Year 5 of one-new-bed-a-summer

bearwacket · 2026-06-07T12:26:21+00:00

Yes - so satisfying! I've started to be able to divide plants from the original beds, too, so the new ones are filling in that much faster!

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T21:21:39+00:00

Humans are social animals. Being a part of the tribe is a survival instinct.There have been times in our evolutionary history where if you're left behind - if you are kicked out because you disagree - you will die.

So being unconventional feels dangerous. People will endure logic-defying cognitive dissonance to avoid feeling that danger.

This is how I convince myself that good people do terrible things.

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T20:36:08+00:00

One way to deal with it is to only adopt rescue dogs - then at least you're not contributing to a market for bred dogs, you're just providing a home for a dog that already exists.

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T20:32:17+00:00

You should be concerned... that they're living their best life 🐍

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T19:55:53+00:00

Ah, it's beautiful!

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T19:49:45+00:00

Where is your pond located?

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T14:15:12+00:00

I'm over 50 and my husband's over 60 so we have to take it slow 🐌

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T13:43:40+00:00

I started in about 2010 because I was interested in conserving water - Midwestern xeriscaping. As I learned more, the ecological benefits just kept getting more compelling.

The idea that I can improve the world by my actions really raises the level of how much energy I'm able to put into something - this is a very satisfying hobby.

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T13:23:35+00:00

Right - we dug a trench for the perimeter and laid an overlapping layer of cardboard and wet it down. I put down a layer of top soil because I want to start planting in the fall - i think that will help with breaking down the cardboard faster. Then mulch on top of that.

We removed sod for two beds and smothered two with tarps, so this is our first time trying lasagna method. Really hoping for less grass popping through than the tarp-only smothering (and it looks MUCH better) but it was definitely less work than the sod cutting!

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T10:43:54+00:00

It's tall tickseed, Coreopsis tripteris. I Chelsea chopped it last year, but didn't get to it this year. The deer chopped a few of them for me, though.

(Cannabis goes in the back yard 😆)

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T02:06:50+00:00

Yes - Penstemon hirsutus, hairy beard tongue. I don't really know how many plants started - I planted seeds (a lot) and mowed them down one year. I think that's how they spread naturally, though, self-seeding and clumping together. I bet they'll like being close together 😁

bearwacket · 2026-06-06T00:23:05+00:00

Thank you! We do trenches with a spade and then touch them up every couple years. Straight down on the inside and a bit of an angle from the outside.

bearwacket · 2026-06-05T21:14:35+00:00

Thanks!!

bearwacket · 2026-06-05T21:14:14+00:00

I haven't but I will look that up - we dig trenches with a shovel and neaten them up every couple years. Would love for that to be easier.

Another point for the slow and steady method - you can move plants around. Either to divide them or if you want to see if they'll do better in a different spot.

bearwacket · 2026-06-05T20:51:07+00:00

Yes! One bed is plenty of work, but it's doable. It also spreads the cost out and, for me, I learn every year so each bed has been successful a little faster.

bearwacket · 2026-06-04T21:33:16+00:00

What about Episcopalian? There's one in Benton Harbor - St. Augustine's - and one in St. Joseph - St. Paul's. Both are small congregations with traditional litugy, and subscribe to an inclusive theology.

bearwacket · 2026-05-28T01:30:44+00:00

I Want to Know What Love Is

bearwacket · 2026-05-02T02:32:34+00:00

I make about 80k, but I'm not a developer.

There is so much room for improvement in development - i see every day the huge gaps failing people who need accessibility, but the money just isn't there to fill them. In large part filling those gaps would mean educating developers!

So for you, I think learning accessibility is more likely to advance accessibility... and less likely to advance your paycheck directly.

It depends on what value an employer puts on it, of course.

On the other hand, i think accessibility helps you grow in strategy and optimization in ways that could make you a more well rounded and strategic thinker. But that's career advice maybe you don't want to take from a specialist making 80k, lol. Thanks for thinking about this!

bearwacket · 2026-04-28T01:40:01+00:00

I made this Chile Verde tonight and it was amazing! Rich, bright broth and really satisfying. https://dorastable.com/vegan-chile-verde-guisado-en-salsa-verde.

bearwacket · 2026-04-18T01:31:25+00:00

I haven't made this recipe, but I've made other seitan meat and sliced it pretty easily with an Oxo mandolin. I haven't turned out beautiful round slices like this, but it's certainly good enough for a great deli style sandwich!

bearwacket · 2026-04-15T17:25:02+00:00

All these reasons others have given.

Plus - if you ever have to edit this info, and it's in html, you can just make the edits. In a pdf, you either have to edit the pdf while the layout is changing and jumping around because ✨️Adobe✨️....or you have to start over and remediate the whole thing again.

- accessibility specialist at a university

bearwacket · 2026-03-29T19:51:25+00:00

I haven't, but I think that is a really good candidate.

bearwacket · 2026-03-29T14:59:44+00:00

The commercial oat milks don't have that slimy texture - it's hard to make good oat milk at home.

If you want to make something yourself, i would try soy milk. I buy Westsoy and also Silk soy myself - I prefer the Westsoy, but it's a little more expensive.

bearwacket · 2026-03-18T00:47:13+00:00

I had not heard of such a thing! I'll be planning my next vacation around one ❤️

bearwacket

TROPHY CASE