Tiny joys in gross work
Apr. 21st, 2025 02:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sporky_ratVacuuming for the flea issue does lead to some glee when you see all the dead fleas in the water tank of the vacuum.
sporky_rat
Harvest Update
Apr. 21st, 2025 12:50 pmursulas_alcoveYes, so soon, we are harvesting. I cut a little over a half pound of spinach yesterday. Chrono picked a pound of asparagus today. She thinks there could be another half pound in 2 days. Lettuce will also be ready in two days.
I think it is time to put away the frost blankets. They need to be off of the plants at a bare minimum. There are three sets outside. None are in good shape. The backyard strawberry bed got weeded. It isn't flowering yet. I need to paint stones red soon to be pretend strawberries. It helps train baby robins to not eat my berries. It worked last year. I am running late. I painted them last year on the 17th of April.
The front strawberries already have blooms. Those are ever-bearing strawberries while the backyard ones are June bearing. The onions I grew from seed have been planted amongst the June bearing strawberries. There were not that many. The Utah Sweet Spanish onions got planted in front and a little up the side in the cinderblock pockets. The Yellow Granax are short day onions. Those were not appropriate for my area but I planted them anyway. They went along the back cinderblocks. The Red onions, Flat of Italy, went in the bed proper since they should be wider. The biggest achievement of the day was digging a deep hole for a cherry tree. Even though it was a bare root tree, it is in bloom now. The second tree has yet to be planted. Cherries work best in twos for complete germination. Mine are Montgomery (sour) cherries. So, yay! stuff got done.
The lowest temperature over the next ten days will be 46 degrees F. So many plants need to get hardened off before being planted in the ground. The fact that I emptied one tray means I get to bring up another from the basement to take its place on the front steps. I'd like to get the Celosia planted soon although they aren't big yet. I am trying to decide what will go in front of them. They are yellow, orange and red. I have peach colored snapdragons or red salvia, or copper colored strawflowers. I also have peach strawflowers. I thought I'd put nasturtiums in front of those to create a tiered-effect. I have both red nasturtiums and orange. I also have marigolds. Decisions, decisions. . .
I think it is time to put away the frost blankets. They need to be off of the plants at a bare minimum. There are three sets outside. None are in good shape. The backyard strawberry bed got weeded. It isn't flowering yet. I need to paint stones red soon to be pretend strawberries. It helps train baby robins to not eat my berries. It worked last year. I am running late. I painted them last year on the 17th of April.
The front strawberries already have blooms. Those are ever-bearing strawberries while the backyard ones are June bearing. The onions I grew from seed have been planted amongst the June bearing strawberries. There were not that many. The Utah Sweet Spanish onions got planted in front and a little up the side in the cinderblock pockets. The Yellow Granax are short day onions. Those were not appropriate for my area but I planted them anyway. They went along the back cinderblocks. The Red onions, Flat of Italy, went in the bed proper since they should be wider. The biggest achievement of the day was digging a deep hole for a cherry tree. Even though it was a bare root tree, it is in bloom now. The second tree has yet to be planted. Cherries work best in twos for complete germination. Mine are Montgomery (sour) cherries. So, yay! stuff got done.
The lowest temperature over the next ten days will be 46 degrees F. So many plants need to get hardened off before being planted in the ground. The fact that I emptied one tray means I get to bring up another from the basement to take its place on the front steps. I'd like to get the Celosia planted soon although they aren't big yet. I am trying to decide what will go in front of them. They are yellow, orange and red. I have peach colored snapdragons or red salvia, or copper colored strawflowers. I also have peach strawflowers. I thought I'd put nasturtiums in front of those to create a tiered-effect. I have both red nasturtiums and orange. I also have marigolds. Decisions, decisions. . .
april babble
Apr. 19th, 2025 07:08 pmdonutsweeperUgh this month. I am on take 3 of my h/c assignment. Here's hoping this one actually works. After finishing that blanket and oven mitt I decided to try to use a recently adopted skein into shawl/scarf/wrap thing and only after completing a shawl I realized I hated the shape (it was one of those 'start with tiny triangle and increase in the first and last stitch of every row' things and the resulting shape was weird and extreme) so I puttered about with a few different patterns before finally finding one that worked (technically a pattern called the 'Gratitude Wrap'). I'll probably never wear it, but whatever. Lookie:
(Terrible picture, but I actually blocked this and it made such a difference, growing from 52"x13.5" to 62x 15.5
I then decided to make a string/market bag thing and have just frogged my 4th attempt. No idea why none are working but boy they are not. Time to put that project on the back burner for a while.
I don't *think* tumblr will go down any time soon, but the most recent round of 'the sky is falling' posts there got me to start weeding through my favorited posts (aka stuff to look at later posts) and, while I've still tons to go through, I've added a few dozen more links to various of my Resource Posts (here's the link to the Masterpost. And yes, at some point I will figure out how to either organize the stupidly long history (etc) and randomness posts or split them into two posts each or just a new third one? Or something, I don't know). Ugh. Both posts are such a mess. But, to be fair, when I first collected the links for posting them (SEVEN years ago, wow) there was just under 800 or so links in total between the 10 posts. Now there's over 2k and 11 posts, so it's not surprising organization has fallen by the wayside a little.
And, last but not least, several weeks worth of![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
recthething recs (MDZS/Untamed fics and tumblr art for a bunch of different fandoms):
Last(?) Loop by PyrrhaIphis (10k)
Summary Snippet: Have you ever wondered what a time loop story looks like to the people who aren't doing the looping? This is that fic! Wei Wuxian is living his life over and over again, and this time he thinks he's finally figured out how to get it right so no one he cares about will die. But we're only getting to see the effects of what he's doing through the eyes of others. (really neat take on a time travel fix-it)
Documented Fact by Scrippio (7k)
Summary: In which Zizhen transfers schools and can't quite believe his new professors are rivals the way everyone else says. Or: 5 times no one listened to Zizhen and 1 confirmation (adorable modern-with-cultivation Cultivation University Zizhen POV fic)
The Devil Went Down to Gusu by Nomme_dePlume (21k)
Summary Snippet: Wei Wuxian laughed. “Ah, Lan Zhan, I like you! Let’s be friends! And as a sign of friendship, I’ll tell you a little secret.” He leaned forward, and as he did, his sweet, amused smile curled into something nasty, and his eyes glowed a red so bright, the clearing looked bathed in blood. “I’m as much of a devil as I need to be to cleanse this world of the unrighteous.” He winked again. “Tell your friends about me.” (really great canon divergent AU where WWX has been a story told by the cultivation sects for years and finally makes an appearance)
tumblr art:
Babylon 5
- Vir is best boy. (delightful animation of one of Vir's most iconic scenes)
M*A*S*H*:
- P*E*A*N*U*T*S (various characters drawn in 'Peanuts' style. Adorable!)
