Creative inspiration

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

I’m sure I’m not unique in feelings of overwhelm as we whack-a-mole our way through each day’s new atrocity and need for action. I confess to being tired and sad/scared while also trying to remain productive on behalf of my community, and knew I needed a break. So the other day I finally took time to paste down the letters I’d cut out weeks earlier.

Quote from Mariame Kaba

I’m so glad I took both those creative breaks (hunting down the letters and then affixing them to the background) because the sessions brought back the joys of elementary school. Cutting! Pasting! Creation!

Making something pretty always lifts my spirits and this quote from Mariame Kaba strengthens my resolve to stay in the struggle. (P.S. Haymarket Books is offering 40% off some of MK’s books for Black History Month.)

If you’ve created something recently and would like to share, please do!

In which I repost an oldie but a goodie

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments
I came here with the intention of posting something new. My procrastinate-y inclinations took over and I first looked at my site stats because it’s fun to see what’s being read (or “read,” in the case of bots) and I often happen upon stuff I’d completely forgotten. Today I saw my post from September 1, 2010, in the list and after again reading  it–and the comments from my former LiveJournal community–decided to share in the spirit of offering an amusing diversion from reality.
Have I Got a Story for You
There  I was in my bra, surrounded by strangers, while a man hit me repeatedly in the head with his hat…

So.

I drove my brother’s pickup to the Rooney Valley Recycling Center to unload the juniper branches and sod I’d removed from my yard. I paid $10 at the gate and the woman told me I needed to separate the materials so she directed me to the very back of the area where there was a huge mound of sod. Right across from it was the enormous pile of branches. She thought it’d be most convenient for me to unload both back there.

I drove past one other truck on my way to the sod mound, weaving around materials piled so high you can’t see anyone or anything else. I parked the truck next to the mound and started grabbing sod and flinging it into the pile. It was a nice morning, not too warm, not too windy. Not bad at all, I thought as I flung a huge piece of sod.

Suddenly an annoying fly was buzzing around my head. Quite aggressively. I told the damned fly to shoo, but then there was another. And another.

Except they weren’t damned flies.
They were damned bees.
A swarm of them.
All around me but especially around my head.

In my hair.

I took off my ball cap and waved it around my head.
Frantically.
As I screamed.

The bees kept buzzing.
My whole head vibrated.

I tried to be calm,
to stand still so they’d leave me alone.

They were too pissed.
I felt a sting.

So I screamed some more
And ran a bit toward the entrance.

The woman from the other truck saw me and yelled, “Run, honey! Run!”

I ran past her and the man with her said for me to run to the shack at the gate. (Not clear on why I’d want to bring bees to the woman in the shack, but at least it was a plan!)

But before I got there, the woman screamed for me to take off my shirt
because bees were flying out of it.

The woman from the shack came out while the other woman helped me unbutton my shirt. She shook it out while the man yelled for me to stand still.

Then he hit me in the head with his hat, over and over.
Really hard.

I was so grateful.

He knocked all but two bees off my head.
I got the second-to-the-last one and the woman brushed off the last.

I was bee-free but full of adrenaline.

And there was my brother’s truck, keys in the ignition, way back there surrounded by an angry swarm of bees.

The man and woman drove me back there in their truck. We watched while bees swarmed near the truck and around the stump that probably held their nest.

The one I’d inadvertently hit with a huge piece of sod.

We strategized.
I walked slowly to the truck, got in the passenger side and slammed the door. The man slowly walked to the back of my truck, grabbed the broom and rake leaning there, and threw them in my truck before getting back in his own.

I unloaded the rest of my materials in stump-free areas and was remarkably calm the entire time, if I do say so myself.

On the drive home, though, a fly buzzed in the truck cab and I panicked.
And screamed.

I’ve got a ways to go before letting go of the bee panic.
But I’d be much worse off without Good Samaritans, Phyllis and Jeff, there to help me.

Next time I go to the drop-off, I think I’ll wear one of these:

Gaza and poetic resistance

/ Tracy Abell / 20 Comments

As we walked Emma in the rain earlier today, I felt a sudden urgency to post about Gaza. Zippy asked, “What will you say about Gaza?” My reply, “Maybe an excerpt from Refaat Alareer’s “If I Must Die.”

