2025

The sore throat has calmed down a little, but now I've got a bit of a sniffle and a sinus headache. Sneezing, too.

Bah. It's annoying but energy is still okay, and I'll keep going out walking as long as I am able!!

Grumpy Grey Cat is right outside. Yep, I know exactly what you mean, Kitty!

He or she has been a regular here this year, with neighboring cat lady feeding them. Yeah, I'm not sure if they're female or male, but they've been Trapped, Neutered and Returned (right ear tipped)!

There's some sprinkles, on and off, this morning. But it's nice and warm, 64° when I left, so that's nice. What's not nice is the 19mph wind.

I'm dropping off kitchen scraps onto the Community Garden compost pile... and there happens to be no other humans here! That's pretty unusual for a Saturday, and I aim to enjoy it!

The wind is blowing the flowers around, tho, and making the photography a little bit frustrating!

It's nice that there's still so many flowers at the Garden!

I can't help myself. I have to check on the stupid Lettuces.

I come out of the Garden and decide to walk a little bit further... just enjoying the warmer weather, despite the drizzle!

So, sheesh. I forgot about the time change, and got up an hour early. And I really could have used the sleep, too...

The mild disease I have has turned into an annoying head cold. Yesterday afternoon, my face started exploding and I'm sneezing and the sinus headache is worse.

blah. But I still have energy!! ha! So I load up my pockets with kleenex and go out for a walk!

This might be a Walnut tree, but I'm just guessing.

It is really pretty tho!

Someone has dropped a bag of... food or something?

Oh, haha. Bagels!

I'm going thru the neighborhood, and oh good! People still have their Halloween decorations up!

I like the purple bat!!

Oh nice! I wonder what these are!

I really really like the blowup T-Rex above, but I think these skeletons are my favorite display.

Last night and this morning, my face is exploding every few minutes. I just can't get a break from the sneezes and coughing and everything is blurry because my left eye keeps filling up.

But, even tho I can barely see, my energy is still fine! My face feels like it's on death's door, but the rest of the body is ready for a walk! ha.

I'm walking in the other direction today, because I don't want to have to talk to any of my bike path people. My friend Eric rode by on his bike, but that was just a smile and a wave.

But actually... I felt better as soon as I got outside! Breathing fresh air feels SO Good!

And no face explosions, and my eye quit filling up!

It's pleasantly warm with my heavy shirt and rain jacket. I'm not sneezing, I can see, YAY!

Down at the bridge, check out this duck! A bit of Leucism!

And then I hear my Kingfisher friend, she's laughing as she flies over the creek. And Oh My Gosh!! She's got a mate!!!

Oh this is so fabulous!! I'm so happy for her!!

I decide to go over this bridge for the first time.

I've never been down these streets before. It's industrial on the west side, but there's a neighborhood to the east. And then...

huh. There's a Tiny House Community here.

These tiny houses have electricity via an extension cord, but not running water. There will be Porta Potties, and shower space around here somewhere. And a Community Kitchen and gathering space.

And that's a lot of chickens.

The Chickens make me sad. But I suppose that's an efficient way to feed a lot of people.

When I walk past the community entrance, I recognize one of the buildings! This place was in the news recently!

∞ Eugene's Everyone Village opens innovative on-site clinic

∞ The Register Guard: West Eugene's Everyone Village opens on-site medical clinic

That's awesome!

I've walked back around to the bike path and oh, hey! Black Phoebe!!

Well crum... I was balancing my elbows on the railing of the bridge, and I really thought I'd get better photos! ha. oh well.

And back at home... One of our native Western Grey Squirrels...

I've seen him around, now and then, but haven't named him yet.

I get home, and I wonder if the break in my cold symptoms was a temporary thing. But I think I'm getting better!

Cedar Waxwings!

On this one, you can see a little red dot of their waxwing!

No one at the garden and I'm walking about!

I've decided to grab the single Butternut today! They've turned the water off, so I had to scrub the mud off in the grass of the pathway.

Here's the state of the Wax Beans on the big trellis. They've lost most of their leaves, and I need to gather the last of the beans!

The Honey Bees are still busy at the Borage blooms!

The Cosmos is starting to look a little pathetic. It still has some good blooms tho!

Oh my goodness! Look!!

This is a Virescent Green Metallic Sweatbee!

She's not moving around. It must be too cold for her, even tho the Honey Bees are still able to do their thing.

She certainly is beautiful, tho.

And you know what? This tomato on the Perth Pride is starting to ripen. I think I'm going to get that today, as well!

Hmm. I don't know... I may have gotten carried away gathering veggies...

Will that all fit in the small backpack with the Butternut??

ha. Just barely!

There were some Sungolds, but all the ones I picked had cracked. Probably best, they would not have fit in the backpack!!

Of course, I have to look at the stupid lettuces.

*shakes head* Slug food.

And looking over at the lovely Beets!

This little patch of Calendulas catches my eye as I leave the Garden...

What a weird colour!

How Lovely!

Whoa. The news today says:

The third atmospheric river in a string of storms is sweeping through Eugene and Springfield on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and winds strong enough to briefly spin up a funnel cloud or weak tornado, according to the National Weather Service.

Well! That's exciting! *laughs*

And the wind is definitely blowing when I go out for a walk, weather page says 19mph.

The clouds are moving around a lot and I do get some sprinkles on the walk home. But except for a bit of thunder in the afternoon, the weather is not as interesting as they make out!

I'm not finding anyone to take photos of, so I decide to go a different way. It's been a while since I've been thru this park.

The acorns under this White Oak are so shiny!

The squirrels need to get to work here! ha.

Oh, Squirrel! What happened to your poor face?

It's fine, you say? Hmm. If you say so. How about no more fighting?

I go by a gathering of crows... this is just one edge of the flock, which spreads out over the park.

There's probably around 100 crows here.

I get back to the creek, and huh. Where did all these Wood Ducks come from?

This is awesome. The original couple must have invited their friends to visit!!

There are two couples and one extra male. I hope they stick around!

Back at home, I'm trying out something new.

I had bought this tofu press a couple years ago when I had a good harvest of soy beans. I never got around to making my own tofu... bummer, right? But there was just too much kitchen stuff involved and I hate cooking!

But you can press store bought tofu in this thing as well.

So I'm giving it a go!

I always get extra firm tofu and it goes straight into the freezer. It keeps a lot longer when it's frozen, and it changes the texture as well.

The press will make the tofu super extra firm, I guess. and squeeze out extra water so it will suck up sauce.

I don't anticipate anything major here. It's just... I have this tofu press, I may as well use it!

