Sat, 08 Jul 2023
Partner's Mom passed away early this morning.
|
Wednesday 23 April 2025... Rant |
∞ Democrats
meet with students abducted by Trump administration
What happened to
Mahmoud
Khalil pisses me off to no end.
He was the first student to be kidnapped by the government,
and is imprisoned in Louisiana.
This is not a due process thing. This guy is in the
US legally, he did nothing wrong and there are no charges
against him.
And exactly the same thing is happening to students
all over the States... Here's what we are dealing
with in Oregon.
∞ Federal
judge temporarily blocks deportation of UO student
Four students at the University of Oregon
and 13 students at Oregon State University,
have had their Student Visas revoked.
And at least 1,000 other students at 150 universities
across the nation have had their Student Visas revoked.
Just... why? To be cruel? Is that it?
Seems to be.
I feel for these kids. I remember university. It was
a wonderful learning experience for me especially since
I had grown up a bit sheltered.
My time at college made me a better person.
And these 1,000+ kids, too. They want to broaden their
horizons. They want to learn!
Instead they get to learn about discrimination and racism
and the State's new xenophobic policies.
They get to unwillingly participate in the
fall of democracy as our dictator kills America.
Tag: april 2025
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Monday 31 March 2025... Garden Work |
On the way, I see my friends the Common Mergansers.
His girlfriend is here too, but the photography
was crap. heh.
Oh my gosh! She is Right There!
I could almost reach out and touch her!
She's breaking off twigs! She must want them for
a nest!!
How cool is that!!
I'm at the garden and these are new!
It's a Mason Bee nesting house! There are a couple
more houses on each side of the Community Garden.
It's too bad they are on the outside of the fence...
will people steal the straws?
I find out later that this is an Eagle Scout project!
Aimed at supporting Oregon's native species in our
community garden spaces.
That's so awesome! THANK YOU Troop 152!!!
Anybody in there?
Okay! I go into the garden and settle in a plot on
the west side that has several clumps of Lesser Celandine.
When I shake this bag down, I thought I could fit
a bit more in. There's some more growing at the
edge of the plot, in the pathway...
This thing was big! Very mature. And very
satisfying to pop it out!
Kind of a pain to jam that into my small backpack, tho!
I cussed a bit! *laughs*
And then I go round to my favorite Garden plot, to take
pictures of their flowers!
And a precious little Lady Bug, who I didn't notice.
And the sky is so pretty I put the camera down in the
grass to try that angle!
There is a single Daffodil here that's peach coloured...
I love that!
Tag: march 2025
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Sunday 30 March 2025... Flowers on a Rainy Day |
Not sure what this is, but pretty!
Zag and Zig, the Hooded Merganser pair.
And then it started pouring down rain! And I decided to
walk a different way. West on the bike path and then
cross the street to the south. I'm familiar with the
neighborhood, but coming this way makes it feel new and
different!
The rain didn't keep the camera hidden under my jacket
when I came across these colourful Pansies!
Oh My Gosh! They are so wonderful!
Wow. I think I will keep this Sunday route for a while!
Now that I know that this is Rosemary, I'm finding it
everywhere!
Tag: march 2025
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Saturday 29 March 2025... Today |
This is the Heron I've been calling Not Knotty.
And this is not Zag! *laughs*
And his girlfriend who is not Zig.
Haha! The dog noticed I was looking at her chickens
and came to the fence to bark at me! Good Dogg-o!!
The chicken notices me too, but isn't interested enough
to come much closer. oh well.
The padlock amuses me.
Oh foo. My friends the Common Mergansers were not
interested in a visit today.
And Henrietta, so good to see him!
∞ JD
Vance Visit Confined To Remote Greenland Space Base
Because Everybody Hates Him.
Threatening a NATO territory and expecting the wife
to get invited to the dogsled race, classic JD!
*giggles*
Hi World Leaders! This is how it's done.
Just fucking ignore them until they go away!!
Tag: march 2025
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Thursday 27 March 2025... Wind. and the Named Wildlife! |
The day started out with sun, but clouds rolled in
and it's overcast by the time I'm up and about. The
wind is up too... 14mph when I leave the house.
But it becomes even more blustery as I walk and when
I get back the weather page says 17mph with gusts as
high as 33mph. Sheesh.
And the few warm and sunny days we've had, did not
dry out the Wet Prairie ponds at all!
I'm dropping off kitchen scraps at the garden to
compost under the leaf mulch. The Crocuses are
quite done, but I still have a flower in the plot!
Back to my walk. Zig and Zag are hanging out with
another Hooded Merganser couple, who declines the photography.
And a little bit further along... Oh my gosh!
A pair of Common Mergansers!! That's different!
I'm remembering that boy-o last year who was hanging out
with the female Mallard who had the messed up wing. I'm
betting this is him!
And his new girlfriend is so cute!!
I hope to see ya'll around!
Hmmm. This is Not Knotty. with some stupid litter.
And I think this is the Heron I've named Henry.
*laughs* It's wonderful that there are so many Great
Blue Herons hanging out here that I can't figure out
who they are!!
Tag: march 2025
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Wednesday 26 March 2025... Hidden Trail with Flowers |
There's a Crane Fly standing on the path!
I used to call these creatures Skeeter Eaters... but they
don't actually eat mosquitos. In fact, most Crane Flies
don't eat at all and only live 10 to 15 days.
Wikipedia says Crane flies first appeared during the Middle Triassic, around 245 million years ago, making them one of the oldest known groups of flies.
Wow, that's cool... there are over 15,000 species!
I scoot this one off the path before I move on.
Tag: march 2025
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Tuesday 25 March 2025... Looking Up and Chopping Down |
It's another blue sky day, and I'm trying to capture
something of the gorgeous trees... And I'm just not
getting it!
The warm weather has brought out some Cabbage Whites!
But they are not going to sit around for me, dangit!
*laughs*
WTFH. Oh. Oh No. They've murdered this beautiful
Douglas Fir.
Well, that's depressing. This tree was always in the
background when I would take pics of the Leaning Tree.
And that one is long gone too.
I'm walking thru the neighborhood, making a big
loop so I can walk around the murdered fir.
Oh, there's smaller trees they are
murdering as well.
And will they plant replacement trees? I have my
doubts. Because Eugene has less than average urban
canopy cover... which is ridiculous for a place that
gets so much rain! So I think there's a long history
of just murdering trees and not planting more.
Sighs.
I have to work to bring myself back to center.
But it's a beauful day, and spring is springing.
Nature works her healing magic.
And then I return to Looking Up.
The Red Maples are making seeds.
When I was a kid, Doctor Who came on at 10pm on PBS,
was it friday night or saturday?
They would show an entire story arc, which was ususally
4 or 6 of the half hour episodes... So it was midnight or
1am when it was over.
Pretty often I would accidentally fall asleep. And I'd awaken
to the intro of the next show, which was this AWESOME little
astronomy show. It was short, maybe 5 or 10 minutes long and I
would watch it before going to bed.
At the end of his segment, the host would say,
Keep! Looking! Up!
So that always made me happy, even tho I had slept thru
part of the show I actually wanted to watch! *laughs*
Let's see...
∞ Wikipedia...
Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler
Aww! They are still making this show! Jack Horkheimer
died in 2010, but they kept going!! ♥!
∞ StarGazers
I thought this was Knotty... but now I'm not sure.
I think there are new Great Blue Herons moving in
this year and everyone is different! (Except Henrietta
is still around, for sure.)
Tag: march 2025
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Monday 24 March 2025... Neighborhood Zig Zag on a Sunny Day |
Oh the sun. It's shining and warm, and I need to re-think
my layers today! No rain jacket, that will be weird, I
will feel naked without it! heh. But light shirt or
heavy shirt?
I chose poorly: the heavy shirt was too hot! *laughs*
Hello Henry!
Ah, the beautiful trees with all their different Spring colours!
The
apartments
here are going to be awesome. It's a great
neighborhood with the school on one side and a big church
on another side. But, I just realized...
... the building is going to block the view of the
hills here! That's a bummer. When it gets very cold,
you can see the snow on the hills. And now I'll have
to walk a good bit further to see that.
Oh well. A few people in the apartments will get to
see that beautiful view every day!
The front yards along this street are just lovely!
Here's Stumpy the Willow Tree, from an angle that does
not show his stump.
And back around to the same trees I started with!
What a lovely walk.
A lovely day and a lovely walk!
Tag: march 2025
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Sunday 23 March 2025... My First Protest! |
∞ National
Association of Letter Carriers: Fight Like Hell!
Hell No! to dismantling the Postal Service...
Stand with Letter Carriers
Rally to Save USPS...
Protest at Noon at the Federal Courthouse in Eugene
oh, I am nervous! Having to deal with people is
never fun. Crowds are terrible. And it's been
ages since I've ridden the EMX.
But I get going. I leave the house at 11:20am. I
get my ticket and the bus is a minute late at 11:30.
And it's empty! Ha! I wonder if I should move up
to the front and say hi to the bus driver. But, no.
People get on at all the next stops and soon the
bus is getting towards full.
I always shout Thank You! to the driver
as I get off!
I double check the location of the bus stop to get
me home, and then I'm walking a little ways down to
the Federal Courthouse.