Just now, I opened the book to page 107 and what I read on that page feels very apt in these days of censorship and fascism, guidance for all of us, no matter where we reside on the planet.

An Introduction to Poetry.
Edited excerpt from a spoken lecture delivered to students in Advanced English Poetry at the Islamic University, Gaza
2021

We all know Fadwa Tuqan, the Palestinian poet. And please don’t introduce her a “Ibrahim Tuqan’s sister.” Let’s talk about Fadwa Tuqan as Fadwa Tuqan.

We always fall into this trap of saying, “she was arrested for just writing poetry!” We do this a lot, even us believers in literature. “Why would Israel arrest somebody or put someone under house arrest, she only wrote a poem?”

So, we contradict ourselves sometimes. We believe in the power of literature changing lives, as a means of resistance, a means of fighting back–and then at the end of the day, we say, “She just wrote a poem!” We shouldn’t be saying that.

Moshe Dayan, an Israeli general, said that, “the poems of Fadwa Tuqan were like facing twenty enemy fighters.” Wow. She didn’t throw stones, she didn’t shoot at the invading Israeli jeeps, she just wrote poetry. And I’m falling for that again–I said she just wrote poetry . . .

And the same thing happened to Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour. She wrote poetry, celebrating Palestinian struggle, encouraging Palestinians to resist, not to give up, to fight back. She was put under house arrest, she was sent to prison for years.

That excerpt of the published excerpt from “If I Must Die,” highlights two courageous Palestinian women resisting oppression and occupation through their poetry. In 2023, I shared Fadwa Tuqan’s “Hamza” and today I offer another of her poems, “Enough For Me.”

And let’s also honor poet Dareen Tatour, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who was sentenced by Israel (“the only democracy in the Middle East!”) to nearly three years of house arrest and five months in prison for a poem.

Detaining a Poem
One day,
they stopped me,
shackled me,
tied up my body, my soul,
my everything…

Then they said: search her,
we’ll find a terrorist within her!
They turned my heart inside out—
my eyes as well,
rummaged through even my feelings.
From my eyes they drew a pulse of inspiration;
from my heart, the ability to sketch out meanings.
Then they said: beware!
She’s hiding weapons deep in her pockets.
Search her!
Root out the explosives.
And so they searched me…

Finally, they said, accusing me:
We found nothing
in her pockets except letters.
We found nothing except for a poem.

Translated from the Arabic by Andrew Leber

June 19, 2022

Today I thank all who are resisting, whether that resistance is via literature, visual arts, music, photography, mutual aid, whistle brigade, immigrant court observer, caring for your neighbor’s children, putting food in a Little Free Pantry, or making a donation to crips for esims for gaza. Remember, every act of kindness is an act of resistance.

Free Palestine.

Otterly magical

/ Tracy Abell / 23 Comments

It was a magical interlude.

Emma and I were walking on the Olympic Discovery Trail
after I’d successfully run for the first time in months,
an entire half-mile!
take that, plantar fasciitis!
I was tearfully smiling at the prospect of running again
when I spotted two river otters,
wait, make that four river otters
swimming parallel to the trail,
moving in my direction.

As I spoke softly to them,
“Hello there, friends,”
they turned to look at me,
moving closer and closer to the shore
until they all four were stopped at the water’s edge,
about twenty feet away,
staring directly at me.
I’d also stopped and began to wonder
whether they’d gotten glimpses of Emma
from behind the berm.

My wondering then escalated to
Do they think she’s a fellow river otter
I’ve captured and am walking on a leash?
Are they here to liberate Emma from me?

Side note: I had no camera so have no photos
but look at this public domain image

and tell me that river otter bears no resemblance
to my long-bodied, short-legged Emma Jean-Jean.

In my desire to relieve the river otters’ worries,
I picked up Emma and set her on the berm,
believing that full view would prove she was a canine
rather than a member of the weasel family.

All four otters disappeared underwater!
They reappeared a few yards in the opposite direction
where they came out of the water and onto the beach,
moving toward the boulders.

