Becky D 🍂🍁🍂
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bexrousse.bsky.social
Becky D 🍂🍁🍂
@bexrousse.bsky.social
4K followers 3K following 5.9K posts
Birds & cats & life in Maine. Public health nerd, they/them. Down by the water.

Banner: Closeup of ruddy red galaxies drifting in a cat's olive green eye w/narrowed pupil. PFP: Blonde me w/undercut, big glasses, floppy bangs & a certain kind of smile.
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bexrousse.bsky.social
It begins. #ApplePie #AmBaking
Sliced apples mixed with cinnamon nutmeg, all the sugars, flour, salt & vanilla, resting in a blue bowl. A red spatula is nestled at the top of the picture.
November 27, 2025 at 2:35 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Since the Discourse has turned pie-ward, let us all take a moment to celebrate Thom Higgins, hero.
Jan 10, 2025 article from the magazine The Advocate, regarding the righteous 1977 pie-ing of Anita Bryant by hero Thom Higgins NEWS Why did a gay man throw a pie in Anita Bryant's face, and who was he? (Image of a brunette white woman whose face neck and shoulders are covered in cream pie; she's holding out her cream pie covered left hand, looking down in horror from her cream pie covered face. Is there a bit of piecrust stuck to the end of her nose, making her look rather like a pig? I couldn't say.) BETTMANN CONTRIBUTOR/GETTY IMAGES Entertainer-evangelist Anita Bryant, her face covered with banana cream pie, stares in disbelief during a news conference where gay activist Thom Higgins jumped up and hit her in the face with a pie he brought to the conference. She was in Des Moines for a religious concert. Gay activist Thom Higgins "pied" the antigay crusader during a press conference in Des Moines in 1977 as part of his considerable career as an LGBTQ+ rights advocate. Here's the whole story. BY TRUDY RING JANUARY 10 2025 3:40 PM
November 26, 2025 at 1:38 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
🎵
I'VE GOT ANOTHER CONFESSION TO MAKE
New Pope Leo XIV in white vestments, eyes closed, hands clasped prayerfully around a microphone on a stand, mouth open as he belts out the first line of Foo Fighters' "Best of You"
November 24, 2025 at 12:05 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Aww--you reminded me of his 1st Xmas!
Baby Mr. Moo is 4 months old and is deep in the branches of an Xmas tree decorated with multicolored lights; the scene is all reds and yellows and the lights are reflecting in his blown-out pupils
November 23, 2025 at 8:25 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Mr. Moo carefully peruses the ornaments before selecting his next target.
#CatsLoveChristmas #CatsOfBluesky
At left, a 4-foot Xmas tree sits on a side table in front of a window. It has multicolored lights and many delicious--sorry, I mean different--ornaments. Just to the right of the tree, a large tuxedo cat lounges in the top of a 2-level cat tree, with his arms over the edge and dangling straight down, while he looks up speculatively at the tempting ornaments. Does he want the stuffed cat in a sweater? The stuffed polka dot cardinal? Or the realistic cardinal tree-topper?
November 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Tonight's stack. Already read the S. King (1996, brain candy). Having read Awad's Bunny I am a little scared to dive in to WLYB, but only bc the story might be over at the end and then I'd miss them all. Saving KSR's New York 2140 for last. 📚
Three thick hardback library books stacked atop one another. At the bottom, Desperation by Stephen King (1996). In the middle, Kim Stanley Robinson's New York 2140 (2017). At top, We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad (2025).
November 22, 2025 at 11:40 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
4:50pm 🌿 #MaineMood
An unretouched photo showing a bowl of dark, backlit trees, with a gnarled branch coming up and across from bottom right to top left. Behind, a slate gray sky and a n the center a darker grey cloud with peach highlights from the setting sun, which is shining through the dark scrim of trees below in a way that makes it look like there are two slitted orange eyes gazing back at us.
November 22, 2025 at 9:55 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
It begins. #CatsLoveChristmas
A 4 ft, prelit tree on top of a round side table covered with one of those white glittery Christmas drapes. The tree lights are not turned on and there are no ornaments yet, because enormous tuxedo cat Mr. Moo has meatloafed himself under the lowest branches, looking out the window at the squirrels he would like as gifts this holiday.
November 22, 2025 at 1:58 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Slotkin's post w/ #AltText
U.S. SENATOR ELISSA SLOTKIN This evening, Michigan State Police responded to Senator Slotkin's home in response to a bomb threat. The Senator wasn't home at the time. MSP searched the property and confirmed no one was in danger. Senator Slotkin is deeply grateful for the swift and professional response by Oakland County and Michigan State Police. U.S. Capitol Police will continue to investigate and hopefully hold accountable those responsible.
November 22, 2025 at 2:22 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Enough about bad books. Tell me about the good. I'll start:

Coworkers today: So what'd you do this weekend?

