Special Delivery!

[airmail]

Hi there!

I've never really made a blog before, but I saw them popping up, and my friend Orchid gave me a helpful nudge in this direction..
So I am hopping on the bandwagon!
I figure it'll be a real nice place to put my thoughts and maybe make a friend or two ^w^/)

this might end up being all over the place, but definitely expect to hear about plants!
aside from those, though, you might also see a whole lot about:
Pokemon, baking (hopefully!), animals, life stuff, and.. uh, more?

This is going to be a journal (without all the hand cramps from writing!), but stop by!
Say hi and relax, ask anything you want, and while I wish I could offer a bite to eat. ..
I can't get anything through the computer screen.. yet!

But most importantly - take care!

​

 

[Okido]

hey stranger, what a coincidence that you decided to start a blog too. That "Orchid" guy you mentioned sounds really cool and swag. what's he doing on Friday?

In all seriousness, I'm lookin' forward to whatever you decide to post on here. Blogs are fun so I hope you have a good time with it I'll start thinking of questions to ask you in advance...

 

[airmail]

Hi hi!

I'll probably end up posting something tomorrow... I was gonna do it this afternoon, but I ended up getting distracted! Im sure it'll be fun, though, but I won't forget to go bother you over at your blog too ^w^

I'll start thinking of questions to ask you in advance...

Ooh ?! /pokes you excitedly

 

[airmail]

First entry - dedicated to how exciting it is to finally see the weather changing!

It's been a tough, chilly winter this year, but for the last few weeks it feels like everything has been slowwwly waking back up. . . The azaleas I've been keeping an eye on are already starting to bloom, which means this entire place is about to be covered head to toe in flowers!

Out of all the flowers I'm watching for, I'm especially eager for the lilacs! Every year they're so pretty to see and they always smell so good, not to mention the good they do for our pollinators. There's also the dogwood tree; I keep going out to visit every day juust to see if there's any little flower buds on the branches, so maybe that's who I'm most excited for. None yet so far, though, but we're hoping! I know it'll be awhile (okay, I'm probably going to have to wait until April), but it's just so exciting. .. Flowering dogwoods are probably my favorite tree, or they're at least on the top of the list, so getting to see it blossom every year is a real comfort!

There's also the daffodils at the garden center I've been eyeing, but I won't go on too much, because the entire thought process is "I love you so much!" and me forgetting to buy groceries cause I was admiring them.

/claps hands together in thought

I'll go ahead and steal Orch's idea to make a list, otherwise I'll lose track of what I'm even talking about! So, a loose idea of my upcoming springtime plans:

• Bake! I've sort of fallen behind, and I really miss baking, so this spring I'm determined to make a bunch of stuff! So far the plans are hummingbird cake, carrot cake, blueberry bread, and a strawberry pie! I'll definitely be posting about those as I go; it'll hopefully be some nice motivation cause I like to share recipes! I'm also still looking for ideas, so if anyone does have some favorite springtime desserts, I'd be willing to try and make them, too. Oh - I also reaaaally want to make lemon bread or maybe even lemon cookies! Just something. .. lemon flavor.​

• I want to go overboard with gardening and houseplants again. I fell behind on this, too, and I miss it a whole bunch cause a ton of plants in the room always makes me feel a little cozier. Plus everyone's getting their own gardens set up - you should see my neighbor's, by the way; she invented having a green thumb! Either way I know it'll be a lot of fun, but it's just a matter of remembering to go out and prepare everything I need ​

​

• Uhm. I've never really made plans in a list before and these were sort of my two big things. I guess I want to get better at identifying my local birds 'cause so far I can pick them out, but I'm not confident about it yet. I've even looked at bird banding training, but geez.. . It's so hard to find internships or training courses lately. It'd be nice to find something, though, I really want to get my foot into field work and I'm hoping this year might bring good luck!​

Nothing too interesting for life updates and all (maybe later. .), but I did start up PMD: Explorers of Sky again! It's been ages since I played and I forgot how much of a comfort it was. Maybe I'll talk more about that later on as I get through the game /)w^ Let's hope I'm doing this blog thing right, though, and take care!

 

[Okido]

I did start up PMD: Explorers of Sky again! It's been ages since I played and I forgot how much of a comfort it was. Maybe I'll talk more about that later on as I get through the game /)w^

Which pair of Pokemon are you using as your starter and partner? (starter? leader? player character? What do you even call it when it comes to PMD?)
I haven't played a Mystery Dungeon game in over a decade but Eevee, Pikachu, or Skitty in any combination was always my first choice. I seem to remember Meowth being an option too, I don't know why I never picked it though?

