Shala Howell
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shalahowell.bsky.social
Shala Howell
@shalahowell.bsky.social
450 followers 720 following 1K posts
Reader, writer, curious person, librarian in training. Author of What's That, Mom? Also on🧵@shalahowell & @shalahowell@mastodon.social. Blog: http://caterpickles.com
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shalahowell.bsky.social
My cat reading these posts and noting the disparity in treatment (it’s flea meds day so he has to wear a f*cking bandana).
Orange cat in a blue bandana glares at the camera from his comfy hammock cat bed.
October 18, 2025 at 5:15 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Sorting through old family photos, found this gem from December 1969:

“At the back door, l to r: Rascal, PeeWee, Goldie” Dec 1969
Three cats peer in from outside through a glass door. The ground behind them is covered in snow. The cat on the left has a white body with orange ears and orange fur on the top half of his face starting behind his eyes like a cap. The middle cat is a small grey and white tabby. The cat on the right is an orange tabby with a triangle of white on his neck. The orange cat looks like he is knocking on the door.
October 4, 2025 at 1:15 AM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Honestly our evening walks are rapidly becoming my favorite part of the day. That said, this weekend we went to a local nature preserve for our walk - during the day! - and it was nice to have more time to walk a bit further and admire the birds. Saw a couple of white pelicans.
A pair of white pelicans swimming through a narrow part of a bay. One of them is in the process of swallowing a fish so the pouch under his beak is extended. Wisps of golden grass are in the foreground of the shot. Beyond the pelicans you can see more land, also covered with golden grass. In the distance are reddish hills spotted with green shrubs/trees.
August 13, 2025 at 6:45 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Judging by my cat’s behavior, my city’s parks and rec department printed their fall activity guide in 100-proof catnip infused inks
Portion of a direct mail catalog that has been chewed up
July 31, 2025 at 3:43 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Started reading Attica Locke’s Bluebird Bluebird this week based on someone’s rec here on Bluesky and oh these opening pages are a treat.
Cover of Bluebird Bluebird by Attica Locke-a white Texas star over a highway under a pale blue sky. The book’s title is printed in black over the star. “Geneva Sweet ran an orange extension cord past Mayva Greenwood, Beloved Wife and Mother, May She Rest with Her Heavenly Father. Late morning sunlight pinpricked through the trees, dotting a constellation of light on the blanket of pine needles at Geneva’s feet as she snaked the cord between Mayva’s sister and her husband, Leland, Father and Brother in Christ.” “When she arrived at the final resting place of Joe ‘Petey Pie’ Sweet, Husband and Father and, Forgive Him, Lord, a Devil on the Guitar…”
July 17, 2025 at 1:53 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Thank you! I did need some good boy dopamine. Here’s my guy guarding his sunbeam.
Orange cat in a wooden chair looking at the camera upside down. Behind him is a sunbeam. Although the photo doesn’t show it, he is warming his backend in that sunbeam. His affect is curious and goofy, but that’s only because I haven’t blocked his sunlight and know better than to get too close.
July 3, 2025 at 11:36 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Allow me to make a pitch for posting purritos as substitutes
Orange cat snoozing happily wrapped in a bandana
July 2, 2025 at 7:47 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Reading this footnote made me decide to read the entire book. That’s just fantastic. On a side note- if you would like help forming the habit of adding alt text to images for your low vision followers, there’s a setting for that in Bluesky (Accessibility/require alt text before posting).
Image of the BlueSky setting that reminds you to add alt text before posting images. Accessibility/Alt Text/Require alt text before posting, the little blue toggle is switched to the right, indicating that this setting is on.
May 24, 2025 at 3:25 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
My cat applauds your priorities in feeding your crew even before you were ready to get up for the day. I must confess, however, to giving you a little side eye, bc you have given my cat ideas he does not need to have.
Orange cat sits on a couch surrounded by a colorful knitted blanket. On his face is a thoughtful expression as he ponders the news that other cat friends don’t make their cats wait to be fed in the morning: “Don’t you love me, CatMom?”
May 24, 2025 at 3:03 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Thank you. I had never heard one before, and I am grateful for the weirdly peaceful experience. My cat however, has concerns. Here he is, checking the window for invaders.
Orange cat, startled from sleep, looks off to the left. He is still sleepy but doing his best to figure out whether that weird sound is a good, bad, or indifferent omen.
May 24, 2025 at 2:58 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
One reason I love libraries is because sometimes the format I read a book in really matters for reasons that aren’t clear to me. Like this guy. I tried it in ebook, couldn’t. Tried it as an audiobook. Still couldn’t. Finally tried it in print and really enjoyed it. Cost to me? $0. Thank you, library
A library copy of The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro.
May 12, 2025 at 12:36 AM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Sending gentle wishes out to all that you have the best Mother’s Day possible today. Mine is starting nicely. For once this guy skipped his 5 am “Why Haven’t You Fed Me Yet?” body slam, and just waited super politely at my feet for me to wake up on my own.
Just the absolute best orange tabby snoozing in a pile of blankets
May 11, 2025 at 2:07 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Look what came today! 1) deliciously thick 2) why isn’t it a weekend tomorrow? @skyladawn.ca
Cover of Silent All these Years by Skyla Dawn Cameron (Nancy Drew style design). Side view of same book showing off its satisfactory chonk-itude
April 29, 2025 at 4:37 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
My rescue cat also wanted emergency snuggles today.
My giant orange cat draped across my chest, forepaws and legs on my shoulder with his body pressed up to my face. You can see about half of my glasses, my forehead and nose. The rest is just cat.
April 12, 2025 at 1:26 AM
shalahowell.bsky.social
I’d love to hear about your favorite things from independent crafters and artists. Stuff your friends and family made you absolutely qualifies. Just something you use that a real person made that makes you happy.

