2025

Ah, there's nothing like a little bad photography first thing in the morning!

Some of the trees are starting to be lovely.

I walked out to the Leaning Tree saplings, and was trying to figure out a better way to get their picture... This is the invasive Tree of Heaven, the three saplings and then the trees lining the street back there are getting pretty.

Yeah, this angle doesn't work for the saplings either. Sighs. But the trees in the back are pretty.

There's a bunch of birds in the garden plot, some of them scatter as I walk up. But there's a few left.

Oh hey! The rain has brought up another Lettuce seedling!!

And I am still overly impressed with the amazing volunteer Cosmos!

And then someone just casually walks thru my garden plot.

Doesn't even acknowledge my presence or anything. Entirely rude!

I didn't gather any veggies today. I just didn't feel like it, tho there are some Wax Beans and a Crookneck I could've taken home.

I'm heading out, and here's that rude person again.

I call to him again, but he still doesn't look up at me. Maybe he's deaf?

Hmm. I kind of doubt that. I think he's just really good at ignoring humans! *laughs*

These guys were putting up this fence as I walked out this morning. A little connecting section. Looks like they're done now...

But I have to wonder... that is one ugly fence. Sticking up like that? Have these guys ever put up a chain link fence before??! *laughs*

Homeless people hang out at that junction there, so I'm sure they are just trying to keep them away.

On the one hand, I'm glad. There are bushes on the left in front of the creek and that used to be a winter sparrow hang out. I used to get all the best bird photos there!

But with the homeless people, the birds aren't here anymore. And that's a bummer. But making things more difficult for homeless people isn't a real solution. and that makes me sad as well.

The Magnolia seeds look so much like candy!

3 April 1934 - 1 October 2025

∞ A Note From Patrick: Remembering Jane Goodall

∞ Attenborough and Prince William lead tributes to Dr Jane Goodall

I'm at my plot, and I'm looking around for something to do. I feel like I should be doing something here... But, really, most of the veggies are still alive and doing stuff. Winter Cleanup is in the future. But I do decide to take the poor Patty Pan to the compost pile.

The second tiny Lettuce, about 1cm tall.

And the volunteer Snap Pea!

A few more blooms on the Sunchoke!

Other people have let their volunteer Tomatillos grow as well!!

oh, hey! This guy again! Still muddy!

And Still running away!

Back at home, I'm freezing some more veggies!

I've lost track of how many of these small bags of Wax Beans I've done. Like 5 or 6 maybe. And this is the first bag of tomatoes

I wanted a full bag of Green Zebras, but half of the ones I got today weren't quite ripe. So I threw in a couple small Brandywines.

And then I needed to do something comforting... I hate working in the kitchen! Chopping up those Wax Beans and small tomatoes only took, what? like 10minutes or so. But it's left me annoyed!

ha.

This is a Sunchoke in the corner plot, mine doesn't have so many blooms yet.

Here's my Sunchoke.

Poor pathetic thing. It's Trying to make some blooms! But I can make it pretty today with some nice clouds in the background!

Still some happy bugs munching on the Goldenrod!

Oh! A third Lettuce seedling has popped up right next to the second one!

Three Lettuces Growing! It kind of gives me hope! Wouldn't it be nice to have some salad, after everything else in the garden has died back! Mmmm!

(Dangit. I should not hope.)

The blue bits are fallen Borage blossoms! Aren't they pretty!

And I just noticed this tiny and over ripe Lemon Cucumber under the small trellis! I'm not going to pick it, it's a little too far gone.

That's some volunteer clover on the left, one of the Avocado trees on the right. And in between...

A Geranium! We have several kinds of wild Geraniums that grow here. This one will have small white or light pink flowers, if it gets that far.

Ha. This one wandered thru my plot again!

And back at home, I've cut up some Sungolds to freeze!

There's been some sprinkles this morning, but it's not enough to even register. The record just says trace.

But I'll need to grab the rain jacket and in thinking about that, I finally remembered to grab this stupid book.

I had found it in a Little Free Library, and look at that cover... Greendaughter. That looks like something I should read! haha. I'm actually more into science fiction, but it's hard to refuse some nature based fantasy!

But it was awful!! Bahaha!

Seriously. I didn't care about the main characters. And then half the damn book is war preparations. War preparations! ...laying out all the siege prep and you people do this and we've got to put the refugees over here and oh, this group isn't going to join us, and and and. Gah.

*shakes head* Awful. And boring! I do not know why a woman would want to write that.

And yet, she did. And I had to be suckered into reading it with pretty cover art! *laughs*

So I'm getting rid of it today. Putting it into another Little Free Library...

... Which is almost empty. This LFL regularly fills up and empties. I'm not sure why. I've wondered if people are stealing the books, and leaving it empty. But I don't know.

I walk down to the creek... and aww! There's a single frog singing here! ha, the trace amount of wet and the clouds today must have him thinking about the breeding season in a few months.

Plus, I'm amused to see that Beaver chopped tree coming back to life!

I'm walking past the Community Garden today. At the back of the Events Center, there's a couple Killdeers running around. They don't let me get close enough, tho.

I decide to visit the Solidarity Garden.

You know, it really is impressive how volunteers have transformed this little corner of parking lot! There's still some flowers blooming.

But this Fig bush catches my attention!

All the fruits!

I've never eaten a home grown fig. I wonder if I like them. Woody plants are not allowed in the Community Garden, but I've seen a couple gardeners grow fig trees in huge pots.

I'm walking around the loop and heading home. Walktober? Well! That sounds fun!

∞ WeWalkLane: Walktober

That's cool!! But I glance at the events, and it doesn't look like there's anything happening nearby.

The Coffee Shop Hop would be awesome, but that's all outside my usual walking area, too far away. I'd have to take the bus to get there. Bummer.

Back at the creek, the Nootka Roses are making some hips.

Got some clouds this morning but they should be breaking up before too long because the forecast says a sunny 72° today! Absolutely lovely!