Do they still believe Emma’s a fellow otter?
Are they coming to rescue her?
I watched the trail above the boulders,
expecting them to appear,
while also hoping they wouldn’t appear
because what would that even mean?

When time passed without a sighting,
I stood on the berm to see where they’d gone.
One otter was visible.
We saw each other at the same moment
and when it went completely still on the boulder,
I understood my presence was now making them nervous.

I softly said, “I promise you Emma isn’t an otter and
you don’t need to worry.”

My sweet, clueless dog and I then continued on our way,
Emma blissfully sniffing the ground
as I replayed what’d just happened
and wondered whether it was all a dream.

I’m documenting this here so I’ll never forget
today’s magical interlude
with the four North American River Otters.

Thank you universe, I receive these gifts.

PLEASE, send a quick email stating NO more ICE funding!

/ Tracy Abell / 14 Comments

As you know, Renee Nicole Good was murdered by masked ICE agent, Jonathan Ross,  yesterday in Minneapolis for the crime of caring about the safety and welfare of her neighbors.  Despite the concerted efforts of this authoritarian regime to twist all facts surrounding Good’s murder, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Bellingcat have all determined the ICE agent was in no danger of being run over. (Note: I initially included links then deleted them due to the graphic imagery, but the information is out there.)

In the midst of all this, Congress continues to consider whether to give more money to these violent, white supremacists who are living out their dreams under this administration. This from Detention Watch Network [emphasis mine]:

Coming into the New Year the House and Senate are proposing to expand immigration detention. Currently the House and Senate are proposing to expand immigration detention. There is already a record breaking 68,442 people in detention (via ICE December 22, 2025 stats). The proposal on the table includes additional funding for immigration enforcement and detention on top of the unprecedented $45 billion that ICE was given last year through the reconciliation bill. ICE and other government agencies have wreaked havoc across our country detaining individuals and locking them up in a deadly and inhumane system. Adding additional capacity will only escalate families being torn apart and subject them to horrific detention conditions.  

PLEASE take two minutes to email your Representative and two Senators via this form that will forward your message to them. One email sent to three addresses, easy-peasy! There’s no template in place so write your own short message that includes NO MORE MONEY TO ICE and send it along. Then please get 1-2 friends/family to do the same. Outrage is high and this is an excellent time to let our electeds know how we feel about the Department of Homeland Security and ICE terrorizing our neighbors and communities.

Thank you in advance. Solidarity!

Finally, I’m posting the image below from yesterday in Minneapolis (article here) even though in this instance it’s Border Patrol being cruel and violent, because I want to drive home the point that every branch of the Department of Homeland Security is actively terrorizing our neighbors. This is what the regime wants to fund even further.

Victory isn’t found in military power

/ Tracy Abell / 9 Comments

These difficult days have gotten more challenging in the face of this rogue administration bombing Caracas, Venezuela, followed by the tepid response from spineless Democrats who can’t seem to be bothered about the murder of 40 people along with the kidnapping of Maduro and his wife. The entire situation is both shocking and also not at all surprising, and I’m sure I’m not alone in my feelings of overwhelm.

So I want to share something that resonated with me, an excerpt from a newly published book edited by Kelly Hayes, an author, organizer, and movement educator in Chicago.  (Search “kelly hayes” on my site and you’ll find references to her Movement Memos podcast and her newsletter “Organizing My Thoughts,” both highly recommended.)

The book is called Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis and the chapter I want to highlight is Read This If You Are Heartbroken by activist Ashon Crawley. In light of the chest-thumping bravado on display after the imperialist assault on the people and resources of Venezuela, Crawley’s words hit extra hard [emphasis mine].

In the religious tradition in which I grew up, we often sang songs about our collective capacity to “have the victory.” Songs about overcoming difficulty and struggle and obstacles. It was not always easy to detect, how we would attain victory, but we had faith in something bigger and larger and more intense and vital than our individual selves. For me, it was (and still is) a model for how to demand justice. So I encourage you, too, to know that we will have the victory–because we already have it. Victory is not found in the capacity to wreak havoc on others, on the earth, on the water supply. Victory is not contained in the ability to coerce movement from north to south, displacement from east to west, or forced migration from communities of care and concern. Victory isn’t found in military power and nuclear weapons. That kind of power is evidence of a brokenness that does not cherish the earth and its creatures as worth tending to, as worthy of care.

