Grant
@grants.bsky.social
I write the mundane, the interesting and everything in between at https://pickledokra.net
We had an excellent and kind of rare clear evening the other night and I wanted to take my new lens out for an astrophotography spin, capturing The Forsaken Nebula.
#astrophotography #photography #blog
#astrophotography #photography #blog
Photographing The Forsaken Nebula (IC 5068)
We had an excellent and kind of rare clear evening the other night and I wanted to take my new lens out for an astrophotography spin. It’s not really a great lens for astro in terms of speed but it does have great reach so I wanted to try something new out! Tonight I was […]
pickledokra.net
January 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM
We had an excellent and kind of rare clear evening the other night and I wanted to take my new lens out for an astrophotography spin, capturing The Forsaken Nebula.
#astrophotography #photography #blog
#astrophotography #photography #blog
We had a bunch of Swiss chard left over so I decided to make a creamy Swiss chard and rigatoni pasta. It's vegetarian and easily turned vegan.
#recipe #blog #cooking
#recipe #blog #cooking
Recipe: Swiss Chard Rigatoni
Swiss Chard RigatoniBy PickledOkra, Based on “Rotisserie Chicken and Greens Pasta” from the NYT Cooking“I never said this was a health food”Serves 2 6 leaves of Swiss chard, torn1 yellow onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, sliced1 cup heavy cream1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheeseKosher salt, start with a teaspoon, add to taste1 tbsp freshly ground black […]
pickledokra.net
January 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM
I tried to upload a 293 megapixel photo to Bluesky and it just crashed the app. 🤭 oopsie.
January 16, 2026 at 5:40 AM
I tried to upload a 293 megapixel photo to Bluesky and it just crashed the app. 🤭 oopsie.
My quest to the Six Duchies begins with book one of The Farseer, Assassins Apprentice. How will it compare to my favorite Liveship Traders?
#booksky #fantasy #RotE
#booksky #fantasy #RotE
Assassins Apprentice, A Review
Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb ★★★★ (4/5 stars) Spoilers Below—If you’ve read other books in The Realm of the Elderlings series please do not spoil them in the comments. My quest to the Six Duchies begins with book one of The Farseer, Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb, itself part of The Realm of the Elderlings. […]
pickledokra.net
January 15, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Where I try a new-to-me Thai restaurant in Greenwood called Gao Lhao.
#seattle #thaicuisine #restaurant
#seattle #thaicuisine #restaurant
Gao Lhao
Last month after our trip to the Woodland Park Zoo we popped by Gao Lhao, a Thai noodle restaurant in Greenwood here in Seattle. My husband had gone here for a work thing earlier in the month and it turned out to be pretty good so we figured we’d go together. I ordered the Panang […]
pickledokra.net
January 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Where I try a new-to-me Thai restaurant in Greenwood called Gao Lhao.
#seattle #thaicuisine #restaurant
#seattle #thaicuisine #restaurant
Finishing up my read of The Liveship Traders is Ship of Destiny. This trilogy within The Realm of the Elderlings series was so memorable and frankly unique.
#booksky #fantasy
#booksky #fantasy
Ship of Destiny, A Review
Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb ★★★★.5 (4.5/5 stars) Spoilers Below—If you’ve read other books in The Realm of the Elderlings series please do not spoil them in the comments. I previously wrote a review of The Mad Ship which is the second installment of this series. I gave this book a half star less […]
pickledokra.net
January 12, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Where I share some info on what PickledOkra costs to run, and why I think it's worth it to own my data.
#blog #wordpress
#blog #wordpress
So What Does It Cost to Run a Blog?
The answer is: “it depends.” For the PickledOkra blog it costs $64.20/year at my current rate for the domain name and web hosting, which are both through 2030. I don’t pay monthly, however, because the discounts to paying annual are just much better—in this case I paid for 5 years upfront. So, the real answer […]
pickledokra.net
January 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Where I share some info on what PickledOkra costs to run, and why I think it's worth it to own my data.
#blog #wordpress
#blog #wordpress
The Mad Ship was a 5/5 book for me, absolutely enthralling and a book to remember.
#booksky #liveshiptraders #rote
#booksky #liveshiptraders #rote
The Mad Ship, A Review
The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb ★★★★★ (5/5 stars) Spoilers Below—If you’ve read other books in this series please do not spoil them in the comments. I previously wrote a review of Ship of Magic which is the first installment of this series. Over my holiday break (which really turned into an extended time off […]
pickledokra.net
January 10, 2026 at 5:01 PM
The Mad Ship was a 5/5 book for me, absolutely enthralling and a book to remember.
