Thursday 13: Much Better Weather!

This week’s Thursday 13 finds me much happier about the weather.

1.    We’ve had a few warm days that have been absolutely wonderful.  I know it’s probably not going to last, but I am determined to enjoy the warmer days for now.

2.    One of our hyacinths has even bloomed! 

3.    Some of the others have green shoots.

4.    Some of the daffodils have been sprouting too.

5.    These are in the front yard.

6.    These are next to the carport.

7.    I decided to try the milk jug greenhouse thing I’ve seen on Facebook.  If you’re not familiar, the idea is that you clean a milk jug (or similar container), put some drain holes in the bottom, slice it almost in half so you can access the inside, and plant seeds in it.  The idea is that the plastic jug serves as a greenhouse and keeps the seedlings warm enough to be outside and get an early start.  It’s also supposed to eliminate the need for hardening off seedlings.

8.    I’ve never tried it before, so I’m not sure if it works.  It sounds like it could, though, so I decided to give it a try.  If it doesn’t work, I can just use the potting soil for something else.  The seeds will be the only loss.  I started three of them (two different kinds of snapdragons and one zinnia) on Saturday.  I’ll let you know what happens. 

9.    In other yard-related news, I’m still working on the trimming/pruning I can do during the cold weather.  This is from about a month ago (before the first snowstorm hit.

10. Here’s the before.

11. And here’s the after.  I think I made some progress. 

12. A Thursday 13 doesn’t seem complete without at least one cat picture, so here’s one of Caroline.

13. And a few of Theodore.  

What We Can Do: Support RAINN

Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen at least a few snippets of the Epstein files.  You’ve probably noticed that not much has been done to punish the perpetrators or support the victims. 

Photo Credit Here

There were horrific acts committed against children and young women, and it seems like most of the perpetrators are going unpunished.  Unfortunately, this kind of sexual violence is rampant.  If you’re anything like me, you’re feeling so much rage right now.  It’s hard to know where to channel it or what to do with it. 

That’s where RAINN comes in.  I know that educating yourself on what grooming and sexual exploitation look like doesn’t feel like much.  I know that donating to an organization working to end sexual violence doesn’t feel like much.  But it’s what we as ordinary people can do, and I’d rather focus on what I can do than what I can’t do.

Per RAINN’s website, they are “the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization and operator of the National Sexual Assault Hotline, RAINN’s mission is to stop sexual violence by supporting survivors, holding perpetrators accountable, and creating safer communities.” 

If you take nothing else from this post, I encourage (okay, beg) you to read about grooming here.  If you’re not familiar, grooming is defined as “the deliberate act of building trust with a child, teen, or at-risk adult (such as an adult with a cognitive impairment) for the purpose of exploiting them sexually. Grooming typically starts with friendship, mentorship, or kindness that gradually turns into manipulation, control, and sexual abuse or assault.”

RAINN also provides helpful information about advocacy at the local, state, and national levels.  One of their recommendations is to find and support your state’s coalition against sexual assault.  They recommend a Google search with your state and keywords such as “anti-sexual assault coalition.” 

For example, in North Carolina, it’s NCCASA, North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault.  They work on everything from legislation to funding and staffing rape crisis centers.  I’m not sure about other states, but NCCASA has a paid membership that is a great way to help support their work. 

I know these are tiny things, not even a drop in the bucket, really, but it seems better than just screaming into the void.  

What We Can Do: Postcards to Swing States

Photo Credit Here

I like to think of myself as a “put your money where your mouth is” person.  I find social media justice warriors and people who make a lot of noise but never seem to actually do anything to be extremely annoying.   

I don’t care how great a writer you are; no Facebook, Blogger, Instagram, or TikTok post is going to fix what is wrong in our country right now. 

Publicly declaring your stance seems like a logical first step, but I don’t think it should be the only thing we do.  I never meant for my post last week to be all that I did.  It was part rant and part declaration of where I stand. 

I’ve spent the past week trying to decide what I’m going to do.  My blog is so small, I’m not even sure it’s accurate to call it a platform, but it’s what I have, so I’m going to use it.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by how bad things are right now.  I think most people are exhausted and already feel pulled in a million different directions.  That can lead to paralysis and make it feel like things are so bad that it doesn’t matter if we do anything or not. 

I suspect that’s how evil wins: by exhausting and demoralizing the decent people who are trying to fight for what’s good and kind. 

Fortunately, there are so many people out there who haven’t given up and are continuing to fight to uphold basic human decency.  The bravery and dedication of some of the people in the ICE terrorized cities is inspiring. 

Not all of us are in a position to attend protests.  Not everyone can be as vocal and visible in how they resist.  But I firmly believe that we can all do something.  To that end, I’m committing to making Wednesday the day that I share something we can do. 

