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Hillary Loomis

@hillaryloomis.bsky.social
998 followers 1.4K following 299 posts

all things sheep~wool~tweed 🌞🌱🐑🧶🪡 environmental history agricultural/commodity/textile history PhD student SIU Edwardsville Historical Studies Mama, enviro ed pro, Wisconsin girl at heart

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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ag/RWSA Conference Panel alert! If anyone is gearing up to head to North Dakota in June and is looking to be part of an exciting panel on women and the law (fighting with feds, bailing out criminal husbands, immigration issues etc) let me know! Lisa Childs and I are looking for a fellow panelist!
bison stroll across stream in Teddy Roosevelt National Park
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I've never been a Walmart shopper, but through some unfortunate serendipity found myself making multiple trips to my hometown store this summer. To my surprise, I found it to be oddly, nice? Have other stores just gotten shittier, or have our collective consumer standards fallen?
Little yellow smiley face person shaped enamel pin holding sign that says "I AM Wal-mart"
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
It is such a singular adult joy when a "problematic" former boss gets called out, and maybe fired ?! for the same bad behavior you dealt with years ago. Go Gen Z wnd their "we don't take this shit" lifestyle!
Michael Scott looks worries during The Office episode "Scott's Tots"
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
July got wild and I took a break "the phone," but I'm back with lots of random sightings. The first, an albino deer in the wild. it was like a real-life patronus appearing out of the central Wisconsin marsh outside Babcock.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
The evolution of the skatepark social scene is notable. When my hometown concrete swales were poured there was major public outcry that it would be a den of teen debauchery. +
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Today I went to a park I've regularly visited my entire life and saw something new: a semi-truck cab mounted on a pontoon boat cruising the Wisconsin River. This really took the Wisconsin's reputation as "America's hardest working river" to the next level. www.channel3000.com/features/loa...
channel3000.com
Loaded up and truckin'...on the water? Portage Co. man builds semi-truck pontoon boat
CUSTER, Wis. -Summer's here, and that means a lot of Wisconsinites are getting their boats out on the water. But don't feel intimidated if you're pushing off from the dock
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Chronicles of science camp at a catholic school: There is 3/4 size life-like crucifix hanging on the wall behind the sign-in/out sheet. My 4yo, a long aspiring doctor/veterinarisn/animal rescuer is transfixed. Who is that guy? Is he dead? What the heck!
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Watched the Bosnian-Herzegovinaian World cup players and coaches squeeze into a single booth (it was a giant booth, but still) at a bar and grill in STL. No matter what happens on the pitch, I was moved by this show of humble team spirit.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
June 2026- If you need insider info on GLP-1 hook-ups, compounding pharmacies and prices northshore nannies are a wealth of knowledge.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
June 2026: "I asked my bubbe for a loan for 1.5 mil for the movie. Yeah, she laughed in my face. Eventually we agreed on 500k, so funding should be fine to begin shooting." -a young Black filmmaker at Belgian chocolate shop on Chicago's northshore
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
May 2026: Speaking with a Mega-church youth pastor from Nebraska, I inquire about the state of middle-schooler tech addiction in his flock. Yeah, it's the number one issue, he confirms. The near universal experience when the kids first feel Jesus in their lives- a phone-free week at church camp.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Welcome to my creative outlet of summer 2026: a record of conversations, observations and curiosities found across the US midwest.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Any recomendations for an indepedent scholar looking for a book agent/publisher and/or a conference/event/festival in the UK to meet with aforementioned editors to find a home for a biography of two Victorian artist/actor/author brothers?
two men, one in a light suit the
other in a dark hold
their hats and pose for a portrait
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
A delightful morning drizzle en route to the Museum of English Rural Life!
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Wish I could make it to this event! If you are in STL check it out!
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Happy lamb-cake-fail day! Of all the pagan turned Christian turned capitalist holiday traditions which seem to fill up every inch of my spare time, Easter is becoming a fav. The egg hunt is just the right combo of crafts and mom magic for me.
