#pussywillows cat-tails

[joe-england]

Commission: Lusty Argonian Maid'd

Welcome, hey, welcome!  I'm so glad you made it to the other side.  And here i am too, with my first post of 2024!  Let's do this.

This is for our good pal Val Salia!  Lusty Argonian Maid'd is...

...

I'm really not sure where to begin with this one.  Do you know Skyrim?  That nigh-legendary video game from some years back?  Well, if you didn't know, there's a text in the fantasy setting called "The Lusty Argonian Maid", about....  Oh, there are lizard people in this setting, and they're called Argonians.  Right?  And the book in question is sort of a gag, a raunchy tale about a lusty Argonian maid.  And also in this setting (that is, in the Elder Scrolls franchise, not in the raunchy book), there's a mischievous god who likes causing mayhem and chaos because that's his thing.  He's like Q, but without the moralizing.  So!  Val Salia's writing and drawing an ongoing fan comic in which the trickster god targets the Dragonborn (the protagonist of Skyrim) and transforms him into a real-world (as in, in the context of the game) lusty Argonian maid!  And the Dragonborn is compelled to act the part, which is bad enough since he's supposed to be saving the world from dragons, but it turns out the curse is contagious, and it spreads to Orgnar (a bartender working for an innkeeper who is actually an undercover secret agent), who turns into a sexy Khajiit (there are cat people as well as lizard people), and then it keeps going, and soon all of Skyrim is threatened by this plague turning its victims into pantomime bimbo stereotypes, and all the while the dragons that you're supposed to stop in the game are still ending the world and Pussywillow (Orgnar) low-key hates Lifts-Her-Tail (the Dragonborn) for doing this to them, and it keeps getting worse and more fun to watch.  And that's not the half of it!

It's one of my favorite comics in the world right now.  Funny, ribald, cleverly written, and 51 pages long as of this writing.  As a connoisseur of comics about people getting changed into monster girls, I give it my highest recommendation.  I couldn't fit all that I wanted to draw on a single page!  Check it out if any of that appeals to you, and if not, I encourage you to look into Out-of-Placers, Val Salia's other, more serious-minded webcomic about someone becoming a girl freak!  They're both great reads with their own appeal, and they get my Monster-Girl-Maker Gold Seal of Approval.

There are worse ways to start a new year.

Doctors Without Borders

Save the Children

Alliance for Middle East Peace

- Joe

[murnswhyte]

Masterpiece

[sukea69]

[pod-together]

2022 Filk Broken Telephone Party Favors!

This post is for Party Favors created as part of a game called Filk Broken Telephone. The rest of the 2022 Party Favors can be found here.

