Nostr notes by Erik

This Asvine C2000 was inked up a month ago and while it had a ...

2026-04-30T14:57:50Z

This Asvine C2000 was inked up a month ago and while it had a really hard start this morning it still has most of a converter of ink. It looks like a little E6000 in the cap to seal it a bit better worked. #FountainPen

I'm pretty sure I got it off Amazon last time. Good to see a ...

2026-04-23T20:02:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…jlak
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I'm pretty sure I got it off Amazon last time. Good to see a source not on there.

Asparagus beans, bush beans, cucumbers, and squash all sown ...

2026-04-18T16:30:48Z

Asparagus beans, bush beans, cucumbers, and squash all sown today. Later than I’d have liked, but it’s been a busy month or so. #gardening

I had to ink up a new pen for my traveller’s notebook and I ...

2026-04-14T15:25:47Z

I had to ink up a new pen for my traveller’s notebook and I haven’t used the Lamy AL-Star in a long time, and the same is true for the Caran d’Ache Hypnotic Turquoise. #FountainPen

That does look really good. I'm not sure I need another ECO, ...

2026-04-14T15:20:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…mvr5
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That does look really good. I'm not sure I need another ECO, though. I just got the Black Marble and Bronze one.

The first tomato blossom of the year has appeared. It’s a Ty ...

2026-03-26T16:32:55Z

The first tomato blossom of the year has appeared. It’s a Ty Yellow Mini. I’ve not grown it before, but this is from seed started the first week of January and planted out the first week of March. #gardening

This lettuce was looking all nice and healthy, but was very ...

2026-03-15T18:58:08Z

This lettuce was looking all nice and healthy, but was very bitter on my sandwiches at lunch, so it’s compost now. That means 2/3 beds have fully switched over from winter to spring veg. If you were somehow able to look close enough in the second picture you’d see a soil thermometer reading 70F. With the addition of all the live oak leaves from the driveway the compost heap is looking quite robust. #gardening

Last weekend I put in the mini-terracing on the East bed and ...

2026-03-07T19:01:18Z

Last weekend I put in the mini-terracing on the East bed and sowed three rows of radishes. Today I planted it with 8 tomatoes and sowed a fourth row of radishes. I also prepped part of the south bed and planted the other 4 tomatoes. This year, all the tomatoes are in little depressions to hold supplemental watering around them (in addition to the drip lines). Perhaps tomorrow the basil goes in. #gardening

My tomatoes and peppers are hardening off nicely, and the first ...

2026-02-17T23:15:14Z

My tomatoes and peppers are hardening off nicely, and the first snowflakes are blooming. #gardening

I’ll have to try that technique. It sounds like it might help ...

2026-02-17T23:09:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…3y3f
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I’ll have to try that technique. It sounds like it might help with the bane of my cleaning, where I unknowingly leave some dried ink in the pen.

New pen day! An Asvine V800 with an M nib. It seems to be writing ...

2026-02-09T15:53:30Z

New pen day! An Asvine V800 with an M nib. It seems to be writing quite well with Robert Oster Blue Water Ice. A bit on the broad side of M, but very smooth and fairly wet right out of the box. #FountainPens

A good late morning gardening session. I potted up tomatoes, ...

2026-02-08T18:40:49Z

A good late morning gardening session. I potted up tomatoes, peppers, and borage. This year I tried sowing them into plugs instead of trays because I had a lot of varieties and only wanted 2-4 plants of each. One pepper and one borage died. I’ll thin the excess seedlings once they establish post transplant. #gardening

I actually have about half a ream of that sitting around. I might ...

2026-02-04T18:48:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…xck5
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I actually have about half a ream of that sitting around. I might have to resort to printing that - I've rejected that in the past because laser printers actually result in raised lines that are noticeable with fine nibs. I do have an inkjet now though, but I'm not sure how that will interact with fountain pen ink.

I'd rather give up having the lines than have the extra faff ...

2026-02-04T18:45:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…7c7u
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I'd rather give up having the lines than have the extra faff of managing the guide sheet. I use a guide sheet for some other things, but I want things more streamlined for work notes.

