2026

Yay New Year!

I am back from my travelings, where I went to my parents' house and got to be really lazy! *laughs*

So now I'm all fired up about returning to my projects and maybe taking on some new ones!!

Looking over the New Year post of last year, oh yeah... that was the beginning of my Tiny Cleans! This new habit, breaking huge cleaning jobs into tiny, daily tasks which take five minutes or less, has been hugely successful!

I cleaned the plant area in the porch room, and went thru the living room and cleaned up there as well!

I also started organizing the walk-in closet, but that has fizzled... That project was more about decluttering, rather than cleaning, and that takes too much brain power and I eventually just quit.

But I'm really proud of the cleaning that I accomplished!

Moving forward... hmmm. I'm just not sure how to convert the Tiny Clean into decluttering. And decluttering desperately needs to happen. I will have to experiment, to see if anything works!

2025 was also another year of postcard failure. I technically kept up with my AR postcard project, but I was perpetually about a month or more behind. And I have not returned to my Family and Friends postcard lists. And that bums me out.

So I want to organize the AR project differently. And hopefully that will get me going with the Fam and Friends list as well.

Yay! It's been raining this morning and it's a good bit warmer than yesterday. Thank goodness.

I need to get back into my blog posts. I didn't work on that at all while I was gone, and now I'm behind by five and a half weeks. meh.

I'm a little overwhelmed, and I ease into it, with some archiving and back end stuff.

It's still sprinkling by the time I'm getting out for my walk. And that's nice, I love walking in the rain!

But I barely even get across the street when I realize my right sock is wet. what the? I didn't even step in a puddle!

I stop on the sidewalk to look at the bottom of my shoe. Sure enough, there's a hole in the sole. Crud! These shoes are just over a year old, I remember wearing them for the first time when I went to Colorado last year.

But, annoying as it is, that's about right. I do so much walking, the shoes just wear out.

Drizzle and sprinkles for the entire walk. And even tho it's warmer than yesterday, it's still chilly... and my one wet foot was painfully cold!

I walk by the Community Garden... oh!

A Red Shoulder Hawk!

It's just cloudy today with a 50% chance of rain. But the quarter inch of rain we got yesterday helped with the dryness tremendously.

And more rain in the forecast. Good, this is looking more like normal weather for this time of year!

Ha, Artsy! That's a Steller Jay, but look at the glorious tree...

It's an Alder tree with brand new catkins, but there's a lot of old cones as well!

Aw, Look! A family of Nutrias!!

So adorable!!

And, foo. I've made them nervous by staring at them, and when a biker slows down to look, it's too much. They all scatter into the water.

The babies go back into their den. But one of the adults stays out to keep an eye on the situation.

In the evening, YouTube served me up some more Nutrias in a short...

∞ She chose kindness

Well, it's a pretty long video, to be called a 'short' *laughs* But super cute story.

And later in the evening, I'm printing up a big batch of postcards.

Ahh! It makes me happy to be getting back to my projects!

And while we are on the topic of cute videos... Here's Alastor.

∞ Stick Your Toe Beans Straight Out!

I've been watching this creator for a long time, starting with Billi. Their new crew, Alastor and Coda, are simply adorable. I love watching them!!

I'm starting to get more organized with the projects and all that have piled up while I've been away.

I've got three separate lists: House Chores, Mail, and Website Work. And stuff is getting done!

Today I've worked on the house plants. ha. Partner took care of the plants while I was gone, and they are all over watered, of course!

*Laughs* Fortunately, there wasn't enough time for him to kill any of them!

But I need to empty the trays of overflowing water, and set each plant into the sink to drip for a while.

Surprisingly, the African Violet is blooming! That pot doesn't have drainage holes, but the plants aren't sitting in water. It's dirt is wet, and I decide to leave it alone. I probably won't have to water it for another month or so!

Heading out for a walk, it's cloudy with a good chance of rain in the afternoon.

I enjoy the Calendulas at the Solidarity Garden.

*laughs* When I was in Colorado, I really tried to get photos of their local pigeons. That was basically a fail, from circumstances beyond my control.

So I am happy to see a little group of Rock Doves today, and I don't even mind that I have to photograph past a chain link fence.

They are beautiful and I love all their different decorations on their feathers!

And Look! There's a red one in this group as well!

Well. Maybe we will call that one brown. :)

I wish they would stick around so I can get to know them. But that is not their way!

And all their individual colourings have been named! Audubon says they come in 7 colour morphs...

∞ Pigeon Watch: Get to Know (and Love) Our Amazing City Birds

If you scroll down that page, there's a list of the seven colour morphs and then pictures of them all: We've got Blue Bar, Red Bar, Red, Spread (which is black!), White, Checkered and Pied (the ones with random leucism)!

So most of the Rock Doves here today are Checkered, you can call them Dark Checkered and Light Checkered. And there's a couple Blue Bars.

The brown Rock Dove has white feathers in her wings so she gets a combination morph, Red Pied!
... or Brown Pied, actually! :)

Fun! It is good to learn new things!!

It sprinkled thru most of the night and this morning the clouds are moving around, bringing more rain clouds!

Thank goodness. And there's some puddles getting started at the wet prairie!

The overnight low was 40° which makes the morning walk much nicer than the other day with my cold and wet foot! And the birds are out, also enjoying the warmer weather.

I decide to walk thru the Community Garden again.

In the front, is this plot with the pink insulation that annoys me so much.

They are getting trees started in them, and Trees and Woody Perennials are banned... but because these are 'real gardeners' they are allowed to do whatever they want. *grumbles* at the unfairness.

But that big potted Rosemary bush is pretty impressive!

