2026

The sky has been dripping off and on since about 5am. As I head out for a walk, it's pretty dreary and the gentle rain is consistent. Perfect weather for a walk!

I'm chasing after the sparrow with Leucism! *laughs*

This time she or he doesn't disappear quite so quickly.

Some Elephants have joined the fence of Graffiti!

A guy was coming towards me, talking on his phone. Ha, I love eavesdropping on the snippets of conversation I hear! But this one sets me on edge right away.

It's not that big a deal, he says. His voice isn't raised, but it's a bit on the emphatic side. Just come pick me up. Drop me off at home. And then go...

We've passed each other now, and I don't hear where she's supposed to go next.

And you KNOW he's talking to a woman... because he has THAT TONE.

Oh. You know that tone. You know it well.

It's the tone of a privileged white guy who has asked for an unreasonable or extraordinary favor from a woman. And the woman has said no, because she's not able, or she's not willing, or whatever. And privileged white guy is ... not taking no for an answer. He is wheedling and manipulating and demanding. He WILL get what he wants.

It's that tone. That misogynistic, caveman tone that says, Woman! You do what I want! No matter what! Because me Man!

That tone.

I hate that tone with the heat of the fusion in the sun.

But now I'm upset and pissed off during my nature time, and that is just not to be endured!!

So I'm imagining the rest of that conversation. The woman will say, You know what? You can call a damn cab if you need a ride home! And hangs up! It's just too bad we can't hang up with a slam anymore!

And then the woman decides some life choices need to be assessed, and yep, it's time to move on from this asshole! If he does come home in the cab, there's a note telling him it's not his home anymore, we're done, go away forever!

*Laughs*

And now I can breath easy again. Nature! Let's look at Nature!

I stop to look at the Solidarity Garden... they've got huge patches of California Poppies which are thinking about blooming!

And one of their fruit trees is blooming. It's sign is missing, but I think this was a Sweet Cherry.

I turn around and wow, this Magnolia sure pops in the dreary weather!

I'm back on the bike path, and I don't know what this fruit tree is either. But these are the darkest pink blossoms around!

∞ Supreme Court To Decide If 14th Amendment Says What It Says The textualists wouldn't dare ignore the plain text, right?

The 14th Amendment is the Birthright Citizenship one, and it's not just about making former slaves citizens. Birthright Citizenship is a common practice that lots of other countries follow.

But America has this little problem with white supremacy at the moment.

Yeah. America is terrible. One of the comments boiled it down: There's a legitimate chance the Supreme Court will rule the Constitution unconstitutional.

It rained thru most of the night but I'm up to a blue sky. My first set of photos, I didn't realize the exposure was turned up just a bit too much.

But, ya know? I'm gonna call these Artsy! And anyway, the more I look at them, the more I like them! Hahaha!

This is a tree which someone has grafted a branch of white cherry blossoms to a tree of pink double petal blossoms.

Here's a helpful page explaining the different kinds of Cherry Blossoms in the parks at Washington DC...

∞ NPS, Cherry Tree Field Guide

So the pink, double petals are Kwanzan Cherries. They are easy to recognize! and the white ones might be Yoshino Cherries? not sure.

Everyone's Tulips in the neighborhood are being colourful!

I've come back around to the bike path, and there's a place where it comes close to the road...

That idiot's war in Iran, just a lame distraction from the Epstein files and the fact that he raped children. I am glad that Iran is fighting back, in an appropriate manner. They are definitely the adult in the room.

Dear World: I am sorry. I don't know why that guy is not in jail. I don't know why Congress is going along with everything he says. I don't know why he's not impeached. I don't know why people voted for a rapist in the first place. I am so ashamed of America. Utterly Ashamed.

*deep breath* I hate it when the real world intrudes on my nature time. Okay. Back to Nature!

Keep! Looking! Up! (in the voice of Jack Horkheimer, Star Hustler) :)

There's still a good puddle at the front of the park. But no ducks or shorebirds.

Once again, I try to get the swooping swallows in frame!

Well look at that! Proof that they are Violet Green Swallows rather than Tree Swallows!

There's still some puddles in the bit of forest, too.

Bigleaf Maple is starting to bloom!

Still a little chilly when I leave the house, 39°. But the sun is shining and it should warm up... I've left the small backpack at home because I want to walk today!

But then I get to the Community Garden and Oh Crud! I forgot that we had gotten a load of finished compost and everyone gets a free wheelbarrow load!

Well? I suppose dealing with one wheelbarrow load without gloves, probably won't kill me! I get to work!

Since they've not completed the fence yet, we've still just got the one gate in and out of the Garden. So my wheelbarrow trip is a little bit longer than it should have been. And this compost is pretty heavy. oof!

But I get the load around to the plot.

Hmm. One wheelbarrow load isn't much, but Kevin promised there would be a second round where we'll get three more loads. I do want some compost in the fallow area, for sure.

But today I have visions of the future! At the back of the plot last year, in front of the strawberry patch, is where I had the tomatoes. I think this year, I'll put the summer squashes there.

And later, I'll drag the big trellis over to the fallow area. That might be a mistake, especially if the beans don't grow. Which is a serious possibility... the soybeans I've planted here last year were VERY stunted, the Fava as well, tho at least some of them made some beans!

I've got time to think about it!

But right next to the big trellis...

This is that Goldenrod plant which came in an unlabeled pot and remained a mystery for so long last year. And then it exploded with yellow blooms and the bugs LOVED it! Which means I love it too!

And LOOK!!! All around the base!!!

Happy little Goldenrod seedlings!

Yay! Tho that's a lot for one little spot. Maybe I will dig a couple up and move them.

But I actually meant to walk today! So I'm heading out!

Oh wow, look at this colourful display!

It amuses me highly that the yard is a weedy mess... Dandelions, Dead Nettle and some Spanish Bluebells there!!

I'm back at the bike path, and here's that weird looking pair of Hooded Mergansers.

As I suspected, the one with the bright orange eyes is a juvenile male. His adult feathers are starting to come in!

He's kind of cute like this, tho!

And a bit further on, Princess Buttercup and her fella!

And when I get home, I decide to take care of the patiently waiting Fuchsias that I had rescued a month ago.

I've even found matching pots for them. A bigger one for the two dormant plants and a smaller one for the single greenhouse plant.

The greenhouse Fuchsia is rather unhappy about the move! So I'm going to keep it inside for a few days to make sure it lives!

I'm sure it will be fine. And I didn't clean up, you can see all the leaves they lost after their adventure of being dumped at the creek and going without water for however many days.

And once this one gets it's act together, they will look great in the front yard, leading up to the door!

Blue sky today and the forecast has us in the mid-70's thru the weekend and into next week.

Ugh. Normal for this time of year is 59/39. And overly warm days right now, have me worried about the summer.

But walking in the sun does cheer me up.

Aw, the Wood Ducks!

She's so pretty!

This amazing tree is behind the Events Center and living with a couple of Apple trees.

I have wondered in the past if this is a Apricot tree... but I've never actually bothered to check what kind of fruits result from these dark pink blooms.

Oh wow, under the Camellia bush!

Oh! The Wood Ducks are still here... but now there's a second male.

∞ They are fast, but the cognitive dissonance is faster

Yeah, this is a good reminder. My whole family is Maga, and my parents are pretty deep in it, especially my Dad. And as he has gotten better from his double knee replacement (highly successful, YAY!) He has been trying to ... proselytize his craziness at me.

And I really really need to just ignore that. Because I love him. And I know I will not be able to convince him of his craziness. As this video reminds us, actual facts are not going to change anyone's mind.

And as one of the commenters said: I chose sanity over trying to convince my family they are defending pedophiles.

I thought for sure she was going to catch somebody for dinner right in front of me. But nope, she looked hard and then she kept walking by.

It's so cute when they're thinking about a nap!

I just learned these double petal cherry blossoms are Kanzan Cherries... and I need to use that word a lot so I can remember it! *laughs*

Kanzan, Kanzan, Kanzan!!

