“Spring has sprung”, my father used to say. And so it has… here anyway. Other areas of the country are still managing snow, rain and winds. My jasmine is finally blooming after getting hit hard last summer and struggling through fire season, high winds and the broken bottom of a rolling planter, that I recently repaired. Good things come to those who wait and work.

The Academy Awards will be live in just a couple of hours and I will be watching. I saw 6 of the top 10 movies nominated for Best Picture and am not particularly invested in which one wins. In the animation category however, I DO recommend you see FLOW – it was wonderful – and of course, I am a long time Wallace and Gromit fan. Friends have said The Wild Robot is also good. So there are my recommendations.

The end of this week brought historic histrionics, in which a warrior helped a U.S. leader out himself as a Russian asset. Yet the manor of huffiness was of a scale not seen before in that office. Many were trying to figure out what to make of it. I kind of knew, since back in 2021, I asked a representative of our state, “So just how compromised IS our country right now?” I got a “crickets chirping” response and that’s when I knew. So I hope everyone else can figure it out and act accordingly. For now, it fits in my palette as one of the dark colors some are painting with, which I need to contrast, by painting in vivid colors in every aspect of my creations.

Connecting with old friendships and making new ones while listening to everyone’s challenges right now is most fulfilling. I’m impressed by my self-driven friends who move forward “come what may” and in awe of my friends who really see the future as fractured, yet make the appropriate and necessary adjustments to their sails. The long and short of it is… there are some VERY impressive people out there and they are not necessarily the ones that get the spotlight. Some are, but most are not. So that hopefully will encourage any of you who were rattled this week to chart the course that will make a positive difference to those who are paying attention. Have a great week everyone!