Cate Polacek
@catepolacek.bsky.social
she/her, health care researcher/writer focusing on health equity, painter, auntie to twins, introvert, knitter, embroiderer, scoliosis patient, cat mom
Anyone else stress crafting at the minute? I am stress stitching, and have been in a finishing spree lately with embroidery projects.
January 29, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Anyone else stress crafting at the minute? I am stress stitching, and have been in a finishing spree lately with embroidery projects.
Quick timeline cleanse if you need a breather - Tristan is 21 years old today.
January 28, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Quick timeline cleanse if you need a breather - Tristan is 21 years old today.
The horrors of yesterday (I believe what I saw in the videos), and the monks walking. Poor sleep (perimenopause and rage), and painting in the studio. My cat’s health declining (he’s nearly 21), and the snow falling. This vacillation feels more and more like whiplash, and it’s exhausting.
January 25, 2026 at 3:31 PM
The horrors of yesterday (I believe what I saw in the videos), and the monks walking. Poor sleep (perimenopause and rage), and painting in the studio. My cat’s health declining (he’s nearly 21), and the snow falling. This vacillation feels more and more like whiplash, and it’s exhausting.
Yesterday, there was a huge, beautiful lone crow in the woods next to my house. It was cawing intermittently for most of the day. I got the feeling it was looking for its fellows and wasn’t sure where they were.
January 1, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Yesterday, there was a huge, beautiful lone crow in the woods next to my house. It was cawing intermittently for most of the day. I got the feeling it was looking for its fellows and wasn’t sure where they were.
Snow and ice lingering on the river, even though it was in the mid-50s today.
December 18, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Snow and ice lingering on the river, even though it was in the mid-50s today.
First snow of the season in suburban Narnia. Big, fluffy flakes earlier, now tapering off a bit
December 5, 2025 at 3:26 PM
First snow of the season in suburban Narnia. Big, fluffy flakes earlier, now tapering off a bit
Painted pumpkin in the lobby of the acupuncture clinic.
October 31, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Painted pumpkin in the lobby of the acupuncture clinic.
If you need a moment of calm. The view from my window. More and more fall colors coming through. I love living next to the woods all year round, but especially in the fall, and especially now when so much is awful. Reminders of beauty are much needed lately.
October 31, 2025 at 9:58 PM
If you need a moment of calm. The view from my window. More and more fall colors coming through. I love living next to the woods all year round, but especially in the fall, and especially now when so much is awful. Reminders of beauty are much needed lately.
Went for a walk by the river yesterday after shingles vax jab. The bridge is being repainted, and it looks like quite an operation.
October 26, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Went for a walk by the river yesterday after shingles vax jab. The bridge is being repainted, and it looks like quite an operation.
If you need a timeline cleanse, my kitties seem to like the new quilt on my bed. For some reason, it smells like cilantro. I don’t mind cilantro, but it’s an odd smell for a quilt.
September 30, 2025 at 3:53 PM
If you need a timeline cleanse, my kitties seem to like the new quilt on my bed. For some reason, it smells like cilantro. I don’t mind cilantro, but it’s an odd smell for a quilt.
Happy birthday to my little sister, Emily.
September 3, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Happy birthday to my little sister, Emily.
A new broad-winged hawk friend in the neighborhood (perching on my front porch railing)
August 22, 2025 at 12:12 AM
A new broad-winged hawk friend in the neighborhood (perching on my front porch railing)
Painting and listening to Jennifer Dasal talk about her new book on American women artists in Paris during the Belle Epoque. (Yes, I’ve pre-ordered the book.) It felt weirdly normal to be doing this while upheaval rages (flails at the news), but it’s either paint or spiral into anxiety.
July 15, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Painting and listening to Jennifer Dasal talk about her new book on American women artists in Paris during the Belle Epoque. (Yes, I’ve pre-ordered the book.) It felt weirdly normal to be doing this while upheaval rages (flails at the news), but it’s either paint or spiral into anxiety.
Nine blocks finished on this embroidery project. Halfway done.
June 8, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Nine blocks finished on this embroidery project. Halfway done.
Lyra turns 20 today. Still little. Still fierce.
June 1, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Lyra turns 20 today. Still little. Still fierce.
