2:00PM Water Cooler 2/26/2025

By Lambert Strether.

Readers, the fundraiser for my very nearly gold* retirement watch + all my Water Cooler work done in 2024 is ongoing. The goal is 400 donors; as of this writing, we have 171, or 42% of goal. Progress! Thank you. Any amount helps! If you can give a little, give a little. If you can give a lot, give a lot! Thank you all so much! –lambert NOTE * Surprised nobody has picked up on the Pratchett reference. You’ve got to pay attention!

Bird Song of the Day

American Robin, Off Steese Highway; Nome Creek Road, Alaska, United States. “Cee calls.” Whatever they are!

* * *

In Case You Might Miss…

1. DOGE has an acting administrator.
2. Gavin Newsome launches podcast.
3. Problems with 737 FAA exemptions.

Politics

“So many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles

* * *

Trump Administration

“Live updates: Trump, joined by Musk, holds first Cabinet meeting” [NBC]. “Trump convened his Cabinet secretaries for the first meeting of his new term today, gathering agency leaders who are working to implement his agenda at a spitfire pace — and the billionaire adviser whose work on Trump’s behalf is touching all of their agencies…. ‘He’s sacrificing a lot,’ Trump said as he introduced Musk. ‘He’s getting a lot of praise, I’ll tell you, but he’s also getting hit.’ Musk’s efforts have prompted resistance from some Cabinet secretaries, including several who recently instructed staff to put aside a directive coming from Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency that required a five-point response to the question, ‘What did you do last week?'” UPDATE:

Musk: "We accidentally cancelled Ebola protection"
– expects a laugh –
– doesn't get one –
Trump can't look at him.pic.twitter.com/VOT9GzPmFK

— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) February 26, 2025

I don’t think much of Rupar, but Larry the Cat is impeccable.

“Elon Musk is wearing out his welcome at the White House” [The Hill]. • Maybe yes, maybe no. If so, I would imagine Susie Wiles will resolve the matter. Since she works the press through layers of indirection, I would watch the Daily Mail.

“Weary GOP lawmakers lash out at ‘childish’ Elon Musk for drastic DOGE cuts during secret House meeting” [Daily Mail]. “Republicans in the House turned out to be a surprisingly tough crowd for Elon Musk in a secret meeting meant to go over cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency….. Now, it appears he’s even got the GOP Congress skeptical, as Georgia Rep. Austin Scott claims that the party is not on the ‘same page’ about the agency. The Congressman adds that there hasn’t been enough organization in the cuts DOGE has made. ‘DOGE’s recent requests for federal employees should have been coordinated with the agencies before they were issued,’ he said. ‘I fully support those agencies working with DOGE to improve efficiency and eliminate tax dollar waste,’ he added. Scott said that he had a problem with constituents on the dole being told they were leeches. ‘With that being said, referring to Americans who may need government assistance as ‘parasites’ is unacceptable in any circumstance.'” • And Austin Scott is a Republican…

* * *

Is Elon OK?

Why is this plane not flying in a straight line? pic.twitter.com/jsQXI9kmvu

— Ryan Petersen (@typesfast) February 25, 2025

* * *

“Trump and Musk’s slash-and-burn tactics are a sticking point in talks to prevent a shutdown” [NBC News]. “”If they want our votes, they need to work with us,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, told reporters Tuesday. “We are close on top-line spending. We need to know Republicans are willing to work with us to protect Congress’ power of the purse — and I welcome any and all ideas they may have on how we can work together to do just that. ‘That is the absolute bare minimum, and it is frankly not asking a whole lot. Republicans should not be so eager to let Elon Musk cut off cancer research or clean energy jobs in their districts. They should not follow Elon towards a shutdown,’ she added. Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., said limiting Trump’s spending discretion is a red line for his party. ‘We’re close on the numbers. We’re pretty far apart still on trying to limit presidential powers,’ he told reporters. ‘I don’t think you’re likely to see a Republican House and Republican Senate try to limit a Republican president.'” • In other words, Republicans want to destroy Congress’s Article I powers, and DOGE is doubltless developing software to prevent Congressionally approved spending from going out in the form of checks from the Treasury’s Department of Fiscal Services. Why on earth the Democrats thinkt they can cut a deal on this is beyond me; the Republicans are ideologically committed to the Unitary Executive, and DOGE just lies all the time (even worse than Trump). Oh, and “close on the numbers” means big Medicaid cuts. From Democrats. Of course.

