2026

Red Shoulder Hawk, just outside the Community Garden!!

I'm moving around to see if I can get a better angle. Nope. ha. Oh well.

I decide to go into the Community Garden, just to look around. The little clump of Crocuses in my plot.

They're so pretty in the rain!

There's Loads of Robins here today, grabbing worms who have come up from the rain... but can I get anyone's photo???

This Rosemary is pretty pretty!

Oh, the Bluebird couple is here again!

As I'm leaving, I finally get a less blurry Robin.

And on the way home... Oh my gosh!

A male Common Merganser!

He's by himself. He hasn't found Princess Buttercup or her new friend yet.

And is this the male who was hanging out with the female mallard with the bum wing? Or is this someone new?

I don't know. He's not talking! :)

Mr Short Tail was bounding away from me, and I just noticed the white furs at the end of his poor tail.

I waited a second, and yep, he popped up to look at me!

It's surprising to me... he's roaming an area that's a bit over ½ a mile! It seems like a lot for someone so small.

And the male Common Merganser is here for a second day, still hasn't met up with Princess Buttercup.

And his little cousins, Zig and Zag the Hooded Mergansers.

Okay, let's get to work!

Prepare to Die, My Pretties!

Another frustrating time, trying to dig the Lesser Celandine out of the grass. The bag isn't very full when I quit.

The clouds were breaking up as I worked and the sun has come out.

Oh, and these fruit trees on the other side of the creek!

I call all the tree flowers Cherry Blossoms, even tho we have plums, pears and other fruits. I don't really make a distinction unless I know the tree.

For instance, there's an Apple Tree outside the Community Garden that I know well. It will bloom later in the spring.

So, all that to say: I don't know what kind of fruit tree this is! *laughs*

The sun has warmed up the world enough to bring out some bees!

And maybe it's just as well that the tree is on the other side of the creek! I would be here all day, just taking pictures! :)

On my way to the Community Garden again, and I run into a happy group of Nutrias. These two over here...

And that's the little runt on the right, there. I guess she's not going to get any bigger. But it makes her identifiable! I should think about giving her a name!

But look at her foot! I rarely get to see how their feet are webbed!! So cute!

And then there's these two, over here. Butt to butt. How sweetly gregarious!!!

And then our little runt comes over to join them.

Aww!

And you can see how little she is, compared to the others.

So cute. I'm glad I got to meet them all today!

Okay. Plot 38 is getting so close to finished. But these last few Lesser Celandines buried in the grass are going to be tough to get out.

While I'm at it, I pull up the edge of the tarp to give myself a bit of working room. Oh jeez! So tenacious!

well. There's still a bit left to do. Maybe I'll be done tomorrow.

I stop at my plot before I go.

oh! Haha! A Spotted Cucumber Beetle!

These are the nice bugs, it's the Striped Cucumber Beetles that cause so much havoc and destruction.

As I'm leaving, some Hyacinths catch my eye.

Princess Buttercup! Where's your friend? Did you know there was a male here?? Yesterday! You JUST missed him!!

She just paddles away, questions unanswered! *laughs*

It was pouring when I woke up this morning. Rained itself out and the sun shines. But the clouds are rolling in for the next rain storm!

Princess Buttercup! You still haven't found that male yet? Where could he be??

*laughs* but of course, the Leucism Sparrow isn't hanging around for photography!

oh... Bumblebee... maybe wondering about her life decisions this morning.

Okay. Here I am at Plot 38, and the clouds that have rolled in are starting to send some sprinkles down.

I HATE working in the rain. But I'm so very close to finishing up the edges of this plot. I get to work!

I finish the grass in the front as best I can, and then went up the west side again since there were some baby Lesser Celandines coming up. Unfortunately, they were too small to mess with. A lot of the roots just broke off! Which made me even more frustrated than the sprinkles.

It's raining now, but my little trash bag is not even close to full. I head over to plot 58 and hope the rain will quit in a minute.

Instead it starts pouring. You know what? Maybe it's time to quit!

Packing up in the pouring rain and having to deal with cleaning off the mud from the fork and my hand spade... almost sends me over the edge! I think about screaming out my frustration!!

But once everything is put away... and I'm in the shed looking out at the rain... I remember...

I LOVE THE RAIN!

*laughs* Yes. It's annoying to do garden work in the rain. That's a good reminder. Let's not do that again.

But now I get to walk home in the glorious rain! The bike path will be cleared of humans. And I'll get some real nature time! It is good.

ha. Oh well. To Work! Let's murder some Lesser Celandine!

I'm going to move around today. I'll start with this clump next to the shed, that's been annoying me all week.

Those white things are the ribs to support a tunnel of row covers. Someone must have abandoned them.

That little clump was easy to dig out, so now I'm going for a challenge... Here's some Lesser Celandine in the main path going to the back of the garden.

Yeah, I get frustrated with that mess, and decide to move on before I've dug out all the Lesser Celandine.

There's hardly anything in the trash bag, so I decide to work on the bonanza in the back corner of plot 15.

It's a damn swamp here! And I needed the fork, too, because the roots of these go down way deep. But the mud was so watery, it was easier to pull out whole roots. I made a dent!

There's some Red Dead Nettle growing here too, and the whole thing is pretty.

I'm out, and walking around the block.

I really like this striped kind of Crocuses.

∞ Sesame Street: Ian McKellen Teaches Cookie Monster to Resist

*laughs* This just made me feel happy and nostalgic. Who doesn't love Cookie Monster?!

I take the mail out to the box, first thing every morning. And this morning there were a couple of Crows yelling in the trees over the parking lot...

I looked and looked, and finally I saw a flash of red between the winter bare branches. hmm. When I came around for a different angle, ah! Cooper Hawk!!

So that's way cool! I've been hearing hawks talking, close by lately and I wonder if there's some nesting happening!

Out for my walk, and as soon as I jump on the bike path, this...

Oh, Unseen Beaver. I LIKE this tree! Are you really sure you want to bring THIS tree down??

*laughs* a Beaver has to chew!