<snip> I've never really made plans in a list before </snip>

...you and I are truly polar opposites.

 

[airmail]

Ooorrchid!

Bulbasaur's my starter! Also yeah the PMD terms are confusing, but i've always just said starter and partner. .. I nearly went with Riolu for old times sake, then almost went with Treecko, but its portraits are kinda goofy... I mean this fondly, but just look!! I remember struggling a lot with grass type starters, though, so if I die a lot. . It's on me /)w(\ Also my partner is. . Pretty consistently Eevee! I've always found it really good in the game, and since your PMD partner is supposed to be your best friend in the story, it feels weird not to pick an Eevee! I wonder why. ..

I haven't played a Mystery Dungeon game in over a decade but Eevee, Pikachu, or Skitty in any combination was always my first choice. I seem to remember Meowth being an option too, I don't know why I never picked it though?

Those are good choices! You played Rescue Team and Explorers of Time, right? I wish they'd kept the base from Rescue. .. You had all the ones with the cutest houses Also, Meowth was never actually a partner option! It was a starter (and you had to get quirky on the quiz), and they just never added in the option to pick a Meowth partner like they did with Eevee in the later Explorer games.

...you and I are truly polar opposites.

Maybe! I don't mind it one bit, though! Even if you like... making lists and drinking coffee without any sugar.. /shivers

 

[airmail]

It was a bit ago now, but I finally buckled down and made something! I ended up doing a strawberry cake instead of a pie (I love making pies a lot, but I'm kinda. . used to the more autumnal ones like pumpkin or sweet potato), and it turned out. . Uhm. . It turned out?

For a first try at a real cake, it wasn't disastrous! But it wasn't perfect, either, and I could do a whole lot different. Flavor wise it was kind of meh - not bad, but my goal whenever I bake something is for it to make somebody grin a little when they try it and this was more of uhm. . I'm not sure I'd get any smiles except polite ones. Being honest. . The frosting turned out better than the actual cake.

Texture was a definite miss, though! I wanted it fluffy, but it came out way too moist! It wasn't horrendous in that sense, but it was one of those things where I just wasn't all that happy with it, y'know? I know I'm not going to get it perfect on my first try, but I could've done it a whole lot better and I'm already thinking about what I could do different. .. I've got an idea already, too, so hopefully I can run back to this strawberry cake and get something made that I feel a little prouder to serve!

Still want to do that Hummingbird cake, though...

Also I'm a little late to the party but, uhm, whoa - Pokemon! I'm just gonna go ahead and hide my thoughts on it in a spoiler just in case, but gee!

Spoiler

Sprigatito is so cute!

I've always been a grass starter guy and looking at that little cat my heart was stolen in seconds... It's got a little mask and a cute stubby tail!! I really really hope it evolves into some sort of Iberian lynx.​

Fuecoco is also cute!

Adorable little pepper crocodile! There's tons of potential for this little guy - please envision a caiman or a big ol saltwater crocodile! Orchid mentioned it evolving into a chef the other day and I'm a little enamored with the idea of an adorable crocodile with an apron....​

Quaxly is adorably goofy and I'm so thankful.

I love that silly little bird, though I don't have tooo many guesses as to what it'll turn into! Really hoping for a blue footed booby, though; they're just the silliest looking birds and they've got bright blue feet! Everything about them is just so charming and a starter Pokemon influenced by them... I might just smile forever.​

If the region's based on Spain, I reaaally hope they take some inspiration from the local wildlife - there's some amazing animals to consider!

I'm sort of a fiend for hoofed mammal Pokemon, so I want to imagine our two cute new contenders - the Spanish Ibex and the Spanish chamois! I'm reaally hoping for some kind of chamois themed new one, because I just love those funny things to pieces. Also honorable mention to the deer there - red, roe, and fallow - I will be 100% content if we got some new deer, too. No such thing as too many cervids.

We've also got genets (rooting for one of these especially, they're cute!), Iberian wolves, brown bears, I can't list all these or I'll be here forever, and a ton of marine mammals! A cute bottlenose dolphin.. .. Oh! Lots and lots of cool birds, too! A Spanish eagle might be pretty cool, although I kind of want to see vultures given a little more love. Pleeaaase bearded vultures

They're such a neat animal that could make for a really cool Pokemon concept - they dye their feathers! That pretty, rusty red you see in most pictures of them isn't actually natural plumage; bearded vultures are white! They find soil or water rich in red iron deposit and dip themselves in it, then proceed to use their beaks & talons to deliberately spread the pigment across their feathers! How cool is that !? Plus they just look amazing in general - good luck out there, bearded vultures!!

