poetTown

This guy has Turq's level of skill at bag-wrangling.  See "Filled with Joyous Surprises" for Turq's version.

I enjoy growing dark-colored plants.  I have black flowers, bronze leaves, black fruits, all kinds of interesting things.

( Walk with me ... )

Today is sunny and warm.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches. They've been draining the hopper feeder daily and putting a dent in the thistle feeder.

I put out water for the birds.

My partner Doug is out mowing the house yard.

EDIT 6/11/25 -- I refilled the thistle feeder.

I started trimming grass around the edge of the strip garden, now that I have the big weeds pulled out.

EDIT 6/11/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 6/11/25 -- I took some pictures around the yard.

EDIT 6/11/25 -- I picked half a bag of mulberries in the south lot.

I've seen a skunk on the patio. I've seen a catbird and a phoebe. I heard a red-bellied woodpecker but didn't see it.

EDIT 6/11/25 -- I set up firestarters for the firepit.

I picked half a bag of mulberries along the west fence.

EDIT 6/11/25 -- We lit the bonfire for the esbat tonight. It took a little while to get going but then it burned pretty well. I'll try to check on it later.

Fireflies are out and I've seen a bat.

EDIT 6/11/25 -- I checked the bonfire. It's mostly burned down. I threw most of the stray ends into the middle, but it was still too warm for me to get all the way around. I'll need to go back out later.







.

‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects
A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides.

They include in Germany, where flying insects across 63 insect reserves dropped 75% in less than 30 years; the US, where beetle numbers dropped 83% in 45 years; and Puerto Rico, where insect biomass dropped up to 60-fold since the 1970s. These declines are occurring in ecosystems that are otherwise protected from direct human influence.
[---8<---]
At one research centre – falling within a 22,000-hectare (85 sq mile) stretch of intact forest in Panama – scientists comparing current bird numbers with the 1970s found 70% of species had declined, and 88% of these had lost more than half of their population.


As the insects die off, everything that eats them -- birds, amphibians, reptiles, etc. -- suffers a decline also.

The following poems from the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my Dreamwidth profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods. There are still verses left in the linkback poems "Delight in Another," "A Sense of Weather Changes," "Ouroboros Insects," "The Loving Embrace of Night," "Generations of Cooks Past," "Homefree and Clear, " "One Bite at a Time," "Stars and Diamonds," "Mishpocha," "Changing Your Nature," and "Besa."

( Read more... )

Today is partly sunny and mild.

I fed the birds.  I haven't seen much activity yet.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/10/25 -- I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and at least one mourning dove.

EDIT 6/10/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I heard a blue jay screaming but didn't see it.

EDIT 6/10/25 -- I've been outside a couple of times to walk around the yard.  Fireflies are starting to come out, but it's still so light that they're hard to see.  I may try again later. I've seen a bat over the south lot, and a skunk on the patio.

EDIT 6/10/25 -- We went out a little later to see the fireflies.  This is the most I've seen so far, earlier it was just ones and twos.  There aren't as many as there will be later in the season, but it's the first big flush so we're pleased to see them.

I am done for the night.

Musician Sly Stone has passed away. He will be missed.  Listen to a performance.


Carry on the Work

How to Become a Musician

Social Activism -- how to articles from wikiHow

Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide

Today we visited the butterfly gardens at Lake Charleston.

( Walk with me ... )

Today I started making liquid fertilizer from Russian comfrey. This plant fills a lot of guild roles in permaculture including fertilizer, miner, mulcher, protector, attractor. I have been using it primarily as a bee plant that I can also slash-and-drop several times a season. I grow it under many of my trees and there's some in the prairie garden too.

There are various ways to make liquid fertilizer from comfrey. I will be testing two: 1) a small amount of comfrey leaves in a large amount of water, and 2) only comfrey leaves crammed tightly in a jug. (See Part 2: Leaves.)

( Walk with me ... )

summerofthe69 is now open! You can see the calendar here and the comment prompt post.  The initial theme is "First Time 69: Everyone has to start somewhere."

Welcome to Summer of the 69, an event focused on creative works about the sexual position, open to all fandoms and to original works. Participation is through two means: A comment meme and weekly themes, running from June 9th through September 6th.


Poke a bigot in the eye, make some sexy stuff!