A friend in baseball once told me: It's amazing how far away spring training feels on Dec. 31 ... And how close it feels on Jan. 1 Just to prove that ... The first spring training game of 2026 is 7 weeks from today! Feel warmer yet?

“Let everything happen to you Beauty and terror Just keep going No feeling is final.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke 🤍 Loving greetings for the new year 🌱 #FlowersOnFriday #Bloomscrolling #FlowerReport #Gardening #Zone10a

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“Kindness, kindness, kindness. I want to make a New Year's prayer, not a resolution. I'm praying for courage.” ~ Susan Sontag Happy New Year! 💜 #PrettyPurpleThursday #Bloomscrolling #FlowerReport #HappyNewYear2026 🌱

187 books read this year! My top 10 #BestBooks2025 ~ It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest Why We Love Baseball by Joe Posnanski Didn’t You Used to be Queenie B? by Terri-Lynne DeFino Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller

“The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change: Yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.” ~ Paulo Coelho 🌱 #RoseWednesday 🌹

Happy 90th birthday to the legendary Sandy Koufax!

“My fashion philosophy is if you're not covered in dog hair, your life is empty." ~ Elayne Boosler Cynthia wishes a very happy #TerrierTuesday to all the good #DogsofBlueSky 🐕

Sarah Cooper is back. 👏

"I heard a bird sing In the dark of December, A magical thing, And sweet to remember: 'We are nearer to spring Than we were in September.'" ~ Oliver Herford, "Hope" 🌱 A squarish petunia for your #MagentaMonday enjoyment, kind gardening friends 🩷

Hard to believe @davidzahniser.bsky.social helped write this entire LA weather story without citing age-old lore about the deal that keeps it from raining on our parade! www.latimes.com/california/s...

Love this: "Whimsy is defiance!"

Read Banned Books, says the little kitty. 📚 ❤️ 🐈 Buy them. Gift them. Read them. Talk about them.

“Be different. Be original. Nobody will remember a specific flower in a garden filled with thousands of the same yellow flower, but they will remember the one that managed to change its color to purple.” ~ Suzy Kassem 💜 #YellowSunday 💛 #SundayYellow ☀️ #FlowerReport #Bloomscrolling🌱

"I am glad you have a Cat, but I do not believe it is So remarkable a cat as My Cat." ~ T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns, pictured below, wholeheartedly shares the sentiments of his famous namesake and wishes all the #CatsOfBlueSky the happiest of possible #Caturdays 🐈‍⬛

"Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart." ~ Victor Hugo All the warmth and love of the season, 🌱 sweet gardeners! #FlowersOnFriday 🩷 #Bloomscrolling 🌸 #FlowerReport 🌺 #Zone10a

"December has the clarity, the simplicity, and the silence you need for the best fresh start of your life." ~ Vivian Swift 🌱 Merry Christmas, you'all!

"A profusion of pink roses bending ragged in the rain speaks to me of all gentleness and its enduring." ~ William Carlos Williams 🌱 On this lovely (rainy here!) #RoseWednesday, sending all the warmth and love of the season to all of you, especially the kind gardeners of BlueSky ❤️💚💙

"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog." ~ Sidney Jeanne Seward Cynthia always looks like she's been rolling in the grass. She loves #TerrierTuesday and wishes all the #DogsofBlueSky every enjoyment of the season 🎄

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“I celebrate the spirit of Christmas. It’s the winter solstice celebration, rebirth and new possibilities.” ~ Ian Astbury

Again, from Michael Grynbaum, here is Sharyn Alfonsi's full email. It must be read:

60 MINUTES CORRESPONDENT: “Our story was screened 5x and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.” #CBSNewsMAX #BariWeiss www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...

⬛️0 Minutes

CBS News(max) is officially cooked. Bari Weiss killed a whole-ass network.

💥 💥 💥 "This story is of Paramount importance."

"The force that through the green fuse drives the flower, drives my green age," Dylan Thomas.

“May the light illuminate your hearts and shine in your life every day of the year. May everlasting peace be yours and upon our Earth.” ~ Eileen Anglin 🕎 Happy Hanukkah, Day 8! 🌞 Happy Winter Solstice!

Happy Solstice, Bluesky lovelies! As the light returns, may people round the world, allow it to enlighten our hearts & minds & actions with kindness & empathy. Each new day,is a new opportunity for each one of us to share light, in our own way. ☀️🕊️♥️

“Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light." ~ Theodore Roethke 🌱 A joyous #YellowSunday 💛 #SundayYellow to all the wondrous gardeners of BlueSky ☀️ #Bloomscrolling #FlowerReport #Gardening #Zone10a

“If you think that it is only a cat then obviously you have never loved a cat.” ~ T. S. Eliot 🐈‍⬛ On this Christmas #Caturday, Willie wants to teach you how to fold a fitted sheet. He's a giver.

It was such a joy to celebrate Hanukkah with Mandy, Kathryn and their son, Gideon. As Jewish New Yorkers across our city prepare to light candles and mark the seventh night today, I wish you and your families a Hanukkah full of light and love. youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng

“And don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.” ~ Rumi Soon. The days will get shorter. 🌱 #FlowersOnFriday #Bloomscrolling #FlowerReport #Gardening #Zone10a ☀️

“I know what it means for a community to be shattered by gun violence. I know what it’s like to return from winter break with empty desks and unanswered questions. I know what it feels like to be discussed in press conferences instead of classrooms." - @miatretta.bsky.social

“Time is purple / Just before night.” ~ Mary O’Neill 🌱 Wishing joy and love and a sweet moment of purple in your gardens today, kind gardeners of BlueSky! #PrettyPurpleThursday 💜 #Bloomscrolling🩷 #FlowerReport

"A summary of every Jewish holiday: They tried to kill us; we survived. Let's eat!" ~ Alan King Happy Hanukkah, Day 4 🕎

“I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck." ~ Emma Goldman 🌱 #RoseWednesday #Bloomscrolling #FlowerReport #Gardening #Zone10a 🌹

No blood for oil

Ach, my heart. It breaks. (Gift article) www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/o...

We are failing our kids

"I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow." ~ David Hobson Me too. 🌱 #TinyFlowerTuesday #Bloomscrolling #FlowerReport #Zone10a ☀️

👇👇👇 www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Words DO MATTER. This is deeply moving.

"Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one is a life diminished." ~ Dean Koontz Cynthia was our granddog before she was ours! #TerrierTuesday #DogsOfBlueSky #SeniorPup 🐕

“This is the season when people of all faiths and cultures are pushing back against the planetary darkness. We string bulbs, ignite bonfires, and light candles. And we sing.” ~ Anita Diamant Happy Hanukkah, my friends.

“In my garden, after a rainfall, you can faintly, yes, hear the breaking of new blooms.” ~ Truman Capote 🌱 Sending light and joy to all on this #YellowSunday 💛 #SundayYellow in the garden #Bloomscrolling #FlowerReport

“Your heart is likely to be very big if you have loved many cats.” ~ Susan Howatch Happy #Caturday to all the good #CatsofBlueSky 🐈‍⬛

When a tyrant threatens you, and you stand strong – that's courage. Thank you, Indiana.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an ordinary man, has defeated the great might of the US Government