Deb Merriam

@debmerriam

DebMerriam on all other SM. Ex-academic bluenoser in Treaty 6, past chair of the Local Good (YEG), fibre artist, solarpunk, earth-centred inclusive beliefs. She/they,🏳️‍⚧️parent, mom friend, trying to make a difference.

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Bluesky

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Deb Merriam@debmerriam· 6d

On my frame: I have -got- to get this dang realistically-shaded floral hooked rug finished to my satisfaction by September so I can graduate from teacher training. I did the whole complete petal on the lily this morning! About three hours of #RugHooking.

Work in progress photo, detail of a realistically-shaded floral hooked rug using 3/32-inch wool flannel strips worked in a fingering technique. The lily at the centre of the photo is being hooked (for the 4th time sighhhh) in watermelon pink and is surrounded to left and below by bare linen with a bit of medium indigo-blue background hooked in; to right of the lily you can see part of a yellow daffodil, and above you can see a yellow-edged crimson tulip and a red-violet throated flower (sorry I forget right now its name). The top right of the photo shows 4 (of 6) shades of pink wool strips draped over the edge of my work.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· 6d

Not the greatest photo, but look how big this year's crow babies are now! And they've figured out solid food!

Photo, with lens flare, of two juvenile crows, one on a wooden patio's railing, the other perched on the tail of a whale-shaped planter atop the same rail. Behind them in the garden is an apple tree bowing under the weight of its fruit, the cedar fence, and the borrowed view of trees in the neighbours' yards under a slightly hazy blue sky. You'll have to take my word for it that the crow-lings are almost as big as their dad, with glossier feathers.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· 6d

do you have a moment to talk about our lord and saviour The Horned God

Threehalves, the seven foot tall robot centaur, standing outside a glass door, with a speech bubble clumsily added

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· 17d

Video of incoming storm

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· 24d

#yeg #yegarts Edmonton area friends, if you're visiting Leduc Arts Walk (on 50 St downtown) come say hi to me at the Rug Hooking Guild's tent in the activity area!

Sunny photo of a booth full of hooked artworks with demonstration supples at the front table and two of my friends smiling happily at the camera.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· 28d

Rock check! Your replies are -delightful-. This pebble full of little chabazite and quartz crystals came from the shale-shingle beach at my grandparents' home near Parrsboro, NS, Canada on the Bay of Fundy. I think it's been my friend since I was five or six years old.

A small roughly-triangular grey stone (basalt?) with lots of little orange crystals (chabazite) and a few larger white ones (quartz) in it, including in a hole that goes all the way through. Specimen from Port Greville, NS, Canada.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· May 12

Suki Q Wookiiee reporting for duty

Suki, a medium-sized elder dog with Australian shepherd and beagle among the many things in her genetic background, sploots on a violet carpet on the living room floor. She has longish black fur with white spotted socks, a white stripe on her chest and between her eyes, and a grey muzzle. She is looking happily through cloudy eyes toward the camera with an open-mouthed smile.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· May 7

I'm not there (home recovering from a nasty respiratory virus. I think. Maybe it's just my worst pollen reaction ever) BUT #yegarts you should go see the work of 80+ textile artists today 11-2 at Pleasantview Hall! Admission includes snacks. Beginner kits available and free lessons too!

Poster for Edmonton #RugHooking Guild's annual pop-up Spring Tea and Rug Show, with an image of a hooked blue-and-white polkadot vase holding multicoloured funky daisies. The event is being held today, Thursday May 7th 2026, from 11am to 2pm at Pleasantview Community League 10869 57 Avenue NW. Everyone is welcome! The $5 admission includes tea, coffee, delicious homemade snacks, and a huge show of beautiful rugs (many by award-winning textile artists).

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Apr 29

Critique of late stage capitalism:

Meme from Reddit that I saved to my phone about 6 years ago, showing a very cute lime green Ouroboros with rosy cheeks sucking its own tail, labelled "UwUbOwOs". (Apologies, AI has destroyed internet searches so I can't tell if redditor leeds2007 who posted this is the original artist.)

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Apr 11

11:24am today, first time for Dark-Eyed Junco and Bohemian Waxwing! It's also IDing purple finches and California gulls, which are unlikely (at least at this time of year). #TenMinMerlin

Screenshot from Merlin bird call ID app, for a 26:43min recording started 11:24am on April 11th 2026: blue jay, black-billed magpie, house sparrow, bohemian waxwing, american crow, american robin, purple finch (flagged yellow), house finch, dark-eyed junco, (not shown offscreen) California gull (flagged yellow).

