iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

So I think I figured out who has been fussing at us when 16 has the forge fired up at night…

Two barn owls sit in the rafters of a barn.

Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Insurance said they won't pay for a med because they won't cover it for more than 24 months. Rx was first written in [checks notes] October '24. Insurance company rep did not appreciate my offer to help them understand how calendars work.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

16’s reward for good grades was a(nother) knife making class. My reward for rewarding him is this absolutely epic knife he made

A small fishing knife in a white cardboard box. The handle of the knife is made to look like the skin of a rainbow trout.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

- Wake up - Let Lincoln out - Step outside to get some fresh air before it gets too hot out - Get run into by a ground squirrel that Lincoln is chasing - Decide going back inside and staying there is a better option How is everyone else's Sunday starting?

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Update: our first set of kids started their rods today and got their handles assembled and epoxied. Some super excited kiddos!

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

16 has three days left in his junior year, and I just watched a bunch of his friends graduate and I'm in my feelings. I am just going to be a mess his entire senior year, aren't I?

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Have ruled out arrhythmia for the POTS-like symptoms I’ve been having, and getting started on a CHOP protocol while a few more things get ruled out. Unfortunately that means a lot of exercises on the floor. How it’s going so far:

A black Labrador retriever lays curled up on a yoga mat while the leg and arm of someone trying to do a hamstring stretch is barely visible at the side of the mat.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Is anyone else watching Widow's Bay? Patricia is just the best.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

While I was cooking dinner, I let Apple Music serve me up a playlist of "Today's Rock", because, y'know, I'm still cool and hip and stuff. Most of the songs I was kind of meh about, but there were a couple I thought I could get into, so I looked up who the artists were... (1/2)

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Looking at this schedule from an upcoming 4-H Conference 16 wants to go to, and pondering if these workshops are taught by cats and dogs respectively...

A screencap of a schedule of workshops. The first two listed workshops are "dog judging" and "decoding cat behavior".

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

UPDATE: he feels good about how AP Chem went. AP Lit & Comp in the morning, so please keep the good vibes coming.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

16 will be starting the AP Chemistry exam in just a bit. Please send good thoughts for him and his classmates!

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Yeah, so I have a super worn in and comfy MIT hoodie that I wear a fair bit (because wearing gear from where you went is a normal thing). I actually had a guy (acquaintance-level for several years) see me in it and ask "Don't you think wearing that is a little... arrogant?"

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Got a recumbent exercise bike so I can do a proper workout without a heart rate spike [shakes fist at POTS symptoms]. Anyone have opinions on apps (Zwift, JRNY, Kinomap, etc) to entertain me while my workouts are in my garage? MUCH more interested in scenery than I am in coaching or social aspects.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Just trying to enjoy my yard and the neighbors keep staring me down.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

If anyone needs a calming image, this is the view from my yard this morning. Turkey vultures standing watch over the bedded-down stompyfloofs. And the local bird population is SUPER vocal.

A view onto a green pasture. There are two large turkey vultures on fenceposts in the middle distance, and a herd of bison bedded down a bit farther away.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Heard Lincoln crying and whining frantically from down the hall, so I rushed to see what was wrong. Turns out the cat (13 pounds) was lying down in the middle of the hall, blocking him (95 pounds) from getting to where I was at.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Got a mass email from our vet that they won’t have on-call hours this weekend, so of course this doofnugget is looking for trouble. So far he’s bounded off an embankment after a ground squirrel and rooted around in tall grass to come up with a (non-venomous but VERY annoyed) snake. Pray for us.

A goofy black Labrador retriever in mid air with his ears flapping weirdly and his mouth gaping open towards a tennis ball that he hasn’t quite caught yet.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

UPDATE: 16's team took second place at state with a strong performance from everyone on the team. 16 placed seventh as an individual!

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Working with 16 on helping kiddos in the local 4-H Fishing Club learn to build rods. We have a good educational discount from our supplier, and a few sponsors, but could use a few more donors to cover equipment to get started. Anyone know any interested donors*? Let me know!

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

16 and his high school's FFA Nursery/Landscape team are at the state competition today (they won districts, and 16 got 3rd high individual there). Send thoughts of beautifully designed landscapes with correctly identified plants and well thought out cost estimates, OK?

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

What’s your favorite Bible verse? (Wrong answers only) I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks. (Turgidson 19:64)

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

OK, so obviously I turned off the Blazers game too early...

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

If that plant is supposed to be what I *think* it's meant to be... that plant's flowers do not look like that. Not even a little bit.

