"a sign that there can be big change, don't give up!”
#London's 'wet wipe island' gets bulldozed in historic #Thames clean-up operation https://abcnews.go.com/International/londons-wet-wipe-island-gets-bulldozed-historic-thames/story?id=125012609
Just arrived home from my humanitarian trip to Ukraine. First stop: iced coffee.
Time to settle in, but my thoughts remain with the people of Ukraine.
Thank you all for your support.
Celebrate #nationalcheesepizzaday by volunteering at a food bank near you for #nationalfoodbankday today!
As a bonus, here's a few paradoxes confronting idealized cheese pizza consumers: https://gooses-muses.bearblog.dev/the-paradoxes-of-cheese-pizza/
Ukrainian Word of the Day: Druzhba
Druzhba means friendship
After my third visit to Ants Kitchen Hub in #Kyiv, I was gifted a Ukrainian flag. It was a meaningful gesture from a community of volunteers who prepare dry meals for frontline defenders.
The work here is simple and vital: we make nourishing, morale-boosting dry rations. I am committed to supporting this effort, and I will be back. That is my promise.
Update: Arrived Safely in Kyiv
After a morning of volunteering and a long bus ride from Kharkiv, I've made it to Kyiv. It's late evening now—time to rest and recharge. 
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's work and reconnecting with Ukrainian friends and community-led groups.
Wishing everyone a good night.
Thank you for standing with Ukraine.
I always wondered why finding volunteering opportunities meant paying membership fees. So, I started building a free database of places where my friends and fellow travelers have actually volunteered.
Share if you know more!
Lots of badges heading out to wonderful customers - thank you for shopping small & supporting our little handmade business 
https://www.koolbadges.co.uk/ #badges #buttonbadge #shopsmall #handmade #schoolbadges #positive #musicbadges #LGBTQIAbadges #pride #volunteer
Sunset in Kharkiv 
I arrived safely in Kharkiv. It’s evening now, and the sunset was stunning—soft light across the 
skyline, even as air raid sirens echoed in the background.
It was a long ride. Time to rest.
I’ll post updates tomorrow. Wishing everyone a peaceful night.
Ukraine’s National Flower 
On the bus to Kharkiv, passing field after field of late August sunflowers—past bloom, but still standing. They remain a symbol of beauty and resilience.
Slava Ukraini
Midway to Kharkiv: Dyakuyu (Thank you).
Just taking a quick break for 
️kava and reflecting on this trip. All of your messages and well wishes mean so much. They’re a powerful reminder of how many people stand with Ukraine.
I’ll be in Kharkiv in a few hours and will post an update.
It’s early morning in Odesa, and I’m heading to my next destination for humanitarian volunteering: Kharkiv.
This will be my first time working with a small, community-led Ukrainian group there, and I’m honored to join their efforts.
I I’ll be sure to share updates from the ground.
Wishing everyone a great day.
Volunteer workday today. The news brings tears of rage and sadness whenever I delve. We are in a train wreck without a way to stop it. The volunteer work gives a release, and a way to build the community resilience needed to resist.
Bird of the day - Green Heron. All birds have personality, the Green Heron perhaps has the most of any heron. It would take hundreds of photos to show the many faces of the Green Heron.
What dramas at #knit and #natter this week?
After an enormous scary bust up a couple of weeks ago (I'm a coward with #TN so I moved away fast & hid in the store) last week was a relief.
The only incident last week was a minor disagreement about the #cookies
Someone wanted to open the [osh ones before we'd finished the plain!
From #MidsomerMurders (well almost) to Soap and I thought it was just a #charity #knitting group!
Solidarity from America 
Currently volunteering with the team at Coast of Life in Odesa. Today I handed them an American flag—may it serve as a symbol of my gratitude, and of the unwavering support of the American people for Ukraine’s fight for freedom.
Slava Ukraini
Old school hip hop in Odesa
My taxi driver 
, Volodymyr, had 2Pac’s "Only Fear of Death" 
playing softly. On his console sat the Odesa flag. I recognized it instantly, and he looked surprised.
I told him it matters to me—to learn, to honor, to understand the culture and history of where I serve.
Moments like this remind me of the universal language of music and that hip hop has no boundaries.
Pull-ups for Ukraine
Day two, early morning in Odesa. Before the work began, I found a calisthenics 
park for a mini workout.
As a 50-year-old humanitarian volunteer, I've learned that my well-being is part of the mission. When I take time for my mental and physical health, I can show up fully—ready to give all my energy and focus to the people of Ukraine.
Jenna with her old laptop, now updated to GNU/Linux! She'd stopped using it some time ago because #Windows had become so slow that it was unusable. A project of our local #Library where I #Volunteer. We spent some time installing then a brief introduction to the basics of using #GNU #Linux and a few of the apps.
She was excited to have a working computer again and, bonus, touch screen worked perfectly which made her extra happy.
Join us for #CoastalCleanupDay on 9/20 to stop trash before it enters the Bay!
California Coastal Cleanup Day is the state's largest annual volunteer event. Each year, volunteers pick-up hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash from shorelines, creeks and neighborhoods to keep it out of waterways, the Bay, and the ocean.
This year, you can also join a "Trashure" Hunt to find special trash items during your cleanup for a chance to win prizes.
Learn more and register here: https://baykeeper.org/coastal-cleanup-day/