No one at the garden this morning! That's nice. I wonder if I can find some birds!

Oh hey! There's some Bushtits here as well! Not that they pause long enough for me to look at them! ha.

And at my plot... oh my gosh, the Lettuces! We've got these over here that had popped up the other day...

And there's a whole clump of lettuces here!!

And this pretty thing over here!

Salad! Ha! I can't help it! My hopes are up!

Well. This is the view of the big trellis from my center pathway...

And here's what the volunteer Cosmos plants on the other side look like!

And so many more blossoms on the way!!

I've gathered the day's harvest, but the Zucchini is so big! When I load up the small backpack, the Zuc sticks out several inches and I can't zipper it shut!

I take your picture?

Nope! haha. Okay. Maybe another time.

I'm out at Dragonfly Land, and there's a big group of Cedar Waxwings!!

Anyone care for some photography?

Oh, hey! Thank You!

That's a juvenile... doesn't quite have that lovely mask, and the stripes on her chest is also a juvenile trait.

I'm at my plot in the Garden, and looking around.

Ha. The Sungold in the back has reached all the way over to the Strawberry's Pet Nasturtium!

And the Brandywine and the Old German have become intertwined!!

And there are a few more blooms on the Sunchoke!

It got a pretty late start because I tried to kill it last winter! ha! I had dug up all the roots I could get down to, but I missed a few roots that were buried deep.

And when the leaves started popping up at the beginning of the summer, yeah, I just couldn't bear to kill it some more.

And this time around? Do I try to kill it again, this winter??? ... I'll have to do something. Even trying to kill it, it gets so big! I don't know. I will have to think about it.

All the tiny Lettuce seedlings are still alive. Here's the clump, it's about one inch tall, maybe.

And then I was looking up at the Tomatillo, and realized I could get an artsy photo with the Cosmos in the background!

I've gathered the day's harvest.

And I'm heading home.

The Kingfisher flies by and laughs! Ha. I wonder if we will ever get to meet!

and then I see that Western Grey Squirrel again. But he refuses to let me get a decent photo! That's his fluffy tail on the left side of this pic...

*laughs* He's a funny guy! And this is the third time I've seen him, so it's time to start thinking about a name for him! :)

Just so we are clear!

I am signed up for the Oct18 protest and am excited about going!

It's going to be huge and it's going to be a ton of fun! I hope you will join me!! All events are explicitly peaceful and family friendly!

You can find an event near you at the site...

∞ NoKings.org

The full moon caught my eye last night.

And this morning, I'm off to the Garden.

Seeing all the Woodland Skippers at the Community Garden this year, makes me happy!

Her cute little tongue! But that wing must be painful.

And my cute little Lettuces!

uh oh. This one over here has gotten munched.

Okay, so today I'm going to gather some Fava beans so that I can replant them for another winter cover crop.

The big Fava in the front is the only Fava to survive thru the last winter, and I def want to keep that DNA! When I go to it, tho, I see a Daddy Longlegs Spider is hanging out in one of the pods!

*laughs* I gently poke her and she moves on so I can do some work!

And wow, there's a lot of beans on this one plant! Awesome.

Then I check out the Fallow Area. I planted bought Fava beans here in the spring, and I can harvest some from them as well.

I gather beans from the dry brown pods, and leave the green ones for later.

And then, on a whim, I decide to check on the Sorana beans. Oh, hey! Those vines are all dead! It's well hidden under the Wax Beans, so I didn't notice that before.

The vines didn't get very big... They didn't get the chance to. The Soranas were one of the freebie veggie starts that I planted way late, and were way root bound. But I've pulled off 12 bean pods! Awesome! I can plant these next year and maybe get enough of a harvest to make some soup!

The lightest tan Fava beans are from the Fallow Area.

And that perfectly round hole in the top bean? That's made by a Broadbean Weevil, a harmless bug. The damage to the bean is negligible... It causes about 15% less productivity in the plant that grows from the seed. That would matter in a commercial setting, but makes no difference to us in the garden!

And in fact, as I handle the bag of Favas, a couple Weevils fly out! *laughs* Fly Free, my cute little bugs!

As I'm packing up to leave the garden, there's some crows making a fuss. They are mobbing a Red Shoulder Hawk!!

And when I get home, I put the beans in front of the fan to dry.

The bag on the left is holding the Snap Peas I had found the other week. I haven't taken the time to shell them.

I also cut up the rest of the Green Zebras to freeze!

I sat down and shelled the dried peas and Sorana beans...

And look! The Snap Peas have some Weevils coming out of them!

So that's interesting! They look about the same size and shape as the Broadbean Weevils in the Fava beans, but are a different species: Pea Weevils of course! It's nice when creatures have good, descriptive names like that!

Heading out. Some clouds today!

I stop by one of the Pear trees. Wow, so much fruit!

I'm at the garden and no one is here... and someone left the gate unlocked. *cursing* Jerks.

*laughs*

Oh hey! A Yellow Rump Warbler! Not that they bother to turn around for me...

Recently, I've learned that these birds are affectionately called Butter Butts. Haha!

At my plot, I've decided to pull these Crooknecks. A smooth one from a bought transplant, and a rough one from one that I planted as seed. They are pretty small, but don't seem to be growing bigger, just turning a darker yellow.

The back of the big trellis, the Wax Bean vines are starting to die back. *little sad*

Oh! Blurry Birds! ha.

And my lovely Cosmos!

And look at the cute little Lettuce seedlings!

And this awesome multicoloured one!

This kitty leaves the garden at the same time I do. She greets me, but doesn't let me get close.

Oh! The pair of Hooded Mergansers!

And this time, the female is waiting for her hood feathers to grow!

The Belted Kingfisher flew by me again. Flying just a foot or so above the water. She's quiet again, not declaring the territory.

