Last week I was on a podcast called Dirt Road Democrat with Jessica Piper, when she asked: Michele, what's it like living in a red state? It's a good question. And I've heard from plenty of folks living in other parts of the country, who have found my descriptions of life in a now-solidly-red state … Continue reading What It’s Like, Living In A Red State
And so the tree was happy. Everyone was. ~Topher Payne My son discovered my battered, well-loved copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends this past month. As you can imagine, I was delighted. He's thoroughly enjoyed the poems. I've thoroughly enjoyed hearing them again, recited not by me, but by an 11-year-old boy who loves them … Continue reading On The Giving Tree, 40 Years Later
It's been a newsworthy 24 hours, with Donald J. Trump racking up yet another indictment – the fourth in his collection. Released to the public late last night, it's grounded in Georgia state law (meaning that if convicted Trump cannot pardon himself, or any co-defendants). And the charges allege that Trump was the head of … Continue reading Calling A Spade A Spade
Relatively quick words today, friend, because I'm co-hosting a big (virtual) watch party tonight with David Pepper and Jess Piper to watch the results come in for Ohio's special election. You'll recall that the special election will determine whether citizen petitions to change the Ohio constitution need to meet a new 60% threshold rather than … Continue reading Aligning Actions and Values and Being More Efficient: A Simple Exercise
NOTE: I wrote this post before today's groundbreaking indictment of the former President of the United States. It seems especially relevant now, when we're in such uncharted territory – and when the plans we had might just go by the wayside. Hold onto your hats, friends. It's gonna be a wild few months. It's that … Continue reading The Best Laid Plans…
What we're trying to do is to build a community-led movement to restore nature where we live. ~Pete Malinowski Pete Malinowski was a terrible student. So, of course, he became a teacher – to change how school could be for kids like him. And that's how he landed a teaching job at New York's public … Continue reading A Feel-Good Story About … Oysters? Yes. Oysters.
It's simple advice, really: put flowers where you can see them. But it's also revolutionary advice. Or, at least it was to me when I first heard it. I remember reading it in a book by gardening giant Monty Don, walking over to my window, and realizing that when I looked out at my garden, … Continue reading Put Flowers Where You Can See Them
It’s a bit like these two donkeys are walking along the bridge, and one of them doesn’t have anything on his back and the other one is covered with packages and bales and bundles. The first donkey says, “Jesus, that’s quite a load you got on.” And the second donkey says, “What load?” You get used … Continue reading The Green Backpack, Tired Legs, and Why I Think You’re Doing a Great Job
If you only knew what the future holds. ~Katy Perry (Firework) Just by chance, this week's post landed on the Fourth of July. So my words will be short today, because no doubt you've got your own plans and don't need to wade through my musings about the Fourth. But I thought that maybe – … Continue reading Are You Feeling Nostalgic This Fourth of July? I Sure Am.
Anyone who cares about free and fair elections should rejoice. ~Marc Elias [T]he upshot is that between Milligan and Moore v. Harper... WE GET TO HAVE A DEMOCRACY... for another day at least. For another election, let's hope. This was a term SCOTUS could have basically destroyed democratic elections and... they didn't. I just want … Continue reading Another Win For Democracy! (Let’s Not Waste The 1Up, Okay?)
Small Deeds Done 