The Wordsmith's Forge

fuzzyred is making a temperature blanket for June, July, and August.  This is a much more manageable project than a full-year blanket, and the patterns are included in the post.  :D EDIT 6/8/21 -- fuzzyred has posted pictures and instructions for the Old America "plain" square.

This article about capsule wardrobes looks at several perspectives for which it will or won't work. 

Today we made a smoothie with:

1 cup Ceres passionfruit juice
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup fresh mulberries
1/2 cup ice

The result is bright purple, mostly thin, a little creamy, with a terrific fruity flavor.  I wasn't sure the mulberries would work after the "peppery" effect of blackberries, but maybe that's because the blackberries were frozen.  In any case I'm thrilled to find a new thing to do with my mulberries.

Mulberry trees grow wild across much of Turtle Island.  If you don't have any, you can buy some from a native plant nursery.  Birds and other wildlife love them.  (Don't plant them over a house, garage, or driveway as they rain fruit everywhere and it stains.  But it will be fine over grass or dirt.)  Sometimes you can find mulberries at farmer's markets for a ruinously high price.

Here are the location and content notes for "An Unconditional Acceptance of Life."

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These are the character notes for "An Unconditional Acceptance of Life."

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This poem is spillover from the June 1, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by ng_moonmoth. It also fills the "Acceptance" square in my 6-1-21 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes competition, extreme philosophical differences, California water woes, bigotry, hostility against soups, queerphobic language, and other friction. If these are touchy topics for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

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Today started out drizzly, then turned sunny and mild.  Grass is still wet in some places.

I fed the birds.  I've seen house finches, grackles, and 2 rabbits.

I planted an American persimmon in the streetside yard.  I think I have about 3 of these growing there, 2 young trees and 1 sapling.  They're dioecious, so you need at least one each of male and female to get fruit.  With seedlings, it's a crapshoot which you get.  Since I have seen flowers on the oldest trees, but not fruit, I'll keep planting until fruit happens.

The serviceberries are red-ripe.  They're soft and slightly sweet at this stage.  They get sweeter if left until the black stage, but that almost never happens because the birds get them.  So I'm snacking on them now.  Also I've been planting more serviceberries.  I figure at some point I'll reach a saturation threshold, like the mulberries, where I have a reasonable chance of getting a bagful ahead of the little flying pigs. 

It makes me happy when I can walk through the yard and put things in my mouth.  It's a messy, half-assed food forest, but it does have multiple layers and it produces a pleasing variety of edibles along with copious firewood and craft materials.  Prehistoric permaculture for the win.  \o/

EDIT 6/7/21 -- I planted a ninebark bush at the edge of the savanna, put topsoil around it, and covered it.

EDIT 6/7/21 -- I planted a purple phlox in the forest garden and a mountain mint in the wildflower garden.

EDIT 6/7/21 -- I picked a handful of serviceberries and a bag of mulberries.

WE HAVE A BEE TREE AGAIN!  :D 3q3q3q!!!  This time, they have settling in a decrepit maple tree between the savanna and the prairie garden.  I kept hearing beesong but couldn't see anything blooming, so I looked around for a swarm.  Eventually I spotted a hole a little above head-height with bees coming and going.  This location is pleasingly far from the house and amidst the best flower supply.  On several previous occasions, honeybees have settled in a walnut tree near the house, which is not ideal except for proximity to the orchard in spring.  The new location is ideal for everyone, and I hope the girls will be very happy there.  I am delighted to have them pollinating my flowers and enlivening my permaculture.  \o/

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "Science on the Side"
Birdfeeding
Recipe: "Crockpot Smoky Black-Eyed Peas and Bacon"
Birdfeeding
Community Building Tip: Murals
AI Seasons
Today's Cooking
Tab Usage
Birdfeeding
Gengineering Ethics
Iconic Sounds
The Secret Lives of Trees
Interstate Water Fiasco
Human Overpopulation
Birdfeeding
Coping Skills: Cleaning
Non-GMO Soup
Birdfeeding
Good News


Last week's fishbowl went well.  I am still writing.  I also have several sponsored poems to post.


Poetry in Microfunding:

There are two open epics at present.  "The Hobbomak"  has been completed, just not finished posting yet.

"Rainshadow Road" belongs the Daughters of the Apocalypse series. It introduces Maggot to the Clearwater Caravan.

"The Hobbomak" launches the Bear Tunnels series. Emma and Jesse explore the images on the walls.

"A Celebration and a Consolation" belongs to Polychrome Heroics. Keira comforts her mother after the breakup.


The weather has been warm here, and it rained a little last night. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a flock of mourning doves, a small flock of sparrows, a small flock of house finches, a robins, a male cardinal, a rabbit, Bob and another squirrel.  Currently blooming: white allium, chives, bergamot, iris, white penstemon.  Asiatic lilies and hollyhock have buds. Black raspberries have green fruit. Mulberries are ripe and pie cherries almost ripe.

This poem came out of the May 4, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from kelkyag. It also fills the "uncertainty / job insecurity" square in my 5-1-21 card for the Leaky Pipeline Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.

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Today is cloudy and warm.

I fed the birds.  I've seen doves, house finches, and cardinals.

I planted 2 serviceberries on the edge of the savanna. 

EDIT 6/6/21 -- I put topsoil and covers on the serviceberries.  I also planted wildflower seeds in one spot in the prairie garden.  Grass there is over my head already.

Mulberries are ripe in the savanna.

EDIT 6/6/21 -- I picked a bag of mulberries.

EDIT 6/6/21 -- I planted wildflowers seeds in a second spot in the prairie garden.

To the north of us, a cloud was raining in a small area.  We're supposed to get rain tonight and tomorrow, which would be very welcome.

EDIT 6/6/21 -- I planted a pink dogwood in the streetside yard.

EDIT 6/6/21 -- I planted 3 gladioli, 5 blue poppy anemones, 5 exotica, and 5 brilliant freesias in the septic garden.

I saw some fireflies in the south lot, the first I've seen this year, although my partner Doug saw some earlier.

As it is now dark and I'm tired, I am done for the day.