For the fountain pen folks: does anyone know of a source of ...

2026-02-04T17:12:15Z

For the fountain pen folks: does anyone know of a source of loose-leaf A5 paper that is lined on both sides and either punched for disc bound or not at all? William Hannah and Franklin-Christoph make such a thing, but are too expensive for my work notes. Iroful is only lined on one side. #FountainPens

I'm sad that the ink in my 9 year old bottle of Platinum ...

2026-01-27T16:50:51Z

I'm sad that the ink in my 9 year old bottle of Platinum Forest Black is now pre-darkened. It no longer goes through the iron gall color change after I write with it. I'll have to buy new bottles of it and Lavender Black the next time I order inks. #FountainPens

Added some sand and compost to the part of a bed where I plan to ...

2026-01-10T17:13:26Z

Added some sand and compost to the part of a bed where I plan to plant sweet potatoes this year. The raised bed soil had somehow ended up very clayey with a hard pan 6-8 inches down. I’m hoping to improve that. In the meantime, I’ll be sowing radishes and some other quick turnaround crops to eat at a family gathering in April. #gardening

I did a big pen cleaning around the beginning of the year. I had ...

2026-01-09T18:28:20Z

I did a big pen cleaning around the beginning of the year. I had 15-20 inked up. So far I've inked up 3, for a total of 6 pens inked. Of those a couple "live" with certain notebooks, leaving 4 to rotate through for work notes and journaling. Let's see how long I can keep that rotation at 5 or less. I want the experience of writing one dry to be a more regular occurrence. #FountainPens

First new pen inked up of the year. It dripped a big blotch after ...

2026-01-05T16:18:30Z

First new pen inked up of the year. It dripped a big blotch after I’d already wiped the nib off after filling, so we’ll see if that’s an aberration or if the converter had a leak. I don’t use this pen very much, so no telling what’s going on. #FountainPen

Yesterday I discovered two huge sweet potatoes that I missed when ...

2026-01-04T16:02:41Z

Yesterday I discovered two huge sweet potatoes that I missed when harvesting them weeks ago. I know you need to let sweet potatoes cure after harvesting to develop their sugars, but does anyone know if they’ll do so in the ground after their tops are removed? #gardening

A question for #planner and #FountainPen folks: Does anyone make ...

2026-01-02T17:17:18Z

A question for #planner and #FountainPen folks: Does anyone make storage boxes sized for Travelers notebooks? I know Travelers makes a binder that can hold 5, but I've been using them for YEARS, with 6 per year used for daily tracking and I'd rather have something that could at least hold a year's worth.

Looks like I’ll be harvesting some very late tomatoes today. ...

2025-12-28T18:26:03Z

Looks like I’ll be harvesting some very late tomatoes today. We’ve already had 2 frosts and one good freeze (29F 2 weeks ago) and not only has this tomato plant hung onto its fruit, but it’s growing back after having all its leaves frosted in the freeze. Time to save some more seeds. These are traits I’d like to preserve. #gardening

Diamine Inkvent day 25. Myrrh the Merrier. A dark blue with ...

2025-12-25T14:01:16Z

Diamine Inkvent day 25. Myrrh the Merrier. A dark blue with substantial red sheen and blue shimmer. The swatch is amazing and in writing the sheen was at a healthy (not overwhelming) level. I can’t see the shimmer in writing, but that might just be the light here. I journaled with it and ran into it tending to dry on the nib and hard start a little, but not like a super sheener.

This completes the hotel swatching challenge.

#FountainPen #Inkvent

Diamine Inkvent day 24 - Antler. A kind of a cool brown with some ...

2025-12-24T21:48:07Z

Diamine Inkvent day 24 - Antler. A kind of a cool brown with some shading. Pigmented, so presumably water resistant? #FountainPen #Inkvent

Diamine Inkvent day 23 Let it Snow. I appreciate that they title ...

