I really hope that too! I am just not sure if that is accurate. Putin is so good at disseminating disinformation, and I could see this being a tactic to throw NATO off balance to thinking it will be over with soon. Mark and I were just discussing doubling the size of our raised beds. So far I have only been able to grow tomatoes for earing fresh not enough to freeze or can for supplementing in the off season, broccoli for again eating in season but not freeze, eggplant, bell peppers, some herbs. We have terrible soil here so it is more cost effective to do a raised bed and fill with good dirt and compost, than it is to take a large area of the yard and try to make that sandy soil so heavily amended that it turns I to loam. But if we doubled the raised be, I could freeze or can tomatoes, freeze some broccoli, and dehydrate peppers for winter. I also have an area that I could amend just enough to put in some asparagus. We wouldn't of course get to harvest that this year, but 2023 we would have it. If we could manage a triple of the raised bed, I could put in leeks (which I love roasted but also dehydrated for soups and stews), a lot of salad greens, some green onions, and some green beans. I am intrigued by the potatoes bags mentioned in the other thread because our basement has an area that is pretty close to the perfect climate for root vegetable storage.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/2/27/22950805/russia-ukraine-food-prices-hunger-invasion-war It is so painful to think about people already suffering hunger potentially suffering even more over this! I would like to keep this discussion as apolitical as possible, and just discuss the food issues of war if we can manage it. Ukraine would normally begin planting in about three weeks, so if their farmlands are fields of war, that isn't going to be happening, and I am not sure if anything about the war footing would affect Russian farmers or not. My assumption is that the US will need to step up and export more food/crops than is currently planned which of course has the potential to impact US food prices and some availability although this is just something that can't be predicted. The other unknown is if Russia will withhold any of its wheat from export to say countries like Egypt if they were to condemn the invasion. My thoughts go back to the Victory Gardens of WWII. Most people cannot grow food to feed their families. Many, especially urban dwellers, cannot even make a dent in supplementing food for their families. But rural dwellers and even suburban dwellers with a decent size yard and a willingness to tell their HOA's to pipe down, can grow some salad greens, some tomatoes, some pots of strawberries, etc. I was reading in the Farmer's Almanac that victory gardening produced 40% of the vegetables and fruits civilians consumed during WWII allowing more crop yield from farmers to be diverted to the war effort, to feeding displaced persons, to being exported to allies. It was interesting to me that this many civilians were willing to get into the "let's row together" boat simultaneously. We don't really have that now. But in terms of morale, I think if this drags on and planting season approaches, it would be great if there was some sort of push for the concept, maybe free seed and potting soil, containers, etc. through 4H extension offices, advertising through the Department of Ag. I would love to see schools shift their "prep for the test" ideas of science education and take April and May to have elementary and middle school classrooms grow windowsill edible plants, have some lessons in hydroponics, field trips to local family owned farms and orchards, take some baskets of tomatoes to the local farmer's market to sell, handle the money, make change, or give them to the kitchen staff at school to make salads and spaghetti sauce and then have the satisfaction of enjoying the fruits of their labors. But, I know that is too idealistic to ever happen. At any rate, we have talked in the other garden thread about our gardening aspirations for this year. Has anyone thought about expanding their vision due to the invasion? Has anyone thought about increased food insecurity in countries dependent on exports from that region? It appears that Egypt is looking to cut deals with other producers as they have been dependent on Russia and Ukraine for a while.

Sid is the best!!

Loving Sid!!

Donating. Also going to go look and see what Doctors W/O Borders is going to do.

Regentrude nailed it. You simply can't be a kind and thoughtful person to everyone else - your brother is not the only person deserving of consideration in your life - if he is allowed to shred your emotionally and mentally. It is a matter of seeing it in the wider perspective of just how many people in your life need you. His issues cannot be allowed to subsume all the other considerations. I get it. My brother and two of his five children go further and further down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories every year. As a result, they have become profoundly mentally and emotionally draining. I live two blocks from my brother, and have contact down to a text on Christmas, Easter, and birthdays, and two or three low key contacts briefly in the yard in passing. I haven't seen nephew or niece since before the pandemic. It will remain this way because I have a mom dependent on me, a marriage and four adult kids to consider, and two grandsons. I am not willing to sacrifice my own emotional stability for them by wearing myself out with him. It is a bit of a math equation. Three of them, eight of the other. Eight is greater than three. Someday I hope he sees the light and the worst aspects of his issues abated a bit. If so, I might arrange to meet him at a restaurant for lunch. But until then.....

I think this is correct. Dumping or refusing to consume vodka doesn't do a thing for Ukraine except that this can be a show of solidarity to our elected officials that we expect them to get in there and beat Russia back. We need symbols to remind us to nag our elected bobbleheads to death about NOT doing more for Ukraine, not doing more about Russia. We need symbols that will remind of what is important, keep this in the forefront of the national psyche.

Oh my! Just not good. I am so sorry.