I had wondered why the protest wasn't at the
Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza in front of the
county courthouse...
but as I arrive, I understand why they choose this
spot instead... This is a BUSY cross street!
Lots of drivers will see us, it's very visible!
I'm early, it's 11:50am, and there aren't too many
people here yet!
I cross the street and wander up the steps where they've
set up a table. I ask if the tee-shirts are free and
the guy pulls one out for me!
He asks if I am a current Postal worker or retired and
I reply, Actually, I'm a happy Postal user!
I find a place along the back wall where I can sit and
think about putting the shirt on. Most everyone else
is wearing their shirts. But, nah. I stuff it into my
small backpack with the waterbottle.
I am people watching. Lots more people have come, in
the last few minutes. There are cars honking as they
go by, the drivers waving, and everyone cheers and waves
back!
It's even more exciting when a postal truck goes by!!
The crowd is getting bigger. Behind me, there are
several guys carrying stacks of pizza! haha! The
pizza is dispursed almost immediately to the protesters,
and they go back for more!
Later, there's a lady going around giving out tea...
so that's nice. Something for the vegans as well. :)
Around 12:10, the guy at the table starts talking.
And then he introduced Peter DeFazio, who was an
Oregon Representative for over 30 years! He retired
in 2023, but I think he did great work for Oregon
in his time at the House.
They took a break so the protesters could cheer at the
passing cars again. And then at 12:20 there were a couple
more speakers.
At this point, there's probably 200 people here, or more.
I'm winding down. Not sure if there will be more speakers
or not, but I'm ready to leave.
I left at 12:40 and was home at 1:05pm and I surprised
Partner who thought I'd be gone all day. Haha, very
unrealistic expectations about my tolerance for humans!
But this was fun! I had a good time, and will definitely
go to another protest!
Tag: march 2025
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Saturday 22 March 2025... Hidden Trail... and an Idea for Tomorrow |
The very first Trillium is blooming!
Always trying to capture the beauty of the waterfall
here... but probably the beauty has something to do
with the sound of water falling.
Osoberries are blooming too!
I get to the top and the frogs aren't singing today.
That's disappointing. But I do hear a Mourning Dove
cooing! That's somebody different!
He's a bit too far away for decent photography. And
then he flies away.
But then I hear another one over here!
Ha. They are all over the place. Are they moving in?
I wonder if they will make good neighbors with the
Acorn Woodpeckers.
Who I don't see today. eh, that's okay. Heading back
down the hill.
There are Fawn Lilies coming up!
hmm, I wonder what makes the dark ones.
Oh! The Black Tail Deers!!
Oh, hey... There's a fourth one hiding back there!
Their cute lil faces!
And their cute lil feet!
And their big ol' ears!
*laughs*
Teeny tiny wild Violets.
Heading home thru the neighborhood, I see this flyer...
Hm. That's tomorrow. I've never been to the Federal
Courthouse, but I think that address is easy to get to
from the EMX.
As I walk, I'm thinking... maybe I should go!
∞ National
Association of Letter Carriers: Fight Like Hell!
Tag: march 2025
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Friday 21 March 2025... More Rain |
More sprinkles today. The annoying kind where
I was constantly adjusting the rain jacket...
hood up, hood down. Open zipper, camera out.
Camera tucked back in, zipper up. Repeat! Sheesh!
*laughs*
Well, the wind is bugging me today, too.
Here's Zag and Zig, both working on their feathers!
Just past Stumpy the Willow Tree...
There's a little
section of wet prairie. Almost all the green you
see here, is not grass...
They are Camas Lily leaves!
It'll be a month or more before they start blooming. But
on such a dreary day, I have to pause and imagine how
lovely they will be!
Are you eating the leaf buds?
You just need some greens, after eating nuts all winter?
Yeah, I hear ya!
Tag: march 2025
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Thursday 20 March 2025... Rainy Day Flowers |
Rained thru the afternoon yesterday, and thru the
night as well, and off and on sprinkles this
morning... the rain just keeps coming even
after declaring a state of emergency for the floods.
And the wind is blustery and annoying again today, 19mph.
This Red Flowering Currant bush near Blazey's old spot
on the bike path, is just so prolific!
I swing around past the dog park... and what the heck.
Aww... There used to be a big concrete planter here!
There were five or six planters here and now they are
gone...
They were blooming with Daffodils, and later there
would have been day lilies. And someone put Mums
in the other ones last year. They were so pretty!
And, just... WHY?! Why did they take them away??
We are supposed to leave the world a better place!
So sad and disappointed.
Sighs. well, here's Stumpy, trying to cheer me up.
Oh, ha... His greenery looks like baby corn cobs!
Zag and Zig paddle by.
Tag: march 2025
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Wednesday 19 March 2025... Garden Work with Mustard and Floods |
Hmm. I thought this was Knotty again... but now
that I'm seeing her shoulder patches better, that's
too big a patch of blue for it to be Knotty!
We'll call them Henry for now! :)
I'm at the garden again for more voluteer work. The
Lesser Celandine growing in this plot is Very Healthy.
Much better!
I've decided to start chipping away at the huge patch
over here. This is plot 15, and plot 16 is the black plastic.
Yeah, that is going to take some time to dig all that up!
I'll start at the pathway. Prepare to DIE!
Well. There were some little Comfreys growing here
too. Thats another plant that's been banned from the
Community Garden in the new 2025 rules. It's from
Europe... related to Borage, but it gets established
and can get huge and it's hard to kill because the tap
root goes down to the center of the earth!
I started killing a couple of Comfreys in my plot
starting in the fall of 2023. Dug them up, all thru
2024. And will probably contine to dig them up, all
thru 2025! *laughs*
They will probably never die, and I am not interested
in murdering someone else's Comfrey problem. The ones
that were here, I just chop the root a couple inches
down.
Walking along the bike path, the lady who rides
the recumbant bike was gathering these and I'm all
What'cha doing? and she replies Oh!
I eat these!
What are they?
They are Brassicas... She looks down, these
are a type of mustard.
Huh! For salad? I ask.
She shakes her head, no. I cook the leaves and
put them in soup or whatever! She says she
gathers them all thru the spring, and it's quite
a bit of food!
So this is awesome. When I get home, I look it up.
Mustard is an invasive here, there are no poisonous
look alikes and easy to identify once they've flowered!
Definately safe to forage!
Mustard you buy in the store is made by crushing the
seeds. But the internets say you can make a mustard
spread from the flowers as well. I guess if you have
enough of them!
Here's a great article... it's so old, from 2011, there's a
few broken image links. good info tho!
∞ Wild
Mustard - Foraged Food
Here's another bright spot of yellow! Lesser Goldfinch!
We've had so much rain, all acros the state...
∞ Oregon
Governor Kotek declares emergency for floods and landslides
One person has died.
Here in town, our flood controls have mostly held up.
The only problem I've heard of was that West 11th Ave --
a major thoroughfare which is the only road going west
out of town --
got flooded enough to make driving iffy for a few hours.
Tag: march 2025
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Tuesday 18 March 2025... Garden Work |
Partly cloudy again today and the clouds are moving around
a lot! It'll rain this afternoon, but at the moment
the sun is making it a bit too warm.
Knotty? What's with the stick?
Maybe she's got an itch.
I am going to dig up more invasives again today.
I get into the garden and... Gah! These dug up clumps
of Lesser Celandines are still here.
So much for my hope that humans would pick up after
themselves! Damn them anyway... they are starting
to bloom!
Well. I guess I will pick that up today, since no
one else can be bothered. But I'll go around and
see where I want to start work today.
This... yikes.
That is way too much for me to deal with!
But I dig up some singular clumps in the pathways and all.
That's where I can actually make a difference!
And now I'm wandering around. This is the current
state of the Crocuses in my plot.
Ha. There is one little bloom left.
And the beautiful plot at the back, with their hyacinths!
On my way home, I see that Golden Crown Sparrow with
leucism again... But she flies away even faster this
time, and I don't get any photos of her. Sighs!
The trees showing off their spring colours are amazing.
Knotty is still in the same place... Good hunting?
Tag: march 2025
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Monday 17 March 2025... A Break in the Rain! |
wow. Some sunshine today! That's different!
*laughs*
I've decided to walk out to Steward Pond Park... and
on the way...
A Pine Siskin, thinking about taking a bath... but
he got shy when I showed up!
A Point and Shoot and Hope... and this Yellow Rump Warbler
is technically in frame!
And here's another semi-successful Point and Click
and Hope! Bushtit!
Oh humph... there's no one on the pond today!
But over here... a flock of hundreds of Cackling Geese!
Their cute little snub faces!
There are a few pairs of Canada Geese here as well.
I walk thru the little forest.
But it's the clouds today that keep my attention!
Tag: march 2025
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Sunday 16 March 2025... Sunday Stroll with rain and floods |
Rained all night, yet again, and still sprinkling when
I head out the door.
The creek is as full as I've ever seen it!
Some bright spots of a Yellow Rumped Warbler on
a dreary day!
Oh, this must be that Golden Crown Sparrow I saw the
other day with leucism!!!
But I Still can't get decent pics. arg.
