Tara

@taraandchicken

Policy wonk, chaos gardener, friend to the animals, sewist, urbanist, person-in-charge-of-paint-and-tiling in this old house, parent. St. Paul, MN

760 Folgt311 Follower1.410 Posts

Bluesky

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Tara@taraandchicken· 5d

My binder is ready and I'll see you at the polls! (Except for my fellow election judges across Minnesota. I'll see YOU here on Bluesky at 3:00 a.m. when we're all having alarm anxiety.)

Edge of a blue binder with papers marked with blue and white tabs that say things like 'Logs" or "Complain Forms". A pile of booklets is laying partly on top. The top one says "Polling Place Reference Guide."

Tara@taraandchicken· 7d

I upholstered this couch! Mistakes were made and repairs are in my future but I freaking did it! 🪡🧵🧶🛋️

A living room with a faux fireplace, and some art and a window and a view of the back of a couch with wood legs and a swoopy shape.

Front of couch with scroll armrests.The cushion is a little wonky. There are double doors behind it. A large black and white dog is in front of the couch looking back at the camera.

Tara@taraandchicken· 17d

Indigena has crickets on the menu! And you'd better believe I'm eating them.

Orange bowl filled with popcorn topped with roasted crickets and pepitas.

Tara@taraandchicken· 19d

Sweatshirts for sale! ⚾ 🥵 ❄️

"Nerd" in broken glasses, suspenders, cozy hat, and winter gloves carries sweatshirt for sale at CHS Field, right above the away team dugout. It is one zillion degrees and humid in St. Paul, MN.

Tara@taraandchicken· 29d

Went to harvest some basil after the smoke cleared and it seems I have completely abandoned my garden which is now a thicket of vegetables and weeds. This is after I pulled out a ton of lambsquarter and milkweed . How many types of veg/herb can you spot? 🧑🏼‍🌾🌱☀️

A solid mass of greenery. A keen observer may be able to spot tomatoes, bean vines, basil, dill, tarragon, and fennel. And some weeds. Especially the significant stand of milkweed in the background.

Tara@taraandchicken· Jul 14

One hates to hand it to the New York Times these days, but kudos to the team that created this graphic and got it published.

Chevy Silverado with red shading added to indicated the blind spots created by mirrors, the hood, and the a-pillars. It's a lot of red shading.

Tara@taraandchicken· Jul 10

I. Am. So. Excited

Tara@taraandchicken· Jul 3

Tiny Sarah Connor is preparing for her panel tomorrow. Already in costume because she just wears this everywhere now. #CVG2026

Tween girl in green khaki pants, black tank, and black military-ish hat sits cross legged in bed writing in a note pad.

Tara@taraandchicken· Jun 22

This footnote though! 😂

Because the Court agrees with the movants' Tenth Amendment argument, the Court need not address the remaining bases on which they contend that the subpoenas should be quashed. Notably, the Department's brief did not acknowledge, much less engage with, movants' arguments with respect to the Tenth Amendment.

Tara@taraandchicken· Jun 21

Many thanks to the City of St. Paul for unlocking Rice Street. Can't wait till the downtown connection is complete!

Rice Street and Arlington in St. Paul. The Perfect Coffee on one side of the street. A new bike path on the other. Two riders visible up ahead!

Tara@taraandchicken· Jun 8

Daughter has collected all the monarch and swallowtail caterpillars for safe keeping.

Glass pitcher with milkweed and dill weed and several caterpillars.

Tara@taraandchicken· Jun 8

Found another! Bigger. Fatter. Better

Swallowtail caterpillar chilling on milkweed in the weed pile.

Tara@taraandchicken· Jun 8

Hey buddy. 🐛🌱

Swallowtail caterpillar hanging out on a wee dill plant.

Tara@taraandchicken· Jun 6

Had to dig out and oil the matriarch for this job. Wish me luck! #vintagesewingmachines

Photo of a 1950's Necchi Lycia 522 sewing machine. Upholstery fabric and cording under the foot.

