Karen Conlin

Owner of GRAMMARGEDDON LLC Editing Services, providing professional editing for independent authors (especially spec-fic and horror/weird fiction, other genres considered!)

Professionally irreverent, irreverently professional

American English user (spoken, written)

Favorite = acknowledgement, not necessarily agreement

PFP is me, a silver-haired white woman with glasses, with cat

Banner is a partial image of the US flag upside down signaling distress

#TransRightAreHumanRights
#Resist

Pronouns: she/her
Religion: kinda
Politics: Life is politics
Swearing: Fuck yes, when appropriate

Public Key

npub16f9u543cra33eskpeatj29f3e08rcnt254zh8u9rktkq7dsk3znsgdy7at

NIP-05 Address

gramrgednangel_at_beige.party@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsdyj722cup7ccuctqu74e9z5cuhn3uf44223tn7z3m9mq0xctg3fcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsa3rykg

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub16f9u543cra33eskpeatj29f3e08rcnt254zh8u9rktkq7dsk3znsgdy7at

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Last Notes

2026-10-29 21:31:10 UTC

And also Elke Sommer, 85, film star born in Berlin, known for many titles including A Shot in the Dark with Peter Sellers
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/29/elke-sommer-prolific-german-star-of-a-shot-in-the-dark-and-and-then-there-were-none-dies
#RIP

2026-10-13 15:32:46 UTC

Very pleased with this interior. Nice big holes. Not as airy as ciabatta, but a fine substitute for it when making breadcrumbs.
#HomeBaking
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/117/434/314/272/507/542/original/ad6fb99801379dc2.jpg

2026-10-13 14:23:06 UTC

The no-knead loaf is in the Dutch oven, baking (steaming) for 30 minutes. Then I take off the lid and bake for another 12, to get a lovely crust.
Super simple method. I've never used a Dutch oven for this before; my other no-knead loaf is just done on a baking sheet.
I may prefer this one. We shall see.
#HomeBaking

2026-10-09 23:55:41 UTC

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Ooooh.
What's tonight's program?

2026-09-26 01:25:39 UTC

My favorite pin, which I don't wear in public.
#FuckWheel #Profanity
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/117/334/716/203/393/404/original/c86b1b665360c837.jpg

2026-09-24 19:48:19 UTC

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I'll take furries over "AI" traffic control any day. Give me a trash panda and a wolf with their eyes on the radar, and put a fox in the cockpit. Please.

2026-09-21 12:22:56 UTC

See, if Donny stopped doing awful, illegal, negative things, the press could stop printing awful, negative (but *not illegal*) stories about him.
Zero self-awareness, that one.
#SomeoneShouldStopHim

2026-09-14 02:21:01 UTC

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I love the three-way split.
We buy a food donation and a general merchandise donation (personal care items, sometimes school supplies) at our market every time we do our shopping. Every bag has a receipt attached so we know exactly what's in it.

2026-09-13 14:03:57 UTC

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Perhaps it will help to remember that dictionaries don't prescribe, they describe. That is, they show us how the language is being used *at a specific moment*. While the definitions may lean towards prescription or description, the contents are still that snapshot.
Hence the furor over the inclusion of "ain't" in Webster's Third.

2026-09-13 01:55:55 UTC

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What a lovely quenelle!

2026-09-09 23:00:29 UTC

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Some Like It Hot

2026-09-03 17:04:37 UTC

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I never forgave Paul for marrying Linda. Never mind I was only 6 years old when I fell for him . . .
And that Davy Jones lad! Oh, my.

2026-09-03 16:29:05 UTC

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/vibhasratanjee/2026/03/03/what-is-generation-jones-and-why-its-reshaping-succession-planning/
Forbes, of all places, did this piece on it earlier this year.
Seems to be quite a contentious issue, which is odd to me as a member of this cohort. I see much ado made about it in various online spaces. For myself, I enjoy seeing a definition that is clearly "me."

2026-08-24 01:10:26 UTC

"Aw, no one is as dumb as I appear to be." — Mo Rutherford
#Monsterdon #TheStuff1985

2026-08-21 14:03:33 UTC

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Urban Dictionary has truly stepped up in that regard. Miles away from where it began.
There's also Green's Dictionary of Slang online, edited/maintained by Jonathan Green of Chambers Dictionary of Slang.