I’m never interested in “victory” that holds a complete disregard for people and planet, the very type of victory the fascists are crowing about this weekend. Instead, I subscribe to Crawley’s sense of victory. He goes on to write:

We have the victory because we organize and fight for life until–and even beyond–the last breath. We have victory because we find one another in chaos. We have the victory because we give and share and care and love and create friendship against imperialism, colonization, and active attempts to erase our lives, our stories. We have the victory because we understand the only world worth living in is one in which all of us can thrive. There is a profound humility to organizing, knowing that what we do and how we act may not have any appreciable impact in our lifetimes. But like water that cuts rock, it takes steady and consistent practice. And I know we can make it because you are doing that steady and consistent practice; you are modeling for us what it means to engage in struggle with integrity, with heart, with love. 

I appreciate your bravery, and your courage. We need you, as the famous gospel song says, to survive.

With heart and hope and love,
Ashon

For anyone reading this and thinking “but I’m not an organizer,” think about the times you’ve checked in on your elderly neighbor or the new family down the street, the times you’ve given an unhoused person food or money. The times you’ve made calls and sent emails on behalf of vulnerable communities, or volunteered in your community at the food bank or creek clean-up, or maybe helped paint a mural. Those are all acts on behalf of your community, acts that required organizing your time and energy in concert with others. In doing so, you are working for the collective good.

Please know I appreciate you and thank you for your heart. Solidarity.

On gratitude, a new year, and hooping

/ Tracy Abell / 15 Comments

I’m pleased to say we had a three-day break in the rain and as of yesterday, we have a new roof! Today I’m exceedingly grateful for the thorough contractor who managed the project and gave us peace of mind. Let it rain!

Yesterday we joined friends Jo and Caleb at Finnriver Farm & Cidery in Chimicum for a beautiful send-off to the new year. Zippy and I’d never been there . It’s a gorgeous setting and the nearly-full moon and fog only heightened its allure. Finnriver has land and community partners that include the North Olympic Salmon Coalition which explains why there’s a gigantic salmon on the property.

Zippy, me, and Fin the Migrating Salmon

Despite that beautiful, community-oriented experience last night, the blues grabbed hold of me this afternoon.  I begrudgingly did my weight-lifting routine (gotta get strong enough to punch Nazis!) which eased some but not all of the sad. I needed my foolproof method for escaping the doldrums.

Hooping! I listened to loud music as I danced in my hoop for twenty minutes and now feel SO much better. My plan for 2026 is to hoop every single day for at least a couple minutes. What’s coming is gonna be tough and I need to be strong, both physically and mentally. So, if you happen upon me posting here about feeling sad and blue, PLEASE ask me “Have you hooped today, Tracy?”

I hope your first day of this new year has brought you some joy. Remember, there’s always a dance party over here and everyone’s welcome. Solidarity! ✊🏼

Solstice beauty

/ Tracy Abell / 22 Comments

Today is the shortest day of the year which means tomorrow we start gaining daylight. HOORAY! For me, the winter solstice is the most significant day of this season. Why? Because the day always gives me a much-needed emotional boost, and this year’s solstice is especially welcome because there’s sunshine. Not only that, these lovely roses are blooming next to our front porch.

December 21, 2025

How could I feel anything but hopeful as I gaze upon those sun-kissed blooms?

I’m documenting my hope and optimism here because we’ve been swamped with rain (with much more in the forecast thanks to the atmospheric river) and have learned our aging roof has multiple leaks that are causing widespread microbial growth. BOO HISS! We’re gathering bids for a full roof replacement we hope/need to get in the very near future–all we need are two consecutive days of clear weather to get started. I’ve got a new mantra: Rain, rain go away . . . and please don’t come back until our roof is intact!

Happy Solstice, everyone!