And look at the colour of the trees!

And back to the Kanzan Cherry trees. :)

Okay, can I tear myself away from the Kanzen Cherry blossoms??!

*laughs*

And the Heron is still hunting, just downstream, under the bridge.

Oh my god. The profane heresy is breath taking. On EASTER! A Holy Day for Xians!

∞ Jesus Christ is Risen

The president of the not-so-United States said, and I quote, Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards... Praise be to Allah.

ON EASTER. Do any Christians have anything to say about this? and what the heck is this Praise be to Allah??

∞ Trump Totally Blows His Cool, Demands Iran Open the 'F**king Strait'

And oh yeah. Let's not get all distracted by dear leader throwing down the f-bomb. There's this other thing....

Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.

Bombing civilian infrastructure like bridges and electricity plants, is absolutely a war crime.

Not that this regime cares about war crimes, when they've committed so many already.

It's in the 60s already when I leave the house, and the forecast is for 77° but it actually gets up to 81° today.

Shakes head sadly... not just at the climate change, but also the failure of our crippled weather service.

Normal temps are 59/39. And a normal forecast, on the morning of, should be right on. It should be precise. Not 4° off.

Good Morning Friend Teal! Where is your girlfriend?

That Plum tree with the weird fruits...

And that one, little red round one will grow up to be a normal plum, probably. I wish the Extension Office could have explained this weird thing!!

It is the time for Lilacs!

And thrilled to see the Honey Bees at this nest again!

So cute and precious!

And I do really love the colour of these double petal Tulips.

And this Apple tree is looking lovely.

And this Maybe Apricot. *laughs*

Some of the fields are filling up with yellow!

Western Buttercups, a native wildflower!

∞ Democrats respond to the rapist-in-chief's unhinged message from Easter morning -- UPDATE

Invoke the 25th. hmm. Do you think anything will come of that?

Another interesting weather forecast this morning... says there's a Frost Advisory tonight. Except the overnight low is to be 41°? So how, exactly, are we going to get FROST when it's 9 degrees above freezing?

Okay! I am planting Sugar Snap Peas at the garden today!! I've got some peas that I had saved from last year, and a bought packet. (haha, nevermind the mud smudges on my fingers... that's just me being soooo authentic! :)

I planted a big patch in the front left of the plot... right behind the new Irises that are still looking rather pathetic. Last year, I had a couple Crookneck Squashes growing here and they did fine: the crappy dirt of the fallow area did not extend to this area.

Now that I think about it tho, I'm wondering if those saved peas will breed true. I know the offspring of hybrids sometimes reverts back to their original. I guess we will see what happens.

And I planted just as many of the bought peas, as well. So there will definitely be plenty of actual Sugar Snaps here, no matter what the second generation peas do!

And I planted so many peas, I actually got bored! haha! So I quickly gave them a little water and I got out of there!

Isn't this time of year just glorious!

∞ US-Israel attacks on Iran: Death toll and injuries live tracker

If you scroll down a bit, there's a map listing the number of people killed and injured in Trump's war.

It makes me cry. Hundreds of children because the US blew up an elementary school. a war crime. and so Pointlessly.

So pointlessly.

Ugh... let's look at more nature...

oh, this little patch of purples!! Wallflowers and Periwinkle.

And doing a little bit of research about Sugar Snap Peas, I found this interesting blog post...

∞ Sugar Snap Peas: Rest In Peace

This gardener was getting a lot of Snow Peas growing from bought packets of Sugar Snap Peas... The Johnny's seed produced about 30% snow peas. The Baker Creek seed is worse. Of the approximately 60 seeds planted, 3 or 4 plants yield true Sugar Snap peas, one produces tough podded shelling peas and the remainder produce snow peas.

Yikes! That's crazy!

Fortunately, that was written in 2015, and we are still buying, growing and eating Sugar Snaps.

So no Sugar Snap Pea Apocalypse yet! Yay!

We've got blue sky this morning, tho a bit of a haze out there in the hills.

Male Towhee, bouncing around...

And here's the female, much more shy.

At the back of the Events Center...

Yay! The Friends of the Library Used Book Sale! This weekend! Books are 2$!!! I will be there!

And now we get to the place where I get totally carried away looking at flowers!! *laughs*

But how can I not get carried away? All the amazing colours! Just Wow!

Oh, this is pretty! The leaves are some kind of Wood Sorrel...

Yep: Pink Sorrel. *laughs* I like it when the names of the flowers are nice and descriptive!

And, back at home, I stop to admire the Fuchsias... I had set them out front yesterday afternoon. And the Squirrels started digging in the dirt almost instantly. *laughs*

They are getting some sun right now, but soon the leaves of the Oaks and Sweet Gums above will grow bigger. I'm not sure if enough light will get thru to keep the Fuchsia's alive. But, we'll see!

∞ Hi, God. It's me, Susan.

Oh my heart. The photo of people forming a human chain around their power plant.

This is just... gods.

Not just the one power plant, either...

∞ Iranian Civilians Form Human Chain Around Infrastructure Citizens, including children, guard power plants and bridges amid U.S. threats and airstrikes

According to Iranian Fars News Agency, Tasnim News Agency, and others on the 7th (local time), citizens gathered at the thermal power plant in Bisotun, Kermanshah Province, western Iran; the thermal power plant in Mazandaran, northern Iran; and Iran's largest thermal power plant, Shahid Rajaee, in Qazvin Province, northwestern Iran, to protect the facilities.

Publicly released photos and videos showed Iranian citizens holding national flags and signs reading 'Attacks on power facilities are war crimes,' forming a ring around the facilities. Some were also seen holding hands.

Fars News Agency also reported on residents gathered in front of a thermal power plant in Kazerun, a southern Iranian city. Footage showed children among adults guarding the facility in a circle. Fars News Agency stated, They gathered in front of the power plant to condemn attacks on public infrastructure and defined them as clear war crimes.

In addition to power plants, hundreds of people formed a 'human chain' by standing closely together on bridges in Dehloran and Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran.

I am so, so proud of the Iranian people!

And so, so ashamed and disgusted at Trump and Hegseth, and I wish someone would arrest them, impeach them... DO something.

Here! Don't be upset... Look at more flowers.

I am always amused to visit this tree in the spring...

The tree is a Kanzan Cherry tree... with the pink, double petal cherry blossoms.

But someone has grafted on a branch of a different species with white blossoms!

It's just funny. Like, just... where did this other branch come from and who decided to graft it here!! I would love to know what happened!!

My partner has been bringing some sidewalk chalks to this little park...

And I'm thrilled that someone has been using them!

This is my favorite, flowery yard to take lots of photos of...

But I got this single photo and then realized there was someone weeding, almost right behind me! Haha, he was hidden behind some bushes, but I needed to run away before he saw me and talked to me! *laughs*

I've arrived at the trail head of Hidden Trail, and there's a construction crew here, working on the driveway of the apartments. They've got a jackhammer and the noise is annoying. It takes a while before I'm far enough away to ignore it.

But, oh! Look at the Fawn Lilies blooming!

There's Trillium blooming as well.

There's a small pool, and I see a Water Strider dancing. I don't want to disturb her by crouching down... but I try to get her portrait anyway!

*laughs* There's no chance for this photo to happen, but I give it a try too!

At the top of the trail, there's a family of Steller Jays yelling to each other about something. But now I've got a whole theme of crappy photography going!

I went over to the bioswales, hoping to see another newt. But nope, they are starting to dry out, and I didn't see anyone in the water.

And the sad construction continues up here.

And I don't see any Acorn Woodpeckers.

So, I'm wondering again if they are shifting their territory to some place else.

Sighs.

Coming back down the hill... I come SO CLOSE to getting a squirrel in the cherry blossoms, but there's too many sticks in the way.

Yep, she's eating the cherry blossoms! haha!

The Western Grey Squirrels are just everywhere today!

Oh!

She's not looking at me. She's looking down at... Oh! Haha! I didn't even see this other deer right in front of me!