2026-08-21 13:27:18 UTC

Some of my reference books. A fair number of dictionaries (including one for slang, one for etymology, and one "in reverse" in which you look up the concept to find the word, e.g. "dome" to find "stupa"), along with style manuals and English grammars
#Shelfie #ReferenceBooks #GUMmyStuff
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/117/133/690/163/054/251/original/d650e31a70134621.jpg

2026-08-21 00:53:43 UTC

Yeah, I'm 68.
Yeah, I wear a lined denim jacket in the cooler weather.
Yeah, I put enameled pins on it.
Https://StrikeGently.com
(They are very slow to ship. Keep that in mind if you order; I was first told to expect these ten days ago. They shipped this past Monday.)
#60sKid #GenerationJones #ClassOf75
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/117/130/720/390/520/787/original/00327619ab8ec18b.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/117/130/722/749/281/359/original/f31eba5ceed6a4b5.jpg

2026-07-05 22:32:12 UTC

The black raspberry sorbet is done churning, and is now in a container in the freezer until it's firm.
I'll be sure to post a picture later when I have a dish of it. The color is fantastic, dark and rich and jewel-like.
The allulose lets it freeze without getting too icy, and a little vodka helps keep it smooth.
#Homemade #NoAddedSugar

2026-06-22 15:08:03 UTC

Today's mug is an old favorite.
The categorization is incomplete, however. "Fuck" is also a noun.
The provided pronunciation sounds like someone from Southie, to me. What the fuck ever. ::shrugs:: The sentiment is spot on.
#MugShot #Sweary
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/116/794/361/079/976/002/original/f53f4de95339209d.jpg

2026-06-17 13:07:04 UTC

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Proof of stripes
#StripeySelfie
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/116/765/583/520/449/592/original/b71aa3ae71f82171.jpg

2026-06-17 13:02:24 UTC

I am wearing horizontal stripes today.
As a female who has been overweight for most of her life (beginning when I was around 5 until last year, with one or two brief moments of "average"-ness), any stripes but vertical have always been anathema. "You'll look fatter." "They're so unflattering."
I decided to buck the conventional wisdom, now that I'm at my goal (within a pound or two either way, which is perfectly acceptable for me), even though in my head I'm still "big." I know I'm not. Size 10 Misses (US) is not "big." Even size 14 Misses is not "big." (I'm one size on top, another on the bottom. Dresses fit one but not the other, and by necessity must fit the top.)
Anyway. I'm sitting here in my striped shirt and I look pretty damn good.
Step out of your comfort zone in some way. You might like what you find out there.
#WednesdayThoughts #GetOutOfYourHead #OhAndFuckCapitalism

2026-06-07 15:59:00 UTC

Just saying.
Going to the grocery store and Farm & Fleet. Betcha folks stay outta my way.
Except the ones who agree. They usually give me a smile, a nod, or a thumbs up.
#Resist #GodAintPettyButIAm
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/116/709/638/894/006/606/original/212878bb0e16f085.jpg

2026-06-06 03:56:18 UTC

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I had forgotten about that one! Time for a rewatch.
@npub14z2…aj8h

2026-05-31 00:43:37 UTC

The menu description said "half a carved pineapple."
We went out for our anniversary dinner.
Description in alt text
#MexicanFood
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/116/666/397/379/400/065/original/224390003d53bcb2.jpg

2026-05-29 12:59:38 UTC

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I got stung once, and that was enough for me.
Yeah, I see jewelweed mentioned in almost every foraging article. Good thing witch hazel or soap and water also work, because those, I have. Jewelweed, not so much 😁
Also, I chuckle because I'm in Illinois, and those things are *everywhere * around these parts. (Northwestern part, about an hour from the Mississippi and a half hour from the IL/WI state line.)

2026-05-27 23:40:14 UTC

TIL one can eat stinging nettles (after taking appropriate steps, of course, not just stuffing them into one's mouth).
I never thought much about them, tbh, until a couple of days ago when I placed a planter in the shade by the privet hedge and something Got me. I mean, it GOT me. Nothing I could see right off except plants. I washed my hands with soap and cool water, and after an hour or so the sting was gone.
Now, I find out I can pick those mofos (wearing gloves, preferably ones that pass the wrist, ending mid-forearm, like dishwashing gloves) and blanch them to get rid of the formic acid, then wring them out, and chop them finely. From there? Sauteed, turned into filling for ravioli, cooked in a risotto . . .
Yes, I'm seriously considering trying them. Why not? We like other greens.
Hunt, Gather, Cook, by Hank Shaw is my resource here. ISBN 978-1-60961-890-2 (Doing lots more book-buying these days, less reliance on what used to be the internet . . .)
#Foraging #EatWild #EatYourGreens

2026-05-27 00:26:19 UTC

My lettuces are in a small planter set in the shade of the privet hedge on the edge of the gravel plot outside our door. I just moved them out of the sun today, and already they've perked up.
Meanwhile, the herbs are delighted with their sunny spot on the opposite side of that plot. The hens and chicks remain in their little pots, to be transplanted into cacti-friendly potting mix once I do a little rearranging of pea gravel in the big landscape bed. And in the shade at the back, the hostas patiently wait for me to mix up some soil for that new bed surrounding the access pipe to the dry well.
Highs in the 90s (36C or so) tomorrow, though. Might keep busy indoors until we're back in the low 80s on Thursday.
#Gardening #Landscaping

