@Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org cover
@Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

Subumbral

@Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org

I organize books for fun at the public library. Knit, crochet, cook, read a lot, walk a lot , look at things. Small menagerie of birds and squirrels. Petsitter.

Lived in Venice Beach in the 60's, Utah in the 70's, and Oregon ever since. Big fan of Alaska, Seattle, San Francisco, New York, and Hawaiian Beaches.

All photos are by me on a phone camera, unless credited.

Avatar photo is me wearing an orchid. Banner photo is a skein of waterfowl in the skies above Eugene.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

loren , to random
@loren@flipping.rocks avatar

Burrowing owls sound like a thing someone made up and not just an adorable owl that lives in a hole in the ground

Subumbral ,
@Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

@loren I'm not sure what I'd do if an owl poked its head up from a burrow, I guess my usual owl response, oh, hey owl, I really didn't expect to see you there

loren , to random
@loren@flipping.rocks avatar

🚩 Marked safe from

Getting bonked by a red-winged blackbird

Today

Subumbral ,
@Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

@loren I've seen them go after herons before

Subumbral , to random
@Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

On a small urban hike

Twisted snag with view of valley

Subumbral , to random
@Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/06/11/ursula-k-le-guin-s-home-will-become-a-writers-residency/

loren , to random
@loren@flipping.rocks avatar

A flock of goldfinches almost just ran into me

Subumbral ,
@Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

@loren what a way to go

Subumbral , to random
@Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

Dogwood


loren , to random
@loren@flipping.rocks avatar

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

    •
    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren this is how einstein thought of relativity

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren maybe not at first lol

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    Train stop making that noise challenge

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren You would call it to someone's attention, but there's no one unaware of it

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    How do you convey “ I can hold both great sadness and absurdity at the same time”

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren sounds like a sort of pudding

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    Is it appropriate to ask strangers if they like toads?

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren It's situational.

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren They're all over the place where my friend lives in Hawaii, and I'm always afraid I'll step on one, and I guess I assume everyone there loves them.

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    the fuck is a pulpit?

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren It's how I ask for juice

    kimlockhartga , to bookstodon group
    @kimlockhartga@beige.party avatar

    Since we are coming up on June, it seems like a good time to check in with everyone here on @bookstodon regarding favorite reads of 2024 so far. Whatcha got?

    My top five reads of 2024 so far:

    The Criminal series of graphic novels by Ed Brubaker (ten primary works)

    James, Percival Everett

    The Book of Love, Kelly Link

    Poor Deer, Claire Oshetsky

    Prequel, Rachel Maddow

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @kimlockhartga @bookstodon I just noticed yesterday that I have a library hold on James, and I have no memory of what it is or why I want to read it. I like it when that happens, it's like a gift from my past self.

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @kimlockhartga @gretared @bookstodon It's next in my pile!

    ahappydeath , to bookstodon group
    @ahappydeath@freeradical.zone avatar

    Just finished reading ‘Babel, or the Necessity of Violence’ by R.F. Kuang. Words can’t express how much I loved this book. The best story I’ve read in a very long time 10/10 @bookstodon #books #bookstodon

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @ahappydeath @bookstodon Good to hear, I'm just beginning it, Robin has just arrived at Oxford.

    Jgbird , to random
    @Jgbird@mas.to avatar

    At this point, the near-fledglings are the same size as the mother. So she’s responsible for feeding herself and two full-sized children who still depend completely on her. They’re out of the nest, looking ready to fly and during this time it’s best to leave them space as the mother watches from nearby and brings food to them.

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @Jgbird The nectar on my feeder is moving quickly, and there are two hummers rather than the usual one, maybe mom got squeezed out of the nest.

    Tim_Eagon , to random
    @Tim_Eagon@dice.camp avatar

    It finally stopped raining, so I took my dog for a walk and encountered some of our neighborhood’s larger feathered friends…

    #Birds #BirdsOfMastodon

    Two sandhill cranes walking on a residential street with lush, green trees and grass.
    Two sandhill cranes standing on a residential sidewalk and grassy area near a tree-lined street.

