2024... it's been something

I last posted here in October, right before everything in the country slid sideways. So, apparently, it's not just my life that has been completely flipped upside-down. Writing our holiday letter this year was especially difficult... trying to keep some kind of positive spin on this literal nightmare coming our way, it took me six drafts before I finally landed on something that wasn't all doom & gloom. 

But, this is not the time to give up. This is the time to dig deep, focus on our creative work, support our fellow creatives, whether author, artist, mechanic, or hair dresser. Anyone who spends their day making this world a BETTER place deserves our love and attention.

This is the only way to fight against the huge swathe of ignorant, ridiculous, sexist, misogynistic, xenomorphic, transphobic members of the far right who have decided that they get to decide anything for the rest of us. They have a big lesson to learn, but karma has yet to let me down. So, ignore their insanity, cheer on their infighting (which has been particularly delightful lately), and the trash will eventually take itself out. 

Until then, take care of each other, especially at the local level. People in your town need help, and those people may not look like you. They might not speak English very well. They could be missing their family, their home, have no support system of their own, and have no choice but to try and survive this effed-up world one day at a time... which, FUNNY ENOUGH, sounds like the rest of us stuck in this freaking nightmare of a plutocracy. 

I will be here, donating my things, money, and time to people in my community. I take things to a local thrift shop that supports several charities who work in Rocky Mount instead of lining the pockets of the CEO of Goodwill or some other corporation. Purging my house will help others, and that's a win-win.

I will heading up the establishment of a Plant Clinic for the Nash County Master Gardeners, which will not only help the residents of Nash, but also Edgecombe and Halifax counties, and anyone else who needs help with their home gardening questions. It already has a lot of support from the other Master Gardener volunteers, and so I'm excited to see that come to fruition. 

At the house, the flowers haven't stopped blooming. This morning, I looked out across the yard and this beautiful, brand-new pink camellia was smiling back at me. If this isn't a promise that things will work out, I don't know what is.