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Kitties

The kitties spend a lot of time in the kitty trees. They rotate frequently on different levels and in different cubbies. There's one shelf that is a scratching area that Tommy particularly likes to sleep on. The space between it and the level above is small but I think it feels cozy to Tommy.

In addition to the kitty trees they also have the window bench, half a dozen boxes of varied sizes, couches, chairs, office furniture and other furniture. Still, being cats (like children) they want what they can't have, so doors are a big point of contention for them.

Buster Charlie Tommy





French Presidential Elections

Macron was re-elected on April 24. The turnout was the lowest in more than 50 years. Turnout for Presidential elections often exceed 80% in France. This time the turnout was only 71.8% Note: the highest US presidential election turnout ever was in 2020 with 66.9% of eligible voters casting a ballot. Turnout for American Presidential elections are usually 60% or less.

Here's a map showing which areas of France voted for Macron and Le Pen. John and I live in the middle of a large Macron vote area in Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany. Enter our city, Rennes, in the search box to see where we are on the map. You can see that most cities voted for Macron and most rural areas voted for Le Pen. Our home city, Rennes, voted 84.15% for Macron. I think the 60,000 students might account for a good deal of that vote.

Many of the far right in France claimed the election was stolen from Le Pen. To her credit, Le Pen conceded in a live televised speech shortly after the results were announced. In a near-simultaneous campaign email, she stated that "the ballot boxes have spoken and I respect their decision." Nonetheless, a large portion of her base disagreed. Since early March, the idea that the French presidential election would be "stolen," "falsified," or "rigged" has been gaining momentum, particularly among the far right. Much of this language precisely imitated the "Stop the Steal" discourse instigated by then U.S. President Donald Trump and his close followers in November 2020 after he was defeated by Joe Biden, leading to the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Mostly visible on French far-right social media, these conspiracy theories have also been acknowledged and endorsed by a number of major first-round candidates."

Macron is the first French leader in 20 years to win reelection-since 2002, when then-president Jacques Chirac won against Le Pen's rabidly anti-immigrant father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who faced a wall of opposition that blocked his path to power.

In the past five years, Macron streamlined French labor laws, making it easier for companies to hire and fire people, and he scrapped the wealth tax. But he was forced to drop an increase in fuel tax when the explosive protests of the "yellow vest" movement rocked the country for months in 2018 and 2019. Then came COVID-19 in 2020, with nationwide lockdowns, in a pandemic that has so far killed 142,000 people in France. And as that receded, the Ukraine war broke out, thrusting Macron into the role as the E.U.'s major conduit to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The day he was elected there were protests and riots in some French cities including Rennes. (Twitter video)

French Legislative Elections

The French Legislative elections will be held June 12 and 19. Soon after the Presidential elections were completed the parties got together to agree on coalitions for governing.

Recent Holidays

Easter is another well observed Christian holiday in France - especially at the patisseries and bakeries. We love French bakeries. Ukraine and Russia celebrate the Orthodox Easter which is one week later than France's Easter this year. For centuries, intricately decorated eggs-pysanky-have brightened spring in Ukraine. The traditional handcraft has endured for generations. But since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, the elaborate eggs feel even more important to many Ukrainians across the globe. The colorful eggs are being used by people throughout the Ukrainian diaspora to raise humanitarian funds for the embattled nation.

Labor is a strong contingency in France (especially compared to labor in the U,S.). The Labor Day/May Day protests against Macron's labor policies and proposals are expected to be intense. France Gears up for May Day Protests, in First Test for Newly Reelected Macron

Our local Parc Oberthür

We take morning walks through the park. We love the seasonal changes here in Rennes. These days new life springs forth as beautiful flowers, leafing trees and adorable baby animals.

Our Neighborhood

New neighborhood street art surprises us regularly. It's delightful. See the images below.

The stadium closest to us is used by the Rennes women's rugby team. John and I will see one of their games soon.

An Easter morning treat from our local bakery. Macron vs Le Pen I found this car parked at the local women's rugby stadium near our home.
The rugby stadium is small, but well maintained. The rugby field also is used for track events. Nothing fancy about the seating, but it's very close to the field.
Our local women's rugby team. I often stop and look at
the architecture of Rennes. 		One of the canals of Rennes.
Street art keeps appearing overnight in Rennes. By the same artist. And another.
Early morning at Thabor Park. Thabor is the oldest park in Rennes,
dating from 1610. 		Lillies in the botanical gardens.
The entrance to the botanical gardens
at Thabor Park. 		Wandering through these old parks is a great way to thrive during the pandemic. European parks are a lot more "sculpted"
than those in America.
We saw a mother duck with her 13 baby ducklings at Oberthür Park. The little ones were never far away from her.
Like little electrons moving quickly in orbit. 		Springtime has come to Oberthür Park.
These flowers reminded us of the rhododendrons we had in Oregon. Lots of color in Oberthür Park today. A detail from the Oberthür mansion (1862).
Some of these flowers blossomed overnight. These reminded me of some of the animated flowers in "Fantasia".





Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is on our minds, of course. So much is happening so quickly. At least it is clear that Ukraine will receive the tools and money it needs to win the war and rebuild its cities. Unfortunately tens of thousands of people have died and many more will die before the war is over.





NATO

In a couple of weeks Sweden and Finland will apply for NATO membership and their membership applications will likely be approved at NATO's meeting in Madrid in July. The militaries of both countries have been training with NATO for many years. The Nordic countries help train NATO militaries in wintry warfare.

Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) and Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) are currently in the Baltic Sea to exercise and conduct port visits in Finland and Sweden.

The Economist printed an article today indicating that for years Russia faked massive military exercises. That explains a lot but also raises more questions, such as why didn't the rest of the world pick up on that?