2025-12-23T14:26:39Z

Diamine Inkvent day 23 Let it Snow. I appreciate that they title case their ink names. A turquoise with chameleon shimmer. This is right up my alley. It shades well and gets a nice halo in places. Lighter blues suffer the most on cream papers and this is no exception. Paper is a Midori MD A6 notebook. #FountainPen #Inkvent

Diamine Inkvent day 22. Pineapple Spritz. In the bottle it looks ...

2025-12-22T20:51:51Z

Diamine Inkvent day 22. Pineapple Spritz. In the bottle it looks like a mildly unappetizing yellow mustard. The swatch gets it better and on the page it’s a bright sparkly yellow that is still legible in the weak light of a table lamp. #FountainPen #Inkvent

I’ll be traveling for the last 4 days of Inkvent. In the past ...

2025-12-22T00:15:17Z

I’ll be traveling for the last 4 days of Inkvent. In the past I’ve left it at home and finished once the holiday peregrination was over. This year I’ve packed ink bottles, swatch cards, swabs, and 4 Wing Sung 3003s so I can continue to play along from our hotel room in Georgia. #FountainPen #Inkvent. I’m an early bird and spouse sleeps in, so this should be a good thing to do in the mornings.

Diamine inkvent days 20 and 21. Ambience and Chaos. I completely ...

2025-12-22T00:10:06Z

Diamine inkvent days 20 and 21. Ambience and Chaos. I completely missed doing Inkvent yesterday and today was not a big one day so I didn’t get to use them much. They seem…. Fine? #FountainPen #Inkvent

Diamine Inkvent day 19. Overcast. An interesting ink with lots of ...

2025-12-19T21:37:35Z

Diamine Inkvent day 19. Overcast. An interesting ink with lots of interesting shading on the swatch. A pale blue grey in writing. #FountainPen #Inkvent

Diamine Inkvent day 18. Laurel. A teal super-sherbet with ...

2025-12-18T18:27:02Z

Diamine Inkvent day 18. Laurel. A teal super-sherbet with burgundy sheen. Not the red you see more commonly. For various reasons I had to start my day with a different pen and used a wet writer inked with Monteverde California Teal. On Iroful paper it looks very similar, but with a bit more sheen. With more normal writer the California Teal doesn’t sheen nearly as much. #FountainPen #Inkvent

Somehow I forgot to post day 16. Diamine Ruby Taffeta was a ...

2025-12-17T17:09:59Z

Somehow I forgot to post day 16. Diamine Ruby Taffeta was a delight. A dark red, but not bloody. Gold shimmer. If I were the type to send Christmas cards this would be perfect for signing them.

Day 17 Gala is a mid to dark lavender depending on how heavy the ink is. Perfectly cromulent.

#FountainPen #Inkvent

Diamine Inkvent day 15 - Frostbite. A rich dark blue with ...

2025-12-15T15:39:03Z

Diamine Inkvent day 15 - Frostbite. A rich dark blue with understated gold shimmer. #FountainPen #Inkvent

Diamine Inkvent day 13 Molten Basalt. A bit of a blur-black with ...

2025-12-14T15:26:54Z

Diamine Inkvent day 13 Molten Basalt. A bit of a blur-black with lots of sheen (but not super sheen levels) that pretty much looks black with brown highlights in writing. The sheen is a shade I’ve not seen before. Day 14 Mittens is a pigmented pink with moderate shading. Usually you don’t get shading with pigment, so that’s kind of cool too. #FountainPen #Inkvent

A second installment on pruning this winter. It will wait a bit ...

2025-12-13T18:34:18Z

A second installment on pruning this winter. It will wait a bit for shredding. Perhaps tomorrow. This was mostly from an overgrown area in the narrow gap between us and our nearest neighbors. Removing as much hackberry as possible, cutting cherry laurel out of the path, and pulling down overgrown clematis so next year’s blooms will be closer to the ground. #gardening

Diamine day 12. Bubbly. A pale brown ink with gold shimmer. I ...