At the Community Garden there's a sign next to the gate. Yay! New fence! Planned Start Date: 16 March. Expected Completion Date: 1 April.

Fabulous! Some of the fence posts are leaning in a uncomfortable way. And they'll be using a heavier gauge wire to make it a little more difficult for the homeless people to break in.

At the moment, the wire can be cut with just a pliers. And we have so many patched holes.

I continue my work in plot 15.

And then I head out and walk around the block again. And as I'm coming back to the garden on the bike path...

It's Mr Short Tail!!

Someone has left some sunflower seeds here for the wildlife. That's nice!

Good Video...

∞ When men say 'not all men'

I've been watching this YouTube channel, danasinspired for a while, and this is a very excellent explanation of why this phrase is an attempt to derail the conversation.

It's the same deal when people respond with All lives matter when they see a Black Lives Matter sign.

We are trying to talk about systemic harms, and these phrases try to turn the conversation to their own individual discomfort.

Anyway. A good thing to think about, go watch the video!

I've worked at the garden every day this week. I'm up to 11½ hours of volunteer time! And today... I think I'm just going to walk. I'm taking the backpack, just in case the Garden is empty. I might change my mind.

But the blue sky is starting to work on me!

At the bike path, a little dot of pink catches my eye, and I walk over to investigate.

Hmm.

A few potted plants have been abandoned here.

I just glance over them and see there's one healthy and green plant with a pink flower. All the others are just sticks.

I make note of the location, and if I remember when I'm coming home, I'll look at them again and maybe rescue one.

I continue on. But I'm thinking hard about that single pink flower that caught my attention!

Oh! First Vulture of the year! Welcome back! It must be spring!

ha, not that you can tell it's spring from the trees, who are still winter bare!

Well... not all the trees are winter bare!! :)

The Crocuses are starting to look a little bit rough.

The Camellia bush that I love is just starting to bloom.

I'm such a sucker for this bush! It's not that shade of pink, particularly. It's more the shape of the petals and the way they overlap and all.

I've come back around to the plants which have been dumped, and yep, I'm still thinking about them.

I assume a homeless person dumped the plants here. But who knows what they were thinking when they picked them up, in the first place?! Did they steal them? Or the plants could have been out, in front of someone's house with a 'Free to a Good Home' sign.

I'm studying the plants now, and OH! The pink flower that caught my attention...

It's a Fuchsia!!

I pull out that plant... it doesn't have a pot, but it looks like it's come straight from a hot house. There are a couple more Fuchsia plants behind it that are in a dormant state... just sticks with a couple leaves.

There's also some Roses? I think that's what they are. Dormant as well. They've been properly pruned down, tho, and it makes me think that all this has been stolen rather than just picked up for free.

Well. I'm not interested in the Roses, but I want all three of the Fuchsia bushes! The first big empty pot I find to carry them, does not have a bottom. foo. But then, oh good, there's a plastic tub here. It's broken around the edges but a perfect fit.

The three plants are a bit heavier than is comfortable. And I've got a ¼ mile to walk home!

ooof! So heavy! The muscles in my arms are shaking and my hand is painful holding the edge of the tub!

But I finally get home, and set the things in the porch room.

And the dormant sticks of the other plants behind...

I dump some water on them, and in a couple of hours they have visibly perked up!

So that's awesome! I will have to find some pots for them. And they will look great at the front door, I think.

Oh ugh. It's the Spring Forward time change. The worst. I wish we didn't have to go thru this foolishness!

I'm a little bit grumpy about 'sleeping in' without any actual extra sleep. But, let's get the day on...

*laughs* Mr Short Tail, not sticking around for the photography!

I'm in the garden, just looking at everyone's flowers!

Oh, wow. Someone has Peas coming up already!

It has been quite a bit warmer than normal. Probably a good idea to get a jump on the season!

In my plot, I check on the little patch of Leek seedlings, that had sprang up from a fallen flower.

The Strawberry patch is the biggest I've ever had!!

And there will be loads of Elephant Garlic to pick before too long!!

And there's still some Beets leftover from last year, currently making new leaves.

There's a few Crocuses left.

But look over here! Someone else has Crocuses too!

At the back of the Community Garden, in front of the compost pile...

Are these all Artichoke plants? Hmmm...

I'm thinking about digging up one or two, and transferring them to my garden plot. Artichokes are very big plants, but wouldn't it be fun to grow them for a season or two!

Some pretty Lettuces are growing here too.

On the other side of the compost heap... you see all those yellow flowers?

That's all Lesser Celandine. It's way too much for me to deal with. I'm gonna pretend I didn't see it! *snort*

A bird way over on the other side of the garden catches my eye with an unusual flying pattern...

Oh! Black Phoebe!! How cool is that!

And heading home.

Ha, that was a lot of photos today. Maybe I should calm down a little with the photography! But how can I do that? It's Spring!!

Mr Short Tail!

Okay! Garden work. I'm working at the corner of plot 15 again.

I've made another little dent in the Lesser Celandine.

And then I go to the back of the Garden to look at the Artichokes growing in front of the compost heap again.

I've looked up basic transplant information. Artichokes have a tap root but you're supposed to dig these at the end of the summer.

So they might not do well, to move them at this time of year.

But I think I'm going to try it! Instead of working on the invasives tomorrow, I'll dig up a couple of these free Artichokes!

I go around to study this mature Artichoke...

It's such a big plant. But that shade of green is so delightful.

Cooking Artichokes is kind of a pain... I think you just have to steam the whole flower and then strip it to get at the heart. And really, it's not much food, for such a big plant, just a few mouthfuls.

A few delectable mouthfuls! *laughs*

I go home a different way... and find a new Little Free Library. And isn't it a lovely scene!

***Huge Grin***

∞ Firefly Crew Teaser / Once We Were Spacemen / Nathan Fillion Alan Tudyk

NEED more information!

I've decided I'm going to dig up some volunteer Artichokes today and move them to my plot!

But when I get to the garden... arg, there's a guy there in front of the shed. Ordinarily, I would just keep walking. But I've got kitchen scraps to dump on the compost pile...

