Bruce Erickson
@bruceerickson.bsky.social
Retired to NW Arkansas .. Jack of All Trades Master of None .. My Grandkids call me GrumpyPa!
In Arkansas, now that Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro) has succeeded in removing PBS, it’s a safe bet his next target will be libraries - deciding which beliefs are “acceptable” and stripping funding and local control from librarians who don’t fall in line.
Thank you, @franciswilkinson.bsky.social, for giving necessary attention to what’s going on with public education attacks in South Carolina. My story is but a drop in the bucket of the broader plot to make America dumb again. Education strengthens democracy. Destroying it hurts us all.
Gift Link. "No Congressional legislation was passed to institute this MAGA control over every US public school. No public debate informed it. No evidence was offered for its preposterous assertions....Yet the word “funds” or “funding” appears 9 different times." www.bloomberg.com/opinion/feat...
December 22, 2025 at 3:28 AM
In Arkansas, now that Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro) has succeeded in removing PBS, it’s a safe bet his next target will be libraries - deciding which beliefs are “acceptable” and stripping funding and local control from librarians who don’t fall in line.
Binoculars are always a good bet if you need a nice gift for an outdoorsy person.
December 20, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Binoculars are always a good bet if you need a nice gift for an outdoorsy person.
18th Day. Many Christmas tree farms operate in the Ozarks offering Scotch pine, white pine, & even Norway spruce. For homes that run a little warmer, the heat-tolerant Canaan fir can be found. Nordmann firs are usually available at Lowe’s & Home Depot, while lodgepole pine are much harder to find.
Advent Botany Day 18. Nearing the Big Day so time to think of Christmas trees! Several evergreen trees species used in Europe. Norway spruce, Nordmann fir, Lodgepole pine ....
More about Christmas trees from the Forestry Commission: www.forestryengland.uk/blog/the-exp...
#BUC2026 #AdventBotany
More about Christmas trees from the Forestry Commission: www.forestryengland.uk/blog/the-exp...
#BUC2026 #AdventBotany
December 18, 2025 at 8:02 PM
18th Day. Many Christmas tree farms operate in the Ozarks offering Scotch pine, white pine, & even Norway spruce. For homes that run a little warmer, the heat-tolerant Canaan fir can be found. Nordmann firs are usually available at Lowe’s & Home Depot, while lodgepole pine are much harder to find.
17th Day. For an Ozark replacement for Wild Cotoneaster, look to native plants like Arrowwood Viburnum, w/ its showy white flowers & blue berries that are excellent for wildlife; Silky Dogwood, another outstanding wildlife plant that adds berries & texture; & Holly, which has red berries.
🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🌳🌿❄️🎄Advent Botany Day 17. A really special plant. Seems to be only found wild in one place in the World, the Great Orme in North Wales! Creigafal y Gogarth or (less glamourously) Wild Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster cambricus. A super rare plant. Jess, Izzy and Niamh tell you more. #BUC2026
December 18, 2025 at 8:01 PM
17th Day. For an Ozark replacement for Wild Cotoneaster, look to native plants like Arrowwood Viburnum, w/ its showy white flowers & blue berries that are excellent for wildlife; Silky Dogwood, another outstanding wildlife plant that adds berries & texture; & Holly, which has red berries.
Crude oil down about $10 a barrel over the last six months, pushing many producers below breakeven.
The fallout spreads far beyond the oil patch w/ job multipliers of: oil & gas ~2.5 additional jobs, refining ~45, & manufacturing ~17.
When Trump brags that energy prices are down, it costs jobs.
The fallout spreads far beyond the oil patch w/ job multipliers of: oil & gas ~2.5 additional jobs, refining ~45, & manufacturing ~17.
When Trump brags that energy prices are down, it costs jobs.
Health care and social assistance have led employment growth this year. Despite Trump’s efforts, manufacturing saw among the worst job losses.
My @morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social Chart
My @morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social Chart
December 18, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Crude oil down about $10 a barrel over the last six months, pushing many producers below breakeven.
The fallout spreads far beyond the oil patch w/ job multipliers of: oil & gas ~2.5 additional jobs, refining ~45, & manufacturing ~17.
When Trump brags that energy prices are down, it costs jobs.
The fallout spreads far beyond the oil patch w/ job multipliers of: oil & gas ~2.5 additional jobs, refining ~45, & manufacturing ~17.
When Trump brags that energy prices are down, it costs jobs.
Reposted by Bruce Erickson
Narcissus
Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt, 1596 - 1610 (Rijksmuseum)
Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt, 1596 - 1610 (Rijksmuseum)
December 18, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Narcissus
Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt, 1596 - 1610 (Rijksmuseum)
Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt, 1596 - 1610 (Rijksmuseum)
Reposted by Bruce Erickson
Day 16. I grow parsley and when fresh it tastes great. Even have a plant of it in the house right now .. hardest part is keeping it watered in our dry heat.
🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🌳🌿❄️🎄Advent Botany Day 16 - parsley! Intense green leaves, very characteristic scent and flavour/flavor when sprinkled on meals.
