try to live in a lovelier light

[turnonmyheels]

I was visited by the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday, January 13, 2026. 

The previous Saturday, January 10, my husband called me at work to say that a black Cessna 172 plane with no lights, no tail numbers and an infrared camera had been circling our property  at around 1000 to 1200 feet. He mentioned he had noticed the plane several times the past couple weeks but not flying that low.

Tuesday, two black Ford vehicles with blacked out windows pulled into my driveway like a SWAT team. Four white men, six foot to five foot ten, covered in body armour and wearing dark sun-glasses approached our house. My standard poodle had let herself out when they arrived and did her best to menace them while I grabbed my puppy and shut him in the house.  

One of the four men identified himself as being from the Wilkes County Sheriff’s department. He wore a badge but I was not close enough to read it. The Sheriff’s department has denied any employee matching his description. The man who portrayed himself as the ‘good’ cop came up onto the porch and stood within arms reach of me. The third man identified himself as being from the Department of Homeland Security.  

The fourth man wore a ski mask and gloves. I assume that was to obscure his identity as well as his race, but he neglected to cover his neck and throat.  He was a white man and definitely playing the role of the bad cop.

I need you to understand that I was absolutely caught off guard. I shook down to my bare feet. Not even my anxiety meds could keep me calm. I panicked the moment I saw them and haven’t really calmed down since.

Good cop:  Hey we’re looking for (my friend) is she here?

Me: No.

“Deputy”: I’m from the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Department and we need to talk to (friend), is she here.

Me: No

DHS: I’m from the Department of Homeland Security is (friend) there?

Me: No.

Nice guy: Hey, if she’s not here, she’s not here.

DHS: Do you know where she lives?

I made a face. He asked again. I made another face. They all looked at me and like a good little American I made the mistake of speaking.  

Me:  Name of Area

Official guy: Do you know where?

Me:  (made another face)

Good cop:  That’s okay, any idea where it might be?

Bad cop: Can you give us her phone number?

At this point, my brain started to come online a bit.

Me: Can you take off your facemask?

Bad cop: chuckles No.

My brain is completely online now.

Me: Fuck off and die.

I go inside the house, slam the door closed, and start screaming for my husband. Cora, the amazing poodle, had not stopped trying to menace them. DHS is here, go take pictures while I notify friend.

They see him come outside and pull back in the driveway to talk to him. He identified the vehicles as Ford F150s one had a camper shell. The truck with the Deputy and ski mask guy had a dog with them. They had a short exchange with my husband.

Deputy:  Is friend here?

Husband:  No. Friend hasn’t lived here in years. Do you have a warrant?

Deputy:  No.

Husband: Get off my property.

He took pictures while they left.

I have never felt so intimidated and frightened in my own home. Please consider a man who sexually assaulted me lives down the street. 

This is more frightening; Wednesday afternoon a helicopter hovered directly over the house for about a minute.

Thursday, the same F-150 was hiding in the weeds at the top of my road. I noticed it when I came home from errands. I am normally oblivious to vehicles but due to anxiety I'm in a hyper-aware state at the moment. I turned the car around in the first driveway I came to so I could get another look and make sure I’m not being paranoid.

Spoiler alert, I am not crazy or paranoid.  

I turned back around to go home. There was one man, not two, but it was the exact same truck.  A couple hours later, my husband went to take the trash to the local landfill satellite and the truck was still there. When he came home from taking the trash, the truck followed him to our house, drove past, came back by and parked at the end of the road again. A friend they weren’t looking for came by later and they were still there. They took pictures as they left.

This is real. This is factual. There are no exaggerations to tell a good story. I am a white, CIS, married, middle-age, middle-class woman. If they will do this to me what will they do to you?

Meanwhile once they were gone I immediately went to my local gun store and walked out with a pistol. Did you know or forget that you no longer have to wait to buy a handgun in NC? 

So now, when I am outside with my puppy training him to be a good boy I keep my pistol locked, loaded, and in my hand. At least the second amendment is still working in some capacity.

I was visited by the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday, January 13. 

