Today is the fourth anniversary of the passing of my beloved granddaughter, Emily, who would have been 30 now.

We each handle grief in our own way. No one can tell you how to feel, how to behave, how to deal with the loss. And no one can imagine the pain of that loss until they themselves have experienced it.

But each time I light a candle in memory of a departed family member, I recall the words of British-American poet W. H. Auden, who clearly spoke from his own experience.

If these lines sound familiar, you may have heard them, as I did for the first time, in the wonderful movie, “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” They were so perfect, I’ve never forgotten them.

Rest in peace, my angel.

Love,
Nana

4/10/26

They’ll put up with a lot . . . historically, they’ve always had to. They’ve been accustomed to doing without things that most of the world considers basic necessities; they’ve stood in line for food, shoes, and toilet paper; and for 70 years they swallowed communist propaganda about their “workers’ paradise” and the “evils” of the West, because there was no one to tell them differently.

But this is the 21st century — the information age — and when you start messing with their smart phones, you may have crossed a big red line.

It’s not just the interference with Telegram, WhatsApp, and the Internet, or the “suggested” switch to the new, state-controlled Max service provider, of course. It’s also about the detention of journalists and dissidents who dare to speak out against your policies. And it’s about the new school curriculum, and the promotion of the “Young Patriots,” that are more than a little reminiscent of the old Stalinist programs to capture and control the minds of the country’s most vulnerable citizens: its children.

Perhaps most of all, it’s about that little “special military operation,” now in its fifth year, that was supposed to have been a quick snatch-and-grab job back in 2022, but has resulted in the death or wounding of well over a million Russian troops. And now it’s about the increasingly successful counter-attacks by Ukraine on Russian territory itself, and the fear of not knowing when or where the next drone will strike.

In short, it’s about the lies, Vlad, and what happens when — inevitably — the truth reveals itself.

You see, what happens when the deceptions become transparent is that your reputation — the aura of omnipotence that you so carefully created around yourself — begins to tarnish. And that decay is starting to manifest itself in the polls, even in the Kremlin-friendly ones. Your approval ratings — while nowhere as close to the crapper as Donald Trump’s — are dropping, Vlad.

One such Russian pollster — FOM, whose main customer is your own Presidential Administration — has recently recorded the lowest level of public trust in you since September of 2022. And while this isn’t being construed as a sign of an imminent revolution, the trend has to be disturbing to a leader whose absolute authority has remained solid for more than a quarter of a century.

According to Konstantin Gaaze, a sociologist and former Russian government adviser now based in Tel Aviv:

“We don’t yet have enough data to link specific social processes in specific social groups to this downward trend. Who exactly is tired, disappointed, or angry? We have seen major interventions in everyday life — Internet blackouts and restrictions — but we are also seeing a more prolonged tendency. The War penetrating deeper and deeper into the heartland of European Russia. Drones, strikes on oil refineries, and so on. These things accumulate over time.” [Mike Eckel, RFE/RL, April 8, 2026.]

That has to be making you . . . well . . . a bit uncomfortable, at the very least. The long line of Russian Tsars, and after them the Soviet leaders, relied for their legitimacy on the adulation of the masses. It was what kept the people in line, allowing a single leader to maintain absolute control over a nation once covering 8.6 million — now 6.6 million — square miles.

And let’s be honest, Vlad. It’s more than just a logistical issue; it’s personal as well. Autocrats are, by definition, uncommonly egocentric — often even clinically narcissistic. So this has to hurt.

But if you’re expecting sympathy, or some words of consolation, I can’t help you there. Because it’s no better than you deserve — you and all of your fellow wannabe Caesars, your followers and your sycophants.

As for those falling poll numbers . . . well, the fact is, they make me happy. Not that you care what I think; you don’t even know I exist. But I couldn’t resist the opportunity to rub it in.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/10/26

And why so suddenly? Why now?

Taking everyone completely by surprise, Melania Trump addressed reporters today for the express purpose of denying any relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein or his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, and demanding that any “mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation . . . need to end today.” [Bernd Debusmann Jr., BBC, April 9, 2026.]