2026-05-26 00:09:32 UTC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-26/menu-state-banquet-china-food-diplomacy-xi-jinping-donald-trump/106657710
Why Peking duck is a big deal, diplomatically speaking
#CulinaryDiplomacy #ChineseStateDinners

2026-05-01 13:29:08 UTC

I still have the "your final paper is due tomorrow and you haven't even chosen a topic" nightmare.
And also the "you haven't attended this class once the entire semester and you never bothered to withdraw" nightmare.
In case you're wondering if those ever go away.
#Nightmares

2026-04-29 23:10:57 UTC

Looking at the predicted low temps for the next two weeks.
I wonder when I'll be able to plant the raised beds this year. That soil sure won't be warm enough by Mother's Day, at this rate.
Grrr.
#Gardening #ILWX

2026-04-17 17:02:31 UTC

Looks like the storms will kick off here around 3 this afternoon. The Weather Channel says there's a better than average chance of tornadic activity, perhaps E3 or stronger.
Fun times, fun times.
My house has stood on this spot since 1851. I have spent time in the basement over the years, but we have never been hit.
May our streak continue.
#ILWX

2026-03-24 20:24:17 UTC

DO NOT REGISTER FOR A PROTEST
DO NOT DO IT
SHOW UP AND PARTICIPATE
NO ONE WILL SAY YOU'RE UNWELCOME
#50501NoKings

2026-03-24 15:19:12 UTC

What in blazes is an "arborwright"???
If he's a woodworker, why not say that? My first thought was "this guy works with entire trees, does he? Shaping them from saplings? Oh, no . . . he's a woodworker."
This penchant for coining nonce words (they'll not appear outside this book or perhaps the series) is maddening. We have so many cromulent words already! USE THEM!
::deep breaths:: Ropesman. Assemblageman. (Not "assemblyman." This is a wholly different context.) More I can't recall at present.
::more deep breaths::
#AmEditing #DevelopmentalCritique

2026-02-14 15:12:56 UTC

Cat's not out of the bag yet.
#Caturday #CatsOfMastodon
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/116/069/620/878/003/485/original/55c5a2a726344210.jpg

2026-02-11 18:09:59 UTC

IF you are a fiction writer, especially of genre fiction, and
IF you would like to work with a professional editor who eschews the use of AI for writing or editing, and
IF you have a final draft sitting somewhere, that's been read by your trusted team of beta readers (you do have beta readers, don't you?), whether it's a short story or a 150K-word novel,
THEN
I might be the editor you're looking for. My specialties are SF/F, historical, horror, thriller, action/adventure, and weird (think William Hope Hodgson, Lovecraft, Blackwood, etc.). It's horror but not pure. It's . . . weird.
Yes, I'm mostly retired, but I'm not gone. I'd love to work with the right client! I've edited for clients around the world, so no worries if you're not in the US (I envy you, these days).
Maybe that is you.
https://grammargeddon.com/karen-s-conlin
#AmWriting #AmEditing #FictionWriters #FictionEditors #HistFic #HistoricalFiction #SpecFic #SpeculativeFiction #HorrorFiction

2026-01-15 02:45:35 UTC

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Okay . . . I wasn't expecting rigor.
I was expecting fun, and I got it. ::shrugs:: YMMV, obviously.

2026-01-15 02:34:33 UTC

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Then I am in good company, as I also got 16/24

2026-01-15 01:28:35 UTC

My grandpa used to make cough syrup with brandy, rock candy, honey, and horehound candies.
The aroma of brandy still makes me think of that.
Dad and I used to sneak sips of it every now and then, "coughing" every so often to make it all look legit.
Man, that stuff was tasty. And it did help with the itchiness.
#GrandmaCandy (and Grandpa, too)

2026-01-01 15:36:57 UTC

Someone should write MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN on a highly visible wall at the White House.
Just saying.
#OldTestament #IYKYK

2025-12-26 03:12:20 UTC

I have now eaten a dozen shortbread cookies.
I still have no regrets.
And the cookies are gone. So. Moving on.
#Baking #NomNomNom

2025-12-25 03:16:31 UTC

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Give it time, you'll get there 😁

2025-12-23 00:04:39 UTC

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I was in college.
Gutted me then, still does now. And yet I love hearing it.
Just not when I'm in public.

