h/t to Miss Bianca for this totally adorable video.
Putting this up at the same time as the Chauvin murder trial thread, for obvious reasons.
by WaterGirl| 76 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads, Something Good Open Thread
h/t to Miss Bianca for this totally adorable video.
Putting this up at the same time as the Chauvin murder trial thread, for obvious reasons.
by TaMara| 26 Comments
This post is in: Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging, Something Good Open Thread, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread
Some feel good after a rough week.
I needed this one this morning:
By now, most of you have probably seen this, but I wanted to make sure:
here’s the full story on Sisu, as well as many more pics of the two of them ?https://t.co/sHrKQAerXX
— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) March 27, 2021
We don’t deserve dogs.
As promised, I finally put together the photos and video from week 3
They spend a great deal of time out of their crate now. They mostly sleep on their blanket, but they do waddle into the kitchen for some cat grass now and then. I expect they’ll become more mobile as curiosity takes precedence over growing. Right now, growing requires lots of eating and sleeping. Occasionally, they do wander off to the kitchen (sometimes to keep me company while I empty the dishwasher).
Loved all the name suggestions yesterday…
Here’s a bonus Scout using Bixby as her own personal pillow:
And yes, for those wondering, it’s very messing having ducklings running around. I do have diapers for them, but they are a bit too small yet to wear them. I think by the time they are big enough they’ll be spending a lot more time outside in their pen so, like Penelope, it might not be worth the trouble. For now, I just wash their blanket every night and clean up any other mess they make fairly easily.
But I’m definitely rooting for warmer weather so they can start going outside.
More photos and some cute duckling bathtime/Bixby video at this link.
And finally, if you didn’t see it, this interview with Tammy Duckworth was really good.
Respite open thread
Respite Open Thread: Loving Sons, Dogs and Ducks – Oh, My!Post + Comments (26)
This post is in: Civil Rights, Open Threads, President Biden, Something Good Open Thread
First Xiao Zhen Xie beat off her attacker and sent him to the hospital.
Then she donated all her GoFundMe money to Asian American community causes.
The Asian grandma we all need.https://t.co/3E1KJnudvl
— Viet Thanh Nguyen (@viet_t_nguyen) March 24, 2021
Also, this guy:
Speaking on the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, President Biden said that 100 million relief checks would be distributed to Americans by Wednesday https://t.co/H9BbWPtny2 pic.twitter.com/v3Nq0AtYvP
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 24, 2021
NEW via @jeneps: Biden to unveil 2022 spending requests next week, then fuller budget proposal in coming months: https://t.co/sDFJJAHFV6
— Nancy Cook (@nancook) March 23, 2021
… Biden will separately propose additional spending on infrastructure, clean energy and other domestic policy issues. Those measures could cost roughly $3 trillion people familiar with the talks said Monday, though cautioning no decisions have been made.
“Our priority is to provide Congress with early information about the president’s discretionary funding priorities, which is what they need to begin the appropriations process,” OMB spokesman Rob Friedlander said.
Biden’s initial request will not include plans for raising revenues, which is why, an agency official said, the Biden administration is shying away from calling the document a “skinny budget” or “budget blueprint” — the terms typically used to describe a new president’s initial funding requests.
Biden’s full budget will be released “later this spring,” and will “show how his full agenda of investments and tax reforms fits together in a fiscally and economically responsible plan to address the overlapping crises we face,” Friedlander said.
Wednesday Morning Open Thread: An Inspiration to Us AllPost + Comments (158)
This post is in: A Woman's Place Is In The House, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Racial Justice, Something Good Open Thread
Vice President Harris swears in Deb Haaland as Interior Secretary. "History is being made yet again," Harris said after Haaland took the oath. (WH photo / Peter Velz) pic.twitter.com/70YqbDbFwp
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) March 18, 2021
Bella Abzug (may her shadow never grow less) started wearing a hat as a young lawyer in the 1950s, so that people wouldn’t assume she a secretary. The hats became her trademark, because “When I got to Congress, they made a big thing of it. So I was watching. Did they want me to wear it or not? They didn’t want me to wear it, so I did.”
Nobody is going to mistake Secretary Haaland for any other legislator, either:
… Standing in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to Vice President Kamala Harris to take the oath of office, Ms. Haaland wore a dark jacket over a sky blue, rainbow-trimmed ribbon skirt embroidered with imagery of butterflies, stars and corn; moccasin boots; a turquoise and silver belt and necklace; and dragonfly earrings.
Against the flags and dark wood, the former Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico stood out, her clothes telegraphing a statement of celebration and of self at a ceremonial moment that will be preserved for the record. It was symbolic in more ways than one.
