Kelly Winters
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ktwinters.bsky.social
Kelly Winters
@ktwinters.bsky.social
1.1K followers 570 following 600 posts
Former Minnesota farm kid and higher ed researcher now living in Northern New Mexico. Gardening with native, waterwise, pollinator- and bird-migration friendly, high-desert perennial plants.
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ktwinters.bsky.social
My "pawsome floofs" want to wish a very happy National Cat Day to our feline friends, companions, and situationships.
Two very fluffy adult cats on a bright colored rug with geometric shapes. The calico cat has her ears flat against her head and is making eye contact with the camera in a posture of calico attitude that says, "Aw hell no." Her litter mate brother, a diluted orange with all the orange cat vibes, has his front paws tucked in and is rolled over to expose his ridiculously fluffy white belly to his grumpy calico sister.
October 29, 2025 at 4:35 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Is this what we will all soon be prompted to use for our serious chronic health conditions if we wish to "keep costs down"? Some herbal tea and a telephone call to an anonymous phone number that might be staffed by AI nurse bots?
The cover of the health brochure from UHC is a blue tea cup on a navy blue background with the words "The only thing better than a cup of tea..." Inner part of the folded brochure. Left hand side has two tea mugs clinking in a "cheers!" motion with the following text that continues over from the front of the brochure. That text says "...is a cup of tea with a friend". The right hand fold is white text on blue background that says, "You're not alone. If you or a loved one has recently received a cancer diagnosis, know that support is here. The Cancer Support Program available through UnitedHealthcare offers resources, guidance and more for navigating the road ahead--all provided at no extra cost as part of your benefits. Final part of the folded brochure is the inner part. Top fold includes two Twinings Lemon and Ginger tea bags that have been affixed with adhesive dots to the paper. Under the tea bags is the text "Share a cup of tea with a friend or loved one as you review your Cancer Support resources together. Below the tea bags is a final fold with contact information. Text includes: "Enroll in the Cancer Support Program-- Call to learn more and enroll in the program today." I have blacked out the email address, web address, and phone number for privacy.
October 22, 2025 at 3:26 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Sangre de Christo Mountains outside Taos in a sunset color festival of pinks, oranges, and purples as a thunderstorm moves through. Large rainbow visible against the mountains with thunder and lightning overhead. Heavy rain and wind starting just as I took this photo. No filters.

#NMWx
Picture of Pueblo Peak outside of Taos, NM tonight as a thunderstorm collides with sunset against the mountains, turning the landscape into a swarm of yellows, oranges, pinks, blues, and purples. Virga, rain that evaporates before falling to the ground, is visible. There is also a bright rainbow on the side of the mountain that my phone's camera can't adequately capture.
October 5, 2025 at 1:05 AM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Woke up to thick, dense, heavenly fog this morning, and wondered if I had been Raptured. Asked spouse his opinion, and he thought not since we still had our cats and earthly possessions. Rapture or no, the blooming yellow chamisa looks stunning in this fog.

#nativeplants
#rapture
#NewMexico
Chamisa in bloom with bright yellow flowers set against the backdrop of dying annual sunflowers and a mesa in thick fog in the distance. Picture of mist-soaked wooden fencepost with view of yellow chamisa in bloom and fog-drenched mesa behind.
September 23, 2025 at 2:43 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Sunset tonight over Pueblo Peak with clouds and virga, and not the mountains, putting on the purple, red, and pink Sangre de Christo show. Unfiltered New Mexico beauty.
In the background is Pueblo Peak, which is a deep purple. In the fore- and mid-ground is mesa grasslands with some scattered housing. The sky is a mass of streaked clouds with bright pink virga, a weather phenomenon where the rain is falling, but evaporates before reaching ground.
August 18, 2025 at 2:15 AM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Lizards sunning themselves are Must See Cat TV
Mina, a calico cat is on the inside of a screened patio door looking intently at the deck. On the other side of the screen, less than a foot away from the cat, is a Southwestern fence lizard, sunning itself.
July 29, 2025 at 10:00 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
It's coneflower/ echinacea bloom season. I started these from seed indoors this past winter, and am very surprised to get blooms this first year. Yellow and pink flowers are the Cheyenne Spirit, and the white blossom is Powwow white variety.
July 24, 2025 at 8:29 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
First cosmo bloom of 2025.
Psyche variety cosmos which features a bright pink, ruffled flower with a bright yellow center on spindly plant.
July 24, 2025 at 8:10 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Black headed grosbeak caught in yesterday's afternoon monsoon in Taos and not looking very happy about it.
#birds
#NMwx
Smart bird feeder captured image of a black headed grosbeak looking directly into the camera. The camera's lens is misty/ water logged as is the bird, who is sopping wet and has feathers bending every which way. Black headed grosbeak is a small bird with an orange chest, black head and feathers. They have thick beaks, and this bird appears to be holding a large seed in its beak.
July 23, 2025 at 3:35 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
After waiting four years for cuttings to grow, and trying to find the perfect light in my home, my Stapelia gigantea finally bloomed for the first time.