“Board agrees to pause firings for some feds, potentially upending Trump’s widespread terminations” [Government Executive]. “Some federal employees fired by the Trump administration while in their probationary periods have at least temporarily won back their jobs, a federal board that hears appeals from civil servants has ruled. The Merit Systems Protection Board has granted a 45-day stay requested by another independent agency, the Office of Special Counsel, which had deemed the Trump administration’s mass firings as likely unlawful. The case involved six federal workers, each at different agencies, who must now be placed back into their positions. The case was heard by Raymond Limon, one of the three Senate-confirmed members of MSPB’s central board, who noted federal statute and case law required him to grant OSC’s stay request unless it was ‘inherently unreasonable.’ ‘I find that there are reasonable grounds to believe that each of the six agencies engaged in a prohibited personnel practice under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(12),” Limon said, referring to the part of federal law governing the civil service’s ‘merit system principles.’ The board took a narrow approach in its ruling, applying it specifically to the six employees who work at the departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Energy and Agriculture, as well as the Office of Personnel Management, and stay requests from OSC by rule lead to nonprecedential rulings. Still, OSC’s findings and MSPB’s decision create a pathway for tens of thousands of recently fired federal employees to regain their jobs. Already, Hampton Dellinger, head of OSC, has said he is actively contemplating expanding his initial findings to include far more federal workers.”

“How to Make the GOP Pay a Price for DOGE” [Dan Pfeiffer, The Message Box]. “Voters find themselves disillusioned as townhalls in Georgia and across the country reveal the so-called populist they elected to cut prices is instead cutting their services, their government aid, and laying off their friends and neighbors. Some Republican members of Congress are complaining publicly; and many more are privately expressing their concerns to the White House. It’s early, but this is clear evidence of a grassroots backlash to Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s assault on our government. Democrats must define Trump’s presidency, push back on the cuts, and regain political momentum. This post is part of a series about the various strategies and tactics Democrats — from leadership down to activists — can employ to make Trump more unpopular. If you want to follow along and participate in the conversation, sign up here.” This idea: “Democrats should hold and livestream their own townhalls. Democratic presidential hopefuls (of which there are many) should go to places where the DOGE cuts are most impactful like Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham, Alabama, and the Research Triangle in North Carolina and hold townhalls. They should be real townhalls. Open invitation. Don’t pack the crowd with supporters. Prepare for uncomfortable conversations and protestors. The drama will draw coverage and conversation. Lean into the risk.” • That seems the most unlikely one to me.

* * *

“White House point man at Homeland Security shared ‘martial law option’ post to keep Trump in office” [CNN]. “The Trump administration’s new point man for dealings with the Department of Homeland Security is a former far-right podcast host and election denier who once shared an article calling for ‘martial law’ to keep Donald Trump in office following his loss in the 2020 election. Paul Ingrassia and the Twitter account for a podcast he co-hosted posted the remark and similar sentiments on social media in December 2020 and January 2021, according to a CNN KFile review of deleted and still-active posts by Ingrassia himself and the account of the podcast. The 29-year-old Ivy League-educated lawyer now serves as the second Trump administration’s White House liaison to the DHS, a key role that has historically involved managing the administration’s relationship with the department and overseeing the placement of political appointees.” • Meanwhile, not that I’m foily:

DOGE

“This is who the White House says is the DOGE acting administrator” [CBS]. “White House official said Tuesday that Amy Gleason is the acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency, after the White House struggled to answer who is technically at the top of the organizational chart. Gleason declined to comment on her appointment as acting DOGE administrator. Gleason’s LinkedIn lists her as a U.S. Digital Services senior adviser, and she has a background in consulting and the medical field. When CBS News spoke to Gleason on Tuesday morning ahead of her announcement as DOGE acting administrator, she said she was in Mexico and declined to comment further. Gleason’s role as acting administrator came as a surprise to USDS employees who, like Gleason, were folded into DOGE, CBS News learned Tuesday evening. Those employees learned of her new position ‘in the past few hours’ even though they had been asking for weeks who was going to fill the job, CBS News was told. On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that Gleason had been in the job for ‘quite some time, at least several weeks, maybe a month.’ When asked why DOGE employees only learned of her role yesterday, Leavitt said ‘you would have to ask them’ and ‘they’re clearly unaware, I don’t know.’ In various court cases concerning DOGE’s activities, Justice Department lawyers have been asked multiple times to identify who is leading DOGE, including just last week. The government lawyers have said they did not know.” • In Mexico. Well, at least we have Gleason to thank for clarifying that remote work is indeed ok.