The previous Saturday, January 10, my husband called me at work to say that a black Cessna 172 plane with no lights, no tail numbers and an infrared camera had been circling our property  at around 1000 to 1200 feet. He mentioned he had noticed the plane several times the past couple weeks but not flying that low.

Tuesday, two black Ford vehicles with blacked out windows pulled into my driveway like a SWAT team. Four white men, six foot to five foot ten, covered in body armour and wearing dark sun-glasses approached our house. My standard poodle had let herself out when they arrived and did her best to menace them while I grabbed my puppy and shut him in the house.  

One of the four men identified himself as being from the Wilkes County Sheriff’s department. He wore a badge but I was not close enough to read it. The Sheriff’s department has denied any employee matching his description. The man who portrayed himself as the ‘good’ cop came up onto the porch and stood within arms reach of me. The third man identified himself as being from the Department of Homeland Security.  

The fourth man wore a ski mask and gloves. I assume that was to obscure his identity as well as his race, but he neglected to cover his neck and throat.  He was a white man and definitely playing the role of the bad cop.

I need you to understand that I was absolutely caught off guard. I shook down to my bare feet. Not even my anxiety meds could keep me calm. I panicked the moment I saw them and haven’t really calmed down since.

Good cop:  Hey we’re looking for (my friend) is she here?

Me: No.

“Deputy”: I’m from the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Department and we need to talk to (friend), is she here.

Me: No

DHS: I’m from the Department of Homeland Security is (friend) there?

Me: No.

Nice guy: Hey, if she’s not here, she’s not here.

DHS: Do you know where she lives?

I made a face. He asked again. I made another face. They all looked at me and like a good little American I made the mistake of speaking.  

Me:  Name of Area

Official guy: Do you know where?

Me:  (made another face)

Good cop:  That’s okay, any idea where it might be?

Bad cop: Can you give us her phone number?

At this point, my brain started to come online a bit.

Me: Can you take off your facemask?

Bad cop: chuckles No.

My brain is completely online now.

Me: Fuck off and die.

I go inside the house, slam the door closed, and start screaming for my husband. Cora, the amazing poodle, had not stopped trying to menace them. DHS is here, go take pictures while I notify friend.

They see him come outside and pull back in the driveway to talk to him. He identified the vehicles as Ford F150s one had a camper shell. The truck with the Deputy and ski mask guy had a dog with them. They had a short exchange with my husband.

Deputy:  Is friend here?

Husband:  No. Friend hasn’t lived here in years. Do you have a warrant?

Deputy:  No.

Husband: Get off my property.

He took pictures while they left.

I have never felt so intimidated and frightened in my own home. Please consider a man who sexually assaulted me lives down the street. 

This is more frightening; Wednesday afternoon a helicopter hovered directly over the house for about a minute.

Thursday, the same F-150 was hiding in the weeds at the top of my road. I noticed it when I came home from errands. I am normally oblivious to vehicles but due to anxiety I'm in a hyper-aware state at the moment. I turned the car around in the first driveway I came to so I could get another look and make sure I’m not being paranoid.

I turned back around to go home. There was one man, not two, but it was the exact same truck.  A couple hours later, my husband went to take the trash to the local landfill satellite and the truck was still there. When he came home from taking the trash, the truck followed him to our house, drove past, came back by and parked at the end of the road again. A friend they weren’t looking for came by later and they were still there. They took pictures as they left.

At this moment there is a blacked-out Chevy down the road pointed at my house

This is real. This is factual. There are no exaggerations to tell a good story. I am a white, CIS, married, middle-age, middle-class woman. If they will do this to me what will they do to you?

Meanwhile once they were gone I immediately went to my local gun store and walked out with a pistol. Did you know or forget that you no longer have to wait to buy a handgun in NC? 

So now, when I am outside with my puppy training him to be a good boy I keep my pistol locked, loaded, and in my hand. At least the second amendment is still working in some capacity.

Welcome to America 2026

[turnonmyheels]

I was visited by the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday, January 13, 2026. 

The previous Saturday, January 10, my husband called me at work to say that a black Cessna 172 plane with no lights, no tail numbers and an infrared camera had been circling our property  at around 1000 to 1200 feet. He mentioned he had noticed the plane several times the past couple weeks but not flying that low.

