The Northern Lights

~ MaryG ~ 36 Comments

I think a lot of people in the Northeast (including me!) checked off “See the Northern Lights” from their buckets lists last night. This was especially rewarding for those of us who missed seeing them in May. Who knew our once-in-a-lifetime chance would come twice in one year?

The Northern Lights from my very own neighborhood last night around 7:15pm. I was on my way to choir practice and happened to look up.

This feels like a lot of things.

Remembrance

The lights and colors in the sky last night reminded me of my close friend from college, Carla, who died in 2022. She had brain cancer. She really wanted to see the Northern Lights before she died, but was too sick to travel, so her friends and family found a way to project them onto the ceiling in her bedroom in Santa Fe. It was beautiful.

A Sign

I know I’m not alone in feeling a lot of anxiety about the state of the country and the way it feels like we’re never going to go back to “normal” — no matter who wins the election. I’ve never in my life been afraid of a US election, but I’m afraid of this one.

Similarly, I never once saw the Northern Lights as a kid growing up in Massachusetts, but this year, many New Englanders saw them twice! A little girl standing near me last night said, “this is God.” Maybe so. Or maybe it’s a sign of transition to a new era—an era where completely new things happen.

Unknown new things are scary and I have a strong urge to “circle the wagons” and try to protect the ones I love. (I think to myself, “please stay in Massachusetts where you’ll maybe be a bit safer from gun violence, flooding, dangerous reproductive care, crappy public schools, etc.)

But I know that’s not really possible.

My new granddaughter will hopefully live into the next century. She will live out most of her life in this new era, whatever it may be. I want her to feel free, adventurous, and safe to explore the world beyond her home state.

Living in the transitional time

An activist friend of mine left for New Zealand yesterday. She’s staying until the end of the month. She said she just needed to get out of the country for these last few weeks before the election. I can relate. In some ways, it’s all just too much.

Maybe seeing the aurora borealis is the reminder some of us needed to center ourselves and live in the moment. Humans have been around a long time and have accomplished many great things and many terrible things. Even though it sometimes feels like end times are upon us, there’s a decent chance that something great is just around the corner too.

Final thought: just breathe

Related post:

Northern Lights II

Heather Cox Richardson

~ MaryG ~ 12 Comments

Nearly everyone on the left follows Heather Cox Richardson—a US historian, author, and college professor. Her nightly “Letters from an American” has over 5 million subscribers. She helps a lot of people make sense of what’s going on.

To be honest, I always liked her but felt a bit betrayed by her over Joe Biden and quit reading her after the 2024 election. I felt she had ignored some of Biden’s obvious deficits and led people down a rosy path of thinking there was no way in hell Trump would get re-elected. I think her blind spot was that she gave Americans too much credit for being as patriotic as she is. (She deeply and truly believes in the founding ideals of this country. And she’s still not cynical.)

Anyway, I’m back now. I read her every day (on Substack or Facebook) and watch her weekly “politics chats” on YouTube and her “What the Heck Just Happened?” chats with fellow historian Joanne Freeman. These women are my age and so relatable. They are like the two smartest girls in your high school, but ones who would’ve definitely loaned you their notes to study before the history test. They went to great schools, they teach at great schools, they are experts, they know so much—so much more than me.

Heather and Joanne – giving smart girl BFF vibes

Things are getting really scary. I honestly believe Trump has absolutely no idea how to handle this fucked-up situation he created in the Middle East. Let’s hope Heather’s right about just how massively unpopular he is right now.

Here’s her latest post:

May 4, 2026 (Monday)

According to a new Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll, fifty-nine percent of Americans believe President Donald J. Trump does not have the mental sharpness necessary to lead the country. Fifty-five percent think he does not have the physical health to serve as president. Fifty-four percent say they don’t think Trump is a strong leader. Sixty-seven percent think Trump doesn’t carefully consider important decisions.

Today, Susannah George and Tara Copp of the Washington Post reported that as the U.S. ramps up its attempts to open the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is responding with military attacks. This morning, Iran fired drones and missiles at two U.S. destroyers and two merchant vessels moving through the strait. According to Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, none of the ships were hit.

