Watching the world

I'm a retired nurse.  I love books, cats, birds, feminism, and politics.

[cartoonpolitics]

(cartoon Steve Sack)

[cartoonpolitics]

(cartoon Daniel Morris)

[cheruib]

that comment about how you should not borrow grief from the future has saved me multiple times from spiraling into an inescapable state of anxiety. like every time i find myself thinking about how something in the future could go wrong i remember that comment and i think to myself: well i never know, it might get better. it might not even happen the way i think it will and if it does happen and it is sad and bad ill be sad about it then, when it happens. and it’s somehow soo freeing

[myellenbee]

No pillows for you! Happy Caturday

[callese]

[theeunactive-fashionblog]

Venus & Serena Williams for Harper Bazaar’s “Legacy Issue” by Renell Medrando {2022}

[9710144]

[myellenbee]

Nope, Nope, Nope, try another one, Nope ,Nope...

[brytning]

Self-care Sunday: Does anyone else feel like they need more concrete instructions than "just let go" of intrusive thoughts? Hunter Clark-Fields (author of Raising Good Humans) explains that the reason labeling thoughts works to help let them go is because the process activates the prefrontal cortex---the part of the brain responsible for logic, reason, and decision-making, i.e. the part of the brain that's good at focusing and setting emotions aside. It's been really helpful in my meditation practice to notice where my thoughts go, give them a label, and find it easier to refocus on the present. Labeling thoughts isn't just helpful during meditation! It's a useful practice at any time of day when you notice unwanted thoughts cropping up. The key is in the noticing.

[myellenbee]

Yes hooman this is the wrong side of the door, must I explain it EVERY time?

[myellenbee]

Happy Caturday! Danica and Ozzie enjoying early summer.

[myellenbee]

There is nothing better than cats, yarn and books together.

[everythingfox]

Crow having fun by himself at a children’s playground

(via)

[teamvoorhees2]

Can anyone ID this insect? My best guess was male red velvet wasp but nope. Flower is a marigold (about 1.5" dia)

[bunjywunjy]

congratulations, looks like you've reluctantly made the acquaintance of the scarlet-bodied wasp moth!

(yep, it's really a moth. surprise?)

[todaysbird]

the grey trembler is a member of the mimidae family (mockingbirds & thrashers) found only on the islands of martinique & saint lucia. this unique bird sports a distinct overly long beak. sexes have no distinction between plumages but females have a slightly longer beak. the species is named for the unusual trembling motion frequently made with their wings. they feed primarily on insects and fruits, using their large beak to tear open brush in a violent manner to find food.

[gianluc30]

[bbcwhereareyou]

Direct action

[aniseandspearmint]

Elf on a Shelf is an invasive species, Grogu did nothing wrong

[bunjywunjy]

These chocolate asks have me wondering if you can share some facts about the cacao tree. Or is plant biology not your thing?

sure thing!

the cacao tree SEEDS might be poisonous as fuck to most animals, but the cacao tree FRUIT is perfectly fine!

(surprise! gaze upon the Chocolate Fruit)

the cacao tree pods are full of nutritious pulp and are eaten by a HUGE variety of animals, who generally carry the pod off somewhere quiet where they can nibble out the fleshy pulp...

...and spit the bitter and extremely poisonous seeds out onto the forest floor. the seeds sprout wherever they land, growing a new cacao tree!

it's a pretty effective dispersal strategy, though humans did take it off the rails a bit with the whole "let's cultivate the hell out of this plant and only eat the poisonous bits" thing. why are we like this.

(ps! try to buy the expensive fair trade chocolate when you can to make sure that the people scooping the cacao goop are actually paid a fair wage and not, you know, enslaved. this has been a psa!)