My mother would have described me this past week as running around like a chicken with its head chopped off. Wildly, seemingly aimless. Crazy wild until you run out of juice, then immediate collapse. Me. I do not like paperwork. At all. For any reason. That’s all I’ve been doing for the past 6 days. Paperwork and other necessary but unpleasant tasks. So I’m back in the land of the living. After a glance through my email at the news feed headlines, I think the headless chicken routine may not be over. I saw so much bullsh*t. So much. Is there anything pleasant for the remainder of the week and this upcoming weekend?  Decide to do good. Every little bit of good counteracts some other bit of not-good in the world. Listen to or make music.  Read a paper and ink book, not an e-book. Give money to someone who needs it. Beware of false prophets. Support our important institutions, like NPR and PBS. Feed someone who needs it. Save a few coins for the rainy day that is surely coming.  We can make it 1,025 more days. We can. We must.

Wild Cooking Woman  4/2/26    

 

Good stuff, true stuff, and other stuff…

My fruit trees have leafed out and are looking good.

 

 

This is so true.

 

 

 

I am reading Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age by Ibram X. Kendi, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying,1) by Ilona Andrews, and Death of the Author: A Novel by Nnedi Okorafor.  Tried to start, but haven’t had much quiet time. Headless chicken, you know. I will keep you up to date if they turn out to be worth being bothered with. 

 

 

 

Arsenio has a new memoir out.  He has had an interesting life. I will be adding it to my list.

 

 

 

Instagram and YouTube were found liable in a landmark social media addiction trial in California. The plaintiff testified that she became addicted to social media and that this addiction worsened her mental health struggles. She was awarded her $3 million in damages (pocket change to Zuck). Meta and YouTube were the remaining defendants in the case after TikTok and Snap settled before the trial began. (more) 

 

 

 

We all need an easy, delicious recipe. I used peaches, and it was easy and delicious.

 

 

 

Truth eventually comes to light. A civil jury in California on Monday found that Bill Cosby had drugged and sexually assaulted Donna Motsinger, and awarded her $59.25 million in damages. (more)

 

 

Something that made me smile.

 

 

Something else that made me smile.

 

Something that didn’t.

 

An appropriate response.

 

 

What God Do They Worship In There? The Black Social Gospel and the Crisis of American Christianity

Gary Dorrien on the Black Social Gospel and the Prophets the Church Forgot

The most profound insight in American Christian theology is the one James Cone named in The Cross and the Lynching Tree: that the crucified Christ stands with the lynched, that Calvary and the courthouse tree in Memphis are the same event read from different ends of power. 

 

 

REGISTER NOW – JOIN THE CLASS!

ASYNCHRONOUS CLASS: You can participate fully without being present at any specific time. Replays are available on the Class Resource Page.

COST: A course like this is typically offered for $250 or more. Your contributions are what make our classes possible. We invite you to contribute whatever amount you feel led to give (including $0).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is worth watching.

 

 

In Letters from An American, Heather Cox Richardson writes, “Today, for the first time in U.S. history, a sitting president attended oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court.” This case (Trump v. Barbara) resulted from an Executive Order signed on the first day of his second presidency, which declared that, contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment, individuals born in the United States are not citizens if their parents do not have legal permanent status.

 

 

 

Things have gotten more complex in the Middle East, and as a result, here also. Interest rates for mortgages have gone up steadily since February. The price of gasoline and diesel is outrageous. A possible recession is in the future, and not the distant future either.   Thinking about going back to teaching history, only online.   I have concerns about the things that are being excised from our national consciousness. Don’t forget to send a few bucks to NPR and the PBS station in your area. Easter is almost here. Although I don’t celebrate it, there are other things to celebrate like Passover, the spring equinox,  Earth Day, and Beltane.   Only 1,030 days to go but there may not be anything left by then.

Kintgugi  3/27/26

 

This bears repeating.  The Black Census Project: Rooted in Black Dreams, Built by Black Power is live on March 30. Go  HERE to participate.

 

Anne Lamott has recently written, with her husband Neil Allen, a new book, Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences. Like her earlier classic book on writing, Bird by Bird, this is worth the money and the time.

 

 

As a culture critic, Lemieux has spent years pushing back against the stereotypes and stigma that follow single mothers. Her new book blends her own memoir with the stories of 21 other Black women. Listen to her interview below with NPR’s Tanya Mosley on Fresh Air.

 

 

 

What is the SAVE Act trying to save us from? The SAVE Act would require American citizens to present documents such as a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Our research shows that more than 21 million Americans lack ready access to those documents. Roughly half of Americans don’t even have a passport. Millions lack access to a paper copy of their birth certificate. (more)  According to the US Department of State, a new U.S. adult passport book costs $165 ($130 application fee + $35 execution fee). Renewals cost $130. Additional costs include $35–$60 for expedited service, and ~$15 for photos. The total for a first-time applicant is typically around $165–$200, depending on photo cost and any expedited shipping fees.  If you need a passport to vote, is this a new poll tax?

 

 

Key Dates for the 2025 Tax Year (Filed in 2026)

 

 

Do you have someone in your life who lives alone or far away?  Are you going on vacation because you need a break from caregiving? (yes) Here are some free ways to help check on them while you’re away:

• https://buddyhelp.org/     Offers free emotional support through volunteer listeners and also provides access to professional online therapy.
• https://www.snugsafe.com/    A free app that sends daily check-in reminders. If you don’t respond, your emergency contacts are notified.
• https://checkinbee.com/     Sends daily text messages asking for a simple reply. If no response, designated contacts are notified.