El is in the Details
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elsbells.bsky.social
El is in the Details
@elsbells.bsky.social
1.4K followers 1.6K following 6.3K posts
Copy and line editor*, queer, 24/7 nerd, political. Reads, writes, sings, plays D&D. Passionate. Occasionally hopeful. Loves music — & dogs, most especially my own giant floof. They/them.

*Expect typos in posts; I’m using my thumbs.
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elsbells.bsky.social
I wanted to thank you all again—on my behalf and my dog’s—for all the help you gave me getting my rent paid. 💜

Astra is old, & this place is navigable and comfortable for her. She loves to sit in the shared yard and watch neighborhood goings-on. :)

Here’s a pet-tax photo, from yesterday:
A photo of a Great Pyrenees lying on sun-dappled, grassy dirt. Her head, in three-quarter profile, takes up a good portion of the frame. She has a black nose, white muzzle, and very dark eyes rimmed in black. Towards her ear, her white fur turns into an ashy light brown, then into a charcoal color. Her human’s wrist and pale hand are visible in the lower left of the frame, as they’re cupping behind Astra’s ear to give her a good scratch/ear rub. The Pyr is leaning into her human’s hand, her eyelids relaxed and muzzle tilted up in an expression of ease.
November 2, 2025 at 6:23 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
Astra is taking the news of your rough day very seriously. She and I both hope things improve soon.
A snaphot, taken a minute before posting, of an elderly Great Pyrenees lying on a faded blue-patterned rug, looking up at the camera with a dark, serious gaze. The low light and her coloring (white fur, black nose, and dark rims around her eyes) make her expression rather dramatic.
October 29, 2025 at 10:29 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
POV: You had the audacity to stop petting this dog so you could try taking her picture.

Those wise to the ways of Pyrs will note, from the angle, that she’s begun raising her left leg to place a disapproving paw on my photo-snapping arm.
A low-angled diagonal shot of a Great Pyrenees dog, lying atop mismatched rugs, who’s begun to roll from her side onto her back. Her head is raised to level a mildly affronted look at the person taking her picture. From her head down, all that’s visible is an expanse of white fluff, including the fluff from her bent and raised front left leg, which she’s extended toward the person in front of her. The white dog has very dark-rimmed eyes, a black nose, and ash-brown and charcoal-grey coloring at her ears.
August 31, 2025 at 4:12 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
Started playing Stray Gods this week, after a lovely person gifted me the game. While my Grace has several romance options, the first character I, El, was into is not dateable.

—But is, predictably, a tall, blonde, neurodivergent-coded weirdo (complimentary):
A tall woman, wearing a gold collar and black-and-gold dress, stands with a book in her hands. She has long, wavy, pale blonde hair, ash-colored skin, and a long, angular face. A white sigil of some sort glows in the center of her forehead, and her eyes are black coals with yellow light glowing in their centers. She has one eyebrow quirked up, in question or curiosity. Her black lips are slightly parted to speak, and the text above her head reads: “You will explain. We will both sit and you will explain. There will be tea.”
August 27, 2025 at 11:11 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
Me, trying to make paperwork more exciting:
A cartoon still featuring Seahawk, a supporting character from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. A young man stands at the prow of a ship, pointing outward dramatically, mouth open to exclaim the word captioned on the screen: “Adventure!” The man wears a blue jacket w/ a red neckerchief, and has a black headband tied horizontally across his forehead, holding back his chestnut bangs. He sports a gold earring and a rather nice mustache.
August 26, 2025 at 6:54 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
I realized people might want a better look at who they’re helping!

