Rustypuppy

1 reference photo; 3 interpretations:
- watercolor only - took 2 days because of layering and letting dry
- watercolor & pen - 1 session
- watercolor and pencil - 1 session with paper towel clean up and redo
- reference photo of ladybug on my Mom’s strawberry plant
#artstr #watercolor
https://i.nostr.build/ytMo7DBmr2TmJrMo.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/svH7kWeyoaAyVn0W.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/JZiO6lK2kgzaRzd0.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/7nRRydgqFnPgIJHk.jpg

2026-05-02 07:00:45 CEST

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Argh! Did the puzzle, know the aspect, still not doing something right. 😣

2026-05-02 06:01:24 CEST

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I had to go to my laptop. Then just click on a square and type.

2026-05-02 02:58:40 CEST

Visited a local art gallery. Saw amazing art created by secondary students, bought cards, and donated money to take some art books home.
Owl & woodpecker by Sandra Kunz
Redtail hawks by Lindsay Piltz
Quilt by my mom
#art #bookstr #birdstr
https://i.nostr.build/ugdCpduAqhHpiwPd.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/Ovl9DrVVA6JdqpJv.jpg

2026-05-01 20:52:13 CEST

Thought of you @npub1hgv…9jnv
https://i.nostr.build/PuVnRZLCDUSt3cHR.jpg

2026-05-01 20:50:06 CEST

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Adding #artstr

2026-04-30 23:34:48 CEST

Got an email that the new MurderBot novel is on its way to me!!! 🎉
I finished reading the previous one, System Collapse (don’t start here; it takes place directly after Fugitive Telemetry and there is A Lot Going On. All Systems Red is the first MurderBot novella - start there.)
Am now re-reading the short stories, which can be bought as ebooks or read for free at the following links:
- Compulsory - https://www.wired.com/story/future-of-work-compulsory-martha-wells/
- Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory - https://reactormag.com/home-habitat-range-niche-territory-martha-wells//
- Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy - https://reactormag.com/rapport-martha-wells/
#bookstr #murderbot
https://i.nostr.build/dwVIg3qtSfgbRbff.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/ngCDasLnIjhJjPhr.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/ocHeoJG4yDc5d7ld.jpg

2026-04-30 05:40:20 CEST

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Thanks so much! 💜🫂

2026-04-30 03:17:00 CEST

Watercolor & pen.
Reference photo by @npub13kw…wg2a
Process photos:
- pencil sketch
- watercolor
- pen
- after much deliberation, more watercolor to increase contrast (first photo)
#artstr #watercolor
https://i.nostr.build/kBAZmGu8QUqbh02k.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/OLDNd8Dw4zsIt97g.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/fDaeVOLB5aKGxRhK.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/ioWSed0lVDVgK9LU.jpg

2026-04-27 21:45:27 CEST

Re-reading the previous MurderBot novel in anticipation of the release of the next one in a week 🦾
#bookstr #murderbot
https://i.nostr.build/ViQNyFVsJ74FZAcU.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/YgzDarGrcGd4jXKP.jpg

2026-04-26 20:25:43 CEST

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I don’t do bloodwork to look for changes. The possible benefits are enough for me to eat it. I’m not a big chocolate fan, but I have found specific black teas that go with that particular chocolate that I do enjoy the taste. It’s also part morning ritual; after breakfast moment of peace and quiet before starting the day.
Matching the right food/drink to dark chocolate makes a huge difference in taste and chalkiness/dryness.

2026-04-26 20:07:02 CEST

Practicing clouds, mountains, and oceans.
#artstr #watercolor
https://i.nostr.build/b9xJvuc33q5r7g6t.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/Lyfj9j5RkmBxC5vG.jpg

2026-04-26 20:05:25 CEST

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I eat a square of 86% Ghirardelli each day with morning tea. 100% is too chalky for me.

2026-04-26 20:03:02 CEST

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That’s happening the next province over in Alberta ❄️

2026-04-26 18:44:06 CEST

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I love my double-sided printer!
My mom has the Old Way printer ….. which I discovered after getting annoyed when it spit the first page all the way out and I had to manually reinsert for the back side print.

2026-04-26 18:38:05 CEST

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British Columbia 🇨🇦

2026-04-26 02:36:38 CEST

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Outstanding! ❤️‍🔥

2026-04-24 23:41:58 CEST

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Damn - that looks like a difficult image in addition to the number of pieces. The largest jigsaw I’ve worked on by myself is 2000 pcs.