I'm back down in the native plants section, and I'm hearing a swarm buzzing. I'm looking all around, trying to figure out where the bees are.

Straight up!

Oh my gosh, they are catching the light like gems up there!

Wow!

∞ Amazon Pulls Support for Perfectly Fine Older Kindles
In an email to customers, Amazon announced that it would be ending service for Kindle devices older than the 2012 edition. Those devices will lose access to the Kindle Store.

Yeah. I got that email a couple days ago.

I have a Kindle Keyboard and I love it to no end.

But I guess this is the end.

The move doesn't completely turn your ebook reader into e-waste. On the older devices, you can still read the books you have downloaded. You can also manually download documents via USB cable.

And that's the thing... the kindle works fine. I've never had any trouble with it. It doesn't cost amz anything to keep sending ebooks to it. They just want to force people to buy the next kindle.

And you know what? That's not inspiring loyalty in me.

Why would I want another kindle if you're just going to pull the rug out in a few years???

I don't know what I'm going to do. Amz is giving me a decent discount, and that is tempting.

But I've got a lot of paper books around here. Maybe I should dig into those!

The sun is shining and we've got a lovely sky.

Got a couple days of rain in the forecast, starting this evening. So I thought it would be a great day to plant some seeds.

Oh my Gosh!!!

I thought this partially completed nest hole had been abandoned, I've not seen anyone here for about two weeks!!

This is the female Flicker and she's checking out the location, not doing any work.

She's definitely noticed me staring at her, and I'm glad... This is necessary information for her to have! A nest right next to the bike path is going to include a lot of humans!!

I'm at the garden and I'm going to plant Salsify today, but first I have a look around.

There's some invasive Horseradish growing on the right side border... If the neighbors there are new, they won't know about Horseradish yet, so I'm not going to get mad. :) But I do need to bring the dandelion tool and dig this out!

Okay! Salsify!

For starters, it's pronounced Salsa-Fee... saul-suh-fee.

It's a wildflower native to Europe that grows wild around here. About a meter tall, with a purple flower, you eat the root and supposedly it has a mild mineral taste.

Anyway, I had gathered seeds of some wild Salsifies last year and I'm planting them today!

Most of that is fluff... Salsifies make a seed head that looks a bit like huge Dandelions, tho straw yellow instead of white! Here's what a single seed looks like.

I think I should have planted these back when it was colder. So I plant two patches, and I use all of the seeds I have, there's no reason to save any for later... If it fails, I will gather more seeds and plant them a lot earlier next year!

But, of course, I am overly hopeful for This Year! I imagine the future flowers, a patch in front with the Elephant Garlics and the couple Beets going to seed...

and another in back! They will be lovely!

And I've brought the sprayer for the hose, so I've watered the dirt.

And when I was looking at the front patch... Yay! Roz's Echinacea has survived the winter and is starting to come back!!

There's a wildflower in the front that I decided to keep, too.

We've got several kinds of Geraniums that grow wild here. I have a hard time figuring them out because many of them are not native.

But I've found what this one is... Cutleaf Geranium. Not native, but that's okay. The flowers are tiny, but the leaves are pretty.

And I'm so pleased at the Strawberry patch!

Look at how Healthy they are!!!

Of course I have to remind myself that the slugs will eat the strawberries. I can't get my hopes up too high!

But ... I can't wait to eat strawberries!! *laughs*

Okay. I'm out of the garden.

Oh! The Wood Ducks! ha, not very cooperative today. oh well.

And from the local news, the PeaceHealth saga of our Emergency Department continues. They have been trying to switch our local ER doctors out for a corporate group of ER doctors...

And WHOA! Today's revelation is a doozy!!

Unfortunately, it's behind a paywall at Lookout. But here's what I've stolen from their newsletter...

PeaceHealth placed Jim McGovern, chief hospital executive at PeaceHealth Medical Center at RiverBend, on leave Thursday after allegations he worked outside of his administrative scope and tried to influence the emergency care of patients.

And in the evening newsletter.

The fallout continued today over allegations Jim McGovern, chief hospital executive for PeaceHealth's Oregon network, overstepped his license and inappropriately tried to influence patient care in the emergency department. A day after McGovern was put on administrative leave, RiverBend hospital's Chief of Staff Dr. William Emerson said the process by which PeaceHealth chose the new emergency department provider, ApolloMD, has been 'irreconcilably compromised.' And U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle said PeaceHealth needs to 'question every action that Mr. McGovern made as CEO.'

For an administrater to second guess ER doctors' decisions and try to influence patient care is INCREDIBLY Unethical! Does the guy even have a medical license???

Maybe. But you know... YOU KNOW!... he was trying to get the ER docs to do less for their patients, to save money.

And this is just horrifying.

Right out the door, I stop to admire the new Fuchsias!

They are so happy out here, despite the squirrels digging in their dirt! *laughs*

It rained most all night and this morning was off and on sprinkles. I'm a bit concerned because I'm going to the Used Book Sale at the Events Center... and the small backpack is not waterproof! I throw in a couple trash bags to wrap up the books I buy, to keep them dry on the walk home!

But the rain quits just as I was leaving the house. It's still pretty dreary, but it's not long and I had to take my rain jacket off, it's too warm!

The Crab Apple tree outside the Community Garden is just loaded with blooms!

So Lovely.

Oh, and the Camas Lilies are starting to bloom!

Well. I will be back this way, later. Right now, I'm getting excited about the book sale!

But then, this little one stops me! Yelling like crazy.

It's just the one, and I'm wondering where the rest of the crew is... Since February there have been three Killdeers hanging out here...

And she/he keeps sitting down?

They fly away before I even get close... but I am definitely looking closely in the grass here to see if there's a nest.

Killdeer nests are hard to see, but I know what to look for. And I don't think there are any eggs here. Tho I don't step into the grass, just in case.

My friend hasn't flown very far...

I wish I knew what they were thinking! Has this one been rejected from the threesome? Or are the other two on nest duty and this one is taking a well deserved break? I wish I knew! :)

But I'm at the Events Center, and I walk past the big Exhibit Hall to the other side of that building... oh, there's a long line of people here?

I look around, and apparently I look so confused someone stops to tell me what's going on. Yep. That's the line for the book sale.

Oh. Thanks! Why are they doing that? Something about the fire marshal not wanting so many people in there. They let groups in every five minutes or so, as people check out. Okay. Thank You!

And yeah. The wait time is excruciating. About 20mins to get into the building then another 5 or 10 waiting in the hallway outside the room.

But, once I get in, it is much less crowded than it usually is. And that's nice!

My plan of attack is to stick with the Science Fiction aisles...

Last year I had bought several nonfiction books... And I've not read a single one yet. So this year, I've decided to focus on fiction instead.

I find a couple authors that I'm familiar with... Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey. But I'm pretty sure I've read these books before.

Sheri S. Tepper is an author I recognize, so we'll see about Shadow's End... altho that sounds more like a fantasy book, so I hope it's actually scifi. And I know Beggars in Spain is a scifi award winner, with both the Hugo and the Nebula.

So that's four books and then I head over to the Science and Nature section. One nonfiction book, that is all!

Ooooh! The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks!! Excellent book, I highly, HIGHLY recommend it!! But I don't want to read it again... I want something new.

Okay! I've found Rambunctious Garden. I look at the back and see the author lives in Oregon! Great!

I wander over to the checkout line... and a volunteer is going up and down the line. When she gets to me she says, There's an express lane over there if you have six books or less. Oh! Great!

I walk in the direction she pointed, and there's just a bunch of people chatting in front of the check out tables. um? I walk up to the volunteer with the sign and she all, Can I help you? heh. Can I check out? I ask, trying to keep any snark out of my voice.

Oh! She and her friends move out of the way and I have to laugh. I don't know how you can forget what you're doing in this kind of environment!

I get checked out and I pay my 10$ for five books, and I put a couple dollars in the donation box. I really should be a Friends of the Library member, too. I don't know why I'm not.