2025-12-22 20:23:03 UTC

Oh no
Dan Fogelberg, "Same Auld Lang Syne"
So I am crying in the bakery aisles
#ChristmasSongs

2025-12-15 20:44:42 UTC

Last night during the watch party, I said that John's/Nigel Terry's face in the scene in the dungeon when Henry/Peter O'Toole has a dagger to his throat reminded me of the cover for "In the Court of the Crimson King."
You be the judge.
#TheLionInWinter
#KingCrimson
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/725/511/508/507/441/original/927b597658e8de08.jpg

2025-12-04 16:32:06 UTC

#GUMmyStuff
Reading another self-published novel and sighing inwardly.
"Horseshit" so styled on one line.
Two lines later, it's "horse shit."
I don't particularly care which way is "correct," but I wish there were consistency. Readers notice when there is none.
And, while I don't much care which way is right, Merriam-Webster (the app, 11th Collegiate) shows the closed styling. When I'm being paid to care, I check all the things.
Readers don't notice unless something is amiss.
#RealEditorsProofBetter

2025-12-04 03:07:55 UTC

If you're going to use "A.D." for dates, please, PLEASE, remember it goes *before* the year.
e.g. A.D. 2025
Because it means "in the year of our Lord," Anno Domini, it makes no sense to put it after the year. Would you say "2025 in the year of our Lord?" Of course you wouldn't.
#GUMmyStuff #Pedantry #CopyEditor #RealEditorsProofBetter

2025-11-19 03:02:19 UTC

Nothing much beats finishing a project, getting paid the same day, and then hearing from another client that a) they'll have a project for me next year and b) they're referring someone to me.
January is shaping up pretty well.
#RealEditorsProofBetter

2025-11-12 02:34:14 UTC

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Gulab jamun is my downfall. Every time. SO GOOD. @npub1kyd…jltj

2025-10-30 14:06:27 UTC

An em dash is said to be the sign of AI-written trash, but an en dash? That tells you an actual human editor got their hands on the text.
#GUMmyStuff #RealEditorsProofBetter

2025-10-22 13:51:16 UTC

#AmEditing
#GUMmyStuff
TWEET is not TWEED.
#SpellcheckCannotSaveYou

2025-10-07 13:29:15 UTC

Well. That completes the cold read on "The Wizard's Cat."
Of course, now I want to read the next book . . .
This cat? He's what our Huckleberry would be, if he were like this cat. I don't want to ruin anything for prospective readers; suffice to say, I chuckled a lot and may even have chortled once or twice.
@npub12s2…9gr0
#AmEditing

2025-09-30 13:41:38 UTC

#AmEditing
I'm so happy to type that hashtag again!
I have received the next installment in The Wizard's Butler series by @npub12s2…9gr0, entitled The Wizard's Cat.
The first one was so much fun! I can't wait to see what this one brings.
#SpellcheckCannotSaveYou #RealEditorsProofBetter

2025-09-17 14:45:52 UTC

I love it when I'm reading a novel (in this case, it's "Cleave the Sparrow" by Jonathan Katz) and a character quotes someone, and I seek out the source and find it, leading me to put another book on my reading list.
"Belief clings, but faith lets go." Alan Watts, "The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety," originally published in 1951 by Pantheon Books.
1951. Before I was born. The year my parents we'd. An age of anxiety.
Isn't it always?
#Bookstodon
#Philosophy
#AlanWatts

2025-09-14 19:04:59 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois
Confirmed: Putting an apple (in my case, a Granny Smith) in a brown paper grocery bag with unripe tomatoes will yield ripe tomatoes.
I had about a dozen or so green tomatoes I cut off the vines because it had been so freaking cold, so I tried the apple trick. Now I have about a half-dozen ready to eat, and half of the rest are starting to turn red.
(And of course now it's nearly 90 and supposed to stay that way for at least another week. Whatever.)

2025-09-11 01:12:50 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois
So, it's been unseasonably cold for the last couple of weeks. I ended up harvesting green tomatoes and putting them in a brown paper grocery bag with an apple, in hope they'll ripen eventually and not just rot.
The beans gave up. Better luck next year?
The two parsleys and the sage, though, are happy as pigs in mud. More power to 'em.
And my bell peppers? Three of the four are blossoming AGAIN. I'll keep them watered and see what happens.
Carrots? I harvested those last week and we ate them all, cooked crisp-tender and then coated in melted butter, ground ginger, and a little sweetener, as a side with a roast pork tenderloin.
The chard remains a disappointment.
Still plotting what to change for next year. I have plenty of time.

2025-08-11 18:29:01 UTC

#Gardening
We've gotten just under two inches of rain in the last 24 hours.
Happy, happy gardens.

2025-07-30 17:27:31 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening
The first Celebrity tomatoes! And more cherry toms because of course there are.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/943/343/559/518/890/original/24fc06fb88b18ac6.jpg

2025-07-21 14:40:16 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening
Good rains over the weekend! I did feed my eggplant, tomatoes, and pole beans this morning, though.
Four lovely Celebrity tomatoes nearly ready to pick, and a couple dozen more on the vines.
One of my bell peppers is turning red! Yay!
In other news, I lopped off the mulberry branches that were overhanging the driveway, and then I went after the vines covering the back porch wall (it's essentially the front, seeing as it's the only usable entry/exit) and threatening to seal the back door. That Virginia creeper, man . . . Those little suckers (literal suckers!) hang on tight!

