Birdfeeding: Friends of a Feather Flock Together

Today is cloudy, breezy, and mild. It's supposed to rain soon.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/13/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 6/13/26 -- I pulled weeds to reach the obelisk that was between the apricot tree and birdgift tree, then moved the obelisk near the new picnic table garden.

I also raked up a patch of clinging weeds to minimize their seed dispersal.

EDIT 6/13/26 -- My partner Doug was going to mow, but now it's raining. :/

EDIT 6/13/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 6/13/26 -- The brief sprinkle of rain proved to be a cocktease. We got the mower going and my partner is out mowing now. \o/

EDIT 6/13/26 -- Mowing is done. Yay! Much more of the house yard is cleared along with a few other bits. I have access to more places I can work. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much grass has actually sprouted along the path to the east edge of the yard, which I thought hadn't come up at all.

I also planted out the last couple of water jug pots that had flowers in them. I still need to dump out the failed ones though.

Elderberry bushes are blooming way back in the orchard but I can't get to those through the tall field weeds.

EDIT 6/13/26 -- I dumped out the last of the water jugs.

I've seen a male and a female cardinal separately.

EDIT 6/13/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 6/13/26 -- I trimmed around the contorta willow bed.

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

Endangered California Condor Flies into Oregon for the First Time in 122 Years

Last month, a California condor flew into Oregon before returning after several hundred miles to its home in Redwoods National Park, becoming the first condor recorded in the state since 1904.

Taking a closer look, condor conservationists among northern California’s Yurok tribe concluded it was condor B9, an animal that had been born in captivity and released into the wild in 2022 by the Yurok.

The animal flew a grand total of 380 miles and 4 days in a loop, starting high in the redwoods before passing Redding in NoCal and then entering Oregon. It made stops near Medford, Cave Junction, and Brookings before recrossing state lines and returning to the national park.


That's good progress. \o/

Tennessee Joins States Requiring Data Center Owners to Pay Full Electricity, Infrastructure Costs

The Colossus 2 data center – retrieved from xAI
A new law passed in Tennessee will protect residents from incurring rising electricity costs from nearby data centers’ demands on the grid.

Republican-led bill HB 1847 prohibits utilities companies and municipalities from paying for a data center’s electrical needs, or any of the infrastructure costs involved in expansion.


Bluntly put, data centers have a bad habit of robbing people by driving up electricity, water, and other bills. They must pay ALL of their own bill, not fob it off on other people. This is driving a large and growing backlash against data centers and the AI they enable.

Today we went to the Marshall Farmer's Market. :D

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