The psychic HEB supplier predictions: buy Gatorade and flu medicine. They’re on the front page of our app offerings! Might as well buy bread and applesauce while you’re at it. And disenfecting household cleaners. And TP. #fluseason #norovirusseason

Glorious!

I’m interested in non US browsers. Someone has suggested Norwegian Vivaldi. #browsers

I usually observe Dry January by default; alcohol holds nothing on me. I had an IPA this month, and it was awful. There are enough great NA beers that more than suffice. #dryjanuary #soberlife

Nope.

I watch dramatization of famous authors’ books with low expectations. If the script wanders from the book, it better be good. The serialized The Seven Dials is a mess, and a waste of great actors.

Damn. Rest in Peace Catherine O’Hara.

I went from almost zero book reading last year to nearly 20 weeks. There were a lot of misfires during that time, but then I found Martha Wells and T Kingfisher. I love sci-fi and fantasy reads with believable characters, and yes, I’m including Murderbot.

We watched Vice Principals because we’re Walton Goggins fans. That came to a quick end when the two man characters burglarized and set fire to a successful black woman boss’ house. Who thought that would be funny?

Things I wish for you: That you always feel safe and warm, and that you someday discover the entrance to the secret library hidden within the library, where they keep the lending liquor.

My entry for the “what did you cook during Fern” was beef chili, and yes I made heretical chili with beans. IMHO, all meat chili is a weird textural thing, and not my thing. It was good chili and we’ve enjoyed it.

Frida #Womensart

Perfect bowl of rare steak pho for lunch, with a large pot of green tea on the side. First time I’ve truly felt warm since last week.

Truly.

During my elementary school years I attended a place that was ugly and block-shaped. It was old in the 1960s. There were remote, dungeon-like bathrooms where I’d hide and make pirate maps out of rough paper towels dried on radiators. There were mysterious freezing little rooms near the auditorium.

A peaceful place to read is a treasure.

Fun fact: Your local bookstore is doing more to protect you and your neighbors than Amazon is.

Black vultures perching on a nearby farmhouse roof. They have a clear view of icy fields. Sunny, cloudless day but bitter cold for the area.

Even if you don't have a greenhouse, you can still build one in your mind. Grow weird things in there and let them run amok. Grow nourishing and beautiful things. Grow carnivorous things, and things that twist and climb and wrap themselves around your soul.

Prepping for Winter Storm Vern. Living in hurricane prone areas trained me for disaster prepping, but this is a different dangerous animal. Please don’t make fun of people who don’t know how to prep for this monster. Hundreds of people died from the 2021 storm, the poor, the elderly, the isolated.

Despite the rain had the absolute privilege of following a barn owl as it hunted along the riverside meadow this morning. These kind of encounters really keep me from tipping into despair at the state of the world. Go outside everyone, despite our fuckwittery the world is still a beautiful place 💚

Look, I'm going to tell you a secret. If you buy an e-book while it's on sale, you never have to read it. If you have $2 to spare & want to help that particular author, you can just chuck the book into the oubliette of your TBR. Every sale helps. The author will never know, but you gave them a gift.

This is a good day to celebrate doing at least one good thing for ourselves. I took my morning meds on time and not randomly, badly, this afternoon. #begoodtoyourself #selfcare #consciouscare

Two quilts and a blanket night.

Something quietly clicked in my brain before Christmas, and I’ve started enjoying reading again. Thank you, Martha Wells and T. Kingfisher.

A few days ago I went to a get together of women planning 2026 travel. I thought my face was neutral the whole time, or smiling. The woman next to me started gesturing with her hand mere inches from my face. With long nails. A woman across from me said I looked as if I was going to bite. Holy moly.

Have you ever visited a restaurant with fantastic service and mediocre food? Like lying to your super server how great your food was because you didn’t want to hurt their feelings?

#MondayMood Eerie green mist in the PA forest, 2016

Watched “Finch” last night with DW. Gave him a donnybrook nightmare. I have to carefully choose what post apocalypse genre we watch. Took me five minutes to wake him up, same as our first foray into TWD. Protect fam even in his dreams.

This series is a big favorite of my family.

Read banned books. Read books that make you cry. Read books written by friends. Read books you don’t quite understand yet. Read books of ancient magic that transform you into a dark being of the cosmos, capable of such wonderful & terrible things.

My high star reviewed two-year-old Ninja coffeemaker is broken. It’s making groans and sighs like a haunted castle, and shoots out a seemingly celebratory small geyser. All might be fixed by a new $40 part for single-use cups. No thank you.

I dreamed I was a coloratura soprano visiting a music school for witches and wizards. Dark castle, lots of atmosphere. Then soldiers showed up and the children started disappearing. Wonder where this dream came from?

Remember, it’s perfectly acceptable if your weekend plans consist of nothing other than reading a good book, drinking multiple kettles of tea, and indulging in a scandalous amount of cinnamon rolls.

Looking to up my swamp witch skills in 2026, but still maintain tiny things that give me pleasure. Favorites? Burr Oak acorns, lichen jeweled sticks, odd small rocks, broken seashells, and studio cards of long ago children. These things give me joy, so a happy swamp witch.

My fluffy old orange fellow’s doing well now. We’ve semi mastered giving him pills, but with extreme caution and necessity.

“All the stories I would like to write persecute me. When I am in my chamber, it seems as if they are all around me, like little devils, and while one tugs at my ear, another tweaks my nose, and each says to me, 'Sir, write me, I am beautiful.” Umberto Eco

Last night I dreamed about Mardi Gras and pirates. The pirates showed up at our old house and laid siege. My neighbors were quite entertained.

For three weeks I’ve had “Maria” from The Sound of Music” as an intermittent ear worm. How did she get curlers under her wimple?

My once feral cat hates soft food. He’ll lap up juice from tuna cans, but refuse anything else. He’s recuperating from dental surgery, and I would love to hear some soft food suggestions. #cats #felinedentaldecay

My kitty’s going in for dental issues today, and some good vibes for him would be appreciated. I think the issues come from his refusal to eat wet food. Strange for a once semi feral cat. Very worried.

Wishing all a happy 2026. I know that’s a tall ask, but it’s meant in hope and peace. And good health.

This is my annual December 31 letter from Kyiv. Not a year in review, but a commitment to educating the world about Ukraine and telling the truth where it is being erased. www.patreon.com/posts/2026-e...

Greetings from Kyiv, where generators are singing, St Nicholas drives by, and snow is falling. I love our spirit. May the world see it.

Broke up with my latest therapist because she kept pushing religion and early bedtimes. Yelled at her more than once. Religious therapists need a huge warning label. #mentalhealth #therapy

I keep seeing people posting about their 2025 book reading counts, then there are the Fuck This readers who drop books they don’t like. I once tortured myself into finishing horrible books, but there are too many now. I’m going to start counting ones I stopped reading for my annual count. #reading

Experimenting with vegan ingredients for my old family corn casserole recipe. The original was created by the organist at my family’s home church.

Chocolate babka for breakfast. A new tradition.

Turducken is roasting. Mmmmm.