Sawyer is a very good mom. (Some aren’t!) #DogsofMastodon #ServiceDogs

Puppies with their surrogate mom. #DogsOfMastodon #ServiceDogs

Very strange whelp for 2 reasons. First all the puppies came out in about 4 hours, and second, it wasn’t happening at 2am! 🤣 I know I shouldn’t get used to this.

Everybody is resting nicely.

7 healthy puppies! #dogsofmastodon #servicedogs

Puppies are birthing 2 days early! 4 out so far, 3 boys, 1 girl. All yellow so far. More later.

@tomjennings @ai6yr The economics term is ‘discouraged workers’ or ‘econmically inactive’ covers all people who are unable or uninterested in finding employment

The native grapes growing down in Hooker Creek canyon have reached veraison. Saw a Hermit Thrush taking advantage of the situation, but I was too slow with the camera. #Wildflowers

Preliminary data shows that we may have set a new all-time record high for the daily global average sea surface temperature. The warmth in the ocean has already been quite remarkable over the last several months this year.

Sign up for our next briefing to learn more: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings

Well, the Chardonnay harvest sucked. 15% of last year. Hot March convinced it to flower. Rainy April made sure there was very poor self pollination. Numbers were good. 24.4 brix, pH 3.28. Harvests are running about 50% of normal in Sonoma Valley according to the grapevine.

Pressing off Cabernet that is right at veraison in order to help a friend with a non-alcoholic wine project. Brix at 17 (sugar %). Normal wine grapes at harvest around 24%. #winemaking

640 "structures" destroyed in Spokane.
...with most of that being people's homes and people's neighborhoods.

IOW, a couple thousand people without a place to live, even more who can't go back to their homes yet.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/aug/02/wildfire-destroys-640-structures/

A dangerous wind shift (visible on radar imagery) has just occurred in #Spokane, WA, where major wildfire disaster is currently unfolding. Three separate major fires (circled) near or within city limits have already caused major structure loss & chaotic, expanding evacs. #WAwx

Starting a thread for Old Trails Fire scanner traffic... may want to mute me.

#OldTrailsFire #wildfires #WAwx

Possible power pole on fire, Indian Trail and Strong 8/1/26 2017 #OldTrailsFire #wildfires #WAwx #Spokane

What’s better than pictures of Grenache? Pictures of puppies! We have another litter coming up. Due date is August 11. Stay tuned. #DogsofMastodon #ServiceDogs

An intense and long-duration heatwave now appears likely by late Jul/early Aug for SW U.S., including California. Extreme heat is likely in hottest inland deserts, and a potentially dangerous combination of heat & elevated humidity may develop in SoCal. More to come. #CAwx #AZwx

Of all the grapes we grow (10 varietals), Grenache is the prettiest. here is a cluster halfway through veraison #vineyard

#silentsunday

It’s alway a pleasure to break out the Bette Davis meme.