MDZS/The Untamed
- they're just so happy (really cute yunmeng trio)
- YLLZ sunshot campaign ver. (spooky wwx at his yiling laozhu best)
- "He has been proper and righteous his whole life, untouched by the corruption of the secular world. The only mistake he has ever made in his life is you!" (powerful art of what the whipping scene might have looked like)
The Muppets
- an album cover for Rowlf (mockup of what a record by rowlf might look like, loved it)
Sylvester - Georgette Heyer
- embroidered hot water bottle cover (excellently done!)
I suspect I'm going to run out of stuff to rec soon, which is a shame since I've been reccing every week there for close to 4 years but I guess it was bound to happen eventually.
(Terrible picture, but I actually blocked this and it made such a difference, growing from 52"x13.5" to 62x 15.5
I then decided to make a string/market bag thing and have just frogged my 4th attempt. No idea why none are working but boy they are not. Time to put that project on the back burner for a while.
I don't *think* tumblr will go down any time soon, but the most recent round of 'the sky is falling' posts there got me to start weeding through my favorited posts (aka stuff to look at later posts) and, while I've still tons to go through, I've added a few dozen more links to various of my Resource Posts (here's the link to the Masterpost. And yes, at some point I will figure out how to either organize the stupidly long history (etc) and randomness posts or split them into two posts each or just a new third one? Or something, I don't know). Ugh. Both posts are such a mess. But, to be fair, when I first collected the links for posting them (SEVEN years ago, wow) there was just under 800 or so links in total between the 10 posts. Now there's over 2k and 11 posts, so it's not surprising organization has fallen by the wayside a little.
And, last but not least, several weeks worth of
recthething recs (MDZS/Untamed fics and tumblr art for a bunch of different fandoms): Last(?) Loop by PyrrhaIphis (10k)
Summary Snippet: Have you ever wondered what a time loop story looks like to the people who aren't doing the looping? This is that fic! Wei Wuxian is living his life over and over again, and this time he thinks he's finally figured out how to get it right so no one he cares about will die. But we're only getting to see the effects of what he's doing through the eyes of others. (really neat take on a time travel fix-it)
Documented Fact by Scrippio (7k)
Summary: In which Zizhen transfers schools and can't quite believe his new professors are rivals the way everyone else says. Or: 5 times no one listened to Zizhen and 1 confirmation (adorable modern-with-cultivation Cultivation University Zizhen POV fic)
The Devil Went Down to Gusu by Nomme_dePlume (21k)
Summary Snippet: Wei Wuxian laughed. “Ah, Lan Zhan, I like you! Let’s be friends! And as a sign of friendship, I’ll tell you a little secret.” He leaned forward, and as he did, his sweet, amused smile curled into something nasty, and his eyes glowed a red so bright, the clearing looked bathed in blood. “I’m as much of a devil as I need to be to cleanse this world of the unrighteous.” He winked again. “Tell your friends about me.” (really great canon divergent AU where WWX has been a story told by the cultivation sects for years and finally makes an appearance)
tumblr art:
Babylon 5
- Vir is best boy. (delightful animation of one of Vir's most iconic scenes)
M*A*S*H*:
- P*E*A*N*U*T*S (various characters drawn in 'Peanuts' style. Adorable!)
MDZS/The Untamed
- they're just so happy (really cute yunmeng trio)
- YLLZ sunshot campaign ver. (spooky wwx at his yiling laozhu best)
- "He has been proper and righteous his whole life, untouched by the corruption of the secular world. The only mistake he has ever made in his life is you!" (powerful art of what the whipping scene might have looked like)
The Muppets
- an album cover for Rowlf (mockup of what a record by rowlf might look like, loved it)
Sylvester - Georgette Heyer
- embroidered hot water bottle cover (excellently done!)
I suspect I'm going to run out of stuff to rec soon, which is a shame since I've been reccing every week there for close to 4 years but I guess it was bound to happen eventually.
T Minus 2 Weeks and Counting
Apr. 19th, 2025 09:04 amursulas_alcoveAccording to the Old Farmer's Almanac, my area's last frost date is May 3rd. I've seen it snow on Memorial Day before but I've also seen our last freeze in early February. Average is just that, an average between extremes. My instinct tells me our last freeze and frost was Wednesday April 16th this year. I could be wrong, but the weather forecast looks real favorable for planting. Frosts occur when the dewpoint is above the lowest temperature that night or early morning. Water condenses out of the atmosphere. If the temperature is low enough, it can land on plants and damage leaves. A hard freeze is when the temperature is below 32 F or 0 C. But keep in mind that air temperature and soil temperature are two different things. If the soil is warm and the plants are covered, cold hardy varieties will be fine. If your soil is still frozen, you probably don't have plants.
In theory, it means that I should be starting squash/pumpkins inside, which could then be planted when all danger of frost is gone. In reality, I am preparing beds, weeding, amending soil, and hardening off plants. I need the trays and pots already in use to get rid of my bottleneck. Three trays have been planted so far, strawberries, beets, and my chard/celery. I also planted lettuce, but truth be told, it didn't look good. It sat too long in a container. It could recover. Hard to say. I also ordered plants that I didn't grow from seed myself. I have Patterson onions planted in 2 beds. Note: The strawberries were bare root and had to be planted in pots until the weather settled.
I still have more potatoes to plant in containers. I have trellises to build. I have cinderblocks to move. And more flowers to up pot. I've already up potted Mexican sunflowers, Celosia, Snapdragons, Lupine, Carnations, and Foxglove. I planted two hills each of cucumbers, one for eating and one for pickling. It's almost time to direct sow carrots, parsnips, and other plants. I think I missed my window on planting arugula. More lettuce needs to be planted as well. For a continuous supply, every three weeks is recommended.
