My minions

Today is cloudy and chilly with gusts of wind.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

In the water jug greenhouses, a few shady wildflowers are sprouting.  :D

EDIT 3/9/26 -- My gold curly willow cuttings have arrived!  \o/  I have put two in water and one in a pot.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I took cuttings from the older serviceberry tree and a shellbark hickory sapling to put in the willow cups.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I cracked open some peach pits.  It was a lot easier than I expected.  I found a natural hollow in the concrete step, where I balanced a peach pit on its edge.  A seam goes along the sides.  I put a flathead screwdriver point into the seam and tapped the handle with a hammer.  Most of the peach pits popped apart neatly, releasing the seed.  A couple chipped in fragments.  I think I got several viable seeds, which I put in a baggie of damp sand.  I also bagged up some leftover persimmon seeds.  Then I put the baggies in the refrigerator for cold stratification to see if they'll sprout.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I tried using an ax to hack away at one of the saplings in the driveway.  I certainly made more progress than I did with the saw.  It's slow going, but I might be able to beaver it down eventually.  The question is whether I'll have the time and energy for that, with all the other spring yardening to do.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I transplanted a few more snowdrops from the parking lot to the apricot tree.

I am done for the night.

This poem is spillover from the March 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from siliconshaman and janetmiles. It also fills the "Smudges" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family.

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These are the notes for "Nuff Respect." Enjoy some recipes for Jamaican and Minoan foods in memory of minoanmiss.

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This evening we held our esbat with an owl theme, inspired by the Festival of Owls this weekend.  We charged a set of owl beads for people to keep.

... I am disappointed that I did not think ahead to obtain a gummy rat for the cakes and ale. 

librarygeek has sponsored "Nuff Respect." I'll get that posted as soon as I can, but at the moment I'm gardening while the sun shines.

If anyone else is still shopping for poetry, now's the time to make your final selections.

EDIT 3/8/26 -- janetmiles will be sponsoring "Confident Guesswork and Improvisation."

At the moment, "Walnut Park" and "Foraging Forever" are still available.

Satellites are exposing weak bridges in America and around the world

Satellites may soon help spot the world’s weakest bridges before they collapse.

Satellites are giving scientists a powerful new way to watch over the world’s bridges. Using radar imaging, researchers can detect millimeter-scale movements that may signal early structural problems long before inspectors notice them. The study found many bridges—especially in North America—are aging and increasingly vulnerable, but satellite monitoring could sharply reduce the number classified as high-risk. The approach could be especially valuable in regions where traditional monitoring barely exists.


The problem is, this won't fix the bridges. America already knows that many of its bridges need repair or replacement. There just isn't enough money for all that work. A big issue is that most government funding focuses on building new infrastructure, not maintaining old infrastructure. Satellite data can't change that.

Today is sunny and cool, a beautiful spring day.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches at the hopper feeder, and a male cardinal flying around.

I put out water for the birds.

Several of the gardens are now bursting with flowers. Honeybees are swarming over the flowers. :D

More of the fruit tree seedlings have sprouted in their jugs. The ones in the house are sprouting more too. The willow cuttings in water have rootlets over half an inch now!

EDIT 3/8/26 -- I filled 18 pots in a flat with potting soil.

EDIT 3/8/26 -- I planted fruit sprouts in most of the pots: Ginger Gold apple, Pink apple, and yellow pear. I'm pretty sure that I ran out of Ginger Gold and Pear sprouts. There are some Pink sprouts left, so I'll probably finish the pear row with those.

A fox squirrel was scolding from a tree overhead. I've also seen a dark-eyed junco flying around.

EDIT 3/8/26 -- I finished the last three pots with Pink Apple sprouts, and put labels in all but those. I still need to make the last few labels.

EDIT 3/8/26 -- I labeled the last 3 Pink Apple pots. I put a tub over the flat to serve as a greenhouse.

I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/8/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

EDIT 3/8/26 -- I set up another 12-cell tray indoors with Green Striped Cushaw Winter Squash, seeds I saved from a tiny butternut, Landrace Zucchini, and Lofthouse Landrace Muskmelon. I gave each variety 3 cells, and I put 2 seeds in each cell.