In all likelihood, they will be tiny, quiet things, but hopefully, that’s better than nothing.

This week, I would like to share Postcards to Swing States with you.  They currently have one campaign going on, which is News Boosting Postcards.  Per their website, these postcards are to “help combat disinformation and make sure voters in states with key elections in 2026 learn how harmful the Trump/GOP agenda is for them. We’ll send you free postcards, voter lists and instructions. You’ll provide the stamps and have until April to write the postcards.”

They provide the postcards (free of charge), scripts, and addresses, and you’re responsible for writing and mailing them on the appropriate date.  You can order them in increments of 100, and there’s an option to choose to send them to Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, or where most needed.

I ordered 500 and chose to send them where most needed.  It was very tempting to choose North Carolina since that’s where I live, but I feel like the people running this have a lot more experience than I do, and therefore, a much better idea of where they’ll do the most good. 

I only recently ordered mine, so I haven’t received them yet, but I’ll keep you updated on when I get them and how it goes.  

Thursday 13: A VERY Random Edition

Since we’ve had so much snow, and I’ve been staying inside so much (because I HATE snow), I don’t have much for a Thursday 13 this week.

So, it seems like a good time to share a very random assortment of pictures that I’m fairly sure I haven’t posted here before.

1.    Of course, I’m going to start off with a cat picture.  I think Mortimer looks adorable here.  

2. This was at a vacation rental that we stayed at in 2023.  I think these hand mirrors are antique (or at least vintage).  They were displayed on a wall in the bathroom, and I thought it was a great idea.  It seemed like a fun way to display a collection without really taking up space.

3.    I enjoy taking pictures of the sky, and I thought it was beautiful this particular evening.

4.    I’m not sure what these little white flowers are called, but I think they’re pretty.

5.   This hibiscus was at a vacation rental we stayed at in 2022.

6.  This was on vacation in 2021.  It was insanely humid that day, and the camera lens fogged, but I liked how it made the picture look kind of mysterious and moody.

7.  Theodore loves it when we get a suitcase out of the closet. 

8.    So does Mortimer.

9.    This was sunrise on Kiawah Island on our 2024 vacation.

10.  This was the first time I successfully built a cooking fire entirely on my own after Hurricane Helene.  I’m not the outdoorsy type, so it felt like a major accomplishment.

11.  This was when a possum stopped by the critter corner.

12.  This was one of the few beach pictures I took on vacation last year before we got sick.

13.  Finally, here's a flower picture that, according to the date stamp, I took on February 29, 2024. I'm trying to remind myself that the snow will melt and spring will eventually arrive! 

Are you also eagerly anticipating warmer weather? 

 

Maybe We’re Finally Thawing Out

Like most of you, we’ve had a lot of snow and ice lately.  I know “a lot” is relative when it comes to snow and ice.  But for here, where most of us panic at the mention of snow, and almost none of us can drive in it, what we’ve had is definitely a lot. 

From the first round.  It's mostly ice.  There are icicles on the bird feeders.

Last weekend (January 24^th -25^th), we had some snow, a lot of ice, and freezing rain.  There were widespread power outages.  We were some of the fortunate ones who didn’t lose power.  It flickered so much that we fully expected to lose it, but never did.  Nick’s office was closed for two days, and mine switched us all to telework.

Everything was coated in ice.

We had some warming and melting, but still had ice in several places by Friday.

This past weekend (January 31^st – February 1^st), we had snow and extreme cold.  I think we ended up with around six inches of snow in total.  It’s a little hard to tell because of the way the wind blew it around. 

From this past weekend.  We had more after I took this.  And there's ice from the week before underneath it in some places.

Again, we were fortunate and didn’t lose power.  It did get so cold, though, that the heater wasn’t able to keep up and was running around seven degrees colder than what it was set for. 

We did everything we could to keep the house warmer.  We hung blankets over the blinds in the windows to help insulate the house a little more.  I did some baking and made soups and chili.  We had neighbors over for soup and chili both weekends. 

My job has switched us all to telework again for at least the next day or two, which I’m happy about since I absolutely don’t drive in this kind of weather.   

Things are beginning to thaw out.  

There's still ice under some of this, so I don't trust it.

We are supposed to have highs ranging from 47 to 51 this weekend.  I’m so glad!  I haven’t left the house since January 23^rd, and I’m starting to go a little stir crazy.  I’m looking forward to getting out. 

I hate winter.  I really, really hate winter.  I started off in January trying to have a positive attitude about winter and trying to make the best of the cold, but at this point, I’m just over it.  I’m ready for spring! 

I would much rather be taking pictures of flowers than snow!

So, what about you?  Are you thawing out?  Ready for spring?