Tucson Lisa
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auntielisa.bsky.social
Tucson Lisa
@auntielisa.bsky.social
340 followers 630 following 81 posts
Feed your head. Retired after 15 years as a social media librarian for my public library system. I’m trying to figure out how to move forward as fascists take over my country. Mum to Max the greyhound and auntie to some delightful humans. She/her.
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auntielisa.bsky.social
Alas, no Bernie/AOC rally for me. I arrived 50 min early for the Bernie/AOC rally and the line is already wrapped all he way around Catalina HS then stretches east down Elm to Alvernon. Ah well.
March 22, 2025 at 6:52 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Sometimes ya just gotta take a break from the news.

(This is our greyhound Max.)
A faun-colored greyhound is sleeping on a blue sofa. It looks like his head is missing because it’s under the sofa pillow.
March 7, 2025 at 10:44 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Some therapy in the midst of the day’s news: one of our favorite walks, twilight at Silverbell Lake.
A small lake (pond, really) at twilight. An enormous pine tree and two people fishing are silhouetted against the water. A small lake (pond, really) at twilight. The lake is ringed by trees, most notably huge pines and eucalyptus trees. You can see the Catalina mountains in the distance. A small lake (pond, really) at twilight, with a tall palm tree on the left. Lights from the park and some houses are casting lights that are reflected in the water. You can see the silhouette of the Tucson mountains are in the distance.
February 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Spring is springing in our yard! The welcome shade is from an enormous olive tree.
A shady yard with a brightly colored table and chairs, and against the earth-brown house there’s an orange table and several shades of blue pots. A shady yard with potted plants in the foreground, looking west toward a metal gate. Beyond the gate you can see natural desert and blue mountains. A dark metal arched pergola with lacy, white metal chairs and a table beneath. Vines are growing at the pergola’s four corners, and pots of irises in form a backdrop for the chairs. The wall behind everything is painted mauve. Two turquoise chairs on the patio of an earth-brown house. The patio floor is covered with a very bright orange and blue patterned rug. To the right of the seating area there are desert aloes in bright blue and green pots, and round-ish green ceramic accents painted to look like barrel cacti.
February 18, 2025 at 9:30 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Not my work, I just loved it.
Spoof of WWII-era political poster with Elon Musk in the driver’s seat of a ‘40s sedan. A ghost-like Adolf Hitler is in the passenger seat. The text reads: “When you ride with Tesla you ride with Hitler!” The original 1943 poster promoted public mass transit and read “When you ride alone you ride with Hitler!”
February 16, 2025 at 9:50 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Ich bin Dein und Du bist Mein.

Bunk and I are designing a new wedding ring for me, for our 40th wedding anniversary. The design is inspired by the inscriptions & look of old poesy rings.

Alas my original ring no longer fits. Custom designer Randy Hays (of Celtic Jewelscapes) is working with us.
February 16, 2025 at 9:41 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Amidst all of the day’s fresh catastrophes I also need to remind myself to enjoy what’s around me. These are this morning’s clouds, what my dad called a “mackerel sky.”
Mottled clouds against a blue sky, with a young ironwood tree and cactus in the foreground. Whispy, mottled clouds against a blue sky, with a mature mesquite tree in the foreground.
February 7, 2025 at 10:42 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
This is a 1962 textile hanging made by my mom, Elsie Waite. I adore all of the crazy textures and its playful geometry. I think it just vibrates.