And I really, really want those Artichokes.

I go in and say Hi to the guy. He's pulled the lawn mower out of the shed...

He looks at me and says, Do you know how to run the mower? Nope, sorry. He explained that he could get the motor running, but it wasn't cutting the grass.

I couldn't help him, but grabbed a fork from the shed and wished him luck in solving the problem.

I dump my compost and pick out a couple of Artichokes to dig up.

That was easy. The dirt just fell away. Tho I'm kind of worried that they lost a lot of their tiny roots, too.

I dig up some Lettuce as well! But this, I just leave a big root ball, with all the dirt to transfer over. It's really heavy, but I know Lettuce doesn't like to be transplanted, and maybe this way, they won't feel a thing!

I get everyone situated in the ground. It's been a week since the last rain we got, but the dirt is still pretty wet. I do wish I could pour some water on them, anyway, to help the roots connect with their new place. But the water at the Garden won't be turned on until April.

They look happy, but now I'm wondering if this is going to work!

Well. Nothing for it. I clean the fork as best I can and take it back to the shed.

The guy is still there... and he says he has figured out the lawn mower!

He shows me the trick. Once you get the motor going, you have to push this button on the handle and then pull this lever and grip it with your hands. That engages the blade and you're good to go to cut the grass!

Yay! And now he has to figure out how to open up the gas can to give the mower some fuel. Haha, I wish him luck again and head out!

I get buzzed by a Hummingbird... do you see her?

Scrub Jay at the bottom, Anna Hummingbird at the top!

She's looking for bugs, and probably finding some, too!

It's a blurry bird day, I guess!

The Goldfinches don't want to show their face, either.

Back at home, I do a bit more research on Artichokes. and hmm, this is concerning...

∞ Artichokes vs. Cardoons (5min video)

What if those are not Artichokes after all?! Ha.

Artichokes are descendants of Cardoons. And you should not keep the seeds of Artichokes because they tend to revert back to Cardoons!

Cardoons are very popular in Italian cooking, where they are native.

But it's not something I'm interested in... you have to keep the stalks covered in dirt so they stay blanched. and then you have to cook the heck out of them, boiling them maybe several times over.

So. *laughs* All that, and I probably don't have Artichokes anyway!

OH NO! My sweet! Why aren't you in your den??!

Poor Baby. She must have gotten treed this morning, and now there are too many humans around and she can't come down!

oh my gosh, look at her hands! Haha, they look like AI hands!!!

Well. I don't want to distress her by staring at her for too long, so I move on. But I suppose she'll be stuck in her tree until dark, and that's an exhausting day for her.

Princess Buttercup is back with her friend again!

And I almost get a photo of a Steller Jay.

*Laughs* Steller Jays are more shy than our other blue-coloured jay, Scrub Jays, and I don't get to see them very often.

I want to get some work done in the garden, but there's a guy working behind the shed again. SIGHS. But I have a little bit of social energy today, so I went in anyway.

The lawn mower is out again and he's got a wheelbarrow full of pulled grass. I peek around the shed and said hello and he asked, in the same plaintive tone as the guy yesterday, Have you ever used the mower?

Haha!! I showed him the trick with the button and the lever that you have to hold.

And then I grab a fork from the shed and head to plot 15.

He goes back to his wheelbarrow of grass, while I get down to my own work. But soon, he's putting his stuff away. He comes over to tell me that he's heading out, goodbye.

I have to wonder, did the fact that he had to ASK A GIRL about the lawn mower, put him off??

But maybe he had done enough work already, pulling out grass from where ever he was working, and didn't want to start a new, extensive project.

I guess it's none of my business, and I'm happy to have the garden to myself!

And I've put another dent into the huge clump of Lesser Celandine.

Before I go, I double check a couple spots where I had dug up Lesser Celandine last year... This is where they put the porta-potty, and I had removed plants from all around the edges of it...

I am very pleased to see, there's just a couple pathetic looking plants that have returned in one corner!!

I'll have to dig that up soon. I'm not sure when they'll be returning the porta-potty, maybe any day now with the work on the fence pending!

And then I had dug up some plants in front of the picnic table and at the side of the shed. And those have not returned at all! Probably the new wood chip paths, helped there. But I'm going to take the credit anyway!! *laughs*

I walk around the block before going home. The colours of early spring delight me.

Back at the bike path. And here's Zig...

And Zag!

And, as I suspected, poor Opossum is still in her tree.

Poor girl. It's a long day, she's got. But maybe she'll be able to look back on it as an adventure.

Oh, those spring colours over there!

The second Vulture sighting of the spring!

I'm at the garden, and there's a truck and a wood chipper and some guys working on the bike path exit I need to take to get into the garden. I don't know why we always have to murder trees. Instead of trying to walk past them, I walk thru the grass and carefully slide past the leaf pile at the other side of the Community Garden.

And hey, hey! There's no guys here today, trying to figure out how the lawn mower works! *laughs*

I dig out the pathetic Lesser Celandine that was at the edge of the porta-potty area. and then I put my little dent into the invasives at plot 15.

And then I go back to my plot to see how the transplants are doing. The Crocuses are sadly quite done.

The transplanted lettuces are good... a couple of wilted leaves at the bottom, but their cores are happy!

And then I go to the back, where I put the Artichokes down. But I don't see them for a second? ... oh.

well, crud. All three of them have wilted to death.

I guess that experiment was not to be.

And then my usual walk around the block.

Ah Spring!

As I come round to the garden... #1 the porta-potty is back. So that was perfect timing that I dug up those Lesser Celandines there yesterday!

#2 there's a couple of guys here with a big white dog. They are looking at the garden fence and have set up some barriers in the parking lot. The work to replace our fence around the Community Garden begins on Monday!

#3 these are the trees that were murdered yesterday.

I think these were all Hawthorn trees. I don't know why they were murdered, and I'm sad about it.

I walk past the guy's work truck and into the garden. I wave Hi at them, and then do my usual work on plot 15.

I had forked a bit more than I could dig out today. But I'm really happy that I can almost see the end of this clump of Lesser Celandine!!