The bike path is flooded big time, under the bridges!
I walk by the front of Gudu-Kut... but there's no frogs
singing here today. bummer.
Zig and Zag are the two on the right!
The pair on the left are unnamed because I can't tell
them apart from the third pair of Hooded Mergansers who
are currently hanging out at the creek.
The rain continues thru the day again... It's been
raining almost solidly since Wednesday.
March IS part of our rainy season, but this
is starting to get ridiculous! And nothing but more
rain in the forecast!
Tag: march 2025
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Saturday 15 March 2025... Rain and Floods |
The house is chilly this morning, and I turn the heat
back on for a few hours before I get moving!
It's sprinkling as I leave the house, but it turns to
a good rain pretty quickly.
A flood watch starts tonight. The bike path here under
the bridge is just minutes from going under water! Will
I be able to walk back this way??
Oh cool! Downy Woodpecker!
He's a male. And he's busy trying to get bugs out of
this little branch!
I visit the Solidarity Garden... they've got some
Pansies going.
I wonder what that is, coming up on the right.
I don't recognize it at all!
Their Lettuce looks really good... very non-munched by slugs.
I'm jealous! *laughs*
I continue on and walk a bit thru the downtown neighborhood
and look at front yards. Oh, this thing is cute!
Heading home... the creek has only risen a couple inches
so far, and I am still able to walk under the bridge.
I can hear some frogs singing from the back of the
Gudu-Kut nature area!
I love the willow trees over there... but it won't
be long before I can't see past the willow trees along
the creek!
Oh, this made me giggle!
∞ Oh This Poor Dumb Trump Lawyer Trying To Defend Military Trans Ban In Court!
At least read your own filings next time maybe?
And just how many people are there serving in the
military with gender dysphoria, anyway? Government
lawyers did not know. Not only do you not have
the data, you have no access to get the data because
the military does not track people by gender identity,
she noted. Yeah, it's kind of hard to find evidence
that trans people are single-handedly bringing down
the entire US military with their disruptive pronouns,
when the government does not know how many of them
there even are, or how they even define who they are.
And then the judge made the stupid Trump lawyers
read the reports they had submitted, and then they
all went thru them, line by line... Only to discover
The government's own reports found that transgender
individuals receiving gender-affirming care experience
'literally no regrets' and 'very high levels of satisfaction.'
Heh.
So maybe we could just let trans people live their
lives, and get the health care they need... hmmm?
Tag: march 2025
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Friday 14 March 2025... Wind |
Some sprinkles today and a bit of gusty wind that the
weather page said was 9mph. But the last mile or so
the wind picked up, like crazy. 25mph! Sheesh, I guess
we live in Kansas now!
Blazey's old spot on the bike path... Red Flowering
Currant, with the Cherry tree in the background!
ha, the wind is making the photography difficult...
branches waving all over the place! So I give up
pretty quickly here.
Oregon Grapes are starting to bloom.
It's Zig and Zag!
Zag barely wakes up from his nap when his partner
paddles upstream a little.
Oof. There's an article in the newspaper today
about an 80% surge in flu patients in the ER...
∞ Riverbend converts rooms into patient care space to keep up with surging emergency room demand
This is the same hospital that closed it's downtown
hospital and Emergency Room in Dec 2023.
I wonder if they regret that now.
And ever more upsetting stuff from the current regime.
∞ Arlington Cemetery website drops links for Black, Hispanic, and women veterans
No more DEI at Arlington Nat Cem! Which means
we can't have women, Black people or Latinx here.
White men only. Because no one else contributes to our
military or our defense.
Effing despicable.
Tag: march 2025
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Thursday 13 March 2025... Stewart Pond with Kestrels |
It's raining. And the wind is blowing and it's making
me so cold until the walking warms me up. And then the
wind dies down, and the day becomes more tolerable!
Huh. I've never seen a stray out this way.
Cute face, tho!
Two nights and two days of rain, not to mention all
the other extra rain we've gotten. This is a place
where they let the creek spread out for flood control.
It can still handle a lot more water... but, as I
suspected, the bike path is flooded under the bridge.
That's okay. I back track a bit, and go up to the road.
There's a pedestrian light for the EMX stops,
so I don't have to die when I cross the street! That's
always nice!
There isn't a paved path to get back down to the bike
path on the other side. But there's a muddy trail
that goes between the railing and the fence.
And then I walk down to Stewart Ponds. Today there are
Northern Shovelers on the main pond!
And some Canada Geese. The one goose is standing and
you can see how shallow the temporary, Wet Prairie pond
is, even with all the rain we've gotten.
I walk on up the road to the park. As I'm approaching
the parking lot, I hear some raptors yelling. Oh my gosh!!
A pair of Kestrels!!
They've let me get a little bit closer, but I don't
get any good photos. Oh well. It's awesome just
to see them!!
The trail into the park starts out at the prairie.
Up the hill are some huge old Oak Trees. But here,
there's just grass... and a single shrubby spot where
some Cherry trees have gotten established.
It's a haven for birds, and today there's a little
flock of Golden Crown Sparrows here!
Too bad we can't have some blue sky with our Cherry
Blossoms... but honestly, I'd just settle for no raindrops
on the camera lens! Haha!
Um... oh? Are we eating the Cherry Blossoms?
Well, that's interesting! Do they taste good?
I move on and walk thru the little patch of forest.
There are little birds twittering all around, but
I don't see any close enough for photos.
But then I find some sparrows just above the trail.
Oh my gosh! White Throat Sparrows!!
They are winter visitors here, just like the Golden
Crowns and the White Crowns. But I hardly ever get
to see the White Throats for whatever reason.
So that's really cool! This has been a spectacular walk
today!!
On the way home, I notice that one of the little shops
I enjoyed window shopping at... has changed hands? I
get closer, and yeah, it's not a shop anymore...
It's a painting studio!
ha!
Tag: march 2025
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Wednesday 12 March 2025... A Rainy Day |
I'm not sure when the rain started last night, but
rain during the night is always nice! Still sprinkling
this morning, and then raining pretty good as I'm
heading out for a walk!
I love to walk in the rain. It's peaceful.
Hello Zag and Zig!
This Nutria was running away, and I'm all Oh! Wait!
Wait! and she did! Haha, she stopped in her tracks!
*laughs* Thank You Dear!
Yes, you are very cute!
Solar Baby? Is that you?
*laughs* Yep.
Tag: march 2025
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Tuesday 11 March 2025... More Garden Volunteer Work |
Another dreary day! It was misting first thing this
morning, but the clouds moved around a little and now
we are settled into some solid, grey overcast!
oh, this Flowering Quince!
Okay! Back at the garden and oh, hey. Someone has
traded the raised beds that were here yesterday for
some tunnel hoops. good for them.
I dig up the Lesser Celandine, and then find a good
bit more growing nearby. I've filled up my bag quickly
today!
And going around to see the flowers! These Irises are
such a pretty colour, but why are they all messed up like
this? They didn't feel like growing a long stem? ha.
The Hooded Mergansers who aren't Zig and Zag! *laughs*
Oh Cute Squirrel? Hello? If you turn around, this
would be a great portrait of you with the Cherry Blossoms?
Or not. ha!
Tag: march 2025
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Monday 10 March 2025... Garden Work |
I head straight for the Community Garden. I'm digging
up Lesser Celandine again today for my required volunteer
work.
I'm kind of wandering, digging a couple clumps here in
the pathway...
Another couple clumps here at the back of
someone's plot.
When the bag is full, I wrap it up and stuff it
in my backpack to haul home.
And now I'm looking at flowers!
Hmm. I wonder what the white tubes are for.
Whatever they are, they are messing up my photos! ha.
There's some Crows here at the Garden with me... but
they are not interested in photography.
They are busy doing other things... looking for
treats in the leaves!
Before I leave the Garden, I glance around for more
Lesser Celandine to dig up next time. There's some
in a western plot, but the plants in the pathway there
are going to be tough to get out... the grass is growing
tall around it.
Oh, ugh. There's some blooming here at the front, right
next to the tool shed. Maybe I'll work on this next.
Also, there's some free raised beds... If you install
those in your garden plot, the Garden Director will let
you get away with breaking ALL the
Community Garden rules! *grumble, grumble*
What the...?
Goddamnit. Someone has dug up some Lesser Celandine
and just left them here. *cussing* I suppose I have
to clean up after everyone.
GAH! But it won't fit in my pack today. And hey, maybe
they will come back and finish the work they started.
Maybe??!
*laughs* Sometimes I wish I could
take photos of Chickadees! *shakes head*
A pair of Green Wing Teals at the creek catch
my eye on the walk home.
The day is too dreary for decent photography, but
they are still cute!
Tag: march 2025
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Saturday 5 April 2025... Hands Off Protest |
It's 11:20 when I finally get out the door. I had meant
to leave earlier but I'm so nervous, I had trouble getting
a move on! haha.
And this one was right outside.
And I was able to take
a breath and have a moment
to center myself with a friend.
I headed down to the bus stop and got a ticket and waited
a few minutes. I spontaneously wave at the bus driver as
he pulls up, and he waves back! :) I get a seat, but
there's quite a few people riding today. And
more people get on at most every stop.