Couch with upholstery fabric partially removed.

Tara@taraandchicken· Jun 6

The Loon with rainbow!

A sculptor of a giant metal loon outside Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. A small rainbow peaks out from it's left wing.

Tara@taraandchicken· Apr 27

Heat guns make me nervous because of this situation a previous owner made of some trim on a buffet. It's a true house of horrors over here with the woodwork! But good luck to you. May the paint removal gods be with you!

A side panel of a buffet with a lot of bare wood showing (maple?) but also some remnants of white paint and a lot of areas that look charred.

Tara@taraandchicken· Apr 27

I am embarrassed by the number of times we have thrown up our hands and just painted/repainted stuff white. But honestly, how the hell do we bring this back affordably?!?

Corinthian column capital from my fireplace (which is actually a faux fireplace and we think it always was fake?) It is painted white.

Tara@taraandchicken· Apr 15

It is done.

Minnesota Department of Revenue drop box outside their office building at the Capitol Complex.

Tara@taraandchicken· Apr 15

I don't know what is wrong with me, but signing physical tax forms right on April 15 gives me a little thrill. I need to level up this neurosis and do the thing rich people do where they avoid as much withholding as possible and pay it at the very last minute. Maybe next year!

The bottom right corner of page 2 of Minnesota's 2025 M1 tax form. Line 26 shows "253". The date line reads "04/15/2026."

Tara@taraandchicken· Apr 15

Happy Last Minute Tax Day Eve to all who celebrate! I won't see you at the airport post office tomorrow because I've switched to the DOR drop box at the Capitol Complex. Not as popular, but now that I'm older I like a quieter tax form drop party.

A Minnesota 2025 individual income tax packet, with a couple pages already ripped out and sitting beside it with a pen.

Tara@taraandchicken· Apr 5

An Easter tradition you could consider too! 🧵

A pile of random paper scraps with various doodles and messages. Examples: a heart with "J+T", "Let the Easter chicken give you many baby rabits[sic]", and etc. The scraps are in yellow, orange and red and are cut unevenly. The messages are in marker and pencil.

Tara@taraandchicken· Apr 5

Does this film feature any dramatic milk incidents that may have led to more serious consequences?

Screenshot from The Trylon's website. They are showing "Thief In 35mm." Evidently about a guy who cracks safes.

Tara@taraandchicken· Apr 3

I put on the Real Winter Coat to walk the dog this morning, but these guys are made of tougher stuff. 🌷 🥶

Purple flowers rise from a bed of grass and wood chips.

Tara@taraandchicken· Apr 1

Is this ball player wearing mittens???

Tara@taraandchicken· Mar 31

Kid came prepared for March baseball weather. ⚾ 🥶 🧢

"The coach" signs a kid's hat in a baseball stadium. Kid is wearing a sleeping bag.

Kid lounges in her seat at CHS Field in downtown Saint Paul awaiting the first pitch. She is wearing a baseball cap and a sleeping bag

Tara@taraandchicken· Mar 30

Everything is the worst. My 11 year old made her own sign ("If you didn't have a voice, he wouldn't try to silence you") but I carried this one. Fuck all these fucking guys.

Protest sign
"We mourn Iran's children."

Tara@taraandchicken· Mar 28

Tara@taraandchicken· Mar 27

Kid and I are headed to my mom's to make protest signs. Husband asks why in the world we would need to do that. I have no idea what he's asking about.

Big ole pile of protest signs. "Billionaires stole our retirement, health, labor, safety, and natural resources," "El pueblo unido jamás será vencido," "come and see the violence inherent in the system," and others.

Tara@taraandchicken· Mar 22

New bus. Who dis? 🚌 📱 🪫

Photo ID a USB charging station on the 74 bus in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Tara@taraandchicken· Mar 20

I'm no expert on the DC area, but I think if your neighborhood has two lines on the DC metro, you're not in a "smaller U.S. metro."