iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I just bought a gallon of Crosby’s Canadian molasses, a kitchen necessity. I hope it will hold me until there’s a new President in the US and the exceedingly stupid tariff on Canadian molasses goes away. Since Crosby’s is “ fancy” molasses I made a fancy pear gingerbread to celebrate.

A circular white plate holds a dark brown skillet gingerbread topped with a spiral of pear slices ringed by pecans. The plate sits on a maple cutting board with a dark brown jug of Crosby’s Fancy Molasses in the background.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This article puts the lie to Susan Collins’ constant puffery about all the money she brings to Maine, all the while voting for Trump policies that are grinding Mainers into the ground. 40% of Oxford County residents are scrambling to survive living in poverty. Vote. And Vote Blue!

pressherald.com

Mainers are stretched thin. In Oxford County, many can’t afford enough food.

Every day, thousands of residents face the hardest financial choices, as households struggle to afford basic expenses.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I see others have posted pictures of this old house bedecked in Vote Blue signs on the way to the common Ground Fair. For me it’s a kind of self portrait, fraying around the edges but still hoping for blue skies to break through the clouds. And also a great example of creative use of blue tarps!

The peeling white paint of the attached shed on an old Maine farmhouse is ornamented with political signs painted on blue tarps: “Don’t be a Dingus, VOTE 11/3/26”, “Earth needs us all to Vote Blue”, “Stop MAGA destruction”, and candidates’ names Miller, Jackson, and Dunlap. Barely visible in the field beyond is a small dark-haired boy in a red shirt sitting in the grass looking at what seems to be some sort of screen, perhaps a phone.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

My daughter took this photo yesterday of a momma cat and kitten in conversation in Puglia, Italy. Humans may be divided by language and dialect but cats seem to speak the same language everywhere.

A heavily graffitied wooden fence of weathered horizontal planks borders a street paved with irregular pieces of stone with two shallow stone steps indicating that the street is on a hill. Your attention immediately goes to the brightly colored graffiti, a green stick figure Martian, an amanita mushroom with Red cap speckled with white, a pink heart with a dark hole and an X in it, abstract shapes of dark blue and bright yellow. But in the center of the picture, by a hole in the fence, a small dark grey tiger striped kitten is asking its yellow coated momma to be fed.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Late summer harvest. There always seems to be a huge zucchini that has heretofore escaped me.

An old brown ash potato basket filled with late summer vegetables: red, orange, yellow, purple and green cherry tomatoes; yellow and orange slicing tomatoes; a few green peppers and pickling cucumbers; some broccoli sprouts; a long black Japanese eggplant; two zucchini, one striped and the other,much too large, a solid green.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Prime Minister Carney “has said that there is more to life than a little bit of money….Trump’s world, a world of transaction and submission, is not the only world we all have to live in.” Gift article www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Canada Said No to America. It Will Reverberate Far Beyond Its Borders.

Mark Carney has chosen suffering, but he did what Canadians elected him to do.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Pretty in pink: a Primrose Moth. It hides on the yellowed leaves and inside the closed flowers of the Evening Primrose during the day and flies at night when the flowers open.

A small bubblegum pink moth perched on my granddaughter’s fingertips. The moth has a fuzzy pale yellow body and yellow mottling and edges on its pink wings. The yellow is the same color as the blossoms of the evening primrose on which it feeds and lays its eggs.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Moonrise on the finest kind of day.

The almost full moon is rising over the quiet harbor of a fishing village. The tourists are mostly gone for the day and an egret has come out to fish in the rockweed and tide pools.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Back in Feb. I got a letter from Susan Collins saying “I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine.” Despite being “appalled” by “tragic shootings” clearly the Senator did not follow through on that with MarkWayne Mullins.

First 5 paragraphs of a letter from an “appalled” Senator Collins on 2/2026 saying “enhanced” ICE operations have ended in Maine. Lots of boilerplate about her positions on immigration but no assurance that she will take actions.