There are a couple people with protest signs who get off a
couple stops before I do... and I wonder what they are up
to!
I get off at my stop,
and go to wait for the light to cross the street.
Two older women are waiting with me and they strike up
conversation. Are you going to the protest?
I am!
What's your message? ha. I pause for a moment because
my brain is all, oh... where to begin? *laughs*
Finally, I just wave my hand and say, We just need to
get rid of them!
They laughed and agreed, Dump Trump! and the one
lady had a small cardboard sign with an American flag
stickered to it. We need to take back the American
flag as OUR symbol!
We went across the street, and I kinda wanted to walk with
them for a while. But they were going slow, and I was
excited to get there. So I bid adieu and told them to
Have Fun Today! and I raced ahead!
I get to the Riverbank Path, and oh my gosh! There's
an Osprey up in the platform nest, yelling!!
How cool is that!!
I really miss coming out here... The bus ride is so long
tho. I wish I had a car!
Okay! Focus! There's a protest to get to!!
There are a good number of people coming up the bike path,
some holding signs. I pause for a moment at the Downtown
Riverfront art pavilion.
I can see people going across at the walking bridge down
stream. And I can hear people cheering at the city hall.
It's a few minutes after noon, now... which is the time
the protest is to officially start.
And there are a LOT of people here.
We are blocking the bike path... there's a few bikers
coming thru, they have to walk their bikes tho to get
thru all the people.
I've found a place to hang out where I am comfortable,
at the edge of things. Behind me, there's a steady
stream of people coming in! I have no idea where all
these extra people will fit, but the crowd is moving
around constantly and somehow ever more people make
their way in!
Speakers started at 12:20pm.
The first person to speak said there were 2,100 people
registered to be here on the MoveOn website alone. And
this protest was the combined efforts of ... I'm not
sure how many different groups!
We've got 50501, Indivisible, MoveOn, Womens March,
and more.
The next speaker was Stan Taylor,
with ACES, Activists Coalition of Eugene Springfield.
He reminded us to take care of each other.
And to remember your de-escalating training!
I stayed for a few more speakers. I couldn't hear
their names when they were introduced, tho. I've
not found a list of speakers, online, yet. I'll
add that later, if I find it.
Around 1pm I decided to walk around to the front of
the building to see what was going on over there...
There was no way I was going to attempt to walk thru
the crowd, so I backed up the way I had come in and
went the long way around.
And wow. There's a LOT of people up here too. I couldn't
find a higher vantage point here, so the photos I did
take don't do justice to the crowd.
All the groups were tabling here, but I didn't stop to
look at them all.
The protest was set to run until 3pm, but I'm heading
out.
The protest estimate is 3,500 people!
∞ Eugene Weekly:
Hands Off!
Thousands in Eugene Protest Donald Trump and his administration
Brilliant photos here!!!
∞ KEZI, Eugene ABC news station:
Anti Trump 'Hands Off' protests in Eugene see thousands in attendance
∞ The Register-Guard, the corporate Eugene newspaper:
Eugene crowds join national day of protest against Trump policies
Gallery of photos and some videos here, as well as the write up.
∞ Oregon Public Broadcasting:
Protesters across Oregon stand against public services cuts under Trump and Musk
(They didn't have any reporters in Eugene, but they covered
quite a few other cities across Oregon!)
Tag: april 2025
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Sunday 9 March 2025... Sunday Stroll |
Yellow Rump Warbler, buried in the sticks!
Bath time for this Ruby Crown Kinglet!
Their companions must be over that way.
Splish splash!
And then we are off to preen.
I'm coming back thru the park and almost home when I
hear a ruckus from the sky!
There's a hawk being mobbed! The hawk comes in for
a landing in a nearby Douglas Fir...
Hm. Juvenile Cooper Hawk.
But he's looking back the way he came.
Ah! He was waiting for his friend... There's another
Cooper Hawk flying this way!
Oh... they are being mobbed by some Acorn Woodpeckers!!
I'm so disappointed that I didn't get their pic... but I
just saw a flash of them and then they turned around
and flew back home.
The other hawk flies on by and this one picks up to
follow.
Wow!
Tag: march 2025
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Thursday 3 April 2025... Deleting People |
This is a good article at the National Parks
Conservation Association, which is
a non-profit that works to be the
voice of America's National Parks.
(I have donated to them in the past, and
they do good work!)
∞ The Unsung Heroines of Stonewall
LGBTQ history is American history...
In February, the National Park Service removed all
references to transgender and queer people from
Stonewall's website. As a result, we are facing the
literal erasure of history at the site where the
modern LGBTQ rights movement was born.
This sets a dangerous precedent for
American history. If we pretend queer
and transgender Americans have not and
do not play a critical role in shaping
this country, whose stories will we erase next?
The write up about Stormé DeLarverie was fun to read!
But all the people here are interesting!
Tag: april 2025
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Saturday 8 March 2025... Wayside, with Flowers |
(Ha... I don't know who that is from this angle!! *laughs*)
Zag, the Hooded Merganser...
... and Zig!
Oh cool!
Red Shoulder Hawk, and not easy photography with all
the sticks! Most of the photos look like this...
haha. Oh well.
I do love the stripy ones!
Tag: march 2025
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Wednesday 2 April 2025... Rant |
I don't really read news articles any more. It's
just too terrible.
I just look at the headline...
And then I watch another little section
of my soul get darker.
And then I move on.
This morning's headlines (don't bother clicking, Wired
has a paywall):
The CDC Has Been Gutted
And
The DOGE Axe Comes for Libraries and Museums
America will never recover from DOGE. Kids are dying from
the lack of USAID. The medical research
that NIH funded will never get back on track.
People will start dying of Bird Flu (or something
worse!), but we won't
know about it without the CDC. More than
100,000 federal workers fired so far, and all those
people were important to keeping America as the
leader of the free world.
And now we're tumbling into being a third world country,
run by a filthy dictator who ignores the Constitution.
And everybody just lets him and DOGE do whatever they
want even tho all of it is FUCKING ILLEGAL!
It's disgusting. And I'm pretty upset about everything
when I head out for my walk. It takes a while to get
out of my head and let Nature do her healing.
...
On my way back down the hill, I come around a corner and
see an older guy. He's stepped off the path, with his
walking stick... not like a cane, but the kind that looks
like a ski pole. He's staring intently at something on
the ground.
I'm coming down steps, and when I look at him again,
he's leaning over and reaching down for something on the ground.
As I pass him, I see that he is gently, gently picking
up a skeletonized leaf.
I smile and my heart fills up with love.
This guy is noticing the beauty around him!
I want us all to be this affected by the wonders of Nature!
And, ya know. That is why I share my photography here.
I want to share my experience of Nature with everyone.
There are beautiful things and there are sad things, and
that's all okay. Empathy makes us better humans, and
the rest of Nature will heal us.
Tag: april 2025
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Friday 7 March 2025... More Garden |
Dang it, Little Bird. Why you gotta be that way?
*laughs*
Okay! I'm digging up Lesser Celandine again today... this
plot is right across the aisle from mine, ack!
I dig up those blooming invasives right on the border
between plots. But then I realize there's a lot more coming up
all around those raised beds.
Gah. I already have a lot of disdain for raised beds,
and this one, spreading invasives so close to my plot...
is def not helping my attitude!
Well. I finish up and load the bag of plants and dirt
into my backpack to dispose of at home. And then I look
to see what flowers we have today!
Some of my Crocuses are starting to die back, but this
clump still looks lovely.
Hyacinths need a few more days.
*laughs* Daffodils with a garden pig!
Awww!
A cute little Seven Spot Ladybug on some Dead Nettle!
And the tiny little Speedwells.
Well. Heading home... but who's this??
Hmm. There's some European House Sparrows in this
brush, could that be a female??
Hello Up There?
Oh! Haha! She's a Golden Crown Sparrow! When she
looks over, I can see a bit of her Golden head...!
*laughs* You're funny, trying to trick me!
Tag: march 2025
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Thursday 6 March 2025... Garden Work and a Honey Bee |
Gonna murder me some invasive plants at the Community
Garden today for my required volunteer time.
On the way...
I mentioned a while ago that I didn't want to
give names to this pair of Hooded Mergansers
because I couldn't specifically recognize them.
And since then, I've come to realize there are actually
at least three pairs of Hooded Mergansers hanging out here!
But one of the pairs, I might be recognizing... not this
pair, but there's one male who goes around with his hood
not all they way up. So maybe I could name that pair!
Okay. I'm working at the garden! This is west of my
plot, a few plots away.
and I'm digging Lesser Celandine out
of the grassy pathway.
This garden plot has Fava growing... and it looks a lot
better than the mostly dead Fava in my plot!
When my bag is full and stuffed into the backpack,
I relax with a garden walkabout! Here's the Crocuses
in my plot.
I wander around to the Rosemary bush in the back...
Aw, there's a Honey Bee here!
Ugh, the sun is so stinkin' bright! I can't see the
screen so I'm not sure how my photos are coming out!
There's Speedwell blooming. Tiny, the flowers are
less than a centimeter acros, but pretty!
And heading home!
Oh hey! Here's the Hooded Merganser pair I was
talking about earlier. The male who doesn't hold
his hood all the way up!
