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

What does honor mean to you? How important is it to you? Does your culture value honor? What exemplifies honor in your culture?


"Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.... The friction tends to arise when the two are not the same....There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your honor shattered at your feet while soaring public reputation wraps you in rewards. That's soul destroying. The other way around is merely very, very irritating."
-- Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

"Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And
outlive the bastards."
― Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

'Roly-poly' Bugs Are Great Garden Composters

A detritivorous diet increases the speed of decomposition in dead plants, animals or poop, increasing the bioavailability of nutrients in the soil. This gives plants a higher chance of survival by providing better quality soil. It's not just what roly-poly bugs add to the soil, but what they take out too.

Turns out these guys love heavy metals. After studying the composition of their insides, scientists found that roly-poly bugs ingest a lot of heavy metal contamination from our soil. That's why they can live and thrive in areas contaminated with toxins like lead, cadmium and arsenic. Once they've ingested these toxins, they become crystallized within their guts, meaning a construction site contaminated with heavy metals could effectively be cleaned by a bunch of hungry roly-poly bugs.


Here at Fieldhaven, we have lots of pillbugs. I saw some crawling around the new picnic table garden the other day, attracted by the soil in the pots. Aside from performing useful tasks themselves, they also tend to carry other soil organisms along with them, which boosts the bioactivity and health of the soil.  You can attract them by putting a handful of damp, dead leaves under a weight such as a brick or a pot.

Today is cloudy and cool.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I filled in the two big pots. I added 4 assorted coleus and 1 dusty miller to the grape pot. I didn't have time to pick up a white trailing filler like sweet alyssum this time, but the pot still looks pretty good and will look better once the small coleus grow out some. I added 2 blue lobelias and 1 dusty miller to the blue pot.

This would've been a lot easier if I could've bought everything for those pots at the same time, but it was a case of one place having nice accents but no fillers vs. other places having affordable fillers but not nice accents. *sigh* The lack of widely available fillers is a serious pain in the ass. I use those to unify the diverse plantings: dusty miller, white or colored alyssum, white or blue lobelia.

So I've got 6 dusty millers and 6 blue lobelias to mix and match with other things or find somewhere else to put. I've got 4 coleus left, which will make one or two pots depending on size. Progress! Finishing those two big pots was my top priority for today. \o/

Also I'm really loving the fan flower I tried new this year. It looks like half a flower with petals on only one side, and makes a great component in a mixed pot. It came in multiple colors; I got a white one. It's in a pot with a new spreading yellow thing that's also new, and a yellow-and-white nemesia. Nemesia is beautiful and comes in many colors, but it's a bit delicate and has died on me in the past. The ones I got this year are thriving though. These are all things I bought in individual pots. If I could get them in 4-packs, I could do more with them, but the higher price of individual pots limits what I can do.

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

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I potted up the remaining coleus in two medium pots, each with 2 coleus and 1 dusty miller. Those look pretty good.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I planted 2 blue lobelias and 1 white impatien in the rain garden. I potted up the rest of the impatiens in two pots with a dusty miller each.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I filled a trough by the new picnic table with most of the remaining flowers: 8 vinca in the middle (various shades of pink and white), plus each end has 1 dusty miller between 2 blue lobelias. The color combination is a bit odd, but hopefully it will attract more pollinators.

Something has been eating the leaves off some of my marigolds. I have no idea what. Most insects avoid it because of the smell and taste.

Also earlier in spring, I built a large tomato cage from sticks. The tomato and peas in that one are dramatically bigger than the others. I may make more of those, although it does get in the way a lot more than the short metal cages.

It's spitting rain, but not enough to make me come in early.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

It's drizzling more steadily now.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 5/22/26 -- I planted the last 3 red-and-yellow marigolds in the barrel garden.

I sowed zinnia seeds in the tulip bed, north notch of the prairie garden, and middle north-south strip. I sowed blanketflower seeds along the middle strip.

The rain seems to have let up.

I am done for the night.

How to weave an obelisk with Dave Jackson The Stick Smith

Dave Jackson a.k.a. The Stick Smith teaches how to weave a willow obelisk, for climbing plants; be they peas, sweet peas, runner beans, jasmine, etc.


This is a very sophisticated weaving method. It's not so much difficult as it is particular. Following these steps will give you a very consistent and durable structure. However, you could just as well make the basket ribs and do a simple over-and-under weave that would suffice for many garden purposes.

Weaving is a garden craft that lets you make many useful things. It also lets you obtain more yield from your permaculture or other garden. Many types of willow can give you a near-endless supply of excellent weaving materials. So will bushy dogwoods, hazels, and some types of maple. You can use these whips to make baskets, mats, obelisks, fences, and more depending on how thick you let them grow before harvest. Coppicing is the technique of cutting back a bush or tree so it sends up new shoots. You can do this for many years with the same plant.

Discovery overturns long-held assumptions about Earth's earliest complex lifeforms

Life on Earth became complex very slowly. Before forests, fish, or dinosaurs existed, tiny cells called eukaryotes appeared. These cells later gave rise to plants, animals, and fungi.

Scientists have long wondered where these early cells lived. A new study from Australia suggests they remained near the seafloor in oxygen-rich waters rather than floating near the ocean surface.


Note that this means "complex single-celled organisms" not "complex multicelled organisms."  The eukaryotes did eventually expand into larger creatures, and this does show some of the background behind clusters like the Ediacaran biota.

I stumbled across this post:

Essential Tips for Budget-Friendly House Construction in Pakistan

Building a dream house is a major milestone, but managing the construction cost in Pakistan can be highly challenging due to fluctuating material prices. Whether you are building a 5-marla or a 10-marla house, careful planning is the key to avoiding unnecessary expenses and staying within your budget.


So of course I got curious and had to look up what a "marla" was:

The Real Estate Puzzle: Understanding Marla Sizes in Pakistan

​In the intricate world of Pakistan’s real estate, few things cause as much confusion for new investors as the “Marla.” It is a term deeply rooted in the history of the subcontinent, yet its definition seems to shift depending on where you stand.

You might buy a plot believing you own a specific amount of land, only to find the calculations don’t match your expectations.
​Why is a Marla 272 square feet in one area and 225 square feet in another? Is it a scam, or is there a method to the madness?


It's fascinating to see how units of measurement relate to things that people consider important, which vary in different cultures. Add colonialism and that just complicates it further. But it's fascinating to explore.

Today is cloudy, breezy, and cool.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I started cleaning up the goddess garden. I got about halfway around the outside, trimming grass around it and digging out weeds. Setting up this garden is today's main project. I need to finish the cleaning, reinstall the statue, and put in the new plants.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I finished going around the outside of the goddess garden.

I've seen a male and and a female cardinal separately.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I started working on the inside of the goddess garden.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I finished weeding the inside of the goddess garden. Progress!

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I reinstalled the garden goddess in the center, then backfilled with a little compost. This is a ceramic statue of a woman's head and shoulders that I put out during the warm season, then bring indoors for winter.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I planted two golden lemon thyme and one English thyme toward the front of the goddess garden. There is a little bit of surviving mother-of-thyme on each side. That leaves the back bare of thyme, but I may figure out a solution for that later.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I planted 8 hot pink moss roses and 8 pale yellow moss roses in the goddess garden. I still want to go back and add more compost around things to make sure it's all covered.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I topped off the goddess garden with compost, then watered the whole thing. Today's main project is done! \o/

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I planted 8 dianthus of assorted colors along the edge of the north notch in the prairie garden.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I planted the Riddell's goldenrod in the prairie garden, along the south side of the east-west strip.

EDIT 5/21/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.