Waging war on We the People

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

In case you haven’t heard, Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed the FBI to “compile a list of groups or entities engaging in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism.” Understandably, you might have read that and immediately assumed the focus would be on people threatening to commit mass shootings since there’s already been more than 400 mass shootings in the United States in 2025.

Well, if that’s where your mind went, you were wrong. As independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reported on December 6, Bondi and this administration are using their resources to target those expressing:

  • “opposition to law and immigration enforcement
  • extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders
  • adherence to radical gender ideology
  • anti-Americanism
  • anti-capitalism
  • anti-Christianity”

Photo by Markus Spiske via Pexels

We’d already gotten a heads-up on this in late September when Trump signed a national security directive (National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, or NSPM-7) to go after “left wing terrorism.” What we didn’t know at the time, was that this effort would establish a CASH REWARD SYSTEM to encourage citizens to report on their friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors via a tipline.

The money doesn’t stop there. The Bondi memo also states that the Justice Department will prioritize funding for state and local law enforcement to go after the so-called domestic terrorists who just so happen to be citizens voicing opposition to this fascist regime.

I highly recommend reading the article in its entirety. You can also download and read the entire Bondi memo via Klippenstein’s article.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. In the meanwhile, stay safe.
Solidarity!

Geese for Gaza

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

We’re heading into a very rainy week here on the Olympic Peninsula due to atmospheric river conditions. Knowing this, yesterday we took advantage of the quiet before the storm to walk along the water via the Olympic Discovery Trail. However, weather wasn’t the only factor in our decision: we also desperately needed a dose of nature to counteract the negative mental health effects of the current regime’s fascism a go-go plus the non-stop slaughter of Palestinians live-streamed before our eyes. The “ceasefire” that was supposed to terminate Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has allowed Israel to violate those terms over 500 times, resulting in the murder of hundreds of men, women, and children. (NOTE to the Zionist from Tel Aviv: your racist, supremacist rants are blocked from this site which means no one but you will ever know the depths of your depravity. You’re welcome.)

As Zippy, Emma, and I began our walk, we saw a large flock of Canada Geese. I smiled while taking photos and happily captured more images when we returned an hour later to find them in a different spot alongside the trail.

Today when I found myself repeatedly thinking about these geese, it felt like a sign. As in, time for another Geese and Gaza post. Why?

Canada Geese on December 6, 2025

Because seeing other living, breathing creatures–such as this flock of geese that works together to keep each member safe–always reminds me of the interconnectedness of life on this planet. We are all in this together, and that most definitely includes Palestinians. I’m pretty sure every “silly goose” understands this basic concept.

They are Geese for Gaza.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

Want to help celebrate my birthday?

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

Today is my birthday and I’m grateful for all that I have.
I’m not in need of anything.
Meanwhile, Gaza remains under siege during the latest so-called ceasefire and
part of that “deal” includes Israel murdering 2 children/ day in the first six weeks.

Seen on Olympic Discovery Trail. November 18, 2025

Many of us feel helpless in the face of mass death and destruction,
but small acts can be life-changing for Palestinians.
Please consider helping me celebrate my birthday
by helping Ahmed and his family.
Any and all donations gratefully accepted.

Free Palestine.

Harlequin romance

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

As much as I adore birds and watch them every chance I get, my identification skills are lacking. That’s why I especially appreciate whenever I spot the fanciest duck seen on the water around here. With markings like these, it’s easy to proclaim, “That’s a Harlequin Duck!”

Olympic Discovery Trail. November 18, 2025

While you can’t tell from this angle, Mr. Handsome was tucked up next to the bank and hard to see. I only noticed him while moving around in order to photograph a perching gull through a tangle of branches. I immediately shifted my focus.

Hello, beautiful! I’m in love.

Climate Movement Monday: on behalf of Alaska

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

It’s been quite some time, but welcome back to another edition of Movement Monday in which we discuss all things climate and take a quick action or two on behalf of frontline communities bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. Today’s post focuses on Alaska. First, if you’re able please consider making a much-needed donation to the Western Alaska Disaster Relief Fund in the aftermath of Typhoon Halong that devastated western Alaska in October.