Heading home, and it looks like the next rain storm is building up!

And sure enough, a couple hours after I get home, it starts to sprinkle. And then it pours!

So I timed today's walk for books, perfectly!

Princess Buttercup and her fella.

And then, ha, their cousins paddle by!

That's that juvenile Hooded Merganser with his girlfriend. Such a cute couple!

When he gets all his adult plumage, I won't be able to recognize him any more...

But, they'll probably be leaving soon anyway. They will find a more appropriate area for their nesting!

I will miss them, but it won't be long before we have Mallard ducklings to distract me!

∞ US Citizen detained at traffic stop and deported by DHS

I'm sure this happens a lot. Because ICE and Border Patrol and DHS are stupid racist idiots. And the Supreme Court has ruled to allow them to be stupid racist idiots.

Due process?

∞ Detention Quick Facts

Look at more flowers.

Princess Buttercup, again!

There's a couple sprinkles this morning, but I don't think it's going to continue and I'm headed to the Garden.

A blurry Chickadee. *laughs* They bounce around too quickly for me and the camera.

*Bounce!*

Okay. I'm at the garden, and as I'm walking to my plot... oh, poor dead squirrel.

Very, very dead.

And eaten. I'd assume a hawk.

There's no calories left, but the tendons and all are holding the skeleton together. I will bury the poor thing in my plot.

But I'm interested, and I look at what's left before the funeral.

Their tiny molars!

I dig a hole between the Irises and Snap Pea patch, and I say a few words.

And now I'm working on the Horseradish on the right side border.

That green pot, filled with grass, next to my bucket is one of the last remnants of the Pot People, who technically lasted two years. The first year had many pots and many flowers. And a good bit of annoyance, too, with their Sunflowers and decorative Grasses right on my border! *grr* I mean, Decorative GRASSES! Seriously!

The plot was un-worked last season. It became a weedy mess and I'm pretty sure I've got new neighbors now!

Murdering the Horseradish, I start out with the Dandelion tool... but ugh, the dirt here is too muddy. And the hand spade is actually easier to get down as far as I can with the tap roots.

I'm going several feet over the border, but I'm not quite finished when it starts sprinkling again. Well, humph.

But I've gotten a good bit done.

The sprinkles are getting serious, so I'm heading out. But I see someone has left a freebie out on the picnic table...

Fennel. ha. No thanks. I've experimented with Fennel before and I don't like it.

The yellow flowers here are some kind of invasive... looks like Dillweed.

∞ Amazon worker dies at warehouse. Coworkers forced to keep working around his body.

What is this? A factory from the 1800s?

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???

Neighbor Kitty Riley and Grumpy Grey who is a TNR stray! They are happy friends and I see them playing occasionally.

We've happily had some rain over the last few days, and it looks like that will continue for a few days more!

It's cloudy this morning, the forecast says rain this afternoon. And as I walk behind Gudu-kut (Tree Frog) Park, I hear a single frog singing! I'm glad he is happy!!

And when I walk by the new Flicker hole...

Hmmm? I've not seen the parents-to-be here, since the female was checking things a couple days ago. But I think the hole is a little bit wider? Maybe? :)

I'm going to do more weeding at the Garden Plot today, and I see the construction guys are here again, working on the fence.

One guy is attaching the upright wood bits to the outside of the posts. I thought it was to make things pretty, but now I see it's another anchor for the wire fencing.

But seeing the guys working on these little projects, just makes me a little bit mad. They had started the fencing project on Mar13, and their due date was April. At the beginning of April we were informed that it would be several more weeks before the gates arrived. But, jeez, they aren't even close to ready for the stupid gates! *grumble*

Well anyway. Continuing with digging up the Horseradish at the border along the east side of the garden plot...

And, that's a lot of grass there, too, next to the pot. And you know what? If I've got new neighbors there, as I suspect I do... that abandoned pot is now mine. I wonder what I should do with it!

The few bits of green left there are Borage plants.

I dug out grass almost to the front of the plot, again going several feet into the other plot. And the bucket is almost full!

I tidy up and have a look around before I go.

So very pleased with the Strawberry Patch!!

And the little Goldenrods are happy too!

I get home and ha, Riley is here with the new Fuchsias!

Video by Danainspired...

∞ Questions for 'not all men' men

Yep, straight up.

'Not all men' doesn't change a single thing for women!

You know when you suddenly notice things that have been there for years, and you see this thing and you are amazed?!

*laughs*

I was out the door and across the street I saw this Wisteria blooming...

That roof at the bottom is a one story house, and that Douglas Fir, I don't know how tall it is, but it's a normal sized fir tree for the city. And that Wisteria goes up past the frame and almost to the top of the tree!

Just wow. Can you imagine how heavy that Wisteria is? Wisterias are vines but they have a pretty serious trunk... I would love to see the base of those trees, the Fir and the Wisteria, except they are in someone's back yard so that's not going to be possible.

Okay! It rained and winded most all night, but the sprinkles tapered off slowly this morning.

But it's just the next storm blowing in! I get ½ mile down the path and it starts pouring.

Oh!

It's the female Flicker again!

She flies, and I thought she was flying away...

But she comes back around to the hole they've been working on!!

I walk past the Community Garden in the pouring rain, and the two construction guys are here again. They are bringing dirt in to fill the trench under the new fence.

I go by the three Leaning Tree Saplings. Two of the saplings are coming back to life from the winter.

But the west tree is still brown.

This bums me out... it was the west trunk of the original Leaning Tree which was so amazing. It dipped down so you could lean on it like a standing desk. I stood there a lot, and even brought a little notebook and pen sometimes.

Sighs.

And the single Killdeer is here again, without the other two of the group.

As I get into the downtown neighborhood, the sun comes out again.

This hell strip is just amazing...

I'm coming back on the bike trail... I hear peeping and oh my gosh!! First ducklings of the season!!

There's a couple males here. They are just curious about the babies, but Mama doesn't trust them. Mama says no and blocks them.

Aw, the baby with their arms out!

Mama gets everyone out of the water...

But the peeping that I heard before has gotten more insistent.

A baby has been left behind!

We are under a car bridge, and with all the concrete around the creek here, the sound is echoing. I can't tell where the peeping is coming from!

And neither can Mama!

She's looking, looking. In the same direction I am, but she doesn't see baby either.

and oh my gosh, my heart is breaking, listening to the distressed baby!

And Mama must be feeling that so much more!

I bet she wishes she could say Children, you stay here while I go look for your sibling!

But the babies are going to try to follow her, no matter where she goes.

Ugh. I can't handle my emotions, and I have to leave before Mama finds #9.

I'm sure she won't give up. She will find her baby.

I slept wrong? and I'm in a good bit of pain today. I've got whiplash that acts up from time to time, but it's weird because I've been doing my exercises.

But then I realized... I'm not! I had dropped some of the shoulder stretches because I thought my awesome work on pushups every day would cover that.

Apparently not. And today is a pretty loud wake up call! The upper back just hurts, in the usual manner: it feels like if I could just pop my back, it would feel a lot better. But on top of that, I can't lift my right arm very high, because it hurts, and this is a new and different thing. It's killing me to lift my coffee mug up to my face, and that's actually kind of funny. Left arm seems fine, so that's good.

Well. If I can survive the day, tomorrow will be better. and I will return to my old stretches, so this never happens again.

And fortunately I don't need my upper back or my stupid arm in order to walk!

(and actually, walking is part of the exercise that ordinarily keeps me pain free!)

All is quiet at the Flicker hole.

As I was taking pictures of the cherry blossoms, this one was slowly coming up behind me...

*laughs* I really should carry some walnuts!

The construction guys are not working again today. what a surprise. Still only working Mon, Tue, Wed, even tho they were supposed to be done two weeks ago. *grumble*

There's no one inside the Community Garden, so I decide to go in. At my plot there's a couple of Sugar Snap Peas germinating, that have come to the top of the dirt.