2025-12-12T15:58:42Z

Diamine day 12. Bubbly. A pale brown ink with gold shimmer. I didn’t like it when I first made the swatch, but it’s winning me over during actual use. #FountainPen #inkvent

Diamine Inkvent day 11. Brrr! It has the exclamation point on the ...

2025-12-11T15:18:04Z

Diamine Inkvent day 11. Brrr! It has the exclamation point on the label. A pigment ink with shimmer. I’m not sure I’ve seen that before. It’s certainly evocative. #FountainPen #Inkvent

Diamine Inkvent day 9. Bittersweet. I can already tell this is ...

2025-12-09T15:35:57Z

Diamine Inkvent day 9. Bittersweet. I can already tell this is one that looks better on the swatch than in writing, at least with my Pilot fine nibs. It would probably be really nice in a stub or broad nib. #FountainPen #Inkvent

When doing Inkvent, I tend to swatch and ink up a pen with the ...

2025-12-08T15:59:23Z

When doing Inkvent, I tend to swatch and ink up a pen with the new ink in the morning, use the pen all day for work notes or whatever, and then write up some thoughts in my little inkvent journal.

This is great on week days, but I don't write nearly as much on the weekend. The ink for last Saturday was a real banger, but I hardly got to use it before it was time to clean out the pen. #FountainPen #Inkvent

Today was Marie Rose. A somewhat light brown with some subtle ...

2025-12-05T23:05:10Z

Today was Marie Rose. A somewhat light brown with some subtle shading. Too pale for my taste. #FountainPen #InkVent

Inkvent day 4. Smoky Tobacco. The first scented ink from Diamine ...

2025-12-05T02:35:13Z

Inkvent day 4. Smoky Tobacco. The first scented ink from Diamine that I have tried that behaves. I hope they make more in scents I like. This smells like cigarette ash. #FountainPen #Inkvent

Day 2. Energy. A fairly saturated purple with a sheen that shades ...

2025-12-03T03:14:11Z

Day 2. Energy. A fairly saturated purple with a sheen that shades from green to blue in extreme cases. When I made the swatch card it went from purple to light grey as it dried, and the sheen emerged later. In actual use (Pilot Explorer F on iroful paper) it is a moderately dark purple with green sheen occasionally. Nice use of sheen to accent and not overpower. #FountainPen #inkvent

Diamine Inkvent is starting off strong with Celestial Skies. ...

2025-12-01T22:24:43Z

Diamine Inkvent is starting off strong with Celestial Skies. It’s been good all day for work notes on Iroful paper.

This year I’m using Pilot Explorer pens for Inkvent and I’ve got a dedicated A6 Midori MD notebook for the little write ups I did in the Pelikan Hubs notebook last year. It should last several years and make a nice artifact.

#FountainPen #inkvent

New pen day! Leonardo Momento Magico w/ EF nib. This one’s a ...

2025-11-21T19:35:19Z

New pen day! Leonardo Momento Magico w/ EF nib. This one’s a gusher. #fountainPens #NPD

Cleaned up the premature leaf fall from the driveway, cut a bunch ...

2025-11-08T21:18:40Z

Cleaned up the premature leaf fall from the driveway, cut a bunch of sucker growth from the crape myrtle, rampant regrowth on the vitex, top-growth of sweet potatoes, and thinned out the water hyacinth. This adds up to a good start at refilling the first compost bay. #gardening

Sieved all the compost out of the right bay and added to ...

2025-10-26T18:06:15Z

Sieved all the compost out of the right bay and added to vegetable bed. Then turned the next two bays. The stuff in the middle now is the first batch to have some of the components run through the shredder. They seem to be breaking down really well. Quite a lot of it looks fully cooked. The biggest problem overall is that the cedar tree grows roots up into the compost, making it hard to turn. #gardening

Having a work emergency, so I think I'll be missing the ...

2025-10-24T18:17:26Z

Having a work emergency, so I think I'll be missing the Pelikan Hub tonight. :ablobcatcry: #FountainPens

Oh definitely. I’ve never pulled the nib and feed on the ...

