Sweet Tea Reads

Feline Friday: Mortimer Chilling In the Recliner

2026-09-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

For Feline Friday, all you have to do is post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat

Lately, one of the recliners has been Mortimer’s favorite place to hang out.

He always looks so cute and comfortable in it.

Feline Friday: Facebook Memories of Howard

2026-09-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

For Feline Friday, all you have to do is post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat.

These photos of Howard, from nine years ago, popped up as Facebook memories this week, so I thought I would share them.

Howard has been gone for almost three years now, but if you’ve been visiting here for long, you know what an incredibly special cat he was.

Feline Friday: Boots, The Bullington Gardens Cat

2026-08-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

For Feline Friday, all you have to do is post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat.

Now that you’ve seen the Fairy Trail at Bullington Gardens, I can show the cutest part of our visit.

This is Boots, the Bullington Gardens cat. He was an absolute sweetheart. As nice as the Fairy Trail was, I would have been happy to stand around and pet Boots all day. He was so soft and sweet.

Boots came to live at Bullington Gardens because someone threw him out there. (I like to think there’s a special place in hell for anyone who does something like that.)

Fortunately for Boots, the nice people at Bullington Gardens took him in, and now he spends his days getting lots of pets and love.

Feline Friday: Theodore In A Frog Hat

2026-08-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

For Feline Friday, all you have to do is post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat.

This week, we have Theodore in his frog hat.

Theodore is all about food, so I can bribe him to wear hats as long as I give him treats.

I think he looks adorable in them.

Here’s a video of him enjoying his treat.

Thursday 13: Angel Oak

2026-08-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

I’ve written about the Angel Oak before, but it’s so beautiful it deserves multiple mentions. We usually go visit it every year on vacation, and I always take lots of pictures.

So, for Thursday13, here are pictures from our 2021 trip.

1. The Angel Oak is huge. You can read more about its dimensions here.

2. Here’s a view with most of the tree to give you an idea of its size.

3. Here’s another angle of the main trunk.

4. And another angle of the main trunk.

5. It has huge branches that sprawl in all directions.

6. Some of the branches have so many of their own branches that they almost seem like their own mini forest.

7. Many of the branches are bigger than some trees.

8. I think the moss that grows on some of the shadier branches is beautiful.

9. Some of the branches sprawl along the ground.

10. Some of them are huge.

11. Here’s a picture to give you an idea of how many branches the main trunk has.

12. I love looking at all of the different directions that the branches twist and turn.

13. I think some of the most beautiful views come from standing underneath and looking at the branches as they twist and turn across the sky.

Feline Friday – Mail Delivery

2026-08-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

For Feline Friday, all you have to do is post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat.

We got the cats a new toy; their very own mail truck.

Theodore enjoying the mail truck.

They tend to love scratcher toys like this.

They loved their taco truck.

The ice cream truck was also very popular.

Fortunately, the mail truck seems to be much sturdier, which is good since they like to sit on top of it as well as inside it.

Mortimer seems to prefer being on top of the truck.

Thursday 13: The Fairy Trail at Bullington Gardens – Part 3

2026-08-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

For this week’s Thursday 13, we’re going to conclude our tour of the fairy trail at Bullington Gardens. (Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here, in case you missed them.)

1. We’ll begin at the Ivy Patch Fun Park.

2. It even has a Ferris wheel and a hot air balloon.

3. Next is the Abracadabara Magic Shoppe.

4. Then we come to the Fairy Good Bakery, which was one of my favorites. I think it’s just darling.

5. I love the little tea set.

6. The cakes are so pretty, and you have to appreciate the fairy’s advice to eat more cake.

7. We find more fairy advice as we continue along the trail.

8. There are more doors nestled in the trees along the way.

9. Some of the doors even have little surprises behind them.

10. We find the Tooth Fairy Office and Warehouse.

11. The Second Hand Shop is made from a boot, with a license plate roof.

12. We pass another tea set, all set for a tea party, along the way.

13. There are more fairy houses in all shapes and sizes.

I hope you've enjoyed our stroll along the Fairy Trail.

Feline Friday: Mortimer Wants a Squirrel

2026-08-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

For Feline Friday, all you have to do is post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat.

There’s a chair in our living room that the cats have mostly claimed as their own. It’s comfortable, and it’s right in front of a window, so it makes sense that they like it.

Mortimer

Since the cats spend so much time in that chair, we decided to put a window bird feeder in that window. It definitely keeps them entertained!

