Today is partly sunny, breezy, and quite warm. It's 76℉ already.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a small mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

The first hostas have sprouted, and more bluebells are putting up leaves.  More things are sprouting in the water jugs too.  The first daffodils are blooming under the maple tree.

EDIT 3/10/26 -- I put out my indoor flat of fruit tree sprouts to get some sun and air.

I took pictures around the yard.

EDIT 3/10/26 -- It's 79℉ now.  Earlier was overly warm; now it's just plain hot  even with a brisk breeze.  We had to turn on the air conditioning.  In early March.  Fuck climate change. >_<

We hauled the two bags of topsoil from the car to the old picnic table bench.  We put the solid-top pallet in the garden shed.

EDIT 3/10/26 -- I trimmed the woody stems from the wildflower garden.  Lots of miniature irises are blooming there.  :D

EDIT 3/10/26 -- I started trimming woody stems from the septic garden.

EDIT 3/10/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I brought in the fruit tree sprouts.  I've seen a fox squirrel bounding across the ground.

EDIT 3/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 3/10/26 -- I finished trimming woody stems from the septic garden.

I am done for the night.

This video looks at magic in worldbuilding. It lays out four points ...

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Today is cloudy and chilly with gusts of wind.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

In the water jug greenhouses, a few shady wildflowers are sprouting.  :D

EDIT 3/9/26 -- My gold curly willow cuttings have arrived!  \o/  I have put two in water and one in a pot.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I took cuttings from the older serviceberry tree and a shellbark hickory sapling to put in the willow cups.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I cracked open some peach pits.  It was a lot easier than I expected.  I found a natural hollow in the concrete step, where I balanced a peach pit on its edge.  A seam goes along the sides.  I put a flathead screwdriver point into the seam and tapped the handle with a hammer.  Most of the peach pits popped apart neatly, releasing the seed.  A couple chipped in fragments.  I think I got several viable seeds, which I put in a baggie of damp sand.  I also bagged up some leftover persimmon seeds.  Then I put the baggies in the refrigerator for cold stratification to see if they'll sprout.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I tried using an ax to hack away at one of the saplings in the driveway.  I certainly made more progress than I did with the saw.  It's slow going, but I might be able to beaver it down eventually.  The question is whether I'll have the time and energy for that, with all the other spring yardening to do.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I transplanted a few more snowdrops from the parking lot to the apricot tree.

I am done for the night.

dialecticdreamer is hosting Magpie Monday with a theme of "Apologies."  Leave prompts, get ficlets! 

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Space Exploration
Moment of Silence: Country Joe McDonald
Poem: "Confident Guesswork and Improvisation"
Poem: "Nuff Respect"
Esbat
Science
Safety
Humor
Birdfeeding
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Civilization
Photos: Savanna
Photos: House Yard
Wildlife
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 3-6-36: Meta
Wildlife
Poem: "The Express Bus to Crazy-ass Death Land"
Read "ICE Out" by Charles de Lint
Nature
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Read "Find a Way Forward"
Safety
Birdfeeding
Good News

Linguistics has 32 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 40 comments. Safety has 53 comments. Wildlife has 40 comments. Food has 67 comments.


Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I still have at least one more poem to write.




marchmetamatterschallenge is running this month. See my tracking post and the first check-in post.


"The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds" is now complete. Gideon and Raymond get some unexpected help in the fight.


The weather has been warmish here, though it rained much of the week. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a female cardinal, and a fox squirrel. A skein of geese flew overhead, honking quite loudly. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. I've heard a killdeer and a mourning dove calling, but didn't see them. Honeybees are out and swarming the flowers. Currently blooming: crocuses, snowdrops, winter aconite, miniature irises.

Singer and songwriter Country Joe McDonald has passed away. Among other accomplishments, he is famous for the "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die-Rag" at Woodstock, on record, and elsewhere.


Carry on the Work:

Guitar -- how to articles from wikiHow

Hippie Culture

How to Be a Singer Songwriter: 15 Steps (with Pictures)

Music Occupations -- how to articles from wikiHow

Musical Instruments -- how to articles from wikiHow

Singing -- how to articles from wikiHow

Social Activism -- how to articles from wikiHow

Songwriting -- how to articles from wikiHow

This poem is spillover from the March 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from siliconshaman and janetmiles. It also fills the "Smudges" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family.

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These are the notes for "Nuff Respect." Enjoy some recipes for Jamaican and Minoan foods in memory of minoanmiss.

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This poem came out of the March 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from librarygeek, alatefeline, and mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Artisan" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by librarygeek in memory of minoanmiss, who passed away recently and loved both Jamaican and Minoan cultures. It belongs to the Trichromatic Attachments thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains graphic descriptions of delicious food that you may not be able to find or afford.

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This evening we held our esbat with an owl theme, inspired by the Festival of Owls this weekend.  We charged a set of owl beads for people to keep.

... I am disappointed that I did not think ahead to obtain a gummy rat for the cakes and ale. 

Thanks to a donation from janetmiles, you can now read the rest of "The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds." Gideon and Raymond get some unexpected help in the fight.

librarygeek has sponsored "Nuff Respect." I'll get that posted as soon as I can, but at the moment I'm gardening while the sun shines.

If anyone else is still shopping for poetry, now's the time to make your final selections.

EDIT 3/8/26 -- janetmiles will be sponsoring "Confident Guesswork and Improvisation."

At the moment, "Walnut Park" and "Foraging Forever" are still available.

Scientists warn fake research is spreading faster than real science

A major investigation found organized networks producing fake scientific papers, selling authorships, and manipulating journals to mass-publish fraudulent research.

A sweeping new study from Northwestern University reveals that scientific fraud is no longer just the work of a few rogue researchers—it has evolved into a global, organized enterprise. By analyzing massive datasets of publications, retractions, and editorial records, researchers uncovered networks involving “paper mills,” brokers, and compromised journals that systematically produce and sell fake research, authorship slots, and citations.

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Satellites are exposing weak bridges in America and around the world

Satellites may soon help spot the world’s weakest bridges before they collapse.

Satellites are giving scientists a powerful new way to watch over the world’s bridges. Using radar imaging, researchers can detect millimeter-scale movements that may signal early structural problems long before inspectors notice them. The study found many bridges—especially in North America—are aging and increasingly vulnerable, but satellite monitoring could sharply reduce the number classified as high-risk. The approach could be especially valuable in regions where traditional monitoring barely exists.


The problem is, this won't fix the bridges. America already knows that many of its bridges need repair or replacement. There just isn't enough money for all that work. A big issue is that most government funding focuses on building new infrastructure, not maintaining old infrastructure. Satellite data can't change that.

I found this amusing.