2025-10-14T21:56:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…vr39
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Oh definitely. I’ve never pulled the nib and feed on the Precision, but hopefully it’s just a friction fit. I do love that pen and would hate for something bad to happen to it.

I’m pretty sure it’s not nib creep. I’ve never seen a sign ...

2025-10-14T15:48:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…0zq3
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I’m pretty sure it’s not nib creep. I’ve never seen a sign of that with this ink, and under a magnifier it looks distinctly fuzzy.

I’ve never seen anything like this. Mold growing on the nib of ...

2025-10-14T14:47:43Z

I’ve never seen anything like this. Mold growing on the nib of a TWSBI Precision inked with Diamine Earl Grey back on June 17. Not used for 20 days. I’m thinking this is getting a long soak in pen flush and a trip through the ultrasonic cleaner. #fountainpen

I have an electric chipper like this (can't find the exact ...

2025-10-13T14:34:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…hx4t
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I have an electric chipper like this (can't find the exact brand, but I get the impression there are a bunch that are basically the same). Not sure why I don't think of using it on vegetables. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Westinghouse-1-7-Inch-Capacity-Shredder-Chipper-15-Amp-Steel-Electric-Wood-Chipper/5016164521

I guess I will be planning the garden for next spring with root ...

2025-10-12T16:25:55Z

I guess I will be planning the garden for next spring with root knot nematode resistance in mind. #gardening

And now I have a compost sieve. I only mashed two fingers ...

2025-10-11T17:20:35Z

And now I have a compost sieve. I only mashed two fingers hammering the staples in 😂 #gardening

how do you do your chopping? I’ve been piling up the plants on ...

2025-10-11T12:32:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…cvfk
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how do you do your chopping? I’ve been piling up the plants on the ground and mowing over them with a bagging attachment, but they never seem to end up that fine.

Today is New Pen Day (NPD). A Diplomat Viper in green. They only ...

2025-10-06T14:43:06Z

Today is New Pen Day (NPD). A Diplomat Viper in green. They only come with a fine/medium nib, but it’s workable. I really like the green color, and as you can see I’ve gone matchy-matchy with one of my favorite greens. #FountainPen

I also inked up a Wing Sung 6001 with that same ink at about the ...

2025-10-02T19:26:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…mpne
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I also inked up a Wing Sung 6001 with that same ink at about the same time. I don't think of that pen as sealing terribly well, but it's also a demonstrator so I can be sure to clean it out before it entirely dries out.

Re: R&K Salix I've used several other iron gall inks over the years and they've always been perfectly behaved. I wonder if this is just a solved problem given modern chemistry?

Today’s work notes are being taken with a TWSBI Eco and Diamine ...

2025-10-02T19:06:02Z

Today’s work notes are being taken with a TWSBI Eco and Diamine registrar’s ink.

It’s been inked with this for about 2 months. penaddict (npub198q…5fmg)
has made a big deal about this being a very aggressive ink and I’m curious if it will stain the pen. I’ll give it another month. So far it has been very well behaved on paper and the iron gall color change is fantastic - slow and dramatic.
#FountainPen

Today’s work notes are being done with something well suited to ...

2025-10-01T16:54:11Z

Today’s work notes are being done with something well suited to be a desk pen. A Franklin-Christoph Model 66 Stabilis in cracked ice finish, with a fine little EF SIG nib. The line variation is subtle at best. This Diamine Noble Fir ink has some minor flow issues with this nib. #FountainPen

Taking work notes with my most ridiculous #FountainPen today. The ...

2025-09-29T14:44:24Z

Taking work notes with my most ridiculous #FountainPen today. The pen is a lovely writer, but I rarely use it for some reason.

I'm gradually finding more of my #FountainPens that ...

2025-09-26T20:18:45Z

I'm gradually finding more of my #FountainPens that haven't made their way into fpc.ink as I ink them up and I go to add them to my "Currently Inked", but I think I should probably bite the bullet and just go through all of them and enter all the ones that are missing. Maybe make a first culling pass on the collection while I'm at it.