It is a carrion plant, so the flower, which is about 8 inches wide, has a slight eau de rotting flesh to attract pollinators.
The planter the Stapelia gigantea is in was designed by Justine Blakely’s Jungalow brand and is in the shape of a human face with eyes, nose, and mouth sketched on it. In the plant itself has green clumps of the Stapelia gigantea plant which are about 6 inches tall. A month ago, a large blossom started forming and just opened today. The blossom dangles down the side of the pot. It is a 4 petaled Star dish shape, and dwarfs the size of the pot and plant since it measures about 8 inches from end to end. The blossom is wrinkly and white-ish yellow with a silky texture and fringey fuzz. There are smatterings of magenta veining throughout the interior of the blossom, with a dark magenta center. I have positioned the picture so it appears that the blossom is the open mouth of the human face on the planter. Closeup of the inside of the blossom. A month ago, a large blossom started forming and just opened today. The blossom dangles down the side of the pot. It is a 4 petaled Star dish shape, and dwarfs the size of the pot and plant since it measures about 8 inches from end to end. The blossom is wrinkly and white-ish yellow with a silky texture and fringey fuzz. There are smatterings of magenta veining throughout the interior of the blossom, with a dark magenta center.
July 2, 2025 at 7:29 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Fiver looking down at me from on top of the kitchen cabinets while I cook dinner this #caturday
A ginger cat lays on top of 1990s era honey oak colored kitchen cabinets. He looks down at the camera in boredom.
June 28, 2025 at 10:49 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Logged in to double check my consolidated student loans status at MOHELA, and all are still in administrative forbearance because of a federal injunction blocking implementation of the Biden-era SAVE income contingency plan. Screenshot of banner in my payment portal as of 27 Jun 2025.
Screen grab from mohela.studentaid.gov. it has two different banners, each with important information for borrowers whose consolidated student loans are enrolled in the Biden-era SAVE plan. First banner text transcription: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! A federal court issued an injunction preventing the U.S. Department of Education from implementing the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan and parts of other income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. Second banner text transcription: WAITING ON YOUR INCOME-DRIVEN REPAYMENT (IDR) APPLICATION TO BE PROCESSED? Good News! Processing has resumed for IBR, PAYE, and ICR plans. If you submitted an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) application prior to April 27th, 2025, and your application has not been processed yet, you can now reapply at StudentAid.gov to use your IRS verified income and select an eligible plan which may expedite processing. your previous application will be automatically canceled. You can track your application status by logging into your StudentAid.gov account. Please Note: (bullet points follow) [Bullet 1] Applications for the SAVE plan and "lowest monthly payment" requests are still on hold and loans will stay in an administrative forbearance. [Sub Bullet 1A] You can opt out of this forbearance by moving to a different eligible repayment plan. Visit Studentaid.gov/loan-simulator to review your options. [Bullet 2] If you have at least 1 loan on SAVE and 1 loan on another IDR plan, your application will remain on hold and your loans will stay in an administrative forbearance.
June 27, 2025 at 4:49 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
#nowspinning

Freedom of Choice by Devo (1980), Warner Brothers.

The rhythm section in "Ton O'Luv" is really matching the mood and sounds of wind and rain hitting our roof right now. Loving the operatic vocal runs.

Bought this album at an antiques store in Spokane, WA in the early 2000s.

#vinyl
Freedom of Choice by Devo record is playing on a cheap Audio-Technica record player. The album cover shows the five members of the band wearing the iconic red "energy dome" hats that look like little red plastic ziggurats. The band members are also wearing matching silver Naugahyde suits.
June 24, 2025 at 10:27 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Our accidental patch of white prickly poppies is putting on quite the show next to our deck. We’ve been encouraging this plant to reseed annually because their seeds are a favorite of the scaled quail, which are also abundant on our acreage.

