Good Food Every Day

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Reverse Benchmarking
Recipe: "Pretzel Bread Grilled Cheese Sandwiches"
Worldbuilding
Today's Smoothie
Listen to "The Singing, Ringing Tree"
Poetry Fishbowl Themes for Late 2025
Read "Time Off"
Poem: "Fatherhood Is Support"
Poem: "Born and Found and Made"
Poem: "The Way a River Is Made"
Read "A Change in a New World"
Birdfeeding
Poem: "Strange Angels"
Poem: "Meant to Get Dirty"
Poem: "Where We All Meet"
Recipe: "Santorini Stir-Fry with Chicken and Patty Pan Squash"
Today's Adventures
Conservation
Birdfeeding
Creative Jam
Philosophical Questions: Avoidable
Today's Adventures
New Communities
Russian Losses
New Crowdfunding Project: "Take Us North"
Birdfeeding
Politics
Follow Friday 6-13-24: Hetalia
Insect Apocalypse
Sunshine Revival
Books
Birdfeeding
Hobbies: Ceramics
Photos: Dark Gardening
Birdfeeding
Moment of Silence: Brian Wilson
Insect Apocalypse
Hard Things

"Not a Destination, But a Process" has 139 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 89 comments.


summerofthe69 is now open! You can see the calendar here and the initial theme is "First Time 69: Everyone has to start somewhere."


"In the Heart of the Hidden Garden" belongs to the Antimatter and Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It needs $86 to be fully funded. Lawrence shows Stan around the campus at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.


The weather has been warm and wet here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, two mourning doves, a male cardinal, a catbird, a phoebe, a skunk, a fox squirrel, and at least 2 probably 3 bats. I've heard a red-bellied woodpecker but didn't see it. Privet, dogwood, and mock orange are done blooming. Privet and mock orange are winding down. Zucchini has flower buds. Currently blooming: dandelions, honeysuckle, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, yarrow, red coreopsis, anise hyssop, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, Asiatic lilies, cucumber, astilbe, daylilies, snowball bush, yellow squash. 'Chocolate Sprinkles' tomatoes are starting to show color. Blackberries, and tomatoes have green fruit. Wild strawberries, mulberries, and black raspberries are ripe.

This video describes an instance of reverse benchmarking in restaurants.  Instead of trying to mimic what other people do well, identify what they do badly and do that  well. 


I routinely use this in my writing.  I look for things that other people do badly or not at all, then I write those things.  Also I never have the patience to wait around for 20 years while other folks work through the whole identity literature process.  New trait?  Trait-having hero!  Done.  This is how I wind up with things like An Army of One (neurodiverse characters making their own culture), The Bear Tunnels (Native American time travelers), The Moon Door (women with disabilities who become werewolves), The Ocracies (everything but monarchy), The Origami Mage and Path of the Paladins (ace heras), P.I.E. (a hera who doesn't fall for a jerk), Polychrome Heroics (superpowers that involve more than crime and crimefighting), and The Steamsmith (a black, genderqueer, British, steampunk engineer).  

Go ahead, throw me prompts for things that nobody is doing well, or doing at all, in any relevant prompt call.  We can fill that gap together.

Tonight we made grilled cheese with the pretzel bread that we bought recently at the Marshall Farmer's Market.  It turned out really well.  :D

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This sculpture is made of pipes that sing when the wind blows over them.  It's weird to see one made out of metal.  I'm used to live ones that open their holes as a means of summoning their pollinators.

I found this protest sign amusing.

This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "support" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. It is posted as a gift to Anthony Barrette for Father's Day.  This is the last of that batch.  Check the Poem tag to see the others; it's a batch of 6 total, all with that red gift icon.  \o/


"Fatherhood Is Support"


Fatherhood is
more than just DNA,
more than just being
married to a mother.

Fatherhood is
about support.

It's a treetrunk leg
for a baby to cling to,
strong arms tossing
a toddler into the air.

It's a hand on the back
of the bicycle right after
the training wheels come off --
and knowing when to let go.

It's clapping at recitals,
at school plays, at all
of the sporting events
or other performances.

It's a calm voice from
the passenger seat
while learning to drive.

It's paying for college
and going to graduation.

It's the everyday words
that become an inner voice,
heard and remembered,
absorbed and echoed:

I knew you could do it.

This poem was written as part of fishbowl week in July 2024, based on a conversation with a_natural_beauty. It is posted as a gift to Anthony Barrette for Father's Day.

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Today is partly sunny, mild, and humid.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/15/25 -- I finished building the chimney for the core of the new bonfire.

I heard a squirrel chattering in the trees but didn't see it.

EDIT 6/15/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 6/15/25 -- Out of 6 yellow wild indigo pots, 4 sprouted, 3 of them with 2 seedlings.  I planted these in the house yard under the contorta willow, apricot tree, golden rain tree, and barrel garden.

EDIT 6/15/25 -- Out of 6 blue wild indigo pots, 4 sprouted, some may have had 2 seedlings but it's hard to tell.  I planted these in the house yard under the maple tree, purple-and-white garden, and two ends of the log garden.  I've gotten plenty of seedlings from this species, but so far nothing has bloomed so I don't know if any actually survived in the ground.

The snowball bush is opening its pannicles.  :D  There are three heads.

EDIT 6/15/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I watered the newly planted things.

Clover is already sprouting on the bare patch beside the garden shed.  Some of the chocolate cherry tomatoes have green fruit.

I've seen a skunk on the patio.

EDIT 6/15/25 -- I gathered a trolley of sticks and dumped it in the firepit.

I've seen a catbird and a mourning dove.

EDIT 6/15/25 -- I gathered a trolley of sticks and dumped it in the firepit.

Fireflies are coming out.  :D

EDIT 6/15/25 -- I gathered a trolley of sticks and dumped it in the firepit.

Lots more fireflies are showing up.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "cape(d)" square in my 5-1-24 card for the Superhero Bingo fest. It is posted as a gift to Anthony Barrette for Father's Day.

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This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the Earth Day square in my 3-1-23 card for the March Is... fest. It is posted as a gift to Anthony Barrette for Father's Day.

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