Scraps

My virtual commonplace book & cabinet of curiosities.

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Vintage bar border with curved detail at the center

  • Our chaos garden has turned feral.

    After being gone for a week and sick for another here’s a look at how it’s going. And it’s going to stay this overgrown for a while.

    One of my chronic illnesses causes heat intolerance so it is what it is at this point. (I can do a bit in evenings, but can’t keep pace with the grass.)

    The perennials that hold space against the grass are key. I keep adding more of them, but we can only afford to do so much at once. 🤷

    I show this to not idealize the chaos gardening approach. It works better in some seasons than others. Between the heat and the rain the witch grass is currently winning. My main point is that you don’t have to be a perfect gardener to enjoy gardening.

    Brick house with an undulating garden bed overrun with grass. A black armillary sphere and purple russian sage pierce the weeds.
    Garden bed along fence completely overrun with grass. A tall butterfly bush towers to the left.
    The self seeded sunflowers between overgrown garden beds.

    The self seeded sunflowers are a bright light. They’ve attracted goldfinch which we don’t often see.

    Read more: untitled post 156079265

  • “In the pos­ses­sion of books unread, there is not shame but virtue: the pur­suit of a super­cool project: the pro­duc­tion of a perfect-for-you library; an intel­lec­tual armory.”

    “I do believe a great library is both a prac­tical asset and a per­sonal achievement. It’s a way of saying, this is who I am; this is what I value. Saying it to yourself, most of all.”

    “It is para­dox­i­cally the lim­i­ta­tions of the phys­ical book — the fact that it can only be in one place at a time; that fact that it bears marks of its use; the fact that when a friend presses a book into your hands, they are actu­ally giving some­thing up—that make it so pro­duc­tive as a cul­tural object.”

    Robin Sloan

    Read more: untitled post 156079263

  • “I’ve come to understand that not everything I write needs to go somewhere. But the act of writing itself—of witnessing—does something to me. It organizes what I didn’t know I was trying to understand. It shows me what I’m circling, what I’m avoiding, what I already know.

    Writing, self-publishing, and small acts of attention help me keep my heart from hardening. They’re not solutions—but they’re part of how I stay human.”

    Cody Cook-Parrott

    Read more: untitled post 156079261

  • Pin Collection

    Links to the pins in my collection. I’m not an affiliate. I just like to support artists.

    Two round pins and one pink butterfly patch. The first pin says, "The future is inclusive" and shows a wave and sunrise in pride flag colors. The second says they/them and a flare of rainbow coming off the letters.
    • The Future is Inclusive (Etsy)
    • They/Them (Threadless, 30% of Proceeds to NQTTCN)
    Three round pins. The first is a vintage pin with red flowers that says "Bread not bombs." The second is a black pin with white bird holding a red flower that says "Free Palestine." The third is a circular slice of watermelon.
    • Bread Not Bombs (Vintage)
    • Free Palestine (Threadless, 90% of Proceeds to Medical Aid for Palestine)
    • Watermelon (Etsy)
    Two round pins. One is a blue and teal nebula with a white infinity symbol. The other is a watercolor wash of rainbow colors in a color wheel spectrum. Typewritten text is collaged on top that says, "autism is a spectrum."

    These designs are my own. You can find them (including variations) in my shop.

    • Neurodivergent Spacetime (Threadless, 10% of proceeds to ACLU)
    • Autism is Spectrum (Threadless, 10% of proceeds to ACLU)

    Read more: Pin Collection

  • What #1 New York Times Bestseller Actually Means

    Read more: What #1 New York Times Bestseller Actually Means
  • My zine making area with Spectrum and Chaos Gardening zines, paper cutter, and watercolor wash circles.

    Restocking the zine shop!

    Read more: untitled post 156079127

  • “Greetings from sultry, humid Indianapolis, where our garden is having its worst year ever. We replaced a bunch of soil this year, and the new dirt turned out to be inadequately acidic, so what plants have survived are struggling. In this respect, many of you may find my garden relatable—who among us has not felt that we were planted in slightly poisoned soil? But nonetheless, some of the fava beans and tomatoes are finding their way as my mom and I desperately try to fix the soil, make sure the plants get adequate water, and so on.

    This is critical work we do for our vegetables, but it is also critical work we do for each other and the world. On tiny or large scales, we try to provide each other with adequate nutrition and water, and to improve the circumstances in which we grow. Of course, we may end up with a garden of withered plants despite our best efforts this year, but it’s still worth trying.

    Hope is always justified, even if it isn’t always rewarded.”

    John Green

    Emphasis mine.

    Source


    Read more: untitled post 156079257

  • “you have an interest based attention system”

    This is how Martha Beck was told she had ADHD.

    “Do you people really pay equal amounts of attention to everything?!” she asked.

    “We pay attention to what’s optimal.”

    Source: Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan: How Creativity Trumps Anxiety on Unpublished Podcast with Amie McNee and James Winestock

    Read more: untitled post 156079253

  • Nettle Liquid Feed

    Crush nettles to bruise and rip.
    Mix with equal weight of brown sugar.

    Cram in sterile jar to ferment.

    Cover with sugar.

    Weigh with stone. Leave air gap.

    Cover with breathable cover like sourdough.

    Leave cool and dark 5-7 days.

    Strain off liquid and that’s your plant food.

    Dilute 1 in 500 or for delicate plants 1 in 1000.

    She says it doesn’t smell bad like some liquid feeds!

    via Francis Tophill at Damson Farm

    BBC Gardeners World 2025: 14

    Read more: untitled post 156079251

  • “Please enjoy this post from about a year ago; I’m sick, and my message stands.”

    Great idea from Seth Werkheiser.

    Read more: untitled post 156079116