The Wordsmith's Forge

Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This is the current list of coping skills.

11. Read.

This is one of my main coping skills.  :D  I use fiction, nonfiction, all kinds of stuff.

Today is sunny and hot.  In the shade, it's cooler.

I fed the birds.  I've seen house finches and grackles at the feeders today.  I also saw an indigo bunting in the prairie garden.  \o/

I walked around the yard and planted more cypress vine around the support wire.  I found one ripe wild strawberry to eat.  :D  The first of the daylilies are blooming.  So is some puffy white thing in the wildflower garden, and the spiderwort has buds.

By the time I got back to the house -- let's say 10 minutes -- the thistle sock was almost empty.  <3 my little flying pigs.

EDIT 6/10/21 -- I took pictures in my yard.

EDIT 6/10/21 -- I picked a bag of mulberries and a handful of serviceberries.

EDIT 6/10/21 -- I put saucers under pots and watered those, then watered other plants in the ground.

The air is still warm and moist, now filling with fireflies.  Very pretty.

Today is warm and humid.  It sprinkled a little last night, and seems to have done more some time today, because everything is wet again.

I fed the birds.  I've seen house finches and grackles.  Yesterday I saw a lady cardinal. 

EDIT 6/9/21 -- I rained more while I was making supper, a brief cloudburst that re-wet everything.

Here's another look at why it's a bad idea to pipe water to places that don't have any.  It actually makes matters worse.

Everyone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.

We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!

This article looks at how hard it is for people to afford a good bicycle, and the problems when they can't. The suggested solution is to offer long-term rental. Other options include:

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We made this tonight. It turned out quite well. We like the fact that it uses a large quantity of cilantro, because we have many other recipes that use only a small amount.

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Here's an example of the nonsensical math in municipal budgets. 

Now I'm bad at math.  I'm lucky to get the same answer three times running on a calculator.  I know this, so I've chosen a career that requires little math, and have other people who can do math for me when necessary.  I understand basic stuff like "don't carry more money than you can handle" and "don't buy things you can't afford." The scary thing?  I'm in the top third nationally according to school tests.  That means two-thirds are worse than that.

Apparently, they are not also smart enough to avoid careers that require math.  They just half-ass their way through it.  They do things so stupid that even I, with my anti-knack for math, can see that this is bad economics.

You know, if we had more women and more poor people in politics, I think less of this would happen.  They damn well know how to stretching a dollar until you could play it like a rubber-band guitar.

fuzzyred has posted pictures and instructions for the Old America "plain" square.

Today is mild and gray.  It's supposed to rain, but doesn't feel like the sky is holding lots of it.

I fed the birds.  I've seen house finches, doves, a squirrel, and 2 rabbits.

I planted 3 purple ice plants, 2 in pots and 1 in the purple-and-white garden. 

EDIT 6/8/21 -- I planted 1 hens & chicks in the purple-and-white garden.  Then I weeded the goddess garden where the rest of them will go.

EDIT 6/8/21 -- I put the goddess statue in her garden, then planted the other 4 hens & chicks around her.

I think that's the last of the plants from the two shipments.  I still have some seeds to plant, though.

EDIT 6/8/21 -- I watered the recently planted things.  I also replanted some seeds in pots where the squirrels went digging.  Many of the seeds from earlier have sprouted, though.  Nasturtiums are well up, and marigolds are recognizable.