“Who is Amy Gleason, the interim administrator of DOGE?” [The Hill]. “Gleason was a part of the United States Digital Service between 2018 and 2021, per her LinkedIn, and assisted the coronavirus pandemic federal response of the White House, The Associated Press reported. The New York Times reported that the DOGE interim administrator said five years ago that medical system-related irritations she faced following her daughter’s illness diagnosis sparked a focus on health care reforms in Gleason. She worked at a health company-centered investment firm as a chief product officer in the wake of President Trump’s first term with health care executive Brad Smith, the Times reported. The outlet reported that Jared Kushner and Smith previously assisted in the response to the coronavirus together. The Associated Press reported that Smith has been involved with DOGE. The Times reported that those close to the matter said that Musk began to be advised on cost-cutting efforts by the health care executive last year, with Gleason being brought along by Smith in conversations about cost-cutting.” • “Brought along”?

“The DOGE Acting Administrator Isn’t New to the Trump World” [Mother Jones]. “Amy Gleason [was] the US government’s problem solver in the early days of the data-starved response to the Covid pandemic and a seasoned worker in the health space… This is Gleason’s second time working in US Digital Services, now turned DOGE. In her first tour, which started in 2018 and carried through the frenzied and chaotic pandemic response, she pushed the bounds of existing bureaucracy to meet the crisis’ demand. Gleason was interviewed on Reveal’s Covid Tracking Project series, where she described long hours and the frequent hurdles she encountered in an effort to create an effective emergency response…. The issue led her to create HHS Protect, a data system that eventually became a comprehensive hospital data tracker, though it first generated outcry from the CDC and the public over delays in information.” • HHS Protect was built by Palantir. Oh.

* * *

“The Trump Staffers Who Get Paid by Private Clients” [Wall Street Journal]. “Katie Miller, a top aide to Elon Musk at the Department of Government Efficiency, spends much of her time on White House grounds, helping Musk plan and communicate his efforts to slash the federal government.

But she also spends time working for P2 Public Affairs, a major Republican consulting firm in Washington, which pays her full salary. She has continued to work for Fortune 100 clients, including Apple, offering public relations advice, according to people familiar with the matter. Since starting at the White House, Miller has also helped P2’s leaders pitch the firm to new clients for lucrative contracts, offering her guidance about Washington in this moment. Her husband is White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, among the most powerful advisers in the administration, controlling all domestic policy. She’s one of a set of influential Trump employees who are working for the administration while simultaneously doing private-sector work. They carry a three-letter designation that allows them to wear both hats: ‘SGE,’ or special government employee. It’s a status under federal ethics laws that permits private-sector employees to work inside the government without having to relinquish their outside salaries or investments. Only a sliver of cases must publicly disclose clients or potential conflicts of interest. While the rules limit work to up to 130 days in any given year, it can be extended if the administration desires. Others with the status include Steve Witkoff, who is handling peace talks between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East, Corey Lewandowski, now a top aide at the Department of Homeland Security, and Musk himself. Top officials such as Musk, Miller and Witkoff aren’t receiving government pay, and it wasn’t known if any SGEs are.” • I don’t think James Madison would approve.

* * *

One for the receipts wall (not that receipts wall):

BREAKING: NPR has obtained a State Department document revealing that the Biden administration planned to allocate only $483,000 in the 2025 fiscal year for electric vehicle purchases—far less than the $400 million Drop Site revealed was being set aside for Tesla vehicles under… https://t.co/J6BiasFBtO

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) February 26, 2025

“DOGE said it cut $881 million at the Education Department. The real savings are much less”[USA Today]. The deck: “‘It’s clear that this was not put together with a great deal of care,’ one researcher said about DOGE’s misleading cost-cutting math.” Shocked, shocked. More: “Research into the task force’s cost-cutting measures conducted by New America, a progressive think tank, and reviewed by USA TODAY reveals layers of erroneous calculations. DOGE, spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, said it saved $881 million two weeks ago by abruptly terminating 89 contracts at the Education Department’s research arm; however, the real value of the contracts was closer to $676 million. The DOGE team appears to have acknowledged it gave misleading estimates: DOGE’s Wall of Receipts website lists $489 million (not $881 million) in savings based on the same canceled contracts. Much of the education funding that DOGE nixed was also already allocated. As New America’s researchers explained it, ‘Research cannot be undone and statistics cannot be uncollected.’ Because of the cuts, they said, studies will go unfinished, likely sitting ‘on a computer somewhere untouched.’ The government has already spent nearly $400 million on those agreements, many of which will now have to go through a long rebidding process again, costing taxpayers more. By subtracting the money the government has spent from what it agreed to award, New America put the actual savings from DOGE’s cuts closer to $278 million.” • $278 million isn’t couch lint, but wouldn’t it have been better to get the numbers right in the first place? And is DOGE even capable of that? (I’m guessing no.) Then again–

