Susan A. Kitchens
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susankitchens.bsky.social
Susan A. Kitchens
@susankitchens.bsky.social
1.2K followers 790 following 1.6K posts
This year I started growing a home garden bc I’d rather be bloomscrolling than doomscrolling. Hope I can edit my posts here.

SoCal SGV Tovangaar LA Co; Zone10b SunsetZone21
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susankitchens.bsky.social
I love this Veterans Day post from the Print Museum

“Here stand the 26 warriors who have brought down the walls of ignorance and darkness. They remain our greatest tool in a continuing quest for education, enlightenment, and a hope for a better future.”

www.instagram.com/p/DQ7rUGcAVf0/
Screenshot of Print museum’s Instagram with a lower case alphabet and the words, “Here stand the 26 warriors who have brought down the walls of ignorance and darkness. They remain our greatest tool in a continuing quest for education, enlightenment, and a hope for a better future.” The caption for the post reads, “printmuseum: Today, we remember and recognize the veterans who stood in defense of freedom - men and women whose courage helped preserve not only our nation, but the free exchange of ideas that defines it.”
November 12, 2025 at 5:38 AM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Not that I need to prove anything to Joyce Carol Oates, but it’s nice to have a list to compare
✔️Nature
✔️Pet dog (bro’s dogs)
✔️Praise for movie / music / book

Pride in friend/family accomplishment (don’t usu share here bc privacy)

✔️condolences
✔️sports/team 🧢⚾️
✔️historical references

Okay then!
Joyce Carol Oates @JoyceCarolOates So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend's or relative's accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. In fact he seems totally uneducated, uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the "most wealthy person in the world."
November 11, 2025 at 6:46 AM
susankitchens.bsky.social
The California #Prop50 map result graphic we all need — one with a heat map to show, county by county, how close the vote was, or not.

calmatters.org/politics/ele...
A map graphic in shades of brick red and a faded blue what kind of margin of victory the votes were for Prop 50. Stronges yes votes were in LA County and the counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay area. A patchwork of pale colors for results in inland areas and central valley. North-central and north-eastern counties in california had a stronger vote against the ballot measure.
November 7, 2025 at 9:37 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
The #DiaDeLosMuertos community #ofrenda (altar) at Fair Oaks Burger in Altadena
(Notice the empty, cleared lots across the street)
An outdoor altar with orange marigolds and orange puffy paper marigold paper strings, pumpkins and many many photos and remembrances and flickers LED candles under a large shaded area. Street signs of Calaveras and Fair Oaks. Across the street are several empty lots with just dirt (these are places that burned in Eaton Fire)
November 3, 2025 at 10:34 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
300 days ago: #EatonFire (+Palisades)
Today is #RemediationDay! Got to the house early (oh mornings in Altadena, you’re beautiful and I’ve missed you), pods showed up, then remediation crew. Clean all the things, pack it away. It’s a new phase, and I’m feeling a sense of relief (plus exhaustion)
Alarm clock message for Monday November 3 and 5:36 am with the message “it’s Remediation Day!” Three photos: two of which are getting storage pods into position and a view of a doorway with protective covering and a center zipper.
November 3, 2025 at 10:16 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
I didn’t have the heart for another long overtime game. We are doing the last sorting before remediation begins and watching the first 9 innings was distracting enough. Sooooo happy for this outcome, #Dodgers!

The Dodgers jackets
Are in the closet along with so many other things to be remediated.
The backs of two Dodgers wi breaker jackets hanging in a closet.
November 2, 2025 at 4:49 AM
susankitchens.bsky.social
When the neighbors got back onto their homes months ago (and you’re not back yet) and today’s group text was all about trick or treating plans (there are kids in the neighborhood). And timing’s a bit off — your own remediation (finally) starts next week.
#Altadena #EatonFire #Halloween
In an outdoor setting, a sign held by two (dirty) blue nitrile gloves reads, “Sorry, Trick Or Treaters. We haven’t remediated yet. See you next year!”
November 1, 2025 at 5:02 AM
susankitchens.bsky.social
My marmalade choice for Halloween #BloodOrange