This sort of turned into talking about animals instead of Pokemon, but it still counts. ... Kind of. I'm just excited to see if we get some new cute critters.

I still can't keep my thoughts all too organized, whoops /)w(\ Hopefully I'll get some more baking done in the future, though, and have. . A little more to say eventually!

 

[Okido]

salutations my fine acquaintance, allow me to bring your dead blog back to life

I have two questions:

1. What kind of Pokémon do you prefer to use in more serious battles? I know you're not super interested in competitive and you prefer just to use your favorites, but do you have any strategies or certain stat spreads you lean towards?

2. Can you tell me a fact about harp seals or house sparrows. I just like them and I think you're the best person to ask since you are the Animal Professional.

Okay thanks

 

[airmail]

Thanks for reviving it I've been meaning to, it's just hard to keep it going when I can't think of much to say. . .

Also hey, I do think competitive is cool! I'm not as well versed in it as most, but I can appreciate all the effort and thought that goes into it. That being said I, uh.... do mostly use my favorites even if that means I don't win too often. I probably need to focus on stats more than I do (other than leaning towards faster Pokemon), but strategy wise I'm guilty of relying on speed, too. HP recovery is also super important to me no matter the battle.

But if I'm being honest I don't go into even serious battles with a clear, full thought out plan. . . It isn't that I don't take them seriously, cause I do, it's just that winging it with a vague "idea" of what I want to do comes easier! It'd be nice to learn a bit more about competitive though, if you ever want to coach me a little!

Also, sorry. . I had to put the animal facts under a spoiler 'cause they got a little out of hand. And that's after I reigned myself in from going on. I'm honored to be your go-to animal guy, though =D And your love for backyard birds delights me to no end. Have you thought about checking out some Audubon stuff? They've got some really neat, easy to follow field guides full of calls, pictures, and habitat lists so you can get to know all the birds you know a little better! But uh anyways here are your animal facts as requested:

Spoiler

Let's start off with house sparrows!

• House sparrows are not native to the Americas! They're an aggressive, invasive species brought here in the 1800s.
• House sparrows are a social bird species! They live, feed, and roost in large flocks.
• They are very likely to return to/reuse nests they've used previously.
• Like most birds, the male and female house sparrow sport different coloration! The most notable feature of a male house sparrow is their "patch", which varies in size from bird to bird!
• Subsists on a diet of mostly seeds, but they've been known to eat some insects as well as crumbs or leftover human food they find.
• Their call is described as a "shrill, monotonous, noisy chirping"! Geez!

I also love harp seals! No one is immune to the pups, honestly. . not to mention all seals just have a certain silly charm.

• Harp seal pups are often called whitecoats due to their, well, snowy white coat!
• The lifespan of a harp seal can range between 20 to 35 years.
• Harp seals do come together to molt and during breeding season, but they're primarily solitary animals and spend most of their time on their own.
• Harp seals are pinnipeds, and like most other pinnipeds, they are carnivores! Their diet (there is variation throughout age groups) mainly consists of fish and crustaceans.
• They can hold their breath up to fifteen minutes!
• You know how they always look. . Kind of sad in pictures? Harp seal eyes have a cornea constantly lubricated with tears to keep them safe from salt water while they swim, but they lack the ducts to drain those tears!

uhm. .. sorry.. that turned into more than one fact.

 

[lisianthus]

i never knew that hawthorn had a blog...

and really, i sadly haven't interacted with him much buuut i would like to change that, because i am good friends with oki (i think), and i want to say hello to oki's (i think) best friend sooo

i will revive here, if that's okay? hiii hawthorn~ i hope you are doing just fine :)

 

[airmail]

i never knew that hawthorn had a blog...

I do, or... did? I've been reaaaaally busy over the past couple months, so I haven't had time to do all the baking I wanted or post much, but maybe now I can amend that ^^; It's actually been on my mind the last week or so to revive this and try to be a little more active, so thank you... !

hiii hawthorn~ i hope you are doing just fine

Hi! I'm doing pretty alright; the weather's finally cooling off here so I get to drink as much tea and hot chocolate as I want...
I hope you're doing well, too

Gee, I hope I'm Oki's best friend since he's mine, too! And I hope it's okay for me to chime in on this, but I'd say you're definitely also a good friend of his!
I'd love to interact with you more and get to know you better, too =] I'm sorry I haven't said hello or passed by much, I can be just the teeniest bit quiet, but I'm glad to hear from you, so...... How've you been? Anything you're excited about currently?!