The lettuces that I transplanted into my garden plot are still looking good.

I'm not even thinking about a yummy salad yet. I'd like them to get their roots established before I start picking leaves off them. And it'll be a while before they really start growing, with the chilly nights.

The one remaining Columbine.

At one point, I had three different colours of Columbines. But they've gotten smaller and smaller every year, and last year I didn't even have a single bloom.

I should get some more, I really like the flowers! And the leaves are lovely as well.

I go wandering thru the Community Garden.

*screams* in horror!

That yellow is Lesser Celandine, and this plot is just east of Kevin's plot. Ack! I will be sure to dig that out soon!

Wandering on the Internets this evening, I happened upon this YouTube video...

∞ I Put Rain Puddle Mud in a Jar, Weeks Later THIS Appeared!

Oh my gosh! What Fun!!

I do love stuff like this!! Mud in a jar!! *Laughs*

He never says who the predator is... It looks like a dragonfly nymph?

The comments wondered about that as well, and someone else says: they are the larvae of the great diving beetle.

I need a walk that's completely different, for all the garden work I've done these last couple of weeks! I have done 13½ hours of volunteer time, and I'm heading over to Hidden Trail today!

The fawn lilies are coming up!

I keep walking past the end of the trail to visit the Acorn Woodpeckers territory. It's the first time I've been all the way up here, this year and ugh. There's new houses being built up here.

I can hear the Acorn Woodpeckers, but I can't see any at all. Hidden in the trees. So I take a little diversion and visit the bioswales.

The frogs aren't singing today, but when I reach the top one, I do hear a single ribbit! and I go down to the edge.

I see movement in the water. Oh My Gosh! A Newt!!!

She disappears before I can get the camera, but oh wow! I'm so impressed that this bioswale has that kind of wildlife! I got to see a Newt!!

*laughs* I study the water carefully, but she's not coming out, and I don't see anyone else.

Foo. But now I have a new reason to walk all the way up here!

and heading back to the trail, I do see a single Acorn Woodpecker! Not that we are very cooperative, but that's okay.

And heading back down. Oh sure. This is the photo I get! *laughs*

I take a different turn on the way home, and whoa! Look at these bicolour Camellias!!!

They just delight me!

What an absolutely lovely hike!

I have lived here for how many millions of years, and today I looked up what the difference is between Cherry blossoms and Plum blossoms.

Plum trees bloom much earlier than Cherry trees! I didn't know! But now I do! *laughs* All of these, so far this year, have been Plum blossoms.

Also Cherry blossom petals have a notch in them, and plum petals are round. There's obvious differences in the trunks of the trees as well.

And ya know, sheesh! It's not hard to tell them apart, I've just never bothered to learn!!

Here's a good article on the subject...

∞ Plum trees versus cherry trees: how to tell the difference and identify them

Hummer! This is a point and click and hope...

She never sits down.

Mr Short Tail, pauses a moment to look back at me before bounding off with his nut.

I go into the Community Garden for a look around.

ha. This male House Finch has found his one true love.

He is bouncing around with great energy.

And she is studying him closely.

Dead Nettle. I wish I had so many in my plot!

And I can't help but notice that my mission to murder Lesser Celandine must continue.

We've got blue sky and it's to be 78° today... and low 70s for the rest of the week.

That's crazy. Normal for this time of year is clouds, bit of rain, and 57/37. 20° over normal? UGH.

But I can't help enjoying the nice day!

Oh wow! Look at the happy Honey Bees!

They will get lots of action this week with the warm temperatures!

At the Community Garden, there's a small crew who have just started working on the new fence! Great! And I walk on by!

The Solidarity Garden...

Oh, look! Someone has already started planting stuff!

Not sure the Collard Greens will appreciate the hot weather, tho. And I don't think this garden has any water, either.

*smiles* All kinds of bugs coming out today!

On way home, a guy standing at a bench spoke to me. He was mumbling and I'm all What was that?

Can you get your phone out and ... I'm shaking my head as he goes on to say he's lost his speaker and whatever. I say I'm sorry. I'm not carrying a phone with me.

And his response: Bitch! and then he mumbles other disparaging things in my direction. And I keep walking and just make sure he's not following me.

You know what I have decided? There are too many men like this in the world.

They make an unreasonable demand of a woman. The woman politely refuses. And then they get pissed off and threatening because they've been rejected.

That effin' ICE guy who killed Renee Nicole Good was exactly the same. Called her a bitch after he murdered her in the face.

It's 'Not all men?' huh? Riiight. It *IS* ALL men... until the REAL men stop asshats like this!!

I kept my bedroom window open a crack all last night, due to the excessive warmth of yesterday. The cold air felt nice. Today will be mid-70s, and I've decided to walk a different direction.

oh my gosh, this Saucer Magnolia!!

oh! Haha!

huh. I was a little surprised to see this much water still here! But I guess we did get a bit of rain the other afternoon.

There's loads of Green Wing Teals!

And a pair of Canada Geese on the other side.

There's usually some birds bouncing around in this little thicket, and I always stop to look at them. But nobody today.

I linger over the Black Mustard blooms.

In the forest, I see this little one...

But the birds are messing with me! I don't even get blurry photos today! *laughs*

Oh well, just means I'll have to come back another day!

∞ Officials 'missed 99% of data' before ending Covid vaccine recommendation, memos reveal
US based Covid vaccine guidance for children and pregnant people on ideology instead of evidence, critics say

Yeah. They put that 'missed 99% of data' in quotes because they didn't 'Miss' the data so much as they IGNORED the data.

It's sickening what's happening in the US.

I mean, ha, yeah, literally sickening. But it makes me sick to my stomach that we don't do science for our health anymore.

The US used to do the most incredible medical research. We threw a lot of money at it and we've done amazing things.

But Trump, his cabinet members, and republicans are turning America into a shithole country.

It's tragic to watch it happen in real time and it's tragic to imagine the future.

... and now I'm depressed. So, here... I've saved one cheerful photo to share with you.

Now, if you can... go outside and get some Nature time! Otherwise, keep scrolling down for some Nature photography!

