Misc. Monday

Monday, July 27, 2026 0 Art Projects, Feral Cat Crafts, Garden, Good Reads, Misc. Blatherings, Streaming TV/Movies, Summer Reads No tags Permalink
Misc. Monday

I was going back through old posts here on Catobear, and remembered when I used to do a Misc. Monday post regularly. I also used to do a Feline Friday post. Maybe I should get back into those, for my own sake. I doubt many people come to this site these days. Better things to do with their time, no doubt. I’ve been blogging in one form or another since 2007, nearly twenty years.

My Michigan Garden

If you follow My Michigan Garden on Facebook, you’ve seen photos of all of the gardens from the Marshall Garden Tour and the Battle Creek Garden Tour. Lots of inspiration. Today we had rain for the first time in forever. We’ve had to put the sprinkler on every other day and fill the birdbaths in the off-days. Honestly, we’re not getting much produce this year despite the watering and fertilizing. We pulled two green peppers and have some sungold cherry tomatoes each day. Looks like we have a total of three small-ish green tomatoes and two quite small cucumbers. The green beans put on a good display of growth, but not a single flower or bean. Probably time to dump all of the soil this year and start fresh next year. No frogs have attended the pond, but the flowers are starting to look nice.

Feral Cat Crafts

Yesterday I managed to get some grouting done on the mosaics. I used a pre-mixed grout and one powdered you mix yourself made especially for mosaics. Not surprisingly, the pre-mixed one (white, below) cracked like crazy as drying and yet took so long to dry it was a problem. The gray one you mix yourself was really quite good. The dark gray rock is the winner, and the same grout was used on the heart saucer and cat brick. I like the little rock mosaics, so now I need to see if I can get three of those done, and maybe three bricks, before the Mutt Market. The ones in the photo were just to try things out, and will be hidden somewhere in my own garden.

I have two of three sides painted on the second birdhouse. The third side should go pretty fast, then the first two birdhouses need to be sealed and I still need to come up with a concept and paint the third one.

You can see this one is a water theme, sunset over water on the front side, sailboat on the second, and the third will have palm trees. It’s obviously not fine art, but I think it’s cute enough and will hopefully sell.

I have my keychains and bag charms half packaged at this point, and I had an idea to make some of those cute beaded mini-flowers in vases. With less than a month to go until the Mutt Market, I’m once again pushing it to the very edge of getting everything done. It’s been kind of fun looking back at the last few years of Mutt Market items I’ve made and sold. I think the crochet froggies and scrunchies should have sold better as they were cute AF. Also, the zippered pouches were quite good. The Blind Date with Books should have gone better at the MM but they went to staff members after the event. I don’t really have any expectations that anything will sell well this year, but it has to go somewhere, right?

Wish You Were Here Snail Mail Club

I need to get to work right now on the September 1st Back to School issue. Now. Next week is August.

Reading, Watching, Exploring

I finished This House Will Feed, which I enjoyed. Then I read Kill House from Scott Thomas, which I also enjoyed. I’d say it’s the most “real” horror book I’ve read from the horror genre lately. I’m currently reading Richard Laymon’s Funland, which is actually not much fun. This must have been a print on demand book and not especially well put together as half the pages are still attached to each other at the bottom of the page. The characters are unlikeable as is the plot. I’m half way into it and thinking of just giving up.

The third season of Trigger Point is on Britbox and I’m obsessed. We’ve also been watching every game that’s available for WNBA’s Indiana Fever.

Although I am a huge fan of Mortal Kombat, you wouldn’t really call me a gamer in any other sense. This week, I’m exploring Solo Roleplaying Games in the journaling format. I’ve been watching YouTube videos trying to figure out if it’s something I might enjoy doing. As if I needed another hobby. I sat down and came up with 35 hobbies I’ve tried since roughly 2007, and quite a few I still pull out with regularity or would do so if I had more time.

What are you up to, this last week of July 2026?

My World’s On Fire

Friday, July 17, 2026 0 Battle Creek, Feral Cat Crafts, Garden, Good Reads, Living in Michigan, Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Summer Reads, Weather Update No tags Permalink

The ice we skate is gettin’ pretty thin. The water’s gettin’ warm so you might as well swim · My world’s on fire, how ’bout yours? – All Star, by Smash Mouth

Michigan has the worst air quality in the world due to Canadian wildfires. We are at the center of a diarrhea parasite outbreak. Temperatures are in the 90s with high humidity as it is time for corn sweat. Also, I have to say I’ve personally had a pretty, um, – shitty – week at work. So I’m ready for autumn.