Reading from prepared notes, she stated that she and Epstein had only briefly “crossed paths” in 2000, and added:

“I have never had any knowledge of Epstein [sic] abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant.” [Id.] . . . this, despite photographs and emails to the contrary.

She explained away their earlier contacts by saying that:

“I’ve never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach. To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Maxwell.” [Betsy Klein and MJ Lee, CNN, April 9, 2026.]

The timing of this surprise announcement is peculiar, as it clearly interferes with her husband’s determination to make the Epstein Files disappear. And stranger yet is her verbal message to Congress:

“I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors, give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony.” [Id.]

This, of course, is in direct conflict with the long-standing efforts of the Justice Department, not only to bury the electronic and paper files, but to silence the victims and witnesses as well.

So what does it mean? Is Melania finally fed up with her husband’s perfidy and making an effort to distance herself from him, both legally and morally? Or is something about to be revealed — something long hidden in the files — that is precipitating a preemptive attempt by the White House at denial? Perhaps in anticipation of Pam Bondi’s being required to testify before Congress . . . under oath . . . despite her protestations?

For the moment, it’s impossible to second-guess Melania’s purpose. While a person familiar with the matter told CNN that Donald Trump was aware of his wife’s planned statement, he himself told MSNOW in an interview following her remarks that he did not “know anything about” it in advance. [Id.]

I do wish they’d get their stories straight . . . just once. This entire administration is comprised of the most inept group of liars I’ve ever encountered. Prolific, but inept.

But whatever is behind this, the one thing Melania Trump’s appearance today did accomplish is the very thing Donald Trump has been doing his best to avoid: it brought the Epstein scandal back into the forefront of the news . . . where it rightly belongs.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/9/26

As Artemis II prepares to return to Earth from its historic venture into space, my mind turns back to the wonderment of Jules Verne’s 19th-century masterpiece, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” How could he possibly have foreseen or imagined, 150 years ago, that such technology might ever exist?

But Verne was far from the first to look toward the future and envision its infinite possibilities. In fact, in the 1st century A.D., the Roman philosopher Seneca might well have been thinking of a ship such as Artemis II when he wrote these prophetic lines:

“The time will come when diligent research over long periods will bring to light things which now lie hidden. A single lifetime, even though entirely devoted to the sky, would not be enough for the investigation of so vast a subject . . . And so this knowledge will be unfolded only through long successive ages. There will come a time when our descendants will be amazed that we did not know things that are so plain to them . . . Many discoveries are reserved for ages still to come, when memory of us will have been effaced.”

– Seneca, “Natural Questions”

Can anyone today even begin to conceive of our world 2,000 years from now?

For that matter, would we want to?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/9/26

My darling girl, my little soulmate. An old soul . . . a true anachronism. Brilliant, yet naive; wise beyond your years, though inexperienced; caring and giving, but never satisfied with yourself. Overflowing with love . . . and with demons that we could not understand.

Again tonight, for the fourth year, we mark our loss by lighting our Yahrzeit candles for you. The light and joy you brought to our lives will never be extinguished.

Our pride in you — in your remarkable strength and courage as you fought your childhood battles and lifelong struggles — is undiminished. And the imprint you left on all of those who were privileged to know you will be felt throughout their generations.

Rest well, my sweet girl. I miss you beyond words.

Love always,
Nana

4/9/26

These days, many of us find ourselves contemplating the nature and extent of man’s inhumanity to man, and wondering how anyone could be capable of such extreme cruelty.

As it turns out, the answer may be obvious — at least, according to ancient Rome’s Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist, Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, better known simply as Seneca, who wrote:

“All cruelty springs from weakness.”

– Seneca, “Seneca’s Morals: Of a Happy Life, Benefits, Anger and Clemency”

Applying that theory to the handful of leaders causing most of the misery in the world today, I can see Seneca’s point. Yet those same people have somehow managed to attain positions of power over the rest of us. So was he speaking of their weakness of character . . . or of ours, in having allowed them to prevail?

I wish I could ask him.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/8/26

It’s as though he’s been reading my mind . . . or my blog.

In a post on April 6th, Arend Feenstra finally addressed a number of the questions that have been on my mind since he and his family left Russia for an extended stay back in Canada. And it seems that a number of other followers of the Feenstra clan have been thinking along the same lines.