I took the mail out to the mailbox first thing this morning. Blue sky and I could see my breath for a couple puffs!! Eeek, was it supposed to get that cold?

No. The forecast said 45° and it actually got down to 35°!! What the heck?!

That's been happening pretty often this year. This year after DOGE has come thru and the Trump regime is ruining all of our government services.

If I could wave a magic wand, I would remove that traitor and rapist. I would set everything right.

But of course, there's no magic wand! Instead, We The People are fighting for democracy. And WE will win!

A Scrub Jay flew away. And then a Flicker flew away. And now a Steller Jay is way too bouncy.

*laughs* That's how it goes sometimes!!

At the Community Garden, they are bull dozing the compost pile!

The dump truck is not here, and that makes me wonder how many loads it takes to clear the pile!

A local company takes the organic matter, composts it properly! We also have curbside food waste collection here in the city, which also gets properly composted. They bag and sell some of the resulting compost, and some gets offered back to the community for free!

Unfortunately, since I live in an apartment complex, we do not get the curbside service. I regularly bring kitchen scraps to the Comm Garden pile, of course. But it's a bummer that so many residents can't participate.

It's just me and the tractor guy, and eventually the dump truck guy, at the garden! Walk about, looking at everyone's flowers!!

I thought I was going to do some garden cleanup... but everything is still so green and alive! I can't bear to pull up living plants!

And look! One of the Nasturtiums is making a seed!

The Goldenrod is leaning over, and the bugs have moved on, it seems.

Hopefully this Brandywine will ripen at home... but with those deep cracks, it might just rot instead.

The Sungolds aren't quite ripe either, but a few days on the counter will fix that!

This little Lettuce has gotten munched some more.

And there's a couple munches on the clump as well.

I really should let go of my hopes for salad.

Look how glorious the Cosmos are at the big trellis!

Heading out, and a Seven Spot Ladybug catches my eye!

Oh! I don't get to see their underside very often!

Ha, there's a little patch of Milkweeds right next to this plot.

I had to close the windows of the house last night. Too cold! And it's sprinkled and rained all thru the night and into the morning.

I've decided to go out to Stewart Pond Park... with the rain and the chill -- it's 54° when I leave -- probably no one is playing Frisbee Golf.

They've mowed some of the prairie here. That's nice. It'll make it easier to see the ducks and shorebirds, once the ponds fill up for the rainy season!

oooh! Cackling Geese or Canada Geese?

You'd think I'd be able to tell the Canadas from the Cacklers by their voices. But, nope, I can't!

And who's this over here??

There's actually two of them. They land in a far off tree. Way too far off! But I dutifully take photos, hoping for an identification!

And look! A pair of Kestrels!

The female on the right was less cooperative, but the male on the left, you can just barely see the blue of his wings.

Kestrels are the coolest. I wish I got to see them more often!

At the trail head... ha.

This is BLM land, and I suppose they are talking about the mowing... which looks to be about done, unless they meant to mow all of the wet prairie. They've mowed thru the Frisbee Golf course as well.

There's some birds fluttering out there, close to the ground. But they are even farther off than the Kestrels and the camera gets next to nothing. The bright yellow? Shorebird, I suppose.

I walk into the patch of forest, and find more blurry birds! *laughs*

A mixed group of sparrows. Juncos, Golden Crowns, White Crowns and a pair of Towhees. Not that they grace me with decent photography or anything!

Sheesh, why does the best focus always happen when they are looking away? *laughs*

There's construction happening this summer on the other side of the ditch at the back of the park.

And there's a couple frogs singing back here! They are on this side of the ditch, and I wish I could find them. But they've hidden themselves very well. As usual!

On the way home, I notice the Hawthorn pomes. All the Hawthorn trees around here are having a Great year. Loaded with fruits!!

And one more missed bird opportunity! *laughs* Steller Jay.

Good Morning My Dear!

Oh! Baby!

What's that? You're not a baby? *laughs* Okay. Youngster!

There is an event at the Community Garden. Probably fun but not my thing. A tasting and recipe share. Kevin said he was bringing his radish kimchi... *laughs*

I don't like to cook, so of course I have nothing to bring. And being vegan, makes stuff like this a bit awkward... especially when I don't bring anything.

So I walked right on by the Community Garden. I could see they had set up a tent and a handful of people at the picnic table. eh, good for them!

I walk past the Leaning Tree saplings as well.

I'm still looking for an angle that will compliment these cute little trees.

The invasive Tree of Heaven is still here, but nearby a baby Oak has come up!

Unfortunately, not a descendant of the original Leaning Tree, which was a White Oak. But I am happy to welcome a squirrel-planted acorn which has made good! :)

I go around the corner and see the Honey Bees still have their nest!

I'm glad they didn't get removed, even tho this tree is right next to the sidewalk!

Coming home, I meet up with this Western Grey Squirrel again.

He's definitely burying a nut here, so maybe that means he will stick around for a while?

This is the 4th time I've seen him but I was fumbling for a name. My Brother suggested Earl.

My first thought was the Earl the dog from the comic strip Mutts!

Mom's first thought was Earl the Squirrel! *laughs* it rhymes!

But Brother is shaking his head, Earl Grey Tea.

ha! Perfect!

Oh! Wood Ducks!!

There's some Mallards gathered near the bridge... I bet the guy brought grain for them this morning! The Wood Ducks must have partaken as well!!

Unfortunately, I don't get good pics today. But this pair has been visiting the creek during the off season for several years now. I'm sure I'll get another chance with them!

And look at how glorious the volunteer Cosmos is!

The Sungold in the Fallow Area is still trying to do it's thing!

The other Sungold in the tomato patch is closer to giving up.

This Tomatillo sprang up as a very late volunteer in the Fallow Area... It's got loads of very large husks, but the fruits inside them are very small. They won't have time to get to full size or ripen.

The Lettuce seedlings, slowly getting a bit more munched by the slugs every day.

But the little Lettuces are just so cute, I can't help but have hopes for them to live!

