Recently got started on my holiday baking. This is my experimental loaf of the year: apricot-ginger bread topped with a lemon-ginger glaze and chopped dried apricots tossed in sugar. Not shown: almond spice bread and pumpkin bread.

Cupcakes ready for my annual Fourth of July feast. I love my country, and because of that, I hate its current government.

I'd argue that capitalists are the ones going around buying up the practices of the vets who have built successful practices caring for animals, not the vets. Sort of like other capitalists bought out the practices of doctors who cared and have now moved on to buying up hospitals.

Seen while out walking in Riverside, CA.

Getting a head start on my Fourth of July food. These are gluten-free shortcakes made from scratch, which I will use to make strawberry shortcake day of.

I just ran out of litter and cat food at the same time - the ailurophile's equivalent of running out of shampoo and conditioner at the same time.

Two finished Democracy Cakes! The traditional pan is either a bundt or a loaf; I approximated with a tube and a loaf.

It's something of a production to make because the fruit has to soak in rum overnight and because the cake itself is entirely yeast-rising and made from an enriched dough. It requires two rises and then a 45-min bake, but I think it's worth it!

HEC originated in the 1820s, well before women had the right to vote. Baking it was one way they symbolized their commitment to both the country and democracy. Now, I vote and bake to show my commitment.

Democracy Cake is my term for a modified version of Hartford Election Cake, made to be gluten-free (I use a teff flour blend) and using vanilla and orange extracts instead of orange blossom water.

There is a special election in my area of California, and tomorrow is election day (l already mailed my ballot). And an upcoming election day means Democracy Cake! So I just got the raisins and dates on to soak in rum, vanilla extract, and orange extract. The main baking will be done tomorrow.

To top it off, TR established national parks, forests, and bird sanctuaries and was into trust busting. Of course TR wasn't perfect, but Trump has a LONG way to go if he wants to actually compete here, never mind "win."

The assassination attempt was during a public speech. After being shot, TR simply said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I do not wish to alarm you, but I have been shot," AND delivered the rest of the speech as planned. I also can't imagine Trump responding like this under any circumstances.

Theodore Roosevelt got his NPP for moderating the peace talks between Russia and Japan after the Russo-Japanese War. So he had to know enough about the interests of both countries to make an intelligent contribution. I can't imagine Trump being able to do that for any of the listed countries.

Not only can he not compete with Obama, but he also can't compete with the other US president to have won a Nobel Peace Prize AND survived an assassination attempt.

Reading about MAGA and MIGA makes MEGO.

Seen in my apartment complex. The sign reads: "My family fled a dictatorship for this?"

Seen while out walking in Riverside, CA. Let's love life even more!

#NoKings Riverside, 6/14/2025.

Had a tempered glass baking dish spontaneously explode last night. I found pieces of glass from this dish several yards away; it didn't just break. Apparently, this is an inherent characteristic of tempered glass, but rare enough that it's still considered safe and durable.

First-ever attempt at gluten-free (or any) syrniki to be eaten after the borscht.

I looked at several other borscht recipes to get a better idea of which spices would work. Because most of them just used salt, pepper, garlic, and dill as seasonings, I decided to just stick with those.

Trying a Ukrainian Borscht recipe sent to me by my ESL student. It lists no specific spices but does say "add your preferred spices to taste," leading me to believe it was originally written for Ukrainians who knew what they were doing. I do not belong to this category.

Today's 50501 protest and march in Riverside. We merged with another group advocating for migrant workers, so some of the slogans were in Spanish.