In this latest video — in which Arend mentions that it was being filmed on March 12th — he finally talks about the main reason for the trip, how all of the children are doing, and their plans for the immediate and long-term future.

What it all comes down to, as he explains it, is money. Stressing that they receive no subsidies from the Russian government, he says that they have thus far been living off of their savings — which obviously won’t last forever.

(I might interject here that they have previously indicated other minor sources of income in Russia, such as the sale of some of their farm products; and it seems likely that they receive payment for advertising various products and commercial enterprises on their video broadcasts. But it’s probably not enough to sustain a family of ten.)

At any rate, it seems that, for all of its perceived advantages, Russia is not an easy place in which to earn an honest living. Despite the cost of their months-long visit to Canada and the U.S. — the round-trip plane fare alone cost $25,000 — he says he has been able to earn enough by working nearly non-stop to cover the costs and build up a little nest-egg to carry them through until they begin earning a profit from their farm in Nizhny Novgorod.

He began by working on his brother’s farm in Ontario. Even throughout the family’s road trip through the U.S., he was able to work from time to time for various friends and acquaintances along the way. And two of the older children — Cora and Wes — remained back in Ontario, working to earn a bit more money for the family. Now Arend is working for a friend who has a contract doing major renovations to a hospital, including plumbing, electrical and insulation work.

In response to inquiries from viewers, he said that the younger children, who are home-schooled, have been keeping up with their studies while on this journey. He feels that home schooling has numerous advantages over regular schooling, and he may be correct. But realistically, his children may not even be eligible to enter Russian schools as yet, based on their residency status, language proficiency, and other requirements.

Then he put to rest any questions his viewers might have about the family’s return to Russia, assuring us that they can’t wait to get home to their farm, that they love living in Russia, and that their decision to move there was “the best thing we could have done.”

And he took the opportunity to compare life in Canada today to life in Russia. According to what he has observed and heard during their stay, some 80 percent of Canadians are just $200 away from being broke, with many people now living in their cars, and some 50 percent borrowing money to buy groceries. He did not cite a source for those figures, which sound a bit exaggerated to me. He did say — which makes more sense — that the gap between rich and poor in Canada is widening, with the cost of living increasing and wages not keeping pace. However, that seems to be the case throughout the world.

What he didn’t mention was that, by all indications, the same is true in Russia. Indeed, he said that people in Russia actually have more disposable income, and that, while there are of course some poor people, there is a much larger middle class. (Again, from all reliable reports, I would question that.)

And in a message to people in Russia and elsewhere who might still think of North America as a better place to live, he said that — while that was once the case — it’s no longer true.

Conversely, he said that he has met a lot of people during the past few months who are interested in moving to Russia, because life here has become what he called “unsustainable.” So it seems that he has continued on his mission to do a bit of proselytizing along the way.

*. *. *

What is my take from all of this? Basically, it’s the same as it has been for the two years that I’ve been following the Feenstras’ progress: that, while they may have had valid personal reasons for wanting to leave Canada, their choice of a new home was not a good one.

Russia is, always has been, and — at least for the foreseeable future — will continue to be a country ruled by autocrats and tyrants, where freedom is not by any means guaranteed but is subject to the whim of one man, and where the rules change without notice.

It is also, now, a country at war, with a tenuous economy; under punishing sanctions by most of the free world; and boasting a paranoid political pariah named Putin at the head of the government.

But Arend summed up their decision by saying that “God has a plan for us to be there, whatever he has in store.”

And I wish them the best of luck.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/8/26

Earlier today I wrote — but had not yet published — the following:

“In the face of Donald Trump’s insane threat to wipe out the entire nation of Iran, why hasn’t the U.S. military honored its own mandate and simply refused to obey such a blatantly illegal — not to mention, immoral — order?

Seriously . . . I’m asking . . . WHY??!!!

What’s he gonna do — fire everyone?”

*. *. *

Then I read this:

“Wiping out an entire civilization is the definition of genocide. Any order given to that effect must be refused by every service member up and down the chain — period. This is exactly what senators were talking about when they issued a video saying illegal orders must be refused. Now it may be time for service members to follow their recommendation.”