But Iran also launched six fast boats at the commercial ships. Cooper said the U.S. destroyed those vessels.

Ahmad Vahidi, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, posted on social media: “The Strait of Hormuz will not be opened by the tweet of the President of the United States; the management and control of this waterway is in the hands of Iran. Nothing will have the right to enter without permission, and in the event of a violation of this matter, it will be considered a legitimate target.”

Iran also hit the United Arab Emirates today with fifteen missiles and four drones. One of the armaments started a fire in the oil hub of Fujairah.

Trump told Trey Yingst of the Fox News Channel today that his military blockade of Iranian ports is the “greatest military maneuver in history.” He also said that if the Iranians target U.S. ships, they will be ”blown off the face of the earth.” And yet, as Iran demonstrated by hitting the United Arab Emirates today, resuming the war could devastate the Middle East, plunging the globe into even more economic chaos. So, for now, Trump appears to be hanging onto the ceasefire.

Alexander Ward of the Wall Street Journal noted that today, at the White House, Trump told a group of small-business owners that he “call[s] it a mini war.”

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called out the fact that the Trump administration argued on Friday that it did not have to get congressional approval for the war on Iran at the 60-day mark required by the 1973 War Powers Resolution because, it said, the war had “terminated” on April 7. It made the claim despite the fact that a blockade is an act of war and the U.S. continues to blockade Iranian ports. Asked on Saturday how he could say the war had terminated when the U.S. military was enforcing the blockade, Trump told reporters: “Well, it’s a very friendly blockade. Nobody’s even challenging it.”

Duckworth, who lost both legs when serving as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot in the Iraq War, posted: “U.S. and Iranian ships are exchanging missile fire today in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s claims that hostilities have ceased were bullsh*t. He is lying to the American people and prolonging his disastrous war of choice—And he’s doing it illegally.”

This afternoon, Trump posted an AI image of President Joe Biden on one knee with the caption: COWARDS KNEEL,” an AI image of President Barack Obama with the caption “TRAITORS BOW,” and an AI image of himself with his fist raised and the caption “LEADERS LEAD.”

Journalist Aaron Rupar noted: “Trump is crazyposting at 3pm.”

April showers

~ MaryG ~ 14 Comments

One thing about being older is that you have so very many snippets of songs, poems, sayings and jingles floating around in your head. Literally decades worth of popular culture is lodged in the ole memory. Half the time, you can’t remember why or from where you know something.

Apparently “April Showers Bring May Flowers” is a saying from England that dates back to at least the 1550s. Imagine. That saying has been kicking around the English-speaking world for over 450 years.

The flowers that bloom in the spring,

tra-la.

OK, just Googled and that’s from The Mikado, which makes sense. I was in that show in high school (embarrassingly, in full yellowface). Gilbert & Sullivan are responsible for a great deal of brain clutter in older people who like musical theater.

Springtime for Hitler and GER-MA-NY

I wish that one from The Producers would leave me, but it just won’t. Must be lodged too deep in the grey matter.

Spring in general has more songs, poems, and sayings than all the other seasons combined. Don’t you think?

What pops into your head when you experience the miracle of spring where you are?

Disappointing Art Show

~ MaryG ~ 28 Comments

The “Stronger Together: Art for Democracy” opening was last night and it was disappointing. My painting had the worst placement of all. It was at the very end, in a dark area, and up so high you’d have to be like 7 feet tall to look directly at it. It was definitely not the Bucket List experience I was thinking it might be.

I’m 5’8” (and wearing heels) and that’s my painting above my head.

The piece that won was made on a computer with Canva. The person who made it said it was her first time using Canva.

This poster got first place and a $500 prize.

The best part of the event was the lovely centerpiece.

A lot of effort went into creating this exhibit, so I shouldn’t complain.

But hey, it’s my blog and I’ll complain if I want to. 😉

Dessert

~ MaryG ~ 17 Comments

What gives you direction in life?