Theodore and Mortimer

As is the case with most of our bird feeders, the squirrels visit at least as often as the birds do. I think the cats are more interested in the squirrels than the birds.

Enjoy this video of Mortimer watching a squirrel.

Thursday 13: The Fairy Trail at Bullington Gardens – Part 2

2026-08-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, we began our tour of the Fairy Garden at Bullington Gardens. The trail is beautiful, and there’s a lot to see, so join me as I take you along for Part 2 for this week’s Thursday 13.

1. Fairies aren’t the only magical beings on this trail. We’ll begin at the Woodland Park, which is shared by fairies and gnomes.

2. There are quite a few gnomes along the trail, like this one resting on a bench.

3. The gnomes even have a yoga studio.

4. This little friend is tucked away on a branch right next to Frogtown.

5. Here’s one of the residents of Frogtown.

6. Next, we come across even more gnomes.

7. The gnomes even have a lake house.

8. The magic continues with the Enchanted Forest, shared by fairies and gnomes.

9. Next, we come to the Unicorn Meadow.

10. Along our way, we pass some cute little mushrooms and a butterfly made from stones.

11. Next, we come to the Fae Shed, shared by gnomes and other friends. Of course, I was happy to see that they have a cat.

12. We meet some more gnomes as we continue along the trail.

13. Finally, we end at Santa's Workshop.

Join me next week as we finish our journey along the fairy trail.

Feline Friday: Good News from Theodore’s Checkup

2026-07-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

For Feline Friday, all you have to do is post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat.

Since I mentioned recently that Theodore went to the vet for a cough and was scheduled for a re-check, I wanted to let you know that the infection is gone and Theodore is back to being in great health.

The vet said his lungs sounded great! They still want us to give him Laxatone a few times a week to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Theodore was born in the vet’s office, and he grew up there, so he gets treated like a celebrity whenever he goes back. I think, by the time we left, everyone had carried him around, snuggled with him, and taken pictures of him.

Theodore loves going to the vet!

Thursday 13: The Fairy Trail at Bullington Gardens – Part 1

2026-07-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

I have wanted to visit the Fairy Trail at Bullington Gardens for years, but we kept missing it. Every. Single. Year. This year, though, I was determined to see it, so we went last Saturday.

It was so much better than I expected (and my expectations were high)!

The trail is beautiful, and there’s so much to see. So, for this Thursday 13, I’m going to take you along on the Fairy Trail.

1. The magic begins at the entrance to the fairy trail.

2. We’re reminded that we’re never too old for fairies.

3. Little fairy doors are nestled in lots of the trees.

4. Some are ground level.

5. Some are reached by stairs or ladders.

6. There’s even an elevator.

7. You learn the fairy code along the way.

8. Next is the International Church of Peace.

9. Everywhere, there are fairies going about their day.

10. There’s even a little fairy clothesline.

11. Some fairies are camping.

12. Look how cute the little fairy camper is!

13. There are fairy houses in all shapes and sizes.

Join me next week as we continue along the fairy trail.

My Quest for Water

2026-07-27T20:18:31.809-04:00

Does it sometimes seem like it’s really hard to get everything together and get out the door on Monday morning?

It does for me. It seems like whenever something breaks or I leave the house without something I need, it happens on a Monday. This brings me to today’s quest for water.

Shortly before leaving for work this morning, I filled up my water bottle and set it on the kitchen counter. Then, I made my PB&J sandwich (one of my go-to choices when I didn’t pack or plan anything the night before) and packed it in my work bag.

I arrived at work and unpacked my laptop and notebooks, but no water bottle. It was still sitting on the kitchen counter. Thus began my quest for water.

Photo Credit Here

I went downstairs to the vending machine to buy a bottle of water.

It was out of water.

Next, I walked to another building to buy a bottle of water from that vending machine.

It was also out of water.

My next stop was the cafeteria.

I was finally able to buy a bottle of water!

The elusive bottle of water!

Tomorrow, I will be double-checking my work bag to make sure I packed my water bottle!

So, what about you? Are you more prone to forgetting things on Monday?

Here’s to the rest of the week being smooth for everyone!

These have nothing to do with my quest for water, but they're pretty, so I wanted to share them.

Feline Friday: Sassy

2026-07-24T09:12:52.346-04:00

For Feline Friday, all you have to do is post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat.

This week, we’re going way back to my very first cat, Sassy. My parents had a cat, Butterscotch, when I was born, but around the time I was nine years old, I started reading the Mandie books by Lois Gladys Leppard. I was obsessed with them. The main character had a white kitten named Snowball, and I decided I also needed a white kitten to name Snowball. That’s when the begging for a kitten began.