Here’s one of my favorite photos of me & Astra, taken the winter before last:
On the left, a fluffy white dog has her chin tilted up, jaw slightly dropped in a relaxed expression. She has a black nose, the formerly dark patch beneath it sprinkled w/ old-age lightened hair. Her eyes are rimmed with thick dark coloring, like puppy eyeliner. Her head is tilted slightly to the right, where the ash-brown and charcoal coloring of her left ear looks to be the same color as the long hair of her human, who’s leaning forward for the picture, resting their cheek against the dog’s head. The human has a wide, slightly goofy smile, and their deep-set blue eyes are crinkled up with joy and affection.
August 25, 2025 at 12:38 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
Still at $230 of $925 for rent in Sept. I’d love it if someone could help get to $240 before Sunday afternoon.
This sweet girl would love it too; your help = me staying home with her more often, & taking better care of both of us.
A square photo, set outdoors, camera tilted steeply down at a fluffy white dog in three-quarters profile, sitting up on short, leaf-strewn grass. The dog, a Great Pyrenees, has a black nose, dark rimmed eyes w/ white eyelashes, and ears that shade from ash-brown to deep charcoal. Her front leg nearest the camera is extended, as if making a point.
August 24, 2025 at 5:43 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
Astra, my favorite 12-year-old:
A soft-focus shot of a Great Pyrenees dog, her face tilted up close to the camera, perspective making her rather long face look much longer. She has a white muzzle & a black nose. Her jaw is slightly dropped, big dark eyes looking up at the photographer. Ash brown and black fur shades her floppy ears, contrasting with her white fur. And yes, the snoot looks boopable — but I usually just kiss her head.
August 21, 2025 at 3:34 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
Same here, actually:
On a windowsill sits a wisteria-colored thermos, a pale lilac journal, and a pack of assorted Pilot G2 pens, ranging in color from deep iris ink to a pale, metallic lavender—bracketed by a black pen on one end, and a medium gray on the other.
August 19, 2025 at 5:45 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
Look what a friend just found for me & brought by! I know it’s after Tuesday, but waste is a sin, no?
A box of paczki, a rich, jam-filled Polish treat*, held to the poster’s chest. *traditionally made to be eaten just *before* Lent, but surely exceptions can be made
March 6, 2025 at 11:24 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
It snowed for hours last night, and I can’t be sorry. Astra and I love this weather.
The diagonal (say one-quarter-ish) profile of a fluffy Great Pyrenees’ head. She has tan and black coloring around her (visible) near ear, and you can see the black tip of her nose. The rest of her is a creamy white color that barely stands out from the snow beneath and before her, filling the frame.
January 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
MY RENT IS COVERED!!!

Thank you to every person who helped me not fall through the cracks. I’m one week into my new job, and going forward, my paychecks will cover my housing. 💜💜💜
A screenshot of the rent payment page on apartments dot com. The address and monthly rent amounts are blacked out, but the dates of the current lease show this person has lived here for at least half a decade — this is their established home. A green highlighter circles the words “Current Balance” and the amount due: $0.00. Beneath that, smaller words read “No payment is due.” To the right, in enthusiastic if not elegant fingertip-drawn writing, purple block letters read “THANK YOU!”
January 11, 2025 at 4:36 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
For friends who bring us lotion-imbued tissues when our nose is getting raw from using toilet paper, and includes an assortment of helpful teas for our wrecked throat, we give thanks.
A white person’s left hand clutches a thick, fanned-out tea/tisane assortment in brightly colored packets. Visible: Bigelow Blackberry Citrus w/ Zinc; Twinings Green Tea; Bigelow Lemon Ginger w/ probiotics; Yogi Throat Comfort.
January 3, 2025 at 11:46 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
POV: You are trying to tune your guitar, but a Great Pyrenees needs your attention.
An angled shot, blurry due to iPhone 7 camera in extreme close-up mode. A fuzzy Great Pyrenees dog has her long white muzzle tilted up toward the viewer, dark nose almost pressed against the lens, dark, dark eyes wide and attention seeking. The angle exaggerates the length and prominence of her muzzle. Her human would like you to know that one of her nicknames is “Mrs. Nose,”* for her pushy investigative tendencies. *Yes, this is a reference to the book Howl’s Moving Castle
December 13, 2024 at 6:29 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
Bad: I shattered a temporary dental crown late Thurs.

Great: I made chocolate-pumpkin brownies w/ a pumpkin cream-cheese swirl that are soft enough to enjoy until I can see my dentist on Monday.

(I left the toppings off the part of the pan I’ve devoured. The decorated part, below, is for sharing.)
A partly eaten pan of chocolate-pumpkin brownies. The top is marbled orangey-brown from a pumpkin cream cheese swirl, and dotted with chocolate chips and chopped, oven-toasted pecans.
November 3, 2024 at 6:06 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
This is Astra, sitting on top of a cat bed (the light blue object you can see one corner of).

She does not fit on the cat bed. She does not fit in the frame. She does not care — she just wants pets.
A large white dog sits on a dark brown loveseat. Beneath her belly and bunched-up, fluffy hindquarters, one corner of a heat-retaining light blue cat bed peeks out. She is too big for the cat bed, too big for the loveseat (her front paws are dangling off one end), and frankly, too big for the photo. Her deep, dark eyes and direct gaze looks plaintive. Or stubborn. Or both.
August 6, 2024 at 6:00 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
Speaking of bears, please respect their humble desire for personal space, & get consent before posing with them:
A news story screenshot. A large black bear sits next to a tree trunk on some light-green summer grass. The headline reads, “Florida police tell people to stop taking selfies with ‘depressed’ black bear.” The subhead reads, “County sheriff says bear by side of highway in Santa Rosa Beach is ‘clearly not in the mood for pictures.’” Small caption (part of the news story) below bear’s photo reads, “The Walton County Sheriff’s office described the bear as ‘stressed, depressed, lemon zest.’ Photograph: Walton County Sheriff.”
July 21, 2024 at 3:00 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
Your Astra looks very pretty and happy. :)