:)

I've got an appointment at the DMV to get a Real ID... Oregon was the last state to get caught up with the Real ID laws, but they finally got compliant and since May of this year, you are required to have a Real ID if you want to fly in an airplane.

It's just a bit of extra paperwork, but I've been putting it off because procrastination is what I do!

*laughs*

Because I don't trust the car, I made the appointment for the office here in town. I can drive down to my usual spot at the river, walk across the river and then go across the mall parking lot... and the only thing I was vaguely worried about was the 100% chance of rain.

But the chance of rain has dropped down to 60% and I don't even get a single sprinkle! Yay, lucky!

I arrive 16minutes early, just like they suggest you do. It doesn't seem too busy, but as they are checking in one of the people in front of me, I can hear the conversation: It's going to be an hour and a half, wait time.

Holy Crap!! But since I have an appointment, I just have to wait for the appointment time.

Everything is going smoothly, I've brought all the appropriate documents and all the staff is happy.

The guy helping me was double checking all the info on my old driver's license...

Hair colour X? Yep.
Eye colour Y? Yep.
Weight Z? I was still nodding from the last question, but now I stopped.

Weeeellll, I said. Maybe Z+5.

He paused and looked at me. No, he replied. I think Z is just fine.

*Laughing* How very endearing!! I might have fallen in love with him just then. :)

And then, I went over to the printing desk where they print up a temporary ID. This lady was so awesome, too, explaining exactly how my new ID would arrive in the mail, and answered my questions about what happens if the ID doesn't come and what to do about my travel in December.

She was so precise about every single detail and every single possible outcome!! It made my brain SO HAPPY!

And now I love everyone at the DMV! *laughs*

I'm done and I head for the Riverbank Path... I'm going to walk the new Delta Pond Loop. Ha, which isn't new anymore, they finished it last December! But this is only the second time I've walked it.

As I come off the parking lot, I see a guy taking photos with his phone. Hmm? Oh wow! There's a Bald Eagle, and she chooses just that moment to fly, dang it.

Ha. But that's cool!

There's a good variety of birds at the Riverbank Path ponds... Here's a Coot and a pair of Gadwalls.

Double Crested Cormorant.

A Teal and a Northern Shoveler.

The Shoveler has an interesting design on his feathers!

I take the exit off the Riverbank Path and go across the street to the Delta Ponds Park.

There's a single turtle out! Unfortunately it's the invasive Red Ear Slider. But still cute!

oh. Looks like someone got eaten. blah. Carnivores.

There's Wood Ducks all over the place... but mostly too far away.

And some more Cormorants.

I wish they were closer so we could see their amazing aquamarine eyes!

I've come almost all they way around the loop, and looking down from a walking bridge...

Someone's skeleton! There sure are a lot of Life and Death situations here today!

And this is the walking bridge that goes over the Delta Highway.

I'm back on the Riverbank trail, oh! Kingfisher!

Belted Kingfisher, this is a female. The males lack the rusty red belt.

Belted Kingfishers are one of the few birds where the female has more colour than the male. In other species with that arrangement, it's usually because the male takes on child rearing duties. He's a duller colour so he can avoid detection from predators so he can bring up the next generation.

But with Belted Kingfishers, the parents share child duties. It's completely 50-50, and scientists don't know why the female is more colourful!! Isn't nature cool?! :)

There are a few other species of Kingfishers in Central and South America... and they all follow the usual rule, the males have more colour!

And overlooking the Kingfisher...

A juvenile Bald Eagle!!

Looks like 2½ year old! Here's a page with good photos of all the stages to maturity:

∞ The Plumage of a Juvenile, Immature, and Adult Bald Eagle

And going back across the river to the car...

I get home without any trouble. But Partner took the car out in the afternoon. It stalled out in traffic, and did not restart.

He got it towed to our new mechanic... and they told us the car is done. There's a laundry list of thousands and thousands of dollars worth of stuff to fix. And they don't know which specific thousand dollar repair will actually get the car running again.

sighs.

Good Morning, Friend Towhee.

Good Morning my cute little TNR kitty!

Oh what beautiful eyes!

I've wondered if one of the businesses on that side of the creek has been feeding some strays. I see a variety of cats and kittens here, and they've all looked healthy.

I chased after this one for a little bit... American Lady Butterfly, maybe?

*gasp*

The Kingfisher! She's letting me look at her!

I can't believe it! And Look, look, look!!! Her rusty belt is broken! A clear identifier!!

She's been flying back and forth, looking at the bank of the creek here. Kingfishers dig holes in the bank, for their nest.

But my dear! This would be a terrible place for a nest! So many humans walking by all the time! You can do better!

Oh my gosh, I am just so excited that she let me see her!

∞ 'Sandwich Guy' triumphs over ham-fisted charges

Ha. Good. But I don't know why we have to live thru this timeline.

Oh it's cold this morning! Fog and clouds and 43°.

The forecast says it's going to warm up to 61° today... but the clouds never break and the actual high is just 49°.

Ridiculous that it's off by 12°. Twelve Degrees!

And, based on the very wrong forecast, I'm still wearing my shorts, thinking it'll get too warm when the sun breaks out. haha. Yep, I was kind of miserable for the cold!

Yep. Even the Wild Squash feels the cold today.

sheesh.

*laughs* Try again tomorrow!

This is a YouTube channel that I enjoy...

∞ Molly Burke: I Was on Dr. Mike's Podcast... and The Comments Section Proved Why Ableism Still Exists

Molly is blind. She mentions in this video that she did a TedTalk, which I need to go watch.

But basically: Designing for disabled people helps EVERYONE.

Ha! This one flew out of the sun and right past me.

Oh! Mackerel Sky!

I'm at the same place that I saw the Kingfisher on Friday... I can hear her laughing, she's followed me! And I happen to snap a photo just as she flies by!!

*laughs* That's her on the left!

She goes on by and doesn't stop. That's fine but I wonder if she'll ever let me get her portrait again!

Mackerel Sky walks across to the other side of the creek.

And I notice she has a companion.

A female Hooded Merganser. No male hanging out with her, and she seems to be following Mac Sky.

It's good to have a friend.

I decide to go into the garden to check on the lettuce seedlings. Look how happy they are!

Well, that one on the left has been munched again.

And this one over here, by itself has also been munched again.

This pretty one has a couple unmunched leaves!

I know, I know. I shouldn't get invested. The second I start to hope, the slugs will come by again. SIGHS.

Oh, but look over here! A fallen Fava bean is sprouting!

I cover it with a little bit of dirt to help it along!

The yellowing leaves on the left are the Echinacea that Roz gave me. I think it's had plenty of time to establish itself, and will come back next year from the base!