And *Deep Breath*... letting go of my annoyance.

But this is the next thing I notice...

foo. Lesser Celandine. Very, very invasive.

And I usually spend my volunteer time digging it up. So, I guess I need to start thinking about that. blah.

In my plot, the couple of volunteer Leeks that came up are doing well.

And the clump of Leek seedlings that came up from a fallen bloom are very happy as well.

And the Beets and the volunteer Elephant Garlics! These things make Me happy!

I think this is Dusty Miller, in a neighbor's plot.

Oh! It's so warm, a caterpillar has woken up!

She's just a couple inches from the edge, so I don't have to move her off the path. But I've caught her attention...

:)

Back at home, I finished reading The Bean Trees yesterday afternoon...

And I am so far behind on my Scientific American magazine subscription, I decide to read magazines for the rest of January in order to catch up!

I'm currently in the middle of the July-August edition. So I've got some reading to do!!

Good Morning My Dear!

I'm stopping at the Garden today to drop off kitchen scraps for the compost. As I walk to the back, I notice this leafy thing.

I'm not sure what it is but wow, that shade of green certainly Pops!

On the way back... *Gasps* It's my friend the Kingfisher!!!

And she lets me get her photo!!

That's so sweet. And then she flies away, laughing. Declaring her territory!

She reminds me that I haven't seen the Barred Owl since I got back... Hopefully she's found a nice forest to hang out in.

And I've not seen the Wood Ducks, either. And that's kind of a bummer... they had invited so many of their friends to check out the creek, I really thought at least the original couple would stick around.

A dreary day. There's a slight chance of rain during the day, and 100% rain tonight!

Oh hey! Here's someone different.

Female Common Merganser.

But where is her mate? I look up and down stream, but there isn't anyone with her.

sighs. That devastates me. The first time I saw her mate, a couple years ago? He was hanging out with a female Mallard with a bum wing. And then the last time I saw him, he had TWO girlfriends!

and this must be one of them. And I'm so sad she's alone.

She paddles away and I continue on my walk.

Someone bright yellow catches my eye.

Um? Any chance you could calm down for a second?

Not really?

*laughs* Well, they are Townsend Warblers and I am delighted to see their cheerful colours today!

Heading back and this little patch of wild Miners Lettuce catches my eye.

It's edible and last year I had bought some seeds. I never got around to planting them tho because we had flooding early last year and I don't like to play in the mud at the garden. *laughs*

The clouds are moving around this morning and the sun was peeking thru. And it's not cold, it's 45° when I head out...

But the sunshine tricked me. The wind is blowing and I immediately wish for more layers to keep warm!

I get on the bike path and soon it started sprinkling. And then it started raining.

Well. That's okay. I usually walk to see the wildlife. But days like today, I'm walking for the exercise instead.

But I do find someone to take photos of... and he's looking as bedraggled with the rain as I'm feeling!

*laughs* He's a Downy Woodpecker.

And then I see the female Common Merganser is still here.

I would wish better things for her... She's not going to find companionship here at the creek. I hope she flies out to a lake soon, to look for her people and find a new mate.

And coincidentally, with my exercise walk, I happen across this article at Wired...

∞ Here's How Long You Should Walk Every Day to Prevent Back Pain

This was a study done in Norway... and WOW! Those people walk a LOT!!

The results showed that walking time is more important than walking speed in preventing back pain. While brisk walking also has some effect, it is the total amount of time walked per day that has the greatest impact on preventive effects. Those who walked 78 to 100 minutes per day had a 13% lower risk of back pain; those who walked 101 to 124 minutes a day had a 23% lower risk; and those who walked 125 minutes or more had a 24% lower risk.

125 Minutes! Over two hours of walking. PER DAY!

*Laughs* That's a lot of walking, right. But what I'm really really wondering... These people are all out in nature for 78 to 125 minutes a day...

That's quite a bit of Nature time!

I bet that's giving people good vibes as well!

...

∞ ICE Murders US Citizen In Minneapolis, Murders Her Right In The Face

...

You know what? I just can't. There's not enough Nature time in the world.

My heart is with the family of Renee Nicole Good.

And with all of Minneapolis.

...

Later, in the comments, something important...

∞ Avoiding traumatizing images/video on social media (and dealing with them when you have to see them)

I've got to stop by the credit union today, and so I think I'll go across to the park and walk it backwards.

Good Morning My Sweet!

The path the humans have created, walking thru the fallen Oak Tree trunks -- one laying southeast, the other laying northwest.

There was a guy walking his dog thru here, so the little patch of forest doesn't hold any bird songs right now.

Out at the prairie, there's some Canada Geese.

And, oh glorious! The pond on the other side of the street has filled up!!

We've gotten 2.25inches of rain in the past week or so! A good bit, but it's not enough to catch us up... The rainy season starts in October but it's just been drier than usual.

The big ponds, across from the bike path, have filled up a little. But def not as big as it should be... most of this entire field should be a pond.

But I'm happy to see what little pond we have, is supporting some customers!

They are Northern Shovelers, and they are not very cooperative with the photography! *laughs*

There's a big flock of Starlings behind me, they are holding a very important meeting and wow, they are loud!

I've come around and heading back on the bike path... Some Robins are enjoying the Hawthorn fruits!

oh wait. That's not a Robin!

Cedar Waxwing.

And then a flock of Bushtits, but they are nothing but a cute blur!

Yes, you can.

Well, maybe I can... another day. :)

Oh! There's a family of Bluebirds at the Community Garden!!

Oh my gosh, the cuteness!

*laughs*

Oh! You're checking out the nesting box!

Hm. I'm not sure... there's a lot of squirrels around here. Not to mention the humans. But lots of bugs to feed growing children, too!

