"Idyll"
by Siegfried Sassoon
&
Mary Hiester Reid, "Eastbury Manor Gardens, Comton, Surrey, 1910"
@
"Today’s Poem: Idyll" - by Sally Thomas
https://poemsancientandmodern.substack.com/p/todays-poem-idyll
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Shopping is fun. Shop safely.
"ICE agents..."
Officialarturo
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTANERu2W/
"ah they'll grab you, take your kids, don't leave them"
leyda Velasquez
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTANwocPR/
"Fun times at work! #cardenas #ice #immigration'
Angelica Ordonez
Fashion tip.
If you ever have to buy plus size clothing and you buy a strappy sundress that you like but the top part of it is a little too big because you're not as plus sized in that area as you are in the other areas and you're sad about it, just put a short sleeved shirt on underneath the top of the dress and suddenly the slight amount of bagginess no longer seems to matter and in fact it actually looks more cute that way.
That's a lot of children for a body to birth.
They could have adopted some?
It must have been a relief to finally have a resolution...
"Freisler cross-examined witnesses, but for some reason he didn't seem as worried about the defeatism charge, of which my great-grandfather had already been convicted by a lower court. Freisler was worried about farmers. It was November 30, 1944, provisions were running low, which was why Freisler was worried about food supply. 'Is he a good farmer?' he hollered. 'Is his family helping him out on the farm?' The witnesses, surprised, mumbled something in the affirmative. To everyone's astonishment, Freisler let the relatively lenient verdict of the lower court, which had decided on three years of penitentiary rather than the death penalty, stand. After subjecting my great-grandfather and others to long, shouted rants, Freisler didn't send him to the firing squad. Instead Freisler sent him to Sachsenhausen."
Page 103
"The Language of Thieves: My Family's Obsession with a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate by Martin Puchner" | Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50489374-the-language-of-thieves
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
"In their desperation, they came up with a plan of having the daughters chaperoned by the very neighbor who had denounced their father and who was taking the same train to testify against him. I found this hard to believe and asked my mother several times, and later an aunt, but that's how they all told the story. The trial was the typical ritual of humiliation. My great-grandfather, who had been in prison for over a year by then, had his belt taken away while Freisler ordered him to stand at attention, so that his pants fell to the floor."
Page 102
"The Language of Thieves: My Family's Obsession with a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate by Martin Puchner" | Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50489374-the-language-of-thieves
Can you imagine?
"While my mother was enduring the warriors on the hostel farm..."
Oops, sorry, that's actually "war years on the hostile farm."
"...she spent as much time as possible on a much friendlier farm, the one run by Joseph Kressler, her paternal grandfather, an outspoken but, in her words, benevolent patriarch. As the war continued, he started listening to allied radio and was overheard by a jealous neighbor saying that the American army would liberate them soon. The neighbor promptly reported him to the secret police."
Page 101
The Language of Thieves: My Family's Obsession with a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate by Martin Puchner | Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50489374-the-language-of-thieves
Ow, things are kind of funny...
Devoted daughters come to the aid of a benevolent patriarch in his time of peril! Page 101 - 103.
"The Language of Thieves: My Family's Obsession with a Secret Code the Nazis Tried to Eliminate by Martin Puchner"| Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50489374-the-language-of-thieves
Every human has his or her own life in his or her own body to experience.
My back (the area behind my heart) hurts.
I have to do figure eights over my heart.
And stretch the back muscles more.
So many examples, the universe sends them to me when I'm not even looking for them.
You need to differentiate yourself more from the people who were shady with others in the past and get their history swept under the carpet and then get people to fawn over them because that already happens all the time and it's getting OLD!
There's a lot going on...
"Question: 'Will the gentle lady yield?'"
everywomanisworthy
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbEPKTgOG7q/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Oh, to have a little retreat to a forest cabin.
And just peacefully enjoy nature. Maybe have fun with some writing or art or music or cooking or crafts. Spiritual stuff. Maybe I'll look up some places and fantasize. Maybe even look for an A-frame cabin to retreat to, or something...
More for bad cousins.
