Barbara J. King
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bjking.bsky.social
Barbara J. King
@bjking.bsky.social
11K followers 1.7K following 1.6K posts
Anthropologist; animal advocate; science writer, next book coming on cats; caretaker of aging cats. Books include How Animals Grieve; Animals' Best Friends: Putting Compassion to Work for Animals; see www.barbarajking.com for more.
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bjking.bsky.social
Major relief this #Caturday morning. Just back from vet and our tuxedo Marie does not have pneumonia. Xray shows clear lungs! But Convenia antibiotic on board via injection plus subQ fluids for this wheezing. This progressed rapidly from a typical cold. #veterinary
November 29, 2025 at 2:30 PM
bjking.bsky.social
You may be shopping today or avoiding shopping today- whatever you're doing may I recommend looking and listening for the birds all around you? A never-fails joy in any season. #BlackFriday #birds #birding #nature
Two bright red male northern cardinals perch close together in a bush. For each, there's one beautifully clear eye visible- and black mask and red beak.
November 28, 2025 at 6:16 PM
bjking.bsky.social
Diving into this Penguin @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social book on penguins! All 18 species fascinate me for their adaptations to cold and ice, and sometimes, heat. #Booksky #penguin #birds #birding
The cover shows the title- The Penguin Book of Penguins- and author names- Peter Fretwell and Lisa Fretwell- and a large penguin drawing in black, white, and (for the eye) yellow.
November 26, 2025 at 5:51 PM
bjking.bsky.social
Oh white-throated sparrow, adding music to my backyard. #birds #birding #nature
The bird perches on a branch in a green bush, with both feet visible- and the double head stripes in bright yellow.
November 24, 2025 at 6:43 PM
bjking.bsky.social
From Ann Packer's Some Bright Nowhere, among the most beautiful death and dying fiction: For a while he would be at risk of reducing her to a collection of excellent qualities. #SundaySentence #Booksky #deathstudies
The cover features solid colors: vertically, blues into oranges and reds. A note mentions the novel is part of Oprah's Book Club 2025.
November 23, 2025 at 4:27 PM
bjking.bsky.social
I can't imagine waking up without a tuxedo view. #Caturday
A tuxedo cat named Marie rests in a relaxed posture on a bed, atop a baby-blue blanket that conceals long legs (mine).
November 22, 2025 at 4:53 PM
bjking.bsky.social
This cherished face! Marie. #cats
A tuxedo cat rests on a stool in a book-lined room. Her expression is "resting sour face."
November 20, 2025 at 3:28 PM
bjking.bsky.social
November 18 and the red-winged blackbird flocks are back here in the yard! A seasonal milestone. #birds #birding #nature
A fully adult male, black with red and yellow wing patch, stands on the ground foraging for seeds. Three juvenile males stand on grass, seeking seeds. They are brownish- black with wing patches still forming.
November 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM
bjking.bsky.social
I learned about this May Sarton novel from #SundaySentence so here I pay it forward- fierce, fabulous, an elderly woman trapped in neglectful care and... not going gently.... "It is the innocent, not the guilty, who live in Hell, I heard myself say." #Booksky
The cover features autumn colors, a collage of images including jewelry, matches, and stamps all relating to the story, and a blurb calling it beautiful and harrowing, which it surely is.
November 16, 2025 at 5:11 PM
bjking.bsky.social
One of the happinesses of my life is seeing multiple northern cardinals in our yard every single day, without fail. #birds #birding #nature
A male northern cardinal perches in a bush, in profile. His crest is raised and we see his bright red color and black mask.
November 14, 2025 at 1:58 PM
bjking.bsky.social
Thanks to @markpetersphoto.bsky.social for this splendid book (text and images) on the wonderful personalities and emotions of cows. Yes my praise is on the back! #cows #animalsanctuary #plantbased #Booksky
The title is Voices of the Herd and the cover image shows two black and white cows in a field, in affectionate physical contact. Here we see three comments of praise for the book, including mine which emphasizes the beautiful aspects of cows' lives and of encouragement for our treating them better that are shared in this book
November 13, 2025 at 2:39 PM
bjking.bsky.social
Birding on the weekend was excellent. Sighting a pair of bald eagles never gets old! #birds #birding #nature
Against a grayish sky we see two bald eagles perched on a dead tree branch, several feet apart. The bird on the left looks to our left, the bird on the right looks to our right.