2026-04-24 22:38:13 CEST

New record for Mom & Me: 550 piece jigsaw puzzle in 2 days! 🧩🎉
#jigsawpuzzle #familytime
https://i.nostr.build/zc2LkENrz616oVrm.jpg

2026-04-23 17:26:29 CEST

Practicing on my own with scenes and objects in addition to the exercises in the watercolor course.
Here are the past few days followed by my reference photo.
I like the 3rd one best.
Mom likes the 2nd one best.
#artstr #watercolor
https://i.nostr.build/Uw23gUymrje95JB9.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/GwymEatTfTxoUkjo.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/jr5frKXUosgGPECT.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/TZzM20Q5F0EDALqx.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/Bqb0VpsO89J8H0L9.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/CCTbfwk6qVJzECQD.jpg

2026-04-19 20:57:52 CEST

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#yoga #grownostr
#nevent1q…pfy3

2026-04-19 20:23:04 CEST

Played with the travel watercolor brushes.
I thought I’d prefer the black based ones, but the gold base feel much lighter when I grip close to the ferrule for detailed, controlled strokes. The gold brushes also hold their tip much better. Even though the bristles stained blue, there really isn’t any loose pigment in there.
#artstr #artsupplies #watercolor
https://i.nostr.build/5yWKWNjVgFq0sGbj.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/BWFQbEs9AQChUR67.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/NzQjGocmYoQ47t2e.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/TTDDQywqSnUms9eV.jpg

2026-04-18 00:05:41 CEST

Over halfway through the month and now consistently hitting my new goal of 7,000 steps/day. Walked to town today so earned a little extra. 👟👟
#proofofwalk #fitnessover50
https://i.nostr.build/FARw1JCd8FUzCxPK.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/dPA6jgxDbpAu03G5.jpg

2026-04-17 07:17:35 CEST

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@npub1tx5…hd8g @npub1ndk…gk2v @npub1pvn…8khc

2026-04-16 03:01:39 CEST

Today’s treat: lemon blueberry scone
Tea: Murchie’s Balmoral (blend of Ceylon and Assam black teas)
#teastr #foodstr
https://i.nostr.build/uf1izdDyvTxZjPIS.jpg

2026-04-15 19:22:33 CEST

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GM! ☀️

2026-04-15 19:21:23 CEST

FYI: There’s a free multi-teacher online watercolor event happening from April 21 and April 26, 2026 called Win with Watercolor: https://sketchlikeanarchitect.teachable.com/p/watercolor-2026
All classes are free during the event, or you can buy a $37 USD pass before April 21 to keep access past the event. You can also buy the long-term access during the event, but the price goes up.
Name and email required to sign up.
David Drazil of Sketch Like an Architect is the host, with 20+ watercolor teachers, including Anastasiia, whose Travel Sketching course I’m currently working through.
#art #watercolor #onlineclass
https://i.nostr.build/4gWJrE3oyy4azNBW.jpg

2026-04-14 20:00:42 CEST

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I see, thanks.

2026-04-14 19:40:18 CEST

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I was looking through your website (nicely done!) and saw the FAQ says commercial use is ok, and this print page says commercial use is not ok without contacting you first. I was wondering if some of your prints were ok for commercial as is and some require permission?

2026-04-14 02:11:55 CEST

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Excellent example of a motivational quote cross-stitch
https://youtu.be/EqQuihD0hoI
#nevent1q…dr67

2026-04-13 03:11:18 CEST

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We each have our own copy of the Scrabble dictionary 😬

2026-04-13 02:51:29 CEST

Instead of Sunday Rummikub, it’s now Scrabble Sunday.
3 games, the last of which included the pain of having a 7 letter word near the end of the game and nowhere to put it. 🫤
#gamestr #familytime
https://i.nostr.build/mcGBB8ajIZnQhGSE.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/lAhwr6hbkI3kg71e.jpg

2026-04-11 17:54:24 CEST

When it’s time leave the cafe but you stay, mentally singing all the lyrics to the song that just started playing ….
https://youtu.be/wBl2QGAIx1s
#tunestr

2026-04-10 21:37:03 CEST

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I bought it on Amazon, not sure the cost, but I think it was a bit less than her website.

