Enjoyed a first time experience this past week with my family, entering a natural cave (a lava tube) known as Ape Cave in Washington near Mt. St. Helens. It was chilly, dark and we were surrounded with fascinating geological formations. We even saw a unique bug only found in caves here!

Grief. Not talked about enough in our culture. The pain of loss doesn’t follow predictable patterns or rigid guidelines and timelines. Sometimes it catches you in an otherwise mundane moment or while you are busy tending to the living. This week, remembrance found me in the blossoms of a red poppy.

#BookSky BINGO! #BlackoutBingo #SeattlePublicLibrary #SummerBookBingo

Hey #BookSky! Do you use @thestorygraph.com to track your reading? Do you also live in/around Seattle? You can join the #seattlepubliclibrary #SummerBookBingo and track your progress at the same time! app.thestorygraph.com/reading_chal...

BINGO! Just completed my first BINGO, and will keep working toward my blackout. #seattlepubliclibrary #seattlelife #booksky #seattlebookbingo

#gardening Was going to share some photos of ‘flowers in my garden’, and found a bonus surprise: Tomatoes set on already!

Spending time with a dear friend this Memorial Day and saw this growing in the garden:

So enamored by the success of our Purple Peruvian Potatoes this year! We received a few seed potatoes at a local Farmer’s Market a couple years ago, saw limited results our first year, and they are growing dramatically this year! #gardening #farmersmarket #pnwgardens

Just finished @travisbaldree.bsky.social ‘s third book and find myself wanting even more! If you happened upon Legends & Lattes (I found a copy in a local free little library a few years ago), you know Viv. Then perhaps you met Fern in Bookshops & Bonedust? They meet again, then adventure whisks in.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve always enjoyed catching sight of these tiny wildflowers - Pacific Starflower. Imagine my surprise when I noticed them today on my Seattle neighborhood!

"Easter Lily" EP Available Now! www.u2songs.com/discography/... U2 are releasing a new six track EP, this time called "Easter Lily", available now on digital store fronts and streaming services. It is accompanied by a new issue of Propaganda focusing on the new EP. It's out now!! Happy Easter.

New six-song U2 ep just dropped

Listening to @convocation.bsky.social latest episode, recommended by Amie. @jemartisby.bsky.social @dianabutlerbass.bsky.social @kkdumez.bsky.social @robertpjones.bsky.social Next to watch Bonhoffer (2003) by Martin Doblmeier, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Adele Schmidt podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

“Can the singer enter into his tale or the designer into his picture?” What a beautiful way to ask about the concept of God drawn near, not just as a baby born in Bethlehem, but also as One who brought healing in his time and in ours. Thanks for this @tolkienwonder.bsky.social ! ❤️

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Reminiscing of a trip over 10 years ago to visit Ireland, with stops at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Guinness Factory in Dublin.

Mid-March surprise late winter only snow of the season in Seattle!

If you have a chance to see The Notebook, The Musical, with music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson - go! Midway through at The Paramount Theater Seattle and loving it. Pack your tissues, it’s a ride with highs and lows!

@jamestalarico.bsky.social won the primary in Texas. May he continue to find success on his journey to unite the people and spread a message of inclusion and kindness! #Notallfightingisdonewithviolence

U2 became the latest high-powered musical act to condemn the federal immigration raids with the surprise release Wednesday of a six-track EP that kicks off with a song for Renee Good. www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/...

Corporate media executives are selling out the First Amendment to curry favor with corrupt politicians. This is the most dangerous kind of cancel culture — the kind that comes from the top. The real fight in this country is not left vs right; it’s top vs bottom.

U2 released “Days of Ash” EP today. Read the stories and find links to lyric videos of the resistance songs here: propaganda.u2.com

@jamestalarico.bsky.social appears as the first ever YouTube only guest of Stephen Colbert on The Late Show @colbertlateshow.bsky.social youtube.com/watch?v=oiTJ...

I’m with the iconic Wonder Woman on this one. I heard there’s also some sportsball happening? This is going to be an enjoyable American Half Time Show!

@fathernathan.bsky.social I was pointed to your substack today and Oomph! It resonates. fathernathan.substack.com/p/when-they-...

@jamestalarico.bsky.social is someone to watch.

