Coeur de Loup

Today's theme is Mystery.

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Tonight we made Chicken and Peas Stir-Fry. It turned out quite well.

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How Neil Diamond sounds in 16th century style: "Sweet Caroline"

This turned out very pretty.

Today is partly sunny, muggy, and hot. It rained on and off for several hours last night. I saw so many fireflies in the evening! :D

I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity yet.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/11/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 6/11/26 -- I did more work around the patio.









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Severe storms down trees, knock out power to thousands across Minnesota

A line of severe thunderstorms raced across Minnesota overnight, bringing wind gusts of more than 80 mph, downing trees and knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses.


As climate change progresses, violent storms occur more often and do more damage. This is only going to keep getting worse.

If you are able-bodied, I recommend getting a chainsaw and learning how to use it. For less-able folks, a hand saw, or even a chainsaw that you could loan out, may make sense. Reason being, few people want to do blue-collar work nowadays, so any tree services in a given area tend to run months behind on work. When a storm hits, they get a huge surge in demand, but there is no surge capacity to absorb the demand. That means there's nobody to clean up the fallen limbs and trees promptly. Ordinary residents need to pick up the slack to clear debris from their yards, the streets, for less-able neighbors, etc. to restore road access and remove tree parts from places they don't belong. If you have a broken roof, punctured septic tank, or smashed car then by all means try to get the attention of overworked professionals. Otherwise you are probably on your own. Look out for each other. Form neighborhood storm response teams if possible. Here are some resources...

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Rescuing London’s Precious Building Materials Diverting Them from Dumps for Reuse

A salvage and reuse operation in London is ensuring that every charming bit of wood, brick, glass, porcelain, and steel that has made the city beautiful can continue to do so with a second life in the circular economy.

Started through an epiphany of “street logic” by a man frustrated by red tape, Yes Make is making things all over London out of what the city might otherwise throw out.

“We’re creating a regenerative supply chain for the city we love,” says Joel De Mowbray, founder of Yes Make, to the Guardian. “Turning things that would otherwise go to waste into objects that have cultural potential.”


This kind of salvage operation is replicable anywhere, since towns generally have a cycle of demolition, renovation, and construction that generates considerable materials typically thought of as "waste" which are still useful. If you're looking for a cheap startup business, and you're at least a little crafty, then upcycling is an excellent bet because its raw materials tend to be free or cheap. The more we can keep out of landfills, and the less new material we consume, the better.

Today is sunny, humid, and hot. A beautiful day to stay indoors and write! Yesterday it rained off and on during the afternoon. The patio was still wet this morning, so we likely got more last night too.

I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity yet.

I put out water for the birds.

Morning glories are blooming. :D

EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 6/10/26 -- I took some pictures around the house and yard. I have a nice tall stand of milkweed blooming in the prairie garden, taller than me. :D

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 6/10/26 -- I started trimming grass around the Asiatic lily patch by the telephone pole.

The first of the recently sown seeds are already sprouting! :D Charleston Food Forest and 'State Fair' zinnias are up, though not the developing 'Shirley' landrace rows.

EDIT 6/10/26 -- I trimmed more grass around the Asiatic lily patch by the telephone pole.

EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I planted 5 'Yelloween' lilies in the telephone pole garden. That's the end of the hummingbird garden sack that I got from Costco.

EDIT 6/10/26 -- I spread potting soil and mulch over the newly planted lilies.

It's not even dark yet, but already swarms of fireflies are rising up from the grass. :D Fly, my pretties, fly!

EDIT 6/10/26 -- I watered the telephone pole garden including the new lilies.

Lots more fireflies are out now. The evening is very sparkly! I've seen at least one bat too.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

2026 Sees the Most Right Whale Calves Born in One Season Since 2009


Decades of diligent conservation seem to have allowed the whales to really turn a corner in the last 36 months, with milestones like record numbers of sightings, strange vagrancies, and an increasing population being celebrated.

Now, 23 calves were born during the 2026 right whale calving season—the highest number since 2009. Of the 23 mom-calf pairs identified this season, 20 of these were returning moms. Since that year, the average has been around 15 animals, but some years there have been 7 or fewer.

13 of these returning moms last had calves in the 2021 or 2022 seasons, marking a shorter interval between births than the recent average of 7 to 10 years. This is closer to the normal or healthy interval of 3 to 4 years.


It's so good to see a population recovering from whaling. :D