“Tune out media hysteria. DOGE is exposing absurdities and Americans support it” [Ingrid Jacques, USA Today]. “Over the weekend, Musk caused a stir by issuing a governmentwide email asking employees to offer five bullet points of what they did the previous week. Sure, it could have been handled better. Employees got conflicting guidance from Trump-appointed agency heads, especially those in defense and intelligence jobs, who told them to ignore the directive. Yet, given the reaction from both federal employees and the media, you’d have thought Musk and Trump asked for something truly extreme…. Those of us in the private sector routinely have to justify our contributions to our employer.” • That’s what drives me nuts. They already are; they have managers. And if I got an email that implied I had two managers — one I worked with, and one who suddenly accounced himself via email — I’d think twice too. Elon is in no sense their “employer.” If you believe in the theory of the Unitary Executive, you might say that Trump is their employer, but he was elected, and Elon most certainly was not.

2028

Shanahan 2028:

https://t.co/DVG22QvInq

— Nicole Shanahan (@NicoleShanahan) February 25, 2025

Spook Country

“FBI looking into Comey’s off-the-books ‘honeypot’ operation targeting 2016 Trump campaign” [Washington Times]. “FBI leadership is starting an investigation into the origins of the agency’s plan a decade ago to infiltrate the campaign of presidential candidate Donald Trump using two female undercover ‘honeypot’ agents. The off-the-books investigation, launched in 2015 by FBI Director James B. Comey, was revealed by an agency whistleblower in a protected disclosure to the House Judiciary Committee last year and first reported exclusively by The Washington Times in October.

Missed that, sorry. More: “In the intelligence community, a honeypot commonly refers to an undercover operative, usually a woman, who feigns sexual or romantic interest to obtain information from a target. The whistleblower said two female FBI undercover employees infiltrated Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign at high levels and were directed to act as ‘honeypots’ while traveling with Mr. Trump and his campaign staff. The Times has learned that the bureau, now led by Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, is looking for those once-undercover employees under Mr. Comey’s direction.: • Hmm.

Democrats en déshabillé

“Democratic Leaders Stand Real Still In Hopes No One Notices Them” [The Onion]. “‘Don’t make any sudden movements, or they’ll spot us,’ Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said out of the corner of his mouth, tightly squeezing his eyes shut as he reminded Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to hold their breath anytime a member of the voting public walked by.”

“Gavin Newsom is launching his own podcast — and inviting MAGA favorites” [Politico]. “Gavin Newsom will soon host his own podcast where the California governor will mix it up with MAGA personalities, open his vast Rolodex for frank conversations with Democrats about how to come back from the wilderness and break news on consequential policy decisions. The solo venture from a likely presidential aspirant comes as Democrats writ large struggle to keep pace with the onslaught of actions from President Donald Trump and Republicans. Leaders from across the minority party are casting about for a compelling message while trying to break through in an increasingly siloed media environment. The podcast space, with its proliferation of Trump-friendly personalities, has proven especially challenging for Democrats.” • As if it were a messaging problem…

Syndemics

“I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison

* * *

Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; includes many counties; Wastewater Scan, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, but national data). “Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts” (especially on hospitalization by city).

Lambert here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To update any entry, do feel free to contact me at the address given with the plants. Please put “COVID” in the subject line. Thank you!

Resources, United States (Local): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater reports); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d’Alene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard); NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard); PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (wastewater); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).

Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (Government of Canada).

Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).

Hat tips to helpful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, KF, KidDoc, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, thump, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).

Stay safe out there!

* * *

TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts

Wastewater
This week[1] CDC February 17	Last week[2] CDC (until next week):
Variants [3] CDC February 15	Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC February 15
Hospitalization
★ New York[5] New York State, data February 24:	National [6] CDC February 20:
Positivity
National[7] Walgreens February 24:	Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic February 15:
Travelers Data
Positivity[9] CDC February 3:	Variants[10] CDC February 3
Deaths
Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] CDC January 25:	Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] CDC January 25:

LEGEND

1) ★ for charts new today; all others are not updated.

