AnarChic

Bat Wren is living the life! Cozy, warm cottage up high and a mealworm buffet down in the viburnum. All set for winter.

Daughter’s history teacher is showing “Glory” in class as they study the Civil War. I had to fill out a permission slip due to its R rating. I’m fine with the movie, but teacher described it as “the true story,” so what I want to know is whether she’ll be clear that it’s a fictionalized account of true events and that, despite the paternalistic “white savior” filter applied by Hollywood, most of the 54th were free-from-birth, educated, politically sophisticated Northern men.

I’ve been staying in private homes and cabins since before there was an internet. It’s always been expected that you (I) pick up and lightly clean before you leave and (II) bring your own paper products, including toilet paper. I’d say “go stay in a hotel,” but I’m suspicious that the people who don’t know this also don’t tip hotel housekeeping, so maybe they should just stay home.

Not aimed at Shay, but something I think about: Can jealousy be a positive emotion in its own right, or do we just call it positive when it accompanies something we value, like love or fidelity? What good does the emotion “jealousy” contribute that those things would be missing without it? (I mean jealousy as an emotional experience, rather than in the sense of vigilance in protecting something important/valuable. )

I see this as the natural progression down the “don’t return the grocery cart” pipeline.

My cornbread is crumbly. Mill issue.

On the grocery discourse: A little under $25 in the crockpot right now. It’ll probably cover all of my meals for ~4 days.

I asked Grok to produce an image based on information it collected about me.

“Grok, dress me up in the traditional costume of the country that I look like I’m from.” (ChatGPT was too woke to infer nationality even when I insisted. Lol.) Grok thinks I look Italian. (Ignore laundry day in the background).

I had an interesting conversation which led to some chuckles. I'm gonna memorialize this insight in a Twitter post. The lyrics below are a love song circa 2010 that made girls swoon. But not I. What I hear is: "Your smile substantially improves my capacity to tolerate existence. Maintaining your happiness is therefore a strategic priority." Don't get me wrong. I'm quite sentimental and if the song were about me, I'd appreciate and love it. I might keep John Waite around. Big input on the positive side of the equation! But nevertheless, an equation. Some of us are wired this way and we may be pretty weird but we’re also fabulous, especially if you don’t like drama.

Tonight’s menu: The Rollin’ Rowcliffe Special.

The potato experiment was a success! I could have planted the whole bag of negligently pantry-spouted baby potatoes tho. I got these out of just 3 of them. The grow bag could’ve handled a LOT more.

“If he had been an ordinary gangster like his brother, it would be nbd.”

I have no failures as a woman. It’s not my perception. It’s a fact. (That viral repost is a completely weird and covert narcissist-coded social script. Stop.)

Bat Wren slept in his condo again. I think it’s officially “home.” 😍 In January, I’ll add a nesting box. The condo is just for roosting.

SO COZY 😍😍

Bat Wren is roosting in his box!! I’ll sneak out and try to get a pic after he’s in deep slumber. This is how it ended up looking inside after about 20 tries.

In a tomato mood, so went and plucked a couple from the fall harvest. Yum!

My lash artist has been instructed to maintain them if I’m ever in a coma. I am not waking up to chopped lashes. I don’t care after I’m dead tho.

Carolina wren fact of the day: They are non-migratory tropical birds. They stick around here through polar vortexes and blizzards, but they aren’t built for it. Bat Wren will appreciate his insulated box! Farmer’s Almanac says it’s gonna be extra cold and wet this winter.