Me, heart scoured & still reverberating: YOU NEED TO READ MONA AWAD

#BookSky 📚
Two novels by author Mona Awad. At left, Bunny. The cover shows a pale orange rabbit silhouette on a black background, with the title and author's name scrawled across it in what looks like a pale pink lipstick. Such an innocent bunny. Such deep darkness around it. At right, Rouge. Again the cover is black, with the title at the top in a fat 60s-glam magazine font, cherry red, and at center a pale green stem topped by a red... Is it a rose? No wait, is it a jellyfish? Or is it the Wound at the center of you? Awad has also written All's Well, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, and a recently released sequel/prequel to Bunny called We Love You, Bunny, all of which I've requested from my local library.
November 18, 2025 at 12:11 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Recently read, and was rocked by, @emmapattee.bsky.social's Tilt. Engaging & lyrical; I was not ready for it to end, and find myself thinking about the ending, wondering what came next. 📚💖
The cover of a hardback library copy of Tilt. The background is pale peach toned, and the words come at us on an angle: Emma Pattee a novel Tilt There's a finch at bottom left under the title, with a rosy red cheek and breast.
November 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
RUDE ❄️🌨️🥶
The windshield and hood of my car, covered in a thin coating of fat wet snow. Pitch dark out at 545pm, lighting from the outside lights on the garage.
November 11, 2025 at 10:56 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
In his spare time, Mr. Moo does 1960s Richard Burton impressions. #CatsOfBluesky
Black & white photo of tuxedo cat Mr. Moo leaning on his right side in an armchair, looking off to our left, smoldering.
November 11, 2025 at 4:12 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Mr. Moo has a new favorite toy.
(It's the string from a grey hoodie sweatshirt. My boy has expensive taste.)
#CatsOfBluesky
Mr. Moo is a tuxedo cat with a fetish for his grey hoodie drawstring. These photos are all taken over the back of the sofa, which is the stage for the most intense hoodie-string play. In this pic, he's got one end of the string caught on his left front paw, and the little plastic bit on the other end in his mouth, and he looks wild-eyed and utterly deranged. Blurry action shot of tuxie cat Mr. Moo, only his right eye visible, looking in an impossible direction, as the grey hoodie drawstring zips past his mouth. Blurry action shot--Mr. Moo has captured the plastic bit of one end of the hoodie drawstring in his mouth and a tug-of-war is underway, the string taut and stretching from his face to the bottom right side of the photo Mr. Moo has snagged the drawstring with his left paw and looks up with blown-out pupils, waiting for the next parlay.
November 11, 2025 at 2:18 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Vomit. From his office, and also my reaction to receiving it. Quisling. #Maine
Screenshot of an email I got today from my Senator, Angus King after sending his website a vigorous email Re: Govt shutdown vote Senator Angus King Thank you for contacting me. Please accept this automated response as confirmation that I have received your communication. I am honored to represent you and the State of Maine here in the United States Senate. If you need immediate assistance, please contact the staff in one of my offices; their locations and phone numbers are below. I place great emphasis on making sure each message I receive is reviewed, responded to, and used to inform my work in Washington. I appreciate the chance to hear what's on your mind. Thank you for reaching out. Best Regards, Senator Angus S. King, Jr. Toll-free from within Maine: 1-800-432-1599 WASHINGTON, D.C. 133 Hart Building Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-5344 AUGUSTA 40 Western Avenue, Room Augusta, ME 04330 (207) 622-8292 BANGOR 202 Harlow Street, Suite 20350 Bangor, ME 04401 (207) 945-8000
November 11, 2025 at 1:26 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Got max-vaxxed today! COVID and flu jabs. 2 hours in and the ache-ening has just begun.