2025-07-17 14:28:10 UTC

I mowed the front lawn while it's cool and not raining. When the batteries died, I quit.
Then I got the string trimmer and went around the decorative beds.
After that, I checked the garden. About 2 dozen tomatoes on the bushes, many more on the cherry tomato plant. Quite a few blossoms on the pole beans.
And one Japanese eggplant, still too small to pick.
#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening

2025-06-30 17:37:42 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening
My root crops are jokes save for the Yukon potatoes. Nothing but tops. However . . .
I have one eggplant, several peppers, and a fair number of tomatoes, and my pole beans are blossoming.
I harvested some leaf lettuces and Swiss chard for a salad later.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/773/516/323/864/904/original/72eb52159206ca50.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/773/517/013/847/012/original/0d01e94764fee831.jpg
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2025-06-26 01:31:19 UTC

Yeah, we had that storm. And afterward, my rain gauge has logged .17 inches for the last 12 hours.
::sigh:: I'll be watering the beds again tomorrow.
#Gardening

2025-06-21 18:21:05 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening
Pics! Pole beans, cherry tomatoes ripening, bell peppers, eggplant blossoms
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/722/719/336/573/339/original/12af1ab0b5f8cb3e.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/722/718/811/763/644/original/8c6e32a23ed7f4d6.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/722/718/598/941/472/original/02832db43c7b65f8.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/722/719/519/091/127/original/afc95181ad01cbd2.jpg

2025-06-21 13:24:07 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening
Shot out of bed and dashed outside (dressed, YES) to tend the garden before the Big Heat and Wind hits. Tied the cherry tomatoes' cage to the trellis post so it doesn't blow over again.
Noticed a couple of fruits turning color. YAY!
Something has devastated my lovely leaf lettuce plant, the best of the four that grew out of the eight I sowed. I hope the thief enjoyed it.
My eggplant has blossoms!
My potatoes are flowering!
Peppers and tomatoes seem quite happy. Beans continue to wend their way up the wire fence.
Now that I've lost something to pests, I really am a gardener.

2025-06-19 14:33:10 UTC

ATTENTION ATTENTION
I PICKED A PEPPER
not a peck. Just one.
I see at least three more growing, and another three or four forming.
The cherry tomato plant looks happier having been dosed with plant food. The rain didn't hurt, but I'm sure the food is responsible for the leaves losing their yellow.
Beans are climbing! Even the "slow plot" that came up about a month later.
More strawberry blossoms! Maybe this time we'll get the berries. I'm hopeful because of the covering.
#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #squarefootgardening
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/710/499/441/544/368/original/b481f1c31a175b61.jpg

2025-06-17 13:25:41 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
No photos today, kids.
I want to note that all my plants in the raised beds are doing wonderfully. The only problem child is the cherry tomato, which came in its own pot from the garden center at the local DIY store. Yellow leaves! It's quite displeased, never mind that it's covered with blossoms and has over two dozen fruits on it already (all green, of course).
Naturally, when I searched for why this is happening, I got the utterl unhelpful result: "There are five zillion reasons for yellow leaves." Some refining finally got me to "the most common problem is nutrients." So, I mixed up a gallon of plant food and fed it (not the entire gallon!) . I hope to see improvement over the next week or so. The directions on the food say to use it every other watering. I water daily, as needed.
Point being, "Mel's Mix" is magical, just like the book says. Every single thing I've planted in it, provided it germinated, is thriving. Lightweight row covers have helped minimize pests while allowing 97% of sunlight to reach the plants. I open them up now that the plants are sizeable, and bring them down at night (it's still cool here).
My sad dill plant is the exception. It finally germinated, but it's doing . . . nothing. I'm still debating whether to just buy one and be done. Same with the basil and oregano. Chives are looking good; half my lettuces are growing (the other half never came up); Swiss chard is happy; and you've seen already how well the potatoes and pole beans are doing. The beans in one plot are exploring the trellis; the other plot's residents are a couple of weeks behind.
And once again, a fucking bird got our single strawberry. I'm going to put a cover over the plant. That'll show 'em.
I AM A GARDENER. Not a great one, but still. Mom, I know you can see it; you've got a bird's eye view. ;-)

2025-06-13 13:00:11 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening
For not knowing what I'm doing, I have a pretty good garden.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/676/166/292/632/986/original/1f490b5d34a9ef7c.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/676/166/086/480/496/original/80ba9a5becc64921.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/676/164/490/720/536/original/1008e3998e1f1676.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/676/166/031/705/099/original/4017c945f2683388.jpg

2025-06-11 13:32:22 UTC

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got it.