The already planted potato grow bags are all outside now. My hose has been getting a workout. Supposedly it will rain tonight. I am not holding my breath. I will try to get everything I can planted this evening. Now off to put more trays outside. Trellises could happen after lunch. Bed prep could happen later this morning because there are two cherry trees that need to be in the ground. There is a lot to do.
In theory, it means that I should be starting squash/pumpkins inside, which could then be planted when all danger of frost is gone. In reality, I am preparing beds, weeding, amending soil, and hardening off plants. I need the trays and pots already in use to get rid of my bottleneck. Three trays have been planted so far, strawberries, beets, and my chard/celery. I also planted lettuce, but truth be told, it didn't look good. It sat too long in a container. It could recover. Hard to say. I also ordered plants that I didn't grow from seed myself. I have Patterson onions planted in 2 beds. Note: The strawberries were bare root and had to be planted in pots until the weather settled.
I still have more potatoes to plant in containers. I have trellises to build. I have cinderblocks to move. And more flowers to up pot. I've already up potted Mexican sunflowers, Celosia, Snapdragons, Lupine, Carnations, and Foxglove. I planted two hills each of cucumbers, one for eating and one for pickling. It's almost time to direct sow carrots, parsnips, and other plants. I think I missed my window on planting arugula. More lettuce needs to be planted as well. For a continuous supply, every three weeks is recommended.
The already planted potato grow bags are all outside now. My hose has been getting a workout. Supposedly it will rain tonight. I am not holding my breath. I will try to get everything I can planted this evening. Now off to put more trays outside. Trellises could happen after lunch. Bed prep could happen later this morning because there are two cherry trees that need to be in the ground. There is a lot to do.
Farmer's Market -- 19 April 2025 (Grafting Knife Day, 30th of Germination, Year 233)
Apr. 19th, 2025 11:41 amcrafty_packratQuail eggs, cracked-pepper goat cheese, ramps, porterhouse steak, morels, royal oyster mushrooms, asparagus, 2 tomato plants (Patio & Mr. Stripey), a dianthus, a petunia, 3 six-packs of brocade marigolds, and brown sugar kettle corn.
I'm going to try making compound butter with some of the ramps.
I'm going to try making compound butter with some of the ramps.
return to return to return to return
Apr. 18th, 2025 03:50 pmpeatweaveroh, i'm truly done for.
i don't know what's what.
all i've got is the trail.
i won't make it into something bigger.
baby bunny nestled sleepily behind my ribs.
all the other threads burned away, and the only one left leads me back, so i'll go. be guided.
maybe one of the others i pick up after will be it.
or maybe this one, small as it is, persistent, is the one meant.
i'm sick again. post nasal drip, aches.
it'll be a week til i'm on some mountain or another.
i have surrendered trustfully. it's all up to the puller of my fate-strings.
i got to feeling too much choice which frightened me. back to this.
it would be sweet if it's like, the smallest thing was the realest.
the quietest thing was the truest and most knowing. and it was me, presumptuous as i am, who failed to recognize it. it would make for a good story. i know it's got to be a good one. the best. the most beautiful. the highest. oh, who am i kidding?
this baby-bunny-thread, barely breathing, i can't even spin a story from it at all without laughing at myself. it's so quiet, so small. how could it be anything?
i will let it be what it is, tiny little thing. go, return, see what's waited.
it is funny, though. to be walking and hinging everything on a single little thread. probably, it's utterly unaware it holds all of me. the rest i'll lighten, make as weightless as i can, by dispersing it to winds. can't break the whole thing under me, now can i. i'll go light, walk light.
that's all i'm to do.
to cup its smallness in my hands. to be unsure, all summer long, and still go. to laugh at myself, and still go. to carry a thread so small i can’t even see it half the time, and still let it tug me across the earth like it’s got the whole damned map in its mouth.
i don't know what's what.
all i've got is the trail.
i won't make it into something bigger.
baby bunny nestled sleepily behind my ribs.
all the other threads burned away, and the only one left leads me back, so i'll go. be guided.
maybe one of the others i pick up after will be it.
or maybe this one, small as it is, persistent, is the one meant.
i'm sick again. post nasal drip, aches.
it'll be a week til i'm on some mountain or another.
i have surrendered trustfully. it's all up to the puller of my fate-strings.
i got to feeling too much choice which frightened me. back to this.
it would be sweet if it's like, the smallest thing was the realest.
the quietest thing was the truest and most knowing. and it was me, presumptuous as i am, who failed to recognize it. it would make for a good story. i know it's got to be a good one. the best. the most beautiful. the highest. oh, who am i kidding?
this baby-bunny-thread, barely breathing, i can't even spin a story from it at all without laughing at myself. it's so quiet, so small. how could it be anything?
i will let it be what it is, tiny little thing. go, return, see what's waited.
it is funny, though. to be walking and hinging everything on a single little thread. probably, it's utterly unaware it holds all of me. the rest i'll lighten, make as weightless as i can, by dispersing it to winds. can't break the whole thing under me, now can i. i'll go light, walk light.
that's all i'm to do.
to cup its smallness in my hands. to be unsure, all summer long, and still go. to laugh at myself, and still go. to carry a thread so small i can’t even see it half the time, and still let it tug me across the earth like it’s got the whole damned map in its mouth.
mother bear
Apr. 17th, 2025 11:39 ampeatweaverbad news for me--
the ground's too froze to dig, permissions need to be got for above-ground work.
i won't get to bury my hides in the bog this year. by the time the mountain is ready for human-holding for the season, it'll be time for me to go northward, to my own place.
this isn't the end.
maybe next spring, right?
if not, i can find a way up there myself some fall's precipice or another.
i don't need any human's permission for that.
does a raven need ask approval before barrel-rolling?
i have new eyes for kibi now.
having met another taiga, one who somehow mirrored nimyulk's form more or less closely..
i can let go of some of my attachment and clinging. i can revere the mountain, hold it in the most precious place of my memory, as the land who raised me up and spit me out.
my mother bear of a mountain.
she was never meant to be my forever home, now was she?
she doesn't hold purple-blooming azaleas, or much in the way of reindeer and their lichen.
i've been kicked out of the nest, told "go on, get."
change, with all things.