And the Echinacea from Roz is doing just fine!

Before I go I must admire the Cosmos some more!

It is SOOO COLD!

I wasn't paying attention to the temperature before I left the house... and it's COLD! It's 45° and there's a brisk 12mph wind. Plus a bit of rain, but that's no trouble.

The work crew came thru here yesterday, weed whacking the blackberry vines... And Look! They left this wild squash plant! Ha!

So impressive! Draped over that Willow, it's probably a good 9 feet long! And it's got a fruit coming along!

And the Wood Ducks are here again!!

All the ducks are under the bridge this time, and there's not enough light for the camera.

Maybe we will call these photos Artsy instead of just Crappy. hahah!

Ever more autumn colour is starting to show!

I'm at the Community Garden... there's some kind of Mint blooming in the path.

I disturb some sparrows as I walk up to my plot. But one has just flown to Kevin's trellis at the back...

Oh my gosh! A White Throat Sparrow!

They are winter visitors here, and I read such an interesting article about them in Scientific American.

∞ This Backyard Bird Has a Lot to Teach Us about Sex Variability White-throated Sparrows demonstrate that traits we usually associate with sex can be influenced by genes that are not on sex chromosomes

(It looks like you can read a couple articles there before their paywall kicks in. That article about the sparrows is long but absolutely fascinating!!) (I LOVE my subscription to Scientific American!!)

Here's a decent photo. This is the tan-striped morph, tho I don't know what it means that the white patch at their throat is so very white. That isn't how it's shown on the Scientific American chart!!

Well. They fly away and I do my garden things.

Ha! Birds are already pulling off the petals of the Sunchoke!

I can't imagine there's been time enough for the flowers to make seeds yet. I think the birds are jumping the gun!

And then I get buzzed by a hummingbird. Ha. She? She pauses at the Pet Nasturtium blooms to get some nectar. A moment at Kevin's trellis...

And then she goes over to a Trumpet Vine, where I lose her. foo. I look at my own trellis instead!

On the way out, I check on the Lettuces. Still getting a little munched by slugs every day.

And I run into Earl the Grey Squirrel again!

Ha. I could have called him Mister Muddy! I've never seen anyone so consistently covered in mud!! That's what you get when you bury your nuts in the bank of the creek!

I'm sure his muddy bits are cold, tho. Makes me wonder if he will actually stick around.

Remember that ugly as sin fence section they put up the other day. Yeah, that didn't last very long! The homeless people have cut a section so they can get thru.

Let's see. They put the fence up on Oct1... I'm kinda surprised it lasted two weeks! but yeah, entirely predictable, a waste of money, and just plain stupid.

There's some sparrows here again.

Hey! Don't yank on my tail feathers!

I'll tell Mom on you!

The cold last night mostly killed the Crooknecks and the Zuc. The forecast said 38° but it actually got down to 33°. At least they gave a frost advisory this time.

sighs, it just makes me sad that the Trump regime has destroyed the weather service so much that we can't depend on the forecast anymore. It was just 5 degrees off this time, but we used to have perfectly exact numbers with the 'day before' forecast. Making America Great? More like making America a third world country.

The ripe Sungolds were cracked, and I tossed a lot. These will ripen on the counter at home.

And now I have to revel in the blue sky and my Cosmos!!

Oh shoot! Virescent Metallic Sweat Bee!! And she flew away after this single photo!

And a teeny tiny fly! All the cute little pollinators!!

Okay! I'm a sucker for the flowers. I could probably stand here for an hour or so! But let's move on!

The little clump of Lettuces.

And the Lettuces over here.

And I head out. As I'm walking on the bike path around the Community Garden... Hello?

Ha. Nuthatches look funny when they stand there like a normal bird!

Here we go! The standard Nuthatch pose!

And heading home... Earl!

And... typical.

*laughs*

Yesterday morning I woke up with an exciting idea!

This weekend is the NoKings Protest, and I am so very excited!

I was thinking I could host a swap about the protest... write a letter about your experiences. Everyone is sure to have fun at their protests, and talking about it in a letter will just extend the happiness!

So, I set up a couple of swaps first thing in the morning! A No Kings! Letter and a No Kings! Email and Photos

And today I'm so happy to see that three people have signed up for the Letter swap, and three people are watching the Email swap!!

This is Great! And I only wish I had thought of the swaps earlier, so there's more time for people to think about it and signup. And as far as I know, no one else has hosted any protest swaps this year.

So now I am excited about the protest this weekend in so many different ways! *laughs*

Heading out for my walk... Here's the neighbor's outside kitty, Riley. I do not approve of the outside-ness. But he seems to be a nice boy, if a bit skittish around humans he doesn't know.

Oh, it's been ages since I've seen new Suspish art!

I'm at the garden, and spot this when I'm walking in. ugh...

This plot had a beautiful hedge of Zinnias and Morning Glories on the right side. I wonder if the gardeners are leaving or if they just want to start fresh next year.

I don't approve of the black plastic, either. Like there isn't enough plastic in our environment! And plastic out in the elements, heated up by the sun, rained on and maybe frozen? Leaching toxic chemicals right into the dirt where you are going to grow your food!

I don't know why people think this is a good idea!!

To cheer myself up, I go look at someone else's Zinnias!

It got down to freezing again last night, and the summer squash plants are done.

The squashes left on that plant aren't big enough to bother with, but I do grab one of the tiny zucs...

But actually the end of that zuc is soft, I might not be able to eat it after all.

Well, I'm glad I'm still getting Wax Beans at least!

And the Lettuces don't mind the cold, tho they aren't growing very fast.

The biggest leaf above is not quite 2inches tall!

This green one over here is getting munched, but the purple ones seem like they are going to do stuff.

Yeah, I'm getting hopeful about salad!

As I'm heading out, oh! A little group of Bushtits.

But they Always bounce around too quickly.

*laughs* oh well!