Let Jess, Izzy and Niamh tell you more!! #BUC2026 #AdventBotany #plants #loveplants
Let Jess, Izzy and Niamh tell you more!! #BUC2026 #AdventBotany #plants #loveplants
December 17, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Day 16. I grow parsley and when fresh it tastes great. Even have a plant of it in the house right now .. hardest part is keeping it watered in our dry heat.
Reposted by Bruce Erickson
Have you ordered your Christmas eels yet? Don't delay!
Medieval kings often served eels at their Xmas feasts. In 1213, King John had 10,000 eels at his holiday party. His son, Henry, once ordered up 40,000!
So get on it! You don't want your party to be the First Nö-eel, do you?
🗃️🧪
Medieval kings often served eels at their Xmas feasts. In 1213, King John had 10,000 eels at his holiday party. His son, Henry, once ordered up 40,000!
So get on it! You don't want your party to be the First Nö-eel, do you?
🗃️🧪
December 15, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Have you ordered your Christmas eels yet? Don't delay!
Medieval kings often served eels at their Xmas feasts. In 1213, King John had 10,000 eels at his holiday party. His son, Henry, once ordered up 40,000!
So get on it! You don't want your party to be the First Nö-eel, do you?
🗃️🧪
Medieval kings often served eels at their Xmas feasts. In 1213, King John had 10,000 eels at his holiday party. His son, Henry, once ordered up 40,000!
So get on it! You don't want your party to be the First Nö-eel, do you?
🗃️🧪
Day 14. Ozark apples are commonly represented by Ozark Gold - a crisp, sweet, yellow-gold apple - and the Arkansas Black, a deep red apple w/ firm, spicy flesh that mellows & sweetens in storage. The Black is prized for its long keeping quality & its use in pies & cider, it’s perfect for Christmas.
🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🌳🌿❄️🎄 Advent Botany Day 14! Only a day late but delicious apples keep for months. Niamh, Izzy and Jess tell you more about them. #BUC2026 #AdventBotany #ChristmasPlants #apples #plants #loveplants
December 15, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Day 14. Ozark apples are commonly represented by Ozark Gold - a crisp, sweet, yellow-gold apple - and the Arkansas Black, a deep red apple w/ firm, spicy flesh that mellows & sweetens in storage. The Black is prized for its long keeping quality & its use in pies & cider, it’s perfect for Christmas.
U.S. oil & gas rig counts are down nearly 10% since the start of the 2nd Trump administration. By the end of his 1st term, rig counts had fallen by almost 50%. Declines of this scale carry real economic consequences. 1/3
December 15, 2025 at 5:42 PM
U.S. oil & gas rig counts are down nearly 10% since the start of the 2nd Trump administration. By the end of his 1st term, rig counts had fallen by almost 50%. Declines of this scale carry real economic consequences. 1/3
15th Day. As a replacement for European angelica in the Ozarks, look for purple angelica. Long prized for its licorice - like flavor in teas, soups, & candied stems, & was used by natives & settlers for digestion, circulation, coughs, & pain. Warning as it closely resembles Poison & Water Hemlock.
🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🌳🌿❄️🎄Advent Botany Day 15 - Angelica by name and taste! Let Izzy, Jess and Niamh tell you about this aromatic plant! #BUC2026 #AdventBotany #ChristmasPlants #plants #loveplants
December 15, 2025 at 4:53 PM
15th Day. As a replacement for European angelica in the Ozarks, look for purple angelica. Long prized for its licorice - like flavor in teas, soups, & candied stems, & was used by natives & settlers for digestion, circulation, coughs, & pain. Warning as it closely resembles Poison & Water Hemlock.
Reposted by Bruce Erickson
Rudolf Koivu
December 15, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Rudolf Koivu
St. Nick and Krampus (Grinch) were spotted on the Christmas Train trip from Springdale to Van Buren, #Arkansas. Be cautious - Krampus will try to steal anything that isn’t tied down!
December 14, 2025 at 6:55 PM
St. Nick and Krampus (Grinch) were spotted on the Christmas Train trip from Springdale to Van Buren, #Arkansas. Be cautious - Krampus will try to steal anything that isn’t tied down!
One of the leaders of Destroy PBS In Arkansas is Senator Dan Sullivan from District 20. And lets not forget his wife Maria Sullivan of Jonesboro, Arkansas who was appointed to the Arkansas PBS Board in 2024. #DestroyPBS
Dan Sullivan - Arkansas Senate
Arkansas State Senator Dan Sullivan - District 20
senate.arkansas.gov
December 14, 2025 at 3:36 PM
One of the leaders of Destroy PBS In Arkansas is Senator Dan Sullivan from District 20. And lets not forget his wife Maria Sullivan of Jonesboro, Arkansas who was appointed to the Arkansas PBS Board in 2024. #DestroyPBS
The full ad without all the commentary in the article. We can only hope that the wolf in our lives right now could learn something from this.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLER...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLER...
December 14, 2025 at 12:37 AM
The full ad without all the commentary in the article. We can only hope that the wolf in our lives right now could learn something from this.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLER...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLER...
Girl Comforting Two Boys Taken Ill From Smoking, c. 1889. Prints and Photographs Division. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
commonplace.online/article/puff...