#booksky #liveshiptraders #rote
#booksky #liveshiptraders #rote
Crosswords are my personality now.
January 10, 2026 at 7:57 AM
Crosswords are my personality now.
Coffee and crossword puzzle moment.
January 9, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Coffee and crossword puzzle moment.
On this episode of Septaria: A Dungeons and Dragons campaign... Episode 9—The encounter with the wizard sends the party across the great sea...
#dnd #d&d #blog #ttrpg
#dnd #d&d #blog #ttrpg
Dungeons and Dragons Session 9
Previously on Septaria, a Dungeons and Dragons Campaign: The Great Forest On this episode….. The Brightstar From the journal of Malah… Sounds of Septaria: Thippuedo’s Tower Standing outside of the wizard’s tower we witnessed a great and green arc of light across the night sky—a celestial being itself plummeting towards the dirt itself. He called himself Tak-Al […]
pickledokra.net
January 9, 2026 at 5:00 PM
January 8, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Where I finally give my full thoughts on Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. Have you read any of the Realm of the Elderlings books? I certainly will be reading the other trilogies!
#liveshiptraders #booksky #fantasy 📚💙
#liveshiptraders #booksky #fantasy 📚💙
Ship of Magic, A Review
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars) Spoilers Below—If you’ve read other books in this series please do not spoil them in the comments. Last year I started reading The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, the first of which is Ship of Magic. In late 2024 my friend Rogue Hireling recommended to me […]
pickledokra.net
January 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Where I finally give my full thoughts on Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. Have you read any of the Realm of the Elderlings books? I certainly will be reading the other trilogies!
#liveshiptraders #booksky #fantasy 📚💙
#liveshiptraders #booksky #fantasy 📚💙
“I tried to Shazam the rice cooker song but it didn’t work”
January 8, 2026 at 3:05 AM
“I tried to Shazam the rice cooker song but it didn’t work”
Join me on a photoblog to the Woodland Park Zoo where I test out my new Nikkor Z 100-400mm lens.
#seattle #photography #animals
#seattle #photography #animals
Woodland Park Zoo
For Christmas my husband, Kevin gifted me this beauty of a lens: The NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Kevin wanted experiences for gifts this year so I got him a pass to the Woodland Park Zoo, amongst other nature-y places, so it was sort of a perfect match to test out my new lens […]
pickledokra.net
January 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Join me on a photoblog to the Woodland Park Zoo where I test out my new Nikkor Z 100-400mm lens.
#seattle #photography #animals
#seattle #photography #animals
Ugh first day back to work. lol.
January 5, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Ugh first day back to work. lol.
Every day is iced coffee day.
January 4, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Every day is iced coffee day.
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was incredible. The original(s) are favorites of mine and to see them on a large screen was a treat.
#blog
#blog
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was incredible. The original(s) are favorites of mine and to see them on a large screen was a treat. This film is not without its issues—chiefly they treated Uma Thurman poorly near the end of its production and it’s executive produced by a known abuser (everyone either booed him […]
pickledokra.net
January 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was incredible. The original(s) are favorites of mine and to see them on a large screen was a treat.
#blog
#blog
Where we go with @gameboy.bsky.social and thebanjostring (not on bsky) to Tendon Kohaku in Bellevue.
#blog #food #japanese
#blog #food #japanese
Tendon Kohaku
I’ve written once about Tendon Kohaku on here before, pretty early on when I started the blog. Anyways, we decided to go back now that they offer reservations and you dont have to solely stand in line for hours out in the cold on a first-come-first-serve basis. We took our friends Santos and Trent as […]
pickledokra.net
January 3, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Where we go with @gameboy.bsky.social and thebanjostring (not on bsky) to Tendon Kohaku in Bellevue.
#blog #food #japanese
#blog #food #japanese
Every year for New Years Day we cook ozōni for lunch or dinner, as is tradition!
#japanesefood #ozoni #newyears
#japanesefood #ozoni #newyears
Ozōni for New Years
Every year for New Years Day we cook ozōni for lunch or dinner, as is tradition! I follow the recipe from Just One Cookbook, sorta. I always end up upping the salt. Kevin snapped these pics of me cooking! People usually eat this as part of a larger feast, with this being the breakfast course. […]
pickledokra.net
January 2, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Every year for New Years Day we cook ozōni for lunch or dinner, as is tradition!
#japanesefood #ozoni #newyears
#japanesefood #ozoni #newyears