(this time it was the pen gifted to me by my father)

Today I harvested the first of the fall tomatoes from a plant ...

2025-09-06T19:29:42Z

Today I harvested the first of the fall tomatoes from a plant planted at the end of July, as well as some peppers off of plants planted back in March. I also found that the local bunnies had eaten all the cucumber seedlings, so I had to replant and protect them with cloches. #gardening

NPD. Diplomat Viper. The magnetic cap is very satisfying. ...

2025-08-29T14:56:31Z

NPD. Diplomat Viper. The magnetic cap is very satisfying. #FountainPens

They've taken to visiting our feeders for sunflower chips. ...

2025-08-21T15:38:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…w8kj
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They've taken to visiting our feeders for sunflower chips. That said the trees around our house have grown up enough that it feels suspiciously forest-like.

We've had a family of them hang out in our yard the last ...

2025-08-21T15:09:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…thlw
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We've had a family of them hang out in our yard the last couple years. Absolutely fascinating to see.

Today’s mission: pull all the cuman ragweed in this area. ...

2025-08-02T16:08:26Z

Today’s mission: pull all the cuman ragweed in this area. It’s a perennial so it needs to be pulled up by the roots. The stems are woody enough that they need to be chopped up so they compost properly. #gardening

Gardeners: if you record your harvest, how do you handle parts ...

2025-08-01T19:12:59Z

Gardeners: if you record your harvest, how do you handle parts that aren't good? I slacked on harvesting my long beans and picked 7 that had gone over today, and only one that was "good". #gardening

I didn’t know sweet potatoes had such sweet little flowers. It ...

2025-07-24T11:53:11Z

I didn’t know sweet potatoes had such sweet little flowers. It makes sense given they’re in the same family as morning glories. #gardening

Hopefully the last mowing before the fall. It’s been an ...

2025-07-20T19:00:18Z

Hopefully the last mowing before the fall. It’s been an unusually cool wet summer so far and it really put on some more length than usual for June and July. See also apple trees putting on fresh new growth now. Finally, I had planned to mow up some brush and add it to the compost, but the locals didn’t approve so I left it. #gardening

Today (racing before the rains came) I planted my fall tomatoes ...

2025-07-13T15:55:57Z

Today (racing before the rains came) I planted my fall tomatoes and a couple serrano peppers I’m hoping will help make up for the first couple failing to thrive. I also pulled 3 trugs worth of perennial ragweed. That made a dent in the population but I’m a long way from half done. The rains have loosened the soil making the plants easier to pull. #gardening

About 2.5 lbs of yard long beans blanched and cooling before they ...

2025-07-05T20:02:02Z

About 2.5 lbs of yard long beans blanched and cooling before they go in the freezer. They all looked the same to start with, but the brighter green ones were harvested more recently. #gardening

Hanging out by the pool. #foxes ...

2025-07-01T15:24:52Z

Hanging out by the pool. #foxes

I save tomato seeds using the fermentation method. Does anyone ...

2025-06-30T20:46:47Z

I save tomato seeds using the fermentation method. Does anyone know the limit for how long you can leave the seeds in the water? I have some I started over a week ago but didn’t make note of the date… gardening group (npub1v5a…ny6w)

Cherry tomatoes hanging on. Three kinds of peppers picking up now ...

2025-06-30T16:48:37Z

Cherry tomatoes hanging on. Three kinds of peppers picking up now that I’ve started to fertilize them. Long beans are going faster than we can keep up. Bush beans and southern peas are done. Second cucumber of the year. I pulled half of the tomato plants - any of them that didn’t have any fruit. #gardening

It's really quite rude for a place called McLennon Pen Co ...

2025-06-27T14:40:38Z

It's really quite rude for a place called McLennon Pen Co Gallery not to have pens (it's an art gallery named after a defunct pen store). #FountainPens

Today’s fountain pen is a Lamy 2000 with an EF nib. It was ...

