hard to concentrate

The sun was out, the temperature was perfect, every bird was chirping, two ducks flew away from a heron who landed in the trees, not on the ground. Squirrels chased each other around trees. Little wildflowers bloomed everywhere. It was very difficult to concentrate on work and not think about plants. I had to work late to compensate. 

I removed my final force fields in hopes that the wonderful scent of garlic and red pepper will protect my surviving heucheras. Now when Samuel goes to the garden he licks the dirt and my neighbor dog is disappointed that I don't have any on my hand anymore. 

The birds love to land in the hydrangeas and on the Fireglow. They love to go wandering through the garden. The squirrel likes to give it a looksie, which I don't appreciate because she's looking for bulbs. The rabbit hopefully has better things to eat now but at least the lettuce I planted for her looks nice in the yard. They love the birdbaths, they do not like the tiny little solar fountain I put in to discourage mosquitos. I think I'll have to remove it and just make sure I replace the water once a week. 

I had some startling ideas for the deck and completely revamped everything tonight accordingly. I swapped the table and the bench to opposite sides of the deck. Now the table is on the side that is shadier in the morning, when I am most likely to eat breakfast there. The table umbrella is unlikely to cast yet more shade on the struggling plants. The bench is on the opposite side now, with a tall planter behind and on each side. This means the plants there can get morning sun but be protected from afternoon sun. I moved the little Japanese Maple I planted when I broke the internet to a planter on the deck where it can get this morning sun and she seems to be doing really well there. 

The change, and giving away two pots, has opened up a lot of space. Instead of feeling crowded and messy it feels open and spacious. I think the blueberries and raspberries will get more light right up against the railing. This year I'm not going to try for tomatoes, which were never successful, I'll grow something for looks instead. 

The US Dept of Defense is practically jealous of how well Starlink was able to fight off a Russian cyberattack. SpaceX sent Starlink terminals to Ukraine, in partnership with, I think, the US and French governments. They wanted to help Ukraine maintain its internet connection. Russia jammed Starlink terminals but Starlink was able to update the software and operate normally. The Pentagon thinks this is fantastic and wants to be able to do electronic warfare that well. 

Before the war Russia put aside $640 billion in reserves. With sanctions, about half has been frozen. Russia plans to sue but it isn't clear who. 

Whatever Ukrainians can do, they are doing. For example, there is a metalworker shop in Lviv with canceled orders and no regular business anymore. So it is slicing plates for bulletproof vests. The employees still there are working for free. Many Ukrainians are pivoting to become logistics gurus and using their networks of friends and connections to provide metal spikes, tank hedgehogs, drones, night-vision goggles, and helmets. Former business competitors are working together to make bulletproof vests. A 27-year-old software engineer who worked in marketing is now collecting toys and distributing them to Ukrainian children. He is using money he and a partner saved so they could open a bike shop and instead buying drones, batteries, and mine detectors and sending them to their friends who are now in the military. 

All the drivers picking things up at the border are women because men between 18 and 60 can't leave the country. 

A woman who used to be a government staffer is operating a military and humanitarian aid warehouse for volunteer fighters. She directs a volunteer force of doctors, architects, IT specialists, and financial analysts who have figured out how to empty trucks, organize supplies, and repack buses.

There was a group that organized a drone to drop a satellite phone in Mariupol a few weeks ago. I always thought of drones as decadent toys. I'm impressed at how important they are to Ukraine in this war. 

At the border crossing in Poland, volunteers offer free veterinary care. 

Finally for the night, Patron, our favorite Jack Russell Terrier, is a social media war hero with 55,900 Instagram followers.