Mary Pezzulo

@marypezzulo.bsky.social

4527 Followers 1210 Following

I write about the Gospel, politics, gardening, Christianity, spiritual abuse, neurodivergence and social justice. 🏳️‍🌈

A variety of cherry and pear tomatoes in different shades of red and orange, in a bowl.
A tweet by @facetedcarapace from August 3, 2026: "The less specific the name of a Christian church is, the more evil it is. If your church is called something like Immaculate Southern Methodist Congregants of Christ you're probably normal but if it's called C R O S S R O A D S, you are in danger."
A raccoon peeking at me from the column of my porch.
James Martin shares his recent article with "A few people have asked here what I meant by "celibate gay priests" in a recent article on @OutrchCatholic . I mean a man with a homosexual orientation who feels the call to priesthood, is ordained, and is faithful to his promise of celibacy. In religious orders, we also take a vow of chastity. (All people are called to chastity in their own states of life, but this is a specific type.) Thus, a priest in a religious order both takes a vow of chastity and (usually later) makes a promise of celibacy at his ordination." To which Clayton Emmer responds not at all creepily: How do you define the promise of celibacy? What would be examples of breaking that promise for a man of homosexual orientation?
A tiny immature watermelon, about the size of an egg yolk, on a vine, in the weeds in my garden. The vine is light green and hairy with dribbles of water on it.
A still from the Starfall version of the story of the labyrinth. We see the brave Theseus, who looks about seven, in a toga and sneakers, about to do combat with the minotaur, who looks like Flossie the Cow with big flabby feet and a yellow vest with matching skirt. The text says "When Theseus got to the middle of the maze, he found the growling monster. The monster WAS scary!"
Sunflowers of read and yellow, up against a very hazy pinkish gray sky.
The air quality map zoomed in on Northern Appalachia. My part of the country is under a code purple for air quality.
a map from the Air Now dot Gov website, showing the danger zones for wildfire smoke. It's zoomed in to Northern Appalachia.
Prisoners Round by Vincent Van Gogh, a painting of prisoners in grey walking in a circle in a courtyard with no visible sky.
A tweet from Monica Lewinsky: I’ve disagreed with many (many) of Lindsey Graham’s choices and beliefs, but he was also — as one of the house managers on the ‘98 impeachment — the one who worked tirelessly to prove there was a smear campaign against me from inside the WH. RIP.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
The lake from my hike today, all slimy with algae and covered in lily pads, with trees on the far side and bushes in front of me
Juneteenth & Steubenville’s Shared History of Freedom ✨Quinn Memorial A.M.E. Church — Steubenville, Ohio: A Beacon on the Underground Railroad Quinn Memorial A.M.E. Church was founded in 1823 and is historically significant both as one of the earliest African Methodist Episcopal (AME) congregations west of the Allegheny Mountains and as a site connected to the Underground Railroad. The church began with a small group of about 18 members under the leadership of Reverend William Paul Quinn, an itinerant preacher in the AME denomination. Early congregants met in homes and small buildings until 1840, when they purchased a brick building downtown that became a center of community life and abolitionist activity. 🕊️ Connection to the Underground Railroad: Quinn Memorial A.M.E. Church served as a station on the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people escape from the South to free states and Canada before the Civil War. Its involvement reflects the strong abolitionist sentiment in Jefferson County and in the AME denomination, providing both spiritual and practical support to freedom seekers. While specific documented accounts of individual escapes are limited, multiple histories note that the building and congregation actively participated in helping escaped enslaved people move northward. ✨ Source: History in the Hills: The river to freedom Written by: Historic Fort Steuben Historian Paul Zuros
Me, wearing a truly ridiculous tricorn hat made out of paper with a big jaunty feather.
Me, wearing a stained shirt with streaks of blue paint and a white poster board tricorn hat which is too large and falling into my eyes. The living room behind me is a mess.
If the Book of Mormon was true, the Ohio River Valley would rival the Nile Valley for evidence of ancient civilization. It doesn’t.
TODAY'S NEWS Trump Boasts Reflecting Pool Longer Than U. S. Skyscrapers After Renovation Rumors of Trump Stroke Spread after Week Without Public Sightings Trump Floats Keeping UFC Arena On White House Lawn Like Eiffel Tower
Plumpy, a fluffy green cryptid who looks kind of like The Lorax, standing under a smiling plum tree on the Candy Land gameboard.
A Twitter argument, mostly between DaveMacDonald who is defending abuse surviors and Harun Al-Rashid who is lying and gaslighting that abuse never happens and it's all lies. She claims she's "Serving the church." There's also an antisemitic comment in there. It's all so sordid I don't even want to transcribe it but I promise you're not missing anything.
Eric Sammons: What does AI think of Magnifica Humanitas? Not much, apparently. This analysis by Claude is brutal. And because it was run very soon after publication, it’s not a compilation of other critiques, but an analysis far more objective than most you’ll read.
A handful of strawberries from my garden 😋
Soccer the Dog as Wishbone, dressed up as Sherlock Holmes, with a menacing figure standing in the background.
Wishbone as Doctor Frankenstein
Soccer the Dog as Mr. Darcy with Dee Hennigan as Miss Bennet
A still from "2001: A Space Odyssey." An astronaut's gloved hand pushes a button on his wrist. The logo "IBM" is seen clearly on the panel.
A still from "2001: A Space Odyssey." The letters "IBM" are reflected on the face of a tense-looking white man in an astronaut suit with no helmet.
A poster for the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with Tommy the Green Ranger and his weird flute dagger thingy in the middle.