According to an Instagram post from Reecreeations, that company that made the skirt for Ms. Haaland’s swearing-in, the ribbon skirt is a reminder of “matriarchal power”: “Wearing it in this day and age is an act of self empowerment and reclamation of who we are and that gives us the opportunity to proudly make bold statements in front of others who sometimes refuse to see us. It allows us to be our authentic selves unapologetically.”…
Wearing traditional dress has become something of a signature for Ms. Haaland during big public moments. In 2016, she wore a classic Pueblo dress and jewelry to the Democratic National Convention; in 2019, when she was sworn in as one of the first Native American members of Congress, she did the same, including a red woven belt that was more than a century old. And in January, at President Biden’s inauguration, she also wore a ribbon skirt, one in sunshine yellow, with a burgundy top and boots.
As she told Emily’s List on her first day in Congress: “I just felt like I should represent my people. I thought it would just make some folks proud out there.”
Indeed, when Ms. Haaland posted a photo of herself at the inauguration on her Instagram feed (she has 124,000 followers), it was liked more than 45,000 times, with many comments applauding her attire. Not in order to diminish her achievements, the charge often leveled at commentary on a female politician’s wardrobe choices, but to underscore them…
Deb Haaland is putting her Moccasins on, ready to be sworn in by VP Harris! pic.twitter.com/tTsyxTMwlM
— Madam Vice President Harris is GOAT! (@flywithkamala) March 18, 2021
Deb Haaland: America’s first Native cabinet secretary https://t.co/UTMBkELsl3
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 16, 2021
Well-written article, including a tidbit I had not run across earlier:
… Her father, a Norwegian American from Minnesota, served in the Marine Corps for three decades and her mother, a Native woman, was in the Navy. Ms Haaland was born in a small railroad town in Arizona, then bounced from school to school with each new posting her parents received, before they finally settled in New Mexico’s biggest city, Albuquerque…
Norskamerikanere representation! (… doesn’t matter anywhere near as much, of course, especially in a generally matrilineal society. Besides, as my Norwegian-born mother-in-law always said, the truly fierce *successful* Vikings left Norway back in the Middle Ages…)
Standing Out Open Thread: She Is Not TheyPost + Comments (96)
by TaMara| 30 Comments
This post is in: Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging, Something Good Open Thread, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread
As promised, a duckling update. They are growing like weeds, eating bowls of food. I finally had to change out their small bowl to a larger bowl and I’m still filling it three times a day or more.
They spend most of their time eating, swimming in their water bowl – I’ll probably try bathtub time later this week – and sleeping on their heat pad. They spend a few minutes several times a day on their blanket (okay, Scout’s blanket, but she doesn’t seem to mind) building up their leg strength.
They seem healthy and happy, so I’m seriously thinking of names. They are still just “the girls” for now (even though sex is undetermined yet).
Today they surprised me. I put them on their blanket, then went into the kitchen to get my camera. And. They. Followed. Me. Quacking all the way. Of course, I got them to repeat it so I could get it on video. I guess they’ve imprinted on me. ❤
Respite open thread…
by Major Major Major Major| 116 Comments
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Nature & Respite, Open Threads, Pet Blogging, Something Good Open Thread
Samwise just loves “cat grass” (wheatgrass), but I rarely get it for him. The ones they sell at the pet store are really easy to knock over, and he’s good at making a big dirty mess. So a friend of mine got him this handsome wheatgrass planter! It will be no surprise to anybody who remembers the first sentence of this post that Samwise loves it.
Shuts him right up between mealtimes. (Yes, I know that cats can get a little sick eating this stuff, which is why he always does so supervised.)
What non-political good things are going on in your neck of the woods? And does anybody have suggestions for cat-friendly indoor plants? Our windows face north. Respiteful open thread!
Afternoon Respite: Lunchin’ on the GrassPost + Comments (116)
by TaMara| 137 Comments
This post is in: Duck Blogging, Pet Blogging, Something Good Open Thread, I Will Cut You If You Muddy This Thread
Zander’s look says it all: What the hell have you done now??
You’ll see below the fold:
The duckings have landed
They are unnamed and adorable
Bixby has decided he’s the daddy
There is video and more photos at this link.
They tucker themselves out and sleep in a little heart shape:
Bonus Maddie and Mabel enjoying the last snowstorm:
So here’s the caveat. I’ll keep you updated, but you cannot get ATTACHED. My record with raising baby ducks to adulthood is about 50/50. I’m willing to risk my heart, but not willing to risk yours unless you understand our odds. I’m not even going to name them until they are a few weeks old. I do not know if they are girls or boys…we’ll figure it out as they get a bit older. There are ways ?
Respite open thread