There were 3 groups this year for Filk Broken Telephone, all starting with the shared theme of non-static identity. Here they are! Group 1: The City  (Lego Ninjago) created by kingtysonsworld Summary: Wrabel's The Village as a song exploring Nya's changing self. The Babysitter  (Stranger Things (TV 2016)) created by Ceewelsh Summary: Filk about Steve Harrington for Pod-Together's Broken Telephone 2022 Lost (But Now I Feel Like I'm Home)  (呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime)) created by olive2read Summary: Ita's new to the world of Jujutsu Sorcery but he won't let that stop him from rockin' it Slow, love, slow  (악마판사 | The Devil Judge (TV), Original Work, Nightwish) created by Mangacat Summary: "Shattered gaze… stares into the blaze Built walls around me… the front I present to the world" To the tune of "Slow, love, slow" by Nightwish Arcana, Fire, Stained Glass, and Amber  (Critical Role (Web Series)) created by TheLordOfLaMancha Summary: This is a filk about Caleb Widowgast, and the different types of love that have helped to heal him and help him grow, set to the tune of Pussywillows, Cat-tails by Gordon Lightfoot. Thank You For Being My Friends  (The Martian (2015)) created by bluegeekEM Summary: A 'The Martian' filk based on Andrew Gold's "Thank You For Being A Friend" (also known as the origin of the Golden Girls theme). Group 2: Blank Heart  (No Fandom) created by minnapods Summary: You've played this video game before. You know how it goes. Get strong, go after the boss, save the princess. The princess knows, too, and she's sick of this story. (filk to the tune of "Blank Space" for the narrative thread of Podfic Broken Telephone 2022). Hopeful Heroes  (No Fandom) created by esbielle Summary: A final boss has kidnapped the Kingdom's beloved princess but can't get his point across because the hero keeps skipping his dialogue. So he decides to sing instead and duets with the princess. I Will Choose To Fight  (Fandom - Fandom) created by mahons_ondine Summary: In which there is a knight, and somewhere a princess. And in between them, a quest! Probably. Maybe. I think? A New Constellation  (The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types) created by Elle_dubs Summary: Filk Broken Telephone: a Narrative, for Pod Together 2022 Possibility  (Multi-Fandom, Haven (TV)) created by TheArcher Summary: Our OT3 runs away together, set to Run Away with Me by Kerrigan and Lowdermilk Group 3: Always New (Like the Moon)  (No Fandom) created by PhenomenalAsterisk Summary: A FILK about being comfortable with wherever you are on your journey, to the tune of The Beach Boy's "In My Room" The slave who makes free  (Star Wars - All Media Types) created by irrationalpie Summary: Gather round, and listen well This story is to save your life A song the Tatooine wise woman in Shape-Changer might have sung. The Course of the Sun  (Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types) created by carboncopies Summary: A filk based on astolat's fic "Never Did Run Smooth." Set to the tune of "Maid On The Shore" by Stan Rogers. Jaskier takes some creative liberties with the source material when he sings the tale of the Emperor Emhyr and the Emperor Consort, Geralt of Rivia. An Honest Bard's Song  (Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types) created by Wereflamingo Summary: Okay, so maybe the ballad Jaskier wrote about Geralt and Emhyr was not quite truthful, but Jaskier is an artist, okay? Don't clip his wings. Artistic freedom is important. Written and recorded for Filk Broken Telephone 2022, a song parody of Сказки нашего времени by Timur Shaov.

[fishandchipsandvinegar]

Wander - A Jehan Prouvaire Playlist

A playlist for finding yourself. Listen on Spotify.

1. Boats and Birds - Gregory and the Hawk "I live to make you free, I live to make you free."

2. Restless - Gordon Lightfoot "There's a plain and a simple answer to each and every quest"

3. Ode to a Broken Heart - The Once "There was love when your life started and there will be love at the end."

4. Promiseland - MIKA "I was given a name that doesn't feel like it's mine."

5. Sweet as a Whole - Sara Bareilles "And I sit and I write while reminding you all that mean songs are still better than going postal."

6. This is Me - The Greatest Showman "I'm not scared to be seen, I make no apologies, this is me."

7. Flowers Never Bend with The Rainfall - Simon and Garfunkel "I am blinded by the light of God and truth and right and I wander in the night without direction."

8. Truly, Madly, Deeply - Savage Garden "I want to lay like this forever until the sky falls down on me."

9. Captain Wedderburn - Great Big Sea "Before that you might bed with me, you must answer questions six."

10. Pussywillows, Cat-Tails - Gordon Lighfoot "Slanted rays and colored days, stark blue horizons, naked limbs and wheat bins, hazy afternoons."

Listen on Spotify. As always, requests are open.

OTHERS: Montparnasse  |  Marius  |  Bossuet  |  Cosette  |  Eponine  |  Combeferre  |  Courfeyrac

[bethestaryouareradio]

Animal Gardening

by Cynthia Brian

Photos and Text © 2022 Cynthia Brian 

 “We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” Immanual Kant

 Our family has enjoyed an affinity for the animal kingdom for as long as I can remember. We loved creatures so much that we often named a pet for an animal of another species that they resembled. We’ve had dogs named Bear and Wolf, cats named Panther and Tiger, and even a horse named Spider, although he didn’t look like an arachnid. 

 In the plant world, botanists and taxonomists who name plants also look to the realm of animals using zoographical Latin or Greek-based names for various genera and species. Sometimes a part of the plant will remind them of an animal, or sometimes it is the marketing department of a plant breeder that comes up with the fun, and often humorous name for a new cultivar. 

 I walked through my garden giggling at the numerous “animals” that are growing. Trees, flowers, wildflowers, and even weeds bear the names of creatures. If you are looking for an amusing gardening endeavor to do with children this fall, ask them if they would like to plant an animal garden. Discuss their favorite critters, then research specimens to fit the bill.

 Edit your list grouping plants that will demand the same soil, watering, and sun/shade conditions together in one plot or pot. Mix annuals and perennials for an ongoing animal parade that will last throughout the year. Engage in a creative craft project making nametags for each plant. (Popsicle sticks are traditional favorites) Because the weather is too hot and dry to plant in summer, it’s advised to wait for the cooler days of autumn to start digging a new garden. However, if you want to plant a few species in containers now, let the animal party begin. Make sure to follow directions on the plant tags and water frequently as containers lose moisture quickly.

 Here is a partial list of the excitement to come with animal plants:

 Lambsquarter

Cats Ear 

Chickweed

Coyote Bush

Buzzard Breath

Duck Salad

Cockle Bur

Fleabane

Henbit

Goosefoot

Turkey Mullein

Horseweed

Pigweed

Prickly Oxtongue

Goose Grass

Foxtails

Cattails

Swinecress

Birdseye Pearlwort

Goosefoot

Fat hen

Dogwood

Elephant Ears

Catnip

Deerweed

Wolfsbane

Dogbane

Foxglove

Henbane

Horse Chestnut

Leopard’s Bane

Bee Balm

Monkey Grass

Donkey Tail

Butterfly Bush

Locust Tree

Cockscomb

Gopher Plant

Hen and Chicks

Pussywillow

Skunk Plant

Snake plant

Starfish Flower

Zebra plant

Lambs Ears

Bear’s Breeches

Trout Lily

Pigsqueak (Bergenia)

Cardinal Flower

Deer fern

Deer tongue

Dragon lily

Snapdrago

Catchfly

Foxtrot

Horsetail

Lion’s Tail

Lobster Claws

Mouse plant

Ox-eye daisy

Panda wild ginger

Pig butt

Rabbit’s foot fern

Porcupine Agave

Tickseed

Toad lily

Wormwood

Cranesbill geranium

Lion’s Ear

Turtlehead

Spider plant

Crabgrass

Scorpions tail

Flamingo flower

Kangaroo paw

Bunny Tails

Butterfly weed

Partridge Berry

Fishtail palm

Leopard’s bane

Zebra grass

Spiderwort

Squirrel cup

Wake robin

Dinosaur tree

Hedgehog echinacea

  Cynthia Brian’s Mid-Month Gardening Tips

ü  SPREAD a blanket on the lawn and look towards the heavens to see animal shapes in the clouds.

ü  DRY herbs by hanging bunches upside down in a dry place, like a garage or shed. Dry lavender, sage, thyme, rosemary, and oregano.  Store the dried leaves in a jar.

ü  DOUSE weeds with a concoction of white vinegar and liquid dish soap. To a gallon of the vinegar, add a capful of dish soap, shake in a spray bottle, and use proactively.

ü  GATHER the seeds of fennel and cilantro after the flowers are spent. Dry the seeds on a cooking sheet. Cilantro seeds are called coriander. Both add flavor and texture to both sweet and savory recipes.

ü  PRESERVE flat-leaf parsley, basil, and chives by freezing them in ice cube trays. Put a spoonful of the chopped leaves in each cell, add water, and freeze. When you want a dash of fresh flavor, pop an ice cube.

ü  PLANT edamame and sweet potatoes, both warm-weather crops. The soil needs to be warmer than 60 degrees. Plan on harvesting edamame in 90-100 days when the pods are plump but still green for a heart healthy omega 3 boost. To make potassium-rich sweet potatoes sweeter, store at 90 degrees for two weeks after harvesting, 

ü  DEADHEAD roses, annuals, and perennials as blooms fade to keep them coming through frost.

ü  GROW celery by rooting the base of your store-bought vegetable. Put the stub in a glass jar filled with water in a sunny location, then transplant the root to a container or garden.

ü  HARVEST cucumbers and make an easy spicy summer snack as well as a soothing eye pack. Peel, slice, add red onions, rice vinegar, and marinate for one hour in the refrigerator. Save the peels to place on your eyes to eliminate puffiness after swimming.

ü  WATCH butterflies pollinate your flowers as they flutter from blossom to blossom on monarda, tithonia, sunflowers, zinnias, butterfly bush, cosmos, alyssum, marigolds, thyme, oregano, and marjoram.

ü  EXTEND your garden’s production with a second season planting of beets, scallions, kohlrabi, chard, broccoli, lettuce, peas, and carrots to carry your fresh offerings into late fall.

ü  TOSS a salad comprised of edible herbs, tender leaves, and fruit from your garden including basil, sage, thyme, lovage, fennel, arugula, spinach, chives, chard, tarragon, kale, beet tops, lettuce, cilantro, parsley, sorrel, apples, and plums dressed with lemon juice and olive oil for a tasty jolt of mineral rich nutrition.

ü  SHARE your excess vegetable and fruit harvest with the neighborhood and take the extras to the local food bank for those in need to savor.

  CORRECTION for June 22, 2022 column regarding California native trees. A reader, M. T.  asked me to clarify that several of the trees listed are not true California natives. While many are not endemic to California, all are well-adapted to California gardens and grow well. My error for not being more precise. Thank you for caring.

  Treat your animal plants with care. 

Amuse yourself, your family, and your friends with your garden barnyard!

 Photos and more: 

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1611/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Animal-plants.html

 Press Pass: https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2022/07/20/animal-gardening/

Happy Gardening and Happy Growing!

Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, is available for hire to help you prepare for your spring garden. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3. Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at www.StarStyleRadio.com.

Buy copies of her books, including, Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul, Growing with the Goddess Gardener, and Be the Star You Are! www.cynthiabrian.com/online-store. Receive a FREE inspirational music DVD and special savings.

Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures.

Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com

www.GoddessGardener.com

[brecbc123]

Gordon Lightfoot. Pussywillows Cat-Tails

[as-inevitable-as-morning]

PUSSYWILLOW FOR THE COLOR ASK! how can you not ask that??? furthermore, what kind of color is PUSSYWILLOW?????

Pussy willows are like this little white fuzzy version of a cat tail and they’re white with brown branches. So I’d assume like a creamy-color?

Anyway, pussywillow: Do you like being around others, or do you like being alone?

I’m slightly more introverted than I am extroverted and tend to find time alone the most relaxing.

Send me a crayola color ask!

[thepaintedchateau]

...”pussywillows...cat-tails...soft winds...and roses...

...rainpools in the woodland...water to my knees...

...shivering...quivering...the warm breath of spring”...

~Gordon Lightfoot

[rusticrevivals]

A lot has been in the air this week  – about spring smells and summer sounds.  Tonight was the first night I heard my beloved peepers down in the valley’s marshes.  The birds are tweeting at dawn and at dusk.  And some more exciting warblings will be emanating from Blue Belldon tomorrow. (keep reading…)

Mom/Joy teaches piano to Zeb, our neighbour down the road. Every Thursday he comes for lessons, and last week he brought Mom a handful of pussywillows, wrapped with a bow.  They are such a heavenly reminder of spring!

When I was a young teen I was the piano accompanist (along with my cousin Joan) for a children’s choir called Rainbow Chorus.  One of the most beautiful songs ever written about spring, in my opinion, was sung every year by that choir of angelic young voices. And it’s that much better because of it being written by our own Canadian, Gordon Lightfoot:

Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses Rainbows in the woodland, water to my knees Shivering, quivering, the warm breath of spring Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses

Catbirds and cornfields, daydreams together Riding on the roadside the dust gets in your eyes Reveling, disheveling, the summer nights can bring Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses

Slanted rays and colored days, stark blue horizons Naked limbs and wheat bins, hazy afternoons Voicing, rejoicing, the wine cups do bring Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses

Harsh nights and candlelights, woodfires a-blazin’ Soft lips and fingertips resting in my soul Treasuring, remembering, the promise of spring Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses

And Canadian pop and folk songs have been very much on my mind this week, as I’ve been writing a medley of them to be sung in 3-part harmony by a new choir, the New Denmark Minstrels, led by yours truly (’cause no one else will do it).  We’re really just doing this for 150 Voices for the 150th Birthday on July 1st in near-by Perth/Andover., and then small ensemble choirs will break off and sing THEIR contributions:

We’ll be wearing red and white and singing all-Canadian content (both for Canada’s flag colours, and New Denmark’s!)  and I’m especially pleased that 14 have agreed to come out to rehearse and prepare to perform as the Minstrels. We’ve got bits of Johnny Cowell (Mom’s favourite as he’s from our home-town), Hagood Hardy, Joni Mitchell, Dan Hill, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Gene MacLellan (Anne Murray’s song-writer). So that, as well as now two-nights-a week rehearsing for the New Denmark Queen’s pageant is keeping me further from homesteading and moving on with self-sufficiency than I’d like to be… But, if you thrive on creative outlets, you grab ’em when you sees ’em!

