Melinda R. Cordell
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rosefiend.bsky.social
Melinda R. Cordell
@rosefiend.bsky.social
380 followers 280 following 340 posts
I beg your pardon ... I'm going to promise you a rose garden!

Retired Horticulturist looking for freelance writing work. Chicken wrangler, pedant, general goofball.
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rosefiend.bsky.social
Melinda R. Cordell @rosefiend.bsky.social · Dec 11
🌱🌱 I KEEP FORGETTING TO MENTION THAT I ALSO WRITE GARDENING BOOKS! For fun and for profit (about $0.05 worth lol).
Edible landscaping, roses, perennials, indoor gardening, growing plants in containers, soil building, and all kinds of good stuff.
books2read.com/ap/8GpePW/Ro...
Find books by Rosefiend Cordell at your favorite digital store!
Books by Rosefiend Cordell
books2read.com
rosefiend.bsky.social
This year's scion list (so far) from 39th Parallel Orchard. Carter's Blue, Cox's Orange Pippin, Grimes Golden, Belle de Boskoop, King David, Esopus Spitzenburg, and then some ornamental crabapples -- Makamik, Profusion, and Sugar Thyme.
Grafting all onto existing apple & crabapple trees. 🌱 🌱
October 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
rosefiend.bsky.social
🌱🌱 Here are some chicken pics because I haven't posted anything lately.
these are the floof chickens, two Polish (the black chicky with the huge head floof is named Miss Floof) and then two little Swiss chickens which are Appenzeller Spitzhauben and they have a little Swiss hat floof on their heads. this is Jake, she is a Speckled Sussex and whenever I come out she comes bustling over, chatting like a busybody chicken. Then she follows me around the yard. Top Hat (she's a Polish chicken with a little floof on her head) is peekabooing from behind a hay bale
October 3, 2025 at 11:48 PM
rosefiend.bsky.social
I wish a small army of raccoons would infest JK Rowling's house and take up residence in her fridge and use her toilet as a place to dunk everything she loves
clairewillett.bsky.social Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · Aug 16
it appears that @bsky.app have suspended the account of @jessiegender because a trans person saying "I wish ill on JK Rowling" is against the rules, so let me say with my loud cis voice that I too wish ill on all perpetrators of hate speech against trans people

reinstate Jessie, this is ridiculous
August 16, 2025 at 7:08 PM
rosefiend.bsky.social
Movie you’ve watched more than six times using gifs.

(“Hard mode” no Star Wars, Star Trek, or LOTR)
April 27, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
aoc.bsky.social
It may not be cool or hip in some circles, but we legitimately do need a massive amount of people to run for office.

Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc.

Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.
February 22, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
sanho.bsky.social
Here’s an excellent old school video on how to establish a relationship with your elected officials & lobby them more effectively.* In my four decades in Washington, this is the best “how to” lobbying video I’ve ever seen. I’ve used it to train activists across the country.

* Your results may vary.
sanho.bsky.social Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · Nov 20
Calling your reps is only the 1st step. This excellent old Amnesty International advocacy video gives very practical next steps for turning that call into a relationship. It also offers great tips on how to keep the pressure up until you get what you want. This should be mandatory for civics class.
How to lobby your elected representatives
YouTube video by SKT DCA
youtu.be
January 21, 2025 at 3:16 PM
rosefiend.bsky.social
If you see this, post a Spider-Man.
Spidey: you can rewrite DNA on the fly, and you're using it to turn people into Dinosaurs? But with tech like that, you could cure cancer! Dinosaur (riding a triceratops): But I don't want to cure cancer. I want to turn people into dinosaurs.
February 21, 2025 at 1:31 AM
rosefiend.bsky.social
I renamed the Gulf of Mexico, you're welcome
rosefiend.bsky.social Melinda R. Cordell @rosefiend.bsky.social · Feb 20
clearly I am not a minimalist

nor is Lester B. Pearson
February 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
infinitescream.bsky.social
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
February 20, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
goldengateblond.bsky.social
“put it on his fucking gravestone”
wolf840 said: Does anyone else remember when Elon was like "if anyone knows how to end world hunger for 6 billion USD, I'll fund it" and UNICEF was like "we're going to spend a month to make a plan to end world hunger for 6 billion USD and Elon is going to fund it" and Elon was like "actually, nah" and then bought Twitter instead? I think that was one of the worst things I'll ever see in my life. tiredspacedragon replied: I still think that should be the thing for which he's the most famous. It should be brought up every time he's mentioned. In any news article, any interview, any history book. "Elon Musk, who was offered a chance to end world hunger and turned it down." Put it on his fucking gravestone.
February 20, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
theradr.bsky.social
Those words, diverse and creative? Not an accident.

This isn’t about mass street protests, necessarily. Those aren’t safe now, not when they’ve got the army on their side. No pink hats, kids.

Time to level up and get smarter.

Here’s a reading list for you:
Political Education
Time to Level Up. 
bookshop.org
January 17, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
theradr.bsky.social
Over 50% of nonviolent movements to overthrow governments are successful within one year of their peak.

The key is to engage over 3.5% of the country, a cross-section of society—clergy, kids, grandmas, teachers) using DIVERSE & CREATIVE tactics, with women in leadership.

We can do this.

More:
On Organizing
time to level up / an early draft of a playbook
www.lifeisasacredtext.com
January 17, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
cwebbonline.com
Freeze your credit individually at each bureau. It’s free:

• Experian: www.experian.com/freeze
• Equifax: www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze
• TransUnion: www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
February 19, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
vallirose.bsky.social
Contact one of the 3 credit bureaus. Lock down your credit. They will share your wishes with the other 2 bureaus.