Summer Reads Update

My choices at the start of the summer for reading:

  • Last One Out by Jane Harper. Harper is one of my favorite authors. Her novels take place in Australia, and often involve mysteries. This book was published April 14, 2026.
  • The World Doesn’t End by Charles Simic. I love prose poetry, and would like to get back to writing some again.
  • On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation by Alexandra Horowitz. This non-fiction book helps to give one a new perspective on seeing things you miss regularly. It honestly sounds amazing and I can’t wait to read it.
  • The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan, non-fiction. This books shares some stories from the people who survived the American Dust Bowl. It won the 2006 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was featured in a Ken Burns documentary.
  • Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler. This new novel won’t be released until the end of May.

And I’ve finished three so far! On Looking was good. It had one of the best sentences I’ve read in a long time:

“A spill of spaghetti, cooked and sauced, formed a sunburst at my feet, attended to by a cluster of pigeons.”

On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation by Alexandra Horowitz.

After I finished it, I sent it to my friend Lois as I thought she would enjoy it. Next up was The Worst Time, about the dust bowl. It was very interesting! That one I sent to my Uncle Steve. Third, I read Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Alder. I loved how she writes, and her characters. I sent that one on to my friend Holly. After those three, I got sidetracked a bit and read The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson. I loved it so much I didn’t want to part with it, but I bought two copies and sent one to my Mom and one to my sister. It takes place mostly in the 1980s in Niagara Falls, Canada. I’m currently reading This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud, which takes place during the Irish potato famine. It’s a horror book with some Irish superstition in it, and very enjoyable. When it’s too hot and too smoky to be outside, your next best choice is indoors in the air conditioning on the couch with a book. And a cat, if you have one.

Craft Projects

I’ve sold maybe nine of the Wish You Were Here – Summer Vacation snail mail clubs, and do plan on putting one together for September. I’m getting ready for the Mutt Market, with only five weeks to go. Right now, I have all of the key chains and bag charms made but they need to be packaged up. I have so, so many bag charms I expect it will take a week to get them done.

I have one of three birdhouses painted but it needs to be sealed and the other two painted and sealed.

I plan on selling 3-4 mosaic garden bricks. I have my first three attempts that are just to test the concept, and they need to be grouted and sealed. I am also going to make a few driftwood sun catchers for gardens as well.

As I said, time is running out and I need to get busy. It’s just a challenge to work when it’s been so hot. And did I mention work has been stressful? I’m managing to get up every day, brush my teeth, shower, and get to work and try to get work done. But anything beyond that has been impossible. We haven’t had a salad in over a week, so maybe it’s lack of nutrients?

I did make up a batch of bracelets and bag charms under the Liberal AF design, and donated them to the Calhoun County Democrat Headquarters. I had hoped they would offer them for suggested donation of $10 each and make some money from them.

I did my own linocut block carving and printing on the packaging. It was a bit of an awkward exchange when I took them in, so maybe they pitched them in the dumpster right after I left. Who knows? I honestly thought they were super cute. The bag charms have “eat the rich” and “deport racist” charms on them. The bracelets spell out something like “liberal af”, or “vote dems” and the second of the bracelet duo has a charm that reads “hope”.

My World’s On Fire

As I mentioned, it’s hot and humid and smoky. I haven’t spent much time out in the garden this week, except for turning on and off the sprinkler, and dumping and filling the five birdbaths I have around the gardens at home. It seems as if our vegetable garden has been super slow to produce. The green beans are growing like crazy, but no flowers or beans yet.

I worked the Marshall Garden Tour as a volunteer hostess last weekend, which was a fun experience. The next day, I went to see the rest of the houses on the tour. I think the word of the year for gardens is “whimsy” which maybe would be good for me as a trend if I plan on working on garden mosaic bricks, suncatchers, and birdhouses. The Battle Creek Garden Tour is tomorrow, and Mom and I are going in the morning but will likely have to wear N95 masks.

Yeah, I’m struggling. But who isn’t at this point?

May 2026 Recap

Friday, June 5, 2026 0 Etsy, Feral Cat Crafts, Garden, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings No tags Permalink

We’re almost through the first week of June, so it’s time for a May 2026 recap. The month was busy. We survived the Whisker Mixer. Everyone who attended seemed to have a good time (myself excluded, of course). We netted $2,000 more than I had anticipated. Most importantly, it’s over for another year. On to the Mutt Market!

In happier news, Mom and I went to the greenhouses and planted the cemeteries in Lansing. It’s always one of the best weeks of the year!

I set a limit on my garden spending this year, and held to it. I’ve been working on dividing and moving perennials, so that has filled in some of the space as well. I was just planning on weeding the driveway border bed, but the lily of the valley had gotten so bad, everything had to be pulled, removed, and planted with something else. I’ll be interested to see how it matures as it will be a huge change from previous years.

