This is a cat check point. Relinquish your most recent cat picture. (These cats know what you did.)

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is in recognition both of the 4:15 a.m. start to the day, and also in that we could all use a little pep and sunshine right now. www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9nc...

The past is past. Yearning for certain aspects of it is natural. Learning from it is essential. Having clear thoughts and plans of what to build or rebuild is critical. Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis reminded me of all these things. www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Ur...

Good morning Bluesky! For once it's not late, my brain isn't goo (yet), and I'm posting #musicforthe2ndcrisis early today. Here, have some get up and go with a friendly spider to help you along with your day and cope with all the crazy-busy world. Keep going. www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqIV...

It's once again very late and my brain is very tired, so today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a very cool interpretation of one of my favorite classical pieces. Where there's a will there's a way - with lots and lots of work and practice and effort. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jtu...

It's late, I'm tired, and so I'm falling back on an old favorite for today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis. The world is full of horrors and beautiful things. Find a way to shine your light and share it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4nV...

The last few days have featured lots of friends, lots of conversations, lots and lots of garden work, variable weather, five baby bunnies, and the onset of big fluffy peonies. It's been a nice respite. Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis reflects both respite and tension. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBJi...

1 of 2: Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a little different. It's a video of a wren out in nature, doing what a bird does. It's good to get outside and remind yourself that there's a whole world out there that contains amazing things - including you. www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7qg...

A wonderful read for your day (thread and article).

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a lovely tune that came from sorrow but speaks also of joy and endurance. Take heart. Find comfort. Keep going. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd_-...

I know there's a lot going on, with lots of difficult stuff. So for those who need a respite, I'm posting a little #bloomscrolling. Specifically of the mystery rose that is blooming right now. It is an incredibly fragrant once-blooming climber that starts out dark red and fades to true rose. #garden

Your periodic reminder that if you haven't already stopped using Google for search and browsing, now is an excellent time to migrate. DuckDuckGo has a nice browser and search, for example, and there are other options out there too. time.com/article/2026...

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is bee related for World Bee Day! Enjoy Flight of the Bumblebee from the movie "Drumline". Don't be afraid to be a little different to get things moving in the direction you want. Or to sting those who would steal from us all, for that matter.

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a break from the world, but also a reminder that we can revive and improve. Specifically, once upon a time I belonged to a choir and enjoyed singing. I can do this again. Here's a different group's recording of something I once sang: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKbJ...

Hop on it, people. Shout this bigoted BS down.

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a twofer, as I forgot to post one yesterday, and because people enjoy #gardens differently. If you're the "ooo, look at the pretty" enjoyer, this opening press tour of the #chelseagardenshow is for you: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4pl...

1/ I went to a yarn shop yesterday with a friend (as one does). This yarn store was nautically themed and had a number of cool samples - crocheted orcas, knit hats with octopus, shark scarves, etcetera. They also had a mermaid sitting proudly in the front of the shop, demonstrating how to crochet.

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis remembers Jim Henson, and specifically his wonderful absurdity. He was an artist, a human being with flaws and unique talents, and he made the world a better place. Maybe we can't get to Morrow today, but we can make tomorrow better. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEil...

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is also a #FlashbackFriday number. A group of musicians who came together to mourn a fallen colleague and cry out against the darkness. A darkness that still consumes victims today. Remember the fallen, keep persevering. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUb4...

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is both educational, an earworm, and a flashback to a time when we used the powers of marketing jingles for education. One wonders if the Waymo LLMs in Atlanta plagiarized this into their database. Conjunction congestion junction? www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjdC...

For a quick, filling, and nutritious meal, it's really hard to beat making miso soup. Today's miso is a very traditional one: miso broth (from kombu and bonito dashi), with minced tofu and wakame seaweed. Super yummy and probably less than $2 a serving in terms of food cost to make. #cooking

For today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis let's have a flashback and a song to help us get over the mid-week blahs. Don't let the blues defeat you. Keep dancing in the rain. Find an umbrella, lend someone a raincoat, put on your best hat. Keep going. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sySl...

Reminder that Romancing the Vote is about to pop off!

It's been a very busy day, and my brain decided that what it really needed was a nice cooldown song. Take a deep breath, do some stretches, and remember that the world is better with you in it. Enjoy today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis and keep on keeping on. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT3D...

Today could definitely use some #bloomscrolling lift, don't you think? So here, have a mystery #peony! This peony is pink...except it's not. It starts off as a pale pink bud, but over the course of a day or two as it opens, it fades to a silvery-white. Really neat #flower. Variety guesses welcome!

