Thoughts for the Day, March 16, 2026: A blizzard to remember. Check out my Orchid and Video of the Day. This is what effort and determination look like.
When did you learn to play nice in the sandbox?
Winter Wonderland
We have received up to 24 inches of snow in the Petoskey area in the last 36 hours. Another 5-6 is on the way. Combined with wind gusts of 30-35 mph, it has been blizzard conditions. The snow is sitting on a layer of ice that hit us on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.
The snow is going to be here for a week or so, as the temperatures are forecasted to reach only the high thirties for the next week. Melting will be slow. Leah and I have hunkered down since Sunday morning. We are safe and warm with a refrigerator full of food.
I was hoping to get to the hot tub today, but that is not going to happen. There is an 18-inch wall of snow up against the sliding door. If I open the door, the snow will be blown on to the new carpeting we just had installed. If I happen to get out the door, the hot tup is almost unrecognizable because of the snow surrounding it.
There will be no hottubbing for me this week.
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A self-inflicted wound
On Saturday, I filled my Taurus SHO with gasoline for the first time since late December. The SHO takes mid-grade and the price was $4.32 per gallon which is $0.82 higher than I paid the last time I filled the tank. Thank you President Trump.
The near-term projections for oil prices are not encouraging.
Per multiple sources, American oil executives delivered a bleak message to Trump officials in recent days: The energy crisis the Iran war has unleashed is likely to get worse.
In response to questions from the officials, Exxon CEO Darren Woods said that oil prices could rise past current elevated levels if speculators unexpectedly bid up prices and that markets could see a supply crunch of refined products. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth and ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance also conveyed their concerns about the scale of the disruption,
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that Americans could get relief from high gas prices, but that it could take a few weeks. “Americans are feeling it right now. Americans will feel it for a few more weeks,” he said on NBC News. “But at the end we will have removed the greatest risk to global energy supplies.”
When asked if gas prices would drop below $3 a gallon before summer, Wright said, “There’s a very good chance that’ll be true.” Still, he said, “there’s no guarantees in war. The time frame’s still not entirely clear but I think that’s certainly a goal of the administration.”
This is a self-inflicted wound brought on by a president who campaigned on staying out of foreign wars.
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You get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar
Most of us learned by the time we were five years old that if we didn’t play nice in the sandbox, we would soon be playing alone. Unfortunately, this is a lesson that President Trump doesn’t seem to grasp.
President Trump is pressuring NATO allies to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. If they don’t, he said yesterday, “I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”
A wise woman once told me, that I will get more bees with honey than I will get with vinegar.
From Heather Cox Richardson: Since he took office more than a year ago, Trump has gone out of his way to antagonize our allies and partners, warning them that the United States will act alone and working to undermine the international alliances the U.S. has shaped since World War II. Now, having sparked a regional war in the Middle East after ignoring what virtually everyone said would be the result of attacking Iran a second time, Trump is begging other countries to come to his aid.
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And the big winner is Vladimir Putin
More from Heather. Despite reports that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence that permits it to target U.S. forces in the Middle East, late last night the Trump administration lifted sanctions on shipments of Russian oil until April 11, permitting it to be sold to buyers around the world for the next month. The U.S., along with the rest of the Group of Seven (G7) nations with advanced economies, has maintained sanctions against Russia since it invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has been eager to get those sanctions dropped because oil sales will help the flailing Russian economy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the move is necessary to help ease oil prices, which are skyrocketing because Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the attack by the U.S. and Israel. But German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the heads of the G7 had urged Trump not to ease the sanctions, saying “[t]here is currently a price problem, but not a supply problem.” He added that he “would like to know what additional motives led the US government to make this decision.”
Only with this administration will our greatest enemy benefit while we pay an additional $0.75 per gallon of gas. We suffer at the pump while Putin feels like he won the world’s biggest lottery.
You cannot make this stuff up.
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An all-slate room with no windows and no lights has better transparency than our current state government.