Mom had minor surgery on her foot, so she has been working on the driveway garden at her house. I did finally get over and start weeding and planting her backyard. The next step is to divide and replant her perennial grasses. I figure it will take about three more sessions to get all of that done. April was the rainiest month on record in our area. May was quite dry and quite cold right up until the end. I suspect June may be hot and humid.

In May, I put together the first Wish You Were Here snail mail club and got it up on my Etsy. I went through my list of sales and sent a postcard I made (above) to the 50 most recent zine customers to let them know about the mail club. So far, I’ve had seven out of 25 total sales. It sure would be nice to get some positive reviews back on the ones I sent, and sell some more. I am still at this point planning on making one in late August for autumn, and maybe a surprise one for Halloween.

Each package, priced at $9.93 plus $2.05 shipping gets you a vintage postcard from my collection, a double-sided newsletter featuring my vacation memories, three stickers, a bookmark, a card with an entry to win a bag charm, and a handwritten letter, all wrapped up in a vellum sleeve and sealed with a wax seal. This snail mail club is a stand-alone; you don’t need to sign up in perpetuity and have to cancel later if you don’t want it. Convenient, right?

Also in May, I finally painted up my most recent zine on tardigrades, and I even made a video of it for my YouTube Channel. It is also for sale on my Etsy page, but no one has purchased a copy.

My plans for June include my Summer Reads, starting with Timothy Egan’s The Worst Hard Time, which is a non-fiction book about the great American Dust Bowl. I sketched out a cute snail mail thing, and I plan to carve it and print it using linocut printing, which I haven’t done in quite awhile but I enjoy. I am also planning on painting with gouache using some vintage postcards as reference images. I haven’t sold any bag charms or beaded items in awhile, so I’m going to step away from that and focus on maybe getting more snail mail club sales, making a few more zines, and just doing art to satisfy myself. I seem to have a plethora of doctor appointments in June, so maybe I can get myself sorted out.

Summer Reads 2026

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 0 Good Reads, Summer Reads No tags Permalink
summer reads 2019

After a brief hiatus, I’m publishing a Summer Reads 2026. Not only that, I’m making a zine out of it, and I’m also sharing some of my favorite past reads which I think you should consider adding to your own Summer Reads 2026 list.

In 2011, I came up with my first ‘summer reads’ list, as selection of beachy reads and “good for me” non-fiction books to read between Memorial Weekend and Labor Day. I shared my list for the first time in 2014 on www.catobear.com (go there to see past full lists).

From 2014 – 2019, I dutifully shared each summer’s reading list and wrote brief reviews on each book. I came up with my lists by looking at the New York Times Bestseller list, Maureen Corrigan’s (NPR book reviewer) lists and reviews, and anything that I had seen online that looked good. Somehow in 2020, perhaps because of the state of the world, I didn’t read much or come up with a list. I returned in 2021, skipped in 2022, and again published my list in 2023 which was the last year of my full list. I did have a number of books I read and shared last year, but nothing official.

Over time, my list has become shorter, as free time seems to be much more precious these days. When I was young and had no responsibilities, my Mom would take us to the bookmobile each week and I would select the maximum number of books I could to take home and read (was it ten? 14?). I always read them all. In doing the summer reads as an adult, I normally selected between 8-10 books. This year, I am starting out with five, and if I finish all of those I can always add more.

My Summer Reads 2026

  • Last One Out by Jane Harper. Harper is one of my favorite authors. Her novels take place in Australia, and often involve mysteries. This book was published April 14, 2026.
  • The World Doesn’t End by Charles Simic. I love prose poetry, and would like to get back to writing some again.
  • On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation by Alexandra Horowitz. This non-fiction book helps to give one a new perspective on seeing things you miss regularly. It honestly sounds amazing and I can’t wait to read it.
  • The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan, non-fiction. This books shares some stories from the people who survived the American Dust Bowl. It won the 2006 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was featured in a Ken Burns documentary.
  • Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler. This new novel won’t be released until the end of May.

My Recommendations for Your Summer Reads 2026

For many folks, the idea of a summer read is a coastal romance with maybe a hint of mystery. There seem to be a number of books by Carley Fortune and Emily Henry on reading lists this summer. And honestly, in many years I’ve included books from Elin Hilderbrand and similar on my list. Who doesn’t enjoy those? But this list for you are some of my absolute favorite books, those that have stayed with me for years after reading them.