And I do! Mine’s a Great Pyrenees. She’s 11 this year, and as sweet and companionable as ever.
A Great Pyr, with white fur and dark coloring around the top of her ears, looks at the viewer. She’s on top of a dark piece of human furniture, and sitting on most of the light blue cat pet that rested there before she hopped up. She doesn’t fit on the cat bed. Her forelegs hang off the couch…and neither her rear nor the top of her head fit in the frame of the shot. A very fluffy looking Great Pyrenees lies amidst a cluster of ferns and browning pine needles. She is white, with dark brown and tan coloring on her ears. The image is slightly overexposed, making the outline of her body a cloud-like mass. The green of the ferns is mottled light and dark with sun and shade from the trees above.
June 30, 2024 at 12:27 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
Gonna miss this guy so much.
A flame-point Siamese mix, cream colored w/ golden ears and blue eyes, is making a weird, wide-eyed blep face at the camera. Behind him, a blue-eyed brunette person is making their own silly face to match, holding the camera up at an angle to get both their faces in the frame. A flamepoint Siamese mix with plush, cream-colored fur reclines in profile on a human’s tank-top clad torso. His eyes are closed w/ contentment. One visibly polydactyl, mitten-like paw is curled against his chest, and his other front leg is stretches out to drape over the side of the human’s ribcage. A flamepoint Siamese mix, cream-colored w/ faint golden markings, is curled against a partially reclined human’s chest. The human is pale, wearing a dark grey tank top, and stretching one arm out to take the photo. Both cat and human look relaxed.
May 12, 2024 at 7:23 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
I need to re-stock, but here’s what’s worked well for me:
The front of a no-rinse waterless dog shampoo bottle: It’s pump-operated & produces cleansing foam. The bottle says it’s lemon-verbena scented and is an oatmeal formula for dry skin. The brand is Wahl Home Products; the container is 7.10 fl oz/210 mL. The back of a bottle of no-rinse foaming dog cleansing “shampoo.” It displays instructions for use and a list of ingredients: Other than water, the cleansing ingredients are coconut-oil- and sugar-based; it also includes vegetable glycerin, oatmeal extract, potassium sorbate as the preservative agent, & caramel color (why, I don’t know; my dog doesn’t care). The product, id’d in the accompanying photo, is made in the U.S.
May 5, 2024 at 7:59 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
This is the face of someone who has already gone through two towels and is still not dry, because she insisted we go for a walk in pouring, sidewalk-flooding rain (& who does not fit under my umbrella, nor stick close in storms).
A shot angled down, showing the fluffily damp, somewhat disconsolate looking face of a Great Pyrenees with dark ears. She’s standing on a blue-and-turquoise patterned rug with symmetrical, stylized floral motifs.
April 11, 2024 at 4:26 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
This guy sat a yard away from me and cried until I called him over — at which point I became a cat-couch and cuddle provider.

He decided this was a better use of my time than the next items on my to-do list. He was right.
A cream-colored Siamese mix with faint gold tabby stripes at his head lies on this user’s torso, one front leg wrapped around their side, other curled against their breastbone. He’s polydactyl, so his visible paw almost looks like a fluffy mitten. His person appears to be slouching on a couch. Part of their brown shirt is in the foreground, and their plaid pj-clad legs are blurred but visible from behind the cat. A cream-colored Siamese mix (flamepoint) with faint gold tabby stripes at his head sprawls on this user’s torso, one front leg draped across their side, other curled below their breastbone. His head is turned in profile, eyes closed, and he seems pleased with himself. He’s polydactyl, so his visible paw almost looks like a fluffy mitten. His person is visible as part of a brown shirt-clad torso & pair of blue plaid pj pants, but they’re obviously not the subject of the shot.
April 9, 2024 at 3:36 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
Mango witbier bread w/ orange honey butter.

Hoppy Easter/Trans Day of Visibility to all who observe either — may your day be filled with brightness.
A thick slice of golden-crusted beer bread, glistening with orange-peel flecked butter. The bread is on a small white bone-china plate w/ a gold rim. The photo is taken in natural light, bright w/ the Easter/Trans Day of Visibility morning.
March 31, 2024 at 5:11 PM
elsbells.bsky.social
So sleep deprived I almost forgot #FlirtPackFriday.

But I threw on my dad’s old shirt & finger combed my hair so I could join in.

Y’all stay sweet and stay hot…from what I’ve seen lately, that won’t be difficult.
A warmly lit photo of a light-eyed person in an oversized plaid shirt looking into the photo w/ a slight but warm smile. Their long brown hair is mussed, like they got back out of bed to take & post this selfie.
March 16, 2024 at 3:50 AM
elsbells.bsky.social
Without downloading new pics, describe your gender in one image.
Spider-Man and Applejack lean out over a brick ledge, looking down. Applejack is visibly frowning as Spider-Man says: “do you see this shit applejack” [sic]
March 5, 2024 at 8:24 PM