@iquitcigs.bsky.social
commonplace.online/article/puff...
@iquitcigs.bsky.social
December 14, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Girl Comforting Two Boys Taken Ill From Smoking, c. 1889. Prints and Photographs Division. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
commonplace.online/article/puff...
@iquitcigs.bsky.social
commonplace.online/article/puff...
@iquitcigs.bsky.social
Reposted by Bruce Erickson
Bruce Hornsby hits #1 today in 1986 with “The Way It Is”.
“Just when one thinks we are making progress,” he said, “appalling incidents will occur that shock and sadden anyone who is interested in equality in American life,” he said. “So sadly, the song still retains a bittersweet topical quality.”
“Just when one thinks we are making progress,” he said, “appalling incidents will occur that shock and sadden anyone who is interested in equality in American life,” he said. “So sadly, the song still retains a bittersweet topical quality.”
December 13, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Bruce Hornsby hits #1 today in 1986 with “The Way It Is”.
“Just when one thinks we are making progress,” he said, “appalling incidents will occur that shock and sadden anyone who is interested in equality in American life,” he said. “So sadly, the song still retains a bittersweet topical quality.”
“Just when one thinks we are making progress,” he said, “appalling incidents will occur that shock and sadden anyone who is interested in equality in American life,” he said. “So sadly, the song still retains a bittersweet topical quality.”
Reposted by Bruce Erickson
Reposted by Bruce Erickson
Sometimes I read poems too quickly. This one deserves to be read slowly, to be read more than once, with attention paid to every word...
and 'we should be careful of each other, we should be kind while there is still time'
#poetry
#poemoftheday
and 'we should be careful of each other, we should be kind while there is still time'
#poetry
#poemoftheday
December 9, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Sometimes I read poems too quickly. This one deserves to be read slowly, to be read more than once, with attention paid to every word...
and 'we should be careful of each other, we should be kind while there is still time'
#poetry
#poemoftheday
and 'we should be careful of each other, we should be kind while there is still time'
#poetry
#poemoftheday
13th Day. Here in Ozarks we have Chinquapin. Like the chestnut, it was devastated by blight. Before the blight, the tree produced reliable sweet nuts each yr & were a food source for natives, settlers & wildlife. There is hope for the future thanks to org's like the Ozark Chinquapin Foundation.
🌱🌾🌍🎄🌻🌳Advent Botany Day 13 - chestnuts. Not only producing nuts that are delicious when cooked, but also large trees with for useful timber. Let Izzy, Jess and Niamh tell you more! #BUC2026 #AdventBotany #ChristmasPlants #plants #loveplants
December 13, 2025 at 7:59 PM
13th Day. Here in Ozarks we have Chinquapin. Like the chestnut, it was devastated by blight. Before the blight, the tree produced reliable sweet nuts each yr & were a food source for natives, settlers & wildlife. There is hope for the future thanks to org's like the Ozark Chinquapin Foundation.
12th Day. In the Ozarks, Frost Flowers - also called Ice Roses - appear along creek banks and on dead plant stems when the air is freezing but the ground is still warm. Though not true flowers, these delicate ice formations form beautiful white ribbons. It's like being in a wonderland when found.
🌱🌾🌍🎄🌻🌳 Advent Botany Day 12 - gorse! Brilliant yellow flowers on vicious, spiky plant all year round. And their scent on a hot summer day - coconut - is so unexpected in the temperate European climate! Let Izzy, Jess & Niamh tell you more! #BUC2026 #Christmasplants #AdventBotany #plants #loveplants
December 13, 2025 at 7:24 PM
12th Day. In the Ozarks, Frost Flowers - also called Ice Roses - appear along creek banks and on dead plant stems when the air is freezing but the ground is still warm. Though not true flowers, these delicate ice formations form beautiful white ribbons. It's like being in a wonderland when found.
Reposted by Bruce Erickson
December 13, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Anyone need an Advent Calendar?
GAME OF THE GOOSE!
When your goose is cooked, it's REALLY cooked. (Psst, don't land on the geese if you want to live!) 18th c. (?) impression of this famous Italian game.... #NewberryLibrary (Case Wing oversize ZC 1 .638)
December 12 (12/24)
#AdventCalendar
When your goose is cooked, it's REALLY cooked. (Psst, don't land on the geese if you want to live!) 18th c. (?) impression of this famous Italian game.... #NewberryLibrary (Case Wing oversize ZC 1 .638)
December 12 (12/24)
#AdventCalendar
December 12, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Anyone need an Advent Calendar?
11th Day. I’ve cut down fresh Christmas trees before, and it was always a great experience. But having a Yew tree for Christmas? Now that would be epic!
🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🌳🌿❄️🎄Advent Botany Day 11! Yew trees. Green all year round. Let Niamh, Izzy and Jess tell you more!
#BUC2026 #trees #AdventBotany #Christmasplants #plants #loveplants
#BUC2026 #trees #AdventBotany #Christmasplants #plants #loveplants
December 11, 2025 at 9:03 PM
11th Day. I’ve cut down fresh Christmas trees before, and it was always a great experience. But having a Yew tree for Christmas? Now that would be epic!