  • Joyland by Stephen King. This is my favorite of King’s books. It is spooky, not scary, and takes place in a theme park in the summer. It is also fabulous on audiobook, if you prefer your reading that way.
  • The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo. I just finished The Fox Wife, her newest novel and I have read The Ghost Bride as well. While the other two are very good, The Night Tiger is amazing. Historical fiction with a hint of supernatural, I felt myself transported to the locations in this book. I constantly recommend this book.
  • The Burning by Tim Madigan, a non-fiction book about the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots. This book is fantastic, everything you would hope a non-fiction book could be in regard to teaching you not only about something you might not have known, but how it felt to be there. I wish high schools would require this reading in American history classes.
  • Into Thin Air by Job Krakauer. This book, a first person account of the disastrous 1996 climbing season on Mount Everest, will have you (as they often say) on the edge of your seat. While there have been some criticisms of how certain real people in the book have been portrayed, I encourage you to read this and then follow up with other accounts. Into Thin Air is one of those books you always see recommended on Reddit, and it deserves the recognition.
  • A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. This non-fiction memoir of a boy soldier and his participation during war in Sierra Leone also has a little controversy with some of the details, but I don’t think that impacts the powerful nature of this book. In fact, I think this should be taught in American high school English classes instead of four whole years of Shakespeare. It’s not easy reading (content-wise; it is a very fast read in terms of beauty of writing style), but I think it is one that should be on your list.
  • The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore is a historical fiction book about the surprisingly recent history of leprosy homes in this country. It’s a great novel, well written, and will stay with you.
  • The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Everyone loves Erik Larson’s writing. It feels like a novel, and is a mix of true crime and narrative non-fiction.
  • Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. Want to learn a little more about the Troubles in Northern Ireland? This book won TIME Magazine’s Best Nonfiction Book of the Year. The audio book is also excellent.
  • State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. This novel was one I heard reviewed by Maureen Corrigan in 2011 and I had to read it. Fifteen years later, I still think about it monthly. You can feel yourself in the setting along with the characters. It is unexpected, and fantastic.
  • American Fire by Monica Hesse is amazing. It’s one of those books that I always recommend to everyone. It is non-fiction that reads like a novel, and I featured it in my Three Books mini-zine as well as on my website.

Do tell me what’s on your reading list for this summer, and let me know if you have read (or plan to read!) any of my recommendations. Happy reading!

March, April, and Into May

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 0 Etsy, Feral Cat Crafts, Garden, Misc. Blatherings No tags Permalink

My goodness, time flies when you’re having fun. Or if you’re not. Suddenly February was over, and we ran through March, April, and into May later this week. The weather this spring has been crazy. Extreme temperatures, with the first week of May expected to have freeze and frost. We’ve had numerous storms, tornado warnings, and power outages. I can’t say I’ve been in the best mood for any of it.

Feral Cat Crafts

I’ve kept busy with creation and sales for Feral Cat Crafts’ Etsy. I’ve had decent sales for bag charms (bike themed charm, above, realtor themed charm below. I made bag charms and sent them to pen friends and family members as well. It’s nice to share the love, and who knows? Maybe they will share the link to my Etsy store. I had the Nik Kershaw zine printed and it’s up on the store as well.

I am working on a special project now that will hit the shop in May. I’ll be offering a limited-run of snail mail club Wish You Were Here! The first of the quarterly drops will be Summer Vacation. I’m super excited about this project. I haven’t been this excited about something in quite awhile.

I’ve also crocheted a few blankets for friends. You can follow Feral Cat Crafts on Facebook or Instagram by clicking on the links.

My Michigan Garden

Although some days the weather still feels like winter, spring has sprung in Michigan.

The bulbs I planted in the fall actually came up! I always find that to be a bit of a surprise. I plotted out detailed drawings of each garden bed, and plans for what changes I would make in each. Of course, then real life happens and you wind up doing different things. First, we have this ongoing water situation around the front porch, so I dug out and transplanted the hydrangea.

Then I took to cleaning up the driveway border, which has been infiltrated by lily of the valley. I’ve got about five feet done on it so far. It’s nasty, heavy work and I was not planning on having to completely dig it all up. There’s still at least six feet or more to go as well.

I did plan on removing the yuccas from the drive border and transplanting them to the back by the willow stump, which I finished this last weekend. Again, yuccas have deep roots so it was a lot of digging and a sore back, shoulders, arms, and hands. Work on your grip strength as you age, fam.

So, I still need to clean up the rest of the drive border, and I have to dig the hole for the mini pond by the newly transplanted yuccas in the back. Then I can get to work moving and dividing other perennials, all before the end of May and greenhouse day. You can follow the adventures, plus a ton of other fun gardening items on My Michigan Garden’s Facebook and Instagram.