You'll think about it? Okay!

I continue my walk.

And at the dog park, there's Another group of Bluebirds!

Ha! A Bluebird Day!

We've got an Air Stagnation Advisory that started yesterday and goes thru the week.

Bleh. It means chilly nights and no rain. These high pressure systems tend to just sit over us for a while. and it kind of sucks when we actually need some weather... the kind of weather that brings rain!

Spotted Towhee.

The Nootka Roses are looking lovely with their hips.

um. Who's this?

Little bird is bouncing, bouncing. And I'm looking into the sun which is just starting to come out from the clouds. And I just can't tell who it is!

but some zoom, and oh okay! That splash of yellow there...

Yellow Rump Warbler.

Recently the star of the Sept-Oct edition of BWD Magazine...

Where I discovered that Yellow Rump Warblers are affectionately called Butter-butts! *laughs* Cute!

I stop in at the garden to have a look around. I'm thinking about the volunteer time I have to do... Digging out the invasive Lesser Celandines.

I had worked on this plot, near the sandbox, last year. This back corner had been an absolute puddle, and I fished out the Lesser Celandine and hauled home backpacks full of mud!

It's great that they've got some winter gardening happening!! But yeah, all along the border, there's Lesser Celandine coming back.

There's some cute little Speedwells blooming here as well.

And you know what else I've been thinking about? The Sunchokes.

I never got around to digging these out, and that needs to happen at some point.

But today I'm taking some of these roots home to eat.

I don't really like Sunchoke roots. But I've got them, I may as well see if I can eat a few. heh.

The second, little volunteer Cosmos is still alive.

With the stupid Pot People's pot.

I should probably just move that thing back to their plot. It annoys me every time I look at it!

Will you ever get to bloom?

And all the Elephant Garlics are happy.

And heading home.

In the paper today...

∞ PDF News Article: DOJ says it will investigate Eugene swim class

This disgusts me almost as much as it cracks me up.

The city of Eugene is offering a class at our YMCA: BIPOC Water Safety & Lifeguard Cohort, which lets BIPOC youth aged 12 to 18 increase their water safety and water competency skills in preparation for the lifeguarding classes.

Yeah, sounds awesome to me! Because, yikes! Read this:

Campbell cited CDC data that shows Black youth ages 10-14 are more than seven times as likely to drown as their white peers, and Black teens aged 15-19 more than five times as likely to drown. These differences are not about interest or ability, but are instead linked to access, Campbell said. Many youth from historically underrepresented communities face barriers to swimming lessons and aquatics programs, including cost, limited access and environments where they may not feel welcome or supported. Campbell said the class is designed to address those barriers and the department views the program as both a drowning-prevention strategy and a youth workforce development opportunity that strengthens overall community safety.

And of course, while the program is designed to support BIPOC youth, no one is turned away based on race.

That the DOJ feels the need to investigate (flamboyant air quotes there!) this class, disgusts me to no end. They just hate Black people and that pisses me off.

But I'm amused as well. Because JFC, the DOJ of the United States doesn't have anything better to do than investigate small town YMCA classes for kids??! It's just ridiculous on so many levels.

I hate this regime.

I had loaded up the small backpack, thinking I would start my volunteer time at the Community Garden... but as I arrived...

Oh crum! I forgot that they were working on the new Master Compost area this week.

The Extension Service Compost Specialists have an area where they work, at one of the Community Gardens over at the river. But they are shutting that Garden down. I don't know why.

And our Community Garden will be inheriting the Master Composters area!

Today they've got a little front end loader scraping up the grass to make a flat area behind our regular compost pile.

So that's exciting. And altho I do wave at the guys working, I don't want to go in. So I walk on by. I will start my volunteer work another day!

At the back of the Events Center, there's a crow standing in the parking lot. All by herself. Something is wrong.

She just looks at me and I ask, Are you okay? and she coughs a couple times in response.

oh no. Definitely not okay. It's been a while since I've seen anyone dying of H5N1, but it's still going around of course. It usually kills the ducks and geese, but any bird can get it, I think. (Yep, there's a Bluebird in that list and then a couple Crows.)

sighs.

I sent postcards to Chuck Schumer (Senate Minority Leader) and Hakeem Jeffries (House Minority Leader)

Translation:
You are completely Useless. You'll do nothing while ICE murders people in the street? What is wrong with you? Step aside and let someone with courage and some morals be the Senate / House Minority Leader. Abolish ICE Now!

Honestly. Democrats doing absolutely nothing while that damn child rapist destroys our country and ICE goes about it's ethnic cleansing? It pisses me off to no end!

Ha. This morning I am being pissed off about my subscription to Wired Magazine.

This is a great magazine! In the past I've subscribed to the delivered paper mag for years and years. But at some point I had to quit... it was too much to read!

But with the Trump regime and last January's disgusting DOGE disasters, I knew I wanted to keep up with that news. And Wired's political reporting kept showing up in my feed.

So, I signed up for one of the super cheap deals, 6$ for a year, with digital access, to renew at 30$ after that.

Well. My subscription is coming to an end, and the renewal is 80$ a year!!! Holy!

And when I looked around, it seemed that a normal subscription was 60$/year!!!

The 60$ seems reasonable. (Tho going up from 30$/year in just the single year of my original subscription seems kind of ... sus.) The 80$ they now want me to pay... feels like I have to pay them back for the 6$/year, for the rest of my life!!

And that does not make me happy. The cover price of the magazine, to buy a regular 2-month copy at the newsstand is 8.99$... times six per year is only 54$/year!! I get that digital access is extra. (Except, why should it be?) But don't you want to give subscribers a break, since that is dependable money?? Instead they over charge by a significant amount?