I covered them all up. and then I noticed there's a second Columbine here at the back of the pea patch!! Yay!

Here's the Columbine that has been growing over the winter. It's happy, and I'm glad to see that it will flower before too long. The couple of small plants I had last year didn't bloom at all!

First Squirrel on the new fence! :)

Oh my gosh. I don't know what that purple bush is in the background... But the COLOURS!!!

Heading home, and I happen to catch this Golden Crown Sparrow sunning!

Ha! They look so weird when they do that!! Plus they're pretty zoned out, too.

∞ Alleged arsonist's words may shock you. His motive may not.

All you had to do was pay us enough to fucking live.

No one was injured. and hey: Power to the People!!!

The comments there are great!

∞ The Kindle update controversy

Yep.

They don't just want more money. They want all the money.

Sighs.

I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do when they shut down my ability to buy new books for my kindle. It's just so annoying, I don't want to deal with it.

Currently Reading: a paper book!

I'm heading for Steward Pond but I've grabbed my pepper spray and put it in my pocket.

The last time I came out here, I passed a couple homeless guys on the bike path that set off my Spidey-sense in a major way.

... and, turns out a woman was assaulted there.

But once I get to the bike path, I see no homeless people. And there's a couple of city Parks people here too in their new souped up golf cart.

Good. That makes me feel better.

I'm at the park and there's still some pond water here! We've actually gotten a decent amount of rain for April.

*laughs* Too busy for photography!

A Red Tail is flying over.

I suppose that means I won't have much luck with the birds in the forest.

And when I come around the hill, I realize they are mowing in the park as well.

But when I get on the forest path... the mowing stops. Ha! The guy is on his lunch break, and it's perfect timing!

I am so appreciative that I get to listen to the birds in the forest. I'm lingering here, but the only bird I get to see is a happy Scrub Jay...

*laughs* I wonder how far she's carried that peanut!

At the back of the park, the willows are making fluff to send their seeds out on the wind!

As I'm heading for the other end of the park, I see the mowing guy. He's standing at his truck, eating a sandwich! I wave happily at him and he waves back.

After a week or so of some good off and on rain, we've got a gorgeous day. The sun is shining and the forecast is for 71° (22°C) this afternoon...

And oh my gosh, there are a LOT of humans on the bike path!

I am thrilled that so many people are out, enjoying the sun and the nature!! At the same time, I do rather miss my alone time in nature. *laughs*

Hawthorn trees starting to bloom.

I decide to pay a visit to the Solidarity Garden.

oh wow! Making figs already!

And then I turned around and saw The Green Line!

The Green 420 Line is something so very uniquely Eugene!

It shows up around April 20, and it marks the contour of 420 feet above sea level.

One end is at RiverPlay at the Willamette River, it winds thru downtown Eugene. It goes by here, at the back of the Events Center, then thru some neighborhoods and ends up at the back of Westmoreland Park, near the pickle ball courts.

I'm not sure how many miles it is, I've never walked the downtown part. But today, I've decided to walk back home along this end of the line. It's a little bit out of the way, but that's okay.

And the first thing that happens, a HUGE group of several families with kids racing around all over the place! They are out following the line as well and it makes me so happy that this day, and this line is bringing people together!

The line goes across a major street, and there's a pedestrian light here, thankfully. I use it and wave to the drivers who have stopped for me!

And now I'm in a neighborhood that I only come thru once a year!

Altho! This is a nice quiet neighborhood. And I know if I go a bit further out, I could go thru a city park or two. I really should walk this direction more often!

Yesterday, I was trying to add a new rant about our PeaceHealth situation with the Emergency Department chaos, and the new allegations against the head administration guy.

But the article I wanted was paywalled, and I couldn't even get a PDF of the article from the newspaper that I pay for. *frustration*

But that's okay, because today we've got a brilliant explainer from one of the YouTube channels that I watch!

∞ Dr. Glaucomflecken: The PeaceHealth Fiasco is Out of Control (video is 5:14)

And yeah. It turns out the evil guy, CEO Jim McGovern, the guy trying to influence ER docs to reduce the healthcare provided in the Emergency Department.

That guy?

Yeah... that guy does NOT have a medical licence!!

Still quiet at the Flicker nest.

I've brought the kitchen scraps from home to dump on the Community Garden compost pile, and when I stop at my garden plot... A Snap Pea!!!!

Yay Garden! Here's the Leeks who started re-growing from last year's bases. The bare dirt to the right there is the second patch of experimental Salsify, from seed. Nothing showing up there yet.

And here's the Leek seedlings that sprang up from a flower that had fallen over last year.

The strawberry patch is ever so happy!

And the Goldenrods. I really should separate them and transplant them in all corners, since they will make the bugs so happy. But I'm lazy!

The Elephant Garlic and the Lettuces I transplanted from the compost area...

You know what? I am strangely not interested in eating that salad. I think I'm just going to let them go to seed. That will be good for the pollinators and the birds will LOVE the seeds!

The Echinacea that Roz gave me last autumn is starting to look like a plant!

There's some Speedwell here too, with their tiny blooms.

Heading out, and walking around the block before I go home!

I'm walking past the Community Garden again, on my way home. The Apple Tree outside the garden is just buzzing like mad! The whole tree!

At the creek... um? This is weird...

Three ducklings. But I don't see Mama. And no one is peeping. But if they've gotten separated, they should be peeping!

Weird. I don't know what to think!

Bahaha!! We've got an itch! Their cute little toe nails!

And, huh! I didn't know they could lift their head feathers like that! Even the long, decorative feathers are standing up!!

And look at this cute pair.

Overcast this morning. It's to be another warmer day, in the mid-60s, but the forecast says there's a 30% chance of rain this afternoon.

But as I was getting ready for a walk, the sky turned way darker. With the forecast somewhat unreliable these days, I decided to take my rain jacket to protect the camera.

Right out the door, here's Shadow, one of our TNR stray cats that everyone looks after. She's pretty old now, been coming around for ages. And yeah, she's only got one eye.

oh, hello? who's this?

Huh. I have to look them up! AllAboutBirds: Orange Crown Warbler? I think so!

Awesome! New bird for me!

Princess Buttercup and her fella.

How companionable!

Here's what's happening at that weird plum tree...

The ... deformed? fruits are going bad.

Oh cool! I'm loving the variety of birds today!!

And some new flowers to look at, too!!

Um. You know what? I have been calling these purple flowers Wallflowers...

But look at those weird round things hanging from the stem!!

It's called a Silver Dollar Plant! Also called Honesty.

Always happy to learn new things!

He's eating the Maple keys!

A bit of rain over night!! Which is so lovely!

But we had some finished compost delivered to the Community Garden over the weekend, and I'm not going to be able to get my share today.... The rain will make it too heavy for me to lug the wheelbarrow over the uneven pathways!

That's okay. It can wait.

There's still some sprinkles as I head out, and this is my favorite kind of weather to walk in!

The Poison Hemlock has been growing in big patches along the creek.

Yep, the same Poison Hemlock that killed Socrates.

I'm walking a different way, in front of the Events Center instead of behind it...

I've never been to this Master Gardener Plant Sale before...

I would love to go, it's free to get in. But it wouldn't be easy to carry a bunch of baby plants for a mile or two, walking back to the garden or home! *laughs*

Anyway, I would rather patronize my favorite farmer at Saturday Market!

And besides, look at the glorious trees!

Buckeyes!

The clouds are starting to break up during the walk home.

The Camas Lilies are catching the sunlight beautifully, but the photography doesn't do them justice!

Still a couple sprinkles coming down overnight, and it's a beautiful gloomy day this morning!

I'm headed to Stewart Pond Park today, but enjoying the flowers in the neighborhoods on the way...

I'm looking at these Hawthorn blooms, but realize there's some of those flowers here that I had mis-identified as Wallflowers.

These are actually Honesty plants. Also called Silver Dollar plants. Those weird round things hanging are the seed pods!

If Honesty was a native plant, I would def keep an eye on those seed pods! It is in the mustard family, easy to grow but native to southern Europe.