It was chilly again last night, got down to 36°. But the sun is warming the earth quite nicely this morning!

Oh! That little Nuthatch from the other day is hanging out at this Bluebird nest box again.

I do go into the garden, but I just futz around for a few minutes. I check in with the little Lettuce seedlings, but realize that looking at them every day just gets my hopes up. And that's a bad idea.

So, here's the volunteer pea plant, instead!

I'm walking out to Dragonfly Land, and WHOA!

A Hawk POUNCES on someone in the grass! And then carries them to a tree right next to the bike path!

Red Shoulder Hawk... and she's found her favorite meal, a snake!

Poor snake. A decent sized Garter Snake, probably just out getting some sun.

Okay. That look is telling me to move on! So I do.

Huh. These acorns fell without their hats!

Woolly Bear!

I put my hand down in front of her and she climbed up like a pro and then I took her into the grass in the direction she was heading.

Ha, this wild winter squash is still alive even tho the three cold nights totally killed the squashes in the garden plot! It must be quite a bit warmer by the water.

The river is around 55° this time of year. I suppose the creek water is a bit cooler than that. Or maybe not.

At the Community Garden, I go by Roz's plot on my way to mine.

Oh weird. I suppose the cold nights have done this to the Tomatillos.

Ha, you can see the condensation on the inside!

The top of the Perth Pride has died, but there's still some living, green leaves on the bottom.

The one lettuce in the clump still has it's bigger leaf, but the others are getting slowly munched.

And this little green lettuce over here has been munched almost down to the ground. Grr!

I should stop looking at the stupid Lettuces. Here. No one is bothering the Beets and there are huge ones, and little ones coming along!

And here's a pretty view, looking past my volunteer Red Amaranth and Borage to the Cosmos in the neighbor's plot.

I'm ready to go, but decide to make a loop around the Community Garden first. I just LOVE the dusky rose shade of these Cosmos, a few plots away!!

And these Strawflowers are really pretty as well!

I'm out, and I decide to go up to Dragonfly Land, where the Hawk was yesterday.

As I'm approaching the bridge, I hear an angry creature yelling from the left! And then two long creatures come dashing out of the grass... I don't even register who they are, but I know without a doubt a little female is pissed, and chasing away a male!!

And he's running away! Nobody wants to face an angry woman!!

They are Minks! And I'm delighted!

He goes down into the creek and I wonder if I can catch him in the water. I wait a few minutes, and yep, he starts swimming across. But he sees me and turns around and hides again.

But eventually he gets his courage up, and goes across...

I only see him for a couple seconds.

And then he dives and is gone.

Maybe he has a den dug into that side of the creek. Or he's just climbed up on the other side and is hidden under the thicket.

So that's totally exciting! I wonder how long they've been living here! I think Minks are nocturnal, so this was a pretty lucky sighting.

And I am protesting today!

It's cloudy this morning but the forecast says it'll be mostly sunny today and 69°. Sounds great!

Looks like they are saying more than 2700 events today... all across the US, including a couple dozen across the world! (Yay! Thank you for your support!)

I'm excited and nervous! But it'll be loads of fun!

Stay tuned for photos!!

Yay! Today is the Day! NoKings Protest and March!

Chilly last night and we've got heavy clouds this morning. It looks like rain, actually, and I briefly consider taking my rain jacket. But no! The clouds are starting to break up and it seems like today's forecast of sun and 69° is going to happen!

A PERFECT day for a protest!!

I took the fast transit bus again and walked from the hub. I went around the edges of Saturday Market, which was bustling as usual even tho it must have been tough finding parking at this point.

And I was approaching the courthouse around 10:45am. There had been speeches since 10am, with ever more people coming. And there were people everywhere!!

People Everywhere!!

*laughs* So I waded in. There were inflatable costumes all over the place as well... I almost stepped on a T-Rex tail! Haha!

And, in fact, there was a gathering of people with inflatables!

And over here a gathering of frogs with homemade masks!!

Quite a few dogs here, too!

The Boston Terrier above has a sign that says No Dog Killers, Send Kristi Noem to the pound!

I've just been wandering around aimlessly, but I wanted to be close to the drummers when they start the march at 11am. They aren't quite organized, it seems, and I've gone past them... and I happen to be in the street when a bunch of people decide to start the March in front of the drummers!

It was actually intimidating seeing this wall of people walking right at me!! But I clutched the camera, and that gave me confidence!!

I stepped to the side and let the people flow by.

The above I Heart My Portland sign is referencing the Emergency Naked Bike Ride that happened in Portland, Oregon a few days ago!

∞ Emergency Naked Bike Ride
Presence as power marks massive pedaling protest against Trump

Not all of the inflatable costumes were full body... There were a variety of creatures like this one.

Frogs are an indicator species! Ha!

Ha! When I first arrived today, I had walked towards the courthouse next to the lady in pink with the terrier!

Another gathering of frogs!!

Part 2 is next...

Continuing with the NoKings Protest photos!

Check out the lady on the left, she's given away all her whistles...

This is something that Chicago is doing and it's brilliant.

∞ Migra Whistle

That website has a 3D printer file to make a whistle and a PDF to print a zine with info and instructions.

When you see ICE, whistle in three short bursts. If ICE is actively detaining or kidnapping someone, whistle in long blasts.

When you hear whistles, come out and document!!

The PIRC Hotline is in Oregon, so be sure to google your state to see if you've got your own organization to report to!

And, incidentally, here's the Boston Terrier and I am Antifa dinosaur I saw earlier! It's crazy, with all the thousands of people that I keep running into the same people!

Okay... Do I like the Unicorns better?

Or the Axolotls? *laughs*

Oh my gosh. I just walked right by Peter Defazio!!!

It took a few seconds to register, but then I turned around and came back. Sure enough, it's him! Peter Defazio was one of Oregon's Representatives for almost 30 years and he did good work. I was sad to see him retire in 2023.

