Janet Miles

Today we visited the Charleston Food Forest. These pictures show the left side. (Begin with the right side.)

( Walk with me ... )

Today we visited the Charleston Food Forest. These pictures show the front and right side.

( Walk with me ... )

Today we ran errands and visited the Charleston Food Forest. It's been drizzling rain on and off today.

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This poem came out of the March 17, 2026 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from alatefeline and janetmiles. It also fills the "WILD CARD: Paint" 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 Feathered Nests.

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janetmiles has sponsored the following poems from the bonus fishbowl. I will get them posted as soon as I can.

"Become for Us a Highway"
"A Generous Impulse"
"A Darkness in the Sky"

Today is cloudy and mild.

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

I put out water for the birds.

I saw the first butterfly today, a tiny periwinkle one that might be an eastern tailed blue. It was visiting the grape hyacinths blooming by the log garden.

EDIT 3/25/26 -- We visited the Charleston Food Forest and Coles County Community Garden.

On the way into town, we saw a herd of deer and a tortoiseshell fox. Very clearly a fox, with a white tail-tip, but with streaks and patches of black and cinnamon; not the usual rust-red of a red fox nor the salt-and-pepper of a gray fox. Fascinating. Excellent camouflage.

EDIT 3/25/26 -- I planted two clumps of crosne knotroots, one by the maple tree and one in a pot on the new picnic garden.

EDIT 3/25/26 -- I planted five clumps of Egyptian walking onions including below the barrel garden, mulberry tree in the house yard, and several saplings in the savanna.

EDIT 3/25/26 -- I planted groundnuts in a trough pot and a large pot by the new picnic table garden, and under the apricot tree.

EDIT 3/25/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

It's been drizzling on and off today.

I am done for the night.

Switzerland : Voters Overwhelmingly Choose to Protect Cash Use in the Constitution

Switzerland has become the latest European country to constitutionally enshrine the right to use cash, joining Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia. On March 8, 2026, Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a legal amendment to safeguard the use of banknotes and coins, with 73.4% supporting the measure.


Watch for opportunities to secure your financial liberties in America or wherever else you live.

The Costs of Renewable Energy

Experts are really far apart on what such a world-wide renewable infrastructure would cost.


There are also costs other than financial. Take wind power. To flying creatures (bats, birds, butterflies, etc.) those are whirling blades of doom. Less dangerous models exist, but are less popular as they tend to be more expensive and/or less efficient. Then there is the problem of noise and vibration. Up close, it's usually miserable for people. Farther away, even the subliminal effects can cause problems like headaches and distraction. In other words, it's not good to put a wind farm near where people live, where "near" can mean 3-5 miles.

Today is partly sunny and cool.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 3/24/26 -- I took some pictures around the yard. Spring flowers have been hammered by hard freezes, but some are still blooming.

I've seen some mourning doves.

EDIT 3/24/26 -- I transplanted wild chives from the east edge to the septic garden, and from the south lot to the east end of the savanna. There are still some more clumps I want to move.

Honeybees are out in force and currently focused on the little trough water garden.

I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

EDIT 3/24/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/24/26 -- I transplanted wild chives to the forest garden and contorta willow bed. I think some Egyptian walking onions may have survived by the contorta willow in addition to the septic garden.

EDIT 3/24/26 -- I transplanted wild chives to the maple tree and the wildflower garden.

I dragged two large limbs to the wildflower garden, since part of its log border is rotting down.

I found a fallen white pine twig and broke off several pieces to see if I can root them.

EDIT 3/24/26 -- I sowed Partial Shade Wildflower Mix in the forest garden and the tulip bed.

EDIT 3/24/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 3/24/26 -- I sowed 'Choko Baby' pak choi in a trough of the new picnic table garden, and Partial Shade Wildflower Mix in the daffodil bed.

I've seen a male cardinal.

I am done for the night.

A friend and I got to talking about bean and pea sprouts. If you can't garden outside, just want to save money, or wish for more variety, then check out these resources...

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dialecticdreamer  is hosting Feathering the Nest.  This one is always about fluff and comfort.  Leave prompts, get ficlets!

This floating time crystal breaks Newton’s third law of motion

A simple setup of sound-levitated beads has revealed a bizarre new time crystal that breaks physics rules—and could reshape future technology.

Scientists have created a new kind of time crystal using sound waves to levitate tiny beads in mid-air. These particles interact in a one-sided, unbalanced way, breaking the usual rules of motion and creating a steady, repeating rhythm. The system is surprisingly simple yet reveals complex physics with big implications. It could help advance quantum computing and deepen our understanding of biological timing systems.