A beautiful spring cupcake with about an inch of delicious buttercream frosting from Magnolia Bakery

It’s dessert. I’m always headed towards dessert. I walk, I swim, I close the rings on my Apple Watch, I eat the salad, I eat the fruit, I don’t have seconds…all so I can have dessert. That’s the point of it all.

🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁

Magnolia Bakery’s Cupcake Recipe:

NYT Cooking.pdfDownload

Magnolia Bakery’s Buttercream Icing recipe:

NYT Cooking 2.pdfDownload

“We Don’t Want Kids”

~ MaryG ~ 16 Comments

Veering into dangerous, personal, none-of-my-business territory here…

I know very well how difficult life is for young people these days. Truly unaffordable for many—especially those with debt. Combined with global warming, gun violence, rising authoritarianism, and a million other things, there are many excellent reasons to not procreate. I get it.

Also, some are not blessed with good enough health and/or a supportive partner in the child bearing years—two excellent reasons to remain childless.

BUT, I will say (and did say to my nephew and his fiancé), life is short, but it can also be looooong. You might live to be 90+ like my parents. That’s 50 years beyond 40! That’s a long damn time to not have children, and therefore grandchildren, and even great grandchildren.

My nephew’s response was that you can’t have “just one baby,” so therefore they aren’t going to have any kids. This rationale is misguided in my opinion. I think only children are wonderful. Many GenXers had just one child and they’re great. Three-person families are fantastic. My book group was comprised of all women with just one awesome daughter (until I changed my mind and had a second child later in life). I love my son beyond words, but if I’d never had him, we’d be a happy family regardless. No sibling rivalry or fights and more disposable income. We probably would’ve taken a friend on vacation with us, so my daughter would’ve always had someone to play with.

And let’s face it, adult siblings are a mixed bag. Some get along. Many do not. And things can get complicated when parents get old and die, if the siblings are not on the same page. In some ways, one supportive, well-adjusted adult child is better than two or more who do not get along.

So yes, you CAN have just one child. And if you choose to remain childless, that’s fine. We love you still. But please do not compare your dog (or cat or goldfish) to our kids and grandkids. It’s really not the same. Like…at all.

Second attempt

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

Crocuses (Croci?) are still calling to me.

My second attempt to paint one is OK.

I’m struggling with the idea of painting “loose” vs control. The teacher I have now at the community arts center (Sandra) is all about getting all your colors down early. A “color story” she calls it. She doesn’t care if they all bleed into each other. I think I need to paint bigger in her class to get the most out of it. This one is only 5×7 inches. If you paint loose and small with watercolors, there’s a decent chance you just get a mess.

Thoughts on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

~ MaryG ~ 15 Comments

I was planning to watch the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last night. I watched a lot of the pre-game, red carpet stuff on C-SPAN. The reporter kept asking people who they were wearing and it became so awkward that the anchor finally told him to stop. “This is Washington. Nobody has any idea who they’re wearing.”

I was wondering if maybe Trump was going to somehow manage to be charming in his speech. Highly unlikely, but still. And if he was going to be vile and awful to the press (as usual), I wanted to see him embarrass himself until I couldn’t stand it anymore and then go to bed.

After the chaos was unleashed, my first thought was that they’d obviously cancel the event. People in the room (including multiple pregnant women) had plunged to the floor and everyone was shaken. The fact that Trump wanted to carry on (“the show must go on”) seemed to be just another example of his complete disregard for others.

When he then held a press conference at 10:30pm and all the reporters showed up in their formalwear, I felt badly for them. If you had had a night like that, wouldn’t you want to just go home and go to bed? But no…they had to go back to the White House and listen to Dear Leader blather on about his ballroom and lie about all “the love” in the room. (Quiet, Piggy!)

Reporters are people too and I feel badly for them, especially the female ones. Trump treats them like shit. I felt especially bad for the WHCA President & Host Weijia Jiang who tearfully announced that Trump was insisting she reschedule the event within 30 days. (The Commander Commands and the People—especially the Women—Must Obey.)

And then, I just had to go online and see what people were saying. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that the entire country thought the event was staged. That was all I saw in the comments.