I think I will call them Zig and Zag! *smiles*
Tag: march 2025
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Wednesday 5 March 2025... A Walk and A Tiny-Clean |
I was heading for the Community Garden again today,
with my backpack to murder some invasives. But when
I got there, there was a car in the parking lot, and
a human walking in the garden.
ugh. I don't feel like dealing with humans today.
So I walked right on by!
The linear leaves in the background are Camas Lilies...
they won't bloom until May or so, and the Daffodils will
be long gone.
There's still a couple Snowdrops blooming...
... But most of them are trying to make seeds now.
I decide to walk by the Solidarity Garden. I like their
signs! We've got some Raspberry canes, and the sapling
says Italian Plum.
And over here, we've got Black Currant, Mulberry
and Red Flowering Currant! The next bed down says
Blueberry!
It'll be interesting to compare the Black Currant with
the Red Flowering Currant, almost side by side.
Hmmm... Looking up info. The internets say Black Currant
is not drought tolerant. I wonder how that's going to
work out. It doesn't rain here in the summer at all...
do they have access to water at this garden??
Back at home, my Tiny-Cleans are going Awesome!
When I finished the living room window, I moved on to
the Porch Room. I've been cleaning 1 or 2 blind slats
for a week. And now I've started working on the sliding
glass door.
The houseplants are going to be an issue, once I get
that far... I'll have to move them and the shelf they
are on, and there's really no place to move them to!
The porch room is pretty cramped.
I'll have to think about that. But I've got a while!
3 to 5 minutes of Tiny-Clean every day doesn't get much
done!
But doing it every day makes it inexorable!!
And really, that's the awesome part...
If I had cleaned the living room window the usual way...
with several hours at a time over one or two days?
You know how I would feel? I don't ever feel a sense
of accomplishment after I clean things... that's part
of the reason why I hate to clean so much.
So nope... I'd feel exhausted. I'd feel
utterly disappointed because there's no way to make
it perfect.
And I'd be done with cleaning for about 10 years!!
But my new Tiny-Cleans!! I just keep chugging along!
Everything is dirty enough that I can see actual progress
in just 3 minutes. But 3 or 5 minutes doesn't overwhelm me,
I can get it done every day!
And thus, the inexorable!
*laughs*
Tag: march 2025
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Tuesday 4 March 2025... Today |
Henrietta and the rubbish. Sighs.
The Creek really needs some clean up!
All the crap the wildlife has to deal with from humans.
Ugh.
Oh, hey! Is that some nice soft moss for your drey?
Birds only build nests for their babies. But squirrels
build their dreys to sleep in!
We are having some maintenance done in the house today...
and the shower problem had befuddled the one guy
so he called in the plumbing expert.
So now there's two guys, coming and going, all thru the
afternoon! Pretty disruptive... Especially when our expert
guy says they may have to break some tiles in the shower
to get to the problem with the pipes! ACK!
But they got it done without breaking tiles. And plus
we now have nicer faucets - that don't leak! -
in both bathrooms and the kitchen.
And the water pressure in the shower is wonderful again!
Yay!
Tag: march 2025
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Monday 3 March 2025... Community Garden |
I'm at the Community Garden today, to murder some
invasive Lesser Celandine for my required volunteer
time!
But first I'm going to wander about and look at the flowers!
Hm. I don't know what this stuff is...
Ah ha! It's Rosemary! *laughs* another Rose
that isn't a Rose. :)
It's a pretty plant, but this is another example of people,
who aren't me, getting away with breaking the rules. We
aren't supposed to have woody plants.
It is nice tho... I wonder if I should grow some. The
internets say it will thrive in a Mediterranean climate,
which is what we have here!
I've wandered around to my plot. The big clump of crocuses
is still blooming!
And there are a couple more blooms here and there!
And my Columbine is peeking thru!
The leaves are so pretty!
What the heck?
Uh. Yeah, I have no idea??!
Seriously, what is that???
A little monster watching me
from under the leaves! ha.
Okay. I have to get some work done here!
I dig up the couple more sprouts of Lesser Celandine from
the west side neighbor's plot. And then I get started on
some clumps in the pathway to the north of my plot.
It's a major pain to try to dig in the grass. But I get
the small bag filled up.
I double bag it and stuff it into the small backpack to
haul home. I'll toss it in the trash there.
As I'm walking around the garden, to get back to the
bike path... A Bluebird of Happiness! He's preening...
um. Excuse me? Could you just look normal for a minute?
Oh! Thanks! You are so Floofy!
The female is over here on the apple tree, but she's not
interested in photography and flies away!
Tag: march 2025
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Sunday 2 March 2025... Sunday Stroll |
Ha. All the flowers called Roses that aren't
Roses!
Lenten Roses above, and here are Primroses!
And this guy, an Anna Hummingbird, who flew away
before I could see about decent photography! ha.
Tag: march 2025
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Saturday 1 March 2025... Flowers and Bees! |
Knotty? and the rubbish. bleh.
Yep, I'm still being a sucker for the Crocuses!
Oh look! It's warm enough to wake up a Honey Bee!
Haha! Honey Bee doesn't appear to be quite awake!
Needs Coffee! Um, Dearheart? Licking that petal
will do nothing for you... You gotta lick somewhere else!
I stop to admire the Cherry Blossoms again.
Aw! There's a Bumblebee working these flowers too...
and doing a better job of it! *laughs*
She's got a red butt... Makes her easy to identify!
She's a Red Form
Black Tail Bumblebee
and they are widely distributed across
western North America, from the Pacific to the Rocky
Mountains, and from Alaska to Baja California.
The Red Forms are found primarily in higher
latitudes of Oregon and points north, and in the
Mountain West
whereas the Dark Colour Forms are most common
in California and southern Oregon
Nice! I'm glad we get the more colourful variety! *laughs*
Oregon has 25 species of Bumblebees!!!
We are awesome! Check this site:
∞ Bumble Bee Field Guide
(for North America)
You can filter the bees by your own state or province,
and if you mouse-over you can see the different forms!
So cute and precious!
Bye!
Tag: march 2025
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Friday 28 February 2025... rant |
∞ President Zelenskyy
says Ukraine won't enter peace talks with Russia until
it has security guarantees
The show Felon45 put on here is absolutely disgusting.
I am so pissed! Fuck Trump.
You do NOT disrespect President Z. Ever!
President Zelenskyy did the right thing by walking out.
It's just gross. President Z should not have bothered
coming to Washington DC to talk face to face with our stupid
dictator... and honestly, I hope other world leaders pick
up that lesson as well!
I was happy to see this, tho, at the end of the article:
European leaders were quick to reiterate their support
for Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
In a post on X, EU Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen said Zelenskyy's dignity honors the bravery of
the Ukrainian people.
Be strong, be brave, be fearless, she added.
You are never alone, dear President.
Good.
President Zelenskyy is a hero.
The American people support President Zelenskyy
and Ukraine, regardless of our idiot dictator.
And to try to set things right, I've donated directly
to the Ukraine government here...
∞ United24, Ukraine
Tag: february 2025
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Friday 28 February 2025... Flowers! More Flowers! ... And cool bird behavior! |
Ha. I was preoccupied when I left the house this
morning. I should have walked in a different direction,
for something new... but since my brain was distracted,
my feet just walked in the usual direction!
I didn't have very good aim for the point and click
at this Ruby Crown Warbler! *laughs*
Am I getting tired of looking at Crocuses yet? No.
Okay! Here's something different! Cherry Blossoms!
I love the colour of that privacy fence!!
Moving on... to some Red Flowering Currants!!
Well, these flowers need a couple more days to open
up before they get really pretty.
And then this freaked me out! I thought something
was wrong!!
But I just happened to catch her sunning! Basking in
the sun!!
She saw me, but it was a few long seconds before she
did anything! Eventually she rousted her feathers
back into position and then flew away!
Here's a Great video with a bunch of eastern
birds doing this.
∞ Sunning
Birds and Why They Do It
And the title image is a Blue Jay with the exact
same feather floof at their lower back! Turns out
birds have a gland right there which makes oils
to be spread on their feathers! huh!
The sunning birds... look really weird! But it's
perfectly normal and they are happy birds!
So I'm glad that I walked this way, after all!
I did see something different, and now I've learned
something!
Tag: february 2025
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Thursday 27 February 2025... Even More Crocuses! |
Another blue sky day, and I've got some extra walking
time so I'm heading towards the downtown neighborhoods!
And check this out!! A bunch of new sapling have been
planted in three neighbors yards!
That's awesome!
The signs say: Friends of Trees, Because Trees make
this place, Find your tree at
FriendsOfTrees.org.
All three yards have the same sign, and Friends of Trees
is local to the Pacific Northwest, with offices in Portland
and Eugene. A pretty active group, it looks like! That's
great!
But then I get distracted by some Crocuses!
*laughs* I am such a sucker for the pretty flowers!
Okay. I'll stop! But they're so pretty!
Back to the bike path!
There's a Ruby Crown Kinglet bouncing around, and I try
a few Point and Clicks to see if I can get him.
*laughs*
AllAboutBirds
says they are are restless, acrobatic birds Ha!
