iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 28/09/2026

And then I went for a nice long bike ride with a stop at Bald Peak in Rancho Cañada del Oro. Where strangely enough, there's a bike rack (that doesn't fit mountain bike tires)!

Photo of a mountain bike in an old bike rack mounted in a dirt clearing at the top of a hill with a view of a brown valley holding a reservoir and beyond it brown hills, all dotted here and there with the dark green of probably oaks.

The sky is mostly blue with some white clouds.

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 28/09/2026

I did a thing this morning for Week Without Driving. Somehow I only just found out about it last week. (It starts Thursday.) Here's the content of the email I sent to my reps (tweaked slightly per rep)

The week without driving is October 1–8, 2026.

Sadly, in the US, almost all residents must transport themselves by private automobile to participate fully in society. At the same time, a third of us can't drive ourselves and rely on underfunded public transit, expensive “ride-share” services, and the kindness of friends, family, and strangers to get to places we can’t reach by walking and biking.

The inefficient overuse of private automobiles has killed and injured countless people over the years—and recently it's trending worse. The toll on our natural environment, which we are charged to preserve and protect for ourselves, for future generations, and for God, has been incalculable.

For the sake of my health and the health of others, I have spent a lifetime minimizing my driving. I’m fortunate enough in my physical abilities that bicycling is still an option that I choose daily. But the situation could be so much better.

When I compare public transit service in and between US cities to others around the world, I’m embarrassed and frustrated. When I read (and watch videos) about the safety and comfort of people walking and biking in many cities around the world and compare that to my experience getting myself around on a bike, I long for the same support here.

Yes, it could be so much better. But only if our elected representatives take the problem seriously, and the best way to take a problem seriously is to experience it for yourself and then tackle it.

As a third-generation Californian, I ask you and your staffers to participate in the week without driving starting on Thursday, October 1, and pay attention to this issue that affects the quality of all our lives, and especially the third of us who don’t drive.

For ideas about how you can participate, see https://weekwithoutdriving.org

I look forward to hearing from you afterward about how your participation gave you ideas for helping Californians reduce the need to drive—and what those ideas are.

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 19/09/2026

I had a chance to check on this sequoia near Squirrel Creek today. Looks like it’s doing well! I last checked on it November 21, 2021. That was right after the fire that went through. It looked like it was going to be touch and go, so I’m super happy to see it doing well.

A majestic sequoia with a mountain bike leaning against its base, which shows burn marks from a wildfire

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 05/09/2026

FWIW here’s Lake Ontario from apps.apple.com/us/app/a-bet...

Screenshot of the ABRP app showing Lake Ontario correctly labeled

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 10/07/2026

When in doot, bike commute! I wore my new t-shirt this morning and stopped for a selfie in Los Gatos Creek Park on my way to work. Design & artwork by @thornwolf.com Shirt production organized by @rachelgogreen.bsky.social #BikeSky

Selfie of woman on a bridge wearing a light green t-shirt with the slogan “Biking for Peace” above an image of a purple bike with orange peace signs for wheels

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 06/06/2026

My bike commute takes me through Los Gatos Creek County Park. Yesterday evening I saw a brown pelican. I even took a picture. #BikeSky #BirdSky

A brown pelican in silhouette floating with diamonds on the water

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 30/05/2026

I’ve taken some crazy bike rides, but even I am not tempted by this bike rack at the John “Chuck” Erreca rest area to try riding my bicycle down I-5. I mean, WTF? Is this pork? #BikeSky

An inverted-U style rack for locking up a bike or two at an I-5 rest area in California. Complete with a concrete block bearing a bicycle symbol nearby in case you’re doubting your eyes.

A wider angle shot of the same bike rack. You can see cars of various kinds parked on the left, picnic tables in the background, and the restrooms are out of frame on the right.

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 11/04/2026

Scene at the top of my ride today. Merlin app suggested Band-Tailed Pigeons, and I think it’s right.

A flock of pigeons roosting in a dead tree, backlit, with rolling hills in the background, under a cloudy sky

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 22/03/2026

Mexican poppies on the BLM this morning

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 06/03/2026

My dad is 90 years old. He’s been declining with congestive heart failure for years. Last month he took a turn for the worse. He said he had one more thing to do. This morning he emailed me a PDF of a letter he’s sending to Trump. It put me in a good mood. I hope it does the same for you

A letter to Donald Trump from an angry 90-year-old man. It reads:

Mr. Trump,
I owe it to YOU. I owe it to myself. I owe it to my family. I owe it to my friends, but
most of all I owe it to my FELLOW COUNTRYMEN to tell you directly to your face EXACTLY what I think of you.

You are RUDE! You are a LIAR! You are a VENGEFUL LITTLE MAN! You are a
THIEF! You are a MURDERER! You are a RACIST SEXIST PIG who, were you
halal, would be served up for Sunday dinner in Minneapolis, a RACIST SEXIST
SUCKLING PIG!

