Andy Brown
@anubisbard.bsky.social
In Bath, Maine - anthropologist, beekeeper, witness to the fleeting anthropocene.
Americans are learning the drawbacks of assuming on faith that our presidents would be sane stewards of the country. The world is learning the drawbacks of assuming on faith that the US would be a sane steward of the global order. A new chaos or a new order is going to be the result.
June 10, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Americans are learning the drawbacks of assuming on faith that our presidents would be sane stewards of the country. The world is learning the drawbacks of assuming on faith that the US would be a sane steward of the global order. A new chaos or a new order is going to be the result.
The slurry of news that passes by my Bluesky window is helpful in its way, but I'll shutter the window for a few days to be in Chicago welcoming my youngest son to his new post-college era.
June 5, 2025 at 12:54 PM
The slurry of news that passes by my Bluesky window is helpful in its way, but I'll shutter the window for a few days to be in Chicago welcoming my youngest son to his new post-college era.
Found a bluebird fluttering inside a widow's porch light like an enormous moth. I undid the rusty coat hanger rigging that her late husband had used to keep the lamp together. I lifted out the panicky bird, held it for a second and let it fly past her shoulder. "It had a red breast!" she exclaimed.
June 4, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Found a bluebird fluttering inside a widow's porch light like an enormous moth. I undid the rusty coat hanger rigging that her late husband had used to keep the lamp together. I lifted out the panicky bird, held it for a second and let it fly past her shoulder. "It had a red breast!" she exclaimed.
Watched a pileated woodpecker absolutely destroying a carpenter ant colony. Throwing over his shoulder chunks of pine tree the size of downy woodpeckers.
June 2, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Watched a pileated woodpecker absolutely destroying a carpenter ant colony. Throwing over his shoulder chunks of pine tree the size of downy woodpeckers.
In small town Maine interviewing Republicans about power and its abuses. Didn't hear much concern about him consolidating or abusing power. More complaints that he's picking the wrong battles, and may end up changing nothing in the end.
June 2, 2025 at 2:36 PM
In small town Maine interviewing Republicans about power and its abuses. Didn't hear much concern about him consolidating or abusing power. More complaints that he's picking the wrong battles, and may end up changing nothing in the end.
Saw the red fox lope by with prey in her mouth, and I guess my bird feeder slash squirrel feeder is a bird feeder slash squirrel feeder slash fox feeder. As well as being a chipmunk slash broad-winged hawk feeder. It's violent entertainment here on the north side of town.
June 1, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Saw the red fox lope by with prey in her mouth, and I guess my bird feeder slash squirrel feeder is a bird feeder slash squirrel feeder slash fox feeder. As well as being a chipmunk slash broad-winged hawk feeder. It's violent entertainment here on the north side of town.
As I drank my coffee on the porch this morning the bedraggled red fox paused in the rain. Our eyes met as she studied me for a moment, but gave none of her own thoughts away. Then she turned, loped on around the corner of the house, and continued on her regular jaunt past the little marsh.
May 31, 2025 at 11:21 PM
As I drank my coffee on the porch this morning the bedraggled red fox paused in the rain. Our eyes met as she studied me for a moment, but gave none of her own thoughts away. Then she turned, loped on around the corner of the house, and continued on her regular jaunt past the little marsh.
An old man pulls his little granddaughter in a red Radio Flyer wagon up the hill of our street. Today is sunny and she has an enormous bonnet on her head.
May 27, 2025 at 9:51 AM
An old man pulls his little granddaughter in a red Radio Flyer wagon up the hill of our street. Today is sunny and she has an enormous bonnet on her head.
Anyone voting in favor of Trump's budget bill would be knowingly committing political suicide if they thought there'd still be democratic elections in 2026. The fact that they seem to be considering doing this is sobering to say the least.
May 15, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Anyone voting in favor of Trump's budget bill would be knowingly committing political suicide if they thought there'd still be democratic elections in 2026. The fact that they seem to be considering doing this is sobering to say the least.
I predict that "gradual enforcement" will turn out to mean a lot of capricious, racist, and abusive interactions between the state and (mostly non-White) people trying to travel in the US. Laws that can be arbitrarily enforced or set aside (for the good people) are a cornerstone of a police state.
As Real ID goes live, enforcing it may be gradual
As Real ID goes live, enforcing it may be gradual
newspaper.pressherald.com
May 7, 2025 at 11:30 AM
I predict that "gradual enforcement" will turn out to mean a lot of capricious, racist, and abusive interactions between the state and (mostly non-White) people trying to travel in the US. Laws that can be arbitrarily enforced or set aside (for the good people) are a cornerstone of a police state.
Birds around the yard - goldfinches, Baltimore orioles, osprey, cardinals, pileated woodpecker, red-winged blackbirds, catbirds, black-capped chickadees, bluebirds, great black-backed gulls, house finches, downy woodpeckers, cowbirds, song sparrows, herring gulls, ravens, red-bellied woodpeckers...