My younger sister, Gabby, not to be outdone, decided that she also needed a kitten and that she wanted hers to be a Siamese kitten.

We begged incessantly.

Finally, one night, we were told to come into the kitchen because Mom’s friend, Pam, had brought a surprise for us. It was a pet carrier, with two tiny little kittens (they each weighed 2.2 pounds) in it. Unbeknownst to us, our parents had decided to let us have our kittens, but weren’t about to take us to an animal shelter, knowing we’d beg for ALL of the kittens. So, they put the word out that they were looking for two kittens. Pam got the two kittens from someone’s neighbor, and they were in pretty rough shape; malnourished, covered in fleas, etc. But to us, they were perfect.

One of the kittens was in the front of the pet carrier, hissing at everyone, and the other one was cowering behind the one doing all of the hissing.

Gabby immediately announced that she wanted the hisser. I wanted the one who was cowering.

Gabby immediately named her kitten Koko. I deliberated for almost two full days before naming mine Sassy.

Koko was the adventurous one, always getting into everything. By the time they were a few years old, Sassy was very calm and loved chilling out and being brushed.

This was around the time that my parents decided to get birds, and we ultimately ended up with eight parakeets (that’s another story for another time).

The difference in Koko and Sassy’s personalities really showed in their reactions to the birds. Koko quite literally climbed a wall in an effort to get to the birds. Sassy could not have cared less about them. Don’t worry, none of the birds were harmed to get this picture. My dad set it up to demonstrate just how lazy (his word, not mine, I thought Sassy was perfect) he was.

Sassy looked at the birds, but that was pretty much it. She liked her food prepared and served in a dish, thank you very much.

Koko and Sassy both lived to be 15 years old and were the cats that set Gabby and me on our way to being cat ladies. In some ways, Gabby has stuck with choosing the feisty cat, and I’ve stuck with choosing the scared cat.

Incidentally, over thirty years later, I’ve still never had a solid white cat, and Gabby has still never had a Siamese cat, though neither one of us thought Koko and Sassy were anything less than perfect.

Thursday 13: A Chemo Angels and Senior Angels Update

2026-07-23T07:40:44.748-04:00

1. Since it has been over two years since my last Chemo Angels/Senior Angels update, I decided it’s definitely time for another one.

2. If you’re not familiar with Chemo Angels and Senior Angels, you can read my long post about them here. (Other updates are here and here if you’re interested.) The short version is that they’re programs that match patients undergoing chemotherapy and seniors (both known as buddies) with volunteers (known as card angels or chemo angels) who send them a card or letter at least once a week. It’s strictly mail-based, and volunteers are matched with buddies based on interests. I started volunteering with both programs as a card angel in 2019 (I did take about five weeks off right after Hurricane Helene hit), and I absolutely love doing it.

3. As usual, with this kind of post, the photos are just a random assortment.

4. Unfortunately, this update includes some sad news, so I will share that first, so we can end on a happier note. My senior buddy (called Agnes for blogging) passed away in October last year. I knew it was coming (she was in her 90s and was in hospice care), but I had been writing to her almost since I first signed up. (I signed up in August of 2019 and started writing to Agnes in November of 2019). I cried when I got the email and cried again when her daughter sent me a very sweet letter letting me know that she had passed away and saying that she enjoyed my cards right up to the end.

5. The other senior buddy I had (called Callie for blogging) also passed away last year. She had Stage IV cancer, so it wasn’t a surprise, but it was still sad. Her husband found me on Facebook and sent me a very sweet message.

6. I’m sure you’re ready for some happier news in this update, so here’s a happy ending for you. The teenage boy (called Sam for blogging) who I was writing to the last time I posted an update, finished chemo and is now cancer-free.

7. Whenever one of your buddies finishes the program for any reason (hopefully for finishing their treatment), they always ask if you want to get back on the list for another assignment. That works well for me since I usually get a new buddy fairly quickly and can stay in the habit of writing to someone.

8. Chemo Angels had a shortage of volunteers last year, so I’ve cycled through a lot of buddies since my last update. At one point, I got a new buddy just two days after a previous buddy finished the program.

9. Four of the buddies that I had since my last update have written back to me. They’re not required to write back, and volunteers are told repeatedly not to expect or ask our buddies to write back, so it always feels really special to get a letter from one of my buddies.

10. Fortunately, all four of those buddies have finished their treatment and were cancer-free at the end of the treatment.