2026-04-10 21:34:15 CEST

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It’s from Kristy Rice: https://kristyrice.com/products/the-making-art-for-joys-sake-watercolor-palette/
The fold out design is very cool.
She has interesting names for the colors like Passion, Calm, Sweet …. But I renamed them to something I’d remember like Pink, Beige, Peach.

2026-04-10 21:29:43 CEST

I bought a travel watercolor palette with the intention of filling empty trays with my tube watercolors. Ran out of time before my trip, so I brought the colors the palette came with.
After I swatched them, I had some dismay. Fluorescent yellow? No forest green?
Then I swatched all first-level combinations. Red vs every color, Peach vs every color, etc.
And all the colors I was missing showed up. 😁
#artstr #watercolor
https://i.nostr.build/MYGtGYeealC6kwok.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/9hoyk6CM5cze9emR.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/KIRMsWflm3Dy4gXr.jpg

2026-04-06 18:29:11 CEST

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This looks like a great effort to help creators have their own gallery & shop website vs. relying on platforms like Wordpress.
Too technical for me, but I love seeing these kinds of efforts to create tools for artists to be more independent and connect directly with their audience.
#artstr #opensource #website
#nevent1q…e5z2

2026-04-06 18:25:46 CEST

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Tried to zap but got an error…?

2026-04-05 00:17:20 CEST

Wind, water, and wildfowl.
With love,
from Canada 🇨🇦
#vidstr #birdstr
https://blossom.primal.net/bc2b6762a57c2205439e3c020b84daaecf870ae164121efe91bc159f2b715e85.mp4

2026-04-02 16:43:46 CEST

American Airlines is getting more aggressive with their biometric scan to board the plane. iPad camera faces the line, little room to step aside….
But you can still move out of camera view and opt out of the facial scan. The attendant took it easily in stride this time, compared to the deer-in-the-headlights look I got last year.
#travel
https://blossom.primal.net/93052afb0fd3b529e86707bdecc55bed7d4a359fa85fda3b89556529fdebed47.gif

2026-04-02 16:00:47 CEST

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He’s Baaaaaack!
#nevent1q…29kn

2026-04-01 01:19:32 CEST

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Haven’t had time to try them out yet. 🫤. I’m getting crunched for time before my trip so I’ll probably bring both and try them out at my destination.

2026-04-01 01:17:36 CEST

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Thank you for the explanation. 🫂

2026-04-01 00:55:59 CEST

@npub18m7…q955 - I’ve connected my primal wallet to Damus via NWC. It shows Connected/online (1st image) but I get a screen without transaction info (2nd image) and my zaps don’t seem to go through, even though visually they appear on a note. What else do I need to do?
https://i.nostr.build/tkakJ0GWiwgvEWbX.png
https://i.nostr.build/12YNnVm7peuFqJUn.jpg

2026-04-01 00:37:32 CEST

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So good to hear from you. 🫂💜

2026-03-31 18:02:54 CEST

Had a great meeting with @npub13v9…3rka at Geyser. #artstr
https://i.nostr.build/eoNSNt292cQuzzBT.jpg

2026-03-31 17:54:20 CEST

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I like @npub1tm9…xn72 though I only use it on my phone and don’t know if they have a desktop client.

2026-03-31 04:29:52 CEST

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Hope you have great time with him! 🫂

2026-03-31 04:17:12 CEST

Today would have been my dad’s 83rd birthday. He died in 2019 from Alzheimer’s.
This is my first mixed media artwork in 2017 when we realized how bad he was mentally deteriorating.
He was born in Austria and came to Canada with his family. He learned English and entered high school.
His first degree was in mechanical engineering. Thanks to a graduate project with an ophthalmologist, he decided he wanted to work more with people. So he completed medical school and specialized in eyeballs.
Not wanting to work in a socialist medical system, he moved his family to Texas. Initially practicing ophthalmology with a partner, he eventually opened his own clinic. He also founded a small engineering company which produced the two different ophthalmic instruments he designed and patented to measure the curvature of the eye, a necessary measurement for certain types of surgery.
Eventually he retired and moved back to Canada with my mom into an older house by a lake, where he enjoyed renovating the place and sailing.
He was a great dad and I still miss him. ❤️
https://i.nostr.build/IW7ckPSntccir22Z.jpg

2026-03-28 01:27:20 CET

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Thank You for all you build and maintain! 💜

2026-03-28 01:06:12 CET

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Thanks, I have that on. My eyes can’t handle that much sweetness. 😵‍💫

2026-03-28 00:51:39 CET

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Is there a setting to turn off animations for someone who’s over the hill and gets nauseous from all the animation everywhere? Asking for me. 🙏

2026-03-27 23:17:34 CET

For us, it’s a crazy amount of wind and temperatures bouncing from 70F to 90F to 60F (feels like 50F because of the wind. 😵‍💫
#weather #comic #spring
https://i.nostr.build/J5nQRwu1fXureyQv.jpg

2026-03-27 21:48:26 CET

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Zapped. Happy to help. I did receive your 21 sat zap - thanks!

