The tree (fake) is up and decorated. The cats (real) have been good so far, more interested in the skirt than the ornaments. Crossing my fingers that it lasts!

These two. 💕

I'm glad to see People magazine covering this. No paywall. people.com/trump-admini...

Armed ICE agents trapped US citizens in a restaurant and demanded their papers. Federal agents walked into East African restaurants in Cedar-Riverside, MN. They closed and blocked the doors. Then they demanded to see everyone’s papers. Every person present was a US citizen.

An interesting essay. Although he may be losing, it is the US as a nation who has lost its stature in the world, a stature perhaps we have not fully deserved in decades. What comes next will depend on who Americans choose to lead us. May we choose wisely. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/donald-tru...

#Bird of the Day: Brewer’s Blackbird (BRBL) Thomas Brewer, for whom the BRBL was named by his contemporary John James Audubon, also has a duck & a type of mole with his name. I’m wondering if this was some sort of snide commentary on Brewer, because none of these species is very visually exciting.

I found the hidden Antifa headquarters, y'all! If you wanna know the location, email me at [email protected]

If you need a little digital reconnection to the pulse of the living Earth, here are about 200 sandhill cranes winging south over Atlanta this afternoon. Their voices have echoed across this continent for at least 5 million years. Hopefully 5 million more

IT'S TIME FOLKS! SOLSTICE IS ALMOST HERE! EVERYONE is invited to our annual Solstice Toast: Dec. 21, 2025 - 10 am PST Toast on the dot - then post a pic of you & your beverage OR just your beverage OR just post a hearty "Sláinte " as we wave buhbye! to the ever darkening days! #SolsticeToast

"The Trump Administration plans to abruptly eliminate as many as 35,000 health care positions at the Dept of Veterans Affairs this month... "The cuts come after a reorganization effort already resulted in the loss of almost 30,000 V.A. employees this year..." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Jingle bells, jingle bells, Badger all the way…. Happy #Caturday!

Up the street, a yard still has dahlias blooming. Mid-December without a hard frost. Lows forecasted for next week are in the 40s. I went for a walk in a tshirt today.

This morning as I lay drowsing & snuggling with cats, my phone pinged with a WhatsApp message. That's not an app I use often, so it woke me up. What a gift from my friend in Switzlerland, a video of a swirling flock of yellow-billed choughs, aka alpine choughs. I had never heard of these, so looked

Bouquet of the Day.

#Bird of the Day: Brown Pelican (BRPE) Watching pelicans soar never gets old for me, but I –almost—got my fill in Monterey. (At least for the time being.) There were so many of these birds with the ~7-foot wingspan, in constant motion of small groups flying from dawn until dusk. And yet, even though

46 at the weekly corner protest. Cold but clear. A young fellow walking by thanked us, saying we gave him hope. We told him he was always welcome to join us. New sign among our team today and I endorse this message!

With so many fresh eggs at my disposal, you know I had to sign up to bring deviled eggs to tonight’s party!

Maybe the anti-vaxxers are the answer to overpopulation? I mean, the planet wouldn’t be worse off with fewer humans. But this seems like a really tragic choice about how to achieve that.

For the past ~15 years, I've delivered holiday cookie platters to my neighbors in 8 houses. It's a chance to connect and say hello, catch up on their news, and just be friendly to keep important connections open. If you're interested, there's a separate thread with the 14 recipes for this year.

#CookieParty Now I'll detail the 14 recipes used for this year's cookie platters for neighbors & friends. But 1st, a confession: I had trays of this batch on the dining room table, waiting for the glaze to set so they could be stacked. As you can see, these cookies are made in a house with cats!

#Bird of the Day: Band-tailed Pigeon (BTPI) Since I’m trying to get into the holiday mood, I’ve been listening to Xmas carols, which makes me reflect on all the birds in “The 12 Days of Christmas”. In addition to the ultimate partridge in the pear tree, you’ve got 2 turtle doves, 3 French hens,

so, this right here? this is one of the absolutely most lawless, brazenly unconstitutional impeachable offenses ever committed by any president other than trump in the history of our country. like, this is an open and shut case. and it's a case which targeted *republicans.*

This mystery item is on a table in a lobby where my parents live. Does anyone know what it is? No googling! I don’t know the answer. Brand name is Trixie. I said NO googling! 😜

My feet are tired & my back is sore but Cookie Platters 2025 are mission accomplished! More details tomorrow when I have time but here’s the assortment I took my parents this evening after delivering platters to the 8 neighbor houses. 14 different items made; 5.5 pounds of butter used! Merry Merry!