On the right, a couple of beets. But most of that photo is wildflowers! ha. Borage, and the little viney things in front are Speedwell, which have tiny blue flowers.

Well. I've gathered some Tomatillos to take home...

And I've decided to walk home with the stirrup hoe.

We've had too much rain, and the hoe won't work in the mud. And the handle being wet all the time isn't exactly good for it either. I should have taken it home a while ago, I was just putting it off.

SIGHS. Now, since the car is dead, there's no way to drive the hoe home. I figure I will feel pretty awkward carrying a hoe as I walk on the bike path, but there's nothing for it.

And actually, the most awkward moment comes as I'm leaving the garden! haha! A couple people have come in, and there's at least two people close enough to see me as I leave.

I've not been anywhere near the tool shed, but if I saw someone walking out of the garden with a hoe... I would assume they are stealing it!!!

Bahaha!! No one confronts me, thank goodness. But I still feel like a criminal! With my own hoe!! ha!

Oh, poor Dear, what happened to your tail?

um, hmm. There's someone yelling about something here... and it sounds so familiar, but my brain isn't providing any information.

I have to walk back and forth a couple times, triangulating from the yelling. But then I finally see...

Cooper Hawk. She flies to another branch where I can see her better.

And that's who's yelling. Just like the other day... Are you yelling about someone??

Ah ha! *laughs* The Barred Owl. It must be the same owl. I wonder if it's the same Cooper Hawk as well. Probably not, but how funny... always being mobbed by a Cooper Hawk!

I walk back and forth, again, trying to find an angle with less leaves. Nope!

ha. well. sheesh.

The Cooper Hawk has flown away, and it's a lot quieter now.

And I decide to move on as well.

Ah Autumn.

I cried myself to sleep last night.

And getting up this morning, I was all set to email and postcard the eight politicians who betrayed the American People...

But in reading about it today, it turns out the eight were throwaway pawns. They were carefully chosen and told to vote the way they did.

So, this is 100% Chuck Schumer.

It's probably still worth sending the postcards to the eight... spineless losers. But I'll be saving most of my vitriol for that bastard Schumer.

Senator Chuck Schumer
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

∞ Angry Democrats call on Schumer to resign after eight vote to end shutdown Some lawmakers and progressive groups blame minority leader after eight senators defect

Actually the first thing I read this morning was the email from Indivisible. It's a good run down...

∞ Senate Democrats surrendered

∞ PoliticsGirl, Don't Give Up!

So. We're not going to have ObamaCare... and with the Medicaid cuts as well, hospitals will close without that money. Trump is still pushing to cut off SNAP, and grocery stores will close without that money.

It feels like Doom. But we're not actually there yet. We don't know what will happen.

So! I'm writing some postcards.

And then I will continue going out for my walks. My work here is to share Nature with you!! Please scroll down and enjoy!! Let your brain calm down and relax.

Today there are 4 male and 3 female Wood Ducks! ha, we're starting to gather a whole flock!

There's a ruckus! Scrub Jays yelling, and a load of little birds twittering like crazy. Could it be the Owl again??

I look and look, and eventually I see a face peeking out!!

She's missing her Cooper Hawk today.

But all the other birds mobbing her are too loud for sleep.

It was dreary this morning, but now the clouds are moving around.

Oh, nice! Someone is offering strawberry plants...

But nope! I am not even tempted! The ones I nabbed last year all died! Granted they were a lot smaller than these. These are big enough that they probably have a chance to live. But nope! Not going to do it! As much as I love free stuff... But nope! *laughs*

This is the top of the Goldenrod, lots of seeds for the birds or whoever enjoys them!

The leaves on the Goldenrod are still green, and I think it will come back again next year from the roots. I'll probably gather some seeds too, later on after everyone else has had a chance to munch on them!

But today I'm gathering Fava beans from the Fallow Area!

The pods are kinda hard to remove from the plant, so I just open up the pod, right on the plant...

I drop quite a few of beans this way, but that's okay. I'll be happy to see more grow here eventually!

As I'm going thru the Fallow Area, I notice some of the Buckwheats still have some seeds as well.

I bought a bulk bag of Buckwheat seeds for summer cover crop, and I have lots left. But they are a few years old. So I decide to gather a few of the Buckwheat seeds as well. I want to leave plenty for the birds, I just break off five or six seed heads.

And I've harvested some veggies today as well!

The Fava beans...

And the Buckwheat seeds...

I'll put them under the fan at home and hopefully I'll be able to rub off the chaff when it's dry.

Buckwheats are just so pretty. :)

We are well into November, but there's still a good bit of life in the garden...

The Cosmos are looking a bit rough.

But the plant is very much alive and still has a lot of flowers!

And here's the other side of the big trellis, with the Goldenrod at the bottom.

The Basil is quite dead and the Wax Beans have lost all their leaves. But all the Borage makes everything else seem green and alive!

The cute little Speedwells. And some volunteer Clover that came up under the small trellis with the Lemon Cucumbers.

There's some Honey Bees flying around still, too! They appreciate all the Borage!

This one had buzzed me a couple times when I was gathering the Favas! Finally came back when I was holding the camera, but didn't stick around for decent photography! So I'm not sure if this is a female or a male.

I'm heading out, but pause before I go...

*laughs* The plot is a jungle! It'll be a lot of work to winterize. And that probably needs to start happening soon. In a month, I'll be traveling and all of this will need to be cleared, weeded and covered with leaves before I go!

So apparently a plane crashed last week? What the heck?

So weird! I didn't hear a thing about this in the news or anything.

∞ Tragedy in Louisville

A cargo plane that had catastrophic problems as it was getting into the air. The three pilots died and eleven people on the ground.

The article is written by a pilot, and it's a really interesting breakdown about what happened.

My Dad is a retired cargo pilot, so I'm interested and I know a little bit about what the author is talking about.

And it's just so strange to me that this didn't hit the news at all.

Sprinkles this morning, but that quit and it's just cloudy for my walk.

Just the one pair of Wood Ducks at the creek today. Maybe they got tired of the party and sent their friends home!

Most of the trees are losing their leaves now. But the trees over here are still beautifully autumn-ish!

I wonder what their secret is!

So. Partner has gotten a car.

He insisted on buying the cheapest, crappiest thing he could find in Eugene. sighs. So it's definitely a fixer upper. I don't know how many thousands that will be.

But it runs. And it's what he wants. Which is all that matters!

Yep. Jury Duty.

I had gotten the notice mid-September. I had a relatively low juror number, so I was pretty sure I would have to show up. And sure enough, last night the website said Jurors #1 thru 175 must come to the court house.

