Horses are good company -- The Witcher

The nature report! Today I saw sunflowers and star gazer lilies in bloom.

The tall grass is very tall and lush. There are lots of mosquitoes here especially in the evening, but not too bad out at the dog park.

I watched "The Old Guard" on Netflix and totally loved it. It's about a group of immortal warriors that work as mercenaries, taking jobs they feel do some good in the world. Looking forward to reading fan fic about these characters, especially because there are canon queers. Charlize Theron is amazing all the time, but I especially love when she goes butch and violent.

I was bored so I made a list of my current favorite movies.

( 63 movies )

Blooming right now: the bean Catalpa trees, of which there are 4 in the neighborhood. My roommate said they look like trees out of a Studio Ghibli movie. Huge, heart-shaped leaves provide wonderful deep shade. The flowers are a cone of white blooms. Later in the year, long bean pods droop from the trees and fall onto the ground.

I bought a small fucshia at the garden store and it has one blossom and some buds. Today I moved some hosta plants in the backyard; I took them out of the full sun and planted them behind the building where it's shady. In the small garden plot out back, I have spaghetti squash and red cabbage, and it's fun to go out in the morning and water them with the hose.

I was bored enough, or let's say inspired by Queer Eye, to organize one of the kitchen cupboards and do a small bit of cleaning. I find this show to be very heartwarming and uplifting.

We had about 3 days of Spring, and now it's hot and muggy. Too hot for me, but the plants like it. Today I moved some more house plants outside. I started a few spaghetti squash from seed and planted them in the back. Lilacs and Wild Rocket are blooming.

Today my roommate and I saw two Sandhill Cranes with two chicks. The chicks looked half-grown already, despite the cool Spring. They were lounging under a Willow tree near the convention center. I turned my car around and drove back for another look.

WisCon was all online this year; a combination of live youtube streams, Discord chats, and Zoom room parties. I loved the vid show, which worked pretty well. I liked being able to watch panels after the fact and from the comfort of my home. I didn't spend much time on the Discord, which was a little overwhelming. Rebecca Roanhorse, the guest of honor, seems thoughtful, funny, and kind. She spoke about using reading and writing for survival.

Attending online means I didn't get to see many friends except on Zoom calls, but overall it was much less exhausting to experience a con this way. WisCon always feels like it feeds my soul, and I did get a bit of that this year too.

I read an article about mosquito research a month or so ago. The author used a phrase that really stuck with me: "Like many people, I feel uniquely persectued by mosquitoes," was how I remembered it.

I looked up the article and it's acutally:
"I don’t have a phobia, exactly, but like a lot of people I feel uniquely hunted by mosquitoes. "

http://www.thedailybeast.com/mosquitoes-love-some-people-more-and-science-wants-to-know-why

I thought, that's it. That's it exactly! It feels personal. Rather than just being creatures that exist in the world, they are out to get me. And me especially, somehow-- an illogical and demonstrably false belief.

This summer and last summer I've been chased inside by these beasts. I haven't gardened nearly as much, nor sat outside reading. They get into the house and my car. We kill them and a surprising amount of blood results, leaving small gory streaks on the apartment walls.

I fancy myself a nature lover. But lately I've been more about spending time indoors. Autumn will be welcome.

Me: Don't touch those, they're nettles.
Ogre_911: They're what?
Me: Nettles! They'll sting you!
Ogre_911: I've never heard of them before.
Me: Did you not go outside as a kid?
Ogre_911: Not really.

A few minutes later I am paid back for my teasing when I am stung twice by wasps after accidentally kicking a nest. Ugh, the pain is not diminishing. I think it will be an afternoon of movie watching.