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @Tim_Eagon That's so cool, we get turkeys and the occasional duck couple on a weekend getaway, those are magnificent.

    bourgwick , to bookstodon group
    @bourgwick@heads.social avatar

    recent-ish reading/rereading. #books @bookstodon

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @zakyfarms @bourgwick @bookstodon Colson Whitehead The Intuitionist could fit in there

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @zakyfarms @bourgwick @bookstodon hypothetically

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    the little warbler demands you have a nice day

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren I just might, now 😌🦜

    lowqualityfacts , to random
    @lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar

    Turned 32 today. I share a birthday with Bob Dylan, John C. Reilly, and billions of ants.

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @lowqualityfacts It still surprises me that Bob is only 32.

    bibliolater , to bookstodon group
    @bibliolater@qoto.org avatar

    Can You Read a Book in a Quarter of an Hour?

    “The most potent enemy of reading, it goes without saying, is the small, flat box that you carry in your pocket. In terms of addictive properties, it might as well be stuffed with meth. There’s no point in grinding through a whole book—a chewy bunch of words arranged into a narrative or, heaven preserve us, an argument—when you can pick up your iPhone, touch the Times app, skip the news and commentary, head straight to Wordle, and give yourself an instant hit of euphoria and pride by taking just three guesses to reach a triumphant guano.”

    https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/05/27/can-you-read-a-book-in-a-quarter-of-an-hour

    @bookstodon

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @bibliolater @bookstodon I can read quickly, but I usually like to read books that make me think and want to look things up, so I do that

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    didn't see any tiny hat warblers today but i did see some golden plums!!

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren during the couple of summers I lived in the country I was sort of an itinerant fruit eater, making my way from tree to tree with a book and a shaker of salt

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren possibly some apple worms, the birds were mostly sleeping through the heat

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    I love columbine. Probably my favorite flower

    #bloomscrolling

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren my grandmother mostly grew iris and poppies and lilacs, but she had a row of columbine and honeysuckle, I used to nibble on the honeysuckle flowers full of nectar

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    Frigate about it

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren I have them on one of my vintage face masks

    jalcine , to bookstodon group
    @jalcine@todon.eu avatar

    This book, "The Source of Self Regard" has been a hit for me and I'm still halfway through.

    This is the first page, written in 2019.

    @bookstodon

    Authoritarian regimes, dictators, despots are often, but not always, fools. But none is foolish enough to give perceptive, dissident writers free range to publish their judgments or follow their creative instincts. They know they do so at their own peril. They are not stupid enough to abandon control (overt or insidious) over media. Their methods include surveillance, censorship, arrest, even slaughter of those writers informing and disturbing the public. Writers who are unsettling, call- ing into question, taking another, deeper look. Writers-journalists. essayists, bloggers, poets, playwrights can disturb the social oppres- sion that functions like a coma on the population, a coma despots call peace, and they stanch the blood flow of war that hawks and profiteers thrill to That is their peril. Ours is of another sort. How bleak, unlivable, insufferable existence becomes when we are deprived of artwork. That the life and work of writers facing peril must be protected is urgent, but along with that urgency we should remind ourselves that their absence, the choking off of a writer's work, its cruel amputation, is of equal peril to us. The rescue we extend to them is a generosity to ourselves. We all know nations that can be identified by the flight of writers from their shores. These are regimes whose fear of unmonitored writ- ing is justified because truth is trouble. It is trouble for the warmonger...
    ALT
  • Reply
  • Expand (2)
  • Collapse (2)
    • Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @jalcine @bookstodon wow, I'll have to look it up

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    i guess i saw a scarlet tanager the other day! i didn't realize they were sometimes yellow to be honest lmao

    the same bird peering over the branch at something

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren Years ago at work a coworker and I were watching a huge spider build its web in a window, and I remembered I'd seen some cool red birds on the way to work. He said they were tanagers, there was an article in the paper about them passing through. At that moment one of the tanagers swooped in and nabbed the spider right in front of us 😳

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    Clam are back

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren we're having a clamback

    futurebird , to random
    @futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

    Someone said it's important say this publicly in the US: so I will. (And I think each of us should, online and to friends)

    This November I will vote for Biden.

    I would regard not voting for Biden, particularly in: PA, OH, MI, WI, IN, IL,VA, GA, FL, AZ, ME, NC, NH, etc. as a huge error. I'd be disappointed to find out anyone I knew didn't vote. It's one of a long list of things we need to do. We can't skip it.

