Laura Peebles
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arvafan55.bsky.social
Laura Peebles
@arvafan55.bsky.social
690 followers 290 following 330 posts
Baseball, cats, gardening, and occasional baseball or parody verse. Associate Editor for the SABR Game Story Project.
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arvafan55.bsky.social
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (Don’t worry—there are two other types of cranberry sauce so everyone has their favorite). I am just pleased I got it out of the can!
Jellied cranberry sauce, perfectly in the shape of the can, on a pumpkin shaped plate. Silver jelly knife on the plate.
November 27, 2025 at 5:03 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
This year’s North Georgia Candy Roaster squash is a little smaller, but here’s a previous year’s squash before and “ready to roast.”As you can see, one squash serves the whole table (and don’t forget to roast the seeds).
Very large orange squash (about 14 pounds) on a grey kitchen counter. Squash is oblong, with a green tip on one end. Two large pans of cut up orange squash sitting on a stove .
November 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
#caturday a four-pack of Lucy. Emphasis on "pack."
Light orange tabby cat curled up against a dark background (happens to be my PJ top, but you wouldn't know from the photo). A glimpse of winter-theme warmups in the background. Light orange tabby cat curled up in an oval woven basket. Wooden floor, glimpse of bookcase and Turkish rug on the sides. Orange tabby cat curled tightly in an African woven basket with handle. (The basket was supposed to be used for filing the papers that are all over the table that the basket is resting on, but the cat takes priority). Orange tabby cat in an open cardboard file box. The lid of the box is resting behind the box, and she's rubbing her face on the lid to make it her box. Afghani rug on hardwood floor under the box. Sheets of plain newsprint paper in the background.
November 22, 2025 at 6:48 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
Sign says "come here, you big beautiful cup of coffee, and lie to me about how much we're going to get done today."
November 12, 2025 at 3:24 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
Here's to the memory of my great-uncles, Don and Van Carlson, who served with the Canadian troops in France in WWI. They both returned, although Van had a lap full of shrapnel. Van lived long enough for me to get to know him. He was a prankster and kids' party magician. #veteransday
Sepia-toned photo of two handsome young men in their army caps. One is wearing a heavy wool jacket over a wool uniform with metal buttons. The other is wearing a similar coat, but over a white shirt and dark tie.
November 11, 2025 at 12:29 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
Frost coming—tome to harvest some of my crayon radishes ! Time to make braised radishes with their greens.
A bunch of seven radishes with their greens still attached on a grey countertop. Radishes are red, pink, yellow, and white.
November 10, 2025 at 11:28 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
Yes, #caturday was yesterday, but today is “look, they’re both playing with the ball tower” day. Clancy on the left and Lucy on the right.
Two orange tabby cats playing with a blue ball tower. The left, darker orange one, is sitting up. The right, lighter one, is on her side grabbing the ball in the lowest tier. Grey carpet underneath. Various cat toys in background.
November 9, 2025 at 3:01 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
Lucy says” You woke me up just to take my picture for Caturday ?”
Orange tabby cat curled up in a carpeted cat scratcher tube. The scratcher has a flat top above the tube. Books are stacked on top. Cat look slightly annoyed.
November 1, 2025 at 5:04 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
Six years ago today, Howie Kendrick hit this ball off the foul pole in Houston (yes, there is still a yellow mark on it from the paint). Six months later, I'm in West Palm to celebrate--and boo the Astros (except Dusty, of course!).
Two baseballs rest on an ice chest in a display in Cooperstown. The left baseball is "Juan Soto's baseball" which is the home run ball he hit onto the railroad tracks in the Astros stadium in Game One of the 2019 World Series. The Howie Kendrick ball is the one he hit off the foul pole in Game Seven, putting the Nationals ahead. In the stadium at West Palm Beach Florida, a man stands wearing a white t-shirt with the words "I was going to make a sign, but the Astros would have stolen it." A woman is wearing a t-shirt saying "Bang foul poles, not trash cans" beside a picture of the foul pole screen with the Howie's ball hitting it. Both people are smiling broadly.
October 30, 2025 at 12:23 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
Went out to water this morning. Found an eastern honeybee sleeping on a late zinnia flower. I know he was sleeping because he was still there when I came back with the phone.
A single pink zinnia on a green stem with a couple of small leaves. There is an Eastern honeybee clinging to the underside of the flower. Concrete tiles, parapet, and balcony railing in the background.
October 26, 2025 at 1:13 AM
arvafan55.bsky.social
Lucy's adoption day photo from 2022. She was 10 months old.
Orange tabby posed on a red blanket on a grey couch. The cat is a young female so the features are delicate. Her head is turned half away from the camera, so her whiskers are glowing in the light from behind her.
October 24, 2025 at 7:16 PM
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Not what I was expecting on my green tea, but I’ll take it!
