The Wordsmith's Forge

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Review: "Shadows in the Forest"
Wildlife
Litha
Conservation
Wednesday
Tornado Alley
Wildlife
Birdfeeding
How to Reclaim the Past
Science
Philosophical Questions: Help
Birdfeeding
Space Exploration
Creative Jam
Follow Friday 6-19-26: Mythology
Breck's Order
Conservation
Poetry Fishbowl Themes for Late 2026
Birdfeeding
Storm Recovery Poetry Event
I Aten't Ded
Birdfeeding
Food
Read "Fragmentation"
Good News

Poem: "Walnut Park" has 46 comments. Early Humans has 22 comments. Safety has 87 comments.


There are no open epics.

"No Faster or Firmer Friendships" is now complete. Josué reaches out to Aidan to help the refugees.

"Let’s Go on This Journey Together" is now complete. Linus finds that tools and support make his current situation a lot easier to deal with.


The weather has been violent this past week. There has been copious rain and multiple tornadoes in the area. O_O We are okay, the house and yard are okay, but just Sunday a friend had 5 tornadoes in his area. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal , an indigo bunting, and a fox squirrel. We saw a skunk in the yard. Fireflies are swarming. Currently blooming: pansies, violas, sweet alyssum, marigolds, honeysuckle, snapdragons, lantana, million bells, blue lobelia, petunias, portulaca, nemesia, fan flowers, wild chives, firecracker plant, pineapple sage, yucca, Asiatic lilies, daylilies, snowball viburnum, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, spiderwort, narrow-leaved mountain mint, elderberries, golden rain tree. Green fruit: tomatoes, cucumbers. Pink fruit: blackberries. Ripe fruit: mulberries, black raspberries.

Today is cloudy, mild, and damp.  It rained copiously yesterday and probably some in the night.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I potted up 6 pots of Pink Apple sprouts, 5 per pot, for a total of 30.  There are still lots more in that baggie.

EDIT 6/22/26 -- We hauled the big branch from the south lot to the brushpile in the ritual meadow.  We also dragged a dead fallen branch near the firepit to break down later.

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I potted up 6 pots of Pink Apple sprouts, 5 per pot, for a total of 30.  That is 60 overall. There are a few left in the baggie but they are smaller and harder to see, so I put them back in the fridge.

The tree sprouts I planted before the storm are already appearing above the soil. \o/

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I potted up 5 pots of Jonathan Apple sprouts, 5 per pot, for a total of 25.  There are a few left in the baggie but they are smaller and harder to see, so I put them back in the fridge.

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I bagged up some black cherry pits in damp sand to stratify in the refrigerator.

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I also walked down to the new picnic table garden.  The obelisk fell over; I'll need to set that back up.  Several tomato plants have green fruit.  So do several of the peppers.  :D

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I filled a trolley with big sticks from the south lot, then dumped that in the firepit.

EDIT 6/22/26 -- I started breaking up the branch by the firepit.  I reduced the size pretty well but some is too big for me to break.

I've seen at least one bat.  A skunk ambled around the end of the driveway.  Fireflies are swarming all over.  Killdeer are calling in the fields.  There's a bit of fluddle left across the road to the west, and they love the water.  :D

I am done for the night.
 

dialecticdreamer is hosting Feathering the Nest today, always with a theme of fluff and comfort. Leave prompts, get ficlets!