    And still? We deserve better choices, and in the future we shall have them.

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @futurebird My vote won't tip Oregon, but I want to be part of the popular vote anyway.

    RolloTreadway , to random
    @RolloTreadway@beige.party avatar

    You remember that I had a sheet, which I struggled to get dry because of the weather, and then when I finally managed to get it dry on the line a bird shat on it?

    Washed it again today.

    A bird shat on it.

    Again.

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @RolloTreadway Bird thanks you for the fresh canvas 🎨🖌

    dillyd , to random
    @dillyd@allies.social avatar

    Young butternut leaves.
    #ButterNut

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @dillyd wow, it's ready to grow

    GottaLaff , to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    NEW #TrumpTrial 🧵 starts HERE. #Trump #legal

    Please remember I don’t reply while live-posting. Plz use NFL (Not For Laffy, but no hashtag) so I can ignore those replies.

    1/

    McB:

    ...At 2:14 p.m., Trump walks in, entourage in tow.

    Boris Epshteyn just handed a piece of paper with a photo on it to Kaitlan Collins.

    I thought he maybe said "Conway" to her, but I'm not exactly sure.

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @GottaLaff leaving town, I didn't have to tell you, but I'm a family man

    aetataureate , to random
    @aetataureate@gamedev.lgbt avatar

    I keep seeing people I like on here posting and needing to add big disclaimers that you shouldn't shame them for using Google services. Jesus, my Gmail account is 20 years old, of course I don't want to change it. And the alternatives people suggest for other services are almost always clunkier and/or more technical. That decision absolutely isn't easy at all. If you're shaming people over this stuff, shut the fuck up.

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren @aetataureate I muted some haranguers and scolds for a few hours this morning. I get enough of that from myself sometimes

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    anyway i love the tiny hat warbler

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren you'll be wanting your warbler hat since the barn got swallowed

    franciscawrites , to bookstodon group
    @franciscawrites@mastodon.scot avatar

    Can you name a film that was adapted not from a novel, but from a short story?
    Here's one:

    The Illusionist (2006)

    @bookstodon

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @franciscawrites @bookstodon Bartleby the Scrivener by Melville was made into a movie with Crispin Glover, and another with John Scofield.

    GottaLaff , to random
    @GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

    ⚠️Yet another #recall:

    Planters nuts sold in 5 states recalled due to listeria fears

    The recalled products were shipped to Dollar Tree distribution centers in Georgia and South Carolina, and Publix distribution warehouses in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina https://www.cbsnews.com/news/planters-nuts-recall-listeria/

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @GottaLaff oh, great, listeria nuts

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    The barn swallows are out here swallowing barns. Good for them

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren gotta be swift not to get swallowed

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren My mother took me to stay at her grandfather's place and there was a ruin of a store called Swallow's we could see from the porch in the evening as the swifts flew by, she told me what she knew about them, and the grocer named Swallow

    Subumbral , to random
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    Suds to the left of me
    Squirrels to the right
    Here I am...

    Bad close shot of squirrel eating a sunflower seed, paws to mouth, eye reflecting

    dillyd , to random
    @dillyd@allies.social avatar

    The park service can't seem to decide how to spell this place.
    #SolDuc #SoleDuck

    Sign reading: SOLEDUCK TRAIL SOLEDUCK FALLS .8 MI DEER LAKE 4 LUNCH LAKE 8 (VIA DEER LAKE) SOLEDUCK PARK 8 VIA SOLEDUCK RIVER TRAIL

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @dillyd Everything there is so gentle

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    snip snap

    good for salad tongs and crabs

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren snapping like at a beat poetry reading

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    I’ve never used a computer

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren I've never played a video game

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    What’s that unpheasant smell?

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren sorry

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    Rose breasted grosbeaks and baltimore orioles in the yard today! Happy spring!

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren https://youtu.be/OTns5EnMGjI?si=0j1tQ4LpwKqUjvP3

    loren , to random
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    spatulae

    Subumbral ,
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    @loren I just got a picture of one hanging out on the stairs to my friend's laundry room

    Subumbral , to random
    @Subumbral@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

    Blue hour

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • random
  • test
  • worldmews
  • mews
  • All magazines
    •