This is a popular flower around here, and I don't know what it is!

It is an interesting thing tho!

Update: Honeywort or Blue Shrimp plant!

And some other flowers I don't know!

Ha, I don't know much of anything today!

And still a nonsense war in Iran. And how many people killed? Thousands. And too many children and women. And for what? Nobody knows.

So Many Swallows!

Mostly Violet Green Swallows, but there's some Barn Swallows here too!

Oh, and someone else is flying in!

Haha!

How cool is that... three species in the frame!!

As I walked thru the little patch of forest, I heard tapping! It took me a second to find the tapper...

Oh my gosh!

I make note of the tree, it's a bit off the path and you have to come around... but I won't be able to see the hole unless I go off the path. And I don't want to do that, I don't want to step on any native plants... or FROGS!

So that will be a tough nest to observe.

If they even use it! Woodpeckers usually make several holes each spring and then they choose their favorite location. It's good to have choices!

I'm walking the bike path, and as I approach the ½ mile point, I glimpse a BIG white bird.

They were flying down to the creek, on the other side of the street. And I'm just, Who the Heck was that?!! *laughs*

The only thing that comes to my mind for Big White Bird at the Creek is an Egret... but no, I review the glimpse in my brain and nope, the wings are all wrong for an Egret. so who...?

I get across the street, get past the first few trees and bushes, looking, looking. And then...

It's a gull. What in the world??!

I have NEVER seen a gull in the creek!! That is the weirdest thing ever!!

Eugene is about 60miles (100km) from the Pacific Ocean, and there are a few gulls who fly out here during the winter. But they don't ever go in the creek. I have never seen one paddling along like a duck!

So I'm kind of flabbergasted!!

And the ducks are curious too! ha.

So that was weird!

There's still some Kanzan Cherry Blossoms, but they are starting to fall apart.

As I'm going by Dragonfly Land -- no Dragonflies yet, it's too early for them! But there's some Swallows swooping and twittering in the field, behind. It makes me think of the Barn Swallow nest here, under the car bridge...

I don't know how many years of babies I watched growing up in this nest, and the second one, off to the right.

But they won't be using it ever again. Last year the parents had a catastrophic nest failure... the babies were so close to being able to fledge, when we had a terrible week long heat wave. The babies died of the heat, and there was nothing the parents could do.

The parents will be back again this year, of course. But they won't want to live with the memories here, and will build a new nest somewhere else.

And this will be the first year in a while that I don't get to see Barn Swallow babies growing up. sighs.

Oooh! A white Camas Lily!!

There was a saying that I had picked up from the InterWebs that white Camas Lilies were poisonous. I repeated it, here on my blog, many times over.

But it's not true! The bulb of Camas Lilies is edible. Doesn't matter what colour the flowers were!

The poisonous white Camas is a different species... Death Camas and it looks completely different from our common, Camassia Camas.

The bulbs look the same, tho. So you should never forage in places where both Common Camas and Death Camas live.

I'm going thru the Solidarity Garden behind the Events Center, and one of the family of three Killdeers is here again. Their nest (or nests??! :) must be in the area.

A cute lil Crab Spider!

∞ DOJ Vengeance Tour Has Indicted Southern Poverty Law Center For Being The Klan Well. We don't believe you.

*swearword* the time line we are living in.

Every accusation by this regime, is a confession.

There's several Hawthorn trees along the bike path curve, but this is the only one with pink flowers!

Okay! I'm at the garden and I'm going to get my share of three wheelbarrow loads of finished compost! It's still pretty heavy from the rain we got Monday and Tuesday, but it's good exercise I guess!

I just love our volunteers who have made the finished compost available, and I love my city for implementing this awesome program!

∞ Love Food Not Waste

Our trash companies collect kitchen scraps in the yard debris bin, and that goes to a local company which composts everything down! And then they offer the compost back to the community for free!

They brought a big load to the Community Garden last year, and again this year. Every plot gets four wheelbarrow loads of the finished compost for free.

I've got the compost spread on both sides of the plot, with my usual pathway running approximately down the center...

The left side is the area that has been making stunted plants for a while and last year I called it my Fallow Area. I've just set up the big trellis there and I hope the Wax Beans will grow in the compost. It is really gonna be tragic if the beans are stunted!

And then the right side, behind that clump of Clover and the Elephant Garlics is going to be the small trellis for the Lemon Cucumbers and then Squash plants, and the Strawberry patch in the back.

Ah, hopes and dreams!!

But doesn't that finished compost look beautiful! *laughs*

That green in the center is a couple Dandelions and the clump of happy Goldenrod!

And at the front left of the plot, the Sugar Snap Peas are coming up!!!

They have a few munches from the slugs, but the peas look like they've got a good start!

And, ha, there's a single volunteer Buckwheat growing in the Snap Pea Patch!

I love having Buckwheat around, and eventually I'll plant more! It's nice to have a few that have self seeded tho!

And here's the back left of the old Fallow Area.

Those are some Fava Beans which survived the winter, a couple of Leeks that also survived the winter.

The little patch of dirt behind the Leeks is where I put down the Salsify seeds... I don't know what those seedlings will look like, but I don't think any have come up yet.

And behind that clump of Favas is where the Leek flower fell over last autumn, and look at all the happy seedlings!

The Strawberry Patch at the back right.

I noticed a flower with six petals instead of five...

And I thought that was weird, but now I've looked it up and that's pretty normal! Strawberry blossoms can have up to 8 petals, even!

And this... *sighs* ...

This, where I've left the garden hose, is the Sunroot -- aka Jerusalem Artichoke -- which I never got around to digging up over the winter.

It's a pretty thing, and makes the birds happy with the seeds it makes. It's just that it's so big!

Well. I'm just going to ignore it some more! *laughs*

Very pleased to see the Columbine is going to bloom!!

I make a loop around the Community Garden before I leave.

I am really fighting the wind today, makes even flowers tough to photograph when they're waving all over the place!

Ooh! Look at the colour of this one!

Okay, this is just hilarious...

∞ Free the penis

*laughs* A woman, Aunt Tifa (ha!) dressed up in an inflatable penis costume, had been arrested in Alaska... for what, exactly? disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace?

*rolls eyes*

And then this...

∞ MAGA Men Learn the Truth: Women are terrified of them Video 10m44s

Some of the many reasons women will not date Maga men.

It just cracks me up that Maga get all confused and upset when they are shunned by their liberal family and all... They think It's just politics.

But it's not Just Politics. We are talking about human rights here! The right to bodily autonomy, the right to due process, the right to free speech.

These are the most basic human rights and this regime is stomping all over these rights. This is causing actual, real life harm. People are dying because their human rights are being denied!

DYING! PEOPLE!

And if you support the regime, the sane people do not want to associate with you.

Partner and I are driving to Saturday Market, but this weekend is the Eugene Marathon as well. And for some reason they were closing the parking garage where we usually park. ARG.

Partner drives around aimlessly for a while and then we get situated in a different parking garage... I meant to aim for the other public parking structure, but we accidently went into the garage for The Hult. I wasn't sure if it was free on the weekends like the other two garages, and I worried there were cameras for the license plates or something, and we would get a parking ticket in the mail!

Haha! It was fine! Turns out The Hull parking is free over the weekend, too!

So we walked over to the Farmers Market and stopped at our favorite Farmer's stall to buy some veggie starts.

∞ Mountain View Farm and Nursery
(Public Facebook page, non-facebook users can look at the top couple of posts.)

They have a huge selection of starts, plus they are completely awesome! We've been buying our veggie starts there for like 9 or 10 years (or more?) and they recognize us and it's good to say hi.

Done and out of there. Saturday Market is always crowded... I'm okay with the excessive humans for a little while, but I'm not lingering.

Partner drops me off at the Community Garden, and he comes in for a minute so I can show him all that is growing and all my plans for the plot!

I keep the Lettuces with me, and sent Partner home with the rest of the starts... it's actually kind of overly warm today, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the heat.