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Reposted by Hillary Loomis
TheSnarkyFarmer @thesnarkyfarmer.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Fun read #TheOutpost 🌱🌿👨‍🌾☠️🦜 Newly Digitized Records Reveal How Indigenous People Shared Their Knowledge of New Zealand's Plants With Captain Cook's Crew www.smithsonianmag.com/history/newl...
smithsonianmag.com
Newly Digitized Records Reveal How Indigenous People Shared Their Knowledge of New Zealand's Plants With Captain Cook's Crew
Long-overlooked documents housed at London's Natural History Museum testify to the exchange of information between 18th-century European botanists and their Indigenous counterparts
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Reposted by Hillary Loomis
Dana Tulodziecki @tulodziecki.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Join us at Purdue for the 2026 Midwest Junto (17-18 April) -- submit your abstracts by 15 Feb: midwestjunto.wordpress.com
midwestjunto.wordpress.com
midwestjunto
For the History of Science
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Living with an 8yo portal enthusiast, I've talked more about time traveling in the past year than the rest if my life combined. Like most of my 8yo's ideas, a much simpler version already exists.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Exciting deer sighting! 7:45 am, frigid morning, 10-pointer skitters down the gully between two mid-century homes on the hill, launches through some brush onto the frozen cove of the lake, slides like a cartoon deer, front legs straight, back legs down, hits the opposite bank and rolls up on land.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
@bookowl.bsky.social Merry Christmas, Dan!
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Come to Southern Illinois they said. Ride an alpine coaster they said. Reach out and touch a deer rump while speeding down a bluff said no one. Between the possibility if getting hit by a deer or an osage orange, my vision for a relaxing Sunday outting was not met.
neon green bumpy osage orange hangs on branch
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Had my closest encounter with a 10-point buck while driving my daily humdrum commute across town today. The large deer crashed out of the woods with purpose and speed heading directly for Kohl's, followed shortly thereafter by the happiest Boston terrier I've ever seen. #suburban wildlife
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Can't believe it, but I think Andy Richter might actually win DWTS this season. Also this show may be more accurate than actual political polls. I think this means the Dems should consider Walz for another run... In the meantime, Go team Chiles Sosa!
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa dressed in green as Disney's Tiana and prince
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
I can't escape this project! My breakfast placemat:
old timey European newspaper with man in suit and bowler hat
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
I am so excited to be at the most unique campus I have ever visited @UniversityofLuxembourg Belval for the Society for the History of Technology Meeting!
elevated bike and walking pathkoi pond at University of Luxembourg-Belvalkoi pond, trees red academix building in front of blast furnaceindustrial landscape-huge elevated rusted pipes
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Woohoo! Excited to learn more about all the corn I seem to forever be driving thru! (and Brazil, which I aspire to visit as well!)
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
In honor of National 4-H Week I present a couple of fair kids and some tired parents.
girl holds a rabbitchrist like toddler with sheeppastoral with resting humans and livestockvintage 4-H poster with kids holding sign "4-H is for us!"
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
The proliferation of middle school boys on e-bikes and one-wheels crusing too fast with fishing poles adds to the apocalyptic vibes as of late.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
Summer finally feels over. I was too busy to post my "Eavesdropping on Rural America" series, but reading through my notes the best one was one of the first, way back on June 3, overheard in Highland, IL. "I gotta get home, my "Old Country Road" tee shirt arrived from Temu today.
Country Roads tee
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Summer 2025 Family Political Phenology Observation: The summer the MAGA relations openly accepted climate change is real and dangerous.
small brown and white bird with red cap on crest of head, aka a redpoll, sits on twig, compliments Alaska Fish and Game
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
A beautiful, sobering piece for everyone beginning their syllabi and lesson plans for the fall... www.gramercyreview.com/erasure/
gramercyreview.com
Erasure – Gramercy Review
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Woohoo! Still can't believe the serendipitous luck of finding a real deal commodity environmental historian in my neighborhood! Congratulations, Jeff and Tom! #bestadvisorever
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
I've had official safety training for: active shooters, power tools, chemical burns, fire-indoor and forest, tornados, earthquake, tsunami, bear/cougar attack, aquatic rescue in pool/lake/whitewater, all the lifeguarding classes, cpr refreshers ad infinitem, and even a class in avalanche safety
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Second grade boys basketball had funny moments, but nothing compared to the text chain of four dads trying to get baseballs out of a locked shed. New season new characters for the win.
outfield of youth baseball field overlooking trees, parking lot and local watershed pond
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Just a couple of globe trotting ladies in houndstooth spotted in the airport! ASEH2025 here I come!