Well. The new fence at the Community Garden is coming right along. Too bad it's so ugly.

And as I'm walking along the path here... my brain is trying to tell me something. Once I'm past the guys working, I pause and study the fence...

Oh. The Bluebird nesting boxes! They're gone!

The disappointment crashes down so hard on me. That pair of Bluebirds have been hanging out here for months! I was so hopeful that I would get to see baby Bluebirds fledging here again.

And now that's not going to happen. *WAI*

You know what? I think these white and yellow Daffodils are my favorite!

I had such a hard time finding this Hummer with the camera, and now that I have, of course she's got her head in the shadows, arg!

*snort* oh my gosh! Itchy!

*laughs* Okay, here's a more dignified picture, after I've fiddled excessively with the histogram.

I'm coming back...

Free Irises. And they are legit! Unlike the Fuchsias I rescued the other day.

Yeah, I think I'm going to take a couple. I go thru the pile, there's more here than I could carry and I only want a couple. I pick out six or seven of the smallest ones, and take them back to the garden.

At the Community Garden, I avoid the guys working but do glance at the new fence some more.

Their mission is to build the new fence while still keeping the Garden enclosed. So here they've got the new fence a few feet inside the old fence which is still standing. So much for that pathway along the fence line.

And supposedly they are using a heavier gauge wire, which will be harder to cut into.

I go to my plot and there's new people working in the plot that is diagonal across the pathway. Asian couple, and they've pulled out a few of the raised beds that were originally in that plot. It looks like they've done good, hard work and I say Hi as I go by.

I put the new Irises in the front corner of my plot, near the Crocuses. I wonder what colour they are. And I'm thinking I will put the Sugar Snap Peas right behind them, once I get to that point!

We've got sunshine and a high of 78° again today and you know what? I am tired of the sun and the warmth already. It's supposed to cool off and be closer to normal, over the weekend... but this little preview of heat, with high temps that are 20° over normal, has me worried about what the summer is to be.

But, like usual, I get out into the sunshine and it cheers me right up! *laughs*

It's warm enough to bring out the butterflies! I've been seeing Cabbage Whites here and there this week. And here's a Painted Lady!

The fence guys are not working today, and they've just connected the new fence with the old fence.

I'm interested to see that the wire mesh that will go underneath to keep the Nutrias out, only goes down about a foot or so. Is that deep enough?

The three Killdeers are here again.

They are cute, but their voices are ear-piercing!

*laughs*

I'm about half a mile up the bike path, when I notice this one on the other side of the creek!! Raccoon!! She's small, so probably a female, but then I notice...

That tipped ear! This is the Mama who had that slightly blonde child last summer!!!

Smiley face graffiti!

I've brought my backpack to work at the Community Garden. But there's a couple people in there, so I decide to walk on by!

These double petal Daffodils are interesting, but I've never really liked them because pollinators can't get in to the good stuff in the flower...

But it turns out that most all Daffodils are not very accommodating to pollinators, anyway...

∞ The truth about daffodil pollination: surprising reasons bees ignore them

So that's interesting! Especially since we have so many Daffodils around here that are clearly feral and probably not planted by humans moving bulbs around!

oh, check out this little bush!

Chinese Witch Hazel! Isn't it lovely!

Zig and Zag!

This Mallard goes by, and you can see how much smaller the Hooded Mergansers are, in comparison!

I wake up this morning to a woodpecker drumming nearby... And he's still at it when I go out to drop my postcards in the mail!

He seems to be in the tree right outside my window, a Sweet Gum which is very much alive. I study the tree, and realize there's a broken and dead branch on the other side.

Sure enough, there's the drumming woodpecker... a Downy!

Thinking about woodpeckers, I decide to go up Hidden Trail to see if I can see the Acorn Woodpeckers up there.

But I'm still walking past my own apartment complex when I see a weird looking Chickadee!!!

OH MY GOSH!! Chestnut Backed Chickadee!!

They are a species that lives along the Pacific Coast of North America... And I've never seen one before!!!

Wow! How cool is that!!

I don't know what kind of Magnolia this is.

The Red Flowering Currant bushes are about at their height of blooms!

I get up to the top of the trail and go on to the Acorn Woodpeckers territory. I can hear them calling, but I don't see anyone right away. So I go up to look at the construction happening a bit further up the hill.

But I notice... oh no!

Those trees belonged to the Acorn Woodpeckers, you damn bastards!!! ARG!!

I didn't notice at the time... but looking at this Granary Tree now? It looks strangely empty! Usually you can see the acorns in the holes, but I see only one acorn in this pic!

I wonder. Could the Acorn Woodpeckers be moving their territory???

I hope so. But will I ever get to see them again?

Sighs.

Well. I do get to see one! But the dreary day means the photography isn't great.

The Fawn Lilies are just starting to bloom.

I'm walking home thru the neighborhood. And... Oh Hey!

I cross the street to get a little closer, tho I don't want to disturb him, of course!

For a minute I wonder if he's here by himself! haha! But then I see, there's a handful of females, down near the house.

Plus, check out that Gargoyle!!

I haven't yet potted up the Fuchsias I rescued the other day. But they are looking much happier in the porch room, getting loads of water every day...

Yep, we're making new flowers!

But I guess it's been more than just the other day since I got them! It's been two weeks! ha, I need to get my act together and find some pots to put them in!

I'm walking to the garden today, just to look.

The new Irises are looking a little pathetic, tho I assume they will live once they get their roots established.

The Lettuces, tucked between the Elephant Garlics look happy, tho they've not started growing yet.

And the Beets which lived thru the winter are making leaves like crazy! I suppose they will bolt soon.

And the right side neighbor has been doing some work as well! The ground has been forked and they've got a wood chip path going up the middle...

That's interesting. These are the Pot People and last year they did nothing with their plot. So I wonder if these are the same people, or if someone new got the plot?!

The sun is shining right now, but there's a good chance of rain in the forecast for a couple days. We have been getting a little bit of rain, about once a week-ish this month. But the blue skies are starting to get tiresome, when it's supposed to be solid grey skies this time of year.