Oh, that female Kingfisher flew by me... I've not seen
her in weeks. And she's still quiet, not announcing her
territory.
I guess that means she's still not found a
new mate. Sighs. Poor girl. I am so sad for her.
Tag: february 2025
|
Wednesday 26 February 2025... Tiny-Cleans and More Crocuses |
After being all grumpy about the Tiny-Clean I'm
doing on the living room window... yep, I've decided
to move on. Today I started on the porch room by
cleaning a single porch door blind. That took 5minutes
and I'm done.
And when I came for the second cup of coffee, I looked
over and noticed the kitchen window was a little bit
dirty. So, I got my rag and got to work.
I wiped down the glass and started cleaning the frame.
It's like I can't stop myself!!! Tiny-Cleans are
SO AWESOME!!!
*laughs*
I head out for a walk... but
foo. I have walked pretty far and I'm just
not connecting with any birds. And such a nice,
bright day! Humph.
Huh. I've not noticed this before...
I wonder how many years it's been here. The hole is big
enough for a Flicker. Did someone raise a family here?
Hm. I wonder what caused the crinkling on the petals?
*laughs* So many unanswered questions today.
Tag: february 2025
|
Tuesday 25 February 2025... A Walk with the Crocuses |
I am a bit grumpy this morning about my new Tiny-Clean
habit.
I am working on the living room window for 5minutes, and
then when I go for the second cup of coffee, I work on the
pantry door for 5minutes.
But I'm almost finished with the window, and it's harder
to see the results when I'm down to the details. Maybe I
should stop and move on to something else... the window
looks a lot better, and it doesn't have to be perfect!
It can't be perfect, actually. The building is old and
the paint job before we moved in was... excessively rushed.
...
Yeah, don't even get me started!
Like I said. Grumpy. So let's head out and get
some happy nature time!
oh! A cute tiny fly! Hello Friend!
ha, she's been preening and has feather fluff on her beak!
This is a temporary wet prairie pond... and the prairie
is thinking about taking over, even with all the rain we've
gotten!! All the green grassy things are Camas Lily leaves!!
When I get home, I have renewed energy! I pull out my
journal pages... ugh what a mess. And I get them organized.
All sorted and the pouches are neatly labeled!
And the place where I keep the journal pages, is suddenly
much easier to deal with! Yay!
Tag: february 2025
|
Monday 24 February 2025... Bob Ross Tribute |
I wasn't sure if I wanted to show this photo...
It's pretty personal.
But it amuses me and delights me so much!
This is part of my work space.
I'm listeing to the
Bob Ross Remix,
I love that song! and I decided
to take a photo... Bob Ross is painting on my monitor
and my Grandma's Bob Ross Style painting
is hanging on the wall!
Tag: february 2025
|
Monday 24 February 2025... Rain and Wind |
Still with the rain, today. But now we've added some
wind. The weather page said it was 5mph when I left...
but the wind speed picked up dramatically while I was
walking!
And now we've got a wind advisory. 25mph with
31mph gusts!
Bleh. Stupid wind. I have to wipe off the camera
lens several times along the walk today.
When I walk by the back of Gudu-Kut, I can hear several
frogs singing! Yay!
I'm dropping off compost at the garden... oh my gosh!
My Crocuses!
I look around... oh crud... there's more Lesser Celandine
coming up at the back of the west neighbor's plot.
And I find a couple more places where it's popping up.
bah. I want to murder it... but I don't want to do
garden work in the rain and mud. I wonder when this
mess will have the chance to dry out.
humph. But then I get distracted by this beautiful Beet
plant!!
Tag: february 2025
|
Sunday 23 February 2025... Sunday Stroll in the Rain |
Rained all night and still it rains.
That's fine, except I need to put a package in the
blue mailbox at the Post Office... my backpack isn't
waterproof and the package, a 9x12 flat rate,
is larger than a ziplock.
Ha, I have to put the package in a trash bag to make
sure it stays dry!
Oh, Madam Flicker? Your shafts are showing!
*laughs* She must be molting. It's funny that our western
Flickers are called Red Shafted, when that is clearly a
shade of orange!
Yep... that's what I thought. The bike path is flooded
here, under the bridge.
I'm zig zagging thru the neighborhoods on the way
home, and go by Gudu-Kut Natural Area.
Gudu-kut is the Kalapuyan name for frog... but I
don't hear any singing today.
But there are some Mallards here, enjoying the
wet prairie puddles.
Tag: february 2025
|
Saturday 22 February 2025... No Luck at Stewart Pond |
Heading out a different way today. It's been ages
since I went out to Stewart Pond.
I'm walking thru the neighborhood, before getting out
to the bike path.
There's a couple of Green Wing Teals at the creek.
And a group of them at the temporary wet prairie ponds
at the park!
The males are doing thier courtship display,
with their cute whistle quack.
The ducks here are always too far away for decent
photography, especially on a dreary day.
But the place does have it's own beauty!
I head towards the little forest.
There's a few guys playing Frisbee Golf... when
I swing around to the forest, I'm
dismayed to see some players at the back holes.
This is an ecological sensitive area, and there are signs
saying players shouldn't go back there during the winter!
Pacific Chorus Frogs live in the ponds in the forest, and
it's their breeding time! They do not want to be disturbed
because a frisbee has landed in their pond, and there's a
stupid human wading in to retrieve it!!
When the guys see me approaching, they quit and take their
packs of frisbees back to the front holes. Good. I wasn't
going to yell at them or anything, but they've definitely
ruined my walk.
There aren't any birds in the little forest. And no
frogs singing either. Sighs.
On the way home, I stop to check out the Little Free Pantry.
I'm so glad they restored the original art on it!
It's beautiful! I love the crow!
Tag: february 2025
|
Friday 21 February 2025... Spring Flowers |
Good Morning My Dear!
The rest of the wildlife is not cooperating today.
*laughs* That's okay. Look at the plants! They can't
fly away!
The seed heads above are Hardhack, a native that wildlife
uses for food and habitat! The blooms are a cheerful pink
in the summer.
And then I decided to go down and try to get some photos
of the Snowdrops again.
And the Willows are starting to bud out! They look
so soft and furry!
Tag: february 2025
|
Thrusday 20 February 2025... Hidden Trail |
Oh! The Red Flowering Currants are starting to bud out!!
I get to the top of the trail and decide to walk on up
to the Acorn Woodpecker's territory. Oh, nice... They've
planted some saplings in the hell strips here!
And further up, they are paving more road and have
started a new building. Sighs.
I hear the Acorn Woodpeckers, talking across their
territory. And another one is gently hammering somewhere.
I also hear a ton of frogs singing! I walk across to
get closer to the bioswale, and then realize there's a
second bioswale a little further up, hidden behind a rise...
That's where all the frogs are, and the sound here is
just incredible!
I don't want to get too close... I don't want the frogs
to stop singing. But also, I don't want to accidentally
step on anyone who might be in the grass.
There are just so many singing. And it's loud!
Major difference with the one or two frogs I hear
occasionally along the creek.
Which makes me sad. Humans are destroying the frogs
habitat along the creek... chemical run-off from
lawns and roads, and the invasive Bullfrogs.
Humans have made this bioswale. But they are also
making roads and houses up here as well. This
will only be a temporary habitat for the Pacific
Chorus Frogs... and then poisons from lawns and roads
will get washed through here, too.
Sighs.
I made a video of the frogs singing. I need to figure
out how to convert it so I can upload it here!
And then I'm heading back down the hill.
A Ruby Crown Kinglet... too bouncy to keep up with!
And at the bottom, going thru the neighborhood,
there's a big group of female Wild Turkeys!
They've seen me of course, but they are not going
to let me get in their way! They purposfully walk
towards me, their destination is probably the
forest at Hidden Trail!
As they walk by me, I notice how individual their
faces are.
Most birds, you can't tell who's who just by looking!
But these girls, you could get to know them more easily.
Well, except that there's just so many here! ha!
A good walk.
Tag: february 2025
|
Wednesday 19 February 2025... Today |
OH NO!
This used to be a covered bus stop with a bench! Oh, I am
so sad!
The Transit District had stopped running buses on this
route during the first year of covid, in 2020. And I guess
it's never coming back. They've removed all the bus
stops from the street, this is the last one they are
working on.
I am so disappointed. Removal of bus stops is the
beginning of the Decline and Fall of Civilization,
I'm pretty sure.
Sighs.
And then Nature conspires to cheer me up!
Hi Solar Baby!
Hi Little Birds!
I see one of my Hooded Merganser friends...
Huh! I couldn't tell what he was holding at first.
He's going downstream, like me, and I follow to see
what's happening!
Oh! He's got a Crawdad! And he's desperately trying
to eat him!!
How is that poor thing going to fit in your mouth, dude??
My friend paddles behind a bush, and I walk ahead to
see him on the other side...
Wait. Aw, crud! I didn't see what happened!!
Did he just drop the Crawdad??
He must have!
Yeah.
And his girlfriend is here, so I walk on and contemplate
the terrifying day the Crawdad has had. But at least he
gets to live another day.
Kinda like we get to live another day even after shutting
down bus stops for good.
Back at home, ha! I was making my lunch and noticed
how pretty the purple cabbage is!
