Belonging

Amy Klobuchar tweet.

Briefly a 2020 presidential candidate, Amy Klobuchar’s tweet refers to the White House as the house belonging to all Americans, and not as a Trump branding opportunity. 

The humorous tweet (meme?) also references the all-American lawn as contested territory, the eye of the storm between public and private spheres: 

The state of a homeowner’s lawn is important in relation to their status within the community and to the status of the community at large. Lawns connect neighbors and neighborhoods; they’re viewed as an indicator of socio-economic character, which translates into property- and resale values. Lawns are indicative of success; they are a physical manifestation of the American Dream of home ownership. To have a well maintained lawn is a sign to others that you have the time and/or the money to support this attraction. It signifies that you care about belonging and want others to see that you are like them. A properly maintained lawn tells others you are a good neighbor. 

News blues…

MSNBC interview with Steve Schmidt, The Lincoln Project co-founder. (3:35 mins)

Sixty-five days and counting before the US presidential election. From 14,000 miles away, I see large swathes of Americans anxious at the possibility of The Donald remaining in office for another four years. It is a terrifying thought. Surely it is not possible? Alas, documentary film-maker Michael Moore warns,

Donald Trump appears to have such momentum in some battleground states that liberals risk a repeat of 2016 when so many wrote off Trump only to see him grab the White House. Moore said, “Sorry to have to provide the reality check again.”
Moore, one of few political observers to predict Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, said that “enthusiasm for Trump is off the charts” in key areas compared with the Democratic party nominee, Joe Biden.
“Are you ready for a Trump victory? Are you mentally prepared to be outsmarted by Trump again? Do you find comfort in your certainty that there is no way Trump can win? Are you content with the trust you’ve placed in the DNC [Democratic National Committee] to pull this off?”

Polls show The Donald’s approval in the 40s – including “the bump” from the RNC. How is it possible that 40 percent of Americans approve of the man’s performance as president? It’s mind boggling. 

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The role of political ads in this election…

Really American: Keep Tucker Dunks Trump on TV  (1:00 min)
Put Don and Eric on TV  (0.26 min)
Meidas Touch: Bye Eric: A Total Phony  (1:15 mins)
Trump Failed: The Results Speak For Themselves  (0:25 min)
VoteVets – The First  (1:24 mins)

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Daily Maverick webinar, The Inside Track: Don Magashule: The Godfather of the Free State.  Hosted by Pauli van Wyk with Scorpio investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

While driving, I often listen to RSG Radio (Afrikaans, pronounced “Er”, “Es”, “Ge-uh” – guttural “g”). It’s soothing – probably because I don’t always understand what being said but grasp enough to get the big picture.
Radio hosts discuss gardening and present news items, and their musical offerings are delightfully behind the times. Today, I listened to elevator music version of Rolling Stones, “Satisfaction,” and a male vocalist doing The Shirelles, “Will you still love me tomorrow?”
It helps that, due to Lockdown Level 2, all my car trips are local. This means I’m tuned into RSG for stints not longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Just enough time to keep my brain translating the Afrikaans with non-demanding background music.

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Successful visit with real estate agent.After dipping a toe into the arcane world of buying and selling residential property real estate in South Africa, I found commonalities with the agent. A brief off-topic conversation about which high school I attended – Girls High – and he asked about girls I might have known then. Indeed, I knew several of the names he mentioned.
A feature of life as an adult immigrant is knowing no one who shared one's primary or high school years. In California, I never meet anyone I knew as a child or teenager. In small town South Africa, I frequently run into childhood acquaintances.
An unfamiliar feeling – belonging – suffuses me when I recognize and talk to someone I knew decades ago. It feels good.

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Monkeys from the neighborhood troop uprooted more of the snap pea seedlings I’d recently transplanted. They also uprooted another set of pole beans that I’d tried to disguise under a flight of outdoor steps. It’s maddening. News from a small town in rural Japan universalized my frustration:

…local farmers have been dealing with hordes of hungry monkeys eating up potatoes, onions, eggplants and cucumbers.…
Three older women who call themselves the “Monkey Busters” …use air guns to scare monkeys away from the crops.
The women are so dedicated to the cause they often show up to a monkey sighting still in their aprons so not a moment of monkey-scaring is wasted.
Monkey Busters don’t kill their targets, [but] fire warning shots followed up with firecrackers and other loud noises.
…Monkey Busters leader Masako Ishimura said, “We were really troubled by the monkeys’ damage to the crops, so the three of us cooperated to get rid of the monkeys. I will continue to do my best for the region with the feeling of not losing.” 

I’ll not use guns or fireworks on local monkeys, but I’m Sympatico with Japanese farmers.
Maybe I should try wearing an apron?

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Weather report signals cold and wet next few days, but that can’t hide the signs of spring all over: plum, trees, Pride of India trees, many trees and plants are blossoming….
I’m so ready for spring.
Best news? It’s raining….