She had only been in Arizona 4 years and I’ve always wondered if it was inspired by trips to New York City when she was younger.
A 3 by 4 foot textile made of higglty jigglty blocks of back and white fabric, ribbon, and yarn french knots. A small, red, satiny rectangle 2/3 of the way down is its only color.
February 3, 2025 at 12:49 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Wisdom from from Ezra Klein:

“That is the tension at the heart of Trump’s whole strategy: Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president. […] He is hoping that perception then becomes reality. That can only happen if we believe him.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/o...
This image quotes from the linked article: “That is the tension at the heart of Trump’s whole strategy: Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president. He is trying to substitute perception for reality. He is hoping that perception then becomes reality. That can only happen if we believe him.”
February 3, 2025 at 1:10 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Another ema by Hank, this one is a prayer for rain. The glyph on the left is for spirit ancestors and the two on the right are for harmony and wisdom. Hank carved his own stamps.
An ema prayer plaque made of painted wood. It’s about 8 inches wide and shaped like a stylized cloud then painted a stormy gray. A yellow lightning bolt is in the center and two glyphs on the bottom invoke spirit ancestors, harmony, and wisdom. Beneath the cloud are five short sticks at a slant that are painted like rain (striped). Southern Arizona has had little appreciable rain since September. Our winter rains are crucial for desert plants and animals and help protect wooded areas from wildfire. The wildfire season starts in May.
February 2, 2025 at 6:24 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
My friend Hank Tusinski, a Buddhist monk, paints emas that celebrate the lunar new years. Emas are wishes, prayers, and dreams in Buddhist and Shinto religions.

When closed: the outgoing Year of the Dragon. Inside: another Dragon (2024), a Snake (2025), and a Horse (2926).

So much joy, Hank. <3
Hand-painted Buddhist ema (a votive plaque). When closed it depicts an orobourus dragon in green with wishes for health and happiness in the year (2024). When opened (see second photo) the plaque has three images, a triptych. On the left is another dragon (for the year 2024), in the middle is a friendly snake (for 2025), and on the right is a horse (2026, which will be the Year of the Horse. Artist: Hank Tusinski. Hand-painted Buddhist ema (a votive plaque). When closed it depicts an orobourus dragon in green with wishes for health and happiness in the year (2024). When opened (see second photo) the plaque has three images, a triptych. On the left is another dragon (for the year 2024), in the middle is a friendly snake (for 2025), and on the right is a horse (2026, which will be the Year of the Horse. Artist: Hank Tusinski.
February 2, 2025 at 12:56 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Just go to my profile (click my icon) and click on “Following.” 💜
January 16, 2025 at 4:43 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Consider this a plea for rain. Yes, sunshine and 72° highs can be oppressive when there’s no rain at all.
January 3, 2025 at 1:36 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Same rose!