You are a SCHMUCK! You are a BULLY! You are a COWARD! But most of all
you are plain and simple a garden variety LOSER.

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 01/03/2026

Saw this today at my monthly shopping errand to my favorite middle eastern grocery 😢

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 22/02/2026

It’s not every day that you see a cormorant in the Kaweah river! In fact, it’s the first time I’ve seen one there with 30 years worth of opportunities. #birdsky

A double-crested cormorant treading water upstream in a slowly moving river, with a boulder-strewn bank in the background

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 18/02/2026

CAT CHECKPOINT: Show the most recent cat on your phone 😻

A young, dilute tortoiseshell cat peeking out from between the folds of an old blanket

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 25/01/2026

Here’s a California newt (the bright red Sierra Nevada kind) that I saw on my ride yesterday. Stay safe little newt!

A bright red newt trying to hide in some grass next to a rock. Its color gives it away

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 25/01/2026

Three Rivers, CA in solidarity with MN and ME today. #iceout #pretti #good #ramos my dog, there aren’t enough hashtags cc @3rtraction.bsky.social

A small group of protesters at the side of CA 198 holding up a long sign made out of individual letters on panels, white on black. The sign reads “nation needs a soul ice out“. They are holding the sign where it will be seen by visitors to Sequoia National Park

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 18/01/2026

The sky was extra beautiful on my ride today (all the fog is in the valley)

Wide angle photo of a green hillside with scrub oaks on either side and puffy white clouds in the blue sky above. In the foreground a blue mountain bike is lying on its side

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 21/12/2025

Joy to the eternal revolutions of the Moon about the Earth and the Earth about the Sun and the Sun about the Milky Way! Happy solstice eve

A blue mountain bike leaning against the hillside with the sun slanting in from the trees above

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 15/12/2025

And the happy rider selfie before putting her helmet back on and donning knee and elbow pads

A selfie of a woman giving the thumbs up. She is wearing a fluorescent yellow cap, sunglasses, and a pink and purple flowered shirt unzipped at the neck. Behind her is a grassy hillside with oak trees and a blue sky above.

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 15/12/2025

The bike that brought me there pointing the way down the trail ahead. #BikeSky

A blue mountain bike lying on its side on a grassy hillside. Straight down the hillside from the bike’s front wheel is a very faint trail.

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 15/12/2025

The horses were on Holland Mountain today!

A herd of horses on a grassy hillside under oak trees, with a mountain in the background under a blue sky

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 29/11/2025

The horses were there again today, so I took another picture. I just can’t get enough of this light.

Horses gathered around a pond near a trail on a hillside

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 27/11/2025

I’ve been enjoying the November light during my mtb rides this week. Look at the shadows in this photo I took yesterday around noon! #BikeSky

Horses gathered around a pond next to a trail on a hillside

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 24/11/2025

One of these goats is not like the others

Browsing goats on a hillside viewed through a cyclone fence. In the center of the photo a large dog, the same color as the goats, views the photographer with suspicion.

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 18/11/2025

Go, furries, go! I have faith in you that you can get it fixed. cc @cloudflare.social

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 26/10/2025

Today I did the ride with all the climbing. And now I’m very tired. #BikeSky

A blue mountain bike leaning against a reddish granite boulder with mountains in the background

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 20/10/2025

Enchanted by the October light today, I stopped just to take a couple of pictures. #BikeSky

A trail through some scrub oaks bordered by baby plants that started up after a recent rainstorm. A mountain bike pointed away from the camera is leaning against a rock to the right of the trail

The same scene from the opposite angle. The bike is now in the left of the frame, pointed toward the camera

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 18/10/2025

The woman is holding a sign that says “none of this is OK“. And as far as the Republican regime goes, I agree. But I must say, that dog has a beautiful coast! #nokings #nokingsthreeriversCA

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 18/10/2025

FaceTime rally readiness sharing! #NoKings

Screenshot of FaceTime chat with the subject holding an American flag in front of their face, with a sign attached to the flag pole saying impeach convict remove

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 05/10/2025

Holland Mountain is a happy place, and the best way for me to get there is on my bicycle. #Bikesky

A mountain bike lying on a brown hillside in the foreground. In the middle ground are some oak trees, and in the background is a tall green ridge against a blue sky

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 04/10/2025

Beautiful weather on the BLM for my ride today! #Bikesky

Wide angle photo of a trail going downhill with more hills and blue sky in the distance. The trail is scattered with rust colored leaves and in the near four ground on the left is a mountain bike wheel

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 28/09/2025

After thirty years of occasionally seeing and enjoying turkey buzzards sunbathing in the morning, I finally took a photo. #birds

Two turkey buzzards perched at the ends of two limbs of the same dead tree. The one on the left has its wings outstretched to catch the sun. The one on the right is perching quietly. Behind them is a blue sky with clouds

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 21/09/2025

On today’s ride it was so nice to climb into the shade of the Case Mountain cloud. And then so nice to get back down to the sunlight and warm up #BikeSky #mtbpix

A turquoise mountain bike in sunlight and dappled shade propped against an old fallen tree limb that doubles as a bench

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 31/08/2025

Submitted my comment (whew!)—you still have a couple of days if you want to join me.