i will look to the western horizon, past earth,sea, sky. i felt what's meant. it doesn't make it so easy. 💔
the ground's too froze to dig, permissions need to be got for above-ground work.
i won't get to bury my hides in the bog this year. by the time the mountain is ready for human-holding for the season, it'll be time for me to go northward, to my own place.
this isn't the end.
maybe next spring, right?
if not, i can find a way up there myself some fall's precipice or another.
i don't need any human's permission for that.
does a raven need ask approval before barrel-rolling?
i have new eyes for kibi now.
having met another taiga, one who somehow mirrored nimyulk's form more or less closely..
i can let go of some of my attachment and clinging. i can revere the mountain, hold it in the most precious place of my memory, as the land who raised me up and spit me out.
my mother bear of a mountain.
she was never meant to be my forever home, now was she?
she doesn't hold purple-blooming azaleas, or much in the way of reindeer and their lichen.
i've been kicked out of the nest, told "go on, get."
change, with all things.
i will look to the western horizon, past earth,sea, sky. i felt what's meant. it doesn't make it so easy. 💔
The one downside to warm weather and open windows
Apr. 17th, 2025 12:15 pmsporky_ratAUGH THE FLEAS THE WRETCHED FLEAS STARTED EARLY
(Also wow this year has been bad already, we haven't had a year this bad in A WHILE)
what can happen in a year?
Apr. 16th, 2025 08:12 pmpeatweaverfound myself on the steppe,
in the taiga,
in the valley on the side of the stony riverbed.
little twin girls i fell in love with there. i suddenly could see myself a mother.
a sweet shy quiet man who tucked in my feet, tied the belt of my deel, and leaned against my leg as i sat on a stump by a fire and he sat in the moss. i don't know why, after seven long months, i thought of him again.
the reindeer herd.
the horse herd raised by his father. "the highest of horses"--i remember being landed in the softest way by the sure-footed moon-haired one, how they tromped us through bog and mountain both, and i agree.
his father adores me. his mother fussed over me. his sister is patient. his brother, the other guide, is a contrast. i was entrusted once with his 1,5 year old niece for a day.
they all nicknamed me mountain queen from day one. to be recognized like this by mongols feels pretty sweet.
i did more wanderings after that, too..
circlings-back..
i had an encounter with an ainu woodcarver. he came like a fate might, but time told another truth.
he named me a kamuy, gave me names, tried to play take-back. ah well. i'm still like the swan and the sable to myself.
he traveled to be near me when we spoke only crafting philosophy. didn't ask my permission, either. then he took care of me when i was sick. maybe i shouldn't have let him that time. i was naive.
problem was he rushed me, spoke way too heavy, before knowing any of my world.
in other words, sought to secure me, abate his loneliness, without center of his own.
i learned a whole lot from that one..at least i never let him touch me.
and my dear friend will led me astray. what's with all the romance i never asked for?
he spoke words of devotion, overtly. i didn't even realize it, clueless as i am, til later.
i did finally come to, then confronted him. he got scared.
everyone is scared of me, actually.
i got called selfish by so many different men for continually declaring that i am singularly wed to land.
let me make like a monk, i say. don't want me. i protected my solitude fiercely.
be a friend to me, let's be as kin from different shores of sky, or be nothing.
selfish, they say, and then they beg of me..
all's i can say is that i got sick of impositions. i became wiser and surer of myself.
my annual mountain hermitage always comes at ripe timing.
despite all this, i have been in a state of blissful inevitability and trusting certainty.
i studied bark cloth weaving. fiber crafts. mud building.
i thought that my bliss-state would leave at some point, but it's here to stay.
half a year and it remains, only growing. i'm so at peace with myself, under all the noise.
any distractions from it are temporary. solitude picks it right up again. it's my new default.
the landscape that remained wholly uncomplicated for me was, of course, that taiga.
and, oh, that taiga...
the moment i saw the azaleas, i knew i was done for.
just like that, i caught the scent-trail i was waiting this whole life for.
displacement's all it was, i figure. the wind blew away my spirit.
but my instinct's too strong. i have got a stronger inner compass than ever before.
i will return, certainly. outer and inner mongolia.
i went up the mountain this morning, but had to come back down because some wire's got to be dug up and buried again..
tons of hides, wild silkmoth cocoons, and i don't know what else.
hopefully i still get to do my bog burials.
haha.
what a bizarre little life.
i don't know why he tucked in my feet like that.
or cut me fabric to sew, only to find it was something for myself he wanted me to make.
helped me set up for smoking my reindeer calf hide, the calf bit and killed by a wolf.
i don't know why they let me into their home at all, telling me it wasn't appropriate i stay in the guesthouse with strangers, when that's all i had done thus far under their watch and care. tucked my feet in his family's tiny home. what even was that? i huffed shyly from under my blanket and he looked at me so softly.
i don't know why he had brought a single candle into the taiga with us, before that. we'd met a couple hours before we left by horseback. he made us dumplings that last night, and served it with candlelight. tended the tent's stove fire every night, and once when i woke he smiled and murmured softly at me. i gave $3000 to my friend who wants a cabin there, so i have a place to stay every fall through to winter. the money is actually going into his and his brother's hands, because they're doing the building. my friend told me "i'll see you every year to the village. [he] will take care of you."
he's the only one who never used his words but only tender, unimposing actions.
i swear i hardly heard him speak even mongolian.
for goodness sake....baby-faced horse boy. younger than me.
quiet, gentle man who looks for hidden flowers in taiga meadows. he's as shy as i am, isn't he?
sometimes, i think i never met a realer man before him.
i don't want this affliction..
the only reason i write any of this at all is, he's reverently and thoroughly of that place. i saw him match the song to the camp. all storying about a fateful place of meeting. that did not fall on deaf ears. not with me listening.