Or a pic of your pet. That’s cool too.

(My grandma made the blanket in this pic)
Orange cat on a cream colored leather chair posing very properly next to a crocheted granny square blanket made of cream, dark pink, and blue ish purple yarn.
April 9, 2025 at 1:02 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
The news is terrible so let’s do something nice. Look at this gorgeous mug from Little Eden Pottery (www.etsy.com/shop/LittleE...). I’ve used it for years and it’s held up great. Nicely made, lovely glaze. Pleasant to use. And with every sale a good dog gets a treat. @idaolson.bsky.social
Small, beautifully made tri color coffee cup: purple on top, a vanilla bean glaze stripe, and deep green on the bottom. The cup is filled with foamy espresso and the interior glaze is more of that vanilla bean color (cream background with black speckles). The cup is resting on a wooden side table.
April 9, 2025 at 12:56 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Me digesting this news
Finch on a vertical trunk staring at the camera through a window with its head tilted to the side
April 3, 2025 at 1:06 AM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Reading a journal article from 2020 that opens with “The destabilization of current ecological, political, and economic orders is accompanied by the anticipation of accelerated and unpredictable loss”

Oh my sweet summer child. Let me tell you about March 2025.
The paper is “Anticipating loss: rethinking endangerment in heritage futures” by Caitlin DeSilvey and Rodney Harrison. Published in 2020 in the International Journal of Heritage Studies
March 5, 2025 at 8:21 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Learned how to double knit thanks to the generosity of so very many knitting bloggers and YouTubers who posted instructions online. Pattern from Purls Yarn in Asheville NC.
Scarf - unfinished - with a pattern in blue, cream, and yellow inspired by the work of MC Escher. The scarf is reversible- patterns that are blue on one side are cream on the other. The yellow bits are yellow on both sides.
January 17, 2025 at 2:52 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
“Learn to live each day as if it might be your enemy’s last” 🤣
Paperback copy of Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes. There is a store sticker on the book showing it was purchased at Half Price Books. The sticker is rumpled, bearing mute witness to the fact that I tried to remove it and it refused.
January 7, 2025 at 1:14 AM
shalahowell.bsky.social
The price of eggs in this situation is irrelevant. (The situation being that there are no eggs.)
Photo of a grocery store refrigerator. Where the dozens of eggs should be, there are only empty shelves and a note asking customers to please limit themselves to 2 egg products given the recent shortages.
January 7, 2025 at 12:36 AM
shalahowell.bsky.social
This is my position too. I grumble about having subscribed to too many starter packs, but I’m ultimately ok with giving too many people a chance than otherwise. Unrelatedly, this is fun. You and Skyla both popped up on my most read authors list from StoryGraph.
Most read authors list from StoryGraph is a bar chart with blue lines listing the authors I read this year. Krista D Ball and Skyla Dawn Cameron appear on the list, along with a few other fantasy, mystery, and romance writers.
December 31, 2024 at 5:17 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
What a glorious void! And a great series.
Orange cat and I reading Warriors.
December 7, 2024 at 12:12 AM
shalahowell.bsky.social
My social media feed this morning is light on cats. So here I am doing my bit.
Orange tabby curled into a crocheted cat bed. The cat bed is made of bulky white silver and black yarn and has sides that pop up like a basket creating a lovely spot on which to rest his chin.
December 6, 2024 at 2:38 PM
shalahowell.bsky.social
Also here’s the photo from that previous post with alt text
Kennedy tries to mask this agenda with hand-waving about holistic health. Healthier school lunches and less ultraprocessed foods were good ideas when former First Lady Michelle Obama promoted them, and they're good ideas now. There are thousands of respected health experts, though, who could execute that agenda without also bringing back polio. His defenders claim Kennedy is speaking truth to the power of special interests. As the author of bipartisan legislation to take on both Fortune 20 drug-pricing middlemen and social media platforms, I find that risible. His campaign for president was the most cynical example yet of dark money in politics. Tellingly, his donors wanted him to "sow chaos." Chaos is what America will get unless Senate Republicans actually do speak truth to power. They must tell Trump that Kennedy is dangerous, and reject his Cabinet nomination. Jake Auchincloss is a US representative from Massachusetts.
November 24, 2024 at 4:23 PM