I’m a concerned citizen who has been following the results of the greenhouse effects and atmospheric pollution with CO2 from human-related activity for over forty years.

Presuming that the “Overview of the CWG Report” accurately represents the contents, I’m appalled that the Department of Energy would use the report to guide any decision about anything.

For example:

From the overview: “Elevated concentrations of CO2 directly enhance plant growth, globally contributing to “greening” the planet and increasing agricultural productivity.”

My response: Plants do not live by CO2 alone. They need water, fertile soil, sunlight and temperature timing according to their evolutionary development, protection from and resistance to insects. Soybeans (one of the most important agricultural crops) grown in elevated CO2 environments show decreased resistance to insects. Climate change is affecting seasonal temperatures so that proper temperatures for many plants are becoming less and less likely at latitudes with proper daylight hours. Increased CO2 increases soil nutrient and water needs causing obvious difficulties likely to increase food prices.

More information and links to studies on this topic can be found here: https://skepticalscience.com/co2-plant-food.htm

From the overview: “They also make the oceans less alkaline (lower the pH). That is possibly detrimental to coral reefs, although the recent rebound of the Great Barrier Reef suggests otherwise.”

My response: Funny how “less alkaline” sounds benign when compared to “more acidic”. Acidification is the correct term. The ocean is an overwhelmingly complex ecosystem with delicate sensitivity to its slightly basic pH. Acidification will affect many more areas than the Great Barrier Reef. Furthermore, effects fluctuate so recent local rebounds suggest nothing. Overall trends are more indicative.

Discussing the decrease in oceanic pH levels, the NOAA’s 2018 US Climate Assessment FAQ states, “…scientists expect some species to decline and others to increase in abundance in response to this environmental change. Relative changes in species performance can ripple through the food web, reorganizing ecosystems as the balance between predators and prey shifts and habitat-forming species increase or decline. Habitat-forming species, such as corals and oysters, that grow by using minerals from the seawater to build mass are particularly vulnerable. It is difficult to predict exactly how ocean acidification will change ecosystems. Scientists and managers are now using computer models to project potential consequences to fisheries, protected species, and habitats.”

Continuing to refine and collect data for these computer models for improved projections of potential consequences to oceanic food webs as well as respecting those projections in order to support mitigation is critical to the welfare of the United States.

From the overview: “There is evidence that scenarios widely-used in the impacts literature have overstated observed and likely future emission trends.”

My response: No such evidence exists. I recall a similar argument from the 1990s when the oceans were absorbing enough of the heat that atmospheric temperatures rose more slowly during that time than the existing projections. Atmospheric temperature rise has since caught up. Current projections can take advantage of immensely more data, improved models, and more powerful computers since then.

I’ve lived in California long enough (almost 64 years now) and have been paying close enough attention that I followed the data-based predictions of increased wildfire activity from 20 years ago and saw those predictions come to fulfillment not only in California but all over the world during the past decade. Why should I reject current, even more accurate projections just because I don’t like them?

And that’s just three examples. Almost every sentence from the overview demonstrates at best wishful thinking and at worst willful dissembling.

An understanding of exponential growth illuminates the danger posed by the increasing levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activity. Our work as a global community to halt this increase and mitigate the damage has only just begun.

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 29/08/2025

I impulse-backed Danielle Williams's Kickstarter for The Pooch Salute. Boy was I delighted when I received it. From the first page I knew the story qualified for my lullaby bookshelf. Silly but thoughtful; touching and rambunctious. With dogs! pixelvaniapublishing.com/book/the-poo...

A copy of the book, The Pooch Salute by Danielle Williams, lying on a table

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 29/08/2025

I'm loving @mccallsmith.bsky.social 's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Traditionally built lady (and detective) Mma Ramotswe of Gaborone, Botswana is the company I need. Two from July and August: The Kalahari Typing School For Men and The Full Cupboard of Life. 10/10 will read them again.

Two paperback books by Alexander McCall Smith on a table. The Kalahari Typing School For Men is on the left, The Full Cupboard Of Lift on the right

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Marian Goldeen @warriorchicken.me · 20/08/2025

She also had lots of chances to take photos while waiting for me to catch up. So there are plenty of shots of me in the distance riding through beautiful surroundings toward the camera. Here's one:

A trail extending from center frame toward the camera with manzanitas (or maybe ceanothus) and pines on either side and in the background. A stump is in the foreground.

A woman is riding a mountain bike toward the camera from the distance, too far away to make out her features

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