2025-06-11 12:56:28 UTC

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My understanding is that screen readers cannot read text presented as an image. The alt text, in these cases, lets the user "see" what's in the graphic.
If I misunderstood, I'm sorry.

2025-06-09 15:05:12 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening
Finally the pole beans are big enough to reach the wire fence trellis!
Note to self: Don't plant leeks with potatoes. Those delicate leeks don't stand a chance in all that potato-leaf shade.
Dozens of blossoms on the cherry tomato, and over two dozen fruits already.
LOOK AT THIS PEPPER. LOOOOOK.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/654/006/127/126/091/original/6c689d26c00a2375.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/654/005/588/974/320/original/35a3d0a77e4bb6ba.jpg

2025-06-06 14:50:44 UTC

#WeekendBeige
Checked the raised beds, marigold pots, strawberry plant, and cherry tomato plant.
Unsurprisingly, no watering needed. That two-plus inches of rain a couple of days ago soaked things.
A couple of dozen baby cherry tomatoes are developing nicely. I didn't count the blossoms on the bush tomatoes, but there are many.
Peppers all have blossoms now. One plant is the runt, few leaves, not at all bushy. The other three really took off.
POTATOES. OH. MY. GOD. If what's going on up top is any clue to what's happening underground . . . WOW.
Should be able to help the pole beans grab on to the trellis soon.
Lettuces are disappointing, tbh. Only one plant to speak of. No sign of the rest. Bummer.
Second planting of radishes looks good so far, a week in.
And that's about it, I guess.
#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening

2025-06-05 14:40:32 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening
This morning everything looks great! Cherry tomatoes; potatoes and pole beans (leeks are there but too small to see); tomatoes, peppers, Swiss chard, and radishes; and my teeny dill plant.
I doubt I'll need to water until the weekend, what with having gotten more than 2 inches of rain on Tuesday.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/631/237/866/264/009/original/501bfeff047bf5fc.jpg
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2025-06-04 14:19:48 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #SquareFootGardening
Well, I dumped water out of the marigolds' pots, as they were standing in a good half-inch. Marigolds don't like to be too wet. Heh.
Something got our one strawberry. I hope it was good.
However, I have a very happy Japanese eggplant plant and a nicely developing green bell pepper.
And the potatoes continue to grow, and I can see the new crop of radishes coming.
Still no sight of my dill or basil. Might just buy those and transplant.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/625/522/730/448/852/original/d69bf232138ee1b4.jpg
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2025-06-04 12:25:52 UTC

#Gardening #NorthernIllinois
2.28 inches of rain in the last 24 hours.
I'll take it! Haven't set foot outside yet this morning, but I'm sure plants are happy.

2025-05-30 18:58:36 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
Sad itty bitty radishes with lovely tops, and a teeny baby bell pepper
I added a bit of compost to each radish plot per the method, but I replanted with 9 per square (not 16!). I'll be interested to see what happens this time.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/598/299/532/583/388/original/b217377223062799.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/598/299/616/327/530/original/8563ccd3937e6eb5.jpg

2025-05-28 16:02:21 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
This is how it all looks as of this morning.
Radishes aren't showing their shoulders yet. I'm making myself be patient.
My parsley and sage refused to germinate, so I bought both curly and flat-leaf and the sage, plus a Japanese eggplant (the purple and green beauty in the front left corner, in front of parsley and next to sage). I love eggplant, spouse doesn't, so I got the smaller kind.
The Yukon potatoes I had given up on? Yeah. They're exploding.
My determinate tomatoes look good, but I'm not seeing many blossoms . . . I keep the sides up on that bed to allow pollinators access to tomatoes and bell peppers. I also narrowed the width of the plastic wrap protecting the tomatoes.
Spouse chose a cherry tomato bush and a strawberry plant. Both have fruit on them already. Not a lot, but hey. We'll take it.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/586/297/325/058/436/original/dc705b61a2aaef83.jpg
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2025-05-23 14:24:16 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
These pictures are from this morning, maybe 15 minutes ago.
I mounded potatoes *again*!
The middle bed with the tomatoes, radishes, and bell peppers looks great.
The salad bed is moving slowly. But it's moving.
Mom would be proud.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/557/580/412/446/822/original/9da8018672c085ff.jpg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/557/581/164/805/137/original/8dcc815be2411736.jpg
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2025-05-22 15:10:11 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
Mounded the potatoes *again.* They're taking off!
Radishes coming this weekend. I can see luscious red at the bases of a few leafy tops. Exciting!
Thinned the carrots. Square-foot method is to sow two or three seeds per hole (16 holes per plot), then thin.
One Brussels sprout plant is coming along. The other? No sign. Oh well.
Tomatoes, peppers, beans all look good. Still bummed about how few beans germinated, but c'est la guerre.
Dill, yes. Basil, not yet (might be a straightforward "no," but we'll give it another week or two before admitting defeat). Chives and oregano, yes. Lettuces, oh hell yes.
Hey, Mom, I'm a gardener!

