The transition of seasons here on the Texas Gulf Coast isn’t marked by a sudden burst of color or a crisp chill in the air. Instead, our rites of spring are measured in the slow, inexorable climb of the mercury. To the uninitiated, it’s just heat; but to those of us who live by the rhythms of the coast, the true changing of the guard happens when the overnight lows fail to dip below 70°F.
Once that threshold is crossed, the heavy, humidity filled air of summer has officially claimed the porch. There’s no retreating from it until the first northers of autumn arrive months from now.
Observations from the Back Porch
Yesterday, the local wildlife seemed to be adjusting to the shift. I spent quite a spell watching a small hawk standing sentinel over the yard. It moved between the trees with a calculated patience before finally settling on the ground to investigate something hidden in the grass.
Thinking back on the week’s chores, I suspect it found a bit of “mower’s luck”—likely a frog or a snake that didn’t quite make it out of the path of the blades during Tuesday’s trimming. Nature is rarely wasteful, even when it’s grizzly.
On a different avian note, the yard has felt crowded lately. There is a marked increase in crow activity this year. Their dark silhouettes and constant chatter have become a fixture I haven’t quite deciphered yet. Whether it’s a change in the local food supply or just a gathering of the council, they seem to be watching the world as closely as I am.
The Weight of “The Folly”
It is difficult to remain entirely focused on the backyard when the news from the capital grows more prosaic and concerning by the day. As we drift further into what many are calling Trump’s Folly, the financial cost is beginning to catch up with the rhetoric.
Reports yesterday indicate the Pentagon is seeking an additional $200 billion in funding to sustain this unwarranted aggression. It brings a certain clarity to why there was such a push to revert the Department of Defense to its historical name—the War Department. It’s a more honest title, perhaps, but a terrifying one in practice.
The math, however, simply doesn’t add up:
- The Ask: $600 Billion for military expansion.
- The Reality: Massive tax cuts for his “buddies” that have gutted the very coffers he now wants to drain.
Equally troubling is the ongoing friction with NATO. The President continues to treat a collective defense treaty like a personal loyalty club. He seems genuinely baffled that member nations aren’t rushing to join his “Folly.” It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the pact: NATO is designed for mutual defense, not to serve as a reservoir of manpower for mutual aggression. It appears the only person convinced this is a defensive move is the man who claims he’ll know “in his own mind” when we’ve won.
Closing the Muses
The weight of global affairs is heavy, but the arrival of the school bus provides a necessary grounding. The world might be tilting on its axis out there, but here on the coast, the latest grandson will be arriving shortly and will require my full attention.
There is work to be done in the small things, even when the big things feel out of reach.