#nativeplants
#wildflowers
The white prickly poppy plant looks like a thistle with jagged edges and spines. Each plant is about 18 inches high and has several large, white blooms with ruffles edges and yellow centers. This particular poppy has 5 blossoms. Each white blossom is showy and about 4 inches across. They are xeric and grow in disturbed, sandy and rocky soil. The white prickly poppy plant looks like a thistle with jagged edges and spines. Each plant is about 18 inches high and has several large, white blooms with ruffles edges and yellow centers. This particular poppy has 5 blossoms. Each white blossom is showy and about 4 inches across. They are xeric and grow in disturbed, sandy and rocky soil. The white prickly poppy plant looks like a thistle with jagged edges and spines. Each plant is about 18 inches high and has several large, white blooms with ruffles edges and yellow centers. This particular poppy has 5 blossoms. Each white blossom is showy and about 4 inches across. They are xeric and grow in disturbed, sandy and rocky soil.
June 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
#nowspinning

Latin ala Lee! (1960) by Peggy Lee with arrangement by Jack Marshall's orchestra. Martin Schwartz won the 1959 Grammy for Best Album Cover.

One of my all-time favorite lounge albums. In each track, Lee's sultry voice blends with a flute section and four Afro-Cuban drummers.

#vinyl
A record player is playing Side B of Latin ala Lee, a 1960 album from Capitol Records. The album cover features Peggy Lee, a bottle-bleached blond in a black, low-shouldered dress as she grasps arms with a matador on each side. Peggy Lee is centered and facing out to the viewer, and each of the matadors has their back to the camera with their golden and heavily beaded suit of lights jackets standing out against the all-white background. The matadors are both wearing matching black monteras, the traditional bullfighting hats. The album is being played on a cheap audio-technica player. Album is from my #vinylcollection
June 23, 2025 at 9:00 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
June in northern New Mexico is peak prickly pear prettiness.

#nativeplants
A 2 foot by 3 foot clump of prickly pear cactus growing on a dry gravel slope in my yard. The fruits, called tunas, of this variety of prickly pear growing at 7200 feet can withstand USDA zone 3 cold are not particularly tasty for humans to eat. The varieties that are typically used for harvesting need much warmer winters than we have in our mountains. Each June the clumps of prickly pear in our area bloom in bright yellow, multi-layered blooms. In this picture you can see 5 yellow blooms scattered in the 3 foot wide patch. Close-up of a bright yellow prickly pear blossom with pollinator hovering above it. The fruits, called tunas, of this variety of prickly pear growing at 7200 feet can withstand USDA zone 3 cold are not particularly tasty for humans to eat. The varieties that are typically used for harvesting need much warmer winters than we have in our mountains. Each June the clumps of prickly pear in our area bloom in bright yellow, multi-layered blooms. In this picture you can see 5 yellow blooms scattered in the 3 foot wide patch. A 2 foot by 3 foot clump of prickly pear cactus growing on a dry gravel slope in my yard. The fruits, called tunas, of this variety of prickly pear growing at 7200 feet can withstand USDA zone 3 cold are not particularly tasty for humans to eat. The varieties that are typically used for harvesting need much warmer winters than we have in our mountains. Each June the clumps of prickly pear in our area bloom in bright yellow, multi-layered blooms. In this picture you can see 3 yellow blooms scattered in the 2 foot deep patch.
June 22, 2025 at 4:24 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Picture this moment from 1994:

Some lucky person snagged this cat-shaped toilet brush holder from the Spiegel 1994 Fall/Winter catalog ON SALE for $29.90.

The joy this person felt in acquiring the pièce de résistance for their ruffle-themed bathroom.

Pic from my catalog collection.

