{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Micro.blog - David Walbert","home_page_url":"https://micro.blog","feed_url":"https://micro.blog/posts/dwalbert","_microblog":{"about":"https://micro.blog/about/api","id":"10333","username":"dwalbert","bio":"Hand-tool woodworker, writer, and historian. Also an avid gardener and curious baker; formerly a physicist, a web developer, and a homeschool educator (though not all at once). ","pronouns":"","is_following":false,"is_you":false,"following_count":106,"discover_count":0},"author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2026/02/10333.jpg"},"items":[{"id":"99626803","content_html":"

@jabel This is the new White Steamer? Meaning it opened in, like, 1956? :)

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/99626803","date_published":"2026-10-21T16:48:53+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"16:48","date_timestamp":1792601333,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"99568216","content_html":"

@JohnBrady I switched to (high-quality) mechanical pencils for layout and tracing when I realized how much wooden pencil I was wasting trying to keep the point sharp enough to get consistently fine lines. I still use the wooden ones for sketching and for writing, but I figure the difference is like a metal-bodied plane vs. a wooden one and not like a table saw.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/99568216","date_published":"2026-10-20T18:16:06+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-20 18:16","date_timestamp":1792520166,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"99519681","content_html":"

A “country syllabub,” from Eliza Leslie, 1837:

\n
\n

Mix half a pound of white sugar with a pint of fine sweet cider, or of white wine; and grate in a nutmeg. Prepare them in a large bowl, just before milking time. Then let it be taken to the cow, and have about three pints milked into it; stirring it occasionally with a spoon. Let it be eaten before the froth subsides. If you use cider, a little brandy will improve it.

\n
\n

“Let it be taken to the cow” would be a good title for a cookbook. Or a folk-rock album.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/10/19/a-country-syllabub-from-eliza.html","date_published":"2026-10-19T23:31:58+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-19 23:31","date_timestamp":1792452718,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"99519653","content_html":"

I am reading this. It is a good story in a lively translation. I am enjoying the intellectual act of reading it. But the book as physical object is one of the sorriest and most pathetic excuses for published material I have ever paid money for. The paper is thinner and coarser than some newsprint I have...

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@JohnBrady I’d seen the title of that book but let it slip by me—thanks for the reminder.

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@JohnBrady At this point in history ink stains are a badge of honor. Wear them proudly.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/99158941","date_published":"2026-10-13T16:07:43+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-13 16:07","date_timestamp":1791907663,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"99148089","content_html":"

Beneath insistent chirping of a cardinal
\nFrom autumn-bare branches, cold-fluffed morning
\nThis dull reverberation of wood and metal,
\nTearing down one half-lived house, building another.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/10/13/beneath-insistent-chirping-of-a.html","date_published":"2026-10-13T12:34:51+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-13 12:34","date_timestamp":1791894891,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"99118099","content_html":"

@jabel “Like a mammy bending over her baby” made me think of Big Momma Makes the World. Which I would recommend if there’s call for a children’s book.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/99118099","date_published":"2026-10-12T23:42:58+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-12 23:42","date_timestamp":1791848578,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"99118007","content_html":"
\n

I should soon have been bankrupt in business in 1884 if the public temper then had been like it is now—grasping, hustling, competitive…. Nobody asked for an estimate—indeed there was a fixed price for all the\nnew work that was done. The only chance for me to make more profit would have been by lowering the quality of the output; and this the temper of the men made out of the question. But of profits I understood nothing. My great difficulty was to find out the customary price. The men didn’t know. I worked out long lists of prices from the old ledgers, as far as I could understand their technical...

\n
social.davidwalbert.com","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/10/12/i-should-soon-have-been.html","date_published":"2026-10-12T23:39:10+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-12 23:39","date_timestamp":1791848350,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"99117791","content_html":"

@JohnBrady Now that is an interesting question. If you have a little homestead-style farm and you want some eggs for yourself you can arrange things so once you’ve arranged for housing your ongoing cash outlay is close to zero, or at least very low (and you can amortize the housing, if you’re inclined to think that way). But if