love

I love my mother-in-law. I love that we are keeping each other up and that she is providing sanity with science. 

Food is love. I had a great conversation with a friend today and tomorrow she's bringing me a cheesecake. (WHAT?) Almost everyone has gotten into something and just recently she's gotten into making cheesecakes. Peach cheesecake with champagne. (WHAT?)

My silly Saturday was going to be my tiny little square of grass which I jokingly refer to as my lawn. I struggled so long and so hard to have grass that when some grew in my window box I kept it. 

Speaking of window boxes, my mother-in-law let me know that my Columbines will eventually release seeds and I'll have them not only in my containers on my deck, but in my garden below. Too bad they aren't the Colorado Blue Columbines, those are stunning, and native!, just not native here. 

Instead of my lawn, here is a very silly little tree. The shape makes me think of Dr. Seuss, but there is a different Acer called that. I like the little red leaves growing on it. 

The Russians destroyed Mariupol. 95% of the city was damaged by Russian bombs and 45% of its buildings were completely destroyed. The mayor put out the call for volunteers and got so many more than expected. Now a group of Ukrainian and international experts in urban planning, heritage, energy, and the circular economy are working toward rebuilding in a way that also helps fight climate change. 


Southeast Asian nations with long-standing ties with Russia have hesitated to pick sides over Ukraine but are increasingly questioning the value of that relationship. 



Russia, like many places, has been facing changing demographics. The Covid pandemic exacerbated the crisis as Russia suffered among the world’s highest fatality rate that helped cut average life expectancy to levels seen a decade ago.  There were 700,000 fewer Russians at the start of this year than at the beginning of 2021. In addition, migration is falling, because people don't want to move to Russia, they want out of Russia. 51,000 more people left than arrived in the first quarter, the first time that’s happened in at least eight years.


The Russian car market has gone nuts. Prices are out of control sine the invasion and sanctions. You can't find spare parts and if you can, you can't pay for them AND there is a good chance they are stolen. New car prices are up 50%. Car sales fell 83.5% in May. The new Lada Grantas, a local car, will lack little things like anti-lock braking systems and airbags, emission restriction systems, and satellite navigation systems.