I wanted to get a photo with him... but I was too shy to ask! Ha.

And shortly after that a woman tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and she says, I think we live in the same apartment complex? She named the place where I live and ha! I didn't recognize her, but I do recognize her friend who lives in the building right across from mine!

Haha, this guy's taco shirt! and the bee!

At this point, there were quite a few people carrying their small dogs. I think we are all getting a bit over-stimulated!

And this I Tread on Tyranny with the kitty! HA!

On the right of the above pic... A Lion King reference! The hyenas singing No King, No King, La la la la. :)

So many brilliant signs!

Our Only Monarch!!

Make Treason Wrong Again!!

Also, on the left of the above:
When I see a policeman with a club beating a man on the ground, I don't have to ask what side I'm on. -- Orwell

The Greatness of a Nation is measured by how it treats the least among us.

Anne Frank said: What is done cannot be undone. But one can prevent it from happening again.

Not sure what the Silent Bob sign above is referencing. And, top right... ha, I noticed a few signs with misspellings!

It's a bit after noon, now, and I think I'm done. The march will continue down to City Hall on the river, and I would love to walk the Riverbank path... but nope, I'm done.

I turn back. I thought I was close to the end of the march by now, but even walking against the flow, it's still ten more minutes before I hit the end of the marching protesters!! There's a cop car following the last of the people walking in the street...

But actually, there's quite a few protesters walking on the sidewalks behind the cop car!

On my way back to the bus station, I ran into one of my bike path people!! She had left her little black pug at home, he's older and she usually walks with him in a stroller, these days. And again, it's crazy to me to find people I know in all these thousands!!

I saved my favorite moment for the end of this post...

There was a little bit of space in front of these two T-Rexs, a break in the crowd...

And they grabbed each others hand and skipped down the street!!

Awww! So Sweet! I think they're in Love!

And I am too! America has been broken by evil people... but We The People are going to fix it and it will be even better than before!!

Yay! Oh my gosh! So much fun!

So many people!

I took about a million pictures and it's going to take me a few minutes to get all that organized.

Meantime, here's some local news, including photos!!

∞ KLCC Latest 'No Kings' rally brings out thousands in many Oregon communities

∞ KVAL No Kings 18 Oct (wow, loads of photos here!)

∞ LookOut Eugene Springfield Photos: Thousands take to Eugene streets for 'No Kings 2' rally

∞ (Sorry, this one is Wired Mag, and they have a paywall.) Scenes From Saturday's Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Organizers say the No Kings protests drew more than 7 million people across 2,700 cities. The crowds included high-profile politicians, A-list celebrities, and more than a few creative inflatables.

When I got home from the Protest yesterday, I got some lunch and then I spent the rest of the afternoon, and into the evening, processing the zillions of photos I had taken!

Ha! It took SO Long!

Heavy clouds and so dark, first thing this morning. But the clouds are moving around a lot by the time I get out the door! I see blue sky but the forecast says 80% rain today so I'm definitely taking the rain jacket!

And the clouds have rolled in again.

When I arrive a the garden, it's been sprinkling off and on. But look at the glorious volunteer Cosmos! Hundreds of blooms!!

But then I look down. oh, the Lettuce.

WAI! My Salad! Aww, you stupid slugs!

sighs.

I try to go back to the beautiful Cosmos, to cheer myself up...

But it's just pouring down rain now.

So I'm going home. The slug munched Lettuces are a major disappointment... But Lettuce is always a long shot in the Garden plot anyway.

And the clouds have rained themselves out!

And ya know? I'm happy to be rained on today... it means we didn't get rained on yesterday during the NoKings protest! The weather for the protest was so amazingly perfect!!

The wild squash plant over the creek.

Oh hey! It's the Red Shoulder Hawk again... no snake this time!

I go into the Community Garden and walk around before going to my plot.

Haha, and then he comes over for pets!

I oblige him!

He goes about his day, and I go about mine.

And he hasn't scared all the birds away!

At my garden plot, I pointedly do NOT look at the stupid Lettuce.

The Borage is still alive, but the Butternut vine is dying! I can bring home the one and only winter squash any time!

The fruits inside these Tomatillo husks are pretty small, but I suppose you can eat them before they ripen.

A couple more Sungolds that will have to ripen on the counter at home.

And the glorious volunteer Cosmos.

Okay! Heading out.

Yep. It's impossible to walk past the Persimmon tree without getting photos!

Wow. All the Blackberries that haven't been eaten! A bonanza for the birds!

There's a handful of birds flying LOW over the prairie. Who are they? Too far away and it's too gloomy...

Oh well.

There's a cute mixed group of little birds in the thicket.

Juncos

House Finches

And Golden Crown Sparrows.

Cute, cute, cute!

I don't meet up with any birds in the little patch of forest. But that's okay.

A female Flicker, looking for ants in the crack in the bike path!

Oh good. Someone has finally noticed this invasive Tree of Heaven and has started killing it.

When I looked out across the parking lot...

ummm, oh my gosh, funny!

The Crow and the Gull are going back and forth, dragging the takeout container away from the other...

Whoop! We've got reinforcements for both sides coming in!

Oh, this new Gull is a different species! And much bigger!

Yeah, I think we have a winner for this competition!

I decide to go into the garden.

The amazing Cosmos!

And the poor little Lettuces. I mean, technically they are still alive.

Oh! Here's a Lesser Goldfinch! They are here all thru the year, but I rarely see them during to summer while they nest.

Getting artsy with the Cosmos!

And going home with something!

This one made me cry. and pisses me off to no end.

∞ Blind man, 4 ft 6, dragged by six ICE Agents in Portland

Roughing up a blind man? What is wrong with people?? I don't know why we have to live in this time line.

And yet again... If ICE is willing to pull this shit on citizens, when they know they are being recorded... What is happening to the people in their custody???

Some fog this morning, but it has burned off and now the sun shines.