The remnants of Typhoon Halong brought record-breaking winds and flooding to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta overnight on Oct. 12, hitting the Kuskokwim Delta coast especially hard. High water, immense damage, and other storm impacts prompted hundreds of people to evacuate from their homes to other villages, Bethel, and Anchorage. In the wake of the storm, one woman was found dead. Two of her family members remain missing.

Evacuating people from storm-damaged communities represented the largest airlift in state history, according to state officials. The storm’s impact prompted both state and federal disaster declarations. Many from the hardest-hit communities don’t know when or if they will be able to return home.

A residential neighborhood of Bethel flooded by the remnant storm of Typhoon Halong on Oct. 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Selena Allgiq James via KYUK Public Media)

You’d think we as a species would be more thoughtful about our actions in the face of climate-induced death, destruction, and displacement. You’d be wrong. Because what does this (and every other administration) want to do? Give more handouts to the oil and gas industry. Which brings us to Ask #2 of this post.

Via Earthjustice: please take two minutes to personalize your comment letting this administration know why you DO NOT want them to drill in Alaska’s Arctic. There are SO many reasons this is a bad idea including the fact the federal government is already paying out MILLIONS of dollars in disaster recovery and drilling for oil will only accelerate/deepen the crisis and disasters. COMMENTS DUE BY NOVEMBER 21.

I get that you might be hesitant to write a letter which can feel like screaming into the void. And yet, if we don’t make any noise, what’s the point? Two minutes of time to register your thoughts and opinions. If you need further convincing, scroll through some images of communities in western Alaska that were decimated by that typhoon. Do we really want anyone else to suffer that way? Again, donations gratefully accepted here.

Either way, thank you for reading and your consideration. I’m trying to post here more frequently despite feelings of overwhelm, exhaustion, and grief.

As always, solidarity!

Unruffled calm of nature

/ Tracy Abell / 10 Comments

August 4, 2025 Olympic Discovery Trail

Surely there is something in the unruffled calm of nature
that overawes our little anxieties and doubts:
the sight of the deep-blue sky, and the clustering stars above,
seem to impart a quiet to the mind.
~ Jonathan Edwards

All you fascists bound to lose

/ Tracy Abell / 3 Comments

Popping in briefly to say yesterday brought so much good stuff. Dick Cheney finally died! (Twenty-five years too late to prevent death and destruction in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention his role in laying the groundwork for the current fascist regime with his expansion of the executive branch, but it’s still good knowing he’s no longer here.) Woot! Woot!

Also? Zohran Mamdani put the beatdown on Andrew Cuomo! Despite the millions and millions of dollars spent against him and the nonstop racist, fear-mongering media coverage, Mamdani prevailed. Woot! Woot!

All around the country, former GOP seats were flipped to Democrats in a national mandate against fascism, cruelty, violence, Epstein, and the all-around ICK of the current regime and Republican party. The voters said NO! Woot! Woot!

Woody Guthrie, March 1943

In honor of all that, last night right before going to bed I danced around to Woody Guthrie’s “All you fascists” as performed by Billy Bragg & Wilco on the Mermaid Avenue Vol II album. You can hear that recording here. Or, just read the lyrics:

Gonna tell all you fascists, you may be surprised
People all over this world are getting organized
You’re bound to lose, you fascists are bound to lose

People of every color marching side by side
Marching ‘cross the fields where the million fascists died
You’re bound to lose, you fascists are bound to lose

All you fascists bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose
All you fascists bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose

All you fascists bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose
All you fascists bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose

I’m goin’ into this battle, take my union gun
We’ll end this world of slavery before this war won
You’re bound to lose, you fascists are bound to lose

Race, hatred, cannot stop us, this one thing we know
Your poll tax and Jim Crow and greed have got to go
You’re bound to lose, you fascists are bound to lose

It feels good knowing people all around the country are refusing to bow down to the fascists. Solidarity!

What does this “ceasefire” mean?

