Thanks Joseph. And yes I think that's the human spirit. The cleaning up and building and continuing on. It's the everyday toil and tasks and the keeping on that keeps us sane and motivated and whole.
Helinka, I love hearing what others are doing out there in the world. Hope your weather has died down and you can get some peace. Somehow knowing between the writing and the phone scrolling we're all out there improving the world. We're not totally lost. We're driving on.
Another great piece, Amy! You correctly captured that feeling of loss and helplessness that many are feeling these days with each new agency being dismantled by the moron in the White House. But I think you might have missed another possible reaction. “When you talk about it, you confirm that an “old friend” no longer shares your values and you take definite steps to distance yourself from that person”. You were fortunate to have projects that could keep!you occupied, but maybe that was really you way of creating that distance. Either way, thanks for sharing! Great writing and even better craftsmanship!
Oh Dennis, yes, that's another reaction for sure. I hadn't thought about including it, but you're right. There are the friends who don't share your values, which results in a growing chasm. An empty space where you wonder why or how they can keep believing what they believe.
It's not why I do projects, but it's not a bad reason. I do projects because it funnels my creative energy in a different way and I like being independent and awesome. Also I just can't afford to have the things and hire people to do the work too, so at least I learn new skills. lol.
Thanks for the compliments on my skills and writing. Much appreciated.
Wild Lion*essess thanks for reading and sharing and I'm really enjoying getting to know you. Thanks for being a voice that responds in the night from across the pond.
Amy, I read it once and then again. Now thinking of what to say. I read a quote by Admiral “Bull” Halsey when asked about World War II. “There aren’t extraordinary men, only ordinary men who rise to meet extraordinary situations.” He should have said people, by which I mean women, men, every one of all races, old, young, etc., etc. There is within us a need to rise to meet this extraordinary situation. Your words are proof of that. Write on, Amy, write on.!
Amy, I read your words, and I see the weight you are carrying. The way you built that space—brick by brick, through cold and exhaustion—feels like more than creating a refuge. It’s something to hold onto when so much else is slipping away. I understand the need for that.
The way you describe this unraveling is raw. Watching something that once felt like home shift into something unrecognizable—its structures, rights, and freedoms no longer steady—is disorienting. I don’t believe in false hope, and I hear that you don’t either. And still, the act of making, of building, holds something true. Not everything can be saved, and not everything is meant to last, yet creating something solid in the midst of it matters.
I appreciate you sharing this. Even in destruction, there are places to stand, to breathe, and to keep going. Take good care of yourself.
Thanks, Amy. We will prevail. Hellish dust and wind storm here in NM yesterday. As soon as the sun rises I’ll pitch a zillion tumbleweeds into the arroyo, right the 100 gallon heavy rain barrel, pick up trash and get inches of dust from the widow screens. Life goes on, we go on, one foot after the other.
Thanks Joseph. And yes I think that's the human spirit. The cleaning up and building and continuing on. It's the everyday toil and tasks and the keeping on that keeps us sane and motivated and whole.
Helinka, I love hearing what others are doing out there in the world. Hope your weather has died down and you can get some peace. Somehow knowing between the writing and the phone scrolling we're all out there improving the world. We're not totally lost. We're driving on.
Thank you for sharing these thoughts, your hard labor and your own struggles against this new America! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Thank you Robin. Thanks for reading and sharing
Thank you.💕🗽🇺🇲🇺🇦
Thank you for reading NK.
Hot tub at fly fishing lodge in Chile. To die for!
A wonderful essay.
Thanks Callardo
Another great piece, Amy! You correctly captured that feeling of loss and helplessness that many are feeling these days with each new agency being dismantled by the moron in the White House. But I think you might have missed another possible reaction. “When you talk about it, you confirm that an “old friend” no longer shares your values and you take definite steps to distance yourself from that person”. You were fortunate to have projects that could keep!you occupied, but maybe that was really you way of creating that distance. Either way, thanks for sharing! Great writing and even better craftsmanship!
Oh Dennis, yes, that's another reaction for sure. I hadn't thought about including it, but you're right. There are the friends who don't share your values, which results in a growing chasm. An empty space where you wonder why or how they can keep believing what they believe.
It's not why I do projects, but it's not a bad reason. I do projects because it funnels my creative energy in a different way and I like being independent and awesome. Also I just can't afford to have the things and hire people to do the work too, so at least I learn new skills. lol.
Thanks for the compliments on my skills and writing. Much appreciated.
What a beautiful setting. Thank for sharing the story of your refuge.
Thanks, Sherry. It really is a lovely little life.
Wild Lion*essess thanks for reading and sharing and I'm really enjoying getting to know you. Thanks for being a voice that responds in the night from across the pond.
Amy, I read it once and then again. Now thinking of what to say. I read a quote by Admiral “Bull” Halsey when asked about World War II. “There aren’t extraordinary men, only ordinary men who rise to meet extraordinary situations.” He should have said people, by which I mean women, men, every one of all races, old, young, etc., etc. There is within us a need to rise to meet this extraordinary situation. Your words are proof of that. Write on, Amy, write on.!
Amy, I read your words, and I see the weight you are carrying. The way you built that space—brick by brick, through cold and exhaustion—feels like more than creating a refuge. It’s something to hold onto when so much else is slipping away. I understand the need for that.
The way you describe this unraveling is raw. Watching something that once felt like home shift into something unrecognizable—its structures, rights, and freedoms no longer steady—is disorienting. I don’t believe in false hope, and I hear that you don’t either. And still, the act of making, of building, holds something true. Not everything can be saved, and not everything is meant to last, yet creating something solid in the midst of it matters.
I appreciate you sharing this. Even in destruction, there are places to stand, to breathe, and to keep going. Take good care of yourself.
Thanks, Amy. We will prevail. Hellish dust and wind storm here in NM yesterday. As soon as the sun rises I’ll pitch a zillion tumbleweeds into the arroyo, right the 100 gallon heavy rain barrel, pick up trash and get inches of dust from the widow screens. Life goes on, we go on, one foot after the other.