2) For a full-size/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open image in new tab.”

NOTES

[1] (CDC) Down, nothing new at major hubs.

[2] (CDC) Last week’s wastewater map.

[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, “Ommicron,” has done a great job normalizing successive waves of infection.

[4] (ED) A little uptick.

[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Weird plateau without exponential growrht

[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Leveling out.

[7] (Walgreens) Leveling out.

[8] (Cleveland)

[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Uptick.

[10] (Travelers: Variants). Don’t know what the dominance of XEC is all about,

[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.

[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.

Stats Watch

There are no official statistics of interest today.

* * *

Manufacturing: “ALPA opposes Boeing’s latest 737 Max 7 and 10 exemption request” [Flight Global]. “Opposition has arisen to a regulatory exemption Boeing has requested for the 737 Max 7’s and Max 10’s stall-management yaw damper (SMYD), while Boeing continues insisting its proposal poses no safety threat and that the SMYD is well proven….. But the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) is pushing back, asking the FAA to reject Boeing’s request on safety grounds. ‘ALPA believes the certification of the SMYD system should be concluded before entry into service,’ the union told the FAA in a 3 February letter. ‘ALPA furthermore does not agree with the 3.5 years Boeing is asking for an exemption.’ The union warns the exemption would mean the software would be permitted to meet a reduced reliability threshold.”

Manufacturing: “Boeing No. 2 executive’s role narrowed to focus on fixing commercial plane unit” [CNBC]. “Boeing commercial airplanes head Stephanie Pope will focus on the recovery of the company’s crucial and challenged plane-making unit under a reorganization that ends her role as the company’s chief operating officer but leaves her as the No. 2 executive. The move narrows the focus and responsibility of Pope. She already headed the unit making planes for airlines around the world and was the executive tasked with improving safety and raising airplane production following a series of accidents. Pope’s role as chief operating officer ended as of Feb. 19, the company said on Tuesday. Boeing does not plan to fill the chief operating officer position, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Boeing shares were barely changed in after-hours trade.”

* * *

Today’s Fear & Greed Index: 23 Extreme Fear (previous close: 22 Extreme Fear) [CNN]. One week ago: 46 (Neutral). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Feb 26 at 1:44:02 PM ET.

Musical Interlude

I should really be doing another song with a “Goodbye” theme, but I missed the Pulp era. I cannot remember the alert reader who introduced me to “Common People” but thank you:

And it does seem to be a finale….

Gallery

Is this even real?

Office in a small city ( 1953 )
– by Edward Hopper . pic.twitter.com/r5kB1KACfy

— محمّد (@DCounty8) February 26, 2025

Where are the window frames? The curtains, the shades?

Class Warfare

“Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos says opinion pages will defend free market and ‘personal liberties'” [Associated Press]. • And speaking of the “free market”:

Yes, please tell us all about the free market while begging for government subsidies.

You fucking parasite.https://t.co/hcvIjuneo3 https://t.co/Hd8ILFKx2t pic.twitter.com/dz7CVDoDxs

— Daniel Wortel-London (@dlondonwortel) February 26, 2025

News of the Wired

“Bifurcation: The secret giant islands formed when rivers split” [Starkey Comics]. “There is a secret giant island in North America that includes more than a third the area of the USA and Canada.”

* * *

Lambert here: I included a similar feature to the Water Cooler plant long, long ago at my old blog, where a very dedicated team assembled the images, and even ran guessing games! I confess the idea was inspired by Yves’ “Antidotes,” though I forget whether I trampled on her branding, there, with “Plantidote” or not. I never did here!

Readers, the plants have been a wonderful addition, as the many compliments from readers have shown. Personally, I really enjoyed curating the images you sent in — though almost everyone who entered the queue came out — and especially when we could discuss photography together, and how to improve our work. 2,643 (plus 1) Water Coolers is 2,643 (plus 1) photographs. That’s a lot! Thank you all so much.

Contact information for plants: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. From JennyBesserit:

JennyBesserit writes: “Japanese maple tree leaves after a rainshower. Portland, Maine, November 2024. Wishing you wellness! Your Covid posts have literally saved my life as an autoimmune person.”

* * *

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