Misc. Blatherings

I am finding people are greeting me with “Wow, you look tired!” I suspect the stress of work (mostly) has finally gotten to me after nearly 18 years. It’s been a not-great few months. Or maybe it’s been the same few months as always, but I can no longer bounce back from it like I used to. I don’t know. I’ve had a headache-into-migraine for the past seven days straight. I’ll take a migraine tab and it will ease back to a strong headache and then ramp up again. Maybe things will feel a bit better after the May 7th event. I need some kindness and grace from everyone, but I am currently unable to offer it in return. I’m reminded of Hugh Grant’s line in Four Weddings and a Funeral, “Excuse me. I think I had better be where other people are not“.

See you in May.

February 2026

Thursday, February 26, 2026 0 Etsy, Feral Cat Crafts, Misc. Blatherings No tags Permalink

Why is February the shortest, yet the longest month ever? February 2026 has dragged on for 1,000 days. We did have two days of thaw, which was nice, but not enough. Either the weather is going to break – and stay nice – or I’m going to break. Seriously. I’ll remember February 2026 as the month of animal hoarding raids, and the worst images I’ve ever seen in my life which documented suffering beyond imagination (and I have a great imagination), and it has affected me. I’m not sure how to work my mind around it still, honestly. And from that, I seem to have developed a whole bunch of physical ailments that match the mental ones.

Anyhow, February 2026 was also surprisingly productive creatively. The top image is something I put together for all of the staff member Valentine baskets this year. I’ve been making the paper/journal clips to include with Etsy packages as well. Etsy sales for my shop were good this month, mostly for purse charms and zines. Bracelets aren’t really selling.

As Valentine’s Day is over, as well as the Super Bowl and football in general, I’ve been working on making some purse charms for Mother’s Day. I also have Cat Mom and Dog Mom, if you’re interested. I received a comment from a customer who had ordered golf stroke bracelets to use to track daily water intake, so I made a couple of bracelets specifically for that purpose. If they sell, I’ll make more in other colors and themes. You take the charm on the lobster hook and move it between the numbered beads after each eight ounce serving of water you drink. I suppose you could use it to track your alcohol, too, in case you happen to lose count regularly.

I’ve had a few zine sales for the Collage for Motivation zine and I always include an original collage artist trading card as a gift with purchase (along with a blank ATC and ephemera to make your own!), and so I needed to make up a few more cards. You can’t really see it, but they are coated with glittery Mod Podge so they shimmer a bit. I have one mini zine completed that needs to go to the printer and two more I need to paint up.

The shelter’s annual Whisker Mixer event is May 7, and I put together two baskets for the silent auction, plus some pins and journal clips for the coffee pull bags in this year’s theme of Alice in Wonderland. One of my baskets is strawberry themed and I think it is cute AF. The other is Alice in Wonderland, and I made this decoupage box to go in the basket. I’m not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to do so, but there it is. The basket is pretty cute, too. I’ll post them on my Instagram when we are closer to the event.

I attended a couple of gardening webinars this month. Michigan State University Extension’s Plant Quest was excellent! Four sessions, three of which I love and two of those I took lots of notes on. I took another webinar on shade gardening which was not great. I have lists and lists of garden projects I’d like to consider and plants I may purchase. If we all make it to spring and planting season, that is.

January 2026

Friday, January 23, 2026 0 Feral Cat Crafts, Garden, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Weather Update No tags Permalink

January 2026, as a month, is moving pretty fast. January 2026, each day, is an eternity. The month started out with a bit of a warm thaw, and since then we’ve had lots and lots of snow and terribly cold weather. Today’s high should top out around two degrees. For the high. Not counting wind chill. There’s not an end in sight until sometime at February.

In the meantime, I’ve been busy with projects for Feral Cat Crafts and Etsy. I’ve done well with football themed purse charms, selling one for the Chicago Bears and one for the LA Rams. I made up a few for the upcoming Olympics (pictured above). Over the next few weekends, I’d like to get a couple of mystery trinket boxes up in the store. I’m also working on a trio of mini zines with a music theme. One is done, one is started, and the third I haven’t even put thought into.

You might have seen my garden resolutions post. I’m continuing to watch garden videos and take a few online webinars. I signed up for Michigan State University extension’s Plant Quest, and have one more webinar to go for that. I especially loved the section on gravel gardening, and it gave me a new idea for the “Paw Garden” at the shelter! I’m signed up for Foliage Driven Garden Design in February. I’ve got lists and notes everywhere!

This month I seemed to have a ton of meetings for work. I went and did the teen night at the Marshall District Library, and the generator project at the shelter was FINALLY completed (nearly a year later!). Next project, stray side dog kennel indoor ceiling replacement.

February, just a week away, I’ll be working on finishing up the newsletter at the shelter, continuing to post twice weekly Substacks for the shelter, and getting through the annual audit and animal welfare org groups meeting. I’m working on various projects for Twin Peaks Day and will need to get something together for staff member Valentines. By the end of February, we will have earlier sunrises and later sunsets, and hopefully a return to temperatures at least nearer to freezing.

