The Wordsmith's Forge

Today is mostly sunny and warm with a light breeze, a beautiful spring day.  :D

I fed the birds.  I've seen several sparrows and house finches, two brown-headed cowbirds, a mourning dove, and two fox squirrels.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/22/25 -- We went out shopping.  I picked out roughly 5 flats of plants at DeBuhr's.  We found a garden hose, nozzle, and reel plus a gas can at Home Depot.  Also at Home Depot I spotted a modular garage storage system that looks very promising.  It has mounting rails for shelves and a wide variety of hooks.  That ought to combine well with a pegboard.

EDIT 4/22/25 -- I planted a 'Sugar Snack' cherry tomato and a 'Yellow Pear' tomato in the large pots by the septic garden, each with 4 marigolds around it.

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

Today is mostly sunny, humid, and warm. It rained off and on yesterday and last night.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches, plus a fox squirrel.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/20/25 -- I walked around the yard taking pictures.

EDIT 4/20/25 -- We had a friend over to help with yardening and picked up sticks from the house yard.

I am done for the night.

Today is cloudy, rainy, and cool.  It started raining yesterday evening and is still going.

I fed the birds.  Not much activity today.

EDIT 4/19/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

It is not currently raining.

EDIT 4/19/25 -- I took out one of the big self-watering pots from Family Dollar.  I filled the bottom half with American Countryside composted manure and the top half with American Countryside potting soil.  Then I planted a 'Mr. Stripey' heirloom tomato.  I put the pot on the new picnic table.



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Today is cloudy, breezy, and chilly.  Rain is forecasted but not yet falling.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I planted 2 Queen of the Prairie in the prairie garden.

I saw a brown thrasher.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I mulched around the Queen of the Prairie.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I planted 3 red plum seeds in pots.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I spread a bag of Better Earth Premium Organic Compost over the telephone pole garden.

I've seen Nipple Squirrel at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I covered the telephone pole garden with a plastic mesh fence.

I planted a cinnamon fern in the forest garden.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I watered the newly planted things.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I watered plants on the two picnic tables, plus the pansies on the patio and some other stuff.

EDIT 4/17/25 -- I filled two trolleys with dead weeds from the south side of the house, and dumped them in the firepit.

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

Today is partly cloudy, chilly, and blustery.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a grackle, and a brown-headed cowbird.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

The first wild strawberry is blooming in the trough pot. :D

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I planted 2 pots with red plum seeds and 8 pots with sycamore seed balls.

I've seen a flock of grackles and a flock of mourning doves.

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I finished transplanting bergamot from the telephone pole garden to the streetside edge of the savanna hedge.

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I planted 25 gladioli bulbs in the telephone pole garden. This concludes the order from K. van Bourgondien.  Yay.  Yay.

EDIT 4/15/25 -- I built the core for the next bonfire.

I saw the chevron skunk again.  He was ambling along the west edge of the ritual meadow, ignoring me and going about his business.  It's nice be able to recognize him as an individual.

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

Today is cloudy, windy, and cool.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- It's too windy to plant above-ground things, but I can plant underground things.  I planted 3 black hollyhock roots in the telephone pole garden.  Then I watered them and some other plants.

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several brown-headed cowbirds, and a female fox squirrel with nipples showing.

I also saw a red admiral butterfly.  :D

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I planted 6 mixed hosta roots, 2 in the forest garden and 4 in the log garden. Then I watered them and some other plants.

More hostas are sprouting in the forest garden. \o/

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

One potted ramp and one potted horseradish are sprouting.  :D

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several grackles, and two mourning doves.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I started clearing off the telephone pole garden, where I'll be planting some bulbs later on. 

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I did more clearing off the telephone pole garden.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I did more clearing off the telephone pole garden.  It's pretty well cleared now, except for copious amounts of bergamot that I need to move elsewhere so it won't take over the whole bed.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I started transplanting bergamot from the telephone pole garden.  I'm moving it to the streetside edge of the hedge along the west end of the savanna.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I transplanted more bergamot.

EDIT 4/13/25 -- I transplanted more bergamot.

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

Today is sunny and mild, a beautiful spring day.  :D

I fed the birds.  I've seen a flock of grackles and several house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

I moved the seedlings back outside.

Lots of bees are out, mostly in the dandelions.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- I planted the first 8 Asian lilies around the telephone pole.  There are two more bags of 8 left to go.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- I planted the second 8 Asian lilies around the telephone pole.  That leaves one bag of 8 to go.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- I planted the third 8 Asian lilies around the telephone pole.  That batch is done.  \o/  I still need to mulch that whole flowerbed.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- I spread a whole bag of mulch over the lilies around the telephone pole, trying to leave the taller-sprouted ones more exposed.  So that whole project is done.  Yay.  Yay.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I watered the lily bed.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- I planted 10 naked ladies around the apricot tree.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- I planted 2 red plum seeds in pots on the old picnic table.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- We picked up sticks in the ritual meadow in preparation for esbat tonight.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- I planted a mayapple in the forest garden, then watered it and the naked ladies.

I am done for the night.

EDIT 4/12/25 -- While out driving, I saw two skunks in different places.

Today is mostly sunny and cool, a beautiful spring day.  Yesterday it drizzled on and off in the afternoon, then rained thoroughly last night.  There's a freeze warning for tonight, though, so I'll need to bring in the seedlings.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/11/25 -- We spent much of the day out shopping and erranding.

I did a bit of work around the patio.
 
My Breck's order arrived.  I have soooo much backlog from getting rained out repeatedly.

EDIT 4/11/25 -- I brought in the seedlings and the pansies.

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

These photos show the savanna and prairie garden. See the House Yard, South Lot, Savanna and Prairie Garden, and Back Toward the House.

( Walk with me ... )

I took some pictures around the yard today. These show the house yard. See the House Yard, South Lot, Savanna and Prairie Garden, and Back Toward the House.

( Walk with me ... )