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Apr 5

Heard a woodpecker (not sure which) just prior to today's #TenMinMerlin recording. I think this is my first time recording the local gulls and the nuthatch?

Merlin screenshot, April 5 11:41am for 10:51min, (southwest) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Ring-billed gull, Redpoll, Blue Jay, Canada Goose, American Crow, House Finch,... (continued on next screenshot)

Merlin screenshot, April 5 11:41am for 10:51min, (southwest) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Ring-billed gull, Redpoll, Blue Jay, (info prior to this point comes solely from previous photo), Canada Goose, American Crow, House Finch,... (continued from prior screenshot)... Red-breasted nuthatch, house sparrow, *purple finch (flagged as unlikely), American Robin, Black-billed Magpie, Black-capped chickadee.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Apr 3

#TenMinMerlin I caught the 7:00am backyard crowd today! Newcomers are the geese and robins; I'm not sure about the redpoll ID as I didn't see it. Weather: -1C and cloudy with a fresh dusting of snow.

Merlin bird call identification app screenshot, April 3, (southwest) Edmonton AB, 8:11 minute recording, listing house finch, blue jay, american crow, redpoll, american robin, canada goose, black billed magpie - started at 7:00am sharp

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Mar 31

#TenMinMerlin proof of life for the crows, who haven't started pulling rank on the 'pies when we put out kibble yet

Merlin screenshot, 27 March 2026, 8:49am, southwest Edmonton AB, weather sunny and cool: house finch, black-billed magpie, american crow, house sparrow, blue jay

Merlin screenshot, 31 March 2026, 8:25am, southwest Edmonton AB, weather sunny and frosty -9C: house finch, black-billed magpie, american crow, house sparrow (but not in that order)

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Mar 29

Oh very nice. I saw red and typed this

Screenshot of today's mass propaganda text from the Alberta UCP; my response, "Stop funding grifters building private schools instead of public education. Never text me again." Maybe next time I will have something eloquent prepared about them being separatist traitors or stealing my pension or gerrymandering or denying my kid's human rights.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Mar 24

#TenMinMerlin updates: proof of life for bluejays and a Canada goose flyover. Missed a couple of days due to rain and migraine. Think I'll refill the sunflower seed feeder and the grub feeder to attract the neighborhood woodpeckers and chickadees during the wintry weather that's forecast.

Merlin screenshot, March 21, Edmonton AB, 12:34pm, 26:46 recording identifying calls of Canada goose, house sparrow, and black-billed magpie

Merlin screenshot, March 22, Edmonton AB, 10:08am, 8:12 recording identifying callz of house sparrow, black-billsd magpie, and blue jay

Merlin screenshot, March 24 (weather cool and overcast), 8:57am, 13:58 recording identifying calls of blue jay and house sparrow

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Mar 22

#yeg #YEGGarden reminder that Seedy Sunday is today! Www.EdmontonSeedySunday.org

Screenshot from Facebook of promotional poster:
Edmonton Seedy Sunday
March 22, 2026

Gardening event for all ages & capabilities ...something for everyone!
Seed vendors info booths
Free seed exchange
Children's craft Concessionm
Free magazine & book exchange
Free speakers

Admission by donation
10:00am - 4:00pm
Alberta Avenue Hall
9210 118 Ave
Edmonton
Www.EdmontonSeedySunday.org

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Mar 20

#RugHooking friends: if you're trying out Canadian FB replacement Hey!Cafe, I made the group "!rughooking" to help us find each other. (Things are pretty sparse over there so far.) I also have updated my starter pack of rug hookers on this platform. Post your work to the hashtag to be added!

The background image to look for on the HeyCafe "rug hooking and punch hooking" group is a detail of an antique hit-or-miss geometric hooked rag mrug from my collection. Midcentury, anonymous. A grid of diamonds outlined in black and black faded to green has been filled with stripes of randomly-chosen multicoloured fabric strips

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Mar 20

#heathensky

The Dune font generation meme making the rounds today, with the eye background; it says "Oh hey Old Man" with the subtitle "It's not even Wednesday"

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Mar 20

Just needs some tweaking now. #RugHooking

Rose, designed by my instructor Heather Fox, hooked entirely using vintage Dorr Mill Store 6-value graduated swatches cut to 3/32-inch wide. The rose is hooked with 'bittersweet', a very early 1980s rusty coral, with leaves in 1970s avocado green. Compared with the previous photo in the series: the grey background is now hooked in! Almost finished!!