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is for all of us, but particularly Virginians, whose electoral choice was arbitrarily tossed and whose leaders need to take a strong stand. Time to play hardball because the disenfranchisement is real and happening. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeCH...

It's Mother's Day in the United States. Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a personal one with special memories for me with my mother, and is a lovely bit of music for everyone regardless. Love you mom. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xhg...

For #caturday, have a cat in a hat. Specifically the L-cat in the hat while admiring the Tail of Judgment, while the G-cat looks on in mild envy at said Tail of Judgment. #cats #catsky

Plans have been upended twice so far today, but I just rolled with it and came up with useful alternatives that advanced multiple goals. Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a tribute to rolling with the rhythm & finding your groove. Find a way. Keep going. You got this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsFk...

It's a wonderful planet of nearly infinite complexity. Including the potential for a man to find a career in sharing the wonders of its natural history with all of us. Go outside and look! Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis wishes David Attenborough a very happy birthday. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o-9...

The weather has been so odd that there are roses blooming before the earliest peonies. I could fret, but I choose to just enjoy the beauty. Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis isn't music, but rather an immersion into beauty. YouTube offers so many worldwide garden videos! www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_fJ...

Extremely worthy cause, excellent author, and a chance to win two great books! Spread the word! If you have $ to spare, please consider contributing!

A bit of #bloomscrolling anodyne for the day from a walk in a park. Plus ducks and turtles living together in relative harmony, because.

Sorry to be a downer, but this is important. Big Ag might not care or even be happy about this because they'll have the opportunity to scoop up a lot of land from the small farmers this will bankrupt and send out of business. A significant disaster in the making.

ARGH! The appropriate response to human-transmissible-hantavirus on a cruise ship ISN'T "we'll quarantine our country's passengers, but send all other nonsymptomatic passengers home." More outbreaks, anyone? So today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is an earworm. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPa7...

Sometimes it helps to just name the problem, the chaos, the whole mess of it all. Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is that kind of existential scream and a shout for help and a prayer for grace and a determination to go on despite it all. Keep going. Keep fighting. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVHD...

@maiastrong01.bsky.social - of interest, this dress is inspired by Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia. Specifically, by the blood spurting from Holofernes' neck in the painting. Thought you might find it interesting. ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cp...

A little #bloomscrolling to cheer us all up on this Tuesday. Feast your eyes on this glorious azalea, whose blooms gradually change color across red, orange, and yellow. Not included: the absolutely fabulous fragrance. #flowers #garden #seenOnAWalk

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a reminder that May 4th isn't just about Star Wars - and that this is not the first time in American history that a Republican president has mustered armed government forces against unarmed civilians. #KentState www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN_9...

How did we get here? Lots of reasons, but one of the fundamental causes is not just greed, but the veneration of greed. We're seeing the result of a powerful elite that can never be satisfied. Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis highlights that never-ending greedy void. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysu9...

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a reminder that grift is at the heart of so much of what's going wrong right now. Unlike the real-world grifting going on in the US administration, though, this is an awesome and harmless performance. www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2EW...

Need to laugh? Want to read a lovely bit of writing? Buckle up and settle in to enjoy a master at work.

Yet another US state warning of increased measles cases and urging people to make sure they're up to date on their MMR vaccine. If you're in doubt as to your vax status, if you don't know if you got your second booster, or if you're around the vulnerable: please go get jabbed.

Mostly off social media today. Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is perhaps an obvious choice, but hopefully an enjoyable one. www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_jW...

Argh. There's so much to be rightfully angry and frustrated about right now. Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is all about hitting things. Women (who are traditionally forbidden from taiko drumming) take sticks in their hands to beautiful effect. There's hope in this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=glF9...

@maiastrong01.bsky.social ... This rather has your name on it, you know. 😜

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is gutting - just like the evisceration of the Voting Rights Act. The US Supreme Court is undeniably corrupt in its current form. We have to fix that as part of fixing what's gone wrong. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DGY...

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is a reminder to us all that we're the saviors and heroes we need. Each of us can help rescue us all and make a better world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9vH...

Today's #musicforthe2ndcrisis is inspired by @gregsargent.bsky.social 's great article on Jamie Raskin's *almost* taking CNN directly to task for not doing basic journalistic homework. You can read about it here: newrepublic.com/article/2095... And then the music: www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6gI...

I'm just saying, when major media outlets often produce false equivalences and misleading ledes, and particularly when reporters act as mouthpieces for corrupt governments, they shouldn't be surprised when their reports are met with skepticism. #musicforthe2ndcrisis www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNeV...