fourthage

[fourthage]

I know the poster above me is tongue-in-cheek, but in case anyone’s actually wondering: the clue’s in how the rest of the people at the bar are described.

John, who’s sure he could be a movie star if he could get out of that place.

Davy, who’s “still” in the Navy and will be for life.

Everyone is stuck. There might be a better life out there somewhere, but everyone in the bar is stuck in inertia.

Paul the real estate novelist works in real estate, but is working on a novel that’s never finished and never will be. Real estate is his job, novelist is what he calls himself to pretend his life is what he once thought it’d be instead of what it is.

what is a “real estate novelist” anyway

[fourthage]

07 August 2025

And the August state-of-the-garden picture for the front. I did not do any kind of thinning for the cosmos seeds that dropped last year and they are running a bit wild. I’ll have to pull some next year so my neighbors don’t have to fight them to mow their side.

You can see the front milkweed doing quite well though, coming up through the cosmos on the side strip.

And another check-in on the oakleaf hydrangea, now that the pink is more pronounced.

[fourthage]

I have a horrible habit of putting reblogs in draft rather than queue when I don’t feel like tagging right away. Current number of drafts: 748. I should probably go through some of those and queue them up, huh?

[fourthage]

06 August 2025

Another sunflower, this time poking its face out from under the big leaves. And the new backyard milkweed starting to bloom.

After blooming beauty. My yellow roses turn pink! And the purple coneflowers fading.

Pollinator plants! Gaura on the left, pink angelonia on the right.

[fourthage]

5 August 2025

First of the music box sunflowers! I love that even the short varieties still have huge leaves. And a bud on one of the ones that has been badly et.

So many volunteer coleuses that migrated and survived the winter. This has never happened before. (And so much grass! Why????)

I really love the way the hyacinth bean vine and the cypress vine look together.

[fourthage]

02 August 2025

Backyard state-of-the-garden picture. The perennial sunflower is putting out its first flowers (bottom) and one of the mini ones from seed has its first bud (top right, just in front of the steps). The amaranth is also growing well (in front of the AC unit on the right) and the vines are putting on good height (up the railing and in the right corner above the oak barrel). Everything else is in full summer swing and makes the garden look nice and lush.

Sunflower with buds and its unlucky siblings the rabbit has been at.

[fourthage]

Soulmark story where protagonist's mark at birth is already that of a dead soulmate. Years of believing they could only ever be someone's second choice. But then! A wild vampire appears!

[fourthage]

Joshua came today! The kids are finally together!

Joshua was shipped with his frowny face, but even if this is pre-end-of-SC Joshua, I had to switch it out so he’s looking at Estelle and smiling.

Now I just need to get my papercraft of the two of them framed and for Steam to finally add the release date for the remake.

[fourthage]

My main thought about the end of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is that a sad choice is not the same as a hard choice.

[fourthage]

For my fellow cozy game fans, Research Story had its full release this week and is on sale for about $11. It’s a very cute game and has zero combat! The gameplay is all about finding new plants and animals and gathering research notes on them to submit to the local institute. For plants, that means observing them to discover what kind of soil and light/weather conditions they need, then growing and harvesting them. For the various critters, you observe then tame them. The only real time pressure is if you wanted to complete everything linked to each season in the first year, but there's no in-game push to do so.

[fourthage]

23 July 2025

Caught a beautiful black swallowtail on the Joe Pye weed this afternoon. Please lay your eggs on the dill! That’s why it’s there!

[fourthage]

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

AAAND WE HAVE LIFTOFF!

HAPPY MOON LANDING DAY!!!

[fourthage]

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

AAAND WE HAVE LIFTOFF!

HAPPY MOON LANDING DAY!!!

[fourthage]

It’s sure not a coincidence that the one house in my townhouse row that’s had a fire was the one with smokers.

[fourthage]

17 Jul 2025

The grass spread has been wild this year. I’ve always had issues with crabgrass, but the grass growing out in the common areas has never popped up all over the place like it’s been doing. Look at it! Somehow up in my hanging basket!

Go, vines, go!

First sign of sunflowers on the row of the short (2-3 ft) variety.

And the red yarrow is here!

[fourthage]

17 July 2025

It’s hibiscus season!

[fourthage]

09 July 2025

A little later than the front, but here’s the state-of-garden picture for July now that it’s (mostly) weeded.

New things blooming: the red hibiscus and black-eyed susans.

More double vining from the hyacinth bean and cypress vines (left). And the black eyed susan vine making a valiant effort to start with the clematis (right).

Natives for the win: check out my at least ten-foot Joe Pye weed that’s about to start blooming.