Tuesday, two black Ford vehicles with blacked out windows pulled into my driveway like a SWAT team. Four white men, six foot to five foot ten, covered in body armour and wearing dark sun-glasses approached our house. My standard poodle had let herself out when they arrived and did her best to menace them while I grabbed my puppy and shut him in the house.  

One of the four men identified himself as being from the Wilkes County Sheriff’s department. He wore a badge but I was not close enough to read it. The Sheriff’s department has denied any employee matching his description. The man who portrayed himself as the ‘good’ cop came up onto the porch and stood within arms reach of me. The third man identified himself as being from the Department of Homeland Security.  

The fourth man wore a ski mask and gloves. I assume that was to obscure his identity as well as his race, but he neglected to cover his neck and throat.  He was a white man and definitely playing the role of the bad cop.

I need you to understand that I was absolutely caught off guard. I shook down to my bare feet. Not even my anxiety meds could keep me calm. I panicked the moment I saw them and haven’t really calmed down since.

Good cop:  Hey we’re looking for (my friend) is she here?

Me: No.

“Deputy”: I’m from the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Department and we need to talk to (friend), is she here.

Me: No

DHS: I’m from the Department of Homeland Security is (friend) there?

Me: No.

Nice guy: Hey, if she’s not here, she’s not here.

DHS: Do you know where she lives?

I made a face. He asked again. I made another face. They all looked at me and like a good little American I made the mistake of speaking.  

Me:  Name of Area

Official guy: Do you know where?

Me:  (made another face)

Good cop:  That’s okay, any idea where it might be?

Bad cop: Can you give us her phone number?

At this point, my brain started to come online a bit.

Me: Can you take off your facemask?

Bad cop: chuckles No.

My brain is completely online now.

Me: Fuck off and die.

I go inside the house, slam the door closed, and start screaming for my husband. Cora, the amazing poodle, had not stopped trying to menace them. DHS is here, go take pictures while I notify friend.

They see him come outside and pull back in the driveway to talk to him. He identified the vehicles as Ford F150s one had a camper shell. The truck with the Deputy and ski mask guy had a dog with them. They had a short exchange with my husband.

Deputy:  Is friend here?

Husband:  No. Friend hasn’t lived here in years. Do you have a warrant?

Deputy:  No.

Husband: Get off my property.

He took pictures while they left.

I have never felt so intimidated and frightened in my own home. Please consider a man who sexually assaulted me lives down the street. 

This is more frightening; Wednesday afternoon a helicopter hovered directly over the house for about a minute.

Thursday, the same F-150 was hiding in the weeds at the top of my road. I noticed it when I came home from errands. I am normally oblivious to vehicles but due to anxiety I'm in a hyper-aware state at the moment. I turned the car around in the first driveway I came to so I could get another look and make sure I’m not being paranoid.

Spoiler alert, I am not crazy or paranoid.  

I turned back around to go home. There was one man, not two, but it was the exact same truck.  A couple hours later, my husband went to take the trash to the local landfill satellite and the truck was still there. When he came home from taking the trash, the truck followed him to our house, drove past, came back by and parked at the end of the road again. A friend they weren’t looking for came by later and they were still there. They took pictures as they left.

This is real. This is factual. There are no exaggerations to tell a good story. I am a white, CIS, married, middle-age, middle-class woman. If they will do this to me what will they do to you?

Meanwhile once they were gone I immediately went to my local gun store and walked out with a pistol. Did you know or forget that you no longer have to wait to buy a handgun in NC? 

So now, when I am outside with my puppy training him to be a good boy I keep my pistol locked, loaded, and in my hand. At least the second amendment is still working in some capacity.

I was visited by the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday, January 13. 

The previous Saturday, January 10, my husband called me at work to say that a black Cessna 172 plane with no lights, no tail numbers and an infrared camera had been circling our property  at around 1000 to 1200 feet. He mentioned he had noticed the plane several times the past couple weeks but not flying that low.