Partner eats cabbage, now and then, and the other day
I decided to try it as well.
I've been cooking it with my Big Bowl of food. Yeah, that's
okay.
But I really like it raw!
It's got a good crunch, that's a little bit different
than the crunch you get from celery.
And mmm! Just that subtle sweet taste! It's good!
I wonder if I can grow some in the garden?
Tag: february 2025
|
Tuesday 18 February 2025... Garden Volunteer Work |
Okay! I've got my little hand spade in my backpack, and
some plastic bags. I'm going to murder some invasive Lesser
Celandine at the Community Garden today!
On my way there, I hear a single frog singing at the
back of Gudu-Kut Natural Area.
I stop and listen to him for a few minutes. I love
our precious Pacific Chorus frogs!
Lesser Celandine is a cute little swamp plant, very
pretty yellow flowers! They bloom so early in the
year, the little pop of colour is actually welcome!
Until you realize that next February, the one clump will
now be five or ten plants. And the February after that, your
entire plot is covered with these damn things!
*laughs* So I dig them up! I'm pretty sure I'm the only
one around at this time of year, and I'm happy to do my
part for the Community Garden!
I'm just going around, checking people's plots.
If there's a single plant, or a little scattering,
I dig it out and put it and the dirt in the plastic bag.
Lesser Celandines have very small rootlet balls under
them... they are pretty impossible to find, so you have
to dig up some of the dirt around them.
And because of those rootlet balls, you can't put
Lesser Celandine in the compost pile. They will just
regrow and take over!
So you have to bag up the plants and dirt and put it
in the landfill trash.
This is a limiting factor for me, since I'm walking...
(The Community Garden does not have trash pick-up!)
I fill up a small bag, which will just barely fit into
my small backpack. But since the dirt is muddy, it
gets heavy quickly. Which is why I don't use my big
backpack!
Okay! The plastic bag is full, and I've come around to
my neighbor's plot. This is the one plant that I really
need to murder, since it's so close to my plot!
When I push aside the leaf mulch... Dang it! It's
already trying to spread itself!
The plastic bag is so full, I can't completely zip up
my backpack around it! It's heavy and it's lumpy!
Bleh, uncomfortable walk home.
Tag: february 2025
|
Monday 17 February 2025... Getting Some Work Done! |
My New Years Resolution is to Declutter and Clean
around the house. I was sickly with covid and resulting
tiredness during January, but I've gotten my energy back
and I've been trying to develop a new cleaning
habit for myself!
I'm working for about 3 to 5 minutes every morning,
before my coffee and right after my morning exercises.
And I've decided to call this a Tiny-Clean!
I've started with the living room window.
Last year I had started cleaning the blinds. I've finished
that up and now I'm cleaning the window frame and sills.
It's all absolutely gross...
Seriously... three minutes with the rag, and that's it!
The rag is mostly black with guck and needs to be washed
out! And my five minute Tiny-Clean is done!
And slowly but surely, every day, progress is made!
I am pretty happy with how this is going!!
I'm taking compost to the garden plot today. There's a
bit of rain, but it's still nice and warm. 50°
(10°C) when I leave the house.
Most of the cover crop Fava I planted in the front of
the plot is starting to decompose.
The little Favas that survived the weeks of below freezing
nights, are looking pretty rough. But hopefully I will get
some seeds out of them in the spring.
I have a little walk about. Uh oh! I'm checking the
west side neighbor for Lesser Celandine, and here's a bit
growing.
In past years, there have been two clumps of Lesser Celandine
growing on the far side of that plot. I don't know how many
years I've been digging that up every Feb or March... but
apparently I have finally murdered those clumps! Yay!
But now I'm bummed to find this new clump... still on the far
side, but more towards the back of the plot. *grumble*
I will definitely need to bring my tools and get that thing
murdered soon! I do NOT want Lesser Celandine in my plot, and
this is a bit too close for comfort!
I double check the plot that was being rehabilitated
from Lesser Celandine. Yeah, it's terrible... little plants
coming back all over the place.
Why didn't they just put the tarp back on??? WHY??!
Well. Whatever. I'm heading back home.
Tag: february 2025
|
Sunday 16 February 2025... Sunday Stroll with Birds! |
There was a little bit of rain this morning, but it
didn't last long and when I head out for a walk it is
a blissful 52° (11°C)!!
But when I get out on the path, oh sheesh! There's a
lot of humans out here! *laughs* They are all enjoying
the warm weather as well. And everyone I pass by has
a sing-song Good Morning!
The birds are happy and singing as well.
Robins running around outside the Community Garden!
The red dots in the background are rose hips of our
native Nootka Roses, planted along the creek to stablize
the banks!
Robins are not a sign of spring around here...
They are here year round!
Pretty good bird day, for all the Humans wandering around! :)
Tag: february 2025
|
Saturday 15 February 2025... A Nice Day |
I head out for my walk and oh my gosh... it is
such a pleasure to walk in the NOT COLD!!!
*laughs*
Oh hey! Sir Shy?
*laughs* Yep, definitely! He's not letting me get close!
He's flown to the tall nest box in the Community Garden...
And then he flies to one of the path lamps.
Something has caught his attention, and I pause a moment
to see what happens.
He swoops down and POUNCES on someone in the shrubs next
to the creek!
And then he flies back...
Ha, dang it. The Community Garden fence is in the way.
But I don't think he's carrying anyone.
He goes to a different perch in the Garden...
And, yeah. He's not eating. So that pounce was a
definite miss! He'll have to try, try again for his
lunch!
I walk on.
And I'm still not over the Lenten Roses!
Tag: february 2025
|
Friday 14 February 2025... Still Snow |
The forecast for a warmer afternoon yesterday was entire
incorrect! The sun never made an appearance and it
barely got a degree above freezing.
But today the sun shines and the snow melts! The dripping
from the trees sounds like a heavy rain!
Oh wow...
I've noticed several small birds taking baths!
Ha. I was taking pics of this Flicker, but there's also a
Starling, all but camoflagued!
Ha. Why do the birds have to be straight up? *laughs*
I was going to fix the colour on this House Finch,
but I kind of like the stark blacks!
A pretty good bird day!!
Tag: february 2025
|
Thursday 13 February 2025... Snow Day! |
I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning!
And I kinda wanted to go out right away to get photos
of the snow! I was pretty sure the snow wasn't going to
last, and it would be nothing but a few piles of slush by
the time I got going for my regular walk.
But I've got stuff to do! I'm hosting a new swap series
at Swap-Bot, and I want to make sure that's staying
organzied. And I'm still sorting photos for the blog
posts I'm working on, and that takes extra time.
So my morning was full. But it turns out, the weather
has stayed cold... it's still cloudy and just 30°
(-1°C) when I head out. And the snow remains.
I've got my boots on and my layers!
And the snow on the bike path isn't slick at all and
is nice to walk on.
Ha! The snow is coming off the solar panels in sheets!
Do NOT walk under these! The sheet of snow falls randomly,
and that would be an unpleasant surprise! *laughs*
Oh, nice! Someone has brought treats for the Brewer
Blackbirds!
Aw, their little footprints in the snow!
heh... it must be several degress warmer, down in the water!
And here comes the other Nutria, walking down the bank!
There are more Teals than usual on the creek today.
And I see my friends the Hooded Merganser pair as well.
On my way back, the Brewer Blackbirds are still hanging
out in the same place.
The males are black with a sheen, while the females
are brown with dark eyes.
Oh, haha! There's a Crow, coming in for a landing behind
her! That's cool!
As I was getting back home, I realized I had not seen
a single snowman, even tho the kids had a snow day from
school.
And almost right as I had that thought, I saw one of my
neighbors had a tiny snowperson right out front!
*laughs*
The snow will definitely melt this afternoon. The clouds
will clear out and we've got a forecasted high of
39° (4°C).
Tag: february 2025
|
Wednesday 12 February 2025... Hidden Trail |
I'm going up Hidden Trail again because I don't want
to traumatize myself by associating it with the dying
Turkey I saw yesterday. Sighs.
Aw! Hello!
So Cute!
Bahaha! I like your sign!
Being so close to the deers makes me realize how tiny
our native Black Tails are! The Internets say the females
are about 100pounds, the males about 200pounds... These
are all females. But
those two smaller ones, in the first pic? I can't imagine
they are over 75 or 80pounds.
Just interesting to think about.
The Deers move on and I keep going up the trail to meet
the next group!
It's a bachelor band of Turkeys,
and I look at them all carefully.
None of them are injured. Good. I can relax.
I've noticed they've put up some new signs along the trail...
Haha, By Permission Only .
Tag: february 2025
|
Tuesday 11 February 2025... Hidden Trail with Sadness |
The sky is blue and the sun is shining, but it's still
a couple degrees below freezing when I leave the house.
brr.
But I think I've got energy enough to go up Hidden Trail
for the first time this year! Yay Energy!!
I meet a small group of Wild Turkeys on my way up.
Haha! He jumped up on the walking bridge railing!!
... And jumped down again!
I decide to not go up to the Acorn Woodpecker territory
and turn around at the top of the trail.
*laughs* there's a group of Bushtits bouncing
around right over my head!