It doesn't make sense!

So, I've emailed them to see what they are willing to do for a long time subscriber. A Subscriber who really does want to pay for good journalism.

It's chilly... the overnight low was 26°!

But the sun shines, and it will warm up eventually. Except it's still just 34° when I head out and the 'Zero wind' reported on the weather page is not accurate at all. BRR!

And the guys are still working on the new Compost corner at the Community Garden. So I walk on by again.

It is So cold!

I left for my walk around 11am, and there's still a heavy fog and it's a couple degrees below freezing.

And there are occasional big, white raindrops that fall around me. Just a couple spatterings. I suppose the rain is a bit slushy?

The fog lends some atmosphere, I suppose.

Yay! The Turkeys!!

And, as usual, I try to capture the beauty of the little waterfall I'm walking next to!

But really, you need the full ambiance with the sound of the water and the cold, wet air.

I don't go all the way up the hill, even tho I would love to visit the Acorn Woodpeckers territory.

The shin splint pain started healing about a month ago, since I wasn't walking as much when I was in Colorado. But I'm overly cautious, maybe, about pushing it. The pain is gone but it's just always on my mind when I walk. I suppose it will take a little while for my body to forget it.

Coming back down the hill, the sun is finally starts to burn thru the fog. This new planting catches my eye. Cute baby tree with tethers!

And there's a Rhododendron bush blooming in someone's yard!

I've got a little extra time, so I loop around on one of the side trails.

Back at home, I am trying to teach myself to drink tea.

*laughs* I've got this fruity herbal tea. It's good, I like it. I just don't have a habit of drinking tea.

And I just thought it would be nice to have some tea while I work on my postcards. Ya know? Especially on a cold and grey day like today!

I saw somebody on the near bank and I stopped to look. They scatter and suddenly there are Nutria youngsters Everywhere!!

I caught six in this photo (there's two behind the trees on the left)...

But I'm pretty sure there were more and I never got a count of all of them! They were coming and going, every which way!

So cute!

So very cute!!

This Nutria is a little bit bigger than everyone else, but I don't think she's full grown... the teenager babysitting the neighbors kids, probably!

And by now, everyone else is swimming downstream. But how many?? Eight? Nine? Ha! Who knows? (Well! The Mamas know!)

Moving on.

It looks like they are finished upgrading this corner of the Community Garden for the new Master Composters area!

ha, look at how camouflaged this one is!

Fox Sparrow! They are winter visitors here, and I am happy to come across one every once in a while!

Not very fox coloured, are we? ha. The colouration of our local subspecies is called Sooty, and is the darkest of the variations across North America.

Well! That was a pretty good day of photography!

Another day of cold and dense fog.

And I've packed up the small backpack. I am definitely going to start the volunteer work at the garden this time!

Okay! At the garden, and I've decided to start at the back pathway. There's several clumps of Lesser Celandine growing in the grass back here near the Compost pile...

Well, and some other Wildflowers there too... Borage, Dead Nettle, and a couple other things that I don't need to concern myself about.

The target for my murdering spade is the round leaves!

And ten minutes later, the little trash bag is full.

Unfortunately, you can't put this invasive in the Compost pile. It will just keep growing!

It has to be bagged up and thrown away at the landfill. And since there's no trash service at the Community Garden, I have to haul this home. And that's why I use the tiny trash bags and the small backpack. There's only so much I can carry, as I walk home!

Especially since I'm carrying a lot of mud... the evil part of Lesser Celandine are the small root nodes. So I dig up quite a bit of dirt under the plants to try to catch most of the root nodes.

Right outside the Community Garden... hey hey! It's that squirrel with the short tail again!

He's come about a half mile, up the bike path from where I originally found him. Looking for a place to call home? Or maybe that's just what some squirrels do!

And a little bit further... oh my gosh! There's a whole passel of squirrels playing!

There's five there, and at least one more at the base of the tree. Maybe two more. Siblings, and Mama is probably happy to see them out in the world! *laughs* That many babies is a lot of responsibility!!

What a delight to watch them! Chasing each other, bouncing thru the tree branches. And then across the bike path and down to the creek. Good Luck, Little Ones!

The clouds are starting to break up and when the sun shines, the warmth is very welcome.

And when I get home... oh thank goodness.

This is Riley, the neighbor's outside cat. He's been missing. She was out calling for him yesterday afternoon, and night and this morning.

I'm glad he's back, but ugh, I wish outside cats did not exist.

It's chilly, it got down to 25° last night. But the sun shines and that is promising some warmth.

I'm heading towards Hidden Trail, and I meet up with the wild Turkeys in the neighborhood!

There's a couple in the trees above.

and several on the roof of the houses!

I love to see them!

Moving on, and up on the trail.

The camera has trouble with forest lighting conditions, but this photo of a Steller Jay is making me laugh... Her Eye!! haha!

Oh oh oh!! I saw that one sparrow with leucism again!! But she flew away too quickly for me, and here's what the camera had to say...

A Blur of Sticks. Great. Just Great.

Bahaha! oh well. Next time, my dear!

Here's someone who stuck around long enough for photography!

A Point and Click and Hope...

But my Song Sparrow friend decides to wait for me to find her on the mess of sticks on the camera screen!

So sweet! Thank you!

There's a protest tomorrow for Martin Luther King Jr Day... But I'm just not feeling it.

It starts in a different place than usual, and the bus ride out there would be longer and I'd have a longer walk to get to the place. And then I would have to walk the entire march, to get to the nearest bus stop to come back home. And I've never had the social energy to walk the entire march.

