Kitten update. Six months old: affectionate, smart, and energetic. Can retrieve toy mice, bring them upstairs and downstairs; and hide them under the fridge. On a good day, Mizuki (front) can guess which held out hand holds the mouse, and will bump your fist gently with her nose to tell you.

Here they are at last! Blue-eyed chocolate point sun god Apollo and green-eyed lilac mink moon maiden Mizuki... Let the reign of the kittens begin! We begin quietly, though, with a period of reflection and observation before leaving the carry case after a long journey.

Happy Wednesday from these Nahema roses, climbing over the farm gates...

Look! A message from Chaucer's horse! Sent from my successor as president of the New Chaucer Society, the fabulous Candace Barrington, drawn by the talented @hellomizk.bsky.social, and referencing the talk I gave to the Society in July. Chaucer and the Giant Emu constellation...