Back in July 2025 I drafted a blog post about where we were with everything since January 20. It wasn't good then, it's still very much not good for many many more reasons.
We are no longer with the federal government, and our departure was by choice. In that, I am grateful.
We built a house in a small community in central PA, where even the locals ask "why here?" Our neighbors are divided between Came From Away (a few) to Moved 10 Minutes Closer to Mom Who Lives Down the Way (many many more). There are a number of homes still being built - notably in front and behind us so we have at least a year of construction to contend with, but to the right we have a couple from New York, and to the left a couple from Vermont. The diversity in this neighborhood is better than I expected too, so grateful for that.
The family visited over the holidays. I don't use the term "blessing" much because of its religious connotations, but last year we had the whole family visit in Toronto, and this year in a far more remote place -- so yes, the fact that my parents and our kids still make the trek is a blessing.
Ian's retirement didn't last long. He's been part-time since October and just started very flexible full-time. I'm full-time as well, and we're lucky that we can work from home.
As I look over the icy moonscape that is our yard, I do have moments of wondering if settling so far north was the right move. But then people say that this winter has been an odd one. The entire month of December was freezing and snowy with an ice storm thrown in for good measure over the holidays. Now in January we've had a giant snow dump and it's so cold it has frozen into a hard shell. And the wind, oh the wind. The wind is beyond anything we expected.
OK.
Let's be honest, it's hard to launch blogging again -- about our new fish tank, plans for the yard, how do you even set up for a yard sale? -- when the country's institutions, its people, and the constitution is under a full attack from our own government, without turning the blog into a political commentary? Truly there's no point in avoiding it, it's going to seep in no matter what I do.
https://www.signsofjustice.com/products/we-the-people
https://makerworld.com/en/models/119995-loud-whistle?from=search#profileId-129140
Sometimes I wonder if the anger and anxiety are why I've been so sick lately too.
It certainly can't be helping.