Энэ газрыг уу?
my yarrow stalks refuse to tell me anything but that he is careful, that he waits.
i must have drawn them a dozen times. the same hexagrams, over and over.
damn it. we have a total language barrier. i started studying mongolian weeks ago.
i'm sure it was nothing to him. or he drinks. or something else. maybe. probably.
in the taiga,
in the valley on the side of the stony riverbed.
little twin girls i fell in love with there. i suddenly could see myself a mother.
a sweet shy quiet man who tucked in my feet, tied the belt of my deel, and leaned against my leg as i sat on a stump by a fire and he sat in the moss. i don't know why, after seven long months, i thought of him again.
the reindeer herd.
the horse herd raised by his father. "the highest of horses"--i remember being landed in the softest way by the sure-footed moon-haired one, how they tromped us through bog and mountain both, and i agree.
his father adores me. his mother fussed over me. his sister is patient. his brother, the other guide, is a contrast. i was entrusted once with his 1,5 year old niece for a day.
they all nicknamed me mountain queen from day one. to be recognized like this by mongols feels pretty sweet.
i did more wanderings after that, too..
circlings-back..
i had an encounter with an ainu woodcarver. he came like a fate might, but time told another truth.
he named me a kamuy, gave me names, tried to play take-back. ah well. i'm still like the swan and the sable to myself.
he traveled to be near me when we spoke only crafting philosophy. didn't ask my permission, either. then he took care of me when i was sick. maybe i shouldn't have let him that time. i was naive.
problem was he rushed me, spoke way too heavy, before knowing any of my world.
in other words, sought to secure me, abate his loneliness, without center of his own.
i learned a whole lot from that one..at least i never let him touch me.
and my dear friend will led me astray. what's with all the romance i never asked for?
he spoke words of devotion, overtly. i didn't even realize it, clueless as i am, til later.
i did finally come to, then confronted him. he got scared.
everyone is scared of me, actually.
i got called selfish by so many different men for continually declaring that i am singularly wed to land.
let me make like a monk, i say. don't want me. i protected my solitude fiercely.
be a friend to me, let's be as kin from different shores of sky, or be nothing.
selfish, they say, and then they beg of me..
all's i can say is that i got sick of impositions. i became wiser and surer of myself.
my annual mountain hermitage always comes at ripe timing.
despite all this, i have been in a state of blissful inevitability and trusting certainty.
i studied bark cloth weaving. fiber crafts. mud building.
i thought that my bliss-state would leave at some point, but it's here to stay.
half a year and it remains, only growing. i'm so at peace with myself, under all the noise.
any distractions from it are temporary. solitude picks it right up again. it's my new default.
the landscape that remained wholly uncomplicated for me was, of course, that taiga.
and, oh, that taiga...
the moment i saw the azaleas, i knew i was done for.
just like that, i caught the scent-trail i was waiting this whole life for.
displacement's all it was, i figure. the wind blew away my spirit.
but my instinct's too strong. i have got a stronger inner compass than ever before.
i will return, certainly. outer and inner mongolia.
i went up the mountain this morning, but had to come back down because some wire's got to be dug up and buried again..
tons of hides, wild silkmoth cocoons, and i don't know what else.
hopefully i still get to do my bog burials.
haha.
what a bizarre little life.
i don't know why he tucked in my feet like that.
or cut me fabric to sew, only to find it was something for myself he wanted me to make.
helped me set up for smoking my reindeer calf hide, the calf bit and killed by a wolf.
i don't know why they let me into their home at all, telling me it wasn't appropriate i stay in the guesthouse with strangers, when that's all i had done thus far under their watch and care. tucked my feet in his family's tiny home. what even was that? i huffed shyly from under my blanket and he looked at me so softly.
i don't know why he had brought a single candle into the taiga with us, before that. we'd met a couple hours before we left by horseback. he made us dumplings that last night, and served it with candlelight. tended the tent's stove fire every night, and once when i woke he smiled and murmured softly at me. i gave $3000 to my friend who wants a cabin there, so i have a place to stay every fall through to winter. the money is actually going into his and his brother's hands, because they're doing the building. my friend told me "i'll see you every year to the village. [he] will take care of you."
he's the only one who never used his words but only tender, unimposing actions.
i swear i hardly heard him speak even mongolian.
for goodness sake....baby-faced horse boy. younger than me.
quiet, gentle man who looks for hidden flowers in taiga meadows. he's as shy as i am, isn't he?
sometimes, i think i never met a realer man before him.
i don't want this affliction..
the only reason i write any of this at all is, he's reverently and thoroughly of that place. i saw him match the song to the camp. all storying about a fateful place of meeting. that did not fall on deaf ears. not with me listening.
Энэ газрыг уу?
my yarrow stalks refuse to tell me anything but that he is careful, that he waits.
i must have drawn them a dozen times. the same hexagrams, over and over.
damn it. we have a total language barrier. i started studying mongolian weeks ago.
i'm sure it was nothing to him. or he drinks. or something else. maybe. probably.
Randomness
Apr. 16th, 2025 09:22 amursulas_alcoveYesterday was a day of weather, aches and pains, and random power outages. Not every day is a productive day. We do the best we can. Dishes got done anyhow. Errands were annoying with every traffic light out. My guess is the rain followed by a wind storm knocked down trees. The traffic lights were out for 2 hours. The house had power fluctuations but thankfully we had power.
I learned I really shouldn't knit without back support. I am out of shape. My husband is an epileptic. What that means is that we don't have chairs. Over the years, seizure after seizure has cost him a lot of his memories and caused me a loss of furniture. Hospital bills while they sorted out his medication were extremely painful so the furniture never got replaced. It is what it is. No back support. I have weaving benches or the floor. Treasure your memories. Not everyone gets to keep theirs. I do my best to help him rebuild his neural pathways.
Quince
Today's chores are all over the map. Every bed in the garden wants something done all at the same time. I started making a list and gave up when it got too long. Gardens are all about timing. The trees typically need to be planted by April 15th to ensure survival as dry season approaches. The weeds are overwhelming. Purple dead nettle as far as the eye can see. Some thistles thrown in for good measure along with yellow dock. My area is 2 weeks away from last frost. Melons, cucumbers, and squash need to be started. Tonight will see frost for sure. The dewpoint is 32 and the temperature will hit 30. All the potatoes in grow bags must be put undercover. We'll lose quinces and apples. I can't cover them adequately. Someone down the hill has tree covers that look like giant hair nets. I wonder where you get something like that? They may have made them themselves because they fit perfectly.
