Personally, I am convinced that the hammer is about to fall on this administration, and I am working hard not to be impatient for the denouement. So instead of obsessing about the news, I will attempt to concentrate on books and sunshine. Last night I made cavatelli with shrimp, asparagus, and ramps. Tonight we'll have stifado and artichokes. Along the way I will read a Hayden Carruth poem and a Penelope Fitzgerald novel. I will try to clean the cat footprints off the cherry side-table. I will go to the bank and to the farmers' market. I will listen to a baseball game and thin my arugula seedlings. I will look at the photographs of houses for sale.

Yesterday one of the high school students told me that she'd gone for a walk and, for the first time, suddenly realized that Portland was beautiful.

These children make me cry.