It's an early morning for me... I have to be at the bus stop before I usually get out of bed! ha. And then, there weren't many other people at the stops to pick up, so the bus was running WAY early! I arrived at the courthouse ten minutes before I meant to, and I already meant to arrive early!

*Laughs* I hung out on the park blocks, where they hold Saturday Market... and huh, it looks really different without all the people and the vendors and everything!

But I could see people were going into the courthouse, and I finally got up my courage and walked across the street and went in. The lady at the info desk was all Jury Duty? Yes! Go that way.

Down the stairs and around the corner and there were a few people in line ahead of me. Getting checked in with the postcard I had gotten in September and everyone else had driven and they got a parking stub validation. And a note for your employer. Fill this out. Go sit down.

People kept streaming in, but def not 175. Maybe 100... I should have counted! I definitely had time!

One of the last people to come in, caught my attention and I listened in to the conversation... She announced that she's so confused, thought she was supposed to be at the Municipal Building, but look at what this thing says!

It turns out she had Jury Duty at the Municipal Building yesterday and Jury Duty here TODAY, and she had just assumed they were the same Jury Duty!!

So that's really crazy, to me! Why do we have to do ALL the stupid jury duties, at the same time??! Sheesh!

So Tina, that's our person today. Tina said to call them and explain and it would *probably* be okay... ie, they might not throw her in jail for not showing up!! Bahaha!

Tina's got everyone checked in and then she had a speech, explaining things: Be sure you're parked in the parking structures (she had sent a few people away as they checked in so they could move their cars). Parking violations are aggressively pursued in the downtown area and if you're parked in the wrong place you _will_ get a ticket!

Tina also went over how they got our names for jury duty. What happens if the fire alarm goes off. This is a small group, Wednesday was huge because they needed 12 people each for 3 trials and the room was packed! And there were some kids here, the other day, doing a tour, seeing an actual trial happening and coming down to this room, our home base. And you get 10$/day but on day3 you start getting 20$/day. If you declined your 10$/day, that's what pays for the coffee bar over there, please help yourself. When you get jury duty be sure to bring a lunch, it's expensive to eat out downtown.

And then there's this long list of things that you absolutely must not have on your body when you go upstairs for jury stuff. Weapons. And anything that can be used as a weapon (including knitting needles, ha!). So, its a list, a long list, and I'm starting to get worried ... and, sure enough, at the end of the list: Pepper Spray. Which I ordinarily carry in my small backpack, and crap, I didn't think to take it out. And she's explaining they have a tiny spot to keep these things, but it's not secure and I assume I'm just going to lose my stupid pepper spray, and nutz, ya know.

Tina talked for a good long while about all these various things, and more. And yet she didn't give us any information that my brain wanted!

And then we had to watch the same two videos that we had gotten links for. I had already watched them, so that was kind of boring. The one about bias was interesting, that we ALL have unconscious bias, and we must be aware so that we can be fair. And it is VERY important that our juries be fair. *nods*

But the other video was more terrifying, now that I was actually facing being picked for a jury... you have to talk in front of people! GAH.

The video went thru an example trial and some of the questions that all the potential jurors have to answer, up in front of everyone. And the questions are probably going to be about something you've never even thought about before in your entire life... so you are basically thinking out loud, with people who are going to be staring at you for the rest of the trial. And then the deliberations sound scary too! But I can't even make my brain imagine that because GAH!

*laughs* It's about 9:40am and Tina says she still has no information so she's handing out employer letters and giving us a break to walk around or whatever, be back by 10am.

I just walked up and down the hall, to look around. We are absolutely not allowed to go upstairs, that was reiterated and pounded in by Tina, because we might run into trial people and that would be bad. That would be a mis-trial and you do NOT want to waste everyone's time and effort here!

But the halls down here are boring so I went back into home base and got the kindle out to read. But they had turned on the TVs to America's Funniest Videos. The volume wasn't loud but I had a hard time reading with the distraction.

Finally, we've got some action and my anxiety spikes again. A judge has come down, all in his robes and stuff and gave a longish speech. About how things worked during Covid but now things aren't going so smoothly. And I didn't really understand everything that he was saying and I was really trying to focus.

But it turns out that he was just excusing us. There will be no trials today, and we are free to go. And we won't have to be called for jury duty again for two years for _this_ court, but we could be called for the federal court or municipal courts. (GAH!)

I took my time leaving and walked slowly to the bus stop. And the bus rolled right up within a minute or so.

But I am seriously discombobulated. I'm half way home when I realize I've got a free ticket to ride the bus all day! I could have taken the bus going the other way and walked across to the river. Except I had left the camera at home and I don't want to go to the river without the camera.

And there's no reason to be discombobulated! I've done my duty, I'm going home.

But ... I kind of want a redo. If I could just redo this whole morning, knowing that I would just go in, and then come home -- no jury duty, no public speaking... It just would have been so much easier and nicer and more interesting.

I am still feeling discombobulated from yesterday's Jury Duty... and I realize I should have just gone out for a walk when I got home. It would have cleared my mind and cleared out all the stress hormones.

I would have felt so much better! Why didn't I?? I don't know, just dumb I guess.

The clouds of this morning have gone POOF! It's already 55° when I head out and it will get up to a very pleasant 65° today!

A bit of red in the tree catches my eye. Red Shoulder Hawk.

But we are preening and not available for photography. *laughs*

And this cute little Downy Woodpecker, bouncing up and down his tree.

I just cannot get enough of the sky today!!

I decide to go up and around the Events Center, to look at that Honey Bee nest... Yep! It's warm enough today with the sun, there's a few bees coming in and out!

They should be well protected in there, I'm sure they will survive the winter and be active here again next year!

I'm walking down one of the neighborhood streets, and meet up with a Ginkgo Tree. So Lovely!

Oh, and look! It's a female! That's pretty unusual for a tree on the street!

Misting and sprinkling today, heading out.

And apparently the long walk yesterday irritated the shin splints. It's overly bothersome to walk today. It's been about a month now and I'm annoyed I have to deal with it.

But then... oh my gosh!

This is a Golden Crown Sparrow with Leucism... that's what causes those white patches.

And I recognize her!!!

I first saw her in January...

∞ Jan15 Leucistic Golden Crown Sparrow
and again on Mar16 Leucistic Golden Crown Sparrow

How cool is that??

She's flown up to Canada, had a nest, and now has migrated back down to meet up with me again!

That's SO awesome!

There's two pairs of Wood Ducks here today! But they are being shy. Maybe I will catch them on the walk back.

I had turned around early, because of the stupid shin splints. But I'm not ready to go home yet, so I stop in the Community Garden.

Oops! It's too chilly for her to move.

Heading home, and oh good! The Wood Ducks are still around!

