suzy allen
@giftofbirdsong.bsky.social
hobbit, herbalist & haunted homesteader living near the swamps and marshes by the Chesapeake Bay
https://giftofbirdsong.substack.com/
https://giftofbirdsong.substack.com/
In lieu of a regular newsletter, I wrote this piece on my stories, experiences, and thoughts on the challenges and beauty of July here on the outskirts of town.
July's Dog Days
My midsummer life in the outskirts of town. I'm tired and worn out from gardening, and it is as beautiful as it is demoralizing to live here sometimes.
open.substack.com
August 1, 2025 at 12:01 AM
In lieu of a regular newsletter, I wrote this piece on my stories, experiences, and thoughts on the challenges and beauty of July here on the outskirts of town.
June 21, 2025 at 9:55 PM
"Long days. Hot nights. Flowers, cicadas, lightening bugs, fruits, funerals, finding places to sit and have long talks about nothing and everything, so sit back and sip some sweet iced tea..."
Flower Gardens and Widows
Garden, Homestead, & Nature Journals #22 and #23: Weeks of June 1-7 and 8-14, 2025
open.substack.com
June 21, 2025 at 8:42 PM
"Long days. Hot nights. Flowers, cicadas, lightening bugs, fruits, funerals, finding places to sit and have long talks about nothing and everything, so sit back and sip some sweet iced tea..."
Flower arrangement for last night's full moon in Sagittarius featuring Jupiter in cancer... red hot pokers remind me of ♐ arrows #astrology #astroherbalism #plantmagic
June 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Flower arrangement for last night's full moon in Sagittarius featuring Jupiter in cancer... red hot pokers remind me of ♐ arrows #astrology #astroherbalism #plantmagic
Journal from the last week of May, focusing on my herbalism practice and native fruits being planted by birds. Loving weeds. 🌱 #gardening #herbalism #foodforest #foraging
There's good stuff in these weeds
Nature, Garden, & Homestead Journal #21: May 25- May 31, 2025
open.substack.com
June 8, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Journal from the last week of May, focusing on my herbalism practice and native fruits being planted by birds. Loving weeds. 🌱 #gardening #herbalism #foodforest #foraging
June 6, 2025 at 9:27 PM
I made it to #20 in this series. 20 weeks of showing up, finding noteworthy things to photograph (I use a real camera with dials and knobs, not my phone), and letting the stories relate my own life bit by bit, week by week. 20 weeks of showing up and taking an interest in life and sharing it
Nature Journal #20: May 18-24, 2025
Opportunities for future beautiful things
open.substack.com
June 5, 2025 at 7:41 PM
I made it to #20 in this series. 20 weeks of showing up, finding noteworthy things to photograph (I use a real camera with dials and knobs, not my phone), and letting the stories relate my own life bit by bit, week by week. 20 weeks of showing up and taking an interest in life and sharing it
The elderflower hedge is nearing full bloom here. Rumored to either attract or repel devils, witches, and/or fairies, it certainly attracts fireflies, flies, wasps, and other pollinators with its sweetly fragrant moonface flower heads. #bloomscrolling #naturejournal #herbalism
June 1, 2025 at 11:43 PM
The elderflower hedge is nearing full bloom here. Rumored to either attract or repel devils, witches, and/or fairies, it certainly attracts fireflies, flies, wasps, and other pollinators with its sweetly fragrant moonface flower heads. #bloomscrolling #naturejournal #herbalism
It's been pleasant to slow down and witness the busy moments rather than rush and push through it all
Nature Journal #19: May 11-17, 2025
slowing down in the busiest time of the year
open.substack.com
May 28, 2025 at 6:46 PM
It's been pleasant to slow down and witness the busy moments rather than rush and push through it all
Last novel I finished reading is still in mind. A labyrinth is a powerful symbol and I think this story found me at the right time while I reaclimate to life outside the labyrinth I got lost in for years. Beauty is both horror and comfort to isolation. I'm in a Piranesi moment #booksky #piranesi
May 24, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Kitchen is full of strawberries and milky oat tincture. May smells like fresh berries and cut grass. It's busy here now. Harvest has a short window of time per plant. It's a rhythm to remember the flow of it all as season changes so quickly. Noticing is key. 🌱 #gardenjournal #homesteading
May 23, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Kitchen is full of strawberries and milky oat tincture. May smells like fresh berries and cut grass. It's busy here now. Harvest has a short window of time per plant. It's a rhythm to remember the flow of it all as season changes so quickly. Noticing is key. 🌱 #gardenjournal #homesteading
Passionflower is popping up and waving hello in the sunny edges here. Maypop, passionleaf, (Passiflora incarnata), is a wild and wonderful herbaceous vine with mesmerizing flowers which become delicious fruits. The aerial parts, particularly the tendrils, are a potent herbal ally for relaxation. 🌱
May 14, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Passionflower is popping up and waving hello in the sunny edges here. Maypop, passionleaf, (Passiflora incarnata), is a wild and wonderful herbaceous vine with mesmerizing flowers which become delicious fruits. The aerial parts, particularly the tendrils, are a potent herbal ally for relaxation. 🌱
Memories and imaginings from the lush and busy May gardens. Lots of fairy folklore pops up for a reason in May.