Nellie Bly manequin in full length houndstooth coatKyle Jenner in houndstooth on the side of a make-up machine
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Chatting with a McDonalds employee (My 8 yo's fav-not mine) today about the Global Menu restaurant in Chicago-which we were planning to visit this weekend. She mentioned she'd never been to Chicago even though she'd lived in IL for 30ish years.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Been thinking and talking to peers about America's "big covid break up" lately. I think many are realizing "We're not going back!" is more akin to leaving a bad boyfriend then being forced back in time. Has anyone identified a bigger political rift that has split so many families so permanently?
Taylor Swift in pajamas singing "we're never ever getting back together"
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
The first "History Road Trip Find" of the weekend-some very chique highland cows-en route to Midwest Junto of History of Science and Tech! @Sarah'sOnCentral Eureka, MO
shaggy white highland cow lounges on antique green tufted sofa
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
IMO Mexico and Canada are both great neighbors that deserve loaves of banana bread, not the cow pies being thrown as of late.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
I guess the NYT can't top my frequent reminder to family and friends to face their own fashion follies and burn that ugly tee on the bar-b-que, throw worn sneakers in local streams, and put G-ma's clothes on the scare-crow to decompose under the sun for everyone to see. 🫣
nytimes.com
Purging Old Clothes? Here’s How to Responsibly Donate and Repurpose Your Castoffs.
Figuring out what to get rid of is just the beginning. We tapped experts and researched recycling programs to find reasonable ways to offload your clothes.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
I have long enjoyed a good themed bake, but these old fashioned molasses oatmeal prune cookies seem to combine the dual nature of NYE debauchery and tomorrow's optimistic health goals in each chewy bite. I am so grateful to be celebrating our family's New Years' Baby's (my Dad) 75th!
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Nice little nugget on the labor/effort/expertise needed to properly wash wool garments, and the desire for polyester clothing by white collar women workers who did not have enough time to hand wash and were not paid enough to send out laundry, and wanted a wider wardrobe for self expression.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
All aboard the STL Polar Express! Views include the dystopian brick carcasses of deindustrialized riverfront factories and a '90s tv-crime-show-style homeless burn barrel all before you reach the northpole! Contemplate the holidays while sipping hot chocolate inside a re-commisioned Amtrak car!
curly-haired child gazes at holiday lights out a train car window
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
A new personal holiday-cutting off the loom day!
white lady in front of a grey, pink and brown woven wool tweed yardage of wool cloth pinned on wall
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Feeling the holiday nostalgia this weekend and missing my relatives who all had the habit of using their stairs as pantries. Wondering if this was a midwest phenomena?
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
In the event I ever go missing and my clean freak family (haha) can't find a dna sample, please call David Ridgen and let him know I had the forsight to stomp a tooth into the bottom of my childhood Saint Nicholas shoe. Yes, that is a baby tooth, not a corn kernal.
bottom of wooden clog with a baby tooth embedded in the heel
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
In this edition of "Where I Come From" we explore the rich heritage and legacy of guns in the Northwoods. Nearly 300 years after the invention of the muzzleloader, teens are still blowing off their hands.
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
One of the easiest and quickest steps to green the textile cycle would be for big box stores that sell textiles to offer same day seamstress services in store. If I'm gonna buy a pair of jeans for 9.99 at Kohls, I would be willing to pay a proportional amount for them to actually fit.
old fashioned black sewing machine
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Hillary Loomis @hillaryloomis.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Oh so poetic when the movement that pushed for Christian curriculum in public schools puts private Christian K12s out of business. I always suspected the untold half of "I want my babies to get Jesus everyday" was "and I don't want/can't pay for it" anyways. Halleliugh! apnews.com/article/texa...
apnews.com
Texas education board approves optional Bible-infused curriculum for elementary schools
Texas’ education board has voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools. The approval Friday follows other Republican-led states that have pushed this year to give religion a larger pr...
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