2025-06-25T17:35:28Z

Today’s fountain pen is a Lamy 2000 with an EF nib. It was inked with Iroshizuku Shin-Kai back on February 25. #FountainPen

Today’s fountain pen. A Gravitas Pens Ultemate Vac with an ...

2025-06-23T17:43:32Z

Today’s fountain pen. A Gravitas Pens Ultemate Vac with an incredibly stiff “flex” nib. FPC says I inked this up on January 17, so the fact that it is still half full is a testament to a decent cap seal and just how many pens I keep inked up at once. #fountainpen

It continues to be a miserable year for tomatoes, only two ...

2025-06-13T17:58:57Z

It continues to be a miserable year for tomatoes, only two varieties producing much. Long beans and southern peas are doing well and just coming into harvest. Snap beans not so much (healthy plants not setting fruit). Peppers are starting to improve after application of fertilizer. #gardening

Today’s work #fountainPen is a TWSBI Eco in turquoise with a ...

2025-06-06T14:57:16Z

Today’s work #fountainPen is a TWSBI Eco in turquoise with a 1.1mm stub nib. I inked it with Diamine Registrars Blue Black, which goes down sort of middling blue and then darkens to almost black after a few minutes.

In addition to weeding, mulching, taking cuttings, and potting up ...

2025-05-24T18:44:02Z

In addition to weeding, mulching, taking cuttings, and potting up seedlings, I dug up a couple garlic plants to see if they were ready to harvest. They are good sized, but don’t seem to have formed cloves yet. I’m sure I can figure out something to do with them, but the rest of the crop will stay in the ground a bit longer. Last year I waited too long and lots of my bulbs burst, so this year I’m being extra careful. #gardening

you’re correct, but alternatively: computer science is not ...

2025-05-08T01:30:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…a490
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you’re correct, but alternatively: computer science is not about making software.

Hot compost! I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this warm - you ...

2025-05-04T17:56:59Z

Hot compost! I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this warm - you could feel heat radiating from it. #gardening

That TWSBI looks really nice!

2025-04-16T22:39:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…h9xe
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That TWSBI looks really nice!

Today I pulled the last of the lettuce and planted beans and ...

2025-04-13T21:31:26Z

Today I pulled the last of the lettuce and planted beans and cucumbers. Peppers are forming buds. Tomatoes have flowers but only the strongest cherries have set fruit. Squash keep blooming, but no fruit yet. Lots of peas ready to harvest. #gardening

8 is scaled back from 12 last year. We’re not great about ...

2025-04-09T23:19:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…qzda
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8 is scaled back from 12 last year. We’re not great about preserving so I’m trying to balance being able to preserve some and not going overboard.

First tomatoes have set fruit! They’re large red cherry from ...

2025-04-09T23:15:44Z

First tomatoes have set fruit! They’re large red cherry from seed I’ve saved for several years. They’re also on the second truss of flowers because the first was broken off by hail. #gardening

for comparison, I planted 8 total this year. I think I had 4 ...

2025-04-09T22:26:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…cf5h
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for comparison, I planted 8 total this year. I think I had 4 spares. :)

That is A LOT of tomato plants.

2025-04-09T15:16:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…aeng
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That is A LOT of tomato plants.

Harvested lettuce and kohlrabi today. Topped up the asparagus bed ...

2025-03-30T17:26:59Z

Harvested lettuce and kohlrabi today. Topped up the asparagus bed with compost (first use of home made compost here!) and planted 2 new crowns. #gardening

Today’s #FountainPen and ink are chosen in defiance of the ...

2025-03-28T14:38:10Z

Today’s #FountainPen and ink are chosen in defiance of the weather. I’ll be taking my work notes with an extremely wet writer on a damp rainy day. Odds of smudging are high.

Catchweed bedstraw and hedge parsley are growing really strongly ...

2025-03-15T19:14:55Z

Catchweed bedstraw and hedge parsley are growing really strongly right now. I pulled trugload after trugload of them and added them to the compost to balance the live oak leaves that are dropping right now (I gather the ones from the driveway and around the front door). Add a little mowing of winter grasses and this compost bay is suddenly looking pretty full. #gardening

I just finished the ritual re-watching of the last season of ...