Ha! How round his head is from this angle!

This pair are talking to each other, but they don't quack! I don't know how to describe their chat, but you can listen to some recordings here: AllAboutBirds: Wood Duck Sounds

They are heading downstream.

And here's the other pair, looking so cute, tucked under the bank.

It's been sprinkling off and on this morning. And the shin splints are bothering me excessively again today.

The Maybe-Cure for shin splints is rest, of course. But I can't just not walk! That would probably kill me! *Laughs*

And it's just a Maybe-Cure because it seems that lots of people just have chronic shin splints, no matter what they do. SIGHS.

Another Downy Woodpecker. A male again, tho you can't tell in this photo. In his search for bugs, he was moving around too quickly for the camera.

At the back of the Events Center, Yay! Cackling Geese!

They like to hang out in big flocks, there's several hundred here!

Oops! I got too close and they start to walk away.

I don't want to disturb them, they've had a long flight, down from the very northern most edges of Alaska and Canada!

Their cute little faces!

Cackling Geese are quite a bit smaller than their cousins, Canada Geese. But you can't tell size when you're looking out over a flock. (Unless there's a couple Canada Geese hanging out at the edges. That does happen regularly!)

But you can tell the difference when you look at their faces. Cackling Geese have a cute little snub beak! Canada Geese have much longer beaks.

And as I scan my photos...

Cool! I don't think I've seen a Cackling Goose with leucism over their head like that!

Before I go, I notice this interaction... Bahaha!

He goosed his friend! *laughs* Trouble Maker!!

Heading back home, along the creek...

Wood Ducks everywhere!

*Laughs* Well, there's five pairs, the fifth are a bit downstream!

Ha, leftover Halloween decoration. May have found a permanent home here!

At home, I'm doing a load of laundry today...

We don't have a washing machine in the tiny townhouse, but have a community laundry room we walk to, across the way.

I was all set up and feeding quarters into the machine, and one didn't fit in the slot. I saved it and put in a different coin... I always bring extra because we regularly get Canadian quarters here. Those normally do go into the machine, but pop right back out. The coin machine doesn't accept them.

But it's weird that this coin didn't even fit into the slot...

When I got home, I examined the coin.

Oh wow! It's a British ten pence!

That's different! It's almost the same size as a US quarter, but a bit thicker. It probably just got rolled in with a roll of quarters!

:)

Okay. I got the email yesterday that the Winter Compliance Checks at the Community Garden will happen the week of Dec1.

Which is odd, because in the past, they've always been in mid-December. And I've not started any winterizing yet, because so much of the garden is still very much alive! ha.

So I have much to do, and not much time to do it!

And I got up this morning and it had gotten down to 30° over night. BRRR! What the heck, that's not normal! Normal is 52/37 for this time of year... none of this freezing nonsense!

Looks like we are back down to one pair of Wood Ducks at the creek today.

*laughs*

Oh, interesting! There's a pair of Northern Flickers bouncing along the Community Garden fence... and they are both male!

And they aren't displaying at each other or anything, they're just hanging out like friends!

The other one has a red nape, which is normal for the eastern race. But the rest of his colours match up with our western race: red moustache and red feather shafts.

Just a hop and a skip! Haha!

Okay. It's time to get down to work. I think I'll begin on the left side of the plot. I had the Crooknecks here in the front and then the Green Zucchini in the Fallow Area.

But I've let a lot of Borage come up, too. It's still blooming, and I know the bees are still visiting, tho it's too chilly for them right now.

It kills me, but the Borage in the front especially, will have to be pulled up. The rule is, you can't have Borage within a foot of the borders, so all of that will have to go.

Sighs. I will leave as much as I can, for as long as I can... the Bees depend on those flowers this time of year!

And here's the Fallow Area. Some healthy looking Fava, which can stay as a winter cover crop. But the Perth Pride and the Sungold are still alive and producing, and they will have to go.

The one thing that is dead... the Sunchoke.

Okay! Work!

The Borage is easy to pull up, and I just lay the plants back down on the dirt. They will return important nutrients!

There's just a bit of weeding to do under them... Borage is Really Good at keeping other weeds in check, but there's a few blades of Quack Grass here and there. I am happy to pull out what roots I can, and any other little weeds because it'll make things easier for next year!

When I took the bucket of grass and weeds to the compost heap, I saw that someone had dumped their tomato plant with cherry tomatoes still on it.

Yep. I totally dumpster dived them!

I am definitely getting a black or purple tomato plant next year! A couple these are ripe, and I hope the rest will ripen on the counter.

They taste like normal tomatoes, but what fun colour, huh!

Plus, Oregon State University bred the first purple tomatoes... a cherry tomato called Indigo Rose, which became commercially available in 2012!

And then...

Kevin has pulled up his Cucamelon plant that was at the back of his plot, and I found a couple fruits that had fallen into my plot!

I ate them! um. It's a pretty plant, but I am definitely not going to grow them myself...

They were hard, but crisp. and more sour than I thought they would be. Zero cucumber taste! They'd probably be better when they are pickled, maybe. But I would not snack on them, on purpose!!

It's good to learn these things! *laughs*

I got a little distracted from my assigned work area, and started clearing the end of the big trellis.

The ProCut Plum Sunflower was here and it still had some seeds on it, so I set that aside. And quite a few weeds to pull around it.

At the other end of the big trellis, the Cosmos is still alive!

Some of the flowers look like this. Weird!

And lots of seed heads for the birds!!

Here's the after picture.

ha, since I just threw down the Borage, it doesn't actually look much different! Plus I wanted to keep those Nasturtiums there in the middle... most of the seeds growing on them aren't ready, they just need more time!

Another thing I noticed in the Fallow Area...

Last year's Leeks didn't grow very big because there's something wrong with the dirt in the Fallow Area. I just left them and they bloomed this year, and eventually fell over.

And now there's hundreds of seedlings coming up out of the seed head!! That's never happened before, and I'm kind of excited about it!!

There's also a couple of Leeks coming up from the original roots. And I didn't know that could happen, either!

As I leave, I check on the Lettuces...

Tormenting me. The biggest Lettuce leaves are about 2 inches... About the size when the slugs got them last time!

I don't want to think about it. Because look at how cute that purple lettuce in the back is! And that particoloured one.

It's hard to not have hope! If they could just grow fast enough to get past the slugs. But with the night getting down to freezing, that's not going to happen. sighs.

I have kind of been avoiding the ICE news. I want to keep informed, for sure, but honestly, it makes me cry after reading a couple paragraphs about what ICE is doing.

And ICE has been stepping up their evil, here in Eugene and today's news article sent me over the edge.