I know. It sounds like a bunch of excuses, doesn't it. Especially since there's a more dire reason to protest now that ICE has murdered Renee Nicole Good.

sighs.

The Air Stagnation Advisory that started ten days ago continues. The nights get SO cold! Last night was 23°, which is the coldest it's been this winter!

But when the sun shines at least the afternoons warm up to about normal, which is 48/35 this time of year. Of course, the normal temps are due to cloud cover acting as insulation... which we don't have with this high pressure system hanging over us.

I miss the rain.

I saw this guy come in for a landing...

And then he flutters to a different perch.

If someone so big could be said to 'flutter'!!! haha!

Oh yes. This is a much nicer place!

Well...

No one likes a fascist. I'd like to believe that but the regime sure is held up by a shit ton of evil people, who apparently like fascists just fine. Sighs.

Also. No one likes to run out of room when they are writing important words! haha!

I'm stopping by the garden to harvest a beet.

And the strawberry patch is looking good.

And then I have a look around to determine my plan of attack for my required volunteer time.

Just down the aisle from my plot is a plot that got taken over by Lesser Celandine. It's been covered with black tarps for a couple years now. It hardly slows them down, tho... I can feel them growing in places under the tarps! Even with no sun!

And they are coming out the edges...

So maybe I should work on this! I feel like I'm starting early enough, I could probably dig up a good bit of this. Maybe all of it!

As I'm walking away, I hear a hummingbird singing! Here he is!

He lets me walk right up to him!

What a handsome fellow!

And then he goes back to his singing!

This video of a protest amuses me greatly!

∞ You need to know what's going down RIGHT NOW at Target stores in Minnesota

Ha! Buy Salt and then return it. It's brilliant.

Just punishing the workers is a corporate talking point which is meaningless. The Workers get paid the same crappy slave-wage, regardless of what happens during the day. And the Protesters are of course being respectful. The Workers are undoubtedly enjoying this effort as much as anyone else!!

And as Parkrose Perma says, Yes, it is performative. So many non-violent, direct actions and acts of civil disobedience, those are a performance. And the sooner we understand that we are doing these actions, not because it's something that makes us feel righteous and good but because we are trying to create mass public opposition.

I've had fun reading the comments as well! Good Stuff there!

It got down to 23° again last night. And I'm horrified to see it's still well below freezing when I head out at 11am!

Gah! Look! Ice! UGH!

*laughs* I've got extra layers on, and after a half mile of walking, I'm warmed up enough to live. but, gah.

There's a pair of Hooded Mergansers.

I'm looking over at the female, and almost miss what's happened here...

oh. Poor little Crawdad.

Okay. I'm at the Community Garden to do my volunteer work. Here's the plot that's just down the aisle from mine. It's been in remediation for years, after the guy gardening there let Lesser Celandine get totally out of control.

I get started on this back corner, there's just a few clumps here.

But digging past the roots of the grass and whatever that other weed is... was actually kind of tough!

It took me longer than I thought it should to fill up the bag!

And plus, my hands were so cold while I was working. I went to get the garden gloves out of the backpack, just for warmth... but foo, they aren't there. That's annoying.

But the clouds start to break up and the sun makes a showing. That warms things up a little.

I stuff the trash bag of Lesser Celandine into the backpack and on the way out, I glance at my garden plot.

The freezing nights haven't bothered the clump of Leek seedlings! Good!

I decide to walk around the block before I go home. As I'm coming back on the bike path... haha...

A Nutria. And that makes me glad we have a decent fence around the Community Garden... tall enough to keep the deers out, tho I've never seen a deer in this area. And buried enough to keep these guys out!

American Robin in a Blue Elderberry tree.

Another very cold night, and again it's still below freezing when I head out. But today the sun is shining and that makes the world warmer!

The ongoing Air Stagnation Advisory goes thru Friday... but they keep pushing back any chances of rain. The possible rainy days keep hovering at the end of the forecast and don't move up to the present. The lack of rain is going to be a problem at some point.

But today's sunshine has brought a bit of joy...

There's a group of Starlings playing in the bath!

The same Great Blue Heron of the other day is hanging out with the Mallards!

And back at the garden to continue my work with Lesser Celandine removal. The east side of the remediation plot has a few clumps invading the neighboring plot.

And my bag is full.

I take the same route as yesterday, around the block. And I see the same Nutria, just up from the garden!

She or he walks over to the tall grass for cover when I get too close.

Ha. I've never named a Nutria before. I hope they continue hanging out here!

Made me cry...

∞ Support for Renee Good's Widow and Family

Renee sparkled. She literally sparkled. I mean, she didn't wear glitter but I swear she had sparkles coming out of her pores. All the time. You might think it was just my love talking but her family said the same thing. Renee was made of sunshine.

Cloudy and ridiculously cold again today... the low last night was 19°! Nineteen! Completely unacceptable!

I'm ready for it, with all my extra layers to keep warm. I also went to pull out some new garden gloves, since I'd apparently lost my last set...

When I told my Mom how much I like these gloves, she got me a pack of them! I got the next pair out, separated them from their plastic fastener. I'm looking at them as I go to put them in the backpack... and it slowly occurs to me... they are both Left Hand gloves.

Huh! So I go back, and get the pack out again, looking for the pair of two Right Hand gloves. But nope, the other pairs are normal. With a left and a right.

So foo. *laughs* They may have been useful, if they were two Right Hand gloves. Since I'm right handed, maybe the right glove gets holes in it before the left glove, and I could just replace that one. But what the heck am I going to do with two left gloves? ha!

It's been dark and dreary this morning, but the clouds are moving around now, so maybe the sun will make an appearance. Meantime, there's ice in the wet prairie puddles again.