Apple
I am running out of potting soil and pots. The goal was to move everything out in waves. Plant the cold weather crops into the ground and the reuse the pots for the warm weather plants. The weather didn't cooperate. Not all of the cold weather plants can go in the ground until tomorrow. Some of the beets went in with the rest of the strawberries. But the additional work that one small section caused! The Siberian elm tree removal went okay. Four hostas started popping up. Those got moved to the back. The soil in the back is pure clay and solid as a rock. I worked to put the hostas around a hazelnut tree. The thistles and other weeds were thick. Then back to the front to put in the beets and strawberries. Soil had to get mixed to replace all the hosta holes. Nothing is ever easy. Bed preparation is really a chore on its own.
Lupine, Purple Carnations, and Celosia
I'll pot up the above picture next. There is also a tray of snapdragon ready to harden off. The first level of the terrace should do them nicely. Again, bed prep, weld and St John's Wort need to be moved, probably also yarrow. A little soil improvement is in order too. I'm thinking perlite to loosen the soil. We'll see. It looks like I'm focusing on plants that I know where I want to put them, but really, it's just random. Flowers mostly go into the front yard but some will end up in the back to attract pollinators to the rest of my crops.
Every year, it's more and more random. I think, "Oh, I'll have it in hand by last frost date, May 3rd". Then, it becomes "Surely I'll have it looking nice by Memorial Day". But I still have to get all the warm weather plants in which are in the back garden, like tomatoes. The front gets neglected. Then surely by Flag Day (June 14th) but I still have all these plants and it's almost the 4th of July! giggle We know how this works.
Several of the plants to go in the front are perennials. I shall conveniently avoid having to do this in the future if I can get them to take. That is always the trick. Drought, frosts, and destructive animals have taken their toll. The deer decided that crocuses taste the best this year. Go figure!
Well, it's a plan anyway.
I learned I really shouldn't knit without back support. I am out of shape. My husband is an epileptic. What that means is that we don't have chairs. Over the years, seizure after seizure has cost him a lot of his memories and caused me a loss of furniture. Hospital bills while they sorted out his medication were extremely painful so the furniture never got replaced. It is what it is. No back support. I have weaving benches or the floor. Treasure your memories. Not everyone gets to keep theirs. I do my best to help him rebuild his neural pathways.
Quince
Today's chores are all over the map. Every bed in the garden wants something done all at the same time. I started making a list and gave up when it got too long. Gardens are all about timing. The trees typically need to be planted by April 15th to ensure survival as dry season approaches. The weeds are overwhelming. Purple dead nettle as far as the eye can see. Some thistles thrown in for good measure along with yellow dock. My area is 2 weeks away from last frost. Melons, cucumbers, and squash need to be started. Tonight will see frost for sure. The dewpoint is 32 and the temperature will hit 30. All the potatoes in grow bags must be put undercover. We'll lose quinces and apples. I can't cover them adequately. Someone down the hill has tree covers that look like giant hair nets. I wonder where you get something like that? They may have made them themselves because they fit perfectly.
Apple
I am running out of potting soil and pots. The goal was to move everything out in waves. Plant the cold weather crops into the ground and the reuse the pots for the warm weather plants. The weather didn't cooperate. Not all of the cold weather plants can go in the ground until tomorrow. Some of the beets went in with the rest of the strawberries. But the additional work that one small section caused! The Siberian elm tree removal went okay. Four hostas started popping up. Those got moved to the back. The soil in the back is pure clay and solid as a rock. I worked to put the hostas around a hazelnut tree. The thistles and other weeds were thick. Then back to the front to put in the beets and strawberries. Soil had to get mixed to replace all the hosta holes. Nothing is ever easy. Bed preparation is really a chore on its own.
Lupine, Purple Carnations, and Celosia
I'll pot up the above picture next. There is also a tray of snapdragon ready to harden off. The first level of the terrace should do them nicely. Again, bed prep, weld and St John's Wort need to be moved, probably also yarrow. A little soil improvement is in order too. I'm thinking perlite to loosen the soil. We'll see. It looks like I'm focusing on plants that I know where I want to put them, but really, it's just random. Flowers mostly go into the front yard but some will end up in the back to attract pollinators to the rest of my crops.
Every year, it's more and more random. I think, "Oh, I'll have it in hand by last frost date, May 3rd". Then, it becomes "Surely I'll have it looking nice by Memorial Day". But I still have to get all the warm weather plants in which are in the back garden, like tomatoes. The front gets neglected. Then surely by Flag Day (June 14th) but I still have all these plants and it's almost the 4th of July! giggle We know how this works.
Several of the plants to go in the front are perennials. I shall conveniently avoid having to do this in the future if I can get them to take. That is always the trick. Drought, frosts, and destructive animals have taken their toll. The deer decided that crocuses taste the best this year. Go figure!
Well, it's a plan anyway.
Armageddon?
Apr. 13th, 2025 07:16 pmursulas_alcoveI just got back from the hardware store. There is almost no soil available. I had to ask them to find me Perlite. It was the second time I have looked for it over a 2 week time span. They had it but it wasn't out. Score me! They had a ton of mulch in many colors but it wasn't what I needed. The perlite lets me get started on the giant potato pots. Unfortunately, they were out of raised bed soil which I also need. Next time. . .
The weather will be warm (70s) but turning cold on Wednesday, back down to freezing at night. Storms move in tomorrow. I have a lot to get done. I lugged the bags of soil that I already had to near the beds they need to go in. Wet soil is really heavy.
My favorite podcast covered what it might mean to plant like your life depends on it. The MI Gardener vlogged a video on recession proofing your garden this year. What to plant and why. Optimizing each square foot per amount of food you can produce. Containers, succession planting, vertical gardening, etc. all to help maximize yield. Planting things on time is critical. So apparently people are really scared. The reason they discussed this was because of the trends on social media. It's the number one concern.
I felt competent that I already had almost all of MI Gardeners recommendations. I am not as dumb as I look. If you want to view it, here's a link:
https://youtu.be/WoPm5R0OaKg?si=e7JeUzF9RyYCj_KV
I am just not planting things I am allergic to, like garlic and peppers. A lot of people are worried with farmers losing big time, no workers, big bills, no government payments: there is too much to unpack here. Tariffs hit them really hard. If China won't buy Washington State apples, if there are no immigrants to pick food, if the government bailed on reimbursing them for contracts already in progress, if school lunch subsidies are canceled, diminished SNAP payments, ; you get the idea. It seems to be a scheme to buy their farmland on the cheap. Many billionaires are scarfing up land.