A young Red-Tailed Hawk is illuminated by a late afternoon sunbeam. 🪶 #Raptors

Today’s my main cookie baking day, so I saved putting out the pumpkin seeds for today when I can watch the feeder. Have you ever seen such a pair of fat squirrels? They are in no danger of starvation this winter!

#Bird of the Day: Anna’s Hummingbird (ANHU) I hadn’t done my research, so I was surprised to learn that the only hummingbird wintering in Monterey, California, was the Anna’s-- the same one wintering in my Oregon yard. They were everywhere I explored on my trip, feeding on the many flowering shrubs

This is literal insanity.

Wow. I have so much respect for this Police Chief. His humanity is shining through. May he be an example to other leaders who need to clearly differentiate what is right from what is wrong.

I don’t think this has ever happened before. In my yard, nasturtiums are still blooming, and the late-flowering pineapple sage. We have yet to have a hard frost as of December 10. Meanwhile, the early-blooming camellia, that usually starts in January, has begun.

Multnomah Falls is running at full force after this week’s atmospheric river! 💧 @koin6.bsky.social #PNW

As of now, this bullshit is just a proposal. Yet another step in making us a global pariah. I wouldn’t visit a country that required this of me, and won’t be surprised if other nations start doing this to Americans in retaliation. www.cbsnews.com/news/us-tour...

When I was in Monterey, they were experiencing a king tide. I only realized this after speaking with some local residents who had come to observed the high water & crashing waves that drenched the pedestrian path hugging the coast. This vehicle had intentionally parked close enough to get splashed.

#Bird of the Day: Western Gull (WEGU) Certain readers of my BOTD posts may recall that gulls are my least favorite bird, partially because I struggle with their identification! But at many coastal locations, birders can’t be choosers, & there are gulls in abundance just begging to be photographed.

Cookie platter recipe #8: Shortbread Thumbprints with either red currant or black currant jam.

Cookie platter recipe #7. These don’t look great, but they taste delicious. Upcycling all the York Peppermint Patties I bought for Halloween by using them to top a Toll House-style butter cookie.

Cookie platter recipe #6: Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies. Each has a chocolate espresso bean to signal the flavor. This is a recipe from Bob’s Red Mill. Good, but I prefer the chewier texture of a different recipe I’ve made in the past.

Every part of this is bonkers. The intro is bonkers. The transition to his health is bonkers. The mention that other presidents didn't need cognitive exams is bonkers. The claim that this screening test is somehow hard is bonkers. The idea that criticism of him is treason is bonkers. All of it.

An awesome seasonal card from a friend.

An adventurous stormy night with power outage, power restored, another power outage & thankfully another restoration. Each time it went out, battery backups awoke us with beeping. Up with flashlights to address, which woke up the cats, who hoped it was time to eat again. Early bedtime tonight.

#Bird of the Day: Hermit Thrush (HETH) Some of you may remember how excited I was to have a Swainson’s Thrush in my yard during the fall migration season. The very similar Hermit Thrushes live in Oregon all winter, but I’ve only seen them a handful of times. But on my California trip, I saw HETH in

Minutes ago today the Trump regime abruptly cancelled citizenship ceremonies for several immigrants in Boston. THEY CANCELLED CITIZENSHIP CEREMONIES. These immigrants followed every rule & did everything right—Trump banned them anyway. All are from Black & brown majority nations. This Is Fascism.

Cookie platter recipe #5: Chai Pinwheels I’m still trying to decide if these are going to get a cream cheese glaze. The platter assortments this year aim for variety in pattern and form in shades of white to brown.

Cookie platter recipe #4: Honey & Tahini Cookies rolled in sesame and poppy seeds.

Cookie platter recipe #3: Nutmeg Biscotti with toffee bits and dried cranberries

#Bird of the Day: California Quail (CAQU) One day in Big Sur I had just a glimpse of a single quail in the brambles by the parking gravel before it secreted itself further in. Where you see one, you know there are plenty more, but they didn’t make an appearance while we sat and ate our sack lunches.

I can't help but feel that ducks delight in pulling off a flawless water-ski landing. This male mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) was a split-second from touching down when I photographed him in Albuquerque on December 6, 2025. #nature #naturephotography #birds

A few favorites at the Wild Arts Festival today, organized by the local Bird Alliance chapter. Upcycled creatures made of metal, wood & tire rubber. Also the petite bird portraits by Sheila M. Evans, an artist previously featured by @goodport.bsky.social Oh, to have unlimited funds & empty walls!

My brother in law sent over two buckets of spent grains from his brewing process for the neighbor’s chicken. It’s a hit!

Putin declares victory. www.bbc.com/news/article...