How I became paralyzed

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Are we at the edge of the cliff yet?

I haven’t written a blog post in months.  At first I didn’t know why.  I have time, I have ideas, and a lot has gone on in my life.  So, you ask, where have I been?   My daily life goes on as normal.  I attend to township business, my volunteer and nonprofit work, supporting political causes and candidates, a social life, and the mundane everyday work of cooking, bill paying, laundry, gardening, and the dogs.  But beyond that, I have been paralyzed.  Unable to get beyond the daily grind, to write or think deep thoughts, or even to look beyond tomorrow. Continue reading →

Spring showers

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Spring is finally here.  How do I know?  I wore a short sleeved shirt this week.   The trees are blooming and the car is covered with pollen.  We have had rain the past three days, and are expecting more this weekend.  Spring is the time of new beginnings.  Long dormant plants come to life and seeds set down roots and send out shoots reaching for the sun.  In 2018, a Pennsylvania Spring also means a primary in which many women stood up and won.   Continue reading →

Climate March 2018

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On April 29th, 2017 we helped organize a Climate March as a sister march to the national march in Washington, D.C.   Our local march attracted a lot of interest, and we had over 300 participate.  This year there was no national march.  Were the environment and climate change no longer important?  Had all the problems been  solved?  Or, were people getting complacent, tired of resistance and militancy.  Whatever the answer, a small but dedicated band of men, women and children gathered on Sunday to march in Pottstown for the second annual Pottstown Climate March.   Continue reading →

One last snow before the thaw

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Tuesday evening we had another snowstorm.  First it snowed, then it stopped.  Then it came down freezing rain, and by Wednesday it was back to snow again.  At the end of it we had a foot of snow.  Everything was covered in a deep blanket of fluffy white stuff.  We stayed home and caught up on email, had a late breakfast, and considered how to catch up on our cancelled meetings and appointments.

Then I started thinking.   What do we do with our time?   Where does it get us?  What is important and what is not? Continue reading →

Women’s March 2018: and so we rise

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It’s been just a year since the Women’s March in January, 2017.  During that year  I decided to run for office, knocked on doors, crafted policy statements, and was elected to local office.  That’s my story.  Behind other doors lay other stories:  of sexual assault, harassment, mansplaining and diminishment, and every shape and form of bad behavior, policy, and pattern that necessitated the need for a woman’s march.   We lived through the MeToo movement, and now Time’s Up.  Through it all we relived our past and present pain, and wanted to believe that this year would be the one when it would end.   Continue reading →

A big win for a little township

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I have been quiet during the past few months.  Earlier this year I decided to put my name in to run for Township Supervisor.   In my corner of Montgomery County, PA the Republican party has had an iron grip for a long long time.  But more than that,  the individuals who have held this office in recent years have not served the community well.  Lack of transparency, responsiveness to residents needs and concerns, and the absence of any vision or plan for the future has led to frustration and a simmering stew of resentment. Continue reading →

About a fig tree

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This is the story of a fig tree.  About five years ago I decided I wanted to grow figs in the backyard of our northern Virginia home.  You may know that George Washington successfully grew figs at Mount Vernon.   It was pretty cold in the 18th century, so I figured if George could do it, so could it.  What I didn’t take into account was the fact that George probably know a lot more about horticulture than I do, and had people working for him whose sole job it was to grow things.  And now that I think about it, maybe these fig trees were inside a green house.  Never mind all that.  How hard can it be?  So I began my fig saga, first with one fig tree, then with a second in year two.  I got figs from one tree in year two.    Then this tree died after a protracted cold spell in the winter.   In year three I removed the dead fig and replaced it with a fourth one.  This one, like its predecessor expired after a rough winter.   Now in Pennsylvania I have finally succeeded. Continue reading →

Telling the truth

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Since late March I’ve spent many hours knocking on doors.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am running for supervisor.   I’ve had doors slammed in my face, had smiles and hugs, and everything in between.  I talk about taxes, sewage and water, traffic and lighting, and development and zoning.  While there are a lot of things I don’t know about, there is one thing I tell everyone:  I will tell you the truth. Continue reading →

Spring harvest time

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In between knocking on doors and meeting people in my township, I have been busy in the garden.  Building on lessons learned from last year, I have already had some early successes.  These include lettuce, spinach, radishes, and peas.   I recently started putting in my summer veggies:  tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and green beans.  The longer than usual cool spring weather helped extend the lettuce.  I had so much lettuce I have been giving it away by the armfuls.  The spinach is about done and going to seed, which is good because I need the space for zucchini and cucumbers.  I found a local source for high quality compost, and learned about the value of covering plants, organize means to battling pests, and growing in bags. Continue reading →