Aaaaaand all of us from the Torn World shared world are going O_O >_< O_O

Today is partly cloudy and chilly, now in the 40s. Yesterday went from a high of 87°F to just below freezing. >_<

I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows, a mixed flock of blackbirds including a redwing, and two mourning doves.

I put out water for the birds.

We measured the parking lot and driveway.

EDIT 3/23/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a pair of house finches.

EDIT 3/23/26 -- I sowed 4 pots (each with 2 seeds) of 'Sugar Ann' snap peas and 4 pots (each with 2 seeds) of 'Avalanche' snow peas on the new picnic table garden. My plan is to sow the other pots when I plant tomatoes, peppers, or whatever and then see which does best.

EDIT 3/23/26 -- I cleaned up the 4 giant pots by the septic garden.

EDIT 3/23/26 -- I did some trimming in the savanna.

I set up air-layering on the excellent mulberry beside the old fishpond.

I've seen a female cardinal at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 3/23/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

* * *

Measurements for driveway and parking lot:

Length of driveway, from street to parking area: 117 feet

Width of driveway: 10 feet

Width of parking area, from sidewalk to rock border: 47 feet
Length of parking area, from rock border to propane tank: 39 feet

Area of driveway (10’ width): 1170 square feet

Area of parking area: 1833 square feet

Total surface area of driveway and lot: 3003 square feet

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "The Bridge of Mist"
Science
Birdfeeding
Select Seeds Order
Prairie Moon Order
Fossils
Birdfeeding
Moment of Silence: Nicholas Brendon
Philosophical Questions: Marriage
Follow Friday 3-20-26: Magic
Friday Five
Birdfeeding
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Science
Birdfeeding
Cuddle Party

Linguistics has 45 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 63 comments. Safety has 59 comments. Wildlife has 49 comments.


Last week's bonus fishbowl went well. I am still writing.




marchmetamatterschallenge is running this month. See my tracking post and the first check-in post.


The weather has been erratic here, and yesterday was downright psychotic. It was cold with howling wind, then mild, then hot. Yesterday went from 87F to 57F in an hour, then 47F, and just below freezing overnight. We got a dribble of rain, but most of last night's storm missed us. The ground is starting to crack -- in March, which used to be the Moon of Mud Everywhere. >_< Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several brown-headed cowbirds, two mourning doves, two male cardinals, and a fox squirrel. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. Currently blooming: crocuses, snowdrops, daffodils, squill, violets, apricot, grape hyacinths.

This poem came out of the March 17, 2026 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by librarygeek for Gwinnie, a pit bull mix and a good dog. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.

Warning: This poem features impending animal death of natural causes. HANKIE WARNING.

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If you're still shopping the Bonus Fishbowl, now's the time to make your selections.  I've already finished 7 poems besides the freebie, and I've still got a couple left to do. 

Depression fatigue appears at the cellular level in brain and blood

Scientists have identified an unusual energy signature in young adults with depression: cells in both the brain and blood appear highly active at rest but lose ground when demand rises.

The finding recasts fatigue as a measurable feature of the illness, one that may surface before treatment choices become clearer.


One of the biggest challenges with mental health is that almost all diagnoses rely on abstract rather than concrete assessments. It's usually done by self-reporting or observation, which is neither precise nor objective, unlike most illnesses that have scientific tests. So finding any kind of biomarker is extremely useful.

Today is sunny and hot. It is 85°F already. >_<

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several brown-headed cowbirds, and a mourning dove.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 3/22/26 -- We hauled the first three garden bags to the old picnic table. It's 86°F now and too hot to do everything at once. :/

EDIT 3/22/26 -- We hauled the next three garden bags to the old picnic table.

The first grape hycacinth is blooming randomly in the middle of the house yard, pollinated by tiny native bees.

EDIT 3/22/26 -- I did a bit more work outside.

It's 87°F now, which is just ridiculous for March.

EDIT 3/22/26 -- We hauled the giant bag of raised bed soil to the side of the garden shed, where it's meant to fill in a hollow area.

EDIT 3/22/26 -- I put a few scoops of composted manure in each of the top and bottom row of large pots along the north side of the new picnic table. This bag wasn't broken down as fully as usual. :/

I stepped out the door and it was cold. I checked the temperature: 57°F. Yes, it dropped 30 degrees is another an hour. For fucksake.

The first purple violet and the apricot tree are blooming.

EDIT 3/22/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

It is now 47°F with howling wind. 0_o

EDIT 3/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night. The weather has been two different kinds of crappy all day.

EDIT 3/22/26 -- It got down just below freezing overnight.