I am finding it tough to chat about gardens when we have all these shady goings on in the USA and the major news channels so well managed by the Musk and Trump that they are not even reporting it.
The Musk unit have not just stolen data from the people who did not vote for them they now have everyone’s data. Across the lines. All our social security data. All our immigration records. And with everyone ignoring the illegality of these actions I find myself in a precarious position as a permanent resident of the USA with a green card – who travels.
Immigrants in the USA are nervous.
Having gone through the pandemic when I was locked away from my children – many of us were – I cannot help but feel uneasy. It may not be rational – but it is real. So : nervous, precarious and uneasy.
Arbitrarily renaming the John F Kennedy Centre as the Trump Centre unsettles me. We saw this all through history. Renaming of cities and rewriting history by the despot of the time. This is an old playbook.
But why? I am struggling to understand why.
If nothing else I am incredibly lucky to have homes in different countries to go to.
Then this:
The prime minister should be convening Cobra now. The Five Eyes – the intelligence sharing network of the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada – is already likely breached.
https://open.substack.com/pub/broligarchy/p/it-is-a-coup?r=299i3z&utm_medium=ios
If I am over-reacting then consider me corrected – but I have been around a while: I have a bad feeling.
This is not just politics. This is something much darker. Something I am not prepared for. Our first reaction is disbelief. Distrust.
So. What to do. With our writing.
On the blog here we will absolutely continue talking about gardens and growing and family and living sustainably and climate and ordinary stuff. And you and I (like the lions we are) will keep one eye out for danger and be prepared to shelter and care for our extended people where necessary. And stay informed.
Speaking of eyes here is the painting Kora made for me to accompany my Sunday Newsletter.
There is an old story in the newsletter. You might like it. You may even remember when I wrote it. Plus Chapter Eleven of the glorious Wind in the Willows.
Do you remember when I came here to Visalia to help my third son and his family shift to their new house.
Well in true Buys-Wheeler form he has begun to put in vege gardens as his first major change in the new place. Growing one’s own food extends across all party lines. Which is nice, right?
Eggs are $12.50 here now. We managed to snag a dozen from target of all places. And we went to Costco yesterday and they were out of stock! Eggs! Out of stock! The kids and I had to mitigate our baking!
The horror.
Crepes are the food of this journey too! I am going to teach kids across the world to make them with the recipe and method of Hugo’s grand-mère.
Thankfully there is no shortage of eggs in Australia or New Zealand – yet.
Oh and I found a local farmer only 15 minutes from our house in Sunbury, Melbourne. Naturally I emailed immediately and began a conversation. So that was good news. Sheep, cows, goats ( I think?) cheese (so maybe milk?) and wine. Yes!! Sorted!
We will grow our own veg and I am still on the hunt for eggs.
But I digress – back to the Central Valley garden. Third son can make anything – he makes bespoke grills in his spare time.
So he has shown me how to make raised beds. God help us all. I was an inept pupil. But he is kind and patient.
But this is pretty much how I want to garden in Sunbury too.
We are eating piles of fresh crunchy greens and I am so happy!
Ok!
I am going to be recording Chapter TWELVE of Wind in the Willows today. Here in my little California study.
Awesome!
Here is the family dog with a duck on his head.
What can you do. The indignity!
Take care. Take good care and grow a little something today!
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
23 responses to “gardening in california”
Those eggs are incredibly expensive. Large Free Range are 1/5th of the price here!
He’s done a great job on those raised beds.
What is the status of avian flu in the UK?
There’s quite a lot of it about, but it’s an annual event now. They have to lock up free range layers and meat birds if they are in an afflicted area.
9 February 2025
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has been confirmed in commercial poultry at premises near:
Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside (AIV 2025/16)
Bodmin, North Cornwall, Cornwall (AIV 2025/17)
A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been declared around the premises. All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled.