"Racial undertones in the life of a Showgirl"
https://www.reddit.com/r/travisandtaylor/s/sCxwJKmgHl
"Sara Ahmed's feminist killjoy activism"
rey_philosophy
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbB2vv4Sj1V/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"Her name is Josephina Gabriel Lopez"
thelaboystandard
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbBluynxQDS/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
Be better at being brotherly.
"We're sharing the map"
hollysavinggrace
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbD6ItjuSJ-/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
The clock is ticking.
"ackshually it's ok..."
https://www.reddit.com/r/travisandtaylor/s/wKskcJVIwc
"Book narcissistic abuse recovery"
claire_auden
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbDNmJcx8sG/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"POST 2 PART I"
Eileen Iona 2.0
Oh f***
There are so many more Latino people in the United States right now than there were Jewish people in Holland, sorry, I mean The Netherlands, when Anne Frank was alive.
Poor taste!
So many Band-Aids and bows and ribbons on top of poor taste in humans and poor taste in men in particular.
You could have foreseen and planned ahead. But...
You had to be great within the parameters of Patriarchical White Supremacy and now that's a way of life that's f****** dying.
I think someone has suffered from "colonize her" syndrome
If you have any urges to replicate being a s***** dad you should talk about that. Are you going to be a s***** racist dad? Are you going to be a s***** sexist dad? Are you going to be both kinds of a s***** dad?
A vacation to Florida! Something similar to this happened where I used to live.
"Mexican man killed after ICE encounter in Florida was on vacation, officials say" – NewsNation
People shouldn't have to go through really hard stuff, but...
Sometimes the people who went through really hard stuff are better at relating to the people who are being persecuted.
MaggieRubes
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTALVeWm9/
MaggieRubes
How does that sound?
"I don't care if they put your baby in a concentration camp because you don't care if they put my baby in a concentration camp."
That'd be cool to hear about.
Have you met any "zero babies deserve to be in concentration camps" people lately?
You could blame some of the problems on a ghost I suppose.
Just don't know how much you can really blame on Father-in-Law. Father-in-Law passed away several years ago, didn't he?
It's really sad, honestly.
It's really sad that if I was in a white man's body right now, a lot of your friends would treat me so much better. They seem really screwed up.
Way fewer people say it than actually act like it.
Who says "My child deserves racist parents who obviously don't care what happens to other people's children when they're being persecuted and discriminated against in the most blatant ways possible."
Who says that?
Hate the violence of the racist Patriarchal White Supremacy.
There was a song that reminded me of that playing today, too.
Taylor Swift – "Picture to Burn Lyrics"| Genius Lyrics
I'll pray for people like this not to have to deal with someone like you, because they've been through enough already.
"'Now I go outside feeling afraid': Lake Placid worker recounts ICE detention" | NCPR News
Oh, we know some people will do anything for the money or a mortgage!
"ICE is arresting relatives trying to take custody of migrant kids"
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/21/texas-immigrant-children-sponsor-ice-detention-orr-shelters/
Well, at least you're better than this, huh?
Some people really did get the worst grandparents and parents, didn't they?
"I took him to court and he didn't go to jail..."
livlowklit
You're too prejudiced, and it feels too icky.
Try asking a higher power for more help when you get more motivated to change for the better.
If you were more motivated, you would have found a better way by now.
You act like you need people to be just as prejudiced and shallow as you are to make yourself feel better about your life choices.
You don't want to know who you remind me of sometimes.
You couldn't do what you're doing without the system being set up to encourage someone like you to feel entitled to act like an atrocious colonizer.
I have that in common with some other people you don't care about because you're too prejudiced.
You act like I'm a worthless piece of garbage to you constantly.
Yeah, the message that it's really inconvenient for them to consider what's going on with other people has been received, loud and clear.
" It may not be convenient for you"
"I just called a detention center and there was a crying baby in the background."
Michael_Foote
Good people. Nice people. People you've known for decades.
The worst of times really do bring out the worst in people sometimes.
That seems really honest.
Getting up on stage and saying "It's just great to see the audience looking richer and whiter and less compassionate towards humanity than ever before!"
Otto Frank, too.
And now, you have a more empirical experience of why "good" people acted like they didn't give a s*** about what happened to people like Anne Frank.
"These people are real."
"I just called a detention center and there was a crying baby in the background."
Michael_Foote
Simple.
