Ready, steady...

Clematis Armandii, with its long leathery leaves, has survived the winter winds after all (there was a moment when it was looking very battered). Now it's covered with buds and with tiny new shoots, all ready to push ahead just as soon as there's just a little more sunny warmth to encourage them.
I had a long chat with my old friend Barbara in Seattle last night. She's recovering from a knee replacement, and it's not going entirely smoothly. That's getting her down, though the Trump/Musk upheavals are getting her down far more. Like many others, her family is beginning to feel the effects directly.  B's daughter-in-law is a lawyer, and she works for one of the law firms that Trump is targeting for vengeance at the moment because some of their staff have been involved in preparing cases against him in the past.  He has issued executive orders that strip the firms of access to federal buildings and various other resources essential to their work. This could destroy the firms, though challenges are being mounted. It's yet another act of intimidation, among so many.
B's daughter-in-law is the family breadwinner, so the consequences will be huge for them if her firm folds.
I just keep hoping that as more 'ordinary' people feel these effects, there will be more opposition.