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

As of last Friday there’s been a “ceasefire” in Gaza which did end the constant bombing and massacre of Palestinians, but which hasn’t stopped Israel from continuing to kill and sow destruction. The mere announcement of that ceasefire agreement resulted in an arson spree with Israel setting fire to food, homes, and a water treatment plant. On Tuesday, Israel said it wouldn’t abide by the agreement related to humanitarian aid, saying Hamas violated the agreement. On Tuesday, Israel killed five Palestinians in Gaza City.  As Francesca Albanese (UN special rapporteur) posted on social media: “Ceasefire according to Israel=‘you cease, I fire.’ (These links all come from Drop Site News which continues to do crucial work on the region and I urge everyone to subscribe.

Poppy surviving in driveway concrete. June 25, 2025

In addition to Drop Site News, I want to give another shout-out to The Wire newsletter from Jewish Voice for Peace. Today’s newsletter is “5 Takeaways From the Ceasefire” and I’m sharing the 5 main points here while recommending reading the piece in its entirety.

ONE:  The ceasefire agreement brings immediate relief to Palestinians who are struggling to survive unimaginable conditions.

TWO:  The Israeli government has a track record of breaking ceasefire agreements, and it could still resume the bombardment at any moment.

THREE:  Gaza has been completely devastated. Palestinians will feel the impacts of the genocide for decades to come.

FOUR:  This ceasefire agreement explicitly denies Palestinians the right to determine their own future and does nothing to hold Israel accountable for committing acts of genocide.

FIVE:  Our movement’s task is to ensure a permanent end to Israel’s genocide–what we have been demanding for the last two years–and to recommit ourselves to the long-term struggle for a free Palestine.

Palestinians have been put in an unforgivable situation at this juncture and shame on those in power who have enabled, facilitated, and looked the other way as apartheid Israel commits acts of barbarism without any repercussions. Truly depraved and soulless people, both those enabling and those committing atrocities. May they never know a moment’s peace.

My heart is with Palestinians. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. Solidarity!

Balm for the soul

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

This morning during a short walk on the Discovery Trail where I haven’t been for weeks due to a foot issue that may or may not be a mind-body issue, we  were gifted with all sorts of beauty. In the order in which those gifts presented themselves:

Black-tailed deer

Immature Snow Goose

Belted Kingfisher

Mount Baker

Black-tailed Deer

Horned Grebe

Glaucous-winged Gull and crab

Same gull pauses to make clear guests are not welcome at crab feast

After taking many photos of this delightful gull, we turned around and headed back to the trailhead. I was pleased to see the Belted Kingfisher was still in the tree and a bit further on, spotted this wild bouquet:

Thank you for taking the walk with me. May these glimpses of beauty be balm for your soul during these very hard days.

Rest in power, beautiful sister

/ Tracy Abell / 32 Comments

My sister died on Tuesday. I’m both relieved the cancer can no longer hurt her and heartbroken her life was cut short by that insidious disease.

The good news is that Zippy and I were with her in July, and had a very nice visit. We  talked about books (I was reading There There by Tommy Orange which they’d both already read and she was reading Kafka’s The Metamorphosis which I haven’t yet read but now will) and we all expressed admiration for Percival Everett’s James. We watched the Tour de France which was great fun despite the oftentimes baffling  “rules” of the event with its various stages and jerseys, sharing a particular fondness for young rider Ben Healy of Ireland (although we cheered on pretty much every cyclist not riding for Israel). We savored the applesauce she taught me to make when I discovered the bag of overripe apples while cleaning out her refrigerator. My sister also taught me to recognize the song of the Red-eyed Vireo and we put out sugar water for the hummingbirds and peanuts for the jays, and enjoyed all the birds including the male Northern Cardinal who kept throwing himself against the windows as he attacked his own reflection. Edited to add: We also watched a quite large black bear amble through the yard. Kate was doing a personalized Spanish class and the two of us put our heads together to dissect various sentences, searching for the direct and indirect objects which, while not my favorite activity, was still fun because it was in collaboration. My sister loved learning.

Zippy flew back home as scheduled and I stayed another week to help out as her health worsened. Those were hard days but I’ll be forever grateful I could be there for her. When it became clear she needed medical help, I drove her back to the city. It was there, in the hospital, we learned there was nothing more that could be done to stop the cancer.

My sister died in her home, sons and a brother by her side.