∞ Venezuelan asylum seeker swept up in Woodland Creek FBI raid (and in case you hit the pay wall there, I've saved this as a PDF here.)

This apartment complex is in my neighborhood, barely over a block away!

It just terrifies me. As a asylum seeker, this guy was in the US legally, and was kidnapped by federal officers... ICE is bad enough, but FBI now going into people's homes is terrifying!

It's terrifying. It's ethnic cleansing. Straight up, it's ethnic cleansing.

ICE and other federal agents are kidnapping people who are here legally, who have done nothing wrong. ICE is using excessive force, and in general they don't have warrants. (600 of Chicago's ICE detainees are being released because a judge found they did a bunch of illegal, warrantless arrests.) We've got effing concentration camps all over the US.

They've been assaulting citizens as well, no one is safe from ICE... Oregon DOJ says videos show federal agents using excessive force against anti-ICE protesters

It's just so disgusting that this is America now.

There's a Heron, and I'm turning on the camera and trying to figure out who this is. And right as I click the shutter...

WHOA!!

Oh my gosh, we caught a fish!!

I didn't even know we had fish like that in the creek!

Poor little fish gets swallowed down immediately.

So that was really exciting. But I still don't know who this Heron is! ha. Someone new I guess!

*laughs* Steller Jay with those blue eyebrows!!

And a Red Shoulder Hawk, talking about something.

I go into the Community Garden, and there's a passel of House Finches in the plot!!

Oh, some Golden Crown Sparrows, as well!

Well. I've got work to do, so I shoo the birds away.

But it turns out my heart isn't really into clearing today. I pull out a couple Smartweeds from the tomato area, and not much else.

It's a bit of a mess back here in the tomato patch, but I'm so pleased at how the Strawberries have taken over!

I stop to admire the Beets on the way out.

But then this plot catches my eye!

Wow! The wonderful colours!!

And the textures!!

On the walk home... a pair of Teals!

Oh my gosh! This hummer is right next to the path!

Ha! What a sweetheart!!

It rained all night and kept dripping a bit this morning. The clouds start moving around, but it gets darker instead of breaking up.

By the time I get organized and get out of the house, it looks like the sun might make an appearance after all.

Two pairs of Wood Ducks at the creek today.

At the garden, I worked in the back right corner. I pulled out the Brandywine, but left the Old German since it's got a couple tomatoes to ripen. And then I weeded around the Strawberries, and left the Pet Nasturtium.

The raised bed at the top is Kevin's plot... His Zinnias are still blooming, and are those Onions?

I look at the Lettuce seedlings. I really should just ignore them tho!

Back and forth to the compost pile, tossing the weeds I've pulled... Is this some kind of crazy Lettuce?

Wow. Whatever it is, it is beautiful.

Just growing in front of the compost pile, I have to walk around them. I'm almost tempted to dig them up and put them in my plot...

Heh. But I follow foraging rules... If I'm not 100% sure what it is, I don't eat it! Even when it looks like Lettuce in the garden! *laughs*

I'm surrounded by Juncos today!

I wonder what they are finding to eat.

I found a few Tomatillos to take home. The husk hasn't opened, but they should taste fine even if they are not quite ripe.

And another little group of Juncos, on my way out!

They are really bouncy, of course, but after they check me out, they hardly mind me at all.

Whatever they are finding must be very yummy!

I walk out of the Community Garden and go a different direction, and come across these two.

*Laughs* It looks like the are posing for a family portrait!!

... LATER ... Partner saw the photo and here's his take...

Right Squirrel: I get the first treat! Look at my perfect posture!

Left Squirrel: Screw you! I was here first! I get the treats! ALL the treats!

*Laughs*

Partner has taken the car to the shop, for the first round of repairs. 1500$ for the brakes. And they discovered the radiator is cracked, that's another 400$.

*snort* Fixer Upper, for sure!

The dense fog of the morning is burning off and the sun has slowly emerged. But dang, it's chilly. Still just 39° when I leave the house.

Oh, hey! It's Henrietta!

It's good of him to stop by to see me, now and then!

The Wild Squash has died and I'm disappointed... I had wondered if the warmer water would keep it alive all winter!

Well aren't you a funny little thing? Just hanging out on your wood stake there?

At the garden, I did some weeding at the front half of the path going do the middle of the plot. And then I tore down the dead Sunchoke stalks and I put them in the path where I had finished weeding...

The bare dirt... well, just this side of mud, really, is going to get pounded down with me walking and eventually with me bringing in the wheel barrow. And it will get slick with a bit of rain, so the Sunchoke stems will help with traction here.

Walking home, I notice the Nootka Roses... it's the time of year for Rose Hip Tea!

I think about gathering some, but I don't feel like digging the scissors out of my backpack.

And plus, that hole! Who's in there? :)

Hooded Merganser. He's by himself today, getting some alone time.

I didn't notice anything peculiar about this Flicker when I was taking his photo. He is a bit too far away to see details.

But when I zoomed into the photos on my computer...

Oh, cool!

Look at how dark his moustache is! There's some red, as is normal for the western race of Flickers... but it's so dark, it's all but black, like the eastern race!

But then he turns a little.

Oh! My! Gosh!

The feather shafts on his tail!!! They're YELLOW!

I've never seen a Yellow Shafted Flicker! That's the eastern race!

But this one must have a bit of Red Shafted in his genetics... maybe a grandparent or someone further back?

It's not just the very dark red moustache which is a Red Shafted trait. He also doesn't have a red nape.

So that is very interesting and I'm obnoxiously excited about it! *laughs*

Okay. I'm at the garden and there's one other person here... but they are hauling leaves.

I had thought about starting to haul leaves myself. But I don't want to interact with humans today.

So I decide to stay in my plot and do more clearing instead. I'm going to continue in the right back corner... Here is the Before.

And I'd like to weed out this grass, as well.

Ha. Nevermind that squash... it's been sitting there for ages and it just hasn't decided to break down yet!

And look at all the work I've gotten done!

That is the nice thing about the work in the garden, this time of year. You can easily see the progress every day!

I found a few more Tomatillos to take home!

Well aren't you cute!

What's that? You could take a nap, if only I wasn't staring at you? :)

It's so nice to live in a place where flowers bloom in winter!

Just the one couple of Wood Ducks today... They always like to be tucked under the bank in the dark.

I get to the Community Garden, and the side gate is not only unlocked, it is wide open. I fix it, but I'm *cursing* at the damn gardener who left it like this!

I'm assessing the garden plot...

There is So Much still alive. It's crazy! Usually by this time of year, there's enough plants dying from the chill that I don't mind pulling stuff out for the winter cleanup.