Last 2 paragraphs of 2/5/2026 letter from Sen. Collins re immigration enforcement. She reports that she voted for a Sen. Bernie Sanders amendment to rescind $75 million of “One Beautiful Bill” funding for ICE but alas, of course, it failed with on a vote of 49-51.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Orange daylilies, emigrants from China hundreds of years ago, are blooming in my backyard and all over Maine. They mark old gardens long after the gardeners and even the gardens and houses they ornamented have vanished. In China they are called xuan cao: “forgetting sadness”.

Orange daylilies, with red stripes radiating from yellow hearts and stamens, tumble down a shady bank amid a profusion of their arching, strap-like, green foliage.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I think Chellie Pingree could beat Susan Collins. Maybe Hannah Pingree could, too. But since they’re committed elsewhere it’s not likely either would take it on. Other than that I’m not seeing much hope. What a dismal day.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Peonies are beginning to bloom! Lots of birdsong in the garden, too, from warblers, wrens, song sparrows, vireos and catbirds.

Deep rose peonies are blooming in a garden, surrounded by lush green foliage of other plants with bushes and trees on the background.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Ironic. Platner accuser Lyndsay Fifield was one of the founders of “Ladies for Kavanaugh” (NY Post, 2018) and active on then Twitter attacking Christine Blasey Ford’s credibility. Given Fifield’s experience in the art of the smear I am surprised that you aren’t somewhat skeptical of her statements.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Great news that Shenna Bellows won her voting rights case against Trump's DOJ! Shenna has a deep understanding of our constitutional rights not just as Secretary of State but from her previous work for the ACLU. She won't be bullied. We can always count on her to stand up and do the right thing.

mainepublic.org

For a second time, Maine's Secretary of State rejects DOJ demands for voter data

The Department of Justice says the detailed data is needed to ensure Maine is accurately maintaining its voter rolls. But Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, says the DOJ is overstepping it...

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Introduce yourself with 10 bands or musicians you've seen live The Grateful Dead Bob Dylan The Band Paul Simon Bonnie Raitt Lucinda Williams Caesaria Evora Tuvan Throat Singers YoYo Ma with The Boston Symphony Orchestra Joshua Bell with The Cleveland Symphony Orchestra bsky.app/profile/sere...

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

I literally bought this house because the day I first saw it there were Scarlet Tanagers flying around in the yard. They've come back almost every spring since, almost 20 years.

Two male Scarlet Tanagers with brilliant red bodies and black wings sitting on an array of bird feeders. One of the Tanagers is sitting on half an orange with a male Rose Breasted Grosbeak glaring at him. Agray Catbird is feeding unperturbed on a suet feeder below

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Spring sunset from the edge of the frog pond.

Yellow and peach colored sunset on a cold May day in Maine reflected in the blue water of a small pond at the edge of the woods, The sunset is more vivid on the water than it is in the sky.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Name your top 15 TV shows, gut instinct only-- The Wire Treme Reservation Dogs Slow Horses Prime Suspect Reilly, Ace of Spies Vera Happy Valley Inspector Montalbano Poker Face Arrested Development SNL Sopranos Mad Men NBA Playoffs usually, not this year bsky.app/profile/bexr...

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

I suppose a certain amount of invective is inevitable here, but I wish it was less repetitive. In the UK it's more varied and quite entertaining. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

nytimes.com

Quiz: Can You Tell Real British Insults From Fakes? (Gift Article)

Researchers in the U.K. are working to document the country’s array of obscure invective.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Our madman President says that this will be the day that "a whole civilization will be destroyed." This hurts my brain and heart enough that I can't focus on the the list of things I have to do, so I'll self-medicate by heading outdoors. Offering the following in case anyone else needs it:

nytimes.com

A Surprising (and Easy) Way to Boost Your Attention Span

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Wood ducks!!!! One pair on the pond this morning scooping up wood frogs, two pairs resting under a thicket of red dogwood this afternoon. They'll probably move deeper into the woods as more ice thaws on the little kettle holes and vernal pools further in, but at least for a while I'll feast my eyes.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

The first frog song of spring! The wood frogs started making a racket in the pond this morning, just a day after the last of the ice went out. They've already attracted a small murder crows and I'm keeping an eye out for wood ducks & maybe some mergansers to fly in soon.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

