iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Weekend writing retreat: scenic Ohio River, appropriately themed whiskey, and inspirational jewelry courtesy of @peculiarityshop.bsky.social .

A landscape picture of a river beyond a wide grassy expanse of lawn, under a sunny sky scattered with broken clouds.

A bottle of whiskey labeled as “Writer’s Tears” on a messy kitchen counter.

A white woman’s hand wearing a wide silver dragon ring where the dragon’s wings wrap around the middle finger, and a silver rose ring on the ring finger. The hand is resting on a laptop keyboard.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The first two kittens went to their forever home today! We had a little costume party to celebrate. Bon voyage Rizzo and Inspector Gadget! (Their foster names; new names TBD.)

A black kitten wearing a bumblebee costume and a gray kitten wearing a green caterpillar costume are both sitting in a black leather chair looking up at the camera.

A black kitten wearing a bumblebee costume with its back to the camera, showing little bee wings, and a gray kitten wearing a green caterpillar costume standing sideways to show off the little caterpillar legs, are both investigating a black leather chair.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Things 8wk old kittens are afraid of: -sudden sneezes -cardboard boxes moving -vacuum cleaner in the next room -the starship Enterprise as it goes to warp during opening credits (In Yzma’s defense she’d never seen a TV before. She got used to it and has been watching SNW like a champ.)

A small gray kitten is snuggled on the shoulder of a white woman barely in frame. The kitten looks relaxed and appears to be watching TV with interest.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

It’s been a while since we had a kitten update. They’re approx 7 weeks old today and going for their first vet visit!

A black kitten in a hammock looking at the camera while a gray kitten hugs him. Two gray kittens are snuggled on a cushion in a box below.

Two black kittens and three gray kittens are all lounging on a cushion in a box looking straight up at the camera.

Three gray kittens and two black kittens are all looking out of the wire door of a pet carrier with varying expressions of curiosity and concern.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Guess who overdid it on MEAT at breakfast and doesn’t have much appetite this afternoon? If you guessed ALL THE KITTENS you are right. 😂 I preemptively opened two cans just now, and that was definitely unnecessary. However, someone is already enjoying the Halloween snuggle toy I got them.

A tiny gray kitten is lying on his side hugging an orange cat toy that is three jack-o-lanterns on top of one another. His paw is covering the top jack-o-lantern’s face and he is resting his chin on the pumpkin stem with a sleepy contented expression.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Kronk has come around to the idea of MEAT, and has decided it is GOOD. Also, “as much as they will eat” is a lot more than I expected at this stage. 😬

A small gray kitten with ears askew is eating wet food offf a plate. A tiny spoon rests on the plate.

A small gray kitten eats wet food off a plate. A tiny spoon rests on the plate.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

At a brewery on the east side of the outerbelt where you can actually see all the way to downtown from the patio. Wild.

A hazy image of a very tiny downtown silhouette of skyscrapers, framed in the foreground by a couple of seemingly-huge plants and a low fence.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

meat meat meat meat MEAT MEAT! Kittens are eating meat! (Canned food mixed with formula. Also still getting bottle fed.) All except Kronk who turns his nose up at it and just wants formula. 😂

A small gray kitten eating some runny wet cat food off a tiny spoon, held over a small glass custard bowl sitting on a tissue.

A black kitten with ears askew eating wet cat food off a tiny spoon while standing on a tissue.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Me: ok I got you guys this hammock so you can practice climbing and also have a second cozy place to nap- Kitten: i bite it? I BITE IT!

A tiny gray kitten lying on its back with its front claws grasping the edge of a white fluffy hammock, ears back, biting the hammock.

A tiny gray kitten lying on its back with its front claws grasping the edge of a white fluffy hammock, looking inquisitively at the hammock with its tiny back feet sticking into the air. Another gray kitten passes by in the foreground.

A tiny gray kitten lying on its back with its front claws grasping the edge of a white fluffy hammock, ears forward, enthusiastically sinking its teeth into the hammock.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Ok I got some snacks while running errands on my lunch break and WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE? my Nerds Clusters are half-naked?? Most of the package is this way. 😐 the chewy bits are not as tasty without the Nerds FYI.

A white woman’s hand with candy on it. At the bottom is a normal Nerds Cluster completely covered in rainbow Nerds candy. At the top are 3 pieces of red chewy candy with a few Nerds stuck to the bottom of each. They are mostly naked.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Current situation: post-dinner pre-supper naptime for all.

Five kittens, two black and three gray, all sleeping with their bodies touching and overlapping one another on a gray blanket. Their collective bodies form a triangle.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

This new cats-only version of The Shining is really creepy.

