Bringing a pet into a home is a long-term commitment that often spans a decade or more, depending on the species. It requires a consistent investment of time, finances, and emotional energy. A sidenote by Gemini, who – which? – identifies itself as a family of multimodal large language models developed by Google DeepMind, and ended its self-identification with the following creepy question: I noticed you’re currently working on a post for your blog about Precious Mae. I am truly sorry for your loss; sixteen years is a remarkable journey to share with a companion. Would you like some help refining that tribute or perhaps selecting some photos of her to include?
Precious Mae, our beloved cat, died yesterday, leaving a big hole in our family. She first came into our lives on September 10, 2010, and left us on May 10, 2026. Her quiet presence filled our home, which now seems empty without her.
After she had lived with us for a year, I wrote: She is never nasty, often sweet, usually interesting, and always marches to her own drum. Almost any time of the day or night, if we are inside and walk towards a door, she will streak over to get out. And then, bam! she is gone. Often for the rest of the day or night. As she got older, Precous Mae became more of an indoor cat, but she never became nasty, staying sweet and interesting. Still, she always marched to her own drum.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.― Margaret Mead
They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours. Donald Trump during a CNN town hall in May 2023.
Three years ago, one year after the Tussian attack on Ukraine, I wrote, When Ukraine stopped the initial Russian attack, a year ago, and then drove several Russian elite units back across the border, it seemed to me that the war would be over soon… Now, a year after it started, it looks like this war will go on forever. It seems everybody is digging in for the long term, and the killing will go on.
The killing and maiming did go on, and it is still going on. Just how many soldiers have been killed and maimed on each side is hard to pin down; still, all the numbers point to Russia having about 1.2 million casualties, including well over 200,000 deaths. By outside accounts, Russia is now losing soldiers at a rate that is higher than they can recruit replacements. As somebody on the podcast Ukraine Today said, “More and more Russians are starting to realize enlisting is a one-way ticket.” But changing from a voluntary army to a conscription army will not be popular.
In the meanwhile, Trump has attacked Iran, ignoring such niceties as running the idea past Congress (atleast, he didn’t call it a Special Military Operation, like Putin did). I could rant and rave about it, but not as well as Congressperson Ocasio-Cortez, so I’m going to quote her.
The American people are once again dragged into a war they did not want by a president who does not care about the long-term consequences of his actions. This war is unlawful. It is unnecessary. And it will be catastrophic.
Just this week, Iran and the United States were negotiating key measures that could have staved off war. The President walked away from these discussions and chose war instead. President Trump flippantly acknowledged the possibility of American casualties, stating “that often happens in war.
Mr. President: this was not an inevitability. This is a deliberate choice of aggression when diplomacy and security were within reach. Stop lying to the American people.
Violence begets violence. We learned this lesson in Iraq. We learned this lesson in Afghanistan. And we are about to learn it again in Iran. Bombs have yet to create enduring democracies in the region, and this will be no different.
The whole thing is sad more than scary, as of March 3, 2026, about 787 Iranians have been killed, 6 American Army grunts – well, one officer, four sergeants, and one spec 5 – and 11 Israelis. Trump may be right that this carnage will end in a week, he certainetly has more information than I do – well, access to information , anyway, much of which he seems to ignore – but wars usually take on a unplanned and often unwanted trajectory and I don’t think this will be an exception.
To celebrate Michele’s 70th birthday, we went to Joshua Tree National Park last weekend with a group of friends . It was an almost photoless weekend of Love and joy.
Photo by Michele, whose hands are reflected in the heart.
I grew up saying “Merry Christmas,” even though nobody in our family was an actual practicing Christian, and it is still my most comfortable greeting for this time of year. For us, for me, anyway, Christmas is a secular holiday to celebrate the return of the Light, the return of the promise of renewal that, first, the New Year, then Spring, which is now just around the corner – Coastal California, at least – gives us.
If, however, you would prefer Happy Bodhi Day, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Yalda Night, then “Happy Bodhi Day”, “Happy Hanukkah”, or “Happy Yalda Night”. If you prefer Happy Holidays, then “Happy Holidays”.