The triangles are kind of fascinating! Look at those perfect equilaterals!!

In the Community Garden, I do a little walk about. I make note of a couple Lesser Celandines growing in the path that I will need to dig up.

And I look at Plot 15... I had started working on it last year, but I ran out of time before I could dig out all the invasives there. And sure enough, the same corner is getting covered with Lesser Celandine.

Well. I have my work cut out for me. And I want to focus on the remediation plot first!

The sun has come out, and I'm able to take off the jacket. But it's still cold enough to need the new gloves... a Left AND a Right! *laughs*

Digging up this border is going to take a while!

But I'm full up today! As I leave, a little pop of colour catches my eye... I think these are Japanese Anemones.

I go around the block again, and again see my new friend, the Nutria. But this time, he's down in the water.

And the things that piss me off today...

∞ ICE Now Demanding Papers From Off-Duty Cops Caught Driving While Brown. Well of course that's happening.

He added that this was anything but an isolated incident, noting that other officers in his and other area law enforcement agencies had experienced similar profiling, and that all of them were people of color. 'If it's happening to our officers, it pains me to think how many of our community members are falling victim to this every day,' Bruley said. 'It has to stop.'

*Screaming* Then YOU NEED TO STOP IT!

Goddamnit! That guy is the authority there, and he just says a few words and can't be bothered to DO anything about this fucking serious problem.

WHEN will people stand up and DO SOMETHING???

And Also...

∞ Say hello to Liam Ramos ... Violent terrorist, age 5, detained by ICEstapo in Minnesota

The Ramos family is here legally; they have an active asylum case.

Just more proof of the ethnic cleansing that ICE is carrying out. I am so utterly ashamed of what America has become.

Cold blue sky today, and the Air Stagnation Advisory, happening since Jan10, is finally gone from the weather page.

But it's been replaced by a Cold Weather Advisory now. And still no rain. Sheesh.

I'm heading to the garden to dig up more invasive Lesser Celandine.

And on the way I run into that Sparrow with leucism again, in the usual place!

Little dude or dudette is so Uncooperative with the photography! But at least I got them today! *laughs*

They have reason to be bouncier than their friends. Those white patches make them stand out, for sure.

And at the garden I'm digging at Plot 38, again, the plot down from mine that's in remediation.

As I'm going at it, I realize the soil is dry enough here that I can actually see the root nodes! This is interesting!!

So these things are technically called Bulblets (above) and Tubers (below).

I'm taking photos of some short Lesser Celandines, so that I can include the leaves in the pics.

But the significant thing here is that the white part of the stems? Those can actually be a lot longer... meaning those Bulblets and Tubers might be buried a foot deep!

So, my little hand spade must be shoved down into the dirt, all the way to the hilt, in order to maybe get down to the evil root nodes!!

This is great information to have! Know your enemy, right?!

So, I am very pleased with myself and my new knowledge! And on top of that, with today's time, I've hit 2 hours for my required 4 hours of volunteer time at the Community Garden!

Heading home, with a happy bounce in my steps!

A cute pair of Green Wing Teals.

The male wanders off, and the female goes back to preening. ha! Her cute lil foot!! Stretch!

Today I am working on a resistance swap at Swap-Bot.

Yep.

The discussion thread under the Swap description, has been ... interesting.

∞ Swap-Bot... F*CK ICE!

One of the people disagreeing with the swap, is my friend.

It upsets me to be reminded again that there are people in the world who are okay with the evils of ICE.

And... honestly, I'm not sure how to process this about my friend. I am okay to sit with ambiguity about people. But, again. It's good to have information.

∞ Man killed in Minneapolis by federal agents identified as VA nurse Alex Pretti: 'He wanted to help people' ... Pretti, 37, worked in the ICU at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and had assisted on scientific research

∞ 'How many more Americans need to die?': Minneapolis mayor condemns Trump ... Jacob Frey's full response after federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old US citizen Alex Pretti on 24 January

So that's on my mind as I'm heading out... It takes a while for Nature to calm me down. Outside the Community Garden, I see the Squirrel with the short tail. But he's not very cooperative.

I walk on by the Garden and decide to go to the Solidarity Garden. They've still got some Calendulas blooming.

And when I get home, I need to do something with my frustration.

Translation:
How many people will be murdered on the street before you do something about ICE?? Not to mention 32 people dead in concentration camps in 2025. The USA is on the front page of Amnesty International for Human Rights Violations! You are useless. Step aside, let someone with some morals be the House/Senate Minority Leader.
Liberty and Justice for ALL!

These are to Chuck Schumer (Senate Minority Leader) and Hakeem Jeffries (House Minority Leader)... neither of whom are my representatives, but they are the ones I want to talk to, being the leaders of their people.

I thought about writing to the Republican Leaders... but what would I say, besides cussing? They are the ones abdicating their duties to the Constitution.

The Dems as well, of course.

The Amnesty International thing I'm referencing is this report that came out at the beginning of December:

∞ USA: New Findings Reveal Human Rights Violations at Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' and Krome Detention Center

Amnesty International always has a case or two from the USA about human rights violations. And I am always ashamed to see them.

But this report about these concentration camps and the torture... There are thousands of people there. Thousands.

18° last night. Gah.

Right outside the door is a native Western Grey Squirrel.

But he's got business elsewhere!

Down at the bike path... Oh! Wait!

Aren't you cute!

Even with your funny very orange teeth!

More Nutrias!

This is a family, I don't get a count on the kids, they all disappear behind the brush pretty quickly. But I do notice there's one kid who is a lot smaller than the others. An adoptee maybe?

