I am fairly stressed right now

but here are thoughts about political conversations, and an easy craft

How much do you say about the Supreme Court’s anti-democratic decisions, the loss of women’s and reproductive rights, the rise of stochastic terrorism, and the looming threats of autocracy to a ten year old? And a six year old?

What if the ten year old was already pepper-fogged by cops when she was six years old? At a peaceful voting rights march, led by a reverend in the daytime? And she still remembers it as the “worst thing that ever happened” to her? And you still remember her sweet little face turning red, her eyes watering, her mouth contorting with the awful taste of chemicals designed to make it hard for her to breathe and see?

And that was the moment you understood, without a doubt, that Donald Trump’s desire to win an election had turned everything you were taught and believed about democracy upside down?

I guess, then, you are honest. And you say to the ten-year-old and the six-year-old, there are terrible people backing Donald Trump, and there is Trump himself who is terrible, and all these people together are doing everything they can, again, to win or steal the presidential election. And you follow it up with, but there are also very good people, many more of them, who are trying to stop him.

We won in 2020, not long after Bea and I were pepper-fogged, and we can beat the forces of evil again.

There’s not much most of us Frog Troublers can do to influence whether Biden stays in the race or allows the impressive (and much younger) Kamala Harris to run, unless we have a good God voice and the president’s personal phone number. Whoever is at the top of the Democratic ticket will be running against Donald Trump, so we can do the work of talking to people about the dangers of Donald Trump now, and why their vote absolutely matters.

My dad, a contractor who lives in rural Virginia, plans to go back to what he normally does, which is needle the Trump supporters he encounters in his community and his workplace about exactly why they support a cheat, a liar, and a felon. Recently he challenged a plumbing supplier from Lynchburg to tell him “one single thing Trump has done for you. Just one thing.” He stipulated that the guy couldn’t say anything about Joe or Hunter, but needed to identify something Trump did that improved his life. Dad gave him a whole week to think, and when he returned he talked about Biden policies that had helped him sustain and grow his business, the Obamacare insurance that saved him from medical bankruptcy.

“I turned that guy,” my dad said. Studies show that conversations like my dad’s are what move the needle on voter decisions and turnout—far more than debates.

Recently I called a neighbor to check in, and I encourage you to do the same with any friends who could be targets of Trump-powered disinformation or misinformation campaigns. My neighbor is about my dad’s age, and gets most of his news from Youtube and social media. We talked about the debate, which he didn’t watch, and a family reunion he’d just attended. I was relieved to hear he’s still solidly anti-Trump. “I was the only Democrat there,” he said. “All my cousins vote for Trump.”

My neighbor wants me to make him a T-shirt that reads 34 Counts, a reference to Trump’s hush-money felonies. “Size extra-large, and I want it on the front,” he said. He plans to wear it the next time he sees his cousins. A conversation starter, so to speak. I told him I’ll be glad to make it, because we won’t get anywhere at all if we don’t have brave and honest conversations about what’s at stake, and what matters to our country.

I’m open and eager for all those conversations, including the one about Biden’s future. But I agree with my pragmatic dad, who said, when the Biden-replacement talk started, that there’s nothing much we can do about it. What we can do starts at home, by talking to our neighbors and relatives about the dangers of Project 2025, and what’s at stake if Trump wins.

I’m also going to keep working on down-ballot races and issues campaigns that will make life better for people in my community. Because nothing will get significantly better for folks in North Carolina until we break the Republican supermajority in our legislature, improve teacher pay, and hold big business accountable for polluting our rivers and drinking water. This is grassroots work that educates citizens, empowers voters, and grows the new leaders our country needs.

There are a lot of choices for this work in NC, but my favorite is Down Home NC, a multiracial and multigenerational statewide group of rural and working class organizers. Down Home starts with deep canvassing on issues that matter to communities largely ignored by traditional political campaigns, then moves on to canvassing for candidates. I also love County to County and Neighbors on Call, which mobilize folks from safe Blue counties to canvass for excellent progressive downballot candidates—which we have a lot of in NC. There are other groups like this around the country—there’s also Pennsylvania Stands Up, Vocal Kentucky, Vocal NY.

And while you’re at it, maybe you want to bring your neighbors something from your garden? We are growing loads of Cherokee Purple, Big Mama, and Paul Robeson tomatoes. This week I told my friend Cat, of like mind and stress levels, that I would bring her a perfect tomato. I did, but it wasn’t in a perfect container—just a paper lunch bag folded over, which didn’t let the tomato breathe (or show off her beauty).

I decided to come up with a better package for the next time I see Cat, when I bet I’ll have grown an even more perfect tomato—and maybe a bouquet of zinnias and basil?

It’s this little basket, made mostly by folding up a paper grocery bag. I staple on a handle and add a small jar for holding the herbs and flowers:

I adapted the idea from Making Things, the lovely book I got for Mother’s Day. Their version is made from magazine pages, which are too small and thin for my purposes (but very cute for corralling treasures).

For garden fruits and veggies, a paper grocery bag is perfect!

Just cut the front and back away from the bag with scissors, and there are your two rectangular pieces of paper. Your cuts don’t have to be exact. If there’s a handle, remove it and set it aside—you’ll use it later.

Here’s how to fold the boxes:

1. For the first box (this is a double-layered box, which makes it sturdy for holding heavy produce), fold the paper in half lengthwise (hot dog side). Unfold. (Note that a paper bag will have some extra folds, but it’ll be clear to you which are yours as you make this box. Having done a few now I think I could do it with my eyes closed.)

2. Fold each half toward your center fold. Unfold again.

   

3. Turn the paper, and fold in half on the short (hamburger) side.

4. Do the same folds toward the center you did before, but this time, leave them folded!

   

5. Around the edges of your folded paper, crease triangle corners that will line up with the first fold you come to, like so:

   

6. Take the extra paper above the triangle fold, and fold it down, sort of like making a paper sailor hat:

   

7. Put your hands inside the center, and press toward the outer edges to reveal a box!

   

8. Trim the second paper bag half very slightly (like, 1/4 inch) smaller lengthwise and widthwise (no need to be exact). Repeat 1-7, and set it inside the first, slightly larger box.

9. If you have a saved bag handle, you can reuse that for your basket handle. If not, cut a length of paper bag, and fold it over a few times so it’ll be sturdy. Staple on each side with two staples.

   

10. Fill with whatever you want to share with neighbors, friends, family! We included three Cherokee purple tomatoes, a just-picked cucumber, and a bouquet of basil in a small jar, which we took to our friends yesterday. They made goat cheese, basil, and tomato salads and sent us a photo last night!

I hope your day is filled with good salad and tomato sandwiches, Frog Troublers. Onward.

P.S. Have you read or heard much about Project 2025? Heather Cox Richardson has a good discussion of what makes it so dangerously un-American here.