November 10, 2025 at 5:36 PM
bjking.bsky.social
If the head of homicide had his way, every murderer would be arrested by citizens whose loved ones had been stolen from them. -- My #SundaySentence this week is from Louise Penny's The Black Wolf, the 20th novel in the Inspector Gamache series. #Booksky
The cover is a vivid red-orange fire color, flanked by the heads of two wolves with yellow eyes.
November 9, 2025 at 4:11 PM
bjking.bsky.social
She is dreaming! Happy dreams always to my calico sweetheart. #Caturday #cats
November 8, 2025 at 5:15 PM
bjking.bsky.social
The tuxedo sneer. Good morning to you, too, Marie! #cats
A tuxedo cat lays on a blue blanket on a bed. She is staring with a haughty look.
November 6, 2025 at 12:57 PM
bjking.bsky.social
Here in Virginia, a critical race for governor. Like many thousands of others, I voted early. The polls show Abigail Spanberger securely ahead, but please please please Virginians, do not rest on that prediction--as is true also in NJ, in NYC, today is so crucial. #VoteBlue #Election2025 #Spanberger
a box of blue color - that is all
November 4, 2025 at 2:46 PM
bjking.bsky.social
My #SundaySentence this week comes from Wreck, Catherine Newman's sequel novel to Sandwich. It's a thought expressed by Rocky, a middle-aged mother, about her early-adult daughter living temporarily again at home: "My besottedness with her feels like a gift or an affliction or both." #Booksky
The cover shows an older model 3 story family home with front porch and green lawn, surrounded by autumn colors.
November 2, 2025 at 5:51 PM
bjking.bsky.social
Several times a year- this photo some time ago on our front porch, and sometimes they fit in a zigzag pattern in the wall bricks. I’ve shed so much snake fear by watching them. Gentle creatures.
November 1, 2025 at 11:59 AM
bjking.bsky.social
An unexpected but welcome face at our kitchen window today! Large eastern rat snake. #snake #snakes #nature #wildlife
A window frames the snake climbing up an exterior brick wall. There's a lot of white under the black jaw and neck seen in closeup and we see an eye clearly also.
October 31, 2025 at 5:48 PM
bjking.bsky.social
Another in the great blue heron series. This bird was directly alongside the water on a road I drove down- big thrill for me. #birds #birding #nature
This photo is a close-up of the bird's head with bluish patch, yellow eye, and fabulously long bill, and the upper part of the body. The water is visible in multiple shades of blue.
October 27, 2025 at 2:04 PM
bjking.bsky.social
I might as well have written it with a twig on the surface of a puddle. - Ed Park, in Same Bed Different Dreams. (Halfway through and mesmerized if occasionally totally unsure of what I'm reading!) #SundaySentence #Korea #Booksky
The cover notes this novel was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The cover is split in half between two scenes: a blue-green- tinted city scene and a red-and-black tinted scene from an otherworldly planet.
October 26, 2025 at 3:53 PM
bjking.bsky.social
Always a pleasure to sight a great blue heron. #birds #birding #nature
The bird stands tall with both legs in water right along a reed-filled shore. I took the photo at Machicomico State Park here in Virginia.
October 26, 2025 at 1:29 PM
bjking.bsky.social
A calm #Caturday.
A tuxedo cat rests on a blue blanket. Her head amd front paws are seen, and her eyes are closed and her whiskers rather magnificent.
October 25, 2025 at 4:11 PM
bjking.bsky.social
1st showing of Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere. Brave, beautiful, showcasing not only Bruce's artistry but also his openness and strength in dealing with tough family and individual mental illness. Jeremy Allen White and Stephen Graham are outstanding. #DeliverMeFromNowhere #Springsteen
Picture inside a movie theatre showing a 'Deliver Me' sign over the correct showing room.
October 24, 2025 at 7:24 PM
bjking.bsky.social
Contemplation, in box. #cats
A large calico cat sits inside a larger cardboard box next to a wooden wall and on beige tile.
October 22, 2025 at 4:40 PM