#caturday
Zoom in from a photo of a completed bathroom of filled with items you could purchase from the Fall/Winter 1994 Spiegel catalog. This item, in the bathroom section, is a white ceramic cat with beady black eyes sitting on hind paws while crooking head toward the floor. A large white handle protrudes from the cat's back because this ceramic cat is actually a toilet brush holder. Image from my catalog collection. Cropped image from the Spiegel Fall/ Winter 1994 product catalog showing the price and information for the cat toilet brush holder set. The detail reads: C. 25% OFF: CAT TOILET BRUSH HOLDER SET features a sweet white kitty with gray eyes and black whiskers. Ceramic cat with a clear glazed finish. Nylon brush. 6"Wx4"Dx12"H. (3 lbs.) ........ Reg. 39.90 Set 29.90. Image from my catalog collection. The completed Spiegel catalog Fall/Winter 1994 bathroom ensemble into which one would place a ceramic cat toilet brush holder. This room is all about pale yellows, light blue, white, and baby pink ruffles, wicker, and lace. The bathroom floor is light blue carpeting, and there are light blue shower rugs on the floor. The claw foot bathtub is light yellow and hidden behind lace sheers topped with a shower curtain that is a pink, yellow, and blue floral print with ruffles, sashes, and tie backs (all of which are available for order). There is a white wicker etagere over white toilet, which is topped with a ruffled floral toilet lid and tank covers (matches the shower curtains). The toilet paper is pink and on a powdercoated white roll holder that is topped with a piece of porcelain china inexplicably affixed to the wall as decor. The matching trash can has the same floral print as the curtains/ toilet ruffles. There is also a matching curtain hanging under the bathroom sink (same floral, ruffle pattern). Also available for purchase are white wicker linen baskets shown bursting with pale pink towels. The aforementioned ceramic cat toilet brush holder is located between the yellow bathtub and toilet ruffles. Image from my catalog collection.
June 21, 2025 at 4:14 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
When you are eating some cherries and have to do a double take...
A red cherry with its stem still attached, on its side, sitting on a wooden window sill for lighting. The fruit grew in a strange way and has a small protuberance nestled into a crevice. That protuberance looks and awful lot like male or female genitalia, depending on how you view it. The protuberance sticks out from the fruit enough to cast its own shadow. A red cherry with its stem still attached, on its side, sitting on a wooden window sill for lighting. The fruit grew in a strange way and has a small protuberance nestled into a crevice. That protuberance looks and awful lot like male or female genitalia, depending on how you view it. The protuberance sticks out from the fruit enough to cast its own shadow. In this photo, the cherry is balanced so that it free stands on the protuberance. A red cherry with its stem still attached, on its side, sitting on a wooden window sill for lighting. The fruit grew in a strange way and has a small protuberance nestled into a crevice. That protuberance looks and awful lot like male or female genitalia, depending on how you view it. The protuberance sticks out from the fruit enough to cast its own shadow.
June 20, 2025 at 3:58 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Mina v potted spider plant, final results: 1-0.
in the foreground, a smashed pot with dirt, plant roots, and leaves all over the floor and rug. In the background, a calico cat named Mina looks at the mess in condescension.
June 12, 2025 at 3:31 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
2 high agency cats going at it this #caturday.
A ginger and calico cat are photographed mid-fight as Mina (the calico) is about to thwack Fiver (the ginger) in the face with her front paws, as Fiver is about to grapple with her neck. Fur is flying, tails are busy.
June 7, 2025 at 2:51 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Scary monster vacuum out on #caturday.
Calico cat is buried under an orange and peach colored quilt so that only her face is showing. Her pupils are blown.
May 31, 2025 at 7:54 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Two black-headed grosbeaks tussle at the feeder, throwing seeds into the air.
Two black-headed grosbeaks are close-up at the smart feeder camera. One is in the foreground pecking directly at the bird who just landed, as if to say "hands off, this is my seed buffet." The camera captured the moment where they are pecking each others' faces while a lone seed hangs, suspended over their heads.
May 29, 2025 at 5:09 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
The Apache plume growing next to our driveway has gone into bloom, and I'm enjoying watching one of our pollinators at the blossom buffet. This shrub is a native to the Taos area and a member of the rose family. It will soon "fruit" with pink fringe.
#nativeplants
Apache plume blossom is white and about two inches wide. It is shaped like a rose and has yellow stamens. The plant itself is dark green and has spindly branches. There is a pollinator on the blossom, its' plump rear end poking up.
May 29, 2025 at 4:42 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
One of my favorite native wildflowers, blue flax, newly opened to greet the day. Had to repost because I somehow accidentally clicked a weird Flashes filter. Really wish we had an edit option.
#nativeplants
Blue flax, which has sweet little periwinkle blue blossoms on spindly stems, is in the foreground, with a yellow green mesa and view of the Sangre de Christo mountains in the distance. Bright turquoise blue New Mexico sky overhead.
May 27, 2025 at 5:39 PM
ktwinters.bsky.social
Western fence lizard catching some rays (and bugs) while hanging out with me this morning.
A small Western fence lizard hangs onto a wood column with green and yellow sweetclover behind. In this picture, just his face profile and one leg with long "fingers" is visible.
May 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM