The Wordsmith's Forge

Here's an article about pemmican and one (there are many) recipe for it. Here are more recipes.

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Today I spotted three bluejays in the forest garden!  :D  Two of them were eating seeds presumably found on the ground.  The third was facing off with an extremely belligerent male cardinal, who refused to let the bluejay anywhere near the hopper feeder.  There was much feather-flaring and beak-gaping to communicate the idea of, "I will peck the shit out of you, asshole."

The hopper feeder looked empty, so I refilled it early.

We made this tonight. It turned out pretty well.

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Today is sunny, warm, and howling wind.  0_o

I fed the birds.  Only the bigger ones are out -- grackles, doves, robins.  Hardly a surprise.

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Very Banana-y Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Birdfeeding
Community Building Tip: Performance
Birdfeeding
Birdfeeding
In Which a Clue Is Had: Fire Planning
Birdfeeding
Early Irish People
Coping Skills: Garden
Birdfeeding
Good News


Last week's Bonus Fishbowl went well.  I am still writing.  My parents have sponsored the rest of "The Trail of Hope" so I'll get that posted when I can.  


Poetry in Microfunding:

There are two open epics at present.

"The Hobbomak" launches the Bear Tunnels series.  It has 6 new verses.  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 mostly mild and blustery. We got just a sprinkle of rain.  Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large flock of sparrows, a large flock of mourning doves (including courtship behavior), a large flock of grackles, a few robins, several house finches who are draining the thistle sock, a pair of cardinals, a pair of brown thrashers, and a squirrel.  Currently blooming: daffodils, blue grape hyacinths, violets, tulips, cherries, gold currants, bluebells, lilacs, yellow bellflower, white trillium, redbud trees.

An elephant has learned to speak a few words of Korean.

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I found a recipe in Allrecipes magazine that looks very much like the hippie banana bread I grew up with. :D

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Today is sunny and mild.

I fed the birds.  I've seen several house finches and doves, a pair of cardinals, and a robin.

We burned off the firepit.

For my current set of tips, I'm using the list "101 Small Ways You Can Improve Your City.

69. Stage a scene. The public pranks of Improv Everywhere might seem like frivolous fodder for viral videos. But there’s something about witnessing a spectacle that can bring people together like nothing else. Their "No Pants Subway Ride," which started in New York in 2002—and is exactly what it sounds like—has become an annual tradition in dozens of cities.

Almost any kind of performance art can be adapted to public venues.  Be creative.  

Also, look for places in your hometown that are near crowds but not in the way of foot traffic.  Put up some Busk Stop signs, or paint stencils on the ground.  

Today is gray and mild, occasionally spitting rain.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few house finches, a pair of brown thrashers, a dove, a lady cardinal, and a squirrel.

I have done two rounds of digging to transplant comfrey. 

EDIT 4/24/21 -- I went back for a third round of transplanting.  One more should finish the patch I've been working today.

EDIT 4/24/21 -- I finished transplanting the patch of comfrey, and also dug up a few more bits elsewhere.  \o/