CaliforniaPeggy
CaliforniaPeggy's Journal
The photos that you'll see here are all your fault!
All of you inspired me to get out into my back yard and photograph these amazing oak-leaved hydrangeas!
Thank you so much, and enjoy!
I took them with my Olympus Mark IV camera, mirrorless. My lens was my 100 to 400 mm lens.
An excerpt from Heather Cox Richardson's essay from May 16, 2026.
Speakers united around the theme that those trying to gerrymander their way into control of Congress in defiance of voters had reawakened a movement. “They think they can draw us out of power,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told an audience in Montgomery.“They do not know the sleeping giant that they just awakened. Because it is not a coincidence, and our whole country must understand, that it was not until voting rights were ratified in this country that we got the Great Society. Because when Black Americans have the right to vote and that vote is protected, our schools get funded. When voting rights are protected, healthcare gets expanded. When voted rights are protected, our country moves forward. And Montgomery, that’s what they’re actually afraid of. They’re afraid of us coming together. They’re afraid of us protecting one another.”
All of her essay at the link:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-16-2026?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-restack-comment&r=lxca0&triedRedirect=true
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Two months ago today, I was in surgery. The cancer was coming out.
How can it be only two months? It seems as though I've been here for a very long time. When I first thought about when the surgery actually happened, I thought it was farther away than two months.
Like last year! Wasn't it last year? Well . . . no. I was confused.
When I actually looked at my calendar, I was astonished. March 16th. I'd gone through a time warp. The landscape had shifted and I was disoriented. Somehow, I'd expected to recover much more quickly than I had. And I realized that this had caused me to be confused. I needed to shift my expectations.
It's been tough. Six hours in surgery! No wonder I often feel fatigued and lost. So I'm coping the best that I can. I've had quite a few surgeries, but none were this big. God forbid that I ever have another one like this.
The horrifying thought is that I could spend the rest of my life recovering. I want my life back and I don't know if that will happen. I'm 82 right now and who knows how much longer I might live? That's a big change for me.
One thing I wanted to mention: I read the pathology report and learned that the cancer was removed in its entirety. There was no lymph node involvement. Clean margins! We'd gotten the success we craved.
If you've read this far, thank you. The support I've gotten from all of you means so much! 
Here's the link to the Winners Thread in GD:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221241254#Have a look!
***The Top Three Winners of the May Photo Contest--I Can't Believe I Got This Shot!***
The votes are in and tallied! Without further ado, here are the winning entries along with the photographers who took them:
In First Place! Photo by Nittersing.
First day meeting Dad. (At the zoo) I just happened to go to the zoo on the day they introduced Dad to his littles. I spent most of my day there.
In Second Place! Photo by George McGovern
Weird Light.
In Third Place! Photo by sinkingfeeling
The Front of My Swiss Train
News about Mousetoescamper!
I reached him this morning to see if he would be available to host next month's contest.
The short answer is: No. He recently moved; 2 weeks after the move, his car was stolen and trashed. And so on.
We had a great chat about our crazy lives! He sounds good even though his circumstances are less than optimal.
So. I need someone to run the photo contest in June.
I will support and give guidance to whoever takes it on. I have written notes that I will gladly share.
Let's do this!
Here's a few photos from today's MB Farmer's Market ... Enjoy!
If you stand inside the keyhole on certain dates, you will see the sunset framed perfectly in front of you.
A fabric turtle that belongs to a coffee vendor:
Very cool shoes belonging to a local vendor!
Agapanthus in front of a pine tree:
Assorted flowers:
Pink flowers:
A little bouquet:
Profile Information
Name: PeggyGender: Female
Hometown: Manhattan Beach, CA
Home country: USA
Current location: At home
Member since: Thu Feb 3, 2005, 02:41 PM
Number of posts: 157,016