– Major General Paul Eaton (US Army, Ret.)

Thank you, General, for your courage, your service . . . and, on a personal note, your validation of my thoughts. Now, if those in active service would only follow your lead.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/7/26

I can only conclude that Viktor Orban must secretly be hoping to lose the election on April 12th. Certainly, no one who really wants to succeed would invite JD Vance to support his campaign.

But that is precisely what Orban has done. For 16 years, he has served as Hungary’s Prime Minister, positioning himself between his good friend Vladimir Putin to the east, and his supposed ally to the west, Donald Trump. But this year, after four consecutive victories, Orban is trailing his principal opponent Peter Magyar in the polls, and appears likely to suffer a resounding defeat in his fifth round.

Putin has been attempting to sway the Hungarian vote in Orban’s direction, bombarding the country with political propaganda and his usual grab bag of dirty tricks, but to little or no avail.

And now, in a pathetic attempt to help his autocratic pal retain his position, Trump has sent JD Vance — hardly America’s best-loved ambassador of good will — to add his support.

Appearing with Orban, Vance said that he had come to Budapest “to help him in this campaign cycle” . . . and then immediately added that the U.S. would “work with whoever wins this election.” [Paul Kirby and Nick Thorpe, BBC, April 7, 2026.]

Wow! That is some ringing endorsement!

To further impress the electorate, Vance launched into a diatribe against the European Union — of which Hungary is a member — accusing the EU of conducting “one of the worst examples of foreign election interference that I have ever seen or ever even read about . . . because they hate this guy.” He then added that “part of the reason” for his visit was because “interference that’s come from the bureaucracy in Brussels has been truly disgraceful.” [Id.]

(Of course, Vance managed to omit mentioning that the reason the EU “hates” Orban might have something to do with the fact that Hungary’s envoy to the EU has been discovered feeding confidential information from their closed meetings directly to Moscow. But why bother with such details?)

In a glowing example of double-speak, Vance spoke later at an Orban campaign rally, offering this:

“We want you to make a decision about your future with no outside forces pressuring you or telling you what to do. I’m not telling you exactly who to vote for but what I am telling you is that the bureaucrats in Brussels, those people [the EU] should not be listened to.” [Id.]

And — while he wasn’t telling them “exactly who to vote for” — he closed with this:

“ … go to the polls in the weekend, stand with Viktor Orban, because he stands for you.” [Id.]

Yeah . . . that’s “not telling them,” JD!

*. *. *

Now, I’m not a politician — never have been, never wanted to be. But I do know one thing: If I were ever to run for any office, no matter how insignificant, the very last person I would want on my team would be . . .

Yup . . . that’s the one.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/7/26

There is not much about Donald Trump — or, for that matter, anyone in his administration — that I find amusing. (There is nothing funny about witnessing an individual’s mental and physical deterioration.) But I’m reasonably certain the neighbors heard me yesterday when I collapsed in a frenzy of maniacal laughter after reading this on Facebook.

This was Trump on one of his delusional rants about Venezuela:

“Now with Venezuela, and we — Just so you understand, the people of Venezuela . . . They say if I ran for president of Venezuela, I’m polling higher than anybody has ever polled in Venezuela, so after I’m finished with this [Iran War], I can go to Venezuela. I will quickly learn Spanish. It won’t take too long. I’m good at language. And I will go to Venezuela, I’m gonna run for president.” [Post by Occupy Democrats, April 6, 2026.] [Bold emphasis is mine.]

It was unclear whether Trump was serious or joking about running for a presidency for which he is obviously ineligible; it’s often hard to tell whether he’s compos mentis at any given moment. But somewhere in the depths of his twisted, narcissistic brain, he probably does believe that he is scoring off the charts in some non-existent poll, and that he could “quickly learn Spanish” because he is so “good at language.”

This, from an 80-year-old man who can barely speak English.

His utterances truly boggle the mind. But at least — amidst all the horror of his daily proclamations — I was able to enjoy a few minutes of good, therapeutic laughter from this one . . . and I suspect I was not alone.

I guess we should be grateful for small favors.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/7/26