A top-down view of a box with a soft tan blanket and two cat toys in the bottom. On the blanket, two small gray kittens are sitting offset, both in the same position staring upward with solemn expressions at the camera.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Kitten check in! 3 weeks old, claws can retract now, starting to wrestle and play with each other, so after this morning’s elevenses I gave them a box playpen to hang out in. It’s larger than they are used to, so there was a lot of staggering around exploring.

A top-down view of a cardboard box with white cloth in the bottom and five kittens inside, two black and three gray. They are all looking in different directions. A green crinkle ball and orange ping pong ball are also in the box.

A top-down view of a cardboard box with white cloth in the bottom and five kittens inside, two black and three gray. A black cat and a gray cat each have a paw resting possessively on the gray cat in the middle, and the black kitten to the right is looking inquisitively up at the camera.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Graduated from syringe to bottle, probably should have done a day or two ago but I didn’t realize the fancy nipples also worked in the bottles! This is better for all of us.

A tiny gray kitten facing left being bottle fed with a white woman’s hand holding the bottle. The little kittens front paws are outstretched and braced against the hand as she focuses on suckling.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

lol random timeline alignment.

My repost of the Melville statue pictures, underneath which is a post from a Moby Dick quote-bot account that says “Oh Nature, and O soul of man!”

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

DON’T DO IT YOU’LL NEVER SLEEP AGAIN actually wait if you have reasonable shifts and get paid it might be worth it, much better than this DIY thing I’m doing, ok how do I get this as a job I’m nearly convinced.

A tiny gray kitten almost facing the camera, propped up on a white woman’s hand with front paws outstretched.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I HEAR THAT. Here have a kitten pic to brighten your day.

A tiny gray kitten is wrapped in a white and orange patterned towel with only its head peeking out. Its eyes are open but it looks weirdly alien, like Gizmo or ET.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

What the heck also please enjoy the Biggest Boi eating his supper. Be back at 3am for breakfast. 😬

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

A relaxing video of Yzma having her supper. Just realized that these kittens eat like hobbits…six meals a day.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Eyes are starting to open on this boy. Also I discovered I read the canister wrong and have been mixing the formula powder 1:1 with water, but it’s actually supposed to be 2x water. 😬 guess they’ve been bulking up with protein shakes for the past 2 days…

A small gray kitten on a towel drinking from a syringe with a feeding nipple on it. His eyes are just barely cracked open.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Good day from a pile of sleepy kitties which might actually be 4 boys and one girl. The gray girl was the first to purr while eating. Kitten purrs are ADORABLE. My son has named her Yzma.

A pile of sleeping kittens. A gray kitten face is visible on the left underneath the outstretched body of another gray kitten; gray and black fur of two other kittens is seen as a confusing swirl, and one black kitten face is resting atop the entire pile.

Yzma from Emperor’s New Groove after she has been turned into a cat. A cartoon image of a gray kitten with an evil cackling expression and downturned ears holding a vial of pink liquid.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

More kitten pics due to a family visit. Everyone is holding a kitten except me and it is glorious.

A small black cat being held with a paw by its head as if it’s talking on a phone.

A small black kitten being held with its paws stretched out casually.

A black and white dog with wide eyes cautiously sniffing a tiny gray cat being held.

A tiny gray kitten small enough to fit in the palm of a hand being cradled in two hands, fast asleep with her head to the side and no paws visible.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I’ll start threading the kitten pics so people can mute if they want but also we can see them growing bigger. 😊 Here’s a couple from morning feeding. I love their tiny tails! Got a better feeding system and it’s making a world of difference. Raz is also interested and a bit wary of them.

Tiny gray kitten with striped tail pointed straight up in the air, slurping formula from a syringe with a nipple on it being held by a white woman’s hand.

Tiny black kitten slurping formula from a syringe with a nipple on it.

A brown and white dog lying in front of a pet carrier staring intently through the bars. Inside are several tiny kittens.

Tiny black kitten slurping formula from a syringe with a nipple on it. Its tail is forming an S shape.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

5am kitten falling asleep during feeding. Same, cat, same.

A small gray kitten sucking at a nipple on a syringe of formula is sprawled across a white woman’s open palm. The kitten’s eyes are closed.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Pretty sure we have 3 boys and 2 girls, looks like both black cats and 1 gray are boys. They seem to be doing ok but apparently a lot of cats this age struggle to survive with bottle feeding so fingers crossed. Here’s three of them from the afternoon feeding:

A tiny black kitten with a tail curled in an S shape is being held in a white woman’s hand.

A tiny gray kitten with a fluffy striped tail is being held in a white woman’s hand.

An even tinier gray kitten with a fat tail with stripes at the tip is being held in a white woman’s hand.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Heard a persistent mewing outside my bathroom window this morning and went out to find 5 baby kittens by the house. 🙃 monitoring and hoping mama cat comes back for them soon.

A tiny gray kitten tucked in some grass and dead leaves in front of an a/c condenser unit.

A pile of tiny kittens, 3 gray and 2 black, on a cozy bed of dead leaves.

A view of an enclosed space full of dead leaves. Two gray kittens can be partly seen behind the leaves; one has its mouth open in a demanding cry.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

OMG you guys my chicken just found a #Bubica bee in the grass, or at least it appears to be a large bee of some kind with no wings? I moved her(?) to some flowers and she is climbing around and drinking nectar. ❤️

A red painted wooden board with a bee that looks a bit like a carpenter bee, but no wings.

The same bee is crawling on a pointy spike of tiny purple flowers, sipping nectar.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

GUESS WHAT TIME IT IS! no it’s not camping time unfortunately. It’s time to CLEAN the camper!! 😬 In preparation for maybe some future camping. Sometime soon. I hope. Who wants to go on a camping/writing weekend retreat??

Interior view of a pop-up camper. To the left is a small table with two blue-cushioned bench seats, and beyond that a small counter and sink. Ahead is an empty bed with a white mattress and blue privacy curtains. To the right is another small counter, a screen door, and a long counter loaded with outdoor floor mats and a disassembled table.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Also did a couple days in Louisville and a stop at the Buffalo Trace distillery. Saw lots of fun stuff even though it was super hot and muggy. (I prefer nature/caves to the city, but it was a good variety of vacation activities.)

A giant troll statue standing behind a fence. Signs in front say “please do not climb on Louie. Enjoy taking pictures with him. Thank you. Troll Pub Under the Bridge Management” and “before going in, take a picture with me, Louie the Troll” with an email address and FB page for the pub.

A street mural that says “Get down with the Hot Brown” and has.an image of anthropomorphized humanoid food items: bacon, tomato, and turkey, all cavorting atop a cheese-slathered toast with a derpy face on it. On the toast are words that say “toastest with the mostest.” In the corner, art and design by Robby Davis dot com.

A stone carved Viking ship in front of a stone wall in a park.

A sculpture of a buffalo made entirely out of living plants.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Just got back from a trip to Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. Went through three caves in the area! So many caves! All different! Did two tours in Mammoth including a lantern-light tour which was super awesome. Phone photos don’t do any of it justice (and I was trying to be in the moment.) I love caves.

A steep staircase descending into a dark cave mouth in a wooded area, with a queue of people walking down into it.

An impressive wall of underground rock formations that looks like a large waterfall.

A long metal bridge in a cave going over an underground river, lit from underneath with electric lamps.

A square stone hut in a cave with a chain across the doorway, dimly lit by lantern light. It was used for tuberculosis patients. (Damp cool air is actually bad for TB so most of the patients died, but the doctors didn’t know that then.)

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Saw a tiny green sweat bee friend collecting pollen on a flower today! Wanted a better photo but my other hand was holding the leash of an impatient dog so this was the best of the bunch. 🙃 I like honeybees and bumblebees but it was cool to see a different pollinator out and about.

A tiny metallic green bee, its coppery clear wings folded criss-cross flat on its back, rests in the middle of a yellow dandelion-like flower.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Temperature and AQI finally reasonable, so it’s time to grill! 😎 Corn and burgers tonight. The chickens will be excited to nibble the corncobs tomorrow.

A round kettle grill with 6 ears of corn roasting on it. On the grill table can be seen a plate and pair of tongs, and an open beer can rests in a teal insulated coozie decorated with a picture of a beaver wearing sunglasses and the phrase “Gone Boodlin.”

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness:

Quark hugging Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. They both look uncomfortable.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Well the AQI is down to 250 (from 340 this morning). Chickens are out under the trampoline run, because I’m assuming being on grass will be better for them than the dirt/mulch run. Fresh oxygen! (I wore a mask.) It is gross out there, looking forward to some incoming rain tonight.

A close up of a chicken wire fence, behind which can be seen 4 chickens of varying colors on a grassy lawn. Above them a round trampoline pad forms the roof of the run.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Happy 4th from this dinosaur-themed fountain firework that surprised me so much I stopped filming. 😂 Me: “is this the volcano that ended the dinosaurs?” Fountain: <erupts>

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I’m done painting the bathroom!! 🥳 good news, it was small, so not a ton of area. Bad news, it was small, so only 1 person could be in there to paint and sometimes I was bumping the roller or my elbow against a freshly painted wall. 🙃 Final phase (flooring and vanity) to come in the future.

A interior shot of a VERY narrow bathroom; open shower on the right, an open area for a sink on the left, and a narrow passageway to the toilet ahead, with a shuttered window in the wall at the end.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

End of day inspections by the crew leads.

A gray cat standing in a bathroom sink which is covered by a plastic drop cloth. Her head is barely visible and her ears are back as she digs in the plastic.

A gray cat lounges in a bathtub next to a bath mat with a slightly curious look on her face.

A gray cat on the right stands on the edge of a tub with one foot on a step stool. She is staring down at a tabby cat on the floor who is surrounded by a litter genie, plastic drop cloth, and a can of paint.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Painting assistant / crew manager has arrived on site.

A brownish-gray tabby cat sits on the edge of a bathroom sink. Next to him is a paintbrush inside a ziplock bag; on the floor is an open can of paint in an aqua color, and a paint roller resting in a tray full of paint in the same color.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Spackling assistant / site supervisor.

A gray cat sits on a bath mat inside a bathtub, craning her neck to peer over the edge at a putty knife and jug of pink spackle. The wall to the left has been spackled along the lower edge.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

That was a photo from yesterday; they are much more excited about the treatsicle today!

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

It’s currently 94°F outside, feels like 107 (almost 42C) due to humidity. 😬 A/C is running almost nonstop. Gazpacho and charcuterie chilling in the fridge for dinner. The chickens have a fan and refreshed water/cool treats every couple hours. (They are a little wary of the treatsicles.)

A picture of a shady chicken run with a raised red coop. A square plastic pan of water is in the middle, with a brick and a floating chunk of ice studded with peas, corn, carrots, and blueberries. Around it four chickens of various colors are staring intently at the ice chunk.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Guess who we visited again today? THE BEES. They seem to be doing well. Ursula’s hive is still ahead of Buttercup’s in both construction and vigor, but they’re all keeping busy! (It’s really hard to tell where my camera is pointing in full sun and a bee veil.) 🙃

The bottom corner of a beehive frame tilted oddly in the picture, covered in bees and honeycomb, with blurry grass in the background.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

I’ve been tooling around with watercolors this year; I’m still very new to it but had to make an attempt at painting Bubica the little bumblebee who couldn’t fly that @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social cared for and shared with Bluesky.

A painting of a fuzzy bumblebee with tiny shriveled wings on a stem of purple flowers. Her name “Bubica” is painted on the card as well.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Happy Pride from the trans flag sunset over downtown Columbus. 🏳️‍⚧️

A view of downtown Columbus Ohio as taken from a freeway; above it the sky is light blue streaked in white and light pink clouds.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Also it takes like 3-4 hours so it can be challenging to fit into a work day even when I’m working from home. But it’s worth the effort!

A basket of fully steamed bao. They have puffed up significantly, with just six almost filling the basket, and several have opened slightly at the top, letting the meat filling peek through.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Whenever I have leftover pork roast, and if I have the time, I like to make a version of char siu bao. I’m not great at forming the dumplings, and the dough is hard to work with (bc I don’t usually let it rise long enough, I don’t think.) But they always taste amazing.

A lump of dumpling dough on parchment paper beside a rolling pin, and a bowl of shredded meat with a spoon in it.

Two bamboo steamer baskets with pinched round dumplings on squares of parchment paper. The left basket is full with six dumplings; the right is in progress with only two dumplings.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Made a moth friend while sitting in the grass at kid’s summer band practice.

A field of cut green grass with a large pale moth sitting head upward on a blade of grass peeking out.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Me now: that’s weird, I made pork roast in the crock pot, not on the grill, so why do I keep catching a whiff of smoke as I do dishes? Me 1 hour ago: *manning the smoke pot while helping husband inspect beehives, choking on smoke when the wind changes* Me now: So weird. (Bees: omnomnom)

Close up of the inside of a beehive; some honeycomb has been built up over the top of the frames, and a small crowd of bees is slurping honey out of the open wax cells.

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Laine Bell @lainebell.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Home from vacation now, but this was last night’s Pride-themed sunset over the lake.

A vast expanse of dark water with small waves, and the sky above is hued in a rainbow sunset, with red orange yellow green and aqua stacked up over the horizon, fading into deeper and deeper blues.

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