2025-03-14T00:25:43Z

I just finished the ritual re-watching of the last season of Gardener’s World before the new season starts tomorrow. Not sure how I will watch it yet, but I would like to be ready. #gardening

The Platinum curidas I’ve been using to jot down what birds I ...

2025-03-08T21:26:18Z

The Platinum curidas I’ve been using to jot down what birds I see was having a lot of trouble hard starting and drying out again quickly. I kept blaming the iron gall ink in it. Finally I opened it up and checked the converter - empty. Time to switch pens! Luckily I had a TWSBI Precision inked up and nearby. To be fair, the curidas has trouble with the nib drying out. Not great for an quick notes pen. #fountainpen

Planted tomatoes, peppers, corn, squash, eggplants, and basil ...

2025-03-08T19:39:33Z

Planted tomatoes, peppers, corn, squash, eggplants, and basil today. Still have a couple areas of winter veg going, and the garlic is going strong. #gardening

The work onsite last week has me all peopled out, but today is ...

2025-03-08T13:37:45Z

The work onsite last week has me all peopled out, but today is the Austin Pen Club monthly meeting. Maybe I just garden and write a letter instead. #FountainPen

My order of campernelles in the green arrived Friday and I ...

2025-03-02T20:25:18Z

My order of campernelles in the green arrived Friday and I removed some turf and got them planted today. The same place is offering Lent lilies in the green this weekend, but oof. Maybe if I prep the area ahead of time it will be easier…. #gardening

I don’t have good records of the pen usage. I generally use ...

2025-03-01T00:44:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…h4a5
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I don’t have good records of the pen usage. I generally use shimmer inks in most pens that aren’t piston or vacuum fill. Supposedly these shimmers have much less trouble with the shimmer settling out.

Trying one of the new shimmery KWZ inks with a stress test. A ...

2025-02-28T22:04:53Z

Trying one of the new shimmery KWZ inks with a stress test. A massive load of ink in a translucent eyedropper (Airmail 69T). I’ll see very quickly if the shimmer settles and this thing will stay inked for ages so it will surely have plenty of opportunities. #FountainPen

No pictures because it was a bit of a mess, but I had been ...

2025-02-24T20:07:46Z

No pictures because it was a bit of a mess, but I had been jotting down ink names on an index card as I inked up fountain pens for the last few weeks. Today I ran that index card under the tap. In order of most staying power:

mostly stayed:
- Pilot Black
- Pilot Blue-Black
- Graf von Faber-Castell Cognac Brown

mostly gone:
- Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai
- Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki
- Diamine Oxblood
- KWZ Grapefruit (completely gone)

#FountainPens

With the addition of this Pilot Custom 823 I’m back up to 13 ...

2025-02-21T15:41:22Z

With the addition of this Pilot Custom 823 I’m back up to 13 pens currently inked. The ink is new in that I’ve previously only had it in cartridges. I was loving it so much in my Prera that I decided to get a bottle so I could use it in more pens. Besides, having the blue, black, and blue-black from a maker isn’t such a bad set. #FountainPens

I finished redoing the pvc fixtures in all the raised beds. Got ...

2025-02-08T20:10:35Z

I finished redoing the pvc fixtures in all the raised beds. Got drip set up in the first half of one of them (ran out of drip tubing). Planted 5 bare root fruit trees, 5 bare root blackberries, and 25 strawberries. Sowed peas. Planted lettuce. I will now pretty much not move for the rest of the day. (That is a lie because we ran out of bird seed this morning so I have to go get some more) #gardening

it’s unheard of here in Texas, too. I gave it a shot with some ...

2025-02-01T20:47:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…wlaw
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it’s unheard of here in Texas, too. I gave it a shot with some native hackberries and they seemed to take it pretty well. I moved before I could see how they did the second year, but I’m scoping out possibilities for giving it a go at the new house. It was very satisfying and the birds seemed to love the dense regrowth.