I like Regentrude's idea. We have one son who only eats fish and eggs, but not other forms of meat. So she he is here, I just do simple, modular meals. If I make spaghetti, ground beef or sausage is browned and on the side. People add what they want to their sauce, but in the serving bowl, sauce is meat free. Soups without meat. Salads and then bacon bits or chopped ham or whatever for topping the salads in bowls. Same for baked potato night. Top your own pizza and shove in the oven. Sandwich platter with lots of veggies and alfalfa sprouts, cheeses and meats separate, assemble your own. Mexican food, deli sides and rotisserie chicken, and your son can just not eat the chicken. This way you aren't saying no, but you also are not having to take on a bunch of new cooking. Then just plan low effort dishes. ETA: I just saw what you said about Pop. Have you talked to Pop? Maybe he would be okay with a Lent break from his favorite foods in order to support ds.

I am starting Danish in March.

With my sister in law, I took to NOT talking, and dead eye staring if she tried to strike up a conversation. That ended the drama.

Shhhhh do not tempt the universe!

They do get heavy and hold a lot of water. You might not want that on your nice pergola. We use cheap wood trellis and old wood ladder, and try to zip tie them onto the wood. We also don't let them get taller than six feet, and prune as needed. They can get a little.crazy and end up putting all their energy into spreading instead of fruit. They don't seem to understand how much we humans want to eat their yummylicious orbs.

We had a long line at the one gas station that hadn't raised prices. My car was full and so I was just driving past on my way to the pharmacy. Two of the three gas stations jumped price 33 cents a gallon in one hour. 🙄 This was just fear mongering. But people fall for it and think that there will be fuel rationing, overnight fuel rationing. Sigh.

Yes, so I am surprised Canadians aren't a little bit more concerned about increased Russian aggression. I am not sure why you felt the need to laugh at me. I will bow out of the discussion. I have family in the military, one of whom is someone who may get sent into this conflict - Poland. I don't need people laughing at me.

Right. But people were questioning why the people of the US is nervous. Well, the proximity to the aggressor is one good reason that is often forgotten.

It should be noted that the US has been tense with Russia since violating US air space in Alaska, 2007 if memory serves. Since then Russia has built a military base only 300 miles from Alaska, and has shown renewed aggression in the Arctic as well as beefed up all of their military installations in the Arctic. In response, the US has reinforced Fort Greely, and Eilson AFB, plus the other one whose name I can never remember. The Berring Strait at its narrowest is only 55 miles wide. The Arctic needs protection, and is under dire threat from climate change, something Putin gives exactly a rat's a$$ about. Most of the world tends to think of the US as the 48 states of the mainland. It is easy to forget that we have a state which sits so close to Russia.

https://www.wnem.com/news/federal-agency-bird-flu-detected-in-backyard-michigan-flock/article_1d4140f0-b3de-57a3-9562-a5132c056f3b.html?block_id=994444 PSA: If you have your own backyard flock, if would be wise to have them tested. The wild birds are starting to head back from southern climes and so this has the potential to get a lot worse.

She should have that checked out because I know woman whose crazy ex put a locator on her car and stalked her that way. He loved to scare her in parking lots. She eventually figured it out, got the locator taken off, sold the car, bought something completely different, and moved out of state which ended the stalking. Some of these ex's are total Jack Nicholson type dementors. Scarlett, she needs to take this very seriously, and dump anything that he could be using to track her.

You are not being overdramatic. Cyber stalking during a divorce is not only creepy behavior, but can have terrible consequences since sometimes this is what very unstable minds do. They want to know the geo location of that estranged spouse because they want to control them or WORSE. Your sister needs to get rid of her phone. She needs to change all her passwords but nor from a phone, but from a computer that her ex has never had access to so there is no risk of another keystroke logger. A tracphone, basically a disposable that she buys minutes for, might be the best option.

Right. My concern is that sock puppets without their fingers on the red button, so to speak, will spur the nutjob on causing him to think, "maybe I will push that button". Not good. At this stage NO sock puppets is what we need. I am wary of Egypt. When we were there, there was a lot of Pro Russia sentiment, and the government is Pro Russia and switched from buying military tech from the US to Russia. If they decide to be a Putin ventriloquist dummy, that could destabilize the region as everyone chooses sides.

Agreed. This has the potential to suck everyone in like a black hole.

Also, it should be noted that Belarusian leader, Lukashenko, has threatened the West with nukes if we support Ukraine. Lukashenko is not, well, a stable mind. I'll just state it that way.

This too! I am very on edge about what was in those boxes. It make "her emails, the ongoing saga" a nothing issue comparatively. What the heck is in those boxes laying around a golf resort?

Well, I think one reason is we are just climbing out of four years of intense crazy with a Pro-Putin, Pro-Erdagon, Pro-totalitarianism leader, and well, our people are profoundly influenced by misinformation. We form the military bedrock of NATO. Yes, y'all commit your troops and fire power to defend each other, but huge reliance on US money, tech, troops, your basic superpower stuff, means that if Europe has a problem, we have a problem, a very big problem. And Putin sees us as the enemy in a way that he doesn't see Mexico or Canada. So we don't really escape his notice, and he has hinted more than once that he is crazy enough to declare war on us. Therefore, this aggression on the Ukraine hits us in the gut.