Nature Journal #18: May 4-10, 2025
Rose and wildflower perfume. Lightening bugs and whip-poor-whils. Finding memories and stories in May's wilderness and gardens
open.substack.com
May 13, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Memories and imaginings from the lush and busy May gardens. Lots of fairy folklore pops up for a reason in May.
Spotted a lovely Eastern box turtle friend. 'Tis turtle season
May 13, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Spotted a lovely Eastern box turtle friend. 'Tis turtle season
The rhododendrons are blooming #bloomscrolling
May 9, 2025 at 2:02 PM
The rhododendrons are blooming #bloomscrolling
First strawberries of the season! I picked some early to finish ripening away from hungry chicken beaks. 🌱 #gardening
May 8, 2025 at 12:46 PM
First strawberries of the season! I picked some early to finish ripening away from hungry chicken beaks. 🌱 #gardening
More story telling. Wildlife observations, flower gardens and great grandma's tools...
Nature Journal #17: Apr 27-May 3, 2025
The roses are blooming again. Thoughts on mothers, homesteads, kitchen work.
open.substack.com
May 6, 2025 at 7:21 PM
More story telling. Wildlife observations, flower gardens and great grandma's tools...
Chippy la Rue, the chicken, standing on an old milk pail beside the blooming snowball bush. She likes to perch there in the evenings during golden hour. #chickensofbluesky #bloomscrolling 🌱
April 28, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Chippy la Rue, the chicken, standing on an old milk pail beside the blooming snowball bush. She likes to perch there in the evenings during golden hour. #chickensofbluesky #bloomscrolling 🌱
Small talk about the weather, flowers, getting new chicks, phenological reptile sightings, art hopes, etc from last Easter week
Nature Journal #16: Apr 20-26, 2025
New life, new blooms, new fruits, new little beings and hopes
open.substack.com
April 28, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Small talk about the weather, flowers, getting new chicks, phenological reptile sightings, art hopes, etc from last Easter week
A very pretty clump of fleabane. It's a weedy flower and not ideal for this pasture restoration... but even weeds can be quite pretty. 🌱 #bloomscrolling
April 25, 2025 at 12:28 PM
A very pretty clump of fleabane. It's a weedy flower and not ideal for this pasture restoration... but even weeds can be quite pretty. 🌱 #bloomscrolling
Got some new peepers this morning! I ordered these last week, a variety pack of brown egg layers. They all look like the same breed to me so I'll just wait and see how they feather out. 10 red chicks! ♥ #chickensofbluesky
April 23, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Got some new peepers this morning! I ordered these last week, a variety pack of brown egg layers. They all look like the same breed to me so I'll just wait and see how they feather out. 10 red chicks! ♥ #chickensofbluesky
Weekly photos and musings from out here. Chicken and groundhog stories. #naturejournal 🌱
Nature Journal #15: Apr 13-19, 2025
And it’s green again. Life returns. Exhalation. The birds sing at dawn; insects sing all night.
open.substack.com
April 23, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Weekly photos and musings from out here. Chicken and groundhog stories. #naturejournal 🌱
They breached the back deck... #chickensofbluesky
April 19, 2025 at 12:30 AM
They breached the back deck... #chickensofbluesky
An unexpected trip to my childhood working class suburbs prompted a good bit of reflection on how I've managed to find a vital connection to nature no matter where I've lived, be it in dense wilderness, a drainage ditch, or my family's smallish farm plot. Week update. I'm mulling over something..
Nature Journal #14: Apr 6-12, 2025
Revisiting childhood haunts, the old woods, pawpaws memories, cycles of home and life with the trees
open.substack.com
April 15, 2025 at 9:15 PM
An unexpected trip to my childhood working class suburbs prompted a good bit of reflection on how I've managed to find a vital connection to nature no matter where I've lived, be it in dense wilderness, a drainage ditch, or my family's smallish farm plot. Week update. I'm mulling over something..
Slowing down while the season ramps up leads to the discovery of new opportunities... and "seedless low sugar raspberry jam" sounds like a jam band song name #gardening #gardenjournal 🌱
Nature Journal #13: Mar 30-Apr 5, 2025
Greening up time brings flowers and elves in the mist. Mostly garden thoughts this week.
open.substack.com
April 8, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Slowing down while the season ramps up leads to the discovery of new opportunities... and "seedless low sugar raspberry jam" sounds like a jam band song name #gardening #gardenjournal 🌱