2026 Garden Resolutions

Monday, January 19, 2026 0 Garden, Living in Michigan No tags Permalink

We are in the midst of a polar vortex. The only thing getting me through is daydreaming about gardening, watching gardening videos, researching new garden ideas, and setting my 2026 Garden Resolutions. One week until the sun again rises before 8:00am. Two weeks until the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. We just need to last a little while longer!

Gardening Trips and Tours

One of the highlights of my summer is going to the annual Battle Creek Garden Tour put on by Leila Arboretum Society with my Mom. We always have the best time, and come out with so many different ideas! It’s an incredibly inspirational journey. Of course, the 2026 Battle Creek Garden Tour is on the top of my list of what to do this year (here’s last year’s visit, in case you’re interested!).

Battle Creek isn’t the only garden tour, though. In 2026, I’d like to see if we can’t go on one more tour somewhere not too far away.

I follow Garden Crossings YouTube channel online and it is amazing. This summer, I’m going to take Mom over to Zeeland to visit the Garden Crossings store and gardens.

Better Stay Up on Cemetery Pots

Year before last, I did fantastically with the six cemetery pots we maintain for family and friends. At the end of the season, there were still flowers alive in all of the pots! Last year got away from me unfortunately. This year I have a better plan! I want to spend more time riding my bike during the summer. I’ll drive to the cemetery, park, and go on a bike ride. Then, I’ll bike through the cemetery and water the pots before ending my trip! If I can find it, I’d like to try planting Jamesbrittenia Safari Dusk in a couple of the pots. It likes full sun and can handle some dryness.

New Side Garden

Last year I had planned on putting in the new side yard garden, but ran out of time and energy. This is hopefully the year! We’ll plant some shrubs, trees, and ornamental low grasses.

Revamp Back Gardens

Since the willow trunk fell last year, I’d like to add some larger pots to that area. I attended the Michigan State University Extension program Plant Quest 2026 this month, and the first presentation was on incorporating traditional houseplants or tropical plants into your outdoor gardens. Last year I had massive elephant ears that were amazing. I saved the tubers, but who knows if they will survive as I never have luck with that. But if they do, they will join Persian Shield and Fuschia Gartenmeister (provided I can find them) in pots in the back.

Move and Divide Front Gardens

The front gardens consist of two parts, the main garden which surrounds the vegetable garden (fenced area), and the border garden along the drive and porch. Over the years, some of the plants have become HUGE and crushed out other plants. This year is a year of moving and dividing. The yucca at the bottom of the drive border will be pulled and moved to the back yard. I’ll be putting down cardboard and soil on that bed to hopefully finally (!) choke out the lily of the valley, and will be planting Peach Melba Crocosmia in the space, along with some asters. In the photo above, I’ll be removing the metal edging, and in the dirt space I’ll be planting some creeping thyme which should flow right into the yard, as well as a few plantings of Lemon Coral Sedum (if I can find it). In terms of items crowded out or overgrown, I’ll need to divide the daisies in the driveway border and pull the Autumn Joy Sedum from up near the porch. Both of those will either go back by the yucca, or wind up out at the shelter. Our maple by the veg garden is growing leaps and bounds, and I know at some point in time the veg garden won’t be able to have vegetables any more and a lot of the garden in that area will become more shady. As it is, I water that bed regularly, but the drive border is hot, dry, full sun and stands on its own.

Vegetable Garden

We’ve been contemplating putting in a greenhouse where the vegetable garden now sits. With the maple, it wouldn’t be a long-term solution but it could be a great place to do some seed starting and expand the growing season earlier in spring and later in autumn. I’m giving more thought this year to what we grow our vegetable in. For a few years we’ve used those grow bags. I have been looking into instead using large jute bags they use for coffee bean transportation for the roasters. I have heard if you double them up, they can last a season or more as long as you don’t try to move them. And when they give out, they can be composted. Bob shared with me information about new pesticides that have been approved for use in the US, and it is concerning. Having a greenhouse or cold frame could be the thing that allows us to safely keep eating lettuce and arugula in colder months. Something else I’d like to try this year was a tip given by my friend Susan. She places two cloves of garlic in each of her veg containers, and says it grows along with the veg and seems to stop some of the insects from bothering the plants. I think it’s well worth a try! Last year’s tomato worms were disgusting!

Other Gardens

I have some ideas and plans for gardening at the shelter as well. I have been going back and forth between cardboard or tilling. I’d like to turn some of our invasive fields-gone-wild into native wildflower fields that help pollinators. And I’d like to make the beds by the front of the building and the pots look even better this year. I’ve also sent Mom so many ideas for her garden, I’d like to help her make some of them happen. Because isn’t gardening with others always more fun?! Let me know what items are on your 2026 Garden Resolutions list!

