It has been a real education!

In an old dead end of the back yard, 5 years into working to establish a hydrangea garden on the left, in front of the camellias (which have dropped their blooms). I decided to extend the bed to run along the fence and wrap around to line a wall of the house. Bed has been de-grassed, weeded and tilled, and lined with hardwood mulch. There are a few plants in pots, getting lined up for planting. At the front right is a tiny rosemary plant in a pot.

Four years on, the garden is developing and evolving. The old fence fell down and we put in a new one. The hydrangeas are a few weeks away from blooming (and in a state of flux. Most everything is green—camellias and hydrangeas and hellebores at the left, peonies, dahlias, daylilies, ruellia etc along the fence, and white irises and other plants along the wall of the house.

Left: April 13, 2022
Right: 4 years and one week later
So, so much work. 🌱

A brick on a hydrangea stem, making it make roots and become a new plant.

Wider view of hydrangea with a brick on one of the limbs.

Me: why is there a brick over here?
Also me: Oh, right…I decided to make a new hydrangea last year

Brass apparatus mounted on wall as part of at the Austin airport as part of the Interimaginary TICKETS INTERIMAGINARY HELLO... You can receive a ticket here but first we have to ask you a few questions (but it was not functioning)

…And on the way in or out of the bathroom I spotted this across a broad terminal aisle on the opposite wall, looking like something you’d see in old back or post ofc. Double take, mental note to check out later. Went off to check w/friend & go find art & it never occurred to me that was part of it.

What’s funny is that I had read about it before we went, & I planned to check it out after my friend and I got settled. I was headed east, and she was flying west. priorities: 1. get thru TSA. 2. find some seats. 3. bathroom. whatever next.

There was a cool (though not entirely functioning) installation at the Austin airport when I was there recently
#InterimaginaryDepartures

interimaginarydepartures.com

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I love hazelnuts. I like this idea!

Modified chart of skyrocketing US measles cases, with red annotation approximating 1748 cases at 4/17/26 (per CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html --------- Cumulative US measles cases As of January 27, there have been more cases than there were by the same week last year. Fairly horizontal lines for 2023 and 2024, a steep diagonal line for 2025, and a vertical line for ytd 2026. 2026 478 cases 2025 2253 cases 2024 283 cases 2023 63 cases Note: Data updated on January 27, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Johns Hopkins University, Center for Outbreak Response Innovation Graphic: Alex Leeds Matthews and Matt Stiles, CNN

April 17, 2026: 1748 US confirmed measles cases

Pennsylvania's motor-voter system effectively screens non-citizens from voter registration • Pennsylvania Capital-Star The audit also revealed problems with PennDOT’s data security protocols and recommended tighter internal controls.

Pennsylvania's auditor general, a Republican, audited 210,000+ new voter registrations under Gov. Shapiro's new motor voter system to see if noncitizens were registering to vote.

They found one. One.

And that was because a PennDOT staffer erred. It was fixed before the driver left the office.

Articles about Jared Kushner's diplomatic role with Iran that mention Kushner has received billions from the Saudi government (2/28-4/19):

NYT: 5 of 58
WashPost: 1 of 43
WSJ: 0 of 40
AP: 0 of 26
CNN Wire: 0 of 18
NY Post: 0 of 17
Chicago Tribune: 0 of 4
LA Times: 0 of 4
Boston Globe: 0 of 2

Great colors!

Cycled into Keswick this morning so I called in at Derwentwater to see the reflections.
#LakeDistrict

A clear blue sky is merging with the colors of the sunrise. It’s low tide and the water is calm reflecting the sky and landscape. A thin layer of smoke is hovering over the water because it’s so cold outside.

Good morning friends! Happy Monday! It’s 29 frosty degrees here 🥶 We’re having weather whiplash again. Here’s today’s #SunriseMagic on the #CTShoreline Have a great day ahead 😊 and get outside! #landscape #photography #reflections

Orange sunrise with grey clouds over and island, taken in a calm bay with the sky reflecting in the water.

Good morning

Mars Poetica Wyn Cooper Imagine you're on Mars, looking at earth, a swirl of colors in the distance. Tell us what you miss most, or least. Let your feelings rise to the surface. Skim that surface with a tiny net. Now you're getting the hang of it. Tell us your story slantwise, streetwise, in the disguise of an astronaut in his suit. Tell us something we didn't know before: how words mean things we didn't know we knew.

National Poetry Month 2026

Day 1 - Mars Poetica by Wyn Cooper
poets.org/poem/mars-po...

Mine are pink, gift from a late friend

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yummmmm

Whau River mouth at dawn. Boats are moored & the golden dawn light is a band on the horizon that is reflected on the calm water surface. To the left the riverbank mangroves provides dark silhouettes to contrast with the bright parts of the image.

Making the most of it being still light enough to see the Whau River mouth on my morning commute. (Snapped a good one from the bus window today) #publicTransport #Auckland #TamakiMakaurau #bus #somethingBeautiful #aucklandscenes

Brown butter chocolate chip pecan cookies just out of the oven. Can you smell them?

Hey, what do you know…suddenly a #CookieParty up in here

Someday, with luck and hard work, she will have a name too.

You may enjoy the #FlowerReport feed too, if you don’t already know about it

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mmmmmmmmm

#FlowerReport from the past

A view from the window across the River Wharfe her ein Otley, West Yorkshire. The setting sun is just catching across the tops of the trees and buildings nearest the bridge and casting reflections in the still river water. In the background the trees on the Chevin are turning green; in the foreground, the repaired riverside park after bridge works.

Evening view from the window : Across the River Wharfem Otley, West Yorkshire, UK, in setting sun. #evening #light #shadows #photography

The image shows the Northern Pacific Bridge #9 spanning the river in Minneapolis. In the background, there are modern buildings and the Mill City Museum. The sky is overcast, and the water reflects the gray tones of the clouds.

Thanks to Joseph M. for this week's employee photo submission for Views from the Ninth!

There are more than 20 bridges that span the Mississippi at various points across the #TwinCities. this photo captures at least three of them in Minneapolis.

I need to up my hat game

Cute!

A walk around the yard a year ago. All the plants are easily a week earlier into their bloom cycle this year.

I’ve been thinking about this ever since I saw it.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? - Wikipedia

Echoes of author Pete Seeger, 1955. Or maybe you're hearing The Kingston Trio? PP&M? Dusty Springfield? Bobby Darin? Eddy Arnold? The Four Seasons? Joan Baez? Johnny Rivers? The Lennon Sisters? Harry Belafonte? Flatt & Scruggs? Roy Orbison? Earth, Wind & Fire? (And that's just through the '70s.)