#Equifax
#Transunion
#Experian
cwebbonline.com Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · Feb 19
Folks, I can’t stress this enough:

Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
Lock your credit!
February 19, 2025 at 5:46 AM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
katemessner.com
"How to Write While Deeply Distracted" from @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social is the post of the year (the decade, maybe?) full of helpful, specific strategies. I'm off to lock myself in a closet now. substack.com/home/post/p-...
How to Write While Deeply Distracted
(from an ADHDer to the rest of you)
substack.com
February 17, 2025 at 12:39 PM
rosefiend.bsky.social
Post a picture of you in a different era: I had a knife to cut my college graduation cake so I did the crazy eyes. My mans just looked handsome as always lol
February 17, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
BREAKING: Judge Amir Ali, one of the final Biden appointees confirmed, just temporarily restored what looks like a wide swath of foreign aid funding that had been blocked.

Full order: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Consistent with the reasoning above, it is hereby ORDERED that Defendants Marco Rubio, Peter Marocco, Russell Vought, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Office of Management and Budget (the "Restrained Defendants") and their agents are temporarily enjoined from enforcing or giving effect to Sections 1, 5, 7, 8, and 9 of Dep't of State, Memorandum, 25 STATE 6828 (Jan. 24, 2025) and any other directives that implement Sections 3(a) and 3(c) of Executive Order Number 14169, "Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid" (Jan. 20, 2025), including by: • suspending, pausing, or otherwise preventing the obligation or disbursement of appropriated foreign-assistance funds in connection with any contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, loans, or other federal foreign assistance award that was in existence as of January 19, 2025; or • issuing, implementing, enforcing, or otherwise giving effect to terminations, suspensions, or stop-work orders in connection with any contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, loans, or other federal foreign assistance award that was in existence as of January 19, 2025. It is further hereby ORDERED that nothing in this order shall prohibit the Restrained Defendants from enforcing the terms of contracts or grants. It is further hereby ORDERED that the Restrained Defendants shall take all steps necessary to effectuate this order and shall provide written notice of this order to all recipients of existing contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements for foreign assistance. It is further hereby ORDERED that the Restrained Defendants shall file a status report by February 18, 2025 … including by providing a copy of the written notice described above. The parties shall meet and confer and file a joint status report by February 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. proposing an expedited preliminary injunction briefing schedule. AMIR H. ALI United States District Judge
February 14, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
ericschmeltzer.com
Here is the pre-RFK vaccination schedule for your kids. Please download it before he is confirmed and changes/deletes it.

Give it to your pediatrician and say this is the schedule you want your kids on.

Making this my pinned post.
February 4, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social
It is actually genuinely funny that the Army looked at the Executive Order and said "no"
kyledcheney.bsky.social Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · Feb 12
Army guidance on implementing President Trump's order on transgender troops, filed in court today, says to NOT take adverse personnel action against people based on gender identity "at this time" and to continue medical treatment. for gender dysphoria.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 12, 2025 at 9:48 PM
rosefiend.bsky.social
This is worth remembering at the moment
February 13, 2025 at 2:05 PM
rosefiend.bsky.social
Well all righty, sign me up
shakespeare.lol William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · Feb 13
I charge and command that, of the city’s cost, the pissing-conduit run nothing but claret wine this first year of our reign.
February 13, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Reposted by Melinda R. Cordell
alexpetrovnia.bsky.social
"you never shut up about politics, talk about something else"

I am part of the named target group of a moral panic that brought a fascist Neo-Nazi regime to power.

I do not have the luxury of a non-political existence.

I will not pretend otherwise for your comfort.
February 13, 2025 at 12:27 AM
rosefiend.bsky.social
More plants from Ronna's greenhouse, since you guys seemed to like her plants yesterday. She has a bunch of rare stuff that has me stumped, and all her plants look gorgeous. 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱
I kind of overdid it on the alt text, sorry guys, I didn't mean to write a dissertation there.
Okay, it's like this tall cactus with all its limbs going straight up and there are these sort of red flowers like feathers sticking off the sides of the top parts of the cactus. I know nothing about cactuses, sorry lol the succulents in the middle of the pic are like sedums with those round coin leaves with the wavy edges. The insides of the leaves are sea-green while the edges are this luscious cream color and then it's edged with this rosy pink, really if this plant were a dessert I'd eat it This is a kind of rare big-leaved Begonia thing, leaves are big and green, some are kind of shaped like maple leaves while others are shaped like angel wings, only they're really fricking big and an intense green, the chlorophyll is really popping here Here is a blooming succulent that might be a sedum but actually it is probablyy something I've never heard of. It has these big fat paddle leaves and the bottom ones are kind of sunset orange/yellow while the higher leaves are green with this red edge. The plant goes up like a tower with leaves getting smaller and then there's these white-gray leaves at the top and then this little bloom at the top like a tiny spiral staircase going down the stem. It's out of focus because I was taking pics with my phone and it doesn't have that depth-of-field like my old Pentax had, or would have had if I could have figured it out, but that's a story for another day lol
February 12, 2025 at 4:04 PM
rosefiend.bsky.social
My buddy Ronna has some really cool succulents in her greenhouse. I can't remember what they're called, but they're neat. 🌱🌱🌱🌱
crazy succulent with big leaves with crinkly ruffled edges, like the edges shrunk in the wash, and they're a pretty rose color while the big outer leaves are tan and the middle leaves are a cool sea green, a lot of stuff going on with this plant In the back are some soft and fuzzy panda plants; in the foreground are these hens-and-chickens type plants A variety of plants in the greenhouse Some little succulent that looks like a bunch of green ninja throwing stars, next to a hedgehog-prickly aloe and some kind of sedum thing with ruffled leaves, and some grassy thing in the back that is not grass but probably some desert thing, don't ask me, all my training is in perennials lol
February 11, 2025 at 5:14 PM