Character notes for "The Intrusive Thumb of Male Privilege"

Here are the character notes for "The Intrusive Thumb of Male Privilege."

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Content notes for "The Intrusive Thumb of Male Privilege"

These are the content notes for "The Intrusive Thumb of Male Privilege."

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Good News

Good news includes all the things which make us happy or otherwise feel good. It can be personal or public. We never know when something wonderful will happen, and when it does, most people want to share it with someone. It's disappointing when nobody is there to appreciate it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our joys and pat each other on the back.

What good news have you had recently? Are you anticipating any more? Have you found a cute picture or a video that makes you smile? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your life a little happier?

Birdfeeding

Today is another beautiful day, sunny and warm.

I fed the birds. I've seen a small mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several blackbirds, and a male cardinal.

I put out water for the birds. I watered the seed pots.

I set the two pots of crosne knotroots outside to get some sun.

More crocuses are blooming, including the purple striped ones. :D Honeybees are swarming them.

EDIT 3/12/25 -- I took some pictures around the yard.

EDIT 3/12/25 -- The mulch pile in the south lot is all but completely gone. I managed to rake up a small pile of wood chips in hopes of attracting detritivores to cluster there. I found a flat slab of tree trunk near the log garden. It already had a centipede, a millipede, and several tiny beetles living in it. I put that over the little mulch heap, then watered both the mulch and the wood. The small globe terrarium is too small for me to add predators purposely, but the bigger cylindrical one could probably support a millipede. Mostly I'm hoping to get pillbugs, and I'd love to get springtails although they're so tiny that they're hard to see -- about 1/16 to 1/8 inch long.

EDIT 3/12/25 -- A package came in at the post office, so we went out to get that and lunch. It's a bag of seeds. :D

While we were out, we checked Rural King for compost. They don't have it either. WTF even. >_< But they DID have a big area marked FREE WOOD that contained whole pallets along with loose boards, posts, and other stuff. I grabbed a bunch of the loose posts (round, half-round, and oblong) to use for my potting bench plans. So that just saved me a ton of money. :D 3q3q3q!! I'm starting to suspect that the Universe feels guilty about the crapsack world here, so when I start mulling over ideas to build something, it's throwing materials at me because that's something it can do. A potting bench may not save the world, but it'll make my job easier, and I am actually working to salvage what I can of the biosphere, so that's sorta the same thing. \o/

On the way home we stopped at the Charleston Food Forest. It's already starting to wake up! I think the green shoots in front are chives or garlic chives. The cherry and plum trees have buds swelling. The strawberries are just starting to leaf out. The asparagus isn't up yet. The garlic chives and Egyptian walking onions are up. The French sorrel is leafing out and almost harvest size. The hardneck garlic is not only up but has a bunch of plants seeding into the path where they will be in the way. I want to go back and dig up some of those, if I get there before someone else nabs them. And there's a bit of moss at the edge of the parking lot that I may pick up. Sadly, no pictures as this was not a planning visit there, but I'll try to bring the camera for next time.

Awesome outing. \o/

EDIT 3/12/25 -- I planted the Cascade Gold raspberry in the patch along the south fence of the ritual meadow.  Then I mulched around it and watered it.  While I had the can, I watered the hollies and the Colorado blue spruce.  Naked lady lilies are sprouting leaves.  :D

I've heard a crow and a killdeer, but haven't seen them.

EDIT 3/12/25 -- I planted the Marionberry Blackberry in the patch at the west end of the prairie garden.  I mulched around it and watered it.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Conservation

Want to preserve biodiversity? Go big

Large, undisturbed forests are better for harboring biodiversity than fragmented landscapes, according to recent research. Ecologists agree that habitat loss and the fragmentation of forests reduces biodiversity in the remaining fragments. But ecologists don't agree whether it's better to focus on preserving many smaller, fragmented tracts of land or larger, continuous landscapes. The study comes to a clear conclusion.

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Free Epic Poll

The March 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl made its $200 goal, so you get a free epic. Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll. I will keep it open at least until Thursday night. If there's a clear answer then, I'll close it. Otherwise I may leave it open a little longer.

Here are your options:

"Of Greater Value"
Story Date: Longer Days Moon 1, 16 A.E.
Summary: Sir Jacqueline and Mikil Smith assess men coming to Lazarus Lake.
72 lines

"Meeting in the Middle"
Kan Ying sees through the lies of the Parthians and makes his way to Rome.
76 lines

"Whoever Tries to Understand"
Summary: Yarro advances her studies.
123 lines

Poll #32809 Free Epic for the March 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8

View Respondents

Which of these should be the free epic?

View Answers

"Of Greater Value"
4 (50.0%)

"Meeting in the Middle"
2 (25.0%)

"Whoever Tries to Understand"
2 (25.0%)

Photos: House Yard and South Lot

I took some pictures around the yard today. Most of these are from the house yard and south lot. We also visited the Charleston Food Forest, which is starting to wake up, but since that wasn't a preplanned stop, I didn't have my camera with me.

See all of today's photography posts:
Photos: House Yard and South Lot
Photos: Savanna and Prairie Garden
Photos: Back Toward the House
Photos: Garden Shed

( Walk with me ... )

Photos: Savanna and Prairie Garden

Continuing the photo tour of the yard, most of these are from the savanna and prairie garden.

See all of today's photography posts:
Photos: House Yard and South Lot
Photos: Savanna and Prairie Garden
Photos: Back Toward the House
Photos: Garden Shed

( Walk with me ... )

Photos: Back Toward the House

These pictures come from the walk back toward the house.

See all of today's photography posts:
Photos: House Yard and South Lot
Photos: Savanna and Prairie Garden
Photos: Back Toward the House
Photos: Garden Shed

( Walk with me ... )