2026-03-27 19:58:10 CET

This. And putting in the hours of work. #artstr
#nevent1q…zwa4

2026-03-27 19:56:28 CET

Jody Bergsma, a Pacific Northwest artist I’ve followed for years, has a new website: https://bergsma.com
It’s still being loaded with paintings/prints, but what’s there now is a good sampling of her known works as well as her newer style.
#art #watercolor
https://i.nostr.build/IXQ3ILxZTSD03Rhg.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/qbACDg4yqfPA2h90.jpg

2026-03-27 06:32:21 CET

Took out the trash tonight and was able to get a photo of the Orion constellation (first image). I was impressed any stars showed up, given the amount of light pollution around here.
Second image is after I played with the filters. ✨
#photostr #fullofstars
https://i.nostr.build/eYY5tgDPcp6JuxMh.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/KVtCZ8GJ5tqQ0ep2.jpg

2026-03-27 02:35:02 CET

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It is exciting! I just discovered Geyser has All-or-Nothing funding like Kickstarter! So cool for small art projects. 🎨

2026-03-27 01:31:19 CET

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Done!

2026-03-27 00:14:43 CET

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Done

2026-03-26 19:36:51 CET

I’ve launched several successful projects on Kickstarter as I always preferred the fixed-funding/All-or-Nothing model to the take-their-money-even-though-you-didn’t-reach-the-finding-goal model as on IndieGoGo.
I just saw @npub1kmw…xqk9 has implemented a Kickstarter Bitcoin equivalent. 🧡
If the funding goal is met, the creator is paid. If not, supporters get their sats back.
Now I just need to concept a project and figure out pricing for rewards. 💜
#artstr #crowdfunding #proofofwork
#nevent1q…0l9k

2026-03-26 04:33:54 CET

I posted a few weeks ago about this piece, thinking I was near the end. Except it sat unfinished on my art desk for weeks… which meant something about it still bothered me. 🤔
So instead of separating the flower drawing squares, I put them edge to edge. Suddenly it was closer to the quilt concept I wanted than any of my other attempts, so I leaned into that, adding alternating greens to the flowers with Copic markers and a thin black border.
Studying the quilts the my mom has made, I still needed the “quilting” - the sewing that keeps the batting in place. Since drawing equidistant little lines was not appealing, I drew my pencil lines and then used I Micron pen to add the dots for the holes punctured through fabric (second photo🪡.) Love how it turned out!
As the May entry in my Calendar Animal series, the letters should have been laser-printed and gold-painted as on the previous 4 artworks.
But that didn’t fit this piece; I tried and the background is too dark to have the tissue paper blend in and it looked horrible and I scraped it off and was so relieved I hadn’t destroyed the underlayer. 😮‍💨
So this is when that “consistent” element changed. Still have the other elements I decided on before starting. I assumed some would fall to the side as my art developed and adapted to the monthly focal point and theme. That’s part of the fun of this project - seeing how much the last one resembles the first one. Or not. 🧑‍🎨
#2026calendarchallenge
#artstr #art #artchallenge #mixedmedia #rustypuppyart
https://i.nostr.build/5Z1QXGMrz0yqPXwQ.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/BDxOYtY4yHCp3OJ3.jpg

2026-03-26 01:14:59 CET

Bought 2 watercolor travel brush sets to play with before my trip. The photos show the smallest brush assembled, while the others are in their travel state with the brush tip inside the casing.
The black set screws together, has 3 brushes. The rose gold set snaps together and has 5 brush sizes.
Both sets have holes in the bases so your brush has air to dry even when enclosed for travel.
Looking forward to playing with these this weekend. 🎨🧑‍🎨
#artstr #watercolor
https://i.nostr.build/WmbpUbRQc2T59hWo.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/RaNSRTsInngkGkXa.jpg

2026-03-25 06:17:16 CET

Love re-watching this movie every few years. #filmstr #movie
https://i.nostr.build/O2xUqWOStpLf9mO0.jpg

2026-03-24 21:27:05 CET

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The end papers are a cutaway of the manor … and similar to Mary GrandPre’s art for the first run Harry Potter books in that there are some clues to the murder in the illustration. 😉
https://i.nostr.build/vRZMEMmzBembtPZS.jpg

2026-03-24 21:22:43 CET

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I prefer fantasy & scifi, but was looking for a murder mystery for my mom. If you’ve read a lot of murder mysteries, I’m curious to know how this one compares.