Had a family birthday lunch over the weekend. My nephew did a replay of his school spring concert pieces for us on the viola. Also, handmade cards.
May 20, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Had a family birthday lunch over the weekend. My nephew did a replay of his school spring concert pieces for us on the viola. Also, handmade cards.
A 50th birthday walk in the woods by the river. Couldn't have asked for better weather - barely 70 and overcast - and it’s getting chillier as the week goes on. I’m dreading hot summer weather, so I’m soaking up these last bits of spring while I can.
May 20, 2025 at 9:26 PM
A 50th birthday walk in the woods by the river. Couldn't have asked for better weather - barely 70 and overcast - and it’s getting chillier as the week goes on. I’m dreading hot summer weather, so I’m soaking up these last bits of spring while I can.
I‘m a basic black robust-but-unfancy tea kind of girl. Browsing the tea aisle at the grocery store to replenish supplies, this one caught my eye. Never heard of this brand, but I liked the packaging, and decided to try it. Tea for goths maybe?
April 24, 2025 at 11:57 PM
I‘m a basic black robust-but-unfancy tea kind of girl. Browsing the tea aisle at the grocery store to replenish supplies, this one caught my eye. Never heard of this brand, but I liked the packaging, and decided to try it. Tea for goths maybe?
It’s been a week (again). In my ongoing efforts to find small joys, my mom recently gave me my grandmother’s hand-mixer. My great-grandmother gave it to my grandmother as a wedding present in the early 1950s. The maker is Wizard, and my grandmother had the motor repaired twice. And it still works!
March 21, 2025 at 6:27 PM
It’s been a week (again). In my ongoing efforts to find small joys, my mom recently gave me my grandmother’s hand-mixer. My great-grandmother gave it to my grandmother as a wedding present in the early 1950s. The maker is Wizard, and my grandmother had the motor repaired twice. And it still works!
Working on @stitchdoodles Village in Bloom embroidery stitch-along. First block (of 15) done. Using DMC thread from stash and getting reasonably close to called-for colors.
March 16, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Working on @stitchdoodles Village in Bloom embroidery stitch-along. First block (of 15) done. Using DMC thread from stash and getting reasonably close to called-for colors.
If the Current State of Things teaches me nothing else, I’m getting better at appreciating small joys and happies. Every year, my uncle sends preserves he’s put up in the previous months. Here we have lemon marmalade, spiced cherry jam, apple butter, salsa, and strawberry preserves. Yum!
March 11, 2025 at 2:05 AM
If the Current State of Things teaches me nothing else, I’m getting better at appreciating small joys and happies. Every year, my uncle sends preserves he’s put up in the previous months. Here we have lemon marmalade, spiced cherry jam, apple butter, salsa, and strawberry preserves. Yum!
Timeline cleanse - a snowy Wednesday morning in suburban Narnia
February 12, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Timeline cleanse - a snowy Wednesday morning in suburban Narnia
Continuing efforts in finding small comforts amid chaos and anxiety - a rainy day, a fresh pot of stew, and a book on the history of colors.
February 6, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Continuing efforts in finding small comforts amid chaos and anxiety - a rainy day, a fresh pot of stew, and a book on the history of colors.
Glanced out the window and noticed a group of deer in the woods, well camouflaged in the greys and browns of the trees and ground. I counted six of them. Deer are symbols of hope, and we sure do need that these days. So here, I give you six deer worth of hope this morning.
February 4, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Glanced out the window and noticed a group of deer in the woods, well camouflaged in the greys and browns of the trees and ground. I counted six of them. Deer are symbols of hope, and we sure do need that these days. So here, I give you six deer worth of hope this morning.
It’s been near impossible to settle to anything because, well…flails at everything. However, I came across an online read along of To the Lighthouse on Substack, and now I’m listening to Juliet Stevenson narrate it while I paint. Because Lily Briscoe is my spirit animal.
February 3, 2025 at 3:25 AM
It’s been near impossible to settle to anything because, well…flails at everything. However, I came across an online read along of To the Lighthouse on Substack, and now I’m listening to Juliet Stevenson narrate it while I paint. Because Lily Briscoe is my spirit animal.