Excitement

Maryland is exciting.

Where you live, if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, did it make a sound?

Where I live, if a tree falls in the woods and there was no explosion, who cares?

Last night at around 12:30 am I was blipping when there was an explosion outside. I was aimed in exactly the right direction to get to see the flash of light. I don't think anyone else in the neighborhood got to, everyone else was limited to just the sound. 

Power was restored at 4:30 am. At 6:30 am the guys - and they are all guys - began working to repair/replace all the infrastructure. It is nearly 9 pm and they are still out there. The folks in the compound across the street have not been able to leave because the street is closed. Hope they didn't have any place to be. 

It was entertaining to watch all the cars drive past the "road closed" sign as if they would be able to get through anyway. 

The tree was very large. It took out wires on both sides of the road. It took out a pole. It took out a transformer, hence the explosion. Even people at the happy hour driveway block lost power, although theirs came back in minutes with the clever rerouting of power that utilities can do. 

The sun came out. I did some gardening. I love the iPhone plant identification so that I can have a better sense of what is a weed. 

We saw, for one second, a hummingbird. We just happened to be looking at the birds on the deck when a hummingbird came before the window and looked at us! I have nothing out there for a hummingbird at the moment but hopefully later in the year I will. 

People in Kyiv shared tips and Google map locations with local authorities, turning the highway between Russia and Kyiv into a long logistical disaster for Moscow. They did this even though it put their own homes on the front lines. "No one wants the destruction, but we wanted the Russians even less." - Ms. Mohilni. The strikes prevented Russian reinforcements and supplies and finally Russia gave up and focused on the east. Villagers who came under occupation told the police where the Russian soldiers were. 

Over the last decade or so people have been working on creating apps to help city governments operate more effectively. Now, the Kyiv Digital app, which once was for paying parking tickets and letting residents know of water cuts, was reconfigured to help users report Russian troop movements. The Ministry of Digital Transformation used the social media app Telegram to tell people to provide location, movement, and volume of equipment. They explained how to drop pins on Google maps and reminded users to delete their messages in case Russians took their phones and checked them. 

Bono and The Edge performed in a Kyiv subway, used as a bomb shelter in a surprise performance. They changed, "Stand by Me" to "Stand by Ukraine" and sang with Ukrainian soldiers. 

Scott Kelly, former NASA astronaut, posted to Twiiter "How to sabotage your Russian tank:  instructions for beginners." He got the info from retired US Army officer Mark Hertling. Kelly has Russian contacts as a result of the International Space Station. Kelly posted them in Russian. 

An NFT is just an odd thing. We all had to get used to the idea that we subscribe to music or software rather than buy and own it. Non-fungible, or unique, token, usually means digital art. Scott Kelly released an NFT on April 12 and raised money for Ukraine. He just auctioned off a second NFT again, with all proceeds for Ukraine. Russia wanted to go to Mars and to have an independent space station. Kelly has said there is zero percent chance of this under Putin and the sanctions definitely degrade their space program. 

Germany slashed the price for public transport to 9 euros a month as part of a packages of measures to cut fuel use. The passes will be available for three months starting in June. 

Enough investigation has been done into atrocities so that the US is sanctioning individual Russian soldiers. 

And Zelensky gave Patron, the bomb-sniffing Jack Russell terrier, a medal. 

Finally, thank you all so much for your reaction to my "birds aren't real" post. I love blip.