2026-03-24 21:17:30 CET

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The cover is why I first picked it up. 👍

2026-03-24 20:54:29 CET

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Nice!

2026-03-24 20:46:46 CET

Worth staying up until 4 am to finish.
Locked-room murder mystery with a great-aunt and second footman detective team during the panic caused by Halley’s Comet in 1910.
#bookstr #reading #murdermystery
https://i.nostr.build/t7KIOjulkAepoKGE.jpg

2026-03-24 05:56:52 CET

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Good point on using a new npub for publishing. I was initially thinking a tag to filter with on my existing npub pro site, but like the idea of having it separate, just a place to go read without distraction.

2026-03-24 05:44:47 CET

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Thanks for the links. I have an npub.pro site for this profile. I hadn’t thought about putting my stories on Alexandria. 🤔

2026-03-24 03:05:49 CET

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👍

2026-03-24 03:05:14 CET

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I haven’t published the novels. At the time, I was working the traditional publishing route submitting to agents. No longer interested in that, so trying to decide what to do with them.
I did self-publish 2 collections of my microfiction (each story less than 300 words) which are available at various ebook retailers: https://heidi2524.com/stories

2026-03-24 00:55:50 CET

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🫂

2026-03-24 00:52:10 CET

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Same. I have 2 novels. Still pondering possibilities.

2026-03-21 01:00:29 CET

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Because we can. And we don’t have to get up early to go to work.

2026-03-18 03:25:24 CET

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I also test for the unbound full squat as it drives me nuts to feel tightness around my knees. The ‘regular’ fit has gotten wider in the past few years, maybe due to the ‘skinny’ models now available? Previously I’d always gone for models labeled as ‘loose fit’ in the thigh and leg.
That’s a really weird place for a phone pocket. 🫤

2026-03-17 06:41:08 CET

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Exactly. And since I don’t have any balls, I don’t wear skirts. 👱‍♀️

2026-03-17 06:22:02 CET

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https://i.nostr.build/peKDPtm1B5gTQbKz.jpg

2026-03-17 06:17:54 CET

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https://youtube.com/shorts/k4BG_mOtNiU

2026-03-17 04:36:08 CET

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I don’t do skirts. 💜

2026-03-17 04:34:58 CET

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Me too. Final push to just go do it was my last ‘good’ pair just got a hole on the knee. 😅

2026-03-17 04:30:20 CET

Had to go shopping for jeans. Found 3 pairs that fit in less than 2 hours. Need not do that again until 2034.
https://i.nostr.build/BL5fEoOrPj4FVRjA.jpg

2026-03-15 21:54:02 CET

#bookstr #grownostr
#nevent1q…q77l

2026-03-15 21:45:27 CET

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The comics were pretty good. Steven Brust’s unofficial novel was a fun read - mostly dialog and he did the characters true to the TV show.

2026-03-15 21:34:57 CET

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As much as they already have lined up - the permissions/license, animation studio, showrunners (married couple who met via Firefly) and original cast - I think they’ll get the animated show made. Disney already has the Firefly TV show streaming, so that’s my bet.

2026-03-15 21:29:53 CET

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Those are beautiful! 😍

2026-03-15 21:27:37 CET

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I love that movie! Even made a fan music video for it.

2026-03-15 21:26:57 CET

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They cancelled each other out. 🚫🚫

2026-03-15 21:25:42 CET

My wild orchids are out! So happy they survived that last freeze, as they had grown out quite a bit in our warm December and January.
My mom gave me 5 plants when she and my dad moved to Canada almost 20 years ago. They’ve now taken over this bed and are such a joy to see every Spring.
#flowerstr
https://i.nostr.build/NsKdczQ8qPywCKjU.jpg
https://i.nostr.build/3rlIfvhw0FDOFbZR.jpg

2026-03-13 05:00:29 CET

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Actually, I have ROMO (Relief Of Missing Out).