2025-05-22 12:28:27 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
So glad we put up the hoop houses! Temps have been significantly lower over the past week. We're talking mid 80s to low 60s lower. I'm hopeful that my plants are okay; I haven't checked on them since Tuesday, and that was mainly to see if they actually were getting water through the cover. They were. (Our rainfall topped out at .93 inches.)
Today, though, should see some sun, so I'll schlep out there later and have a look-see.

2025-05-21 23:35:38 UTC

::mounts soapbox::
I will fight the term "fiction novel" with every shred of my being until I am no longer drawing a breath or possessing a pulse.
It's redundant.
Novels are fiction.
Fiction encompasses many kinds of writing, of which novels are but one. If it's made up, it's fiction.
You can have a "biographical novel," which uses facts about a person as part of the invented story. You can have "speculative fiction," novels that fit into science fiction. fantasy, magical realism, and so on. But they're invented, so they're fiction. Novels. Fiction.
A biography is nonfiction. History is nonfiction (even if we don't like the slant the writer/s give it). Textbooks for hard sciences are nonfiction. Business books are nonfiction (I'll wait for you to stop laughing. I get it. Believe me.)
Novels are fiction. It's in the definition. No need to be redundant.
::dismounts, sprains something, hobbles away::
#Editing #Writing #GUMmyStuff

2025-05-20 16:56:17 UTC

Update: Rainfall here at the homestead has reached .85 inches.
I love that the row covers let water through. Those beds are nicely soaked.
#Gardening

2025-05-16 15:22:44 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
Here are all the beds I've planted.
From closest to farthest: salad garden (leaf lettuces, oregano, chives, dill, basil), fruity veg garden (Celebrity tomatoes in plastic-wrapped cages, green and red bell peppers [capsicum], carrots, Swiss chard, radishes), wildflowers (the hyacinth is dying back up there in the front right corner, and nothing else has sprouted yet), and the bean/potato/leek/Brussels sprout bed.
My pole beans aren't germinating as well outside as they did indoors. Only five of sixteen. Sad.
Potatoes are finally showing a little activity. Yay.
I can see one Brussels sprout seedling, but nothing in the other plot. The leeks have started doing things, though.
Such a learning experience! I hope to put up the hoop houses this weekend.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/518/141/324/847/769/original/f0d689e48fbe83e6.jpg
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2025-05-14 15:40:22 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
No pics today. Y'all deserve a break.
Radishes stay happy. Tomato blossoms look good. Peppers are starting to make teeny Peppers!
I can see carrots and chard, finally.
Beans are doing their thing, but fewer than I had expected. Oh well.
I think the potatoes have given up. No action there.
Leeks, though, and a Brussels sprout plant.
Lettuces and oregano and chives, all showing promise. Nothing from the dill or basil yet.
Meanwhile, in the indoor greenhouse, parsley and sage continue to refuse. Nothing visible at all. ::shrugs::
The row cover fabric is on track for delivery tomorrow. That will be lovely.

2025-05-13 14:38:43 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
Tired of me yet? Radishes and pole beans.
(I might have reversed the captions for the pole bean pics. We'll pretend I didn't.)
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/501/016/685/598/592/original/53a0c57c4ffd85f5.jpg
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2025-05-11 16:33:13 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
Radishes, tomato blossoms, and a Brussels sprout seedling
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2025-05-08 19:26:22 UTC

Frost warning tonight.
Seriously??
I just put frost blankets over my raised beds. Cross fingers my tomatoes and peppers come through. Nothing else has germinated yet.
Frost tonight followed by a week of summer temps (80s daytime, 50s nighttime). What a crap shoot.
#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening

2025-05-07 17:35:54 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
I went back out a bit ago and put the second garden hose in place, so I can use the sprayer head on the far bed. Took some doing, as it had lain on the gravel that filled the old cistern for a year or so. Lots of kinks to straighten. But it's done, so yay!
I found a good-sized piece of chicken wire to place over the salad bed. It doesn't cover 100%, but it will help, I think. Maybe not. I'll try it, though.

2025-05-07 14:46:21 UTC

#Gardening
#NorthernIllinois
#SquareFootGardening
Got out there early to water. Good moisture under my cheater domes for the chard and carrots. Peppers and tomatoes look happy. Planted dill and oregano (like i could see those seeds, jeez they're like grains of dark sand). All that's left now are the parsley and sage.
Then I dumped the two partial bags of potting mix/garden soil leftover from . . . (Mumbles) and mixed that well. Scattered wildflower seed over it, watered it. Filled four concrete block openings with the same (because that's how much I had) and planted Key Lime marigolds.
I think Mom would be pleased.