Oh my gosh! It's my friend, the Belted Kingfisher! She's playing tag... but she doesn't fly quite far enough! I can still see her from where I'm standing!

That's really blurry, but that's okay. Proof of her existence!

An Island of Teals!!

I'm heading back home, but notice another Nutria across the creek...

And then yet another...

Ha. This is crazy. I've never seen so many Nutrias in a single day! I guess this is Nutria Out-And-About Day! *laughs*

And there was a news article yesterday about our over-night warming shelters.

∞ Record cold in Eugene tests shelters; community help crucial

Our Egan Warming Centers open over-night to homeless people when the forecasted low hits 30°... They have been open for eight consecutive nights, and that's nine nights, now. Hard on the volunteers.

Not to mention they've lost a bunch of funding, I assume due to the evil regime, and they've had to drop a couple sites. To compensate, the other sites are taking in more people. And when one site gets full, they offer a free shuttle to get people to a non-full site.

Keepin' people alive. When the current federal government is actively killing people. Hundreds of Thousands of people, and counting, just from the loss of USAID, most of them kids.

Sighs. The blog is turning into a daily dose of doom... America is a terrible place.

The overnight low was 23° but it's warmed up several degrees above freezing by the time I get out.

Brewer Blackbirds! It's nice to see someone different!

The work of our local Beaver...

And the partially chewed one, top left. A Beaver's gotta chew!

New graffiti!

Yep.

And then I stop at the Solidarity Garden.

They should paint more of their bricks!

Oh! Ruby Crown Kinglet!

Winter visitors here, and usually way too bouncy for the camera focus time! *laughs*

And some House Finches!

I am so delighted with all the different birds I've seen today!!

So. My Wired Magazine subscription. I'd been going back and forth with ... a bot, I guess. And then it sent me over to the humans.

Who never responded. It's been a couple weeks now. Nothing.

So, my subscription ends tomorrow. And there's nothing else to be done, since the people refuse to talk to me.

I cancel the subscription. And then to make doubly sure, I also cancel the recurring payment on my credit card.

I am so bummed! I want to pay for good journalism! The reporters at Wired are brilliant. They do such good work. Sighs.

And now it's time for some good news!

In the paper today...

∞ Dept. of Education withdraws appeal in Eugene 4J lawsuit

Yay!

DOE had sent out a threatening letter last February, which ordered schools to cease DEI efforts or risk losing federal funding.

Our school district was the only public K-12 school district to join the lawsuit.

We've been told that the suit would not have been successful without our district, Jonak said. By lending our voice, we helped protect smaller districts that could not step forward themselves. This is something our entire community should be proud of.

YES! I am very proud!

The only trouble is, the wheels of justice turn slowly.

This thing was won. But it's been almost a year, and how much money wasted? And how much damage was done in the interim?

Good Morning Dear Starling. Hello Sweet Scrub Jay.

What is it that you have, Mx Scrub Jay?

A kernel of corn! Well, that's a nice treat!

Just outside the garden, I hear this little guy singing.

He's a little too far up for good photography, and I wonder why he's not singing in the Community Garden.

I'm at the garden and I start my murdering work with this bit of Lesser Celandine in the back pathway.

Whoa, I found a ton of bulblets under that plant. Like way, way more than normal. I take out a good bit of dirt, to try to get most of it.

And now there's a stupid hole in the middle of the pathway. Dangerous, since the grass hides it. crud. I fill the hole with sticks and stuff from the compost heap, but it's awkward.

Then I head to plot #38.

I work around the edges of that big clump. I feel like those plants might go deeper than my little hand spade can reach.

I've set some plants aside to study some more. This little one was right at the surface.

But these plants are more typical... with the white stem reaching way down into the dirt and just a couple inches of stem and leaf above the ground.

And yeah, I realize now that I should have taken the photos with the plants laying on the black tarp rather than the white thing. Live and learn! *laughs*

Heading out, and I make the loop around the block. And again catch a glimpse of my friend the Nutria.

And oh, look. That never-seen Beaver has been here recently.

Coming home, I'm crossing the little alley next to the apartment complex, and there's a utility worker walking out to fold up his traffic sign. They've been working on the water or sewer lines at the back for a few days now.

I smile and say hi, as I pass him and he sees the camera.

Get any good pictures today?

I remember the Nutria, who was trotting away. And the birds, too far up in the trees. Not really, I said. The birds didn't really show up.

Guy nods. I'm the same way, sometimes. I'm a rock hound, and sometimes I go out and find nothing. Yep.

He adds, You can't go out just for the destination... you gotta enjoy the journey!

Totally! So very true!

Since Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were murdered...
I have rage.

And my words just felt inadequate for the situation.

I did write a couple postcards.

But they keep piling on the evil...

∞ ICE Leaving Ace Of Spades Death Cards Just Like In Vietnam, Which Worked Out Great

So, yeah. I totally stole that image of the Ace of Spade Death Card! Why? Because, folks! That's an address! It's postcard time!!

The other postcard is blank... I will probably write some vitriol on it and send it in a day or two.

We've finally got some actual, real cloud cover today. And the temperature when I come out is a wonderful, wonderful, blissful 50°!!!

Ah! So nice!

Ha! When you don't know what to say, but NEED to say...

hm.

um?

Is this going to be one of those days when the birds have no cooperation for the camera?

Well! That's good to know. I'll go looking for some flowers today, instead!

Pretty, pretty.

There are several homes here where people have left their protest signs out on their porch!! That's great to see!

Okay! Blurry, but at least we get to see someone's face!

There have been frequent protests out at the Federal Building, which holds the ICE offices.

And yesterday, ICE escalated with unprovoked tear gas...