Following successful completion of disease control activities and surveillance in the zone around a premises near Rye, Rother, East Sussex (AIV 2025/03), the 3km protection zone has ended and the area that formed the protection zone becomes a surveillance zone.
…and that’s just yesterday!
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england
Ok. Huh. That seems well managed. I am surprised that it is not impacting supply? I am sure it is well managed here in the US too. But the authorities have recently cut ties with the World Health Organization (that informs across the states) so it may become difficult to stay abreast of outbreaks.
Hoping it does not hit our flocks.
It’s been an annual event here for more than decade – the UK is very close to the European land mass and sees a lot of migrating birds. Some from as far afield as Africa.
…and I hope your birds don’t get ti!
H
Here’s hoping sanity returns to the country sooner than later. In the meanwhile we write and garden, eh. May you be safe.
Yup! We write and garden and keep our local economies strong and robust. I think everything is pointing to that at the moment.
We voted for President Trump to find out where our tax dollars are going. Musk isn’t stealing information, only seeing where funds went. As you can see, the “other side” is trying to keep our elected President from doing what needs to be done. I don’t think you have any worries when it comes to immigration. You aren’t involved in violent crime, part of a gang, etc. You are the type of immigrant our country needs, and welcomes. Maybe you should find a different source for your “news.” Wishing you all the best as you set forth on your next gardening endeavor.
Patti
Thank you so much for your considerate reply. Let us hope that reports of our financial and personal information being downloaded is incorrect. And it is wise to read from as many ‘news’ sources as possible. Very true. So sad that there have to be ‘sides’ when we all have so much in common. I am having fun gardening in California – so different from the frigid mid west! Have a lovely afternoon!
REading this makes me so sad. Especially when I read that T has his heart set on Canada as the 51st State. I don’t understand US politics but I do understand anxiety and the impact it has on our health. I try not to read the news or doomscroll through FB. {{{{virtual hugs}}} from afar.
Keeping informed and keeping busy is the very best at this point. I am quite perplexed about the threats to take over Canada. The US and Canada have done well as compatriots for so long. Still it does point out the importance of buying local. Keeping our local economies strong is imperative.
Yep, we also try and buy local.
I’ve seen this old playbook before, too. Plus, I taught history for many years, and everything going on now has me quite frightened.
We had a similar conversation about T’s playbook tactics. I think they are shock & awe tactics actually. Someone used the term “muzzle velocity” in an article demonstrating (to readers who understands this technically of which I am not but get the gist) why all the directives and actions won’t have “legs”, that is they’ll run out of steam before they accomplish much. We can only hope but many of we who are likeminded similarly to you are very bloody worried too because our Temu wannabe prime minister and his oligarchy are hitching their hopes on what’s happening in the U.S. But still, we garden, yes!
I find the whole Trump Musk thing very frightening….and so I paint……and talk to as many animals as possible……:)
Painting sounds perfect!
Hi Celie,
WordPress isn’t letting me comment directily. IÂ miss all of those crunchy greens that California has at this time of year. I paid $10.99 for eighteen medium eggs today at Grocery Outlet in Port Angeles, WA. I don’t know where you get your news from but Rachel Maddow at MSNBC and Heather Cox Richardson on Substack are reporting plenty of what the MuskRats are up to. Concerning, disturbing, illegal, etc.
Muskrats!! Ha!! 10.99 is not bad for 18 eggs!
I agree with you, this is not politics it is much darker. On a lighter note your raised beds sound wonderful. Any gardening sounds nice since we are getting 40 cm of snow in the next couple of days. The eggs are so expensive. I hope they don’t get that expensive here. We use a lot of eggs so we’d feel the pinch.
Having to be careful of egg use is SO HARD for me! Though they have been so cheap here for so long. Cheaper in the supermarkets than I can produce them for sure.
I think they are regular prices here still. Cheaper factory produced ones are still only $3-4. I buy local smaller free run farm produced eggs and those are about $6.