Tuesday, two black Ford vehicles with blacked out windows pulled into my driveway like a SWAT team. Four white men, six foot to five foot ten, covered in body armour and wearing dark sun-glasses approached our house. My standard poodle had let herself out when they arrived and did her best to menace them while I grabbed my puppy and shut him in the house.  

One of the four men identified himself as being from the Wilkes County Sheriff’s department. He wore a badge but I was not close enough to read it. The Sheriff’s department has denied any employee matching his description. The man who portrayed himself as the ‘good’ cop came up onto the porch and stood within arms reach of me. The third man identified himself as being from the Department of Homeland Security.  

The fourth man wore a ski mask and gloves. I assume that was to obscure his identity as well as his race, but he neglected to cover his neck and throat.  He was a white man and definitely playing the role of the bad cop.

I need you to understand that I was absolutely caught off guard. I shook down to my bare feet. Not even my anxiety meds could keep me calm. I panicked the moment I saw them and haven’t really calmed down since.

Good cop:  Hey we’re looking for (my friend) is she here?

Me: No.

“Deputy”: I’m from the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Department and we need to talk to (friend), is she here.

Me: No

DHS: I’m from the Department of Homeland Security is (friend) there?

Me: No.

Nice guy: Hey, if she’s not here, she’s not here.

DHS: Do you know where she lives?

I made a face. He asked again. I made another face. They all looked at me and like a good little American I made the mistake of speaking.  

Me:  Name of Area

Official guy: Do you know where?

Me:  (made another face)

Good cop:  That’s okay, any idea where it might be?

Bad cop: Can you give us her phone number?

At this point, my brain started to come online a bit.

Me: Can you take off your facemask?

Bad cop: chuckles No.

My brain is completely online now.

Me: Fuck off and die.

I go inside the house, slam the door closed, and start screaming for my husband. Cora, the amazing poodle, had not stopped trying to menace them. DHS is here, go take pictures while I notify friend.

They see him come outside and pull back in the driveway to talk to him. He identified the vehicles as Ford F150s one had a camper shell. The truck with the Deputy and ski mask guy had a dog with them. They had a short exchange with my husband.

Deputy:  Is friend here?

Husband:  No. Friend hasn’t lived here in years. Do you have a warrant?

Deputy:  No.

Husband: Get off my property.

He took pictures while they left.

I have never felt so intimidated and frightened in my own home. Please consider a man who sexually assaulted me lives down the street. 

This is more frightening; Wednesday afternoon a helicopter hovered directly over the house for about a minute.

Thursday, the same F-150 was hiding in the weeds at the top of my road. I noticed it when I came home from errands. I am normally oblivious to vehicles but due to anxiety I'm in a hyper-aware state at the moment. I turned the car around in the first driveway I came to so I could get another look and make sure I’m not being paranoid.

I turned back around to go home. There was one man, not two, but it was the exact same truck.  A couple hours later, my husband went to take the trash to the local landfill satellite and the truck was still there. When he came home from taking the trash, the truck followed him to our house, drove past, came back by and parked at the end of the road again. A friend they weren’t looking for came by later and they were still there. They took pictures as they left.

At this moment there is a blacked-out Chevy down the road pointed at my house

This is real. This is factual. There are no exaggerations to tell a good story. I am a white, CIS, married, middle-age, middle-class woman. If they will do this to me what will they do to you?

Meanwhile once they were gone I immediately went to my local gun store and walked out with a pistol. Did you know or forget that you no longer have to wait to buy a handgun in NC? 

So now, when I am outside with my puppy training him to be a good boy I keep my pistol locked, loaded, and in my hand. At least the second amendment is still working in some capacity.

Welcome to America 2026

[kaijuno]

My dad has bees. Today, I went to his house and he showed me all the honey he had gotten from the hives. He took the lid off a 5-gallon bucket full of honey and on top of the honey there were 3 little bees, struggling. They were covered in sticky honey and drowning. I asked him if we could help them and he said he was sure they wouldn't survive. Casualties of honey collection I suppose.

I asked him again if we could at least get them out and kill them quickly, after all he was the one who taught me to put a suffering animal (or bug) out of its misery. He finally conceded and scooped the bees out of the bucket. He put them in an empty Chobani yogurt container and put the plastic container outside.