And, yeah. I know! WHY did I buy stupid LETTUCES?!? It's like I Want to break my hope machine, or something!!

*laughs*

I plant the Lettuces in the back left of the plot, between the bigger Leeks and the Leek Seedlings.

Supposedly slugs don't like Alliums (Leeks, Onions, Garlics) so maybe the slugs have vacated this area.

Yeah. I know. Who am I kidding? These Lettuces will be munched to the ground by next weekend!

There are ever more Sugar Snap Peas coming up!

They are slug munched, but most of them will be able to out grow the damage.

The Cut Leaf Geranium I left in the front...

It's not native and I probably should have pulled it out. But I don't really have a plan for the front area yet, so it gets to stay for a little while!

Also in the front, the Echinacea that Roz gave me is looking good!

The plant on the left is a Beet, leftover from last year and bolting. That's fine, the birds will be happy with the seeds!

The glorious baby Goldenrods.

This thing... This is a volunteer leftover from the Pot People, the old right side neighbors.

I think it's some kind of Mallow, maybe? When it bloomed in their plot last year, it had very pretty flowers that were jam packed with bugs. I appreciate anything that's bug friendly, so of course I'm letting it grow!

And speaking of the Pot People, yeah, as I suspected, they are gone! Kevin is working in his plot behind mine, and we chat for a few minutes. He tells me my new right side neighbors are four guys and he is impressed with their enthusiasm! *laughs* They certainly did a good job at clearing the weeds and grasses left over from the Pot People abandoning the plot all last year!

So, that's good to know. We'll see if they turn out to be good neighbors in the long run, or not!

I glance at the beautiful Strawberries.

And then I'm out, to walk around the block before heading home.

And this purple bush that I love!

Pretty as a postcard! *laughs*

I get home, and here's the rest of the Veggie Starts we got today.

A Zuc and a Patty Pan. Two Lemon Cucumbers. A Ring of Fire Sunflower. Sugar Snap Peas. And two tomato plants: a Sungold and a Striped German.

Well, you little stinker!

Squirrel was digging in one of the Fuchsia pots Right in front of me!!!

*laughs* So far, the Fuchsias don't actually mind the digging. They are just happy to have a home!

On the way to the Post Office to check my PO box, I always enjoy the flowers in front of this tea shop...

∞ Oregon Tea Traders

I've never been in the shop, but every time I look at their website, I definitely want to try some of their teas... Drizzly Days Breakfast Tea! Crater Lake Blue Herbal Tea! Daydreamers Cardamom Tea!

Okay, I'm on the bike path, and just past the Community Garden I hear tapping...

OH MY GOSH!!

Male Downy Woodpecker! He's tapping out a nest hole!!

This tree is alive, but this branch is dead and in fact, he's just a meter or so down from a Flicker nest hole that was made, um, was that last year? When was that?

Anyway. Totally exciting! I don't want to disturb him when he's just getting started. Altho, he is straight up from the bike path. There will be humans.

I go on and make a loop around one of the neighborhoods.

Oh, isn't this a lovely scene with the Grape vines!

I swing back around to the bike path. Wait a minute?

Evening Grosbeak!! They live here year round but I rarely get to see them!

And that one is not being very cooperative. But the light and the shade and the sky behind is too much trouble for the camera, anyway.

*laughs* oh well. I'm still excited, even tho I'm a terrible photographer! *snort*

And coming back... My new friend is still at it!

I do double check online to make sure this is a Downy Woodpecker, since I never really see his face...

Downy Woodpeckers are a look-alike with Hairy Woodpeckers. Downies are the little ones, with shorter beaks. Hairies are larger, with longer beaks that are the same length as their head. I rarely see Hairy Woodpeckers here, tho, which is why I was assuming this is a Downy.

Yep, sure enough.

∞ Sibley: Another clue for identifying Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers

Male Downies have a solid red band across the back of their head, as this one does. Male Hairy Woodpeckers have two patches of red, broken with black, at the back of their head.

Book bans are depressing. And book bans in the Quote/Unquote Land of the Free, are even more depressing.

∞ The Guardian: US saw record high of 5,668 books banned in libraries in 2025
Most-banned book was Sold, a 2006 novel by Patricia McCormick about sex trafficking in India

I make an effort to seek out and read banned books, but I've not read Sold yet. I think it would be too upsetting, and sometimes I just don't want that in my head.

The books I have read from that list: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Gender Queer, Looking for Alaska.

Just 3 of the 11. I feel I should do better! :)

The other books are familiar, they've been on banned book lists before. Except Last Night at the Telegraph Club, I've never heard of.

And it looks really interesting! Yeah. I think I will start this years banned book reading with this one!

Yay Reading!

We've got some morning clouds, and to be a little bit cooler than it has been... Last few days the high has been 67° (19°C), a few degrees above the normal of 64.

I'm heading to the garden with a couple veggie starts in my backpack. But I'm really noticing the colours of the prairie today!

The yellows of the Western Buttercups, the small swaths of purple here and there, is the Camas Lilies, and some spring colours in the trees!

At the Community Garden, a couple of the construction guys are here, working on the fence some more. The fence that was due to be completed on April 1. *grumble*

That's the little tray of 6 Sugar Snap Peas I bought at Saturday Market, and the Sunflower is in there as well.

I glance around and Hmmm. That's weird. Look at the lettuces...

They are still in one piece. Not a single slug munch.

Well, maybe the slugs just need a day or two to find them. In the meantime... aren't they pretty! :)

I know, I know. Do not look at the lettuces. Do not get attached to the lettuces. Do not have hope for salad.

Well. I get the Snap Peas planted in the patch where the pea seeds are coming up...

This is a square in the front left of the plot. That's the Crocus leaves on the left and on the right a Dandelion growing with the Columbine. I should pull that out, probably.

The starts are quite a bit bigger than the little seedlings, who are over on the left.

And then I plant the Firecracker Sunflower in front of the Strawberry Patch!

I think that stick on the right is one of the Avocado trees that I let grow last year! No sign of any of them coming back to life yet.

That Unknown plant from the Pot People.

And the Echinacea from Roz!

The plot at the end of my row has these big Red Hot Pokers blooming!

And then I head to the tree to see if the Downy Woodpecker is still there... Oh wow! He's made some good progress!!

It's the male again.

I wondered, and I looked it up, and sure enough, male woodpeckers do much of the work of building the nest holes. And then the females come in and perfect the bottom part where the babies will be.

I wander around the block and I try a different angle when I come back...

In the above pic, you can see the bigger Flicker hole above, and the Downy at the hole they are working on.

But wait a minute! Oh!! This is the female!!

She must be checking on the workmanship!

Do you approve??

At home, and Shadow is in the front yard. Our precious TNR stray kitty with one eye.

And the happy Fuchsias!

Some morning clouds again. Yesterday the clouds had cleared later in the afternoon, and the forecast says the same for today. That's nice!

I go by the Community Garden and the guys with their dog are working on the fence again. *rolls eyes* Because, seriously. At this point, even if they had worked full weeks instead of just Mon, Tue, Wednesdays... They wouldn't have completed their work before the deadline (April 1) anyway.

It makes me wonder if ANY construction projects are completed when they say they'll be completed. Sheesh.
Moving on...

Yay! The Downy Woodpecker is still working on his nest hole!! The female yesterday must have given the Go Ahead to continue work here!!

Or maybe he's just stubborn! *laughs*

He's tossing out wood chips! They are so small, they float away on the breeze!

I'm kind of curious about those fungi on the side of the dead branch. They don't look like anything I've seen before.

This patch of Camas Lilies along the path in this tiny strip of wet prairie next to the bike path!

Oh, cool! I'm at the back of the Events Center and there's a Vulture swooping low and being mobbed by a single Crow!

Wow!

Crows mob Hawks because the Hawks would eat up the Crows eggs and babies, if they found a nest. There's no reason to mob a Vulture, but some Crows don't make the distinction between Hawks and Vultures.