And we are behind on rainfall again this month, about 3inches.

sighs.

Oh, that little bit of blossom pink, tucked into those other trees, showing their spring colours!

And swooping above the wet prairie here... the first pair of swallows!!

I didn't get their picture, but I assume they are our usual Violet Green Swallows.

The guys are back to working on the Community Garden fence again today... after a four day weekend. Must be nice: they only worked Mon, Tue, Wed last week.

I have kitchen scraps to drop off at the compost pile, and then I walk on by.

My Kingfisher friend!! She's flying silently today, and is alone again.

Ha, that branch is perfectly hiding her red belt. bummer. But I'll assume the belt is broken on her right side, and this is the same Kingfisher I've been seeing thru the winter.

And usually she doesn't give me the chance to photograph her at all. So it's nice to see her sit for more than 2 seconds! *laughs*

Well, sheesh.

This Hooded Merganser is alone, and looks like a girl. But his bright orange eyes... I think he's an immature male.

You can't tell from the news, but Trump's Regime has been crashing planes left and right.

∞ When Is It Time To Scream About The Trump Regime's Deadly Incompetence?

Why isn't anyone screaming about all of the plane crashes? This morning at LaGuardia two Air Canada pilots were killed and 41 people were injured when the plane struck a Port Authority Fire Truck. Since the start of the administration there have been 184 aviation disasters in the US, killing a total of 387 people, starting with the January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the first commercial big-jet domestic fatal airline disaster since 2009.

Sometimes words are an inadequate form of expression.

Sprinkling this morning and the wind is crazy. Weather page said 14mph but it's very gusty. It's annoying but at least the temperature is warm enough that the wind doesn't make it excessively cold.

Oregon Grape is our state flower. But it's so ubiquitous that I tend to overlook it. Even when they are blooming like crazy!

The guys are working on the fence at the front of the Community Garden today. This is the new fence in the back corner. There were two gates here, one for big machinery and a person size gate. They currently just have the wire mesh going across and the only gate left at the moment is the one in front.

Oh, my dear! I know! They took your nesting box! I'm so sorry, I know you were thinking about bringing up some babies here. But you'll have to go elsewhere.

It's still sprinkling, so I'm not going into the garden today. Walking on by!

America Goldfinch, well into his breeding plumage... I suppose they'll be migrating out of here before too long.

heh, the Leaning Tree Saplings... They don't have a good angle for photography yet, it's going to take a few decades before they are as magnificent as their predecessor.

Oh weird! I think these are Wallflowers, but I've not seen any that are even close to these interesting colours!

The blooms are pretty beaten up and munched, tho. ha, plus I'm having trouble with the wind... making flowers a moving target!

What a lovely front yard!

Overcast this morning, tho the clouds are moving around a bit, which makes me think it's going to rain any minute. The forecast says 20% chance for this morning, and I'm hoping the conditions will keep people away from the Community Garden so I can go in and get some work done!

And on the way, it's Mr Short Tail!

I'm at the Community Garden, and the guys are working on the new fence in this corner.

As I walk around to the front gate, Yay! No gardeners here right now!!

Fabulous! The last time I was able to come in for my volunteer work was the 13th... it's been almost two weeks!

I start going up and down the aisles... I dig out this clump under whatever this bush is. (And I'm keeping in mind that woody plants are _not_ allowed in the Community Garden... So I'm not especially careful with the roots of that woody bush.) (*grumble*)

And then I notice some in front of the plot right behind me.

And then I catch the clump in the plot just down from Kevin's. This is the one that's really been niggling my brain. I am glad to murder it!

I've made a big loop around the main pathways of the Garden, and now I'm going to stop here.

A lot of this Lesser Celandine is still young, which makes it hard to get out... the stems going down to the root Bulblets are more delicate, and I just need to work a lot more carefully.

But I make a decent dent in the patch.

Hopefully I'll get another day or two, so I can finish. But I'm feeling very accomplished for the work I've done today!

The new Irises in my plot are still looking sad. I wonder if that one will ever stand up!

And the transplanted Lettuces are fine.

The clouds have broken up...

There's a 70% chance of rain this afternoon and evening, but nothing comes of it. Looks like we've got another dry streak coming. That's a bummer.

∞ ABC News... TSA: Wait times highest in history as 3,100 officers call out sick nationwide

40 days of the partial government shutdown and TSA not getting paid. TSA people are at food banks and selling their plasma!! Disgusting.

It's just disgusting that American treats workers like this.

And the 14 airports with ICE: They're just in the way. Ha, well sure. They've got no training, they don't know what to do. What did you expect??

It got down to freezing last night, brr!! It's still pretty chilly when I leave the house, 36° but the sun is going to warm things up pretty quickly, and the high today is 58°.

There's still a good puddle at the wet prairie, but the rest must be drying out because there's 6 or 8 swallows swooping above for bugs today!! I try to get someone's photo, but nope. oh well.

At the garden, Roz is here and the plot I'm working on is just a couple plots away from his. But I have some social energy today, and chatting with Roz is usually nice, anyway.

I go in, and we talk for a bit... complain about the new fence and how the guys working on it aren't here, yet again, because we guess they only work Mon, Tue, Wed. And pretty sure it's not going to be done on the 1st, because there's A LOT left to do. But anyway...

I show Roz what I'm doing in plot 56. He knows the people who garden here, and wonders if they're coming back again this year.

That I don't know. But they've let this corner get over run with Lesser Celandine and it's my mission to dig it out! *laughs*

He goes to make a video and I get to work in the space. I make another dent, but I've still not finished.

I clean my tools and put them back and say Bye to Roz who is still puttering in his plot.

Oh My GOSH!!!

Flicker! Making a nest hole!!!

The hole looks like it's at least two inches deep, already!

Oops. I've disturbed them. But they're looking towards the other side of the tree?

They get back at it and I shift over to see if I can get a different angle...

Ah ha! He's a male, that red moustache!

Well, my dear. Are you sure about this location??

You're right next to the bike path. Everybody can see you.

You're still thinking about it? Good.