There are similar ones I can recommend that would be easier to find.
A cardboard box full of deep red roses. A vase of deep red and dark pink roses on a table with a deep red Christmas table runner.
December 4, 2024 at 10:17 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
With “Wicked” in the theaters, here’s are some flashbacks from the summer of 1977 when a bunch of high school friends and I started a children’s theater group and performed 1939 version of “The Wizard of Oz” at libraries. I played Madame Marvel & the Wizard. It was a huge amount of work but SO fun.
Four young people are standing together. On the left, a young dark-haired teen (Stephan Spinabella, 16) is wearing a Cowardly Lion suit and gesturing as if to say “shucks.” He’s singing “If I only had da nerve.” Next to him is another teen (Phil Lollar, 17) is in a Scarecrow costume, and next to him is John Maldonado (17) as the Tin Woodsman. On the right is Eileen Tuuri (17) dressed as Dorothy and holding a basket and a small white dog who is playing Toto. In the foreground you see heads of some of the children who are watching the performance. Location: the Himmel Park Library. Me, 17, dressed as Madame Marvel holding his traveling salesman suitcase. I’m dressed a fortune teller, wearing a ton of makeup, costume jewelry and a red turban on my head. Madame Marvel later becomes The Wizard of Oz, so here I am (17yo) as the Wizard of Oz wearing a long teal green gown, a red turban and holding a crystal ball on my lap. I’m gazing at the ball and doing a hocus pocus gesture with my hands. The crystal ball is clearly just something round covered with tin foil.
November 27, 2024 at 7:13 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Hope you don’t mind a cheeky response.
A cartoon showing Santa bending over to place presents under the tree, very surprised to feel a greyhound sniffing in a rude manner. Very surprised.
November 25, 2024 at 8:59 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Occasionally Max does get off the sofa.
A blonde greyhound relaxes on a lawn. Behind him is a stone terrace, a huge agave, a large gardening trash bin, and the “good” half of an old Goodyear sign.
November 24, 2024 at 8:15 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Just some roses from my (organic) rose garden!
Bright tangerine and pink roses. Some are very “full” (lots of petals), and some only have 5 petals like wild roses do. Two roses that are a deep, dusky magenta with a lighter bud eye. Peach, pink, tangerine, and scarlet roses. Red, pink, yellow, and white roses in a blue-and-white Dutch beer stein.
November 24, 2024 at 2:20 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Because we all need more beauty, a rose from my garden.
A deep red rose with many ruffled petals is in the foreground. Soft-focus greenery is in the background. The rose is named ‘Munstead Wood’.
November 22, 2024 at 11:21 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Something fun from my archive of Waite family history, Civil-war-era French silk dancing slippers, in nearly pristine condition. They have two dates written on the soles: 1851 and 1864. The VA Museum calls them “Wedding slippers.” recreating19cballroom.blogspot.com/2013/03/danc...
Top-down view of cream-colored silk dancing shoes. They are shaped a lot like modern ballet slippers, but there’s no support or structure to the toes or sides of the shoe. The laces are extremely delicate 3mm silk ribbons. We know they are civil-war era because dates have been penciled onto the soles: 1851 and 1864. If these were wedding shoes, it’s possible these were the dates for weddings. From the shoe label and the surviving box we know they were made in France by Esté. Inside view of a cream-colored silk dancing shoe. They are shaped a lot like modern ballet slippers but there’s no support or structure to the toes or sides of the shoe. The laces are extremely delicate 3mm silk ribbons. We know they are civil-war era because dates have been penciled onto the soles: 1851 and 1864. If these were wedding shoes, it’s possible these were the dates for weddings. From the shoe label visible here, and the surviving box, we know they were made in France by Esté. The sole of a cream-colored silk dancing shoe. They are shaped a lot like modern ballet slippers but there’s no support or structure to the toes or sides of the shoe. The laces are extremely delicate 3mm silk ribbons. We know they are civil-war era because dates have been penciled onto the soles: 1851 and 1864. If these were wedding shoes, it’s possible these were the dates for weddings. From the shoe label and the surviving box we know they were made in France by Esté. Information about the Esté company, 19th-century Parisian shoemakers.
November 21, 2024 at 12:10 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Christmas in Tucson, 1963. The tree is a stalk from an agave that dad spray-painted gold. Mom made the ornaments from styrofoam balls, gold rickrack, and red sequins.
Two mischievous children (ages 2 and 4) wearing footie pajamas sit in front of an odd Christmas tree that looks like a huge golden asparagus stalk with 9 branches. The ornaments on the tree are the size of grapefruits.
November 20, 2024 at 7:50 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
My guys, November moon.
A man and a dog are silhouetted against flashlight. There’s a saguaro cactus in the foreground with a full moon and city lights in the background.
November 18, 2024 at 6:44 PM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Santa and Mrs Claus give Red One movie 2 thumbs up! You should have *seen* the the theater staff and the kids as they exited. It was SO fun.
Setting: a movie theater with recliner seating. A jovial gentleman with a handlebar mustache and a bushy white beard sits next to an apple-cheeked woman with red hair. We’re pretty sure he’s Santa! They are both wearing Christmas shirts and smiling big smiles.
November 18, 2024 at 4:04 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Why I really like to see king snakes in my yard (king snakes are not venomous).
A screenshot of a “Let’s Be Better” (a Threads account) photograph of a large, dark-scaled king snake swallowing an even larger rattlesnake. King snakes are not venomous.
November 17, 2024 at 2:50 AM
auntielisa.bsky.social
Nocturne: Max and the moon, 11/15.
Shadowy images of a man and a dog under the light of a full moon. Their flashlight illuminates the desert and a lone saguaro; the city lights of Tucson are in the distance.
November 17, 2024 at 2:44 AM