progress2048

Today is sunny and hot.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 3/21/26 -- I put topsoil in the four large pots that sit on the ground along the north side of the picnic table.

I also put the indoor flats of tree sprouts and squash sprouts outside to get some sun and air.

It is so hot outside as to limit my activity. In mid-March. This annoys me.

EDIT 3/21/26 -- I put topsoil in the four large pots that sit on the ground along the south side of the picnic table. There is just a little left now.

It's 81°F now. :/

EDIT 3/21/26 -- I spread the last of the topsoil in other pots around the new picnic table.

It's 82°F now. Fuck climate change.

EDIT 3/21/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen two mourning doves in the forest garden.

EDIT 3/21/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Does marriage as an institution need to be updated or is it fine how it is?

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These questions come from thefridayfive.

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Today is mostly sunny and quite warm. It's already 78°F outside. 0_o

I fed the birds. I've only seen a few sparrows and house finches, but lots of birds are singing all around the yard. I suspect they're more interested in foraging.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 3/20/26 -- I sowed 3 troughs with 'Sugar Ann' snap peas and 3 with 'Avalanche' snow peas. I put 2 peas in each end of a trough, leaving the middle open to plant other things. That makes 24 pea plants. These are bush types and did well last year.

EDIT 3/20/26 -- I sowed one trough with 'Lovely Lettuce Mesclun Blend' and one with 'Thumbelina Baby Ball' carrots. I plan to sow more of those 2 weeks later.

EDIT 3/20/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/20/26 -- I trimmed a few spray bits of brush in the parking lot, and followed up with weed spray. My partner Doug is trying to find someone to come install a load of gravel.

A large flock of several dozen blackbirds has gathered high in the trees.

EDIT 3/20/26 -- I watered the six troughs on the benches of the new picnic table garden.

EDIT 3/20/26 -- I used the last partial bag of compost & manure to spread a little over the eight big pots atop the new picnic table garden. So I'm out of that and nearly out of the American Countryside potting mix.

EDIT 3/20/26 -- I put topsoil in four of the big pots atop the new picnic table. They're not completely full yet; there's room to add a bit of potting soil.

EDIT 3/20/26 -- I put topsoil in the other four of the big pots. I still have a partial bag left.

I am done for the night.

Today is mostly sunny and mild. :D

The stump grinder guy has come and gone. He did an excellent job. The stump in front of the garden shed is gone and the hole mostly filled, though I'll add some top soil to smooth it out more. The east path is nearly smooth, might need a bit of raking. I'm particularly impressed that a ring of daffodils around the plump stump is still there! I had expected to lose those, so the precision is noteworthy. The parking lot is also nearly smooth. He got right up to the edge of the sidewalk and rock wall, although he advised there are some buried rocks and concrete that we didn't know about. I may need to rake some areas, and certainly need to see about removing the last stubs from the sidewalk to recreate that defensive zone. My partner Doug plans to drive over the parking lot to press it down some before ordering a load of fresh gravel to top it. Progress!

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 3/19/26 -- I put about half a bag of topsoil into the hole in front of the garden shed to smooth it out. That may need more later after it settles, but it'll do for now.

EDIT 3/19/26 -- I filled a flat of 12 pots with potting soil and in each pot I planted 5 seeds of short landrace marigolds. These are similar to Shithouse Marigolds but shorter. If I can get them growing well, I can save money buying nursery marigolds. I covered them with a plastic tub to serve as a greenhouse. I still need to label them though.

EDIT 3/19/26 -- I labeled the marigolds.

I checked the east path. It doesn't really need anything but grass seed. We'll need to buy a big bag of that. Recommended time for spring sowing is late March to mid-April.

I checked the parking lot. I picked up a few pieces of junk that were churned up, but it's also pretty good. I do need to work on clearing more of the sidewalk, but a lot of that will just be brushing dirt off it.

EDIT 3/19/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/19/26 -- I started working on the sidewalk again. Much of what covers it is just loose dirt that needs to be scraped off. Some is still packed dirt and roots.

EDIT 3/19/26 -- I watered the seeds under tubs.

It's 71°F now. Over the next few days, it's supposed to reach 80°F. 0_o

EDIT 3/19/26 -- I started the process of topping up troughs on the new picnic table. I want to finish those first six with the self-mulching potting soil.

EDIT 3/19/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 3/19/26 -- I finished topping up the troughs. I'll need to get more American Countryside potting mix. I like how it self-mulches. Soon I'll be planting peas in these. My plan this year, instead of putting the peas in their own container, is to space them out so they fertilize other plants. We'll see how that works.

While the deep freeze killed a fair amount of things, much has survived. Crocus have already put out new flowers. The bluebell leaves weren't as damaged as I expected. More squills are blooming.

It is 7:20 PM and not quite full dark. This was my first after-supper yardening session. :D

I am done for the night.