Oh my friends, ICE has arrived in Minneapolis and the greater Twin Cities metro. They are driving around unmarked SUVs threatening and intimidating people. Contrary to the lies spewing from the President’s mouth, the state is not overrun by Somali gangs, they do not commit most of the crimes, and 91% of them are U.S. citizens, many of them born and raised here, with the remaining 9% having visas, green cards, or protected refugee status. Sure, it’s possible some are here illegally, but if so, they are negligible in number.

Minneapolis is a sanctuary city. The mayor declared city property off limits for ICE to use as staging. A Target store right across the street from the police station that was set on fire during the George Floyd unrest, allowed ICE to use their large parking lot for staging and as a result has seen a drop in business and crowds of protesters. Our Chief of Police publicly announced that if any city police officer sees an ICE agent breaking the law and/or using excessive force, the police officer is to arrest the ICE agent and if they do not, the police officer will be fired.

Area businesses, nonprofits, and community groups have been preparing for the eventual arrival of ICE for months by passing out “know your rights” information and holding information sessions, offering free trainings on how to stay safe and how to be an observer, and creating rapid response phone numbers and teams of people. Now they are handing out whistles, following ICE SUVs around the city, patrolling schools, daycares, houses of worship, and neighborhoods. There are protests at the airport (deportation flights) and protests outside the ICE facility nearby.

I am so proud of my neighbors and city! I wish I could be part of a response team, but I don’t have the means to do that. I do, however, have one of the rapid response hotline numbers on one-touch dial on my phone so I can report something if I see it. My bike commute takes me right by a Somali and East African rich neighborhood and apartment complex so I am keeping alert.

So far there have been no big raids like in Chicago. And local news is reporting that 19 people have been arrested, but that is only the number that ICE has disclosed, there is no information about how many have been detained and released or are in custody awaiting deportation.

As for the lies regarding Somalis involved in the Feeding our Future nutrition aid scandal, there is zero evidence that they sent money to terrorist groups. Also, they have been tried and sent to jail. Apparently if they were white pedophiles or rich white men who stole millions of dollars, they’d be pardoned by the President, but since they have black and brown skin, well, that means that all Somalis and people with black and brown skin are criminals.

Please send out good thoughts to Minnesota, the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and our immigrant neighbors. And if you can, contact your elected representatives and demand they do something to stop ICE operations across the country.

One of the students at the university where I work told me about Jesse Welles the other day. Oh  my, he is good. So please enjoy this clip from his recent performance on Stephen Colbert, “Join ICE”

Times like these it is still important to find joy. This has been a frigid cold week with dustings of snow nearly everyday. Thursday I biked home in the cold and snow and a wicked headwind with gusts that nearly stopped my forward motion at times. I was so tired there were moments I wanted to pull over, get off my bike, lay down in the snow and cry. But I made it home where James had a hot and delicious dinner ready, and then we had a restful evening.

Friday I felt so much better and the bike commute to and from work was so amazing that it reminded me that biking in winter can be absolutely magical.

But then James told me a rabbit has gotten into the garden. Rabbit has nibbled a few tips off the cherry bushes and they are now surrounded with wire mesh to keep them safe. Today I figured out where Rabbit got into the garden. James has repaired the breaches—there were two—but now we have to get the critter out! You would think getting the rabbit out in winter would be easy since there are fewer places for them to hide, but it is almost harder because James and I have to give chase through the snow.

Ethel and Sia will not walk on snow which means their garden wandering days are done for now. We’ve turned the heat on in the coop a few nights and days, and even when the heat is not on, they spend a good amount of time in there. Can’t day I blame them!

In sourdough news, I can happily report that using a kitchen scale has turned out to be freaking amazing! The pumpernickel sourdough bagels are not going to win a beauty contest, but, wow, did they taste good!

Today I made multigrain sandwich bread. I have made this a couple times before using the estimated cups and tablespoons measurements in the recipe, but this time I used the more precise grams measurements and the loaf is the best one ever!

Why did I resist getting a kitchen scale for so long? I had no idea it would make such a big difference. Now I will never go back!

Over the long Thanksgiving weekend I enjoyed a slow and thorough perusal on the Fedco and Seed Savers Exchange catalogs. So much “new” veg I’d like to try and grow! I’m always conflicted between whether to grow a lot of a few things or a little of a lot of things. I swing wildly back and forth from year to year. This year I’m swinging towards a lot of some things and a little of a few things. Maybe one day I will find the magical middle.