Ray

...I kinda disappeared for a couple months, huh?

I didn't get a picture, but I saw a flock of Canada geese flying today.

Voted for Barbara Lee and Measure A.

Zoomed out photo showing lake and skyline

Close up of decent sized white wading bird looking for a meal. It's whichever the one is with the dark beak and feet.

Egret I saw at Lake Merritt the other day:

Photo of a small purple flower. I have no idea what it's called. There's some thyme in the foreground.

There will be strawberries!
(In place of alt text: three photos of flowers in strawberry plants.)

A deep purple iris not yet blooming

Neat. I got this iris over a year ago and has given up on it blooming, I'd thought I hadn't given it enough space or something.

Bay Area city opening a homeless parking site for half of what it cost S.F. San Francisco officials are shutting down the city’s only safe parking site for homeless people. San Jose is opening a similar project at about half the cost.

San Francisco officials are shutting down the city’s only safe parking site for homeless people, a troubled project dubbed “by far the most expensive homeless response intervention.”

Meanwhile, another Bay Area city is opening a similar project at about half the cost per vehicle.

Stromatolites xkcd.com/3046

Disabled folks haven't been begging you to mask up so we could say 'I told you so', we are trying to save your lives.

I have said it for years, trans women would be welcomed as sisters of Themyscira.

I'm very glad for people who are out protesting. Thanks for doing that.
Also much appreciation for the phone calls and such.
And much love to federal workers who are concerned about their job.

Right, I keep forgetting about Imbolc. And the August one.

The actual Imbolc midpoint between winter and summer this year falls on Feb 3, but it’s often celebrated today

Imbolc is about hope

Things are still cold and dark and may feel hopeless

It may feel embarrassing to have hope

But the sun will keep rising, the days will keep getting longer; hold on

All U.S. federal government websites are already archived by the End of Term Web Archive Here's all the information you might need. Official website: https://eotarchive.org/ Wikipedia:...

Signal Boost: All U.S. federal government websites are already archived by the End of Term Web Archive

Let people know, download your own copies.
Don't let this digital book burn continue.

#Feds #Health #WHO #CDC #AMA #USPHS #FDA #NIH #NCHS #PCORI

Most of the people reading this have a sense of how bad things are right now.

So for encouragement, here's a thread with examples of folks fighting back.

The idea of a "carbon footprint" was literally invented by BP so you'd think about how *you* impact the environment and not how *they* impact the environment.

People know this, right?

Of course we should all work to minimize our impacts, but some perspective is useful here.

You really will be happier the sooner you realize you don't have to get along with everybody & that this doesn't necessarily make either one of you a bad person. There isn't a hero and a villain in every situation.

Some people just don't get along, and that's OK. You ain't gotta.

Long term thinking is important. "This won't get me a job right now" ok, but this probably won't be the last time you need to get a job, right? So setting things up for next time might be a good move? "I want to be in a relationship right now" ok but it's not worth it if you pick the wrong person.

A photo of two flowers held in an open palm of a hand. One is larger and orange coloured, the other is yellow and magenta.

Freshly picked Australian everlasting daisy (Xerochrysum bracteatum) from my garden. I'm drying a bunch for my sculptures, dioramas and other displays of art. They retain their colour and straw-like petals for a long time even without any special preservation methods.

#bloomscrolling
#flowers

Purple blooms of penstemon gramdiflorus in summer.

Contributing some calm and joy to the day.

Penstemon grandiflorus

This penstemon was planted in late summer of 2023 and bloomed in 2024 with a height of over 3 feet. The foliage in January 2025 is still showy with purple and green hues to the leaves.

#bloomscrolling #nativeplants

An Artist Trading Card featuring a fountain pen ink painting of a Common Loon and its reflection swimming in green water.

Oh, I thought I was late on this but it's actually right on time. A Common Loon #ATC for January #BirdWhisperer.

Up for trade if anyone's interested.

#art #traditionalart #fountainpenink #inksky #sciart 🎨🪶

a curled up fox, a crescent moon above left in the sky, a crescent moon reflected in a round circular shape, which might be a puddle or a pond, in front of the fox. Linocut, dark blue, misty orange and white, Maria Strutz

For today's New Moon
a fox dreaming of the Moon
#NewMoon #FoxoftheDay 🦊🌿🌑

Tricolored Heron #birds #photography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #nature #wildlife #birdphotography

Rarely end up with a pic of a Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina) that I like, including this shot. They love the undergrowth. Very noisy, except when they're being stealthy.
#Brisbane #Australia #birds #ausbirds #AustralianBirds #wildoz #nature #wildlife #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography

Magnolia warbler perched on a branch in the shade of trees. The birds body is horizontal and the tail points to the left, but the head is raised and points up and yo the right. This is a small and striking bird: olive above with a broken white eye ring, lemon yellow on the throat and breast and flanks, but with bold black streaks on the sides. The wings are dark gray, edged in white, with white wing bars; the undertail feathers are white, and the underside of the tail itself is white with a bold black tip.

Sometimes when I’m low I remember that there are birds and then I feel a little better #birds

Surf's up 🏄‍♂️ Oak Island NC #seagull #shorebird #winter on the coast. #birdsky

Black Crowned Night Heron in Chicago!

#🪶

Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow (CHSP)
Bell County, TX
January 26, 2025
#birds #usbirds #txbirds #bird 🪶 🦉