Yes, I do believe more people than ever will be growing some of their own food.
Meanwhile, work continues on the pile of woodchips. The mandala garden is lined with chips. Two more beds were weeded. Some of Katarina's irises came up after last year's horrible drought. A hollyhock made it too. The amount of purple dead nettle is astonishing. I am weeding with a knife. The invasive buttercup is the worst to remove.
Things coming up this next week, besides taxes:
1. weed the rest of the area around the dead maple, including a Siberian Elm removal.
2. plant the excess strawberries.
3. prepare a bed for the tomatoes/celery and chard.
Yes, that means removing more buttercups, quack grass and nettles.
4. Put wood chips on the backyard garden paths.
5. dig big holes and plant the cherry trees.
That's just for starters. I have 10 pots of potatoes to plant yet. Some might require more trips to a store for soil. I need to layout the new raspberry patch. I need to get vinegar on the tree stumps to stop new growth. I need to work on trellises. Everything, everywhere, all at once.
The weather will be warm (70s) but turning cold on Wednesday, back down to freezing at night. Storms move in tomorrow. I have a lot to get done. I lugged the bags of soil that I already had to near the beds they need to go in. Wet soil is really heavy.
My favorite podcast covered what it might mean to plant like your life depends on it. The MI Gardener vlogged a video on recession proofing your garden this year. What to plant and why. Optimizing each square foot per amount of food you can produce. Containers, succession planting, vertical gardening, etc. all to help maximize yield. Planting things on time is critical. So apparently people are really scared. The reason they discussed this was because of the trends on social media. It's the number one concern.
I felt competent that I already had almost all of MI Gardeners recommendations. I am not as dumb as I look. If you want to view it, here's a link:
https://youtu.be/WoPm5R0OaKg?si=e7JeUzF9RyYCj_KV
I am just not planting things I am allergic to, like garlic and peppers. A lot of people are worried with farmers losing big time, no workers, big bills, no government payments: there is too much to unpack here. Tariffs hit them really hard. If China won't buy Washington State apples, if there are no immigrants to pick food, if the government bailed on reimbursing them for contracts already in progress, if school lunch subsidies are canceled, diminished SNAP payments, ; you get the idea. It seems to be a scheme to buy their farmland on the cheap. Many billionaires are scarfing up land.
Yes, I do believe more people than ever will be growing some of their own food.
Meanwhile, work continues on the pile of woodchips. The mandala garden is lined with chips. Two more beds were weeded. Some of Katarina's irises came up after last year's horrible drought. A hollyhock made it too. The amount of purple dead nettle is astonishing. I am weeding with a knife. The invasive buttercup is the worst to remove.
Things coming up this next week, besides taxes:
1. weed the rest of the area around the dead maple, including a Siberian Elm removal.
2. plant the excess strawberries.
3. prepare a bed for the tomatoes/celery and chard.
Yes, that means removing more buttercups, quack grass and nettles.
4. Put wood chips on the backyard garden paths.
5. dig big holes and plant the cherry trees.
That's just for starters. I have 10 pots of potatoes to plant yet. Some might require more trips to a store for soil. I need to layout the new raspberry patch. I need to get vinegar on the tree stumps to stop new growth. I need to work on trellises. Everything, everywhere, all at once.
perfume day 7
Apr. 13th, 2025 02:01 pmsporky_ratImaginary Author's Slow Explosions
Notes: Saffron, Rose Absolute, Leather, Apple, Benzoin, Cashmeran, Arpora Night Market
WELP NOPE
This is a NOPE right out of the bottle onto the skin, wow. I have never been so grossed out by leather and the smell of cheap gin EVER in my life.
Edit: it has been described by Brent as "elder horse girl". Leather and gin and some sort of weird animal smell.
Remembering to use this thing to keep track of things
Apr. 11th, 2025 05:15 pmfeuervogelSo, with the situation in the US absolutely terrifying and the German one also looking not so great (the new government wants to get rid of a lot of things that the old one made), I'm hoping to get my citizenship application in before they scrap the thing that lets me apply now (3 years with good integration measures).
The problem is that I seriously thought the visa office guy was going to make me leave in October because I don't make enough money, and that hasn't really changed. I have a few more potential clients, but that's the biggest problem with being freelance. You can't completely predict your annual income.
So I need to a) get my income up, b) get my rent down, or (ideally) c) both. But I have a lot of factors working against me in trying to find an apartment, mostly the fact that I'm freelance and don't make a lot of money. Officially, landlords won't rent to you unless you earn 3x the total rent, which means I'm looking at 400-425 a month, and in Berlin, there's basically nothing at that price point, and what there is has a lot of people who ALSO want to live there. So I've contacted people about at least 100 apartments since December, and I've had 2 showings. One of them (the later one, weirdly) I already got a rejection from, and the first one is still pending.
I really don't want to move into another roommate situation, especially not with a stranger from the shared flats website. I have a friend (American) who would be ok with getting a place together and splitting the rent solidarisch (where I pay as much as I can and she pays the rest, because she has a real job with a real salary). But that still necessitates finding an apartment that's big enough and in a place we can both agree on and doesn't cost an obscene amount and that we actually get a showing for and so on.
So I'm begging whatever supernatural forces exist that I get the first apartment I looked at, even though I have about a 20% chance of getting it (there were 4 other people at the showing, and the state-owned companies make their selections by RNG).
I'm also looking into minijobs where I can earn up to about 500 a month; a derby friend just started at one and she's giving me the info to apply.
I've also gotten into the copyeditor pool at one of the Big 5 publishers, and I got my first editing job offer today (due April 22), though with the dollar in the shitter because the felon in chief is a literal petulant child, it's gonna be a lot less into my bank account than I would like. And there's a potential book translation in my future (me translating someone else's book into English), and of course my Kickstarter book is going to go on sale eventually, so hopefully that'll get me some income, too.
