For the first time this year, the early morning Saturday sun flooded over the kitchen counter as Mister Sun began his annual journey from beyond the trees bringing warmth to a chilly morning.

While the sunshine and free heat are greatly appreciated, Mr. Sun shined a bright light on the counter surface illuminating the dust and crumbs surrounding the recently emptied cookie jar.

As the coffee dripped, the kitchen swelled with my favorite smell (other than chocolate and maybe pie of any flavor) as the lady on the radio described worldwide events acknowledging the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

From Southport to Sydney, you can see the blue and yellow flag flying in solidarity with the brave people who resist the stumbling Russian bear.

I guess many of us didn’t know much about Ukraine before the invasion, as that part of Europe is not mentioned much in our ordinary educational material. If you look it up, you will find that way back, Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, began as a slave trading port run by the Vikings. Thus the term Slavic peoples.

My first memory of Ukraine is when mom dragged me to a symphony concert where they played Mussorgsky's “Pictures at an Exhibition.” I was impressed by the bold melody of “The Great Gate of Kyiv.”

Listening to that work while writing this rambling column, I think it personifies the strength and warmth of that embattled nation. I urge you to look it up on your computer. It is worth a listen.

If you read this online, you will likely see a series of comments appended to it. Last week, one of my favorite commentators, a very clever fellow, described Sen. Angus King as “the old wind king,” as he asserted “the media is a wholly owned subsidiary of the socialists of Maine.”

Well, dear friend, my little corner of the media is not owned by anyone. And, as federal law (Section 230) allows the internet to steal our stories without paying for them, I am afraid much of the media won’t be around in the next generation.

And, while on that subject, I know many of our dear readers read this and other news sites for free.

Think of it for a minute. If you are a carpenter and are asked to build a house, you will get plans, get a construction loan, order materials, have them delivered, and spend the next year or so turning the blueprints into a fine home.

How would you like it if the guy then refused to pay you? That is one reason lots of folks, me included, hate Section 230.

Another of my favorite commentators wondered when the rest of the Kennedy assassination records will be made public The answer is that about 97% are available online. I don’t know when the other 3% will be made public.

For an interesting take on that event, you might want to read a new biography called “G-Man”: J. Edgar Hoover and the making of the American Century. It is a very readable scholarly work by Beverly Gage, a Yale historian. This is not the rantings of a conspiracy nut. It is a big-time biog.

For instance, it shows how Hoover survived working for eight presidents. One way he maintained power was to get Congressmen on all sides to hire his agents as staff aides. This trick gave him a window into the inner workings of the government.

The book showcased his longstanding anti-communist and anti-socialist workings and how he used wiretaps and secret communications to track these groups.

Many of Hoover's wiretaps on groups and individuals were authorized by the president and the attorney general, including the one on Martin Luther King Jr.; Robert F. Kennedy gave the OK on the King wiretap.

I know this is a long book, some 700-plus pages, but if you want to dive into the workings of the deep state, “G-Man” will give you a peek inside the curtain.

What else is on my plate?

There are snowstorms in Los Angeles. Yes, that is right. We expect snow on the peninsula, but in Hollywood? Does this mean the movie stars walking the red carpet at the Oscars will wear coats over their slinky gowns?

No, I don’t have any information on the recent location of Steller’s Sea Eagle. Last I heard, it was somewhere in Arrowsic.

If you want a snapshot of the split in our national politics, filmmaker Ken Burns quipped: If Joe Biden cured cancer, some commentators would blame him for putting doctors out of work.

Finally, thanks to Bob Crink, a gifted amateur photographer, who left me a lovely portrait of Ms. Pigette. I am sure she will love it.

I hate snow shoveling.

Be warm. Be well.