But I really need to start hauling leaves soon. I've got less than three weeks before I'm traveling to see my family!

Look at how much the Strawberries have grown this year!! The Pet Nasturtium didn't slow anybody down!

The Strawberries make me so happy. Last year, I had nabbed a couple freebie Strawberry plants about this time, but they all died over the winter.

A single, bigger Strawberry plant that I had bought did survive and I bought a couple more transplants this summer. I only got a couple of fruits this year, but didn't restrict their growth at all, so there's runners all over the place!

Next year I'm hoping for a bumper crop!!

I break open a couple Cosmos seed heads to see what the seeds look like... Oops! There were a couple bugs in there as well!

And I check on the stupid Lettuce seedlings as I head out.

I'm just waiting for the slugs to munch them all down again.

As I walk home, the Kingfisher flew right by me, with her laugh.

I've got an appointment to get a covid vax and flu vax this morning, and I'm walking out to the pharmacy.

Boing, boing, boing!

As the regime destroys the CDC and RJKjr, the secretary of Health and Human Services, spreads conspiracy theories about vaxes causing autism, I have been so worried about my own access to vaccines... I absolutely must get the covid vax! Even tho I've gotten every covid vax, I've still fallen ill with break thru covid a few times. It sucks, being sick! And I know that illness would be a lot worse without the vax!

I am so glad that the western states have formed their own public health partnership: Washington state, Oregon, California and Hawaii compose the Western Health Alliance.

So the shots I get today will be free. And I'm so grateful to live in Oregon, where we follow the science!!

When I arrive, there's a line at the pharmacy and I have to wait a few minutes. But once I get in, the process is pretty quick.

My nurse was AWESOME!! I sat down and tried to relax for the shot, but she moved my elbow just slightly forward and I realized my arm was a million times more relaxed in this position! She did this for both arms, covid in one and flu in the other.

And then I was done! I was leaving the store just 15minutes after my assigned appointment!

And in other news, my Dad got double knee replacement surgery today. His surgery went well.

I'm glad he's finally gotten this done. He is a hiker, like me, but he's not been able to go out for walks in years. It's restricted his life considerably.

oh, haha. Here's another Downy Woodpecker! They are everywhere! Tho it's weird that I've only been seeing males.

And here's Earl the Grey Squirrel! It's been ages since I've seen him!

I've got almost zero soreness from the vaccines I got yesterday! Absolutely a tribute to my awesome nurse and the little elbow nudges!!

But! When I took a shower, I noticed there was a circle of red, about 2inches wide, around the covid vax site. I googled it right away and it seems to be a normal side effect.

Okay. Not gonna worry about it!

Okay! Here I am at the garden, and I'm going to start hauling leaves to cover the plot.

Here's three wheelbarrow loads in the back...

That's Kevin's raised beds, and then the Pet Nasturtium over some of the Strawberries. And on the right is the Old German, which I probably should just pull out, but it's still got a couple tomatoes ripening.

And I put three wheelbarrow loads here at the front left of the plot as well.

I put these leaves a good bit deeper, since I'm trying to cover up the pulled Borage I've laid here. The dead plants will return nutrients to the soil, and the seeds will grow next year!

And, sure enough, the slugs have eaten the damn Lettuces down again.

dangit. I wish I could grow Lettuce. A home grown salad would be so nice. Stupid Slugs.

Heading home, and here's another Downy Woodpecker. So weird that it's only males around here!

And here's Earl again!! Still Mr Muddy!

I've still got the red rash around the covid vax on my arm. Still a circle about two inches across.

I've never had this before, for any of the vaxes I've gotten and I wonder if now I will get it for every covid vax I get in the future.

It was sprinkling this morning and I wondered if I should bother going to the garden. I hate to work in the rain!

But the forecast said it was only 50% rain today, and I hoped it would stop before I got there. I packed up the small backpack and headed out. And sure enough, it did stop sprinkling!

I need to clear some space before I haul more leaves, and I get to work around the big trellis.

The Borage I pull up and then throw down. But the Smartweed and bit of Crab Grass I haul to the compost pile.

The Cosmos is still alive, just barely, and I leave that. And I want to see if I can gather some seeds from the Basil and the Goldenrod, so I've left them for now as well.

As I was clearing out the Wax Bean Vines and the Tomatillo from under the trellis, I found some food!

Some of the Tomatillos have been laying in the dirt, but most of them are fine. They keep well, and in general no wildlife likes to munch on them.

The Wax Beans I will put under the fan and see if I can save the seeds for next year. There's just a couple beans there, but that's a couple I won't have to buy!

And I rediscovered the other mystery plant that was growing under the trellis... It's a couple feet tall now!

It was shaded by the Wax Bean vines, so never got to flower or do whatever it was supposed to do. But pretty leaves!

Well. I will need to continue clearing tomorrow. But I'm done for today.

On the way home, I find a little flock of Juncos and Finches bathing in a puddle!

I don't want to disturb them, so I'm a little bit too far away. But they are so cute!

Splish Splash!

And that's a Lesser Goldfinch with the Juncos.

Today is technically Thanksgiving, but I don't celebrate. So, moving on...

The other day, when I was looking up to see if the red rash around the covid vax injection site was normal, I saw the other side effects and thought to myself, Well, at least it's not itchy.

And today it started itching! haha!

Thru the morning, I could ignore it. But when I jumped in the shower, the water tickled enough that I had to scratch.

And oh my gosh... if I just ignored the minorest pain of the bruise from the shot, if I could just scratch hard? It felt SOOOOO GOOOD!!

*laughs* I mean, really good! And then, about an hour later, it would get itchy again, and I could scratch again.

So this is really not a big deal. But I was thinking about the covid vax... The pharmacy gave me a choice about which vax I wanted. I got Moderna this time, and I'm pretty sure I got Moderna last year as well. Maybe next year I should switch to Pfizer!

I thought the clouds were breaking up this morning, I did see the sun for a bit. But it was misting when I headed out for the garden.

You see this row of pale dots? Those are tree stumps. Some guys have been cutting down the trees, the past week or so!

It makes me sad and mad and I wish I could scream *WHY???!*

The trees were planted, obviously from the measured space between them. Why destroy your ancestors work?

And even stupider? The trees behind them, that they've left? They are all Douglas Firs. The Firs are going to die soon due to climate change. So there's going to be no trees left on that side of the creek. Why would you want that??

humans are so stupid. I just can't stand it.

Still misting when I get to the garden.

But it stops in a few minutes and I'm back to work!

I'm going to move the big trellis out of the way...

And I'm gathering seeds from the Basil!

In my hand, it feels like it's all chaff. But when I look closely, there are a couple seeds in there.