11. I currently have two relatively new buddies. We’ll call them Adam and Josie for blogging. I’ve only been writing to Adam for about six weeks and to Josie for about two weeks.

12. I had another buddy finish this week, so I’m back on the waiting list for a third buddy. I seem to stay at three buddies pretty consistently. (I would be allowed to have more if I wanted to, but more than three gets to be hard for me to keep up with. I’ve had four before when there’s a real shortage of volunteers, but I prefer to stay at three.)

13. As I’ve said before, I learned about Chemo Angels when Bijoux and Betty shared their experiences on their blogs, and I’m so glad they did. Volunteering with them feels like the perfect fit for me. Now, though, I am especially grateful to them for sharing their experiences because I have a friend going through chemotherapy, and I told her about Chemo Angels. She signed up as a recipient and absolutely loves getting her angel mail. Seeing how much joy it brings her has definitely made me want to continue volunteering with them indefinitely.

Thursday 13: Catching Up

2026-07-16T07:39:45.460-04:00

Since I haven’t posted anything since March, a Thursday 13 seemed like a great way to catch up on what has been going on since March.

1. A cat picture is always a good way to start one of these, so enjoy this one of Mortimer.

2. We have hot water! The water heater installation was finished on time, and it has been worth every bit of disruption. Showers that don’t become progressively colder are so much more pleasant!

3. We did a lot of decluttering while we were getting the house back in order after the water heater installation. We reorganized some things and got rid of a lot of stuff.

4. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the process, but here’s one of Theodore in one of the storage cubes.

5. Speaking of Theodore, he had a vet visit for a cough last week. After x-rays, they determined that he most likely aspirated some fluid while coughing up a hairball and developed a slight infection. He’s on Laxatone for hairballs and got an antibiotic shot for the infection. He goes for a follow-up in two weeks, but has already stopped coughing and seems to be feeling fine.

6. Part of why I haven’t posted in a while is that I was working on a big project at work. It was the second part of the December project. Our deadline got moved up by about six weeks, so everyone had to put in a lot of extra hours for a while. It is finished, though!

7. As usual, Caroline felt the need to be heavily involved in my work.

8. I’ve learned not to say I’m expecting any kind of break from projects with tight deadlines! There isn’t one at the moment, but I’m expecting at least a couple more this year.

9. It hasn’t been all work during my blogging break. We have done some fun things, including going to Greenville to see a performance from the Greenville Gay Men’s Chorus. It was a great show! I haven’t been able to find a video of the show, but here’s the promo video.

10. The groundhogs are back!

11. There are at least three baby groundhogs this year. I just love them so much.

12. I’m working on catching up with everyone’s blogs, so I’ll be visiting you soon.

13. A cat picture is always a good way to end a post, so enjoy this one of Charlie.

Thursday 13: Cold Water, A Hole In the Wall, and the Mess That Keeps Growing

2026-03-19T18:17:00.004-04:00

I almost didn’t write this Thursday 13 because what we have going on is basically nothing in the grand scheme of everything happening in the world right now. But I didn’t post one last week, and I don’t want to skip another week.

Most of my Thursday 13s are about whatever is going on in my little corner of the world, so I decided to go ahead and post. I just want to preface by saying I know that these are very much first-world “problems,” and that we’re still pretty fortunate. And I’ll try not to whine too much.

1. We’ve known for a while that replacing our water heater is on the horizon. It’s about 13 years old. It’s also in the crawlspace, and we’re fairly certain all of the flooding didn’t do anything good for it. So, while it was frustrating and unpleasant that the water heater finally gave out for good on Monday morning (why does everything happen Monday morning?!?), it wasn’t at all surprising.

2. Our current setup is an electric water heater and natural gas heat. We’ve wanted to change to a natural gas water heater for a while now, but it’s a fairly complicated process.

3. The “crawl” part of describing our crawlspace is extremely accurate. It’s short! The current water heater is a low-boy. That wasn’t an option for natural gas. (From what we can tell, the low-boy gas water heaters have gone on and off the market for years due to fire safety issues.) So, switching to a natural gas water heater meant moving it out from under the house.

4. After meeting with the company, we decided to go with a tankless natural gas water heater. Unfortunately, the tankless still has to be in the house due to our climate. They also have to run more gas lines and more water lines.

5. The project started yesterday morning. They told us ahead of time that we had to move some furniture and empty out one cabinet.

A box of stuff from the cabinet is on the bench in the living room.