Golden Crown Sparrow. And they are starting to molt into their breeding plumage!

∞ Why Saturday's No Kings Rally Is More Important Than The Last One

Yep. That's a LONG list of reasons to protest!

∞ NPR: Trump is dismantling democracy at 'unprecedented' speed, global report finds

Sighs.

Scholars are alarmed by Trump's blitz on the U.S. system of governance, but John Carey, a co-director of Bright Line Watch, says the United States' democracy rating might have slid even further in recent months if not for the courts pushing back.

The courts pushing back is not enough and it's WAY too slow. People are dying because of the regime!

We the People have a duty here!

I hope to see you at the protest this weekend!!

Oh, don't you look pretty up there in the Red Maple!

oh no! What's wrong with your foot? I'm so sorry, I hope it gets better.

Ha, the Flicker hole isn't any bigger than when I saw it yesterday. That male must have abandoned his work right after I saw him!

I've brought the backpack so I can continue working on plot 56 in the Garden... but ugh, there's 3 cars in the parking lot. And when I swing around, I see there's someone in the plot to the right of mine.

The Pot People. I am extremely not interested in meeting him!

Well, I guess I'll be walking on by. I'm sure I can find some flowers to photo in the downtown neighborhoods!

All the crows are feeling photogenic today! *laughs*

I love the colours of this Chinese Witch Hazel!

This is a popular colour of Iris around here, and I have to admit, yep, I love that colour too!

Oh yeah! Going to the protest tomorrow!!

I wasn't sure. I had signed up for the protest a while ago. But this one is in Springfield, instead of here in town like it usually is. And I wasn't sure I could get there easily. I've never been over that way!

But last night I looked at the bus maps, and it's an easy, straight shot. Just a longer trip, is all. It'll take half an hour or a bit more to get there.

But that's okay. I do wonder how little Springfield will accommodate thousands of people walking around their downtown. ha!

And since it's someplace new to me, there's going to be a zillion photos as I look at interesting things besides the protest!

The weather is forecast to be nice... sunny, no rain.

It will be a great time, I think!!

∞ Why Saturday's No Kings Rally Is More Important Than The Last One

I hope you'll be going to a protest tomorrow as well!! You can find the closest one here: No Kings

Oh my gosh!! So much fun!! So glad I went!

The bus rides were CRAZY. *laughs* Everyone had the same good idea to ride over to Springfield and the buses were just Packed!!

And then we got there and YAY! There's thousands of people! And we are all happy and joyful.

It will take me a little bit to get the photos organized. So stay tuned.

Meantime, here are a couple of local news articles about our protest!

The photo gallery at the local newspaper...
∞ Register Guard: No Kings Protest Photo Gallery

And a great writeup from our local NPR station...
∞ KLCC: Third round of 'No Kings' protests held in Oregon and across the nation

Ha... The KEZI reporter actually found a counter protester...
∞ Families join No Kings march in Springfield

One man at the rally showed his support for Trump among all of the No Kings participants. Both sides stayed peaceful.

*giggles* Yep. A Single counter protester!

And here's the photos from LookOut Eugene-Springfield...
∞ Photos: Scenes from the third 'No Kings' rally

And the photos around the world at The Guardian...
∞ No Kings protests across the world: in pictures

More photos from across America at Wonkette...
∞ NO KINGS: Pictures From Wonkette Readers All Across This Land ... We are ready for the fight!

And a video of scenes from Indivisible!
∞ Indivisible: No Kings 3

Over 3,300 protests. All 50 states, plus Washington DC, Puerto Rico and American Samoa!! 8million people!!

Not to mention all the protests across the world!! There was even a NoKings protest in Antarctica!! We've got all the continents!!

Dear World, Thank you for standing with us! It means so very much that you see us!

It is a gorgeous day for a protest!! A little chilly in the morning, but the sun is shining and the high will be 63°!

I've backed up the camera memory and cleared it in case I need to take video. And I've rearranged my small backpack. I've got both water bottles, some Clif bars to snack on. And this is a family friendly event - no weapons allowed - so I've removed the pepper spray as well.

And like I said, the bus rides were crazy...

I'm out the door at 10:15, walking down to the bus stop. I get on, and there's maybe a couple more people riding than is normal for a Saturday. And then we have to make stops at Every Single Bus Stop... which is definitely not normal for a Saturday!

After the first stops, a couple older people come aboard! Are they going to the protest? And then the downtown stops... whoa, there's just more and more people who want on the bus. And once we get to the hub, the bus is full! Jam Packed!

The bus is still stopping at all the stops, and there's loads of people waiting to get on. But nope, we are full. There's a little shuffling around but they'll have to wait for the next bus!

I'm glad to have a seat, and I mostly just stare out the window so I don't have to feel claustrophobic looking at all the people who have jammed themselves into the bus!

There's a couple guys who need to get off... but the bus doesn't keep the doors open for long enough! Everyone shouts at the bus driver to WAIT! To no effect. The guys are forced to stay on until the next stop. I feel bad for them, the stops are generally about a half mile apart and that's a long ways to walk when you're going to be late for work!

We cross over the river and Interstate 5 and get into Springfield! At the hub there, everyone gets off and I just follow the crowd to the City Hall! I arrive at 11:10am.

Things were supposed to kick off at 11am but with the bus situation, it's going to be a little while before everyone arrives. But I could see the crowd was growing by the minute!

I've passed by a few people in inflatable costumes!

The first speaker...

All the speeches are spoken in English and Spanish, that's awesome. I didn't know there's a bigger community of Latin American people in Springfield!

I had been seeing this symbol, resembling the Star Wars Rebel Alliance...

... The Rebel Loon, symbol of Minnesota's resistance to Trump's Operation Metro Surge. Yay!

Well! Meat is Murder. That's random!! *laughs* Yay Vegan!!

foo... I wish I could read the sign with the birds! (under the American flag)

The March was to start at noon... and the drums have been sounding! But there's a bottleneck between City Hall, where most of us are, and the street we'll be marching on.

It takes me a good 15 or 20minutes to make my way over to Pioneer Parkway!

