Repping the Portland vibe at #nokings in La Grange IL. Made lots of people smile or laugh. Have to say walking in a rooster inflatable more challenging than I anticipated.

With all the worries we are facing, please enjoy this photo of my cat Shasta on our back deck watching the birds feeding on goodies from Backyard Bird Shop.

It is so delightful teaching my grandchildren gardening skills! The older two are bilingual French from their mother so seen here pulling “mauvais herbs” aka weeds or “bad plants”. My mother now 95 taught me how to make a yard/garden beautiful. In England “garden” means both flowers and vegetables

PBOT Free Compost Day has to be the most Peak Portland thing ever! Dozens of families loading bags of it into trucks. Several different languages overheard. Excellent quality compost, too, great traffic direction by staff. There’s another tomorrow 7 - 4 at Sunderland Yard next to Safe Rest Village

Agreed! I wanted something to watch while eating dinner. Ate almost the whole meal with only commercials, and unlike the Super Bowl not particularly interesting ones either. I decided silence was preferable. Shasta agreed.

Roh-oh. My Prunus Autumnalis is starting to flower. That usually means snow within a few weeks.

Just as I’m thinking I should get an early night, after many calls inviting him to spend the evening on my lap, Shasta decides now is the time. Guess we’re staying up a while longer

My sons & me at 2015 Rose Bowl, then on to the National Championship in Dallas which was pretty much dire except for their company. Luke (not the tall one) and I are going to the Rose Bowl on Jan 1. Sure hope we all make it to the Natty again. If we win out, greatest college football team ever.

For sure cats have superior ESP abilities than humans. Shasta almost always sits on my lap every evening. Tomorrow heat in our house will be off for 2 nights for new heat pump and gas backup installation. He’s soaking up the heat on the vent to prepare. Doesn’t know about backup space heaters plan.

Tip from gardener age 66 for others unaware: for 32 years as wife, more as parent then in-law, I requested gardening gloves for Christmas/birthdays. They get muddy and no longer protect fingers from dirt. I inherited my father’s inability to throw anything away. Turns out those gloves are washable!

My apple tree looks like I hung it with baubles for the holidays

My cat Shasta is the best lap cat ever. He doesn’t jump off when I cheer @oregonduckfootball.bsky.social and he lets my grandchildren pet him. He was fostered after born outside. I went there seeking a shorthair female. I sat on floor, he sat on my lap and purred. Named for mountain and root beer

As the days get colder and darker, I look forward to the holidays - and also to sitting on my back deck with Shasta again. We reckon 60 degrees is warm enough with a leg rug (for me in addition to lap cat) and get out there again.

That rare satisfaction when you purchased an avocado in exactly the right condition to make guacamole with no waste and no hard clumps, plus you have home grown tomatoes that ripened inside and you remembered to buy green onions. Sometimes it’s the small wins that improve a day.

Seems like cat photos get a lot of likes/follows here. So delightful! Here is Shasta, who acts like a dog in meeting me at the door and following me around the house, yet is the best lap cat ever. And wow, Bluesky invites ALT photo text description for people with vision disabilities! So awesome.

Shasta and I were exhausted watching the Ducks game tonight