6. Moving the furniture and emptying the cabinet already created a lot of mess and disorder. The cabinet is the biggest one in the kitchen, and it was full. The furniture is a big, bulky armoire with lots of things in and on it.

Kitchen utensils are on a bookshelf in the living room.

7. As always seems to be the case, existing lines and pipes weren’t up to code or had other problems, so the project has grown.

8. The company emptied out two more kitchen cabinets, a kitchen counter, and the bathroom cabinets. They also had to drill a hole in the kitchen wall.

Nick ziptied a piece of a cube shelf (the cubes are 13x13 to give you an idea of the size of the hole) to keep the cats from getting into the wall. If you have cats, you understand the concern!

9. So yesterday we came home to a hole in the kitchen wall, the refrigerator in the middle of the kitchen, the washing machine in the middle of the room, lots of stuff moved off of shelves, and more things outside of cabinets than in cabinets.

10. Today is looking a little better. The refrigerator and washing machine are back where they belong. And I did get to clean under and behind where the refrigerator goes without us having to move it. Tiny silver lining. Everything else is still in total disarray. And we still have the hole in the wall.

11. The company assures us that they’re still on track to finish up by tomorrow afternoon. It will be so nice to have hot water again! In the meantime, we both have access to showers at work. Another thing that I know we’re very fortunate to have. Yes, it’s inconvenient to pack up everything to shower at work, but it’s also extremely nice to have that available.

12. Our plans for the weekend are to put everything away, get the house back in order, probably some fairly major reorganization due to the space we lost by moving the water heater inside, and work on figuring out how to fix the hole in the kitchen wall. And, hopefully, to revel in the pleasure of having a nearly endless supply of hot water. With any luck, soon I’ll be posting about some of the reorganization.

13. Since it seems like most Thursday 13s involve at least one cat picture (and to keep this from turning into a total whine-fest), enjoy the latest picture of Theodore. I think he looks very majestic!

How About A Sunday Sixteen?

2026-03-08T12:12:00.000-04:00

Since I didn’t get around to posting a Thursday 13 last week, or the week before, I’ve decided to catch up with a Sunday Sixteen.

1. The weather since my last Thursday 13 has been everything from snow to highs in the 70s.

2. Fortunately, the hyacinth survived the snow, and more have sprouted.

3. The past few days have been warm. It was even warm enough for shorts yesterday!

4. I know the warm weather isn’t going to last, but I am determined to enjoy it as much as possible while we have it, so I spent a lot of time outside yesterday.

5. Since this is time change weekend, we’ll at least get to enjoy more light and longer days even when it gets cold again.

6. The daffodils have bloomed.

7. One lone tulip has sprouted. There’s no flower yet, but I’m hopeful.

8. There’s a little bit of green on the hydrangea I trimmed earlier this year.

9. The forsythia is also starting to bloom.

10. Unfortunately, there is something in the yard that gives me a terrible rash. It’s not poison ivy, oak, or sumac, but we haven’t been able to figure out what causes it. It doesn’t even happen every year. This is a rash year, though, so I’m currently sporting a calamine bandage.

11. Since we’ve never been able to determine the cause, the dermatologist just always has me double up on allergy medications and wrap it in a calamine bandage. If it gets too out of control, they’ll prescribe steroids.

12. At this point, I’m pretty good at starting to treat it before it gets too bad, and we just take care of it at home without the need for a doctor’s visit and steroids.

13. I know it’s not officially spring yet, but I’ve switched to spring-themed cards and stickers for my Chemo Angels buddies.

14. Last Sunday, we saw the play Suffs at the Peace Center in Greenville, SC. It was an excellent show, and one that I think everyone should see.

15. We had voted in the primaries just a few days before we saw it, so it was especially poignant to be reminded how much so many brave women fought and endured.

16. Finally, enjoy this picture of Theodore.

What We Can Do: Write Postcards to Restore Fair Elections in Virginia

2026-03-05T22:23:00.001-05:00

In case you haven’t heard, Virginia has a proposed Constitutional Amendment to be voted on in their April 21 special election. It’s in response to Trump’s claim that he’s “entitled” to more Republican seats.

Photo Credit Here

Governor Abigail Spanberger does an excellent job explaining it in this video. (The video is short and definitely worth watching.)

Postcards to Swing States has a postcard campaign going on now to urge people to vote yes on April 21^st. You can order the postcards in batches of 100 and are expected to mail them between April 7^th and 14^th.

I’ve signed up to send 200 of the postcards because I think having this measure in place will help safeguard the midterm elections.