CW: small amt of blood from each of 2 vaccine injection sites
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Closeup of the top of my right arm, near the shoulder. I'm sporting 2 of those round post-vax bandaids that for some reason have a foam border and then a see-thru center. There's a spot of blood from each injection site (more from the COVID jab site at the back bc I wasn't ready & kicked the pharmacist, sorry again, Andrea), so the bandaids kind of look like goggles. Or bewbs.
November 11, 2025 at 12:40 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Mr. Moo, upon hearing that Senate Dems caved. #WTAF
A tuxedo cat sprawled on his right side, looking up at us with his right eye big and his left eye squinting as if to say, oh really? The same tuxedo cat now 1000-yard staring off into the distance, green gold eyes squinted, front paws curled.
November 10, 2025 at 1:21 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Maine ballot for Nov. 4 2025, showing the two citizen referendums. In some places these were the only things on the ballot; other cities/towns had local elections as well.
State of Maine Official Ballot All Counties except Somerset and Washington Referendum Election, November 4, 2025 Instructions to Voters To vote for a question, fill in the oval to the right of the "Yes" or "No choice, like this: To have your vote count, do not erase or cross out your choice. If you make a mistake, ask for a new ballot. Question 1: Citizen Initiative Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentse voting. prohibit requests for absentee bailots by phone or family members, end ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections? A "Yes" vole is to enact the initiated legislation A "No" vote opposes the initiated legislation (Q1 was defeated 63.7% to 36.3%) Question 2: Citizen Initiative Do you want to allow courts to temporarily prohibit a person from having dangerous weapons if law enforcement, family, or household members show that the person poses a significant danger of causing physical injury to themselves or others? A "Yes" vote is to enact the initiated legislation. A "No" vote opposes the initiated legislation. (Q2 won 62.9% to 37.1%)
November 9, 2025 at 8:16 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Happy #Caturday all. Mr. Moo hopes you have one of those super-satisfying yawns that pop your jaw and your ears both, and sweet dreams.
Photo of Mr Moo mid-screm He's actually yawning but in that big unhinged-jaw way, big pointy teeth up top, ears back, muzzle whiskers arrayed up & forward, tongue like a waterslide drop, all back teef visible.
November 9, 2025 at 12:22 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
A graphic made in the style of Zohran Mamdani's ZOHRAN FOR NEW YORK campaign signs--a vivid blue background, and orange text, with red shadow accents on the top word in the phrase. This one says: TIME for COMFORT FOOD
November 8, 2025 at 9:25 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Homemade chicken pot pie and fresh boule! The house smells amazing. #FoodSky
Photo looking down upon a glorious chicken pot pie in a 9 inch pie pan, and a messy round loaf of bread with exciting ridges and crusty bits.
November 8, 2025 at 9:19 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Penobscot Co a bellwether in Maine? It's the skinny one in in the middle, red for Q1 (no to making it harder to vote) and green for Q2 (yes to red flag gun laws).
Main question one require voter ID and change absentee ballot and Dropbox rules. The results show the voting districts in Maine. No is currently winning at 61.2%. Penobscot County is entirely red, meaning they voted no so far. Main question 2: extreme risk protection orders to restrict firearms and weapons access. Here the total count is 60.2% yes and 39.8% no. Penobscot County is shaded green, meaning they have voted majority yes for this referendum question.
November 5, 2025 at 2:54 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
What are we stress-eating this election night, friends? Here it's a homemade pizza with pepperoni, green pepper, and what BFF considers an acceptable amount of jalapeno, so A Lot of jalapeno.
#FoodSky 🍜
Close up of a pizza with a thin crust, made in a cookie sheet, seasoned w/oregano & basil, topped with red sauce, mozz, sliced deli pepperoni, chopped green peppers, and very sneaky chopped jalapeno. Large oases of store-bought grated Parmesan form cheesy reefs atop the pepperoni slices.
November 5, 2025 at 1:21 AM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Received the latest installment in the Leafblower Saga from BFF around 2 today:
Text from BFF says: "You are missing a classic. Stanley (actually I blacked out the real name) has been leaf blowing all day. About 10 minutes ago his van's alarm started going off but he can't hear it over the leaf blower." I have responded to the text with the angry red-faced cursey mouth emoji.
November 4, 2025 at 10:44 PM
bexrousse.bsky.social
Mr. Moo just owning the blue chair on this #Caturday. Turned out he was fast asleep in this position.
Overhead photo of a lorge tuxie laying on his side in the blue chair, atop the yellow/red/green/blue patchwork fleece blanket. Front paws straight out at 11 o'clock, back legs at 11 and 1.
November 1, 2025 at 10:14 PM