The cover of the Wishbone Classics retelling of The Odyssey by Joanne Mattern, featuring a photograph of Soccer the Jack Russel Terrier in a breastplate and helmet.
A raccoon staring at me from the porch roof
A raccoon staring at me from my porch roof next to that maple tree the landlord hasn't finished cutting yet.
Dominic Pino tweets "Imagine explaining to the founding fathers that the president imposed tariffs without an act of congress and then removed them at the request of the king of England." In response to the Trump tweet where he explains that he's going to lift the tariffs on Scottish whiskey in honor of the king and queen.
"Le Pape Formose et Etienne VI," an 1870 painting by Jean Paul Laurens. A depiction of the "Cadaver Synod" where Pope Formosus's dead body was exhumed and put on trial and eventually his papacy declared null. The painting depicts the yucky corpse of Pope Formosus slumped on a throne, while a priest in black stands at a podium next to him, and a dramatic-looking man in a swoopy green and red cape points fabulously.
Shale cliffs with weeds growing down the sides, under a blue sky
"Use AI or get left behind" is like being at a sidewalk café in Paris and someone shows up and is like "climb inside this garbage truck or I won't take you to the landfill."
An article from Parade that says "The Hunger Games Star Has Been Arrested for Assault with Intent to Kill." It has a photo of the cast of "Catching Fire." This doesn't make sense because the suspect is Ethan Jamieson, who wasn't even in that movie.
a fat mask-and--mantle cat making a sarcastic expression.
A gray and white cat lying on my lap with her head on my hand.
The cover of Richard Scarry's "Pig Will and Pig Won't, A Book of Manners." The cover features the two pigs. who are pink and are wearing overalls. Pig Will is in red overalls and smiling and waving with his ears all perky. Pig Won't, in blue overalls, has his arms crossed and is glowering with his ears flopping down.
"No kids in camps" over a drawing of the Lady of Guadalupe standing with children behind a barbed wire fence.
A hand-drawn sign with a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe standing in a crowd of racially diverse children behind a barbed wire fence. The text reads "No kids in camps" and the O of "no" is a slashed out swastika.
People standing in a parking lot holding picket signs. The sign in the center says "OSU ----------> DC GYM JORDAN PROTECTS PEDOPHILES"
Asian letters painted in pink paint
a child's hands painting the Korean flag, while one hand holds a package of Korean fruit jellies. She is painting the lettering from the package onto her design. There are snacks and art supplies scattered all over the table.
Trump asked Germany for help. They asked him what 5 plus 4 is. He said 9. The Germans said exactly.
A line drawing of the eagle from the Book of Kells, colored in with marker
a plump gray-and-white mask-and-mantle cat.
A messy art table with watercolors, water and paint. In the middle is a sloppy painting of the Virgin Mary with a green veil, surrounded by a green and yellow nimbus and a blue background.
"AI accidentally made me believe in the concept of a human soul by showing me what art looks like without it."
A line drawing of the "Paw Patrol" log on a police badge shield, with all the copaganda characters bursting out of it with cheery smiles.
How to help Springfield, Ohio To volunteer email advocacy@ohiog92.org G92 is the local immigration advocacy group. This email is very responsive and they can route you to the right group to help depending on your interest. To donate goods: St. Vincent DePaul 2415 E High St. Needed: toiletries, non-perishable food, size 4 and 5 diapers, formula. To donate money: United Way Unity fund https://givebutter.com/SpringfieldUnity/Fund G92 https://tinyurl.com/g92springfield Second Harvest Food Bank: https://www.theshfb.org/donate
"Bob tells Fred that it is wrong to fight" says the caption on this vintage book on the Corporeal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. In the illustration, Bob is sitting on the ground bleeding from his forehead as his sister Susan wipes up the blood, and Fred brandishes a wooden bat over him ready for another blow.
Children all bundled up in snow things, sledding downhill under a tree at the edge of the shale cliff at the end of my neighborhood. You can see the historic downtown Steubenville all covered in snow, with the Orthodox church and the Carnegie library. Beyond Steubenville, you can see the Ohio river frozen and white. Beyond that is the city of Follansbee, West Virginia.
a Truth Social post from the president: I'm building, on top of everything else that I am doing, one of the grandest and most beautiful Ballrooms anywhere in the World, with more than 300 Million Dollars of Great American Patriots' money, and working closely with, right from the beginning, the United States Military and Secret Service. This is a Gift (ZERO taxpayer funding) to the United States of America, of 300 million to 400 Million Dollars (depending on the scope and quality of interior finishes!) for a desperately needed space, sought for over 150 years by previous Presidents and Administrations, so that the White House would no longer be forced to use a cheap and unsafe "tent," for STATE EVENTS, dinners, meetings...
"Murder in Mississippi" by Norman Rockwell. A sketch portraying the murder of civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. Goodman is holding Chaney as h dies and Schwerner is already on the ground. The shadows of the murderers are seen looming to the side. The sketch is entirely in sepia and white except for the blood splashes, which are red.
A weather forecast showing ten days of highs no higher than 23 with heavy snow, single digits most days, and other things that make me want to run away.
Riley Gaines awkwardly holds a glass of milk while smiling at the camera. Her mouth is grinning but her eyes look like she's in a hostage situation. She has a sloppy milk mustache. The little gold cross she wears is visible between her straw-dry hairs cascading down about her shoulders. This is a still from a series of truly deranged ads for whole milk put out by the FDA over on Twitter. I don't know why they think whole milk is unusual or difficult to get.
A pissed off gray and white mask-and-mantle cat glares at the camera as if she wants to murder it.