(Shopping local in Sierra Madre, CA)
A hand holding a small jar of E. Waldo Ward Blood Orange Marmalade
October 31, 2025 at 6:15 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Glueing the black cut paper to the orange and white paper layers, a Timelapse. #papercraft
#DiaDeLosMuertos
October 29, 2025 at 11:01 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
I’ve been making small #papercraft emblems for #DiaDeLosMuertos

Here is the completed pile of monarch butterflies and sugar skulls
(Next post, a short 10-second monarch butterfly glue Timelapse)
Monarch butterflies and sugar skulls made of layers of cut and glued paper
October 29, 2025 at 10:58 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Let’s go!!!
+Gotta have a dodger dog! 🌭
They prolly got tossed a foul ball⚾️

Have checked out hallway w all all the Dodger history 🤩

📸: Me during 2024 World Series. This pic taken on a walk in Altadena. (This 📷 spot: now burned; Eaton Fire. Jacket still needs cleaning; smoke damage)
A woman wearing LA Dodgers jacket shows the LA finger sign. She wears white canvas hat and glasses; her smile is obscured by her wrist making the LA sign. She stands in front of a bougainvillea plant and there’s other foliage visible in the background near a street corner on a sunny day.
October 29, 2025 at 9:00 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Gardening again in Communal Garden.
Standard collards and purple tree collards
lettuces doing nicely
I harvested a couple where 2 plants grow together. Let the lesser Lettuce have a run! 🌱

Pro tip: shade cloth over lettuce in #SoCal #SGV Sunset zone 21 / USDA Zone 10a works for Aug seed sowing!
Green collard plant on front of purple tree collards Double rows of red lettuce in ground, coming along nicely Basket with three harvested heads of red lettuce
October 24, 2025 at 7:39 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
The other #Papercraft I cut out last night is here: sugar skulls and flowers made with treble clefs. (All inspired by an remembrance altar for my brother, who played guitar)

Alterations will need to be made
Purple sugar skull made of paper glued to white background. Decorations all music notations. Also in the pile of cut-outs are pink round flowers decorated by a circular repeated treble clef design.
October 22, 2025 at 7:03 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Translated:
“I made a variety of papercraft umbrellas 😆
They even open and close!♪

#handmade #papercraft #umbrella
#handmade #papercraft”
October 22, 2025 at 6:04 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Went to Altadena Public Library’s Fab Lab Yday to make small #Papercraft #DayOfTheDead art.

I feared that the black paper for the monarch butterfly was gonna tear apart coming off mat, but it was strong enough!

📸1️⃣ cut out, before glue
📸2️⃣ on the cricut mat

(Yes, the 🦋+my NoKings sign are related)
Orange black and white papers in shape of butterfly, pre-assembly. On a dark blue cricut mat, black butterfly shapes with the cuts in place but not all lifted off the mat. One has been lifted off mat, and it rests against orange and white. The interior shapes of monarch butterfly pattern remain on mat in a curious dark-matte against blue reflective mat appearance.
October 22, 2025 at 5:28 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
I’m so heartened to see #SGVHabitat and a large group volunteer effort to rebuild homes destroyed by #EatonFire

Pondering how to help.

1st, Himself’s remediation, +a big Family of Origin home project.

It’s OK, there’ll still be lotsa work to do by time I’m ready to 🔨 www.instagram.com/sgvhabitat
Two Instagram screenshots of sgvHabitat account depicting volunteers wearing hard hats holding and lifting wall frames into place on poured concrete foundation.
October 21, 2025 at 9:19 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
The signs 🪧 I made that we took with us to the very well attended #NoKings demonstration in Pasadena, CA

Preamble to the Constitution
And
“The only orange monarch is a butterfly”
the only orange monarch is a butterfly We the People of the United States Establish Justice Ensure Domestic Tranquility Provide for the Common Defense Promote the General Welfare Secure the Blessings of Liberty
October 18, 2025 at 10:48 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Finally cool enough in SoCal SanGabrielValley to cook with the oven. Trying Samin Nosrat’s buttermilk chicken recipe.