There were quite a few signs featuring cats! :)

There's always a Handmaid!

This group was having good fun!

As a Family Friendly event, I was thrilled to see quite a few dogs joining us!!

I was surprised to see the street we're marching on is going thru residential neighborhoods.

Good sign above: War crimes won't hide sex crimes!

It's 12:50pm and my energy is starting to flag. I decide to turn back.

Because I've cut across, and I'm avoiding people now and thus walking a little faster... I happen to hit the front of the March!!

And the very front of the March!!

And I'm done. It's 1:15 and I'm heading towards the bus hub. ha, I've gotten a little turned around in this new place and I'm not sure which direction to go! But I just follow the others who are walking away from the march, and there's the station behind some tall buildings.

There's a big crowd waiting for buses back to Eugene, and I get in line. One bus comes and get's filled up. I'm towards the front of the line for the next bus, but there's a guy in a wheelchair and his chair is running low on power.

The bus comes, and of course we let wheelchair guy on first, but it takes a minute for the bus to get the ramp down. Meantime the bus is filling up from the back door and I'm wondering if I'll have to wait for the next bus after all!

ha. Nope, I'm able to get on. and It's a good ride home, the bus slowly empties as we go thru Eugene.

I get home at 2:25pm and oh boy, I'm starving! *laughs* I get some lunch and a shower and then spend the rest of the day processing the photos!

What a fun day! So many happy people! I'm so glad I made the long trip out there to participate!

And here's my favorite picture from today...

Cloudy today, and there's a 30% chance of rain this afternoon... making yesterday's blue sky for the protest even more perfect!!

I head out... alone and not in a huge crowd and *laughs* that's very refreshing!!

I go by the Sparrow's thicket, and I see the Golden Crown with leucism. But that one is too fast for me, bouncing away to hide. I did catch one of the little flock, but blurry.

Oh my gosh, the ornamental Cherries have their first blooms!! Spring is moving right along!

A blurry Downy Woodpecker... it's so weird that I only ever see males!!

This is that weird plum tree that I contacted the Extension Office about last year... they didn't know what was going on with these weird fruit things!

It's not a one-off either, there's another tree, half a mile away with the same deal!

Mr Short Tail!

Someone flies up from the creek and settles in a tree just down the way. And ya know what? That kinda looked like a Green Heron?

Yep! Yay! Welcome back from Mexico!!

The three Fuchsia plants I rescued from the bike path the other day are still sitting in the porch room. I still haven't potted them up yet, just lazy.

I've been dumping water on them every day and they are so happy they are making flowers!

The two dormant plants are making leaves and Look at all the flower buds!

Okay! I'm heading out. It's cloudy today and the forecast says rain, starting tonight for a couple days. I've got the small backpack and hope to get a little more volunteer work done at the Community Garden.

Princess Buttercup!

And then I see she's got the male with her! Yay! They finally met up!!

It makes me happy to see them together.

And their little cousins, Zig and Zag the Hooded Mergansers.

Okay! At the Community Garden. There's two guys working on the fence... the due date on that project is April 1st, and they are definitely not going to meet that deadline with just the two of them. *grumble*

I go past them and there's no one else around. Great! I'm at Plot 56 again, and hope to get it finished up.

There's just a few clumps of Lesser Celandine left to dig up in this front corner.

I'm so focused on the work, I'm surprised when someone says Hello! There's a couple walking past, oh hi!

I don't recognize them, but they obviously recognize me. Did you switch plots? I shake my head No and I can tell she has realized what I'm doing as I explain, No. I'm digging out Lesser Celandine for my volunteer time.

They are here for their own volunteer work. They guy has grabbed the weed whacker from the shed and the woman is weeding in the Bird Bath Art Installation.

I finish the front corner of Plot 56. And there were a couple plants at the back of that plot to dig up as well.

And my bag is full and this plot is done!

That's great. I still have a bit left to clear in Plot 14. Maybe tomorrow.

This evening, there's some lovely colours in the sunset!

It's cloudy this morning, but the 40% chance of rain doesn't happen until this afternoon. So I've got my small backpack and I'm heading for the Community Garden.

There have been several new Herons hanging out at the creek the last few months. I haven't given the newbies names yet, I'm kind of waiting for my brain to sort them all out... distinguishing characteristics haven't really called attention to themselves yet!

I arrive at the Comm Garden, and there's no one here... not even the guys working on the fence. Which is weird because they had been working Mon, Tues, Wed, and their due date is tomorrow and they are no where near close to done.

So that's annoying, but with no gardeners here either, I'm free to do my work. Hope to get this corner of Plot 15 done today!

I get to work, digging out the Lesser Celandine...

But, crap! The dirt here has dried out and the stupid little root bulblets were just falling off! That is not good! I can see them as they fall off, but when they hit the dirt they basically become invisible!

So I have to adjust my technique... I'm dumping the whole shovel full of plant and roots AND dirt into the trash bag. It fills up quickly, and I'm not quite done when I have to quit.

But there's nothing for it. I can only carry so much in the backpack. And some of the Lesser Celandine roots here are really big... these ones are practically 2inches long.

And I assume this will be the end of my volunteer time. April will bring in the gardeners, and warmer weather will put the Lesser Celandine into dormancy.

Since I'm still alone in the Garden, I'm going to see what flowers everyone has!

I try to get artsy! *laughs*

Some teeny tiny Violets!

I'm looking at the big strawberry patch in my plot...

Oh yeah! First flowers! I think I'm going to have some serious fruit!!

Moving on.

Okay. I know, I know. I'm such a sucker for the flowers!

I check out the new fence, since the guys aren't here. There will be a gate behind the tool shed, and there's an awkward corner there since they were building the new fence on the inside of the old fence here. That's the only place they did that, tho.

Well. I'm heading out.

Zag? Is that you? Where the heck is your girlfriend??

No answers from him. Maybe Zig is looking for a nesting site!

This evening, I got the mail... oh.

*sad*

I've gotten an envelope back, which says Return to Sender.

And written across the top, Deceased.

sighs.