May 5, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Birds around the yard - goldfinches, Baltimore orioles, osprey, cardinals, pileated woodpecker, red-winged blackbirds, catbirds, black-capped chickadees, bluebirds, great black-backed gulls, house finches, downy woodpeckers, cowbirds, song sparrows, herring gulls, ravens, red-bellied woodpeckers...
I walked three miles in the woods along the Kennebec and Whiskeag. The river was racing along following the tide's retreat. A million leaves of Canada mayflower are unfurling. The vernal pools are full.
May 1, 2025 at 12:08 PM
I walked three miles in the woods along the Kennebec and Whiskeag. The river was racing along following the tide's retreat. A million leaves of Canada mayflower are unfurling. The vernal pools are full.
Canadians had been intending to do what Americans did a few months ago - punish the incumbent liberals by handing the reins over to a conservative asshat. Boy howdy, did we ever convince them that that'd be a bad idea!
April 29, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Canadians had been intending to do what Americans did a few months ago - punish the incumbent liberals by handing the reins over to a conservative asshat. Boy howdy, did we ever convince them that that'd be a bad idea!
Americans want an America by, for and of regular people. Donald Trump's Republicans want a country for the privileged few that puts the rest of us last.
April 29, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Americans want an America by, for and of regular people. Donald Trump's Republicans want a country for the privileged few that puts the rest of us last.
If you're feeling shamed that you don't take AI seriously enough, go and ask Google the meaning for some idiom you just made up. I asked for the meaning of "you can't squeegee a marmoset," and got this:
April 23, 2025 at 4:23 PM
If you're feeling shamed that you don't take AI seriously enough, go and ask Google the meaning for some idiom you just made up. I asked for the meaning of "you can't squeegee a marmoset," and got this:
I loved my bubble. Gratitude, nostalgia and mourning can all be the same thing sometimes.
The America I loved is gone
It was a nation of dreams, built for the screen. Then it shattered
www.theguardian.com
April 20, 2025 at 11:03 AM
I loved my bubble. Gratitude, nostalgia and mourning can all be the same thing sometimes.
There are some downsides to having a groundhog living under your compost pile, but boy, it's the best-turned compost I've ever had.
April 19, 2025 at 9:36 PM
There are some downsides to having a groundhog living under your compost pile, but boy, it's the best-turned compost I've ever had.
Re-reading Henry Miller's Air-Conditioned Nightmare to remind myself that earlier generations have also looked in despair at America.
April 17, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Re-reading Henry Miller's Air-Conditioned Nightmare to remind myself that earlier generations have also looked in despair at America.
A couple of days ago the bees were busy in the hyacinths . . . .
April 9, 2025 at 12:08 PM
A couple of days ago the bees were busy in the hyacinths . . . .
They've abandoned pretense that this is about anything other than cruelty toward trans people. If they cared about prisoners, they wouldn't defund prisons; if they cared about high school athletes they wouldn't defund school lunches. I wonder if Americans are as horrible as they think they are.
Maine has once again drawn the Trump administration's attention, with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announcing on Tuesday that the administration will cut funding for the state’s prison system. This decision is in response to a transgender woman (biological male) incarcerated in a women’s prison.
Trump administration pulls Maine prison system funding over trans inmate
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi made the announcement Tuesday in an interview on Fox News Channel.
www.newscentermaine.com
April 8, 2025 at 11:16 PM
They've abandoned pretense that this is about anything other than cruelty toward trans people. If they cared about prisoners, they wouldn't defund prisons; if they cared about high school athletes they wouldn't defund school lunches. I wonder if Americans are as horrible as they think they are.
Pfffft. Snowing outside. And I thought March was the bastard!
April 8, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Pfffft. Snowing outside. And I thought March was the bastard!
Societally we're in a race against time to convince younger generations that democracy, rule of law and a fair system are real things that can we can fight for. These beliefs are cultural raw materials that turn out to be enormously valuable, especially if we lose them.
April 8, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Societally we're in a race against time to convince younger generations that democracy, rule of law and a fair system are real things that can we can fight for. These beliefs are cultural raw materials that turn out to be enormously valuable, especially if we lose them.
The crowd's out in Brunswick, Maine. Hands Off!
April 5, 2025 at 5:49 PM
The crowd's out in Brunswick, Maine. Hands Off!
At some lizard-brain level Trump supporters understand that in order to stop immigration, more Americans need to be made destitute and desperate enough to take the worst jobs. There will be no remorse from Trump's base about the coming economic and social carnage.
April 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
At some lizard-brain level Trump supporters understand that in order to stop immigration, more Americans need to be made destitute and desperate enough to take the worst jobs. There will be no remorse from Trump's base about the coming economic and social carnage.