Plastic bottle of green tea from Oi Ocha. Label includes a photo of Ohtani swinging a bat and the MLB logo. In small print it says Oi Ocha Global Ambassador.
October 17, 2025 at 2:38 PM
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My Virginia wildflower mix is still blooming.
Five bright pink flowers with yellow centers fill the photo. Two buds are also visible. Portion of a purple t shirt and a sliding patio door in the background.
October 16, 2025 at 5:44 PM
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My flowers are liking this weather. See alt text for names.
Flowers: orange coxcomb celosia in the center, yellow and orange lantanas in the back, a few purple celosia peeking in on the left side, and some purple succulent with pink flowers on stalks. Got the succulent at a garage sale years ago so have no idea what it is.
October 5, 2025 at 2:23 AM
arvafan55.bsky.social
We bought one of these two-decker scratcher beds. As you can see, Clancy and Lucy (top) have approved. For comparison, Clancy is 15 pounds, Lucy about 13.
Two orange tabby cats in a two-level cardboard scratcher. The top and bottom "shelves" are made of corrugated cardboard that has been curled up, and then gently depressed in the center to make a saucer shape. The top one is supported by four corrugated cardboard legs. In the top one is a light orange tabby with her head hanging over the side a bit. In the bottom is a darker orange tabby with green eyes, looking right at the camera. A wooden stack roller cat toy is visible at the bottom left.
September 29, 2025 at 6:09 PM
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Aaaannnndd my cats are definitely staying put!
Large orange tabby cat with his head in a grey-striped slipper, pushing it across a hardwood floor. A white cabinet and a patterned rug are also visible.
September 23, 2025 at 8:34 PM
arvafan55.bsky.social
Oh, like Clancy and Lucy helping to fix the file cabinet?
In a cluttered room, there is a wooden two-drawer file cabinet. The top drawer is on the floor, and the space where the drawer should be is occupied by a medium-sized light orange tabby cat. In addition, there is a larger, darker, orange tabby cat (that's Clancy) sitting on the floor in front of the cabinet, precluding access to getting the first cat out of the drawer space. Also in the photo are a wooden roll-top desk (open) with stacks of paper, a basket overflowing with leftover electronic parts such as cords, a plastic file box with papers, an orange plastic cat ball tower, a candlestick that has been converted to a lamp, and artwork on the wall behind the cabinet. The edge of a cat gym is visible on the right, indicating that the cats definitely rule this space.
September 17, 2025 at 1:35 PM
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Lemon cucumbers taste exactly like the green ones—they are an heirloom variety. In my experience, their vines can take more summer heat than the today-common green ones. They are just shaped and colored like a lemon. This is what the regular size ones look like (today’s were end-of-season).
Seven lemon cucumbers on a grey counter. Lemon cucumbers are about 3 inches diameter round yellow cucumbers.
September 15, 2025 at 2:04 AM
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I picked tomatoes yesterday. This is this morning’s harvest (with two lemon cucumbers). Looks like time to make roasted tomato salsa!
Strainer basket with two lemon cucumbers and sixty or so small orange tomatoes.
September 14, 2025 at 1:08 PM
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And here's the ball he bunted on April 23, 2016 in the 15th inning. If you know, you know.
Plastic cube containing a used baseball. Label reads: Date 4/23/2016. Opponent: Minnesota Twins. Description: Batter - Oliver Perez, Pitcher - Michael Tonkin, Bottom of 15, reached base on throwing error by the catcher John Murphy, Danny Espinosa scores from second base.
September 14, 2025 at 11:59 AM
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I think Clancy is telling Reynard "it's your turn to hit the little ball."
Two large orange tabby cats are staring at a roller stack toy between them on the floor. The left cat is on a circular cardboard scratcher that barely fits him. The right cat is on a large blue cushion. Both of them are staring at the toy. There are other cat scratchers and a carpet-covered cat castle in the background.
September 1, 2025 at 11:04 PM
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You should have seen the year I managed to get the purple ones!
Three dramatic stalks of purple flowers, topped with a group of leaves resembling a pineapple top. The stalks are surrounded by large dark green leaves. Brick wall in background.
September 1, 2025 at 10:57 PM
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Variegated Fritillary Butterfly on my celosia this morning (pineapple lily in the foreground).
Orange and brown butterfly on fuzzy pink and white flowers. Large green lily plant in the foreground.
August 31, 2025 at 7:30 PM
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A peaceful scene for #caturday : Clancy (left) and Lucy sharing the couch.
Two orange tabby cats on a grey couch. One is curled up asleep on a leopard print mat. The other is in a loaf position next to her.
August 30, 2025 at 3:04 PM
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Lucy on the desk. Want to guess how much of this hit the floor when she got down?
August 26, 2025 at 11:03 PM