And when I come around the corner on the bike path, the colours surprise me!

The Wood Ducks!

Whoops! My staring at them has woken them up and they decide to move on.

I stop to look at the Solidarity Garden. The delightful fig bush.

Here's one that's starting to ripen!

The sun hasn't quite made it around to these Dahlias.

Their Sunchoke is doing a lot better than mine!

Hoverfly!!

When I get back to the creek, there's a Kingfisher laughing as she flies up and down stream. She flies right by me several times, and of course will not sit for me.

I think this is someone new. Her laugh is very fast and insistent.

But she's alone, I don't see or hear a mate calling with her.

∞ Trump Gets Away With Sh*tting On Half The Country Because That's The Whole GOP Platform Anyway... Name one Republican policy that isn't about hurting someone.

I have been thinking along these lines as well, ever since the start of the government shutdown.

Here's my understanding of the situation...

The government was providing extra funds to ObamaCare so that even poor people could get some health insurance. Those funds are expiring and now many millions of people aren't going to be able to afford the health insurance any more.

Republicans are fine with this and don't want to put any more money towards ObamaCare.

((( Except, hey. Didn't DOGE come thru, earlier this year and remove all the waste and fraud from the government? Shouldn't the government have loads of money now, for this kind of thing? hmmm??? )))

((( What's that, you say? It doesn't work like that? All of DOGE's actions actually cost the government billions of dollars? DOGE actually Created waste and fraud and America will NEVER recover from the damage done. Not to mention all the people who have died because of what DOGE did. DIED! And Are DYING! And Will DIE! )))

((( *Screaming* ))) ((( and taking a breath. Well that was a nice little tangent. But perhaps we could FOCUS on the original topic, eh! )))

So. Republicans don't want to put any money to ObamaCare. But Democrats absolutely do. In fact, they are kind of putting their foot down about it. They aren't going to sign off on anything unless all that money gets back to ObamaCare again.

And then we have Speaker Mike Johnson, who is not a leader, who has no effing clue about how to lead. or compromise. And a compromise is what is ALWAYS needed when trying to govern. Right?

But to boil it all down. Dems want people to have health insurance, and by extension, health care. Repubs want... what exactly? They want people to not have health insurance? What are people supposed to do? Just die? Is that what Repubs actually want?

I just cannot understand. I do not fucking get it.

Well. The article above is not about this, but it's a good read, if you're interested!

It is such a dreary day! The clouds are thick, and I keep thinking they are going to open up and pour down rain on me!

But nope. I get a few sprinkles during my walk, but no rain. The clouds just hang there.

oh nice! There's no cars in the parking lot of the Garden, and I'm the only human! Let's look at everyone else's plots!!

Oooh! These black cherry tomatoes!

Yep! Next year I am definitely getting a purple or black tomato!!

I've made my way around to my own garden plot. The Stupid Lettuces.

Well. Nevermind that. Look at the pretty Basil which has gone to seed!

Ha! With an artsy twist of Wax Bean vine!

Okay. I'm heading out, but first going up my aisle to look at these Cosmos before I go... I just adore this unique colour!!

And on my way home, it's Earl the Grey Squirrel!

Of course, he can't be bothered with the photography.

And then I was thinking about the photo I got yesterday of that dead white tree trunk.

Here it is from almost the same angle as yesterday.

I will be so sad when they cut down that trunk.

It was pouring down rain this morning when I got out of bed. And it continued to pour, until the very moment when I thought I should go out for a walk!

The rain stopped. And now the clouds are moving around and the sun is peeking thru!

I love the couple of deciduous trees that are in the Douglas Fir forest on the hills!

Hello Pretty, Little Birds!

That's a Golden Crown Sparrow on the left and behind the tree cage is a White Crown Sparrow.

I went into the Community Garden and I started taking pictures of these Cosmos... but then I realized I could see MY Cosmos in the background, and I tried to get artsy!

*laughs* Whatever! :)

At my plot, of course I stop to look at the stupid Lettuces...

They are making a come back. But it's just to torment me. I'm sure the slugs will munch them all the way to death very soon.

I decide to walk a little bit further before heading home. And I come across this group of Crows!

A different view of the hill!

As I'm walking, some more clouds have been rolling in. And pretty soon it's sprinkling.

And in a minute it is pouring down rain again!

But there's a group of geese! First sighting of Cackling Geese! *laughs* The camera lens gets wet as I take the pictures of them, but oh well!

And I'm totally soaked by the time I get home, but that's fine... a hot meal and a hot shower are bliss!

The Camellia bush is just starting to bloom!

But as I'm taking photos, I realize the battery light is flashing.

Well, shoot. I forgot to charge the battery. Well, that's okay... I've usually got about five minutes of life left when it starts flashing. That should be ...

And the camera beeps three times and turns itself off.

Oh No!

I turn it back on and the message on the screen says Oh Hell No!

ha.

And what do you think happened after that?

ALL THE WILDLIFE comes out!

There was a Kestrel on one of the solar panels. Flew over the prairie, pounced! Did they catch someone? Comes back to another solar panel. (To rearrange the luggage?) Then flies away, I can't see if they are holding anyone.

ARG! I don't think I've ever seen a Kestrel here!

There's a Nutria, grooming on the other side of the creek.

Next up is a Black Phoebe, making loops over the bike path, from perches in the trees next to the creek.

Then I hear a Towhee just before the Community Garden. Creeeeaak like a rusty door.

But a little bird, who is definitely not a Towhee, flies up to the other side of the creek... I see a pale patch at the base of their back. So that might have been a Yellow Rump Warbler, but who knows without the camera.

I see Cloudy Sky the Great Blue Heron. I've not seen them in ages!

The Belted Kingfisher flew by me! Settled on a branch, saw me and then flew towards me!! I would not have been able to get her pic, but they are definitely female, I saw her rusty coloured band!!

