The Woodstock Square in Illinois is especially festive during the winter holiday seasons.

Although already a heavily gerrymandered blue state, outside of the Chicago Region and major university cities Illinois is largely agriculture based small/medium towns and cities, which traditionally vote Republican (and dislike Chicago). Here's a map showing the 2024 election results map by county.

I found love at the county fair! ❤️

Even though she's part chihuahua, my dog boofs just like Stevie!

A few weeks ago my little rescue chug started refusing to go into the backyard and was nervous even when I went with her. As it turned out, the issue was a hawk hanging around the yard, and the mystery was solved when I saw it in the birdbath.

Lauren Underwood represented my district during her first term. She was, and continues to be, the real deal - an intelligent, courageous, no-nonsense representative of everyday people. We lost her to redistricting and I miss her.

Don't you love her scent and the gradual change from white to pink blooms? Here's my second year Earth Angel - a birthday gift from my daughter- that got off to a rough start last year when planting was delayed by weather. It's been a terrible year for aphids in my yard, too.

Today's Pride parade in my small Illinois town drew a bigger, happier, more enthusiastic crowd than tank boy's birthday perade in DC. This is just one corner of the route.

Puppet's first day with me was nearly 3 years ago!

Pup found a sunny corner for a morning snooze.

She never complains, but my nurse looks like she could use a break after caring for me for the past 2 years 4 months of long covid. I'm feeling somewhat better but unfortunately it seems to relapse, especially when I'm stressed (and who isn't these days?) Take good care, MPK and other long haulers!

So true.

Wishing all the good people of Bluesky a peaceful holiday! Sitting on laps and looking cute can be a lot of work for a little chug, so Puppet is resting her eyes while she patiently waits for our guests to arrive.

Friends are coming over for lunch so I baked Oatmeal Bread from a recipe in James Beard's "Beard on Bread". The first time I made it was in 1976 and I still have the original cookbook (which I have to admit has weathered the years better than I have).

I did my gift shopping this year at Alt National Parks!

Darkness has descended, but we will be the light. Happy Solstice to All from Puppet!

I was wondering about that, too!