This monstrosity, fast-tracked to replace the East Wing, will dwarf the White House. It's three times the cubic volume with 40 foot ceilings and a pseudo classical design that makes zero sense. In the words of Molly Jong-Fast "I just hate how stupid everything is." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

nytimes.com

Trump’s Ballroom Design Has Barely Been Scrutinized

A stairway to nowhere: Three months that could change the White House for generations.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Every year I try to visit new sugar houses on Maine Maple Syrup weekend Despite the weird weather and poor sap run this year, everyone I met was celebrating and in a good mood. This year's favorite sugar shack was Keegan's up in the hills in Readfield. Beautiful country, really nice people.

A gray maple sugar house on a snowy day in late March in the Maine woods. Steam from the boiling maple sap inside is rising from the big evaporator chimney on the roof. There's a deck in front of the sugar house and you can tell it's new from the raw, unweathered wood. There are a lot of foot prints in the snow leading up to it from all the people who have come on Maple Syrup Sunday to sample maple syrup and maple candy.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Barred Owl on a snowy day, seen just now from my kitchen window. It's peering intently at the bird feeder below.

Barred owl on a gray snowy day, perched on the branch of a maple tree. It is looking intently at a bird feeder outside the frame of the photo.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️ I'm not much given to celebrating male saints or drinking green beer, but it just wouldn't seem right to let the day pass without making some soda bread.

A round of raisin studded soda bread cooling on a wire rack. In the background are the recipe, a bottle of Kate's buttermilk and a bag of Maine Grains flour.

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Reposted by KateInMaine

Gerard Beirne @gerardbeirne.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

For the day that’s in it—Pi Day #PiDay— an extract from my poem “Pi,” in my 2011 collection Games of Chance: A Gambler’s Manual (Oberon Press). “Weaving mathematical formulas and scientific lingo into beautifully written verse, Beirne creates a happy union between the arts and science.” – Open Book

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

There's a lot of snow outside my old greenhouse, but inside the overwintered Swiss chard has decided that it's time to grow. It was the last green leaf in the garden and now it the first spring sprout. I'll have clippings for a few months until it bolts.

Drifting snow, red barn with white trim, blue skies, and leafless trees seen from the windows of an old lean-to greenhouse. Also, some pots containing chilled bulbs that aren't agreeing to break dormancy yet

Overwintered rainbow chard growing in pots in an improvised tent. It's starting to sprout rosettes of mostly green leaves, a few red ones, on red or yellow stems.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Most days I love living in an old house at the edge of the woods. It does, however, present some interesting problems. For instance, today finding a short tailed weasel (aka ermine) feasting at the cat food bowl. You have to look very closely to see the black tip of its tail.

A white short tailed weasel (aka ermine) eating dry food out of a cat food bowl on a gray slate pad under an old black cast iron cook stove. There's a bit of yellow pine floor showing in the corner.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Dried mealworms worked like magic ✨ to attract a pair of bluebirds to my feeder. They're not a common sight up here. And the first red breasted nuthatch that I've seen in awhile showed up, too. www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/attr...

birdsandblooms.com

Your Guide to Feeding Mealworms to Birds

A mealworm feeder is beloved by bug-eating birds. Learn what birds eat mealworms and get tips for serving live or dried mealworms for birds.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

It's always a tricky negotiation to make sure the tree crews cut enough but not too much when they clear the power lines. It helps so much that there are women on the crews now. This year they were able to leave the tappable maple trees alone and gave me the pussywillow trimmings to boot 💚

Person surveying a thicket of gray leafless trees in the snow from an aerial lift on a red and yellow forestry bucket truck. The damp edges of the dusty road are a reminder that mud season will soon be upon us.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

I'm very glad that Shenna Bellows is our Secretary of State. (Matt Dunlap was pretty great, too.) She's right to ring the alarm about Trump's plans to take over state administration of elections. We can trust her. She won't back down. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/u...

nytimes.com

Trump’s Call to ‘Nationalize’ Elections Adds to State Officials’ Alarm

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Four months after he shot her, Border Patrol Supervisor Charles Exum is still on duty in Calais Maine with no consequences. Miramar Martinez was investigated and prosecuted. He wasn't.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