Hey! Over the past several years, I’ve been using Stash to invest—they provide expert guidance and tools to put your money to work effortlessly. Here’s a link to get $30 to invest when you join and deposit at least $5. Make sure to claim before it expires! get.stash.com/r/r30c5cr90f...

Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen: "If we have to choose between the US & Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU." "Greenland does not want to be owned by the US. Greenland does not want to be governed by the US" he later added.

“For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course, that's Moses, not Jesus. 1/

What a beautiful collection of some of the amazing art produced by the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien. Thanks for the compilation, @tolkienwonder.bsky.social! I hadn’t seen many of these before.

@petebuttigieg.bsky.social: "We have an ICE agent who should have been trained not to be in front of a vehicle and never to shoot into a moving vehicle, and yet this happened on [Kristi Noem's] watch. The whole POINT of Homeland Security is to make this country more stable and safe."

"Iron laws of the world"? Some of America's most important national accomplishments are about leading humanity away from this kind of bullshit. If we let ideologues like Stephen Miller drag us back into a world where brute force is all that matters, all of us will be less safe.

Epiphany for the Exhausted - I wrote this for anyone who is exhausted by resolutions and needs an Epiphany for their exhaustion. #epiphany #exhausted #spirituality #philosophy #lifelessons #calculus open.substack.com/pub/garrettj...

Gandalf, in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: I don't know. Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I've found it is the small things; everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keeps the darkness at bay... simple acts of kindness, and love.

Love this! “Hope is the consequence of action, more than its cause.” Will you join me in taking action in your home, city, state and country to bring hope to us all?

#BookSky That’s a wrap! 377 books read, exceeding my goal of a Book A Day! See any you recognize? Ask me about any of them if you’re curious! @thestorygraph.com

Where it started : where it is now. A while ago our daughter was given a beginner’s crochet kit by Woobles to craft a penguin. After it sat incomplete for nearly a year, I picked it up and found it quite fun. Now I have my own set of hooks and am crafting gifts for others! Happy Christmas!

While listening to “People Like Us” by Jason Mott, I keyed in on this quote: “I think that’s kinda how most of us wind up in places. We don’t wake up every morning and say to ourselves, ‘This is where I’m going to stay for the rest of my life.’ No ma’am! I think what happens is that we just… 1/

For the second Sunday of advent, we read “Near” from @dianabutlerbass.bsky.social “A Beautiful Year”. Thankful for the introduction of the idea of three Advents to help us in the season of now and here. Peace to all.

While reading "Better Ways to Read the Bible" by @zachwlambert.bsky.social, I was reminded of this quote by Jordan Harrell. I am not a "little bible", I am a "little Christ"/Christian... I follow Jesus. Be wary of those who quote the Bible but do not follow Jesus' way.

Started reading “Better Ways to Read the Bible” this morning. @zachwlambert.bsky.social, while we grew up in different regions, churches and experiences, I’m hearing echoes of so many things I heard at home and in church buildings. I’m thankful today that I found your book. So good!

Tonight we lit the first candle of Advent, countering the shadow of fear with Hope. We started reading “A Beautiful Year” by @dianabutlerbass.bsky.social and reminisced enjoying “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle

I’m looking forward to joining @josholds.bsky.social as we spend a Year on the Mountaintop working through Jesus’s teachings in Matthew called The Sermon on the Mount. Follow him to join us!

Good morning from Chicago! Millenium Park is preparing for the holidays and the sun is shining bright! #bluesky

One of the first requests from our teen upon bringing home a puppy this past summer was a skeleton hoodie so they could be Halloween twins! I’m not sure the dog’s impressed.

What a concise summary of our current climate and the primary themes of @johnfugelsang.bsky.social ‘s book!

Recently discovered “Legends of the North Cascades” by Jonathan Evison at my local library. Weaving a story that blends the lives of ancient ice age humans with modern day inhabitants of a wilderness cave, this book explores tragedy and a willingness to survive. #BookSky

Republicans would rather shut down the government than help millions of Americans afford health care. This article tells some of their stories, and is a good reminder of what’s at stake.

I love the messaging I’m hearing from young Democrats. Love your neighbors - all of them. Texas, this is an exciting counterbalance to other messaging we are hearing from your state!

This. I follow Christ. Peace, Love and Truth that sets Free.

Leaning this way… my honest first reaction was, “I’m not glad it happened this way, but I am glad that voice is no longer speaking.” historycanthide.substack.com/p/thousands-...