 

[Okido]

Gee, I hope I'm Oki's best friend since he's mine, too!

who are you and how do you know my name

 

[lisianthus]

I do, or... did? I've been reaaaaally busy over the past couple months, so I haven't had time to do all the baking I wanted or post much, but maybe now I can amend that ^^; It's actually been on my mind the last week or so to revive this and try to be a little more active, so thank you... !

yay for baking~ i am going to make halloween donuts soonish :) i hope your baking goes nicely too alsoo, i need to be more active here too. luckily after this week for me it'll be less busy, thank god

Hi! I'm doing pretty alright; the weather's finally cooling off here so I get to drink as much tea and hot chocolate as I want...
I hope you're doing well, too

the interesting thing, one day this summer i decided to drink tea and just kind of never stopped wahaha~ only herbal tea for now, currently i am working through ginger peach tumeric and i am really enjoying it.. yesterday i accidentally ripped one of my teabags now though aaaa

Gee, I hope I'm Oki's best friend since he's mine, too! And I hope it's okay for me to chime in on this, but I'd say you're definitely also a good friend of his!

and i am glad to hear that, yaaay :) oki is very cool, and by process of elimination (i don't know what is being eliminated) you are also very cool i think~

I'd love to interact with you more and get to know you better, too =] I'm sorry I haven't said hello or passed by much, I can be just the teeniest bit quiet, but I'm glad to hear from you, so...... How've you been? Anything you're excited about currently?!

being quiet is just fine because, well, we're saying hi now of course~ lately i have been muuuuch more quiet as well, because i've been quite overwhelmed. so i've been making changes to things here and there, and luckily enough things seem to hopefully getting better, yay~

as for things i'm excited about... is there anything? lately it's still been hot, not as bad as summer but still 70⁰ish, which is quite strange for my area in october (it should be raining and 50⁰ please rain), but i suppose until then i'm enjoying the hot weather as it is~ the holidaystime is a fun one for me so... i am excited for things to hopefully get better!

and for me to make tea in an hour or so :)

i hope hawthorn has been well recently too~

 

[airmail]

the interesting thing, one day this summer i decided to drink tea and just kind of never stopped wahaha~ only herbal tea for now, currently i am working through ginger peach tumeric and i am really enjoying it.. yesterday i accidentally ripped one of my teabags now though aaaa

Sorry, sorry, but I read this and got really excited! I just, uhm, really like tea? Ginger peach sounds very good, anndd if you like that one, can I recommend strawberry tea? Or maybe.. hm.. cherry blossom green tea? Oh, and blackberry sweet tea is the best ever - if iced teas are your favorite, that's one I definitely think you might like!

I'm not an expert or anything like that, but if you're ever stuck on a blend to get, I'd be happy to suggest some more!

being quiet is just fine because, well, we're saying hi now of course~ lately i have been muuuuch more quiet as well, because i've been quite overwhelmed. so i've been making changes to things here and there, and luckily enough things seem to hopefully getting better, yay~

True! And hey, it's okay to need a quiet moment when you're overwhelmed.. I'm glad you're able to find ways to make things a little easier and more comfortable for yourself!

as for things i'm excited about... is there anything? lately it's still been hot, not as bad as summer but still 70⁰ish, which is quite strange for my area in october (it should be raining and 50⁰ please rain), but i suppose until then i'm enjoying the hot weather as it is~ the holidaystime is a fun one for me so... i am excited for things to hopefully get better!

So, I think I might've stolen the rainy weather from you ? It's been dry all month here, too, but just yesterday we got our first little rainstorm! 70 sounds nice, though maybe I'm just too used to 80-90 degree heat... hm. I'm glad you're having a nice time with the weather, though, and that you've got holidays to enjoy soon! =D

And I know I'm kinda late, but I hope your tea was great!
and by the way, I also think you are very cool, too!

 

[Okido]

*breaks and enters into your blog*
I'm here to bother you.

How are you feeling about Scarlet/Violet, just a little bit over 2 weeks away from release? How ya feelin' about Gen 9's approach in general? Any particular hopes or fears? I feel like I haven't really asked you yet.
Also how was your Halloween?

bye
*exits*

 

[airmail]

geez, you scared me! impossible for you to bother me, though, i like hearing from you anytime!

How are you feeling about Scarlet/Violet, just a little bit over 2 weeks away from release? How ya feelin' about Gen 9's approach in general? Any particular hopes or fears? I feel like I haven't really asked you yet.

Hopeful, I think! Or I'm.. hoping that I'm hopeful, does that make sense? I really want it to be fun, and while I know every game will have its flaws and issues, I'm looking forward to seeing the good things. I've actually really enjoyed how things have been so far - the lack of information on new Pokemon, the glimpses of the story, and especially the new info revealed about customization has me earnestly excited about it all.