Here’s the latest pageant collage, done by official photographer, Tiffany Christensen:

So Canadian music and hill-billy music are filling my days.  (It’s worth mentioning again, here, that while I was NOT named for this hill-billy song, I think I was fated to become an Appalachian gal from the start.  The spelling is even exact on all 3 words:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFMI9ApJNU0 )

 It’s filling my days so much that, on top of the seed-tending in basement, the bread-and-muffin baking, the 3:00 a.m. run to Fredericton (2 hours one way) to take Mom/Joy to the airport (gone to Nfld. again) and the visiting of lumber mills in all 3 neighbouring towns, to find the best deal on what we need to build a paddock and run-in shelter/stall for the horse we’re getting in a few weeks (more on all this before mid-May), I’m actually falling asleep writing this.

 So pussy-willows stand for all the positive things that happen in spring.  And so would cat-tails, if we’d seen them lately.  We haven’t seen MUCH in the way of cat-tails, BUT skunk-tails, I’m afraid, are plentiful. Mom and Pop are sleeping under our porch steps, and I imagine the arrival of babies to be anytime now. Richard bought a live skunk trap, and they can’t lift their tails in it, so no spraying.  When caught they’ll be taken down Lucy’s Gulch and let loose. And preferably BEFORE Smitty ‘gets wind’ of them – he was sprayed by them 4 times last year, and I still don’t think he learned!

Lastly, the thing Richard enjoys most about the snows melting is that he can start planning for more future self-sufficient living again.  Should he get a windmill, or build a mill in Rasmussen Brook? Or perhaps a water tower for storage? What about another bank of solar?  When we were in Fredericton on Monday to get Mom to fly out, Richard studied up on some options at the truck stop “The Blue Canoe”.

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Then, because we haven’t done a single touristy thing since moving to this province (for me, nearly a year ago!) we just played at silly sight-seers for a bit:

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And then, whaddya know?  In true Rustic Revivals’ style, we found a sculpture of Gordon Lightfoot’s rusty goose on the ‘soft winds’  – – – AND   his cat-tails!!

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    Pussy-willows, Skunk-tails A lot has been in the air this week  - about spring smells and summer sounds.  Tonight was the first night I heard my beloved peepers down in the valley's marshes.  

[greattyrantcrown]

Pussywillow cat tails Gordon Lightfoot photos by Andy Prokh

[fishandchipsandvinegar]

Rainy Day People - A Combeferre Playlist

A playlist for dependable friendships. Listen on Spotify.

There’s only an instrumental version of one of the songs on Spotify, but I left it like that anyways ‘cause it’s still pretty.

1. Rainy Day People - Gordon Lightfoot "Rainy day people don't talk, they just listen till they've heard it all."

2. Chiquitita - ABBA "Tell me the truth. I'm a shoulder you can cry on. Your best friend, I'm the one you must rely on."

3. Can’t Go Back Now - The Weepies "If you ever turn around, you'll see me."

4. We Are One - From The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride "We will stand by your side, filled with hope and filled with pride."

5. Pussywillows, Cat-Tails - Gordon Lightfoot "Soft lips and fingertips resting in my soul."

6. The Logical Song - Supertramp "They showed me a world where I could be so dependable."

7.  A Million Dreams - From The Greatest Showman "I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see."

8. Cheer Up! - A Great Big World "The atoms in your body are as old as every dinosaur. You're a special part of one big grand design."

Listen on Spotify.

Let me know who you’d want to see next! Should I round out the triumvirate with an Enjolras playlist? A Courferre one, since I’ve done them both now? Someone else? Let me know.

OTHERS: Montparnasse  | Jehan  |  Marius  |  Bossuet  |  Cosette  |  Eponine  |  Courfeyrac

[brecbc123]

Gordon Lightfoot. Pussywillows and Cat-Tails