ICE may be out of Maine. However, the entire state is still within the jurisdiction of the Border Patrol. BP officers killed Alex Pretti in MN and a Maine BP officer, Charles Exum, shot Miramar Martinez in Chicago. It's not just ICE that's a problem. www.aclumaine.org/know-your-ri...

aclumaine.org

Know Your Rights: Customs and Border Patrol and the 100-Mile Border Zone - ACLU of Maine

All of Maine is within 100 miles of the border, meaning CBP has broad authorities. Know your rights with CBP in Maine. The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects people from random and arb...

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Why hasn't Border Patrol Officer Charles Exum been placed on administrative leave, too? He shot Miramar Martinez in Chicago and then skedaddled unpunished back to Maine, leading ICE and BP officers in Minnesota to think they, too, could shoot with no consequences. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...

nytimes.com

Federal Officers Who Fired at Pretti Placed on Leave

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum, stationed in Calais ME, shot American citizen Miramar Martinez in Chicago in October. Exum lied about the case, bragged about what he did, removed evidence from the scene. Martinez was charged and acquitted. AFAIK no charges against Exum. www.cnn.com/2025/11/21/u...

cnn.com

Text messages and a moved SUV: How the government’s case against a Chicago woman shot by a Border Patrol agent fell apart | CNN

A wide grin was plastered on Marimar Martinez’s face Thursday as she thanked her attorneys outside an Illinois courtroom and told reporters, “I’m just blessed. I’m happy.”

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

www.ravelry.com/patterns/lib... What better way to spend a snowstorm than knit a Melt the ICE hat? The pattern is available on Ravelry for $5. All proceeds from the sale of this pattern go to the LynLake community of businesses who will distribute the funds to those impacted by the actions of ICE.

ravelry.com

Melt the ICE Hat pattern by YarnCultMN

In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal...

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Face the Nation 1/4/2026: BRENNAN: To be clear, there is no plan for US occupation of this country of nearly 30 million people? MARCO RUBIO: The president always retains optionality on anything and on all of these matters.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Catastrophic Success: Why Foreign Imposed Regime Change Does Not Work by GW Prof. Alexander Downes analyzes 120 FIRCs over 200 years. Only 6 were an arguable success. The rest made everything worse. The only question in Venezuela is how big the catastrophe will be. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTq6...

youtube.com

Catastrophic Success: Why Foreign-Imposed Regime Change Goes Wrong

YouTube video by Dartmouth

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Those strong winds that were ripping through the state today brought hope and change with them. I'm breathing it in as deeply as I can. Feels great.

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Reposted by KateInMaine

MB @sugarcubedog.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

MAINERS! Vote NO on 1 and YES on 2! Art by @martharichart.bsky.social

Image of a seagull on a bright pink background telling Maine voters to vote no on one to protect voter rights.

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Reposted by KateInMaine

ᴄʜᴀʀʟᴇʏ★ᴘɪʀᴏᴛʜ @charlespiroth.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Deborah Lowe, Contemporary stained glass artist, UK

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Reposted by KateInMaine

Street Art Utopia @streetartutopia.com · 29/08/2025

"A mural of the Statue of Liberty in shame" by JDL Street Ar in Lille , Roubaix France 🇫🇷

Mural by JDL Street Art in Roubaix, Lille, France, depicting the Statue of Liberty covering her face with both hands in a gesture of shame. The figure is painted in shades of grey with teal accents on the torch and crown, set against a muted background with a golden halo-like circle. The artwork spans the side of a tall brick building, contrasting modern street art with historic European architecture in the surrounding cityscape.

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Reposted by KateInMaine

Dr. Elizabeth Sawin @bethsawin.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Nothing - even you - is alone in this vastly interconnected web.

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KateInMaine @kateinmaine.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

A few years ago my Reliance peach tree got hit hard by a late spring frost. I thought it was a goner but it managed to limp along in a somewhat bedraggled state. Now in all this summer's heat it is back to bearing a regular crop. A reminder that life is resilient. It gives me hope.

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