Melancholy Hammer

I read in a few places lately "Move slow and fix things." I'm making myself a tshirt that says this on one side snd "I Void Warranties " on the other.

@justinkey.bsky.social I couldn't put it down!

The Hospital at the End of the World by Justin C. Key, a book cover with the depiction of a city shrouded in smoke or mist with drones flying overhead. It is rendered in orange-red.

Wow. I cannot remember who on Bluesky recommended this book but thank you. It is fast paced, timely, riveting. I don't want to spoil a word, but it involves race & bad faith AI, and hope. So much hope.

#19thC

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm about the project, I find these AI images hinder rather than help my process?"

Yes! I have been experimenting with growing potatoes because I like the smaller, colorful, waxier ones. My guy likes the big starchy ones, those are easy to find. I find that I eat less and enjoy it more if the texture is "right."

Goodnight, Hookland. May the weight of your dreams be shared.

The only thing that would make this better would be grafting some haunted scion wood from #Hookland

First two scion wood twigs have arrived: a Seckel pear and Black Oxford apple

I'm over the moon, I'm about to realize a 45 yr old dream of grafting heirloom pears and apples like my Grampa Waterhouse taught me when I was young. We have a flourishing Red Delicious (bleh) that I'm going to remake in his name.

Definitely big macs and lies. I was just reading that Tucker Carlson (ugh) was told not to bother him with negative polling because he's been told 90% agree with him. I'm guessing Stephen Miller is behind it all.

The world needs more effigies of various sorts for various purposes. I was thinking about that while working on my novel this weekend.

My brain is trying to write a song about fox-bone needles, now. Goodnight, Hookland.

A beautiful middle-aged woman with no makeup on pale skin, grey hair and eyes, in green corduroy overalls and a light brown tie-dyed shirt exposing a purple bra strap, rests after a long day of manual labor. She sits on a dark brown leather recliner in front of a dark bookcase full of comic anthologies, science magazines, burl wood bits, and houseplants. She has a tired and amused expression.

Happy women's day to anyone brave enough to be one.

If you ever have a writer's retreat where I could bother some stones, see an actual chalk cliff, make notes about the smell of English cellars as compared to New England, and meet some of the other Hookland residents, I'd swim the Atlantic to get there.

Ack, forgot to tag the author. @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social

I hope to go there one day, such a paradise to wake up in.

Cover of the Tom Cox novel Villager, which you really ought to read

Tired from the manual labor of the last few days, lying in bed trying to work on my novel, but my brain isn't pasting my words together well. I just finished Villager recently, and it was still on my nightstand, so I am going to reread my favorite chapter, "Papp's Wedge," and try to sleep early.

I got my packet from Fedco with cuttings for heirloom apples, I'm going to graft up the robust but bland Red Delicious that came with our house. I learned from my Grampa 45 years ago, and this will be my homage to his memory.

For your bookjacket!

Somehow you are reading my journal...

Ugh, Andy, as a new recipient of metal leg bits I can only imagine how much worse it would be to sleep at night having had to magnetically realign my bed. I hope you fare better, dear Hookland.

A large concrete block and brick raised bed full of homemade soil - mostly old leaves and chunks of grass from digging new flower beds with some compost and mushroom sawdust. The rounded whitish things are more oyster mushroom spawn blocks.

In three days, I took apart and rebuilt a retaining wall and then used it for the far wall of this U-shaped raised bed, my former greenhouse which I also took apart, remade, and refilled all that dirt. The yellow bricks stacked plus more in a pile will border two in-ground beds beyond. I am no man.

I greatly sympathize. I am almost 100% certain I'm going to find the same thing when I dig out the side of the porch.

Dream job: geriatric bats aide

I laughed a little too hard at this

Abalone is the perfect choice, and wow, what a beautiful green. I'm sure whoever made it would be happy to see it's being cherished.

Mine is to use the right potato for the dish. Texture really does make a big difference.

Now I have to watch O Brother Where Art Thou again

Murky forest pond, where I can sing to the newts and frogs

I recommend @amycedmondson.bsky.social 's books on learning from and embracing failure, they're warmly written and full of insight.