As I come back down the hill, I meet up with another Turkey
and at first I wonder if he was the one I saw before.
But no. There's something wrong with this guy. I can't tell
what, exactly, but there's something wrong with his face.
I sit quietly with him for a little while. I don't know
what's going on, but it seems like the right thing to do.
It's not til I get home and look at the photos,
that I realize how devastating his
injury is. Ugh. He'll be dead in a day or two.
I am so sorry, buddy. Nature is cruel.
Tag: february 2025
|
Saturday 15 March 2025... The Ides of Trump |
Not my most poetical moment, perhaps... but heartfelt!
And yeah, I wrote Dear Donald ! Haha, it's just
automatic, I didn't even think about it! That pos is
definitely NOT dear to me, or anyone.
Oh well. Maybe I'll write some more this weekend.
Pretty cathartic.
Especially the I hate you one! Ha!
Altho, I don't actually hate him or his copresident Musk.
I don't care enough about them to hate. But I'm not sure
how else to convey my complete and utter loathing!
Tag: march 2025
|
Friday 14 March 2025... The Ides of Trump |
Oh. We're doing this again, huh?
Sounds good...
∞ We're working on a short schedule here BUT:
Let's do postcards
Write a postcard to that Traitor and Rapist in the
White House, and put it in the mail tomorrow, 15 March.
The Ides of March.
Back in 2017, I made a free printable PDF...
If you have a printer, please feel free to grab this:
∞ Free Printable PFD:
Two-Up Postcards to send to the White House on March 15th
And seriously. I've been having trouble
taking in all the political news here lately. And
I'm really down about what I do read.
The USA is no longer the Leader of the Free World.
And it's becoming increasingly obvious that America
will NEVER recover.
Unfortunately, it's not just the people in
American who will suffer.
People have already died from the destruction of USAID.
Medical Science has been set back by decades with
the destruction of the NIH.
And then, everything that Traitor does is accelerating
climate change. With the destruction of FEMA, more
people will die after climate disasters.
The Sixth Mass Extinction will continue apace, or
accelerate. And at some point, Nature will just break.
We won't be able to grow food enough for everyone
on the planet.
And at the rate we are going, not even Cockroaches
will survive. A runaway greenhouse effect and the
oceans will boil. The Earth will be Venus Part 2.
But let's step back to reality here.
We're not dead yet!
Download this thing. If you don't have a printer,
that's the address you'll write on your own postcard.
∞ Free Printable PFD:
Two-Up Postcards to send to the White House on March 15th
If you do have a printer, print that on cardstock.
Cut it up. Write your thoughts on the back.
Put a postcard stamp on the front.
Postcard stamps are currently 56¢. If you don't
have a postcard stamp, a Forever stamp will work as well.
Then drop it in the mail on Saturday!
And now... Remember! We are NOT DEAD YET!
Go cuddle your pet. Hug your human family.
Spend some time in nature...
or look at some nice nature pics here!
Tag: march 2025
|
Saturday 8 February 2024... About The Rants, part 1 |
I support local journalism. I subscribe to the paper
version of the local (corporate) newspaper. And Eugene
also has an alternative newspaper, the
Eugene Weekly.
The paper version is free. It's printed on Thursdays
and I usually read it on Saturday because the
regular newspaper is not delivered that day (to give
the delivery drivers a break).
I open up this week's EW, looking forward to reading
the Letters to the Editor (because the corporate newspaper
discontinued this a while ago) (jerks).
I see the Letters, but on the opposite page, there's an
article about 4J, our school district...
I am child-free by choice. But kids are important members
of the
community! So I try to read all the news about the local
schools. There has been a thing about one of the principals
resigning in the last month or so, and I assumed that's
what this article is about.
Nope. This is something else...
∞ Our
Children Are Our Common Ground
The blurb says "Eugene District 4J affirms its
commitment to equity and belonging" and I decide
to read this before the Letters...
By the 2nd paragraph, I'm hooked!
In Eugene School District 4J, our answer is to
reaffirm our commitment to providing a safe, welcoming
and inclusive learning environment - one where every
student is valued, supported and challenged to reach
their full potential.
I love what this guy is saying, and tears have sprung to
my eyes. About ⅔ into the article, I'm reading
the school district resolutions he has included.
The first one is about welcoming students of all
national origins without barriers related to immigration
or documentation status. Yay!
And then the first resolution of 2025, affirms
gender identity, expression and equity for transgender
and gender-expansive students and staff.
... And now I need to pause to have a quiet cry.
I'm happy. This is happy crying. I'm relieved.
I'm so glad that our community, our schools, will
protect children - ALL children. Our trans kids are
so important, and they need all the help they can get.
And I love the city and state I live in!
Okay. It's mostly happy crying.
The reason why I'm so emotional, of course, is because
Felon45 is threatening our children.
It's sad that school districts have to broadcast
the fact that all students are entitled to a
high-quality educational experience, free from
discrimination or harassment. It seems like this
should be just ... expected from our schools.
But here we are.
And it's necessary to point out that
we will protect them by all legal means available.
Hell Yeah!! We are a sanctuary state, so the Legal
Means include not letting ICE into the schools.
I'm not sure what it means, exactly, for trans kids
but the resolution is reassuring.
Tag: february 2024
|
Wednesday 12 February 2025... A Screaming Shit Fit |
I was amused about a coincidence today...
I've been writing blog posts for the end of December,
and so I'm referrencing my journal entries from that time.
This little nugget was in the journal entry I'm looking
at today:
∞ The
Democratic Party's relationship with its voters
has turned spammy and abusive
>>> Yeah, seriously...
I could write a blog post about this!!
And surfing the internets today, I hit upon this
little nugget with the exact same core:
∞ So The DCCC Called Me Up For Money, And I Apply Jiu Jitsu And Vent About The Democrats vs Trump.
It's just unbelievable to me that these idiots
are STILL asking for money. After they got millions
for the Harris campaign. That failed!
Dems are literally doing nothing while Trump and Musk
chaotically dismantle the government, not to mention
dismantling democracy itself!
And then I came across another article today that
made me just start to rage...
∞ Democratic leaders are pissed voters want them to do their job
The outlet reports that a senior House Democrat told
them that Jeffries is 'very frustrated' at activist groups
like MoveOn and Indivisible that have helped concerned
Americans make phone calls to congressional offices....
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, told the outlet
[Axios] that his office has been rebuffing these callers,
telling them, 'Please call the Republicans.'
UNFUCKING BELIEVEABLE!
People are dying because of Trumps policies.
DYING!
People have _been_ dying from the first go around, when
he radicalized the Supreme Court and they turned
over Roe v Wade.
And people are going to die because of each and every
one of the exec. orders that traitor has been signing
since he became a dictator on day one.
People are
DYING! and all the Dems have is Please
call the Republicans ??! WTF.
...
I am not a registered democrat. I'm registered as
independent. And for this, for what has been going
on with Dems sitting on their hands and doing nothing,
barely even lip service... I will Never change over to
democrat. I have had it up to here with these worthless
Dems, who are NOT representing us. FUCK THEM!
And it's probably never going to matter. Because at
the rate that things are going... we won't ever get
to vote again, anyway.
...
*Deep Breath*
And so we must depend on ourselves. We can't trust
those Dem bastards in D.C. They don't care about us and
they don't have our backs.
We will have to take care of each other!
Tag: february 2025
|
Saturday 16 July 2022... New Osprey Nest! |
So I've looked at a map, and I hope I get around the new
Downtown Riverfront Park without getting lost this time.
It's closed because they are using it for the
World
Athletics Championships, which started yesterday
and runs until the 25th.
This amazing mural just outside the Rose Garden was finished
just in time for the Championships.
And, of course, you can't go by the Rose Garden without
obsessively taking photos of the roses.
And then we gotta check the Osprey nest on the other side
of the river. There's one child there today, and she
takes off ... only to make a loop and come back to the nest.
XXX... Goal: Finish this post!
Tag: xxx 2022
|
2018... BLOG POSTS |
(Posted 18 Dec 2020...)
I have managed to move all of the 2018 journal entries
into an archive page. I did not write very much in 2018,
so I decided not to divide them up into months, like I usually do.
The new archive is HTML5, and completely validated!
2018 journal entries
Tag: 2018
|
2017... BLOG POSTS |
(Posted 19 Dec 2020...)
I have managed to move all of the 2017 journal entries
into an archive page.
And again, I didn't write very much, so the posts for
the entire year are on one page.
The new archive is HTML5, and completely validated!
2017 journal entries
Tag: 2017
|
|
I am rift vegan!
I live in the Pacific Northwest of the USA,
with my Partner in a tiny townhouse.
I am vegan for ethical and environmental reasons,
my love for animals and nature is
a very important part of my life.
This blog is currently a place
for the photos I take while out walking.
Topics include...
∞ Nature! Flora, Fauna, Funga and Phenomena.
∞ Clouds and the fog on the hill.
∞ Trees, native plants, blossoms and botanicals.
∞ Wildlife! Mostly birds and squirrels.
Occasionally other creatures, including bugs.
∞ Reading and Journaling.
∞ Veganic Gardening.
∞ Rants!
|
2025
2024
2023
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