Can I find better friends? Yes
Are they reaching out in the spirit of true friendship? No
Are these people evil? No
Are they psychologically and emotionally immature people who are behaving in a very callous manner? Yes
Nothing is perfect.
Dear God, please don't let Patriarchal White Supremacy's bread and circuses kill us. Amen.
Arcade Fire - "My Body Is A Cage (HD Version)"
I can do that.
Love wants me to remember what it was like to be in the swimming pool of the good babysitter.
I guess I'll figure out what to do somehow.
Love wants me to do some kind of womb healing thing on myself. At the moment. It could be different some other night.
Now things are always changing, aren't they?
The other day, my spiritual friend reminded me that you can put your hand on your heart and say, "Love. What would you have me do now?" and then see what kind of answer or sign or imagery comes up.
Only sensitive when it's convenient and profitable for THEM.
Apparently, some people weren't actually as sensitive as they made themselves out to be.
Hope her Trump-voting church friends are f****** satisfied.
Swear to God, if a church going girl who used to work as a security guard decides to get a desk job with a corrupt organization just so she doesn't have to get a roommate and can pay off a goddamn f****** mortgage for a multiple bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house for one person who doesn't even have the motivation to care for a PET, much less any children...
Also, the vibes of "being in a cult" culture reminds me too much of rape culture.
Rage Against The Machine - "Killing In the Name (Of"
"Aw, do you have kids?"
"I just called a detention center and there was a crying baby in the background."
Michael_Foote
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8trkkq3/
Way to go, Cardenas.
"Ice in San Bernardino but Cardenas didn't let them in."
Angelica Ordonez
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8tMXaSQ/
Gee, it's been awhile since I've been to Cardenas.
People have to fix their own problems.
Perhaps the fascism is teaching me that I'm really not a very good little cult follower.
Other people superiority at being good little cult followers is not my problem to fix.
Monday, July 20, 2026
She dares to express that she expects better for daughters!
“'We absolutely need another go at this Me Too movement,' Fifield said. 'The D.C. culture, in general, is very toxic.'
'As a mom of two daughters, if that culture does not get radically changed in my lifetime, I will never feel comfortable sending my daughters to work in a Hill office,' said Fifield, a digital strategist."
Kaitlyn Schallhorn
"It’s a political ‘Me Too part 2’ — and a Gen Z Orange County Lawyer is Leading the Reckoning"
Good! Something more inspiring to read about.
"It’s a political ‘Me Too part 2’ — and a Gen Z Orange County Lawyer is Leading the Reckoning
I guess there's several reasons why I'm such an eclectic reader.
Feels like a very good time to be reading books again. Library books, and books I actually own.
The selfishness creeps me out beyond words.
"The saddest ever is watching border patrol chase kids"
montesste1
Well, that really is not that hard to believe at all.
"I told every single person that worked there and no one cared."
"Even though I told everyone I talked to..."
Hanne Daguman
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTAR3QG8x/
The capability of seeing other people is f****** there.
Do some people actually want to raise little racists?
Grow up.
That's what it looks like.
Some people must be feeling a lot of guilt and shame that they just don't want to face and they want to pretend isn't there.
The bread and circuses phenomenon is so real.
I really thought more people would want to protest violations of human rights instead of retreating into shallow activities.
Is it not possible to seek pleasure in other ways?
I don't think being self-serving and incurious and uncompassionate towards others is a very impressive demonstration of human intelligence.
Shame on this racist country.
"Man Who Died Running From ICE Was Tourist With a Ticket Home"| The New Republic
https://newrepublic.com/post/213277/man-died-running-from-ice-tourist-visa
Ways of perceiving, processing and relaying information are evolving.
"The centre of my work..."
danadozzyy
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbA38j8RyHT/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"She loves experiments"
voiceandvigor
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY5o2FGvJfs/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"The Patriarchy upholds the idea that..."
bloomingwithemmy
https://www.instagram.com/p/DbBx7wJEjrH/?img_index=12&igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
They're from the svelte side.
"Tori Amos is niche but"
flirtyburps
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMNfVy9sUXC/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
My voice might be this good sometimes.
"Somehow I always sing to Cheryl"
flirtyburps
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTV0ZWSCYbf/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
Shame on this Patriarchal Nation.