Because he had disrupted the hive with the earlier honey collection, there were bees flying all over outside.

We put the 3 little bees in the container on a bench and left them to their fate. My dad called me out a little while later to show me what was happening. These three little bees were surrounded by all their sisters (all of the bees are females) and they were cleaning the sticky nearly dead bees, helping them to get all of the honey off of their bodies. We came back a short time later and there was only one little bee left in the container. She was still being tended to by her sisters.

When it was time for me to leave, we checked one last time and all three of the bees had been cleaned off enough to fly away and the container was empty.

Those three little bees lived because they were surrounded by family and friends who would not give up on them, family and friends who refused to let them drown in their own stickiness and resolved to help until the last little bee could be set free.

Bee Sisters. Bee Peers. Bee Teammates.

We could all learn a thing or two from these bees.

Bee kind always.

[roach-works]

also: the bees aren't strong enough to pull the drowning ones out, and the humans aren't delicate enough to clean them off afterwards. helping takes a lot of forms.

[the1920sinpictures]

1920s Cartier emerald, ruby and diamond necklace with a detachable pendant/brooch. From Art Deco, Avant Garde and Modernism, FB.

[jakegyllenhaal]

Saturday, March 24, 1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois, 60062. Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That’s the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed.

The Breakfast Club, 1985 — Director, John Hughes.

[argumate]

you bottle Miette??

[dhavaer]

You crush Miette like the grape?

[digitaldiscipline]

brick up mother in basement for ONE THOUSAND YEARS

[tzikeh]

The Cask of Miettellado

[hasufin]

Y'all are just absolutely committed to creating humor I cannot explain to my spouse, aren't you?

[gemville]

Art Deco Platinum, Lapis Lazuli, Sapphire and Diamond Ear Pendants by Cartier, Circa 1925

[datasoong47]

The Vulcan children's hospital recently redecorated. I'm not convinced they chose the most logical option

[pinche-aquarius]

Keep up the great work, lads

[mayax81]

[snakebites-and-ink]

I love how this addition would be absolutely incomprehensible almost anywhere else but we know exactly what it means

[hillerska-official]

Oh btw I'm reading another star trek novel and chapter 1 just opens like this

[scarliefrancis]

Trust me. I've been doin' it for nine years. Yes, sir. Better than a shower and a hot cup of coffee. — Die Hard (1988) dir. John McTiernan

[equalistmako]

every time i listen to “you’re a mean one mr. grinch” i can’t help but sit there and think “what did the grinch do to hurt you?” because dude just stands there for 2 minutes and 58 seconds and drags the grinch into the dirt

[damianmcgintleman]

he stole christmas, kayla! stop with your #notallgrinches propaganda!

[equalistmako]

you know what if someone told me i was a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce i’d probably be bitter enough to steal christmas too 

[prokopetz]

Interestingly, though The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is narrated by Boris Karloff, the big musical number is sung by the late Thurl Ravenscroft - an American voice actor better known as the voice of Tony the Tiger.

My headcanon is that the Grinch and Tony the Tiger had a bad breakup, and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is the resulting breakup song.

[snickerslizard]

Did this really HAVE to be the first thing I see when I opened up Tumblr?

[prokopetz]

Yes.

[iguanamouth]

[star-spangled-jackass]

oh god theres art

[tediousfeline]

@altadude you know what must be done.

[altadude-deactivated20190418]

[lesbopsappho]

ive been avoiding reblogging this honestly but just. What the fuck. What the fuck tumblr

[magickspills]

I apologize to all my followers for this

[watfordwallflower]

if i had to read this you do too

[quinintheclouds]

I have a hate-hate relationship with this

[theepitomeofamess]

………

[anony-phangirl]

Good grief… I’m sorry, but I can’t not reblog this…

[broadwaytheanimatedseries]

Tis the season bitches

[theresneverenoughfandoms]

DAMN IT WHY WOULD YOU BRING THIS BACK YOU HEATHEN

[logan-exe]

Why is this on my dash?

[princeanxious]

…..I’m.. Bothered? by the fact that I’m not bothered by this.