This little butternut squash (harvested from the communal garden I volunteer in) had an expressive moment in the midst of food prep. It’s now cubed and ready to go in oven.
🌱
Butternut squash cut in half with the small seed belly looking like a mouth opened in distress with seeds spilling out, and a couple of eyes carved out higher on the fleshy part of the squash. Scene on cutting board with vegetable peeler on kitchen counter.
October 7, 2025 at 3:24 AM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Making progress. Got to the point where the OS software is being loaded onto iPad.
(It’s slow going but the progress bar currently is a little more than 3/4 done)
iPad iPadOS update to 18.7
iPad with Apple and progress bar, white lightning cable attached to port of MacBook, all in a desktop covered by large green cutting pad and misc items. Text added to image reads, “Please work, iPadOS Software update. Please work! With three fingers-crossed emojis for emphasis)
September 22, 2025 at 7:25 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Happy last hour of Summer and first day of Autumn. Equinox is in approx 1 hour.
(Times here are Pacific time zone but Equinox is the same all over our beloved planet)
September 22, 2025 at 5:14 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Yday we explored the new stops on the Metro A Line Extension. End of the line is Pomona North, where a narrow parking lot separates the LA Metro A line from the MetroLink commuter SB line.

As we were leaving Pomona North to head west to SGV, we saw the MetroLink train heading east. #MyDayInLA
Inside an electric light rail car with the doors open. The nose of the MetroLink train is visible through station platform fencing and across a narrow parking lot. Text on photo reads: At Pomona North Station aboard the westbound A Line train about to begin its trip to Long Beách via SGV & DTLA Nearby, MetroLink SB train just pulled in from Union Station, heading east to San Bernardino and Redlands From outside the (electric) LA Metro train on the boarding platform at Pomona North, glance left across a parking lot is the diesel-powered MetroLink train pulling into the Pomona North station as it heads east from Union Station in downtown LA. Afternoon sky small patches of blue visible with the sun behind clouds. End of the Line. Behind a fence are the ends of the double rail lines and the twin terminus poles of the overhead electric wires. To the left is an old red-brick-tile building with the name Pomona on it. In the distance is a water tower.
September 22, 2025 at 5:02 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
How I came to be very tired today, working in the communal garden.
Harvested tomatoes
Pulled up tomato plants that were done/sick
Prepped one soil row. Oh and another
Planted a double row of baby lettuce seedlings in one of the rows.
🌱
September 20, 2025 at 11:45 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
I volunteer in a communal garden. My work Sa+Mo+Tu prep a garden bed under shade cloth to grow lettuce
cool weather crop in Zone 10b in 🥵Sept. Will it grow? Hope shade cloth helps!).
Dug trench, filled w/ compost, transplanted baby lettuces in a twin rows. Shade cloth over Tomatoes+ peppers too 🌱
Five photo collage: 1) dig out a trench, 2) fill with compost. 3) Transplant baby lettuce seedlings from seedling tray, 4) the completed double-rows, 5) now edged with cardboard and straw under shade cloth with the pepper and tomato plants also under shade cloth area.
September 9, 2025 at 9:48 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
Gardening today at the communal garden — harvested lotsa tomatoes (the spotty bits wash off, is an organic spray to keep the critters away), and dragonfruit! Yummmm
🌱
(BLTs 🥓🥬🍅 for dinner tonight)
September 6, 2025 at 11:54 PM
susankitchens.bsky.social
President of What

Calling Snake Pliskin, who asked, “President of What?!”

Attn @ciaromano.bsky.social

www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
Screenshot of HuffPost article President Of What??? Trump Mocked Over 'Totally Delusional' Title He Just Gave Himself The president claimed this was a sign of the "respect" he's earned overseas. By Ed Mazza Aug 26, 2025, 12:06 AM EDT
August 31, 2025 at 1:55 AM