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Kitties

Of course we are still in love with our kitties and very grateful for their affection and entertainment. We definitely have the best kitties in the world.

Tommy got new kidney test results recently and all his parameters are well within the normal range but one which is barely normal. He was started on a new medication three months ago and it worked! He is also more active and affectionate than he had been in the last year.

He still has the heart problem but clearing up the kidney problems is a big deal.

Charlie and Buster enjoying a little winter sun. Loving the new kitty tree. Why did you wake me?
Hurray! Tommy is better!





Around Rennes

We get out occasionally and truly enjoy our home city. As we've said before, we feel we made a very good choice of home town.

John is still obsessed with the architecture including the Odorico mosaics. We went by the excavation site where the skeletons and artifacts were found near city hall. The area is covered over now and ready for tree planting.

When we walked downtown we saw the giant otter window transparencies which look very cool. We've seen some similar displays elsewhere in Rennes.

We haven't had snow but for a couple of weeks our temps were near or below freezing a few times. Nonetheless our neighborhood park is blossoming as if it were spring.

A mostly deserted Parliament Square
in the early morning. 		The current Parliament dates from 1655. The archaeological excavations from last month are covered up in preparation
for the planting of trees.
A detail of the Odorico mosaics
in the Main Post Office. 		Rainbow over Rennes We found some more of the weasels/ermines
in the windows.
Looks friendly. This one, too. Oberthür Parc is always so peaceful.
Especially during a pandemic.
And a war.
More Odorico mosaics at Oberthür Parc.





War

So, a pandemic wasn't enough, now we are on the brink of nuclear war?

John's expertise in history has come in handy this past week. The situation with Russia invading Ukraine and the dynamics of other wars or near war struggles around the world are intricate, involving Eastern European countries, the Balkan states, India, Syria, Israel, China ...

Before Putin invaded Ukraine but after he had built up his forces nearby, he visited the Balkans.

Putin is playing a major role in shaking up an already fragile peace in the countries that make up the former Yugoslavia. He is flooding Serbia with weapons and stirring up ethnic hatred in Bosnia- Herzegovina. He's threatening Kosovo and North Macedonia and meddling in Montenegro. Kremlin support for ethnic Serbs has helped fuel the latest wave of surging nationalism that threatens to undo the peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina, potentially reignite armed conflict over Kosovo, and stir up political troubles in North Macedonia and NATO member Montenegro.

Maps
Balkan countries
NATO counties.
EU counties - The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) on this map is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Getting back to the Ukraine invasion there are a number of interesting developments.

Zelensky signed an application to join EU and he asked for emergency approval. That was a long shot. Several EU members oppose expanding the EU. Zelensky had been asking to join but he hasn't yet received an invitation. Georgia and Moldova have also just applied to be in the EU.

Some interesting tidbits:
Putin ordered a hit squad of 400 Chechen mercenaries to kill Zelensky. Some members of the FSB who oppose the war in Ukraine gave Ukraine the locations, tracking information and plans of the assasins. They were all killed or captured.

Also, the FSB has been dealing with Russian cybercriminals on behalf of the US (for reward money) and has engaged in other work with the US. But, of course, the situation is complicated.

Belarus allowed Russia to stage their weapons near the northern border of Ukraine. Now they say they will fight with Russia against Ukraine and allow Russia to move nuclear weapons into Belarus. On Feb 27 a referendum in Belarus approved a new constitution to allow the country to host nuclear weapons and Russian forces permanently, part of a package of constitutional reforms that also extended the rule of leader Alexander Lukashenko.

The sanctions imposed against Russia are also being partially imposed against Belarus for their complicity in the unprovoked, illegal invasion of Ukraine.

This news site out of India has some great videos and articles about Ukraine and much else going on in the world. It has an app for your phone too. Check it out.





COVID

Many COVID rules in France were lessened at the end of February and several will be lifted entirely on March 14. The vaccination health pass will also be discontinued in France on that day. New cases and deaths are on a downward trend but still very high. Intensive care hospitalizations in France are also still very high. The stress on the hospitals in France is impacting other non-Covid hospital needs. John and I plan to stay masked at least until the load on hospitals returns to pre-Covid levels.