The citizenship process is extra expensive because I'm freelance. I can't just supply a bunch of pay stubs (because I don't get them), and invoices aren't exactly valid to prove that I received the money, so I have to pay a tax accountant to do a specific form that they require, which costs 500 €. Delightful! I also have to get my divorce judgment translated (115 €) and maybe my marriage license (which I don't have, and I have no idea if the register of deeds still has it, but I'm going to have to pay to get a copy and pay to get it translated, if I need to provide it). I've got an initial consultation with a lawyer next week (225 €) to talk about my chances and find out things like whether I need to give them my marriage certificate even though I'm divorced and if my assets in Germany (savings) count for anything in the process. Then there's the citizenship test (25 €), and the application fee is 255 €.
But because I can't submit the application until I have the test score and I won't have the test score until ... the future, I can put off the expensive tax thing until the future (at which point I'll have several more months of earnings and maybe a minijob), so that's definitely for the better.
But getting my own apartment is a priority; getting a different roommate situation is the alternative.
(Ugh I also have to file my American taxes, even though I'm only going to owe for the interest on my savings account. Fucking bullshit, that is.)
The problem is that I seriously thought the visa office guy was going to make me leave in October because I don't make enough money, and that hasn't really changed. I have a few more potential clients, but that's the biggest problem with being freelance. You can't completely predict your annual income.
So I need to a) get my income up, b) get my rent down, or (ideally) c) both. But I have a lot of factors working against me in trying to find an apartment, mostly the fact that I'm freelance and don't make a lot of money. Officially, landlords won't rent to you unless you earn 3x the total rent, which means I'm looking at 400-425 a month, and in Berlin, there's basically nothing at that price point, and what there is has a lot of people who ALSO want to live there. So I've contacted people about at least 100 apartments since December, and I've had 2 showings. One of them (the later one, weirdly) I already got a rejection from, and the first one is still pending.
I really don't want to move into another roommate situation, especially not with a stranger from the shared flats website. I have a friend (American) who would be ok with getting a place together and splitting the rent solidarisch (where I pay as much as I can and she pays the rest, because she has a real job with a real salary). But that still necessitates finding an apartment that's big enough and in a place we can both agree on and doesn't cost an obscene amount and that we actually get a showing for and so on.
So I'm begging whatever supernatural forces exist that I get the first apartment I looked at, even though I have about a 20% chance of getting it (there were 4 other people at the showing, and the state-owned companies make their selections by RNG).
I'm also looking into minijobs where I can earn up to about 500 a month; a derby friend just started at one and she's giving me the info to apply.
I've also gotten into the copyeditor pool at one of the Big 5 publishers, and I got my first editing job offer today (due April 22), though with the dollar in the shitter because the felon in chief is a literal petulant child, it's gonna be a lot less into my bank account than I would like. And there's a potential book translation in my future (me translating someone else's book into English), and of course my Kickstarter book is going to go on sale eventually, so hopefully that'll get me some income, too.
The citizenship process is extra expensive because I'm freelance. I can't just supply a bunch of pay stubs (because I don't get them), and invoices aren't exactly valid to prove that I received the money, so I have to pay a tax accountant to do a specific form that they require, which costs 500 €. Delightful! I also have to get my divorce judgment translated (115 €) and maybe my marriage license (which I don't have, and I have no idea if the register of deeds still has it, but I'm going to have to pay to get a copy and pay to get it translated, if I need to provide it). I've got an initial consultation with a lawyer next week (225 €) to talk about my chances and find out things like whether I need to give them my marriage certificate even though I'm divorced and if my assets in Germany (savings) count for anything in the process. Then there's the citizenship test (25 €), and the application fee is 255 €.
But because I can't submit the application until I have the test score and I won't have the test score until ... the future, I can put off the expensive tax thing until the future (at which point I'll have several more months of earnings and maybe a minijob), so that's definitely for the better.
But getting my own apartment is a priority; getting a different roommate situation is the alternative.
(Ugh I also have to file my American taxes, even though I'm only going to owe for the interest on my savings account. Fucking bullshit, that is.)
perfume day 6
Apr. 11th, 2025 09:43 amsporky_ratIt's another Penhaligon today, Changing Constance.
Notes: Constance is what one might call A Very Modern Woman. She has no regard for custom, and does exactly as she likes. Cool cardamom, hot pimento, salted caramel - her contrary perfume breaks every rule. Key notes cardamom salted butter caramel tobacco
And at first sniff and on the skin, it's pretty nice. I like it. There's a faint whiff of alcohol on me, though, we'll see if that sticks.
edit: it's faded QUICKLY. that is the issue with sweet pastry smells on me, alas. it's still there in my nose but not anything else? but I'll get Brent to smell later.
Backpacking Couscous
Apr. 10th, 2025 02:42 pmaffrecaI finally had/took the time to develop a tasty couscous recipe to take backpacking.
1/4 tsp Ras El Hanout (version from local grocery coop)
1/2 tsp chicken bullion powder
2 tsp coconut milk powder
2 tsp dried onions
2 tbsp almond slices
2 tbsp dried cherries
3 tbsp dehydrated vegetables (with peas removed because they don't rehydrate well)
1/2 cup couscous
1 cup boiling water
1 sausage (sliced)
Mix everything except water and sausage. Boil water, wait 5 or so minutes, add sausage and eat.
1/4 tsp Ras El Hanout (version from local grocery coop)
1/2 tsp chicken bullion powder
2 tsp coconut milk powder
2 tsp dried onions
2 tbsp almond slices
2 tbsp dried cherries
3 tbsp dehydrated vegetables (with peas removed because they don't rehydrate well)
1/2 cup couscous
1 cup boiling water
1 sausage (sliced)
Mix everything except water and sausage. Boil water, wait 5 or so minutes, add sausage and eat.
Perfume testing day day 5
Apr. 9th, 2025 04:31 pmsporky_ratPenhaligon's Terrible Teddy, scent notes of "incense, leather, and vetiver".
First whiff: that is some leather and incense. I can't identify the incense, but it's definitely there. Sort of reminds me of the leather gloves we had with the thurible at church, they had a sort of similar leather and incense smell.
I had to go look up what exactly vetiver was supposed to smell like and I got this: "deep, sweet, woody, smoky, earthy, amber and balsam" and that is exactly all the things I'm smelling under the leather.
I think I like this one. Shame it's so expensive. (I find it very funny that all the perfumes that are tentatively classified as "men's perfume" are the ones I like the best and smell best on me. Except the musks, those are tough.)
edit: oh now there's some weird musk smell, where did that come from???? this one might not stay. alas!