∞ Agents pepper-spray protesters during altercation at federal building

Several people detained, at least two protesters pepper sprayed, and the tear gas affects all in the area.

*Shakes head*

OH HEY... Eugene got a mention from Hemant Mehta at Friendly Atheist!!

∞ In Oregon, a local official's 'State of the County' address turned into a Christian revival... Comments made by Lane County chair David Loveall and others show why religious proselytizing has no place in a government address

Yeah, this thing by Loveall was so gross! There have been multiple letters to the editor complaining about what happened at that meeting.

The thing is... when people signal this particular brand of Christianity, they are bringing so much baggage to the conversation.

These jerks are willing and enthusiastic to discriminate against LGBTQIA+ people. They don't want The Gays to get married, and they really don't want trans people to exist. They love censorship and are always trying to take books away from kids.

Not to mention the misogyny that oozes from guys like Loveall. Yep. That guy needs to go.

And now, shake it off. We've got a song to listen to!

∞ Lizzy & the Triggermen... When that Man is Dead and Gone (1941) - Protest song against Hitler (Live Take)

In 1941, Irving Berlin wrote a powerful protest song about Hitler. It's only been recorded a few times - most memorably by the incredible Al Bowlly (who, tragically, was killed in a Nazi airstrike only 2 weeks after recording it). Our Lizzy & the Triggermen arrangement is by the amazing Dan Barrett (with lots of loving homage to the Bowlly version). We did this in a live take.

Fabulous!!!

It's a grey day, warmer again. And I grab my backpack and head to the Community Garden to get my work done, removing invasives.

But I get there, and there's loads of humans.

There's four people in the back, at the new Master Composters area. They are busy moving the different compost bins!

And then there's a few more people at the front of the Community Garden, chatting.

So, I walk on by. I don't feel chatty today. Which is to say, I never want to talk with the humans! Asocial. :)

And it's just as well. It starts sprinkling, and I am happy to walk in the rain.

Oh hey.

Some wild Miners Lettuce!

I had gotten some seeds to plant last year, but we had some flooding last spring and I never got around to putting them in the ground.

I should get them out and see if they can grow past the slugs!

They are interesting little plants!

I walk out to the downtown neighborhoods, but I don't get the camera out with the bit of rain.

Coming back, the humans have left the Community Garden and it looks like the new compost area is all set up and ready to go!

It looks good, there next to our little native pollinator bed!

Foo. I get home, and I can't find the packet of Miners Lettuce seeds. humph. I wonder what I did with them.

February is the Month of Letters. You write and send mail every day of the month.

And I'm seriously thinking about participating.

I'm a long time member there, from the very beginning. But the website lost functionality, and over time that really diminished my interest.

I don't think I even logged in last year, and in 2024 I only sent a couple postcards.

But I'm trying to revive my postcarding. So I feel I should give LetterMo another go.

Another lovely day... dreary but warmer, about 48° when I leave the house.

Good Morning!

A spot of colour catches my eye.

Flowering Quince!

At the creek, a tiny flash of green...

Anna Hummingbird and it's just Point and Shoot and Hope, here. *laughs*

Female!

Thank You Dear!

This power pole is an occasional dove hang out, and I head over when I see movement up there. But it's not Pigeons, like I thought.

Eurasian Collared Dove. Invasive, but they are beautiful. Those suble colours in their grey feathers!

Another Anna Hummingbird, this one a male. He's up there singing in an Alder tree.

A pair of Hooded Mergansers.

you know. There was a pair last year, where the male always kept his hood down. I named them Zig and Zag.

I wonder if this is them. Or maybe males keeping their hoods down is more common than I thought.

Further downstream, there's a Green Wing Teal.

Happy with all the birds I've found today!

Oh no!

∞ Riot declared at old federal building, police direct public to leave the area

∞ Eugene police declares 'riot' at federal building, orders protesters to leave

∞ Live Updates from ICE Out

∞ EPD declares activity at Federal Building a riot

Protesters were banging on the windows of the Federal Building, and a window broke. ICE started throwing tear gas and flashbangs.

Eugene Police didn't want ICE to go overboard with their freakout and possibly murder people, like they do. So they declared a riot and stood between the protesters and the building.

I finally looked up this bush that's just starting to flower....

Laurustinus. Native to the Mediterranean, introduced to Oregon and California as a landscaping plant for it's winter blooms. Info says it has metallic blue berries... It's weird that I've never noticed that before!! ha.

I'm at the creek, and there's a Bewick Wren. Bouncing around as they do, but really close to the path!

I whip out the camera, heard something hit the path near my foot, but was focused on the wren... who just flew away before I could get a single photo. sighs.

I look down to see what fell...

oh.

So that's the damn lens cap on the ground! The tether had broken! My own stupid fault. I saw it was getting frayed a week ago.

But now, without the tether? The next bird I see is a cute little Chickadee, just sitting there! I grab the camera, lens cap hits the sidewalk, the sound spooks the bird, who flies away. And then I cuss as I pick up the lens cap.

This happens 5 or 6 times over! I forget to HOLD the lens cap EVERY SINGLE TIME!! So now I'm mad at myself.

Finally I knot what's left of the tether and wind it around my fingers, and then I walk with my hand resting on the top of the camera. It's awkward, but I don't drop the lens cap again!

I'm halfway home, and I suddenly get my mojo back with a flock of Cedar Waxwings!

They are so cute!

Looking at my photos... I don't see a single 'wax wing' on them! ha. They've all got the waxed bright yellow on their tail feathers, but no one has the waxed red sticks poking out from their wings.

They must grow those specifically for the mating season?

Yes, you're cute too!