An image of a Coca Cola mini can that is red with a white stripe. In silver the word "OREGON" is in smaller letters with a larger "OR". Beneath it is a silver star with a red image inside. I think it's meant to be an Oregon grape, but it has two oregon grape leaves with three flowers on a single stem above it.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Was starting to search online for ways to file a complaint about Collective Health's management of PEBB Providence insurance, when a "Yikes, we're working on it" mass email arrived from PEBB. Seriously, this transition has been an absolute omnishambles.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Any of you in the mid-Valley should come see us at our annual Holiday Fair on Friday and Saturday (9 AM to 5 PM at the Polk County Fairgrounds in Rickreall), and help us raise funds to support 4-H in Polk County! Spread the word!

A flyer that reads "Polk County 4-H Association Presents the 2025 Holiday Fair. Friday and Saturday November 7th and 8th 9 AM to 5 PM. Located at the Polk County Fairgrounds. Door prize raffle every 15 minutes. Come spend the day shopping with friends for all your Holiday needs. No entry fee! Donations support the Polk County 4-H Youth"

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Sometimes I tell Frodo the Cat that she's a good kitty, and I immediately have to tell Lincoln that he's also a good kitty or he gets terribly upset. Conversely, when I tell Lincoln he's a good pupper, Frodo is completely unbothered by not being included.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Looked out the front window into the post-storm sunshine and saw these horse (and horse-adjacent) critters in the pasture by our garden. We do not currently own horses (or mules).

A sunny green pasture with two mules and a horse grazing.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

POV: you have asked your Labrador retriever to give you ‘just a little bit of space.’

An extreme close-up of a black Labrador retriever

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

It has been zero days since the furry jerkwad that lives in my house got in a tussle with several large mammals in the backyard. [He's fine, and all the deer escaped. My throat is so hoarse from screaming at him that I can't talk. He’s not even the tiniest bit sorry.]

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Things my child said to me that I decided not to ask follow-up questions about to preserve my sanity (an ongoing series): "I'm actually running pretty low on googly eyes because of... the incident."

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Just me, drowsily wondering who left a boot lace on the ground outside, and almost ending up with a handful of not-bootlace. Have I mentioned my vision isn’t great without my glasses in?

A small gopher snake on cement next to a plastic chair leg. Its brown and yellow pattern resembles a boot lace.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

15 is 16 today! Anyone who wants to pass along birthday wishes, please feel free!

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Invested in an automatic tennis ball thrower for Lincoln and he hasn’t yet worked out the part where he puts it back in the machine, but in general this is the Best Day Ever.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Bought 15 a Trapper Keeper for the first day of school because I am a very cool, hip parent who knows exactly what Kids These Days™ are into.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Watching Airport ‘77 and feeling like 70s disaster movies are the right genre for right now. What are everyone’s favorites?

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Check out this fantastic work from my friend Brendan and his team! Full article: Late Medieval Shipboard Artillery on a Northern European Carvel: Gribshunden (1495)

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

What could POSSIBLY go wrong?!? (Did I mention that 15 has added a strobe to his lighting setup?)

A black Labrador retriever sits on a white photographic sweep looking at the camera expectantly. A lighting soft box is very close to him and aimed at his head.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

It was the Best Day Ever for Lincoln though, even if it did end with a bath.

A tall young man with a black Labrador retriever on a leash stands in bright green grass near a lake between mountains.

A selfie with a smiling woman in a green shirt and blue ball cap with red glasses and a black Labrador retriever whose mouth is wide open and panting. The dog is too close to the camera to see much besides his open mouth. There are trees in the background.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

We have a new term for when Lincoln thinks he’s having the Best Day Ever but it all ends with him getting hosed down in the yard: Shampoozled.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Someone is ready for his day…

A very happy black Labrador retriever looks over the back seat of a vehicle.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Have been watching 80s comedies with 15 and cringing about how badly some of them have aged. You know what did age well though? 9 to 5.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Update: 15 has named the snake David Boa-ie.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

We have a utility room that is not well sealed off from outside (it is well sealed off from the rest of the house), and I've been battling with a mouse issue in there. 15 opened the door a couple of nights ago and discovered a snake in there. 1/2

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Pictured: some jerk who pulled a Great Houndini escape act and went in a two mile romp through a bison farm (!) before the song on his GPS collar convinced him to come home. Now he’s here, panting, filthy, limping, nasty farting, and not even a little bit sorry.

A black Labrador retriever lies on a carpeted floor panting heavily.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

I think Lincoln sprained his tail swimming yesterday because he was very whimpery last night and now he’s keeping his tail down and almost tucked at all times even when he’s otherwise acting happy, and I had not previously realized how dependent my mental health is on seeing that tail wag.

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Marita Barth @maritabarth.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Caption this… (15 is working on his macro photography of aquatic macroinvertebrates for 4-H)

A macro shot of a water boatman nymph; it is facing the camera with one set of legs spread wide. It has big red triangular eyes.

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