[randomslasher]

You’re not bothered?? I’m not only not bothered, I’m freaking invested. I’m having actual empathetic sadness for The Grinch. I want them to go into couple’s counseling. I want the “ten years later” when Tony visits Whoville on business and meets the reformed Grinch whose heart has grown 3 times its usual size. I want them to reminisce over a shared dinner of roast beast and wine, then spend a drunken night together, then realize that maybe things are different and people really do change. I want a 3-act story where there’s a long dark night of soul searching and the realization that maybe we’ve all got a little bit of bad banana with greasy black peel inside us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a damned fine banana bread if someone will give us a chance. 

[chooseyourmusehasmoved]

“maybe we’ve all got a little bit of bad banana with greasy black peel inside us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a damned fine banana bread if someone will give us a chance” is an incredibly profound quote and I did NOT expect to get it from a Grinch x Tony the Tiger post

[none-of-your-biscuits]

every fucking year i have to see this on my dash please just let me fucking r e s t

[prokopetz]

It’s that time again.

[transformativeworks]

There are currently 32 works in The Grinch/Tony the Tiger on AO3.

[leonkennedysprostate]

it's the year 2027. tom hardy uploads venom 4 which he filmed on his iphone, venom is just a piece of cardboard because the 100$ budget ran out and the entire movie is set in his backyard. we finally get a kiss scene during the reunion of eddie and venom before he fights a drawing of tom holland's spiderman. it makes 5 billion dollars in two days

[cbc-bb-deactivated20250802]

please be patient with me im from the 1900s

[hometoursandotherstuff]

[baskervilleshund]

[benedictsvestcollection]

Today’s the only day you can reblog this until next year guys.

[alwaysbewoke]

awesome story. black doctors and nurses are the best.

[symphonicseauxl]

We need more of this

[anomaliewrites]

I'm not a PoC but this is just incredible, *exceptional*, culturally sensitive patient care, period. Absolutely should be shared with every healthcare professional I know.

We should always keep in mind that we are treating an entire person, not simply their condition, and the effects seemingly minor kindnesses can have on them long after they leave our care.

[brighteyedjill]

If you want to support black doctors who are just starting out, Farrah-Amoy Fullerton, a fourth-year med student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham just set up a way for people to help black fourth year med students transition to their residencie. This often means moving to a new city where they won't get a paycheck for weeks. Black students are also less likely to have access to generational wealth to keep them afloat during school. So if you have a few bucks and want to buy a graduation gift for a future black doctor, check out this article or search #medgradwishlist on twitter.

[moon-cricket-chirps]

We need more black doctors to because doctors are often untrained on how to diagnose conditions in black peoples vs white people and are taught black have a higher pain tolerance and just a whole bunch of other ridiculous things........ black people need black doctors

[stormclouds-chainmail]

[Image description

A Twitter thread from india @/IndiaDionna which reads, "So y'all know how I said I woke up from surgery with more braids in my head than I came in with and I thought it was the black nurses? I found out today at my post op appointment that the surgeon (he's black) did it. He said he has 3 little girls at home and they have wash day... I almost cried.

While removing my staples he said "your braids look better than mine, I hope I didn't do too bad." and I was like "excuse me? You did my hair?"... You could tell he was so proud to tell me, lol.

Surprised reaction gif.

He also said he used staples to close my incisions instead of stitches to avoid cutting my hair when removing stitches.

Crying reaction gif.

Thinking about this black man braiding my hair to prepare to cut my head open is hilarious and endearing at the same time. Also the fact that he's that active in helping his wife with their girls, I love it. Moral of the story: find black doctors.

Crying reaction gif.

A quote tweet by Farrah-Amoy | Dr. Fullerton @...

Y'all always inspire me with your thoughtfulness and care for your fledgling colleagues

Here is my #MedGradWishlist #MedTwitter!

Thank you so much for y'all's support! amazon.com/hz/wishlist/Is...

Quoted Tweet

Amy G Dala MD @AmyGDa... .

Hey, #medtwitter

Who's up for buying some graduation gifts for 4th yr med students?!? Particularly minoritized trainees, who deserve extra congrats for surviving & thriving in an educational system that does not make the road fair or easy.

End description]