I’ve never been prone to conspiracy theories. (Typically, I mentally dismiss people who raise them.) But…maybe.

Could the whole thing have been staged? And if it was, why?

Our government is flailing, people. I grew up in this country and I’ve never felt like this about it before. The on again off again trip to Pakistan is just the latest example. What the hell are they doing? Do they even know??

We have now entered the Twilight Zone. That’s how I feel. Cue the music.

Honestly, the TV show Twilight Zone was a bit before my time. It’s more of a Boomer thing. I never actually watched it. But culturally, it has been referred to so often that I have a sense of it.

Swimming to the Other Side

~ MaryG ~ 14 Comments

For the second time, I participated in a creative arts workshop led by Niela Miller—a 91-year old force of nature who is also a member of my church. The workshop is held monthly on Zoom. We were given a prompt to find a song lyric (1-2 lines) that moved us, write it in a fanciful way, and then illustrate it. I went with one of my favorite songs by Pat Humphries of Emma’s Revolution: Swimming to the Other Side. I once heard Pat say that this song tends to come to people when they need it most.

Chorus: We are living ‘neath the great big dipper
We are washed by the very same rain
We are swimming in this stream together
Some in power and some in pain
We can worship this ground we walk on
Cherishing the beings that we live beside
Loving spirits will live forever
We’re all swimming to the other side

I am alone and I am searching
Hungering for answers in my time
I am balanced at the brink of wisdom
I’m impatient to receive a sign
I move forward with my senses open
Imperfection, it be my crime
In humility I will listen
We’re all swimming to the other side

Chorus

On this journey through thoughts and feelings
Binding intuition, my head, my heart
I am gathering the tools together
I’m preparing to do my part
All of those who have come before me
Band together and be my guide
Loving lessons that I will follow
We’re all swimming to the other side

Chorus

When we get there, we’ll discover
All of the gifts we’ve been given to share
Have been with us since life’s beginning
And we never noticed they were there
We can balance at the brink of wisdom
Never recognizing that we’ve arrived
Loving spirits will live together
We’re all swimming to the other side

Chorus

Swimming to the Other Side
© 1990 Pat Humphries
Moving Forward Music, BMI

Painting Accepted

~ MaryG ~ 32 Comments

Good news!

My painting—Woman in the Teal Bathrobe, Minneapolis 2026—was officially accepted into the Stronger Together: Art for Democracy juried exhibition. The show opens Friday, May 2 at my church and will tour to a few other locations including the Fitchburg Art Museum.

Prizes will be awarded at the opening, but I’m just happy to be included. I’m very eager to see the other paintings. I’m told they got some fantastic entries from all around New England. There are 47 artists in all. Including me. I’m one of the artists! I didn’t have “exhibit a painting in a museum” on my official Bucket List, but maybe I should have. I’m pretty excited.

Thanks again to everyone who gave input on this painting and encouragement on my artwork in general.

And thanks to the unknown photographer who took the viral photo that was my inspiration.

PLEASE NOTE: Senator Susan Collins of Maine and all other Republican Senators except for Lisa Murkowski and Rand Paul voted yesterday to advance a $70 billion plan to fund the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agencies for the next three years, without any of the guardrails sought by Democrats. And by guardrails, I mean the basic procedures that normal police officers have to follow—like getting a warrant before they break down your door.

Related post:

Artistic Dilemma

Sweet tooth

~ MaryG ~ 8 Comments

My daughter discovered this. Or maybe she saw it on TikTok.

Melt a dark chocolate bar.

I do it by breaking it up and microwaving for 30 second intervals at 50% power.

The secret is to quit microwaving while you still have lumps. Just stir the chocolate until it’s perfectly smooth. You don’t want to burn the chocolate in the microwave.

Prepare a small pan or large plate with a piece of wax paper. Dip sumo orange slices, banana, pineapple, strawberries or other types of fresh fruit in the chocolate and place them on the wax paper. Put the pan in the fridge until the chocolate hardens. It doesn’t take long.

Chocolate-covered fruit can be stored in Tupperware or ziplock bags in the fridge for a few days.

Fruit & dark chocolate is such a good combo.