From Bridge Michigan. The state’s Freedom of Information Act is supposed to allow citizens to obtain records used by the government to make basic decisions. But the 1976 law, passed after the Watergate scandal, is riddled with holes and exemptions.
Michigan is alone with Massachusetts as states that exempt the governor and Legislature from records requests. Simple requests for information often can take weeks or months and cost thousands of dollars, making the law inaccessible for everyday citizens.
Case in point: Bridge Michigan senior reporter Paula Gardner is still waiting for documents she requested from a state department last August, despite paying a sizable deposit. When she reminded the agency of the law, officials told her they were busy with other requests.
That’s unfortunate. The law specifies that governments need to respond within five or at most 15 days, but it is silent on how long it takes to produce information.
Last week, Bridge Michigan and media partners filed an amicus brief with the Michigan Supreme Court in support of the ACLU’s lawsuit against Grand Rapids. The city took one year to fulfill a records request about police drone policies after initially saying it would take two hours.
Such delays render FOIA useless. That’s not just a problem for journalists. It’s a problem for democracy. Citizens should know how their government operates and have a reasonable expectation of obtaining records that their tax dollars funded.
It’s not complicated. It’s sad. And in these days of distrust of government, it’s long overdue for Michigan to reform its antiquated open-government laws.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican House Speaker Matt Hall have had years to pass FOIA reforms and done nothing. Bridge can only hope their successors running for office this year have the courage and common sense to do the right thing.
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Orchid of the Day
A Michigan high school cross country coach has won the 2026 ASICS Los Angeles Marathon in a close finish.
Nathan Martin, who splits his time between coaching young athletes and competing on the elite marathon circuit, narrowed a 26.2-mile lead to beat Kenya’s Michael Kamau by a mere fraction of a second Sunday, according to the race website.
Martin is the head cross country coach and district’s coach who helps run large events at Jackson High School in Michigan.
Chris Hoover, athletic director at the school, said the school is excited that Martin not only won, but “won in such dramatic fashion, showing grit and determination.”
“He is a top-tier person, not just an elite world-class athlete, he’s also an elite human being,” Hoover said. “He coaches our kids the same way, and we are so lucky to have him in training in Jackson.”
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Contact your Congressperson
Contact your congressman by following these easy steps
This can be done in a few easy steps.
Step 1: find your congressman by clicking on this link, Find Your Representative | house.gov
Step 2: Put your zip code in the proper space.
Step 3: Click the button “find your representative””
Step 4: In the new page that comes up you will see a picture of your congressman. Click on your congressman’s name under the picture.
Step 5: In the new page that comes up, Click on Contact Me at the top of the page and then click on Email me.
Step 6: Fill out the information as required.
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Quote of the Day: If they don’t, he said yesterday, “I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.” President Trump in response to what will happen if NATO countries do not support the efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Orchid of the Day: Nathan Martin, See the above story and the Video of the Day.
Onion of the Day: The weather in northern Michigan
Question of the Day: When did you learn it was important to play nice in the sandbox?
Lyrics of the Day: Hot August night and the leaves hanging down
And the grass on the ground smelling sweet.
Move up the road to the outside of town And the sound of that good gospel beat.
Sits a ragged tent where there ain’t no trees And that gospel group telling you and me it’s love.
Hint: The artist is a fan favorite at Fenway Park.
If you know the answer, please feel free to use the comment section of the blog to respond.
Lyrics of the Day for March 11, 2026. Jungleland by Bruce Springsteen
Video of the Day: Nathan Martin, cross country coach at Jackson High School gives an all-out effort to win the LA Marathon.
I write reflective, opinionated essays on leadership, politics, sports, and life—grounded in experience rather than ideology. If this perspective resonates with you, you can subscribe here for free.
I'll let you know when I've learned to play nicely in the sandbox
Tom, Karen and I are on Kauai experiencing Kona so have heavy rains that are causing flooding and tree and road damage. Not missing the snow at all. This August will be my Eighth birthday and I can honestly say I have never been so disappointed with my country. I appreciate how you keep up with what is going on and I hope it doesn't at your health. Hello to my old crooked tree friends.