The many emotions I’m experiencing are a natural part of the cycle of life and death, I know this. I also know (as did my sister) that she lived a privileged life and accessed topnotch medical care up until her death. Something I don’t know? How the Palestinians who are daily losing their children/spouses/parents/siblings–sometimes all at once–can possibly bear the many emotions of loss and grief they’re experiencing. From where I sit, mourning the loss of a sister, the scale of what the Palestinians are experiencing is unfathomable. Everyone should be allowed to process their grief.

I’m sharing the obituary I wrote (with a few additions by nephew Alex) so that you may know a bit more about my beautiful sister, Kate.

Katherine Marie Abell, formerly of Pardeeville, died at home on September 23, 2025. She was 70.

Kate was born in Milwaukee and moved with her parents (Joanne and Earl) and four younger siblings (Christine, Peter, Tracy, Steve) to Pardeeville when she was in 8th grade. After graduation Kate went to Swarthmore College where she met Bob Martin, sharing 46 years of marriage until his death in 2022. Kate and Bob made a life together in New York City and, united in their fight for tenant rights, squatted in a building to prevent the landlord from evicting the tenants. That apartment eventually became their lifelong home where they later raised sons Alex and James.

Kate was a woman of many interests and talents. She belonged to a book group, a writing group, and founded The Math Collective, a group dedicated to collaborative work around math education. She traveled around the world, played tennis wherever she could find a court, jumped in rivers on cross-country drives, patronized museums, ate a grub in Yosemite, downhill skied, climbed dozens of 14ers in Colorado, and generally reveled in nature. Kate was a labor organizer, poet, and mathematician. After attending Bank Street College, Kate was first a classroom teacher in NYC then a math coach for over 20 years, riding her bike to schools around the city.

Kate treasured time with family and friends, and she and Bob hosted many Thanksgiving gatherings over the years. She valued togetherness and learning, equally happy to organize games of Fictionary, examine insects with her grandchildren, Lilou and River, or discuss literature and social justice with daughters-in-law Megan and Aimee. Kate’s friend group was vast, many of those friendships spanning decades.

Kate cared about community and acted accordingly up to the end of her life, working with neighbors to improve their collective condition. She is already missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following movements Kate supported:
Palestinian Refugees: UNRWAUSA.org
Families in Gaza (vetted Go Fund Me’s): gazafunds.com
The Algebra Project INC (focused on equitable math education and programming): algebra.org

A memorial will be held in New York City at a later date.

Rest in power, sister Kate.

In solidarity with Gaza journalists

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Amidst the non-stop horrific news out of Gaza that our imperial warlords wish we’d ignore, courageous Palestinian journalists continue to document the genocide. Their work is vital. In response to Israel this week demanding the evacuation of 1 million people from Gaza City, the journalists at Drop Site News, in partnership with Unmute Humanity, established the Gaza Journalist Fund: Supporting Journalists Evacuating Gaza City and Surviving Displacement in the South.

Image reads Gaza Journalist Fund Drop Site News, words surrounded by a collage of photos of Gaza journalists wearing PRESS vests

From the email I received:

Gaza is the deadliest conflict zone for journalists in modern history. More than 270 journalists and media workers have been killed since October 2023 (Al Jazeera, Aug 11, 2025; Reuters, Aug 25, 2025). Local journalists remain the last witnesses to genocide. Many now face urgent evacuation from Gaza City and central Gaza to the south. Others are already displaced and struggling to survive without food, shelter, or medical care. Without outside support, their survival is at risk.

This campaign will cover evacuation and survival needs for journalists forced to be displaced from Gaza City and central Gaza to the South. By sustaining them through evacuation and displacement, whether inside Gaza or beyond its borders, we protect both their lives and their ability to keep reporting.

Please donate if you can (any amount is appreciated and donations are tax-deductible). There’s additional info on the donation page that explains how the journalists were identified, how the money will be disbursed, etc. As I write this, the fund has already exceeded its goal but, as anyone paying attention can see, financial support is desperately needed throughout the region. The money will be put toward survival.

In solidarity with Gaza journalists and all of Palestine.