2025-05-06 22:22:17 UTC

Dinner is a slow-cooker pork chop recipe made with cream of chicken soup, ranch seasoning, and other tasty ingredients. On the side are sautéed halved Brussels sprouts with bacon and red wine vinegar.
#HomeCooking
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/463/213/962/464/243/original/cad2b8b1f3f1bd7f.jpg

2025-05-06 21:36:36 UTC

#Gardening
Honestly, my biggest fear right now is underwatering my beds. I've never dealt with anything this big, let alone three of them.
I'll be okay once I see green things coming up. Carrots. Chard. Leeks. Pole beans. Radishes (they're supposed to be mature in less than three weeks! WHAT). Lettuces. Chives.
There's more but you get the gist.
The tomatoes and peppers seem happy enough. For now.
I still have to do the flowerbed . . .
Tomorrow. Right now it's time to make dinner.
#SquareFootGardening

2025-05-06 18:30:39 UTC

https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/latest.html
May Q&A is up at CMOS!
#GUMmyStuff

2025-05-05 18:15:51 UTC

#Gardening
Tomato cages are wrapped in plastic (cling film!), and peppers are protected with cheesecloth for now.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/456/580/023/047/276/original/77b52d462ddc11be.jpg

2025-05-05 17:07:16 UTC

#Gardening
Planted the rest of the Yukon Gold potatoes, the two kinds of leaf lettuces, and the chives.
Then I watered my little potted tomatoes and peppers, and they looked quite ready for transplantation. So I did.
My row cover fabric hasn't shipped, so as a temporary fix I'll use cheesecloth. Only six plants to cover for now, so that should be fine. Anything to deter critters. Landscape staples to hold it down.

2025-05-04 17:58:19 UTC

#Gardening
The grids are in place for planting. Over the next week or two, I'll get everything into the beds.
I paid for a year of the Old Farmer's Almanac garden planner, and I'm so glad I did. I get regular emails with planting schedules based on the vegetables I chose. It's great support for a n00b like me.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/450/842/926/377/469/original/f983da906b29f205.jpg

2025-05-01 17:28:56 UTC

While I know full well that "fine lingerie" is happiest when washed by hand, I'm a lazy beeyotch.
It goes in a lingerie bag, in the washer, on delicate (cold water wash and rinse, light agitation, minimal spin-dry).
But I draw the line at tossing it into the dryer, even on delicate (lowest heat, short cycle). I hang it all on a drying rack set in the bathtub.
Same with expensive casual wear that heat can harm. Drying rack. If it takes a day and a half, so be it.
#IHaveMyLimits

2025-05-01 15:32:04 UTC

#Gardening
I'm going to plant this weekend.
Our temps are still on the cool side, but nights no longer mean freezing.
I'm sure the pole beans will do fine, as will the tomato and pepper plants. The rest? A crap shoot, I suspect.

2025-04-27 22:17:18 UTC

Toast the Pomeranian surveys our handiwork. Today, daughter and granddaughter helped me with the two remaining 4x3x1 raised beds.
That concrete one is for flowers that attract pollinators. Daughter brought me a lovely purple hyacinth 🪻 that's now tucked into a corner opening of a block.
#Gardening #DogsOfMastodon
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/412/203/747/977/838/original/767cd22d2f2d75ad.jpg

2025-04-25 14:29:17 UTC

Tomato seedlings are on the patio. Cooler today, so I might bring them in sooner.
I admit defeat by the alpine strawberries and bell peppers. Threw it all out. I'll try standard everbearing berries instead for the hydroponics tower and look for pepper starts to transplant.
Delivery of our soil components is set for tomorrow morning. I expect to get the beds ready over the weekend, and I hope to be planting by May Day.
#Gardening

2025-04-24 17:30:14 UTC

I took my tomato seedlings outside and set them on the patio in the shade. Come dusk, I'll bring them back inside. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler; I won't leave them out long then. But we're suddenly getting late spring/early summer temps!
#HardenOff
#Gardening

2025-04-24 00:04:49 UTC

Still waiting on that vermiculite from Menard's so they can deliver all of the materials for our raised beds.
I have a sneaking suspicion that all we'll manage this year is prepping and filling them, honestly. My tomatoes are still in the greenhouse, but it's finally warming up enough for me to start hardening them off. They might wind up in grow bags, if we can't get the beds prepped soon.
I've given up on the alpine strawberries doing anything at all. It's been five weeks and nothing. No. Thing. Water, light, and warmth all as they should be per the hydroponic information. Nothing happening whatsoever.
My one tiny bell pepper plant is unhappy. None of the others germinated.
Start slow, right? Maybe getting the beds set up is enough. Let them sit for a year, and get busy next year.
Flexibility is key. I keep telling myself that.
#Gardening

2025-04-13 03:00:21 UTC

Oooh. I need to harden off my tomatoes before planting.
Time to read up on that and figure out the method.
#Gardening