an act of defiance.

American politics are bonkers. We have Trump in the white house. Daily, he proves himself to be inept and uncaring. Even conservatives are starting to get the picture. Republicans in Congress remain silent for the most part. Trump serves them proudly as a wrecking ball to destroy all the programs that they do not like, ranging from environmental protection to protection of health and family.

But as long as he's doing the dirty work to fulfill the Republican agenda, the Republicans in Congress appear to tolerate every conceivable outrage that Trump can muster.

In the meantime, there are good things to be done. The making of useful beauty in an age of imports and cheap stuff is in some ways an act of defiance. It's moving against the flow of destructive force and directly into the million+ year heritage of human kind.

Perhaps this blog should be a politics-free zone, where we can escape what ails us as a nation. But to create useful beauty is a political act. To do so not only shapes the world around us, it shapes our own hearts and minds as well. And so I console my readers in these difficult times, and urge that we take matters and materials into our own hands. Let's preserve and protect our planet so that our greatest grandchildren imaginable and even the least among them will know its beauty. And let's use our hands and hearts to set an example. There are big things afoot in Washington, DC in which the whole fabric of our nation is being sorely tested. But, again, I repeat myself as I always do, When we make useful beauty, we transform the world around us, and ultimately to the betterment of all.

This is a busy week. Yesterday I made a trip to pick up tools. Today we unload those tools and begin moving them in place. I also will begin setting up for the White St. Walk in which I hope to sell some of my work. Today and tomorrow I have phone calls with schools that are interested in the Wisdom of the Hands philosophy.

Make, fix, create, and defy the odds.