I'm right at the Solidarity Garden so I stop to admire everything here!

And then I head around the block into the neighborhood.

There's still some blooms on this Chinese Witch Hazel!

Oh Crud!! These are Salsify!! The wildflower seeds I had planted in the garden plot.

I planted the seeds too late! They haven't even come up yet and here the wild ones are blooming already.

Shoot. I wonder if they will germinate at all, or if they need the cold? foo.

Well. Live and learn. If needs be, I can gather more wild seeds later and try again next year. I wonder how early I need to plant to get blooms in late April!

Oh, haha. I took that photo but didn't realize someone was there...

She's a beautiful Crab Spider! I didn't even know they came in different colours... I've only just seen white ones!

Coming back to the Woodpecker's tree... Wow, look how deep he's gotten!!

When I got home and came in the front door, I almost ran into the maintenance guy and his ladder. He was working on the light in the entry way, and had a couple other things to fix in the apartment.

He let me past and then he went to the upstairs bathroom to work on the blower. I got some food going while he was doing his thing.

When he was finishing up with all the chores, Partner asked if there was anything we could do to prevent the drain from getting clogged... I've currently got long hair and I shed like a nervous cat, so the drains just eventually get clogged.

I expected his reply to be something along the lines of This is my favorite brand of Drain-o, just dump some down every other week! or somesuch.

Instead. *grumbles at the mild misogyny* Instead he hems and haws for a few and then says, Well, you know. When there's a clump of hair in the sink, just wipe it out with a tissue.

I'm just wtf. Men. ALL YALL MEN. You think women are stupid, right? RIGHT? jhc.

Gah. Okay. Let me just rant here for a minute because Maybe MEN are too stupid to understand why this comment is so FUCKING GODDAMN Idiotic.

I've had long hair for most of my life. I prefer short hair but I'm lazy about getting it cut, okay? Because I shed, I comb my hair several feet away from the sink, and when I take a shower, I dry my hair outside the tub.

Because I have a fucking brain, I am able to connect my stupid shedding hair with the stupid clogged drain, so I do my very best to keep every single hair I can from going down the drain.

Right? Because! I do NOT particularly like maintenance guys coming into my apartment. So I actually do everything I can to prevent clogged drains.

AND ON TOP OF THAT... This guy thinks I'm too delicate and fragile to get the hair out of the sink, I have to use a tissue to do it?

Seriously. This sink. This sink that I cleaned with my fucking bare hands, my BARE HANDS, how many days ago. Just wait until he finds out that women clean toilets as well!!

*screaming*

And you know what else? I wasn't going to type about this, because I don't want to embarrass our maintenance guy, or any other maintenance guy who has said something similar. And I actually feel kind of bad and uncomfortable for saying anything!

But that's literally the patriarchy which is lodged in my head. And think about it... the guys aren't embarrassed anyway! They are all What? I didn't do anything!

And I am seriously wondering... I'm getting to the point where I think that ALL MEN think that women are stupid.

You men keep saying not all men. But I don't know. the bullshit women have to deal with? ALL the damn time? Yeah, I just don't know...

Not all men? Prove it!

I'm looking at the forecast for the rest of the week and into the weekend, and it's all WELL above normal. We've got mid-70s, an 81° for Sunday. And all the over night temperatures are upper 40s and low 50s.

Normal is 64/42.

But if I'm stuck with warmer temps, I'm going to jam and get some SEEDS planted at the garden!

So I'm going thru my seed packets before I head out. *laughs* I've got them spread out all over my bedroom floor, I should have taken a photo, and Partner is all, is everything okay?

Well, besides the fact that the Brandywine seeds are from 2017, yes, I think everything is okay!

ha, it's way too late for Brandywine anyway! or any tomatoes, actually. So I've got a variety of Squash seeds packed in my backpack and heading out!

I get to the garden and oh my gosh, the two guys and the dog are here and it looks like they are working on the gates, finally!!

They said the gates wouldn't be ready to install until May or June, and I was actually thinking we wouldn't have gates finished until flippin' August or September!

Okay. I need to get the right side of the plot organized. All this dirt is the finished compost that I've hauled in and spread. The Strawberry Patch is at the top left there, in front of Kevin's raised beds...

The green plants in the middle are the Goldenrod patch and a healthy Dandelion that I need to remove because I'm going to put the small trellis for the Lemon Cucumbers right there.

I learned my lesson last year... I'm pretty blasé about 'weeds' and wildflowers that come up, but last year the Lemon Cucs got a bit choked from everything growing around them. Between that and the bug irruptions, I just didn't get many fruits last year.

So this year, I'm going to be Very Aggressive about everything growing around the Lemon Cucumbers!

Because I need those things to GROW! :)

The Dandelions bring up good nutrients with their tap root, so you can see I've just laid them down to return those nutrients to the soil!

And the dark spots are where I planted seeds for Patty Pans, Crooknecks and Spaghetti Squash!

The Sugar Snap Peas I transplanted are getting a little munched, but it's not bad!

I am NOT looking at the Lettuces, because they still remain un-munched. This can't last very long and I don't want to think about it.

So let's look at the cute little Sunflower instead!

What was it, again? Oh yeah. Firecracker.

And the lovely Columbine!

Hmm. Can we get a different angle here? Yeah!

That's the big trellis in the background, where I'll eventually have the Wax Beans.

I'm out and visiting the Downy Woodpeckers' tree. I'm disappointed to see no one at the door...

But Then!! A bunch of wood chips come flying out! Yay!

This has got to be the female, making the bowl of the nest perfect.

And then she's down in it for a minute or two... I can just barely hear her gentle tapping from the bottom of the nest!

And then she brings up another load of wood chips and they fly like confetti!

So Awesome!

I wander down to Dragonfly Land... oh, the Minnows have returned!

The photos are terrible. hmm. I don't remember... do I need to fiddle with the exposure? or what? Maybe it's just the fact that the water is deeper than the summer time levels.

And the first native Nootka Roses blooming!

ha, surrounded by invasives! The big leaves are Himalayan blackberries and the fern looking leaves are Poison Hemlocks.

And the latest from the PeaceHealth fiasco.

∞ Dr. Glaucomflecken... Corporate Medicine Is On Trial
Video: 3m 42s.

This is a great, quick explainer! I really love that channel! Basically Eugene Emergency Physicians are suing because the corporate company, Apollo, that will take over PeaceHealth ERs is probably illegal in Oregon due to a law created last year.

And an interesting addition to that video... the Apollo shell company they've created to try to get around the new law that Oregon has, is called Lane Emergency Physicians (Eugene is in Lane County)...

That shell company currently has ZERO emergency physicians associated with it! Bahaha! None! And this shell company is supposed to take over the Emergency Department, um, in June, I think? Not sure how they're going to do that when no doctors want to work for them!!

There's some high clouds this morning and it's just kinda hazy. The forecast says 75° which is ridiculous. Ten degrees over the normal of 65° for this time of year. Stupid climate change.

Going past the Community Garden, the two guys and the big white dog are here... which is Unbelievable! It's Thursday! This is NOT one of their working days.

So that's interesting.

And the Downy Woodpeckers?

Hmm. I pause here for a minute, but don't hear any more tapping, and don't see anyone either.

They must be finished!

Okay. So Woodpeckers generally make a couple or more nest holes every spring, and then they choose their favorite location. This one, straight up from the bike path is def not ideal... but you never know.

I will add this to my list of nest areas to check!

*laughs* two things make a list, right? The other one is the Flicker hole in the tall stump behind the wood fence.

I'm going by the Leaning Tree Saplings, and the west tree still hasn't woken up from the winter.

sighs. At least the other two are fine!

Babies!!!

Just the three. How adorable!

haha, I didn't notice the Ant walking along!

Oh, isn't this a lovely spot!

I don't know what the pink flowers are.

These are an interesting colour!

And beyond them...

Walking home, and I happen to notice the grass!

huh. Probably making people sneeze.