The Garden Hermit
LightNews LightNews
banner
gardenhermit.bsky.social
The Garden Hermit
@gardenhermit.bsky.social
4.1K followers 1.6K following 2.7K posts
Collector of obscure and useless information, teacher, gardener, single, childless cat lady, crocheter (aka hooker.) Working on restoring the environment on my little piece of the planet and helping refugees and immigrants.
Posts Replies Media Videos
gardenhermit.bsky.social
The internet has been terrible lately. Post some before and after.

Sylvie and Bruno 2017: The Amazing Two-Headed Kitten
2026: Judging you
Two tuxedo kittens held in arms. Their black blends together so the look like a two-headed kitten. Two tuxedo cats, one sitting on a person's outstretched, crocheted blanket covered legs. The other sitting on a table. There is an aquarium in the background.
January 31, 2026 at 12:59 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
My presentation on the history of resistance in the U.S was well received, but it was a huge info dump. I think next week I'll break it into chunks and practice our recent grammar point, the third conditional. That's the unreal past:
What would have happened if...? #Teaching #Grammar
January 30, 2026 at 8:46 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
My manic phase arrived just in time for me to build a 48 slide presentation deck 😲 on 150+ years of civil rights protest in the U.S. and bounce around the classroom being passionate about it. 🙃 #BPD2 #Bipolar #Teaching
January 30, 2026 at 7:03 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
I'm so scared. I have a classroom of immigrants and refugees I have to help understanding what's happening when I hardly understand it myself.
January 29, 2026 at 6:01 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
Mount Tahoma (Rainier) rising through the mist.
#Tahoma #Rainier #PugetSound #PNW #WSF
Mount Tahoma (Rainier) rising through the mist under a cloudy sky. The gray water of Puget Sound stretches across tge foreground to the forested headlands.
January 27, 2026 at 11:21 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
It's amazing what cold weather will do. Bruno and Jasper do not like each other. #TuxedoCats #GingerCats
A person’s lap covered in a white, yellow, and orange crocheted blanket with a tuxedo cat on one side and a ginger cat on the other.
January 25, 2026 at 8:48 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
Sylvie is not amused. Pooka doesn't care.
#TuxedoCats #CatsOfBluesky #DogsOfBluesky
A brown-and-white dog named Pooka lies stretched across my lap, looking off to the left, while a tuxedo cat named Sylvie on the other side of the lap looks on irritated. A colorful crocheted blanket is draped over the my lap.
January 25, 2026 at 6:59 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
I went looking for a case for my little origami paper. I found one.
A small, square fabric-covered box with rounded corners, covered in gold-toned brocade fabric featuring an intricate floral and leaf pattern in muted blue. The box is placed on a gray, woven-texture fabric background. An open small square fabric-covered box with a light blue zipper and lining. Inside is a neatly stacked pack of decorative origami paper, wrapped in plastic, showing colorful geometric and floral patterns in yellow, blue, green, and pink. The box is held open by a hand and rests on a gray, woven-texture fabric surface. A small origami crane resting on an open palm. The paper is a blue and white geometric floral pattern.
January 25, 2026 at 2:07 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
I wake up with the words,
"I hate you,"
Ricocheting around my head.
You is the operative word,
Not me.
Turn that outward,
Not inward.

I learned not to hate. Let it go. It does not become. But hate is real. It has to go somewhere. Some things cannot be understood. Some things are just hateful.
January 24, 2026 at 7:36 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
The pattern came out very nicely on this one. #OrigamiCrane
A small origami crane made from teal and white patterned paper held between a person’s fingers.
January 23, 2026 at 11:31 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
My first view of The Mountain in the new year. I have half as many opportunities this quarter because I'm teaching in-person only two days. #MountTahoma #Ranier #PugetSound #WSF
A distant view of Mount Tahoma (Mount Rainier) partly veiled by mist and clouds, with its snow-covered slopes faintly visible. In the foreground, Puget Sound stretches across the scene, bordered by a dark, tree-lined shoreline with scattered houses. A large green and white ferry is passing in the midground.
January 23, 2026 at 10:59 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
Today's #earworm, as far as I can see, is completely random. 🤔 🤷‍♀️
#SwingMusic #BoogieWoogie #AndrewsSisters #WW2
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
YouTube video by The Andrews Sisters - Topic
youtu.be
January 22, 2026 at 7:05 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
🚨POST AN EMERGENCY CAT PIC🚨