This reminds me of when I was living in Michigan and I thought I would get a job at Borders and that didn't happen and I called up another place about a job because it was a bookstore of some sort and when he heard my voice on the phone the guy flat out said no because they were looking for a man. But it wasn't this bookstore. It was some place else. I don't remember. I have amnesia about the name. But not about the feelings!
Anyways, I'm sure the people at this bookstore would never do something like that.
"Schuler Books is one of my favorite local..."
theoverstimulatedbookclub
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DalPI_AhzXQ/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
Om...Oh my God, they recorded it...
"Recycling one of my favorites"
flirtyburps
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUOFEwMEcBA/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
I feel like he looks a lot older. People aged more back then, maybe?
"HH#25 On Becoming A Novelist by John Gardener"
https://www.charleskunken.com/blog/on-becoming-by-john-gardener
I wonder if people still read John Gardner novels in book clubs...
"Is this the definition of..."
theoverstimulatedbookclub
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYzZ5nER0ZP/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"Help I can't stop singing Edelweiss"
zachs_garden_and_cats
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DayRjlXsJNU/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
And I'm sure it's entirely possible that James Dean himself was much nicer to Mexican girls in real life than his character acted in that East of Eden film.
"James Dean being a bisexual icon for 11 minutes straight"
addisonmcleery2489
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3USyGaINVgU&si=gLXQJMFg05iYhVGt
I am sure it is possible!
I guess I shouldn't say "girl," but...
You know the girl who won't talk to me now because she got weirded out that I was so stressed about ICE raids. She's a really nice person. I have known her for several decades.
I guess you gotta express what you gotta express!
I think it's sad that, among other things, not everybody feels equally comfortable traveling here or going to Disney World, and I've just expressed that.
"Suspenders?"
holly.hens
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbBU-1SK7qS/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"maybe this is just me..."
intlpizzagirl
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaymjyVPlvs/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
It's good to be a cat...🎶🐈⬛💖
"Women aren't avoiding men..."
theblunt.and.thebeautiful
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da7hqDMk5aj/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"Ironically..."
ladylotuss_
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY-rzrMB5eu/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
Leave me alone and let me swim!
Snippets of conversation that made their way to my ears today included young women talking about being afraid of being killed and also discussing the ages of men on dating apps.
Sometimes I feel like there should be a board game called "Not Everyone Can Be As Patriarchal As YOU."
Role-Playing different kinds of characters and unique life circumstances for why they can't be as patriarchal as YOU.
Well, that was nice. Gotta go clean the oven.
"Ironically..."
ladylotuss_
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DY-rzrMB5eu/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"Women aren't avoiding men..."
theblunt.and.thebeautiful
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da7hqDMk5aj/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"anyone else..."
dorothymannine
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXuuyprkrEk/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
I wonder where that big chessboard is.
"I'm sharing a little bit of my day today."
Obdulia Ag
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTAdkuuHW/
"I have so many questions"
sheenakamalwrites
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da-iH4exq-C/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"what? you don't match your shoes..."
champagneunicorns
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZvCuLVJM97/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"Gentle Scroller: No one should experience this..."
kjetil.krogstad
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da-dQgpsuHK/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
That looks like somewhat of a transition was going on there.
Pretty funny hairdo that day, huh?
"How does #Molly Shannon feel"
@teamcoco
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da_FcD_D2Oz/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
Lol.
It could be fun...
Maybe we'll talk about why we chose to be so weird in this life someday.
At the moment, it seems like a power that's higher than our Earthbound personalities and egos is orchestrating some things.
Thinking about transitions...
There was the time my sister and I were waiting at the ferry dock in Seattle and my mother never arrived to take us where we should be going and we didn't have any money to get back to the island and the ferry dock workers, who were men, just kind of tsked about their disapproval of negligent parents and let us ride back to the island for free. I suppose that wouldn't happen today. But I don't really know.
I have a healer friend that I met in this part of the world who moved up to Whidbey Island. I should get back in touch with her and see how she's doing. She seemed to really like it up there, the last time we corresponded, which was earlier this year.
Up too early and someone's rooster is crowing.