Documentary Shorts for 2026

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 0 Streaming TV/Movies No tags Permalink

Oscar season is coming up, and the shortlists have been released. We are starting early with our reviews of one of our favorite categories, the documentary shorts! Click on the heading link to watch the films.

We Were The Scenery

Available at no charge currently on Vimeo. This film contains subtitles. Written by their daughter, this short film, 15 minutes, Cathy Linh Che follows the story of her parents on their journey from Vietnam to the Philippines, and finally to America. Hoa Thi Che and Hue Nguyen Che set out as refugees on a boat to escape during the Vietnam War with America. Upon arrival, they stayed at a Red Cross refugee camp for 11 months. During this time, the Red Cross arranged for the refugees to act as paid extras in Francis Ford Coppola’s film, Apocalypse Now.

The scenery, from Vietnam to the Philippines, is lush and tropical. I am often amazed by refugees, as many have experienced great hardships in the past but look on life with little complaint and the desire to make and enjoy happy times in the present. While they weren’t given a choice to participate in the film or not, Cathy Linh Che’s parents recall it being an interesting and somewhat fun experience.

I absolutely enjoyed this film, from the cinematography, to seeing a snapshot of someone else’s life so much different than my own.

Rovina’s Choice

Rovina’s Choice is available for free on The New Yorker, or their YouTube channel, linked above, and is just over 22 minutes. It includes subtitles.

Rovina Naboi and her children live in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya with 300,000 other people who have fled from the horrors of war in South Sudan. Places like the camp in Kakuma received food and medical aid from the USAID program, which ended early last year (2025). These cuts now only provide for one meal a day at most in refugee camps. Rovina’s 15 month old daughter Jane suffered from malnutrition and became ill. Rovina took Jane 15 kilometers (just over seven miles) to Clinic 7 for emergency medical care. There are five doctors at Clinic 7, to provide medical care for all 300,000 refugees. Rovina’s remaining children stayed behind alone at the camp where they had no access to food. Rovina was faced with the decision to stay with Jane at the clinic until she was better and have her other children starve, or risk Jane’s life to return to the camp. She strapped Jane on her back and walked the 15 kilometers back to the camp, and Jane died the following morning.

In addition to malnutrition causing disease, loss of funding for USAID will contribute to more problems over time. There will be no vaccines to prevent disease, and there will be a loss of control over HIV and tuberculosis. Jane’s death will be just one of thousands or hundreds of thousands to come. Rovina and Jane are the face of the executive order to shut down USAID.

Last Days on Lake Trinity

This short doc, from The New Yorker and free on their website or their YouTube channel, is 30 minutes long, and features three residents of the Lakeside Park Estates in Hollywood Florida as they prepare to move from the trailer park that they have called home for years. Their future is uncertain.

In March 2022, residents at Lakeside Park Estates were given notice that the land their trailers sat on, owned by the Christian broadcast network Trinity Broadcast Network, had been sold to build and house warehouses. Residents owned their trailers and paid a low lot rent; the new warehouses that would be located on the land would undoubtedly bring in a lot more money. Most of the trailers were too old or in too poor of shape to be moved and were demolished. The majority of the residents couldn’t afford local apartment rent in their area. One of the residents, exhibiting the first signs of dementia, would be forced to leave her cat behind.

In a country where the biggest payout is always chosen, even “Christian” businesses like Trinity will sell out the poor. As places like Lakeside Park Estates, or large public housing complexes across the nation, disappear, the residents lose more than just their homes. They lose their sense of community, their independence, and their personhood.

Cashing Out

Another fantastic free documentary from The New Yorker, again available on their website or their YouTube channel, this short doc is 39 minutes.

In the 1980s with the AIDS crisis, individuals nearing death were faced with not having money to either do the things they wanted or to provide for them the care they needed. In came the advent of viatical settlements, a plan where investors would “buy” the life insurance policies’ future benefits and give cash immediately to the individual facing this terrible diagnosis. Were viatical settlements ghoulish, or helpful? Not everyone had money to afford life insurance policies while they were healthy, so what was their option? The HIV viatical settlements became a losing investment with the advent of HIV combination therapy and life extension for those with the disease.

Watching this short doc, I was immediately reminded of Star Trek DS9 episode from June 1996, “Body Parts”. Quark receives a fatal diagnosis, and in the Ferengi tradition, offers the future sales of discs of his desiccated corpse. He then receives word that the diagnosis was in error, and he won’t die; fellow Ferengi Brunt had purchased the futures and arrived to collect his purchase.