When I recovered this cat tree with scrap carpet, I wasn't expecting it to be camouflage. Sylvie approves.
A tuxedo cat poking her upside down head through a diamond opening in a gray, blue, black, and white patterned cat tree. Her white front paws are resting on the top edge of the opening.
January 22, 2026 at 5:40 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
Golden-crowned kinglets
#Birds #BirdWatching #GardeningForWildlife #PondLife
January 21, 2026 at 7:03 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"
- Dr. Martin Luther King
January 19, 2026 at 11:06 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
My neighborhood.
A dog wearing a harness walks on a leash along a quiet, wet, paved country road. The road stretches into the distance, lined with leafless trees and utility poles on both sides, with sunlight filtering through the branches. The dog is seen from behind, near the edge of the road, and there are no cars or people visible.
January 19, 2026 at 1:11 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
Oh, isn't this fun. The copay on my diabetes medication has increased by a factor of seven.
🥳
January 18, 2026 at 11:42 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
Bruno says it's cuddle time. #TuxedoCats #CatsOfBluesky

(That's Sylvie's butt on the right.)
A black-and-white cat lies stretched out and snuggled beside a person, resting its head on her dark maroon sweater. The cat’s eyes are half open, with white fur on its chest and paws contrasting with its mostly black coat. A gray cushion fills the background, and the scene feels quiet and cozy.
January 18, 2026 at 12:09 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
I've developed a new therapy. Details in the alt text. #cptsd #therapy
With the help of my therapist, I have developed a new therapy. (She doesn't know what it's evolved into yet.) I write all the negativity that I internalize which should be directed at my mother on a square paper and fold it into a crane. I then drop it in this toothy, bud-/egg-shaped vase representing her to put it outside and where it belongs. I have no idea yet what I'll do with the cranes when it fills up. Added bonus: I got the vase free. It arrived cracked, and the dealer refunded but didn't want it back. It serves its purpose as-is. Maybe better. The symbolism thoughout is abundant. Alt text: A purple origami crane with a white octopus pattern sits tucked into the top opening of a tall, carved, stoneware vase which has a natural cream, tan, and brown marbled surface and pointy, petal-like edges at the top. In the background are parts of a cat tree, including a beige rope-wrapped post and a red-and-black plaid carpeted platform with a dark circular opening.
January 17, 2026 at 11:34 PM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
Today's #earworm
Continuing with the G&S theme, this lodged in my brain because my sister's choir is doing madrigals.
Sullivan: The Mikado, Act II: Madrigal. Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day
YouTube video by Sir Charles MacKerras - Topic
youtu.be
January 17, 2026 at 7:25 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
I've never really thought about it, but my cannabis store is right next to an adult toy store. 😂
January 17, 2026 at 2:04 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
First two #hellebore of the season opened. One has been nibbled by a gastropod of some sort. #BloomScrolling #Gardening
Close-up of a pink and yellow hellebore flower with layered, ruffled petals. The petals fade from pale yellow at the center to deep pink at the edges. Yellow stamens hang downward in the middle. The background is softly blurred. Close-up of a dark burgundy hellebore flower facing the camera. Broad, velvety petals surround a central cluster of pale yellow stamens and green structures. The background is out of focus, showing garden greenery.
January 16, 2026 at 5:08 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
I guess Sylvie and Bruno were sleeping to the sound of me #teaching an online class. I guess I'm boring. 😂 #TuxedoCats
Two black-and-white cats are sleeping stretched across a cushioned armchair. Bruno lies lengthwise along the seat and armrest with his eyes closed and front paws draped over the edge, while Sylvie is curled up in front of him. They are resting on a couple of crocheted blankets tossed on the chair. Bookshelves filled with books are visible behind the chair.
January 15, 2026 at 8:30 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
Deciding whether to lock a classroom door at all times is a heavy choice.
January 15, 2026 at 4:54 AM
gardenhermit.bsky.social
Today's #earworm:
You know how kids will get hooked on a record and play it over and over? Pirates was one of mine. I'm pretty sure I still know the entire libretto by heart. This D'Oyley Carte recording came out the year I was born. 😅
#GilbertAndSullivan #Pirates #Penzance #Opera
Sullivan: 3. Oh, better far to live and die
YouTube video by Donald Adams - Topic
youtu.be
January 14, 2026 at 9:57 PM