Thursday 13: Much Better Weather!

2026-02-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

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

2026-02-18T00:00:00.001-05:00

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

2026-02-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

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

2026-02-05T01:46:00.000-05:00

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

2026-02-02T23:21:00.001-05:00

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?

I Have to Say This

2026-01-27T17:13:00.000-05:00

I’ve been trying to write this post for a few days now. It’s a struggle to find the right words.

The words still aren’t right, and it’s rambly, but I have to say this.

Renee Good should still be alive.

Liam Ramos should be in preschool, not a detention center.

Alex Pretti should still be alive and caring for patients.

No one should be so terrified of being sent to a concentration camp that they cannot leave their house to go to work or the grocery store.

What’s happening in America is not okay.

If you are okay with what is happening, with mothers being murdered in the street, with children being used as bait, with ICU nurses being murdered for trying to help, then we’re not friends. Not in real life, not online, not in any way.

I’ve never considered myself a very political person. I still don’t. I would like to think I’m a decent person, though, and I cannot reconcile basic human decency with quietly ignoring what is happening.

I’m not a political blogger. I never have been. Anytime I’ve had to classify my blog, I’ve clicked “lifestyle” because it’s mainly about the things in my life, the things that are important to me. Most of those things are frivolous and silly, but they make me happy, so I share them.

But, if you are murdered by your government, you cannot drink sweet tea, you cannot rescue cats, you cannot feed groundhogs, you cannot cook for the people you love, you will not see another spring, and you will miss out on so many things you should be there for.

I am older than Renee Good and Alex Pretti were. I’ve had years more to do and write about the things that matter to me and that make me happy. And there’s still so much I want to do. All of that was stolen from them.

I don’t consider it “political” to say that it is not okay when what is essentially a masked army descends on a community and begins murdering citizens in the streets. I call that basic human empathy.

No one should live in fear because of the color of their skin or the accent they speak with.

No one should live in fear because of who they love.

No one should live in fear because of how they worship (or don’t worship).

No one should be murdered because they tried to be a good person and help their neighbors.

We are not okay. What is happening in our country is not okay.

I don’t know how we got here, and I honestly don’t know how we come back from this. But I am sure it is NOT by being silent.

In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”

I’m still not a political blogger, but I’m also not going to be silent about what is happening. Silence isn’t going to fix this.

Thursday 13: My First One in 2026

2026-01-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

1. As usual, a cat picture seems like a good way to start this Thursday 13. This is a picture of my sister’s cat, Flitwick, that I took when we were there for Christmas.

2. Speaking of starting things, we started 2026 off by attending a party our friends Dennis and James hosted on New Year’s Day. They have two adorable Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs. This picture is of Magnus.

3. It would be nice if there’s any truth to the idea that what you do on January 1^st sets the tone for your year. We had a great time at the party, met a lot of nice people, spent time with adorable and sweet pets, and enjoyed some delicious food. Continuing that theme would make it a good year!

4. Another fun start to the year was doing an escape room for the first time. We went with our friends Jen and Chuck. The one we did was Clue themed (we had to figure out who, in what room, and what the weapon was, and we had an hour to do it).

5. It was the first time Nick and I did an escape room, and it was so much fun. I definitely want to do one again!

6. I’ve set my reading goals for the year on The Storygraph.

7. My 2026 reading goal is 52 books, which is basically a book per week. It seems reasonable. I didn’t quite make it last year, but I think I would have if I hadn’t worked so much overtime in December.

8. I’m technically one book behind already, but I’m very close to finishing a book and an audiobook, so I’m fairly sure I’ll catch up over the weekend.

9. Of those 52 books, I’ve set the goal for 26 of them to be audiobooks. We have a backlog of purchased audiobooks we haven’t listened to yet, and there are so many available through the Libby app. Since I have so many available and can listen to them while I do other things (I listened to an audiobook while I worked in the yard on Monday), it seems crazy not to make use of them.

10. I’ve also set the goal for 12 of the 52 books to be non-fiction. I mostly read fiction, and I don’t think that will ever change, but I would like to branch out and read a little more non-fiction. Twelve a year is basically one a month, which seems like a good goal.

11. If you’re on The Storygraph and want to be friends, my super-creative username is dlzecher.

12. We downloaded camera pictures right before we left for my sister’s for Christmas, and I came across this one of Caroline that I like. I think it shows off how pretty her face is.

13. One more cat picture seems like a great way to end this. Theodore has started tucking himself into bed sometimes, and it’s absolutely adorable.