I was careful about the Mystery Plant when I moved the big trellis.

I've asked Google, but it says this is a grape plant! haha! I know that's not right, and I kept looking at a bunch of photos of plants whose leaves look vaguely the same.

And then I gave up, because that's a dumb waste of time!

And then I weeded out the grass along the right border.

That neighbor has basically abandoned their plot and that's Bermuda Grass at the bottom there and it's taking over their plot. Which is a major problem because Bermuda Grass is REALLY tough!

Heading out, and a plot down the aisle from mine has this patch of... Whatever this is, flowering. And there's a bunch of bees being happy about it!

If I can figure out what this one is, I will def plant it next year. Happy Bees, this late in the season is a wonderful thing!

Going home and Oh My Gosh! It's the Barred Owl again!!!!

*laughs* Sleepy!

And for once, she's not being mobbed by anyone today!

That's a nice change! But it makes me want to move on quickly, so I don't bring attention to her.

But she's so cute!

See ya later!

I put these postcards in the mail this morning.

I wrote these to the six Dems who made a video to remind military personnel that they swore an oath to the Constitution, and they should refuse to follow illegal orders.

∞ Dems Telling Troops To Disobey Illegal Orders, And Trump's Nazis Are Flipping Their Sh*t

Hell Yeah!

The postcards just say Thank You. Translation:

Dear Senator Mark Kelly and etc.
Thank you for reminding our military (and us!) that they took an oath to uphold the constitution and must not obey illegal orders.
It is good to see some democrats fighting against fascism!
Sincerely,
rift v.
Eugene, Oregon, USA

Back to hauling leaves to the garden plot!

The shin splints are getting better... but I may have over done it today. I hauled nine wheelbarrow loads of leaves to the plot!

But look what I found!

A little patch of Elephant Garlic!

I didn't dig any up this year, for whatever reason. I thought about grabbing a couple of these to eat, but they are just so cute with their little green leaf growing!

They will grow thru the winter and I'll get them in the spring!

There are quite a few people at the garden today, doing their own winterizing. I really don't feel like talking to anyone, and because I hauled leaves yesterday, today I can just hang out in my plot. Do more clearing and ignore the humans.

I gathered tomato cages and nested them neatly. And I started clearing weeds from the Fallow Area.

I got a decent start...

Plus I had to bury a few volunteer Fava babies... There's quite a few fava beans that had fallen from the plants growing here. Many are several inches tall and well established. But there are a couple sprouting beans just laying on the top of the dirt. I thought they would be more comfortable under the dirt!

But then I realize... with the compliance checks starting on Monday, I REALLY need to clean up the front of the plot!

So I change my focus! There's Borage all along the front of the plot. Borage is allowed by the rules, now, but you can't have any within 1 foot of the border of your plot.

So I pull that. And then weed the beets! And that actually makes the whole plot look a lot better!

Still much to do, but I don't think they can give me any marks down at this point!! I am clearly getting things done, and I am down with most of the important rules.

I feel good about what I've accomplished here today!

This is the solo girl...

I've seen her a few times. It's unusual that she doesn't have a partner. She just hangs out at the edge of Mallard groups.

Closer to home, I had just crossed a street and my brain was complaining bitterly about drivers who don't slow down for pedestrians at the crossing.

And then I saw the Kingfisher!

I was so shocked to see her, I stopped in my tracks!

Ha! Newbie mistake! Her head whipped around and she stared hard at me for a second. And then she flew away.

Foo.

*laughs* Girl needs to warn me she's around, by declaring her territory! Just suddenly showing up isn't working for me.

And, not to depress myself... but...

∞ United States Military Clearly Commits A Crime

And.

∞ Breaking News: If Hegseth Gave an Order to 'Kill Everybody,' He Must Be Removed and Prosecuted

No quarter given.

Our Military in the Caribbean are just playing at being damn pirates. All these murders are despicable!

Oh no. Your poor feet. I am so so sorry.

I'm coming up to the Community Garden, and I see a Red Shoulder Hawk fly up to one of the trees across the way... Except there's someone already in this tree...

um? My Dear? You are going to get eaten!

Red Shoulder's favorite food is snakes, but they will also eat mice and chipmunks. A squirrel would be a big, but doable, meal.

But they just look at each other for a few moments.

And then the Hawk flies away.

And I go into the Garden.

It's Sunday, and I don't usually like to do work on Sunday. But I've decided to pull out the rest of the Borage in the front of the plot. Just to make it a little more obvious that I'm making the effort, since Compliance Checks start tomorrow.

Looking under the Borage...

More Elephant Garlic!!!

There's a patch here, and a patch there, and another! Yay!

Haha, that one clove above is confused to be upside down!

So that's lovely! It'll be a bumper crop of Elephant Garlic in the spring!

And the front of the plot looks better still.

And I'm totally leaving that Red Amaranth!!

Last year they dinged me on the Amaranths I left in the plot. I wanted to leave the seeds and the perches for the birds, but the Compliance Check said Weeds! and I had to remove them.

I'm hoping I can be bold this time because the right side neighbor has abandoned their plot. It's a weedy mess, and my plot in comparison is pristine! *laughs*

I've thought a little bit more about this disturbing article...

∞ Breaking News: If Hegseth Gave an Order to 'Kill Everybody,' He Must Be Removed and Prosecuted

I have been vaguely following the war crimes the military have been performing in the Caribbean. 80 people murdered by the US Navy so far in 21 incidents.

And now we have proof of war crimes...

Instead of telling Congress that the second strike was designed to finish off wounded survivors, Pentagon officials claimed it was to remove a navigation hazard.

That isn't just spin: it's an attempt to rewrite reality.

The [Washington] Post quotes Todd Huntley, a former Special Operations military lawyer now at Georgetown Law, saying exactly what any first-year law student would immediately recognize: because the United States is not legally at war with drug traffickers, killing the people on that boat amounts to murder.

Even if a war did exist, Huntley notes, the order to kill wounded, unarmed survivors would in essence be an order to show no quarter, which is defined under the Geneva Conventions as a war crime.

This isn't an obscure legal debate. This is basic civilization. Armed states do not execute helpless people in the water.

And yet this is now U.S. policy. The boat strike on September 2 was not a one-off. It was the beginning of a campaign.

It's so horrifying, I just really don't have words. I hate what America has become. I hate that we voted in that rapist bastard. And I hate that no one is standing up for the right thing.

And that's the thing that gets me. Throwing missiles at little random boats, just to kill people? How did the military guys think that was okay?? HOW? And then they doubled down with a second missile to make sure they were all dead. This is literally the TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE of an illegal order!

What is wrong with these people?