This documentary also reminds me of the horror of the AIDS epidemic, and how the homophobia of the American government contributed to deaths of more individuals than the Vietnam War.

All the Empty Rooms

This one, 35 minutes, is currently available with a Netflix subscription. It is a haunting piece showcasing four bedrooms, preserved in time, from victims of school shootings. The journalist and photographer speak with the parents and siblings of those who were killed, and give us a small glimpse into the lives lost by examining the remains of their lives and personalities.

This film is not sensational, and not a typical telling of what happens when we as a country fail our children in favor of “2nd amendment rights” for all. The film is somber, and quiet, and heavy.

Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

This short doc is available with subscription to HBOMax and clocks in at 39 minutes.

Brent Renaud was a photojournalist with the New York Times, when he and other journalists were ambushed and killed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine. This documentary shares Brent’s life, how he came to be in these war-torn locations throughout the world giving a voice to those who would otherwise not have one, through his own work and the words of his family.

The documentary notes “journalism has become one of the world’s most dangerous professions.” It shouldn’t have to be that way. This is yet another reason why I firmly believe the United States must stand up to Russia and defend Ukraine. This film is a gut punch, and made me cry. Well worth the watch, and worth seeking out Brent Renaud’s other work.

Chasing Time

This short doc is currently available for free on the PBS website and is 25 minutes. It is, as the note at the end, about the legacy of the ice and our legacy of what we’ve done to our planet. In 2007, the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) was started. Photographer James Balog documented the glaciers through the years, a physical capture of their death and a view of change through time. Ice is a manifestation of climate change.

For Balog and others, the spiritual essence of the landscape, of the ice, is a connecting point for all human kind. At the same time he faces the extinction of the ice, he faces his own mortality. His next project, a citizen-lead joint photographic collective documentation of Iceland, will record whether we have succeeded or failed in our stewardship of the planet. Can one person make a difference? Yes. Through inspiration, one person can change the hearts and minds of others.

Classroom 4

This short doc is also available for free on the PBS website. It is 38 minutes long.

Professor Reiko Hillyer teaches course “The History of Crime and Punishment in the United States” at a prison in Portland, Oregon through the International Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Classmates consist of 15 college students (the outs) and 15 inmates (the ins). Through the semester, students read, write, and discuss the curriculum while openly sharing their feelings and opinions.

The US holds the world’s highest incarceration rate, with nearly one percent of our population locked up. In most cases, inmates aren’t given access to training, education, or mental health care that would help them avoid recidivism.

The Devil is Busy

This short doc, available with a subscription to HBOMax, is 32 minutes. It is a sobering look into the daily life of Tracii, who runs security for the Feminist Women’s Health Clinic in Georgia, and the other individuals who help her provide needed health care for women after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.

This film was produced by Soledad O’Brien’s studio, and without her and HBOMax, I’m not sure that a film like this could or would be made in today’s political climate. It is unreal to me that women have fewer rights now than they did when I was younger.

Other Films

These other films are on the shortlist, but I have not yet had the chance to view them. Oscar nominations are out January 22, 2026, so if any of these are nominated there is the chance they will become available for streaming. You can catch my full Oscar review here on catobear.com closer to the March awards show!

“All the Walls Came Down” – not yet available for streaming

“Bad Hostage” – not yet available for streaming

“Chasing Time” – Apple TV (I don’t currently have a subscription)

“Children No More: “Were and Are Gone” – not yet available for streaming

“Heartbeat” – not yet available for streaming

“On Healing Land, Birds Perch” – not yet available for streaming

“Perfectly a Strangeness” – not yet available for streaming

October Update

Thursday, October 16, 2025 0 Crochet/Knitting, Etsy, Feral Cat Crafts, Misc. Blatherings No tags Permalink

Suddenly, it is mid-October and time for an October Update. We’ve had our first frost, and it is looking and feeling like autumn.

Despite having lots of projects and books lined up for spooky season, it’s half-way through the month and I haven’t done anything spooky except collect stacks of ingredients for projects, and work on a blanket for someone who I don’t personally know but is facing a grave illness and could use a hug.

I am on skein 7, and with the ruffled border it should take 8 total so I am closing in on the end. It is Red Heart Soft Baby Steps, and I’m using an L hook. I will need to put together Halloween bags for the staff members, and I should get another spooky book or two before the end of October.

I have a number of projects waiting for the holidays including some soap-making, crochet washcloths to go with the soap, and simmer pot kits. I made a few Christmas bracelets and some Detroit Lions bracelets, which are up on my Feral Cat Crafts Etsy. I have a Detroit Tigers bracelet set up and ready to go as well. I love making the beaded bracelets, though they aren’t selling well.