What if you have to be more humble and lowly like me in the next incarnation? I don't think that's actually going to happen. It's just a thought.
🎶🪨🎶⛰️🎶🎶
Arvo Pärt: "My Heart's in the Highlands"
skycam_ee
Sunday, July 19, 2026
I think he makes good points...
"In my opinion, conservative Christianity cannot function without the threat of violence against women."
pastorpauldrees
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da-_19ZkypO/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"#feministliterature"
megmarlenecain
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da_lT8Nv-4H/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"7 counts of r*pe"
iamashleighboehm
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da_gnjeT68I/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
What if I go through a really weird phase?
Like a teenage phase, like how people going through a midlife crisis sometimes act. What if my really weird phase is like: I just can't abide really talented people who don't follow Skating Polly; if you don't follow Skating Polly and you're really talented, I just can't abide...
Just think of how different childhoods are going to be! 🤩
"Affirmation of the day"
sarahhesterross
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZp6aSfKR-p/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"Anyone else have this hobby?"
josieyacksmith
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da8zzSBj2RR/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"Based on real life events"
rebeccaInn
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dayvi_gToIe/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
Progress is a process.🥳
Actually, some people who are purging themselves of their programming right now might be kind of fun in a couple years.
It was not built to last.
Couldn't have propped up the patriarchal white supremacy for so long without certain types of women and girls being treated better than the others.
Yes, even the ones who were treated better were harmed, too.
"Patriarchy has harmed ALL of us"
gwenlevymusic
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da-zabjq1xL/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"It was horrific when five administrations failed"
riseabovejusticemovement
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da3YWZBMeqC/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced..."
eracoalition
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da8Olr2u00Y/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
What's an inner ghost child to do?
I have a feeling that the discrimination that's been happening against certain types of children is making my inner ghost child very unhappy.
And then, maybe you wouldn't accidentally be like the toxic mom babysitter?
Imagine being more honest about which types of children the Patriarchy is asking parents to discriminate against?
Moving right along...
So much creativity!
"Always repurpose and recycle"
bradshawcelinda
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DayAZpqPL-9/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"An entire problem"
abbydarkstar
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaoE5Qby044/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
"Glass portrait of zigzag by @jmckglass 🍀✨"
camillelenore
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Daf67FlJy1o/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
You're really not tired of that drug yet?
"Allow making Mark Zuckerberg richer help to me remind you that I don't care about the welfare of most girls and women and my genetic superiority and closer proximity to Patriarchal White Supremacy s**** on your humanity."
How great! What an interesting learning experience it's been.
Isn't it amazing to have a woman's body?
No. Well, maybe only for a very select few. It's amazing for them, perhaps. Even the naturally skinny ones still seem to obsess about being skinny a lot.
Isn't it amazing that your body can create life?
Yes! Especially if you're married to a man and the child will carry the father's last name!
Isn't it amazing to get pregnant and give birth?
It's more amazing if you have a boy baby. If you have a girl baby, a dad might throw a fit on the internet at a gender reveal party when the blue confetti doesn't come out of his pinata. Lots of them are still doing that!
Is it considered a real disability if problems with my menstrual cycle have a severe impact on me physically, mentally and emotionally? Is it considered a real disability? What if sometimes my cramps are so bad I throw up? And I feel like I'm dying?
No, that is not considered a real disability that's just called tough s*** and too bad for you. You garbage human being. No accommodations for you. That's just what you get for not being born a genetically superior female.
Well okay, but it's confounding.
A bunch of people, of all ages and including children, get treated worse just because some of the people who got treated better aren't ready to change.
They're just not ready to change!
They're just not ready to change.
Ay ay ay...
Gotta go look for something sad to sing along to now.
Help with processing emotions is appreciated.
The universe quickly delivered this message:
Nation of Language – "I'm Not Ready for the Change"
https://genius.com/Nation-of-language-im-not-ready-for-the-change-lyrics
This one time I was all like...
Well, universe, I understand that tolerance of bigotry is a very real survival strategy. Will you help me figure out why this is so attractive to some people? I can't ask the people who are doing it, because they're in denial, so I have to just ask the universe to help me.
Church of cat
"Offerings"
iknowthemanbutnottheplan
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da6IRoyBP-k/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==
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