Our Peace Maker has launched war on Iran: Operation Epic Fury. While insanity continues to be the order of the day under political leadership lacking in moral courage, I do what is in my power to avoid contagion. I draw on lessons learned in my youth during the turbulent years in the pre- and post-independent years of my native land, when the grown-ups had found ways to keep joy alive in our lives. As in those days, I brighten my workday by playing the radio in the background. KOST 103.5 is my preferred local radio channel for bringing me my favorite songs of yesteryear as well as today’s top hits.

The biggest killjoy during my workday is “Barbie’s” invasive radio ad campaign, warning illegal aliens to self-deport.

“Is war,” says Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley (1945-1981).

Back in the day, weekend get-togethers with our extended family members and close friends relieved distress from the violence seeping into our day-to-day lives. I remember the bottom-house parties with music and dance: birthdays, weddings, wedding anniversaries, arrival of a new baby. Every achievement, school or job-related, was cause for a celebration, adding more joy to our lives. We also went all out with Christmas and year-end festivities. What a joyful time of the year! My happiest memories of growing up in Guyana.

In Chapter Seven of my debut novel, Under the Tamarind Tree, set in then British Guiana during the period 1950 to 1970, I enjoyed creating a family Christmas party filled with family intrigues and political tensions. It was December 1953. Over two months earlier, British soldiers had landed in the colony to quell an alleged uprising. For the protagonist Richard Cheong, it was not enough that his eldest sister connived to ruin his life. The political landscape also threatened to smother his dreams.

My circle of extended family members and close friends has shrunk over the years through migration and, more and more these days, with each passing. The reality of aging. My days for partying are behind me. Nevertheless, I find joy in having coffee or lunch with a friend. I find joy, too, in chatting with neighbors and with strangers while waiting at a bus stop.

Since I learned to read as a kid, reading remains a favorite activity. Besides, reading is essential to becoming the best writer and storyteller I can be. I counter the heavy stuff with escape into gripping crime mysteries and psychological thrillers. I’m currently reading the thriller Into the Water: A Novel by Paula Hawkins (author of The Girl on The Train), compliments of a neighbor with a big heart who also enjoys reading.

As my blogger friends already know, I also enjoy reading books of poetry. Our poets help me to make sense of our insane world.  

“All are involved,” says Guyanese poet Martin Carter (1927-1997). “This I have learnt: / today a speck / tomorrow a hero / hero or monster / you are consumed!” (Excerpt from his 1950s poem “You Are Involved”) 

The above photo features a section of a neighbor’s garden. Just over a year has passed since the elderly couple, who occupy the apartment, lost their trailer-home in the 2025 Palisades Fire.

“We had a beautiful garden,” the wife told me, showing me a small plant pot that had survived the fire. Another item, burnt like the pot, hangs from the tree in the photo.

It’s been a joy witnessing their new garden grow, one tiny plant at a time. On learning that the tree, planted by the previous tenant, was blocking the sunlight to their living room and encroaching on their plants, I was happy to prune the tree to make space for more of their favorite plants.

“It looks like a bonsai,” the husband told me. The rattan chair is his favorite spot for soaking in the sunshine.

I give thanks that we have enjoyed a mild winter season. We even had a few days with summer temperatures, causing my daisy plant to bloom out-of-season (photo taken 01/25/26). Plants and trees must also contend with a changing Earth. For better or worse, we’re in this together.

The delicate, white azalea flowers continue to bloom throughout the winter months (photo taken 12/07/25).  

Though it shed most of its foliage during the winter months, the tiger eye plant has delighted me with flowers throughout the season (photo taken 12/07/25). The Christmas cactus on the right (photo taken 11/23/25), one of my top favorite succulent plants, spread Christmas joy with its delicate, pink flowers.

My joy overflows with the friendships I’ve made with fellow bloggers who are regular commenters on my blog posts. I hold each one of you close to my heart. You are precious.