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Mar 18

#TenMinMerlin for yesterday (overcast and cool) and today (sunny and +5C unseasonably warm) Included 9 minutes of our corvid army chatting while nest-building drowning out every other bird nearby LOL

Merlin screenshot, March 17: chickadees, house sparrows and magpies all have visual confirmation, not sure about the house finch ID

Merlin screenshot, March 18 #1, 3 minutes 3 seconds (I decided to try again later to see how it differs): magpies, house sparrows, and bohemian waxwings detected; the waxwing is likely since we once found one that had struck our living-room window trying to escape a hawk

Merlin screenshot, March 18 try 2, 9 minutes 19 seconds of our magpies having a long loud conversation

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Mar 10

I put in about 9 hours of #RugHooking background on the realistically-shaded rose today:

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Feb 20

Progress report:

Rug hooked work in progress (same one as in the quoted post) of a realistically-shaded rose using vintage six-value graduated swatches from Dorr Woolen Mills. The rust-red rose ('Bittersweet') and four leaves (mock-shaded in avocado greens), and a pinstripe of pale aqua for a border, are all hooked now, along with some background in two values of grey. Still a few tweaks to do, and the unhooked linen to fill with greys, and then whipstitching the edges.

Traditional rug hooking uses a hand hook (shown in quoted) to create a knotless looped pile from cut strips of woolen flannel, in this case 3/32-inch wide.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Feb 16

So I guess we'll try the walking path over the hill from parking at Lawrencetown Beach next time I'm visiting home. But what is going on here? Is this a known property dispute yet? Anyway we had a glorious-if-chilly walk at Lawrencetown instead:

View of the Atlantic Ocean taken around low tide at Lawrencetown Beach, NS today. Winter storms have piled the rocks near the boardwalk stairs over the dunes, so at low tide there's a bit more exposed sand in the foreground than during my walks there in recent years. The sand is wet with some pebbles strewn in it; the ocean is mostly calm and the sun is reflecting off offshore waves creating a cluster of sparkles on the sea at centre of frame.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Feb 16

#halisky Attempted to take mom for a walk at Terminal Beach today based on the province's interactive map of provincial parks and beaches. "Terminal Beach Rd" in Lawrencetown on the map below is a private driveway with very unfriendly 'no trespassing' and 'beware of dog' signs.

A screenshot from the Province of Nova Scotia's interactive map showing Horseshoe Road and a fictitious access road to a protected beach that someone is treating as a private driveway IRL. Map URL = https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/87a91c432fe7403e8f3ca4bc7631b9b6/

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Feb 15

architecture pr0n

View from the gallery at St George's Round Church (Halifax, Nova Scotia) of the nave. 200+ years old, restored impeccably after a fire, with exquisite acoustics thanks to the round shape and domed ceiling visible above the brass chandelier.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Feb 8

There was a winter festival in the park along Shubenacadie Canal this afternoon, with lots of young families and dogwalkers attending, live music and a bonfire and a tree lighting (it was rescheduled from Yuletide). Here's a delightful snowman on one of the frozen locks.

A broad expanse of frozen pond, covered in snow, features a large kid-made(?) snow sculpture of a person with branches for arms and pine foliage for hair and a goofy grin of gravel. On the other side of the ice you can see another footpath and wooden bench. Taken in Shubie Park, Dartmouth, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Feb 8

Or maybe linen lacemaking thread like this ball that came from my nana or her mother?

An egg-shaped ball of linen thread for lacemaking that my mom keeps in my childhood bedroom for some reason. I might need to steal it to use in a project. It's big enough to fill my palm.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Feb 4

Gang, here's another white supremacist 'durangocide' crackpot spreading anti-Indigenous hate speech about MMIWG to report and block. [These nutters click 'like' on my political wearable art piece with fair frequency, presumably because they're creeping anyone who has used certain hashtags.]

Bluesky screenshot of anti-Indigenous user Big Chungu55

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Feb 2

While visiting family I am getting some rug hooking in - here are some beginning- and end-of-afternoon work-in-progress photos. The fingering technique is Not My Favourite and I am being the biggest baby about this #RugHooking project (whine moan complain).

Rug hooked work in progress of a realistically-shaded rose using vintage six-value graduated swatches from Dorr Woolen Mills. A large petal to the right is mostly outlined and so-called 'fingers' of the darkest value have been hooked at the petal's base. A palm and pencil hook, both made from scratch by my father, rest on the unhooked linen.

The petal to the right now has little end-loop-end, end-loop-loop-end zigzags of the darkest four values, and several hours have elapsed.

Deb Merriam@debmerriam· Jan 31

observations from my NS visit: - it's a damp cold, it chills you to the bone, and prairie living has made me soft - heat pumps handle this cold just fine - my family are a delight and are spoiling me with many meals out - this view is alright I guess