, we explored New York City. 

A friend said the other day that she loves attending memorial services because she learns so many new things about those being remembered. That was certainly true about Richard. We learned of his world travels, hiking in mountainous regions, and his fascination with people of other cultures.

The ceremony was held at a shelter on a hill near Lake Harriet. It was called Beard’s Plaisance; and was near their home on Upton Avenue. Around the edge of the structure were picnic tables, each one commemorating one of Richard’s passions. There were photos, artifacts, journals, and memories at each table. He’d been an engineer and redesigned their home adding interesting shapes. His gardens gave him many hours of joy, and he did everything naturally, blending with the landscape.

The service was interesting. It began with a recording by Roberta Flack “The first time ever I saw your face.” Part of the ritual included a water ceremony. All of the guests received seeds of various kinds; mine were lavender, George’s rosemary. The water bowl was carried around for each of us to put in our seeds and share a memory if we wished. The water ultimately was used on Richard’s gardens. We also got a small package of bird seed to use in his memory.

A reading from “The Little Prince” was followed by a candle-lighting ceremony, hope for the future and a Hopi Prayer. Closing song was Willie Nelson’s “On the road again.” 

The one negative was the proximity to the airport. Words and ideas were swallowed by a steady stream of planes in the early moments of their takeoff. We were moved by the memories and the long-time friends’ stories. I’m really happy we attended.

I’ve long admired a poem by Wordsworth. The first line is “The world is too much with us.” Access to information is at our fingertips and sometimes feels excessively so. It’s addicting and annoying to read facts and opinions that conflict with my understanding of things. The election is more than six months away and polls and predictions are all over the place. Nothing is certain except difficulties. Campuses are erupting with protests. Unrest and riots are coming long before voting begins, and are likely to expand.

If the weather in the months ahead is as hot and stormy as some forecasts suggest, people will be angry and rebellious as they swelter in the heat and suffer the storms of a miserable summer. Of course I can see problems ahead, but I have no clue what can be done about them. The economy is doing well, and yet there are people whose well-being is threatened by forces unnamed and untamed. Too many people in this country are homeless, jobless, hungry and discouraged. That should never happen.

I see points of light in the people trying to make a difference in people’s lives and circumstances. Charities, food shelves, job opportunities are available to those who seek them. Having been a teacher I know that things are working for young people who make an effort. Schools provide activities and learning opportunities that make a difference in lives. The battle seems uphill for many, but it is possible to win. I miss the classroom interaction with teens. So many magic moments make my memories positive ones. I do think that our democracy has a chance to recover. Good people are everywhere, and good outcomes are happening. The world may be too much with us, but so long as people care, everything is possible.

I’ve taken a long hiatus from the blog while I finished my book of memories, now published for my family. We’ve enjoyed this unusually warm winter because it allowed us to recover from a couple of minor health problems without confronting snowfalls requiring removal.

My nephew Erik found it necessary to ski the Birkebiner in Norway because MN had no snow. Huge sacrifice, a trip to Norway where we have relatives, but he faced it bravely and loved the experience.

George is back to playing tennis 3-4 times a week, and I ride a stationary bike 3-4 miles a day. I’m also catching up on reading The New Yorkers that pile up, and books I’ve wanted to read. I do crossword puzzles and other puzzle brain games, and enjoy being retired.

We’ve seen some entertaining theater performances and concerts by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the MN Orchestra. As often as possible we select Saturday or Sunday 2 p.m. performances. That gives us Sunday evenings to relax at home.

As usual we planted tomato seeds on St. Patrick’s Day (son Mike’s birthday) to be ready for garden planting in late May. Our garden has been fruitful. We eat, share, and can tomatoes at the end of the summer.

Life has been good to us. We keep track of the family with texts and occasional visits. Busy lives make for less frequent contacts. That’s fine so long as the contacts continue.

I just realized this reads like a Christmas letter. It’s fun to be writing again. I’ve missed it.