And then the Cackling Geese are at the Events Center, again. Remember last year when I found a few geese with Leucism? Are they still around? I'd like get some photos of the flock, so I can zoom in and look.

But nope. Sighs. Very bummed, very bummed. But this is my own fault!!

All the wildlife is crazy, but of course that's what happens!

*laughs* and *shakes head*

Well. The sun shines and I've got the camera battery charged up! *laughs*

Will I see ANY of the wildlife I got to see yesterday, when I couldn't take the photos??

No. Of course not!

There's a little group of Golden Crown Sparrows. They are bouncing around and a little too far away.

Maybe I could catch one of y'all in the sun?

GACK!

Welp. Today is not my day with the birds. Typical.

Maybe I will find something interesting in the Community Garden. There's other people here today, so I stick to my own plot.

This is kind of hard to make out, with the Crazy Neighbor's tomatoes on the left. But this is my Sunchoke...

It's already shutting down for the season. It only had about a dozen or so flowers, and the birds have already plucked all of them.

I can see it's got a good load of roots to harvest, tho! Too bad I don't like them! *laughs*

But I'm thinking about leaving the roots this time and gathering a few after some frosts. Which will be in January or February. Supposedly the roots get sweet after a frost, and the sugars change. So maybe I will like it better then.

Oh cool! These Tomatillo husks are skeletonizing right on the vine!

And a bug! Spotted Cucumber Beetle.

I actually meant to get a Beet today. But I looked around and found some other groceries!!

When I go to load up my backpack, I notice these things at the back of Kevin's trellis...

What in the world?! They are very small, about 1inch long.

Cucamelons!!!

Wow, how interesting! They are native to Central America. They taste like sour cucumbers, you can enjoy them raw or they make great pickles.

Aw, they are also called Mouse Melons! How adorable!

Here's the Lettuces that are tormenting me.

I'm heading out and oops, I almost step on these.

The weather page says 50° and 5mph wind... but the wind is a bit more brisk than that and I'm glad I grabbed the rain jacket to act as a wind breaker!

Hi Henrietta!

My left leg and ankle have been acting up for a week or so. Shin splints. I'm finally starting to pay attention and change up the morning exercises. Hopefully that will help.

It's more, just annoying, and it won't slow me down!

Starlings.

Invasive but cute!

Aw, Baby Squirrel at Blazey's old spot...

Maybe he's a descendant of that one squirrel who was eating Blazey's cat food all the time! haha!

I go into the garden, and huh. This is new.

I hope this doesn't mean they will build the new fence on the inside of the old fence. That would make the outside pathways really narrow!

Okay. Today I am assessing the Beet situation, since I got distracted yesterday!

I pulled up a giant Beet to take home, and there's one more giant beet here.

Four normal sized beets. And a bunch of seedlings and tiny beets, about an inch diameter, which should all be fine over the winter and grow for a spring harvest, perhaps!

But today's harvest... mmm!

hey, the Cosmos at the big trellis is starting to lean!

The fog this morning is burning off and there's a few clouds up there but the sun is emerging!

But I am feeling sorry for myself. The shin splints in my left leg are really kind of hurting this morning and walking is bothersome.

But I keep walking, regardless!

And then I hear a ruckus!! There's crows cawing and... I'm not sure, is that a hawk yelling?

I stop and look across the creek to see what's going on. It takes me a minute, but then I see!!!

Oh. My. GOSH!!! An OWL!!!!!

There's all this squawking going on around her, and she's just: Dang it, people. I need some sleep!

*laughs* So, okay. No ears on this owl, and she's pretty good size. Not small.

Ah. Barred Owl.

This is the owl that conservationist want to murder because they are taking away nesting spaces from our little, native Northern Spotted Owl.

Which is a perfectly shitty thing to do. Um... murdering owls is shitty, I mean. Invasive owls, living their lives, but happening to steal nesting spaces, is just how nature works. Humans screwing up and then trying to 'manage' that is just stupid.

Meantime, this one continues getting mobbed by everyone around her!

I saw the flash of red, and assumed that was a Red Shoulder Hawk. but nope. When I zoom in...

Cooper Hawk!!

The hawk lands in the next tree over...

The hawk is not cooperative at all, but I get confirmation. Def not a Red Shoulder!

But back to our owl... just look at how cute her face is!

Poor owl. The Cooper Hawk is to the left, and on the right...

There's some crows yelling at her!

Just need to get some sleep.

Well. I walk on. and decide to go into the Community Garden.

There's no one here, so I go down the aisles...

And Oh My Gosh, AGAIN!

Ha! A Wilson Snipe!

The only shorebird that I actually know. I wonder if I can get a better view, and start moving around. But she's a nervous thing, and flies away.

Oh well.

I look at the stupid lettuce.

and head out.

oh, ugh. I woke up at 2:20am with a sore throat. bah!

But I'm heading out for a walk. Yep, I'm definitely a little bit sick. But my energy is fine, and I have no trouble.

Good Morning Henrietta!

And Good Morning friend Towhee!

And the Wood Ducks, too!

Yep, they are both under there.

oh! Haha, See Ya!

The wild squash plant is starting to get droopy.

And it's single fruit is going bad.

Starlings all in a row!

I wonder what that tree is with the round fruits.

Okay. Heading home to take it easy. Maybe some vitamins and tea will make the sore throat go away.

Well, still with the sore throat. And just kind of blah in the head. But energy levels are fine, and I'm walking again today!

So I'm walking along the bike path, this Crow in front of me sees me and starts rapidly walking towards me!!!

Hello? Do I know you?

Ha! She walked so confidently towards me! and when she got a couple feet away, she just turned in front of me...

and walked into the grass...

And then she decides to go away.

so that was a funny encounter!!

:)

I decide to stop at the Solidarity Garden.

Oh my gosh, look at their Crookneck!! It's got some mildew, but it's so very much alive!

I wish my Crooknecks were still alive.

The Wood Ducks!