I know it's got more of an open world approach, though, and I do worry about that. I love open world stuff myself; my favorite past time in video games is honestly just getting distracted. Wandering around aimlessly is a great hobby. Buuuut I don't.. want it to be too much, y'know? I just hope everyone can enjoy it, and it's not too far away from the original formula. Maybe I'm just worrying over silly things, though - I really do think it'll be alright!

Also how was your Halloween?

Really, really fun! I've always loved Halloween growing up, and this year I had a bit more freedom to go out and about as I pleased. It was so, so nice... even though I can't get candy anymore.

There's a tiny section in town where people really do decorate their houses and pass out candy for the night, and it's amazing. There's fog machines set up behind some yards, costumes wherever you look, lights strung up across the fences and old brick buildings, and the only cars you see are driving so slowly there's no reason to worry. A lot of time there's music playing, too - either from aforementioned cars with their trailers full of laughing friends, or from the houses who've hidden speakers in the bushes for added spooky flair.

Unfortunately, I didn't dress up this year, but as you know, Oki, I did try out something new style wise! I used some old strips of fabric to make a simple black choker, smeared on some eyeliner (I'm, uh, not very good at it yet..), borrowed some black jeans and a leather jacket, and uhm.. I felt really cool? I wasn't really matchy since I ended up wearing my same old hiking/work boots, which probably looked really goofy compared to the rest, but I dunno.

I've sort of struggled with finding out what makes me feel "good" in regards to clothes (I know I like button ups and cardigans and warm, fuzzy sweaters, but sometimes I'd get sad about thinking I was.. limited to that sort of thing, y'know?), so to stumble upon something that genuinely made me feel really confident in my own skin was great!!

I promise I'm not stealing your look, though ^^;

 

[lisianthus]

i am here to show hawthorn something~

so, i was playing pokémon violet just like normal

and,

i find a hawthorn!

Spoiler

that's all~~

 

[airmail]

i find a hawthorn!

that was me jumping into the game to say hello !!
But, genuinely, I'm honored to have a little deer named after me ^^ I hope you've been enjoying the game, though, and that your day's been going well!

I've been thinking about making a blog post the last few days, so thank you for drawing me back in here! I'm being a little lazy tonight, though, so maybe I'll actually sit down and make one tomorrow or the next day.. but for now I am going to curl up under a pile of cozy blankets!
coincidentally, my favorite blanket is also deer themed.. it's got the little fawn spots all over!

 

[lisianthus]

i am making a hawthorn appearance yet again! i hope that I'm not intruding too much, but... I was wondering if there was anything interesting going on with him lately? (hello hawthorn)

 

[airmail]

I was wondering if there was anything interesting going on with him lately?

Hi! Things have been quiet lately, which is.. a very nice change of pace. Mostly I have just been enjoying very foggy mornings, lots of sweets, and.. I suppose just resting! Also, you aren't intruding, I promise you're always welcome!
There's a few things that come to mind that I'm excited about, but I'll put them under a spoiler in case I go on forever..

Spoiler

The holidays are here! This time of year isn't typically my favorite, and I tend to.. just will Christmas to be over quickly, but this year I'm excited? Or at least, looking forwards to it! I have plans for what I'd like to cook the day of, and decorating this year was actually very fun, aaand.. I'm finally, finally going to the local Christmas lights event!

It's nothing big, really, but I've never actually been and I am very eager to see what it's like! They cover an entire part of the city top to bottom in lights, have carriage rides that run through the old historic sections, and I thiink they have little hot chocolate stands.. It's been fairly warm this year, but hopefully by next weekend it's cold enough to enjoy the chocolate ^^;

Otherwise, I'm trying to put some of my energy back into animal care programs! I really, really miss getting out there and working with animals hands on, so hopefully I can branch out a bit more and get some more experience. Working at the zoo was incredibly rewarding, and I honestly probably will end up trying to land a job as a keeper in the future once I'm fully qualified.

Still, I want to get my foot in the field work door; get out there and get connected with people and the animals we love and share the world with. Maybe it's a little corny, but I'd love more than anything to do my part in looking out for them and helping other people find a way to do that, too. It kept me motivated even on the most exhausting, miserable days as a keeper - just doing what I can, little by little, to give back! So, while the year has admittedly been very tiring, I hope soon I can get back on track and continue paving that path for myself once I feel ready to get out there again.

thank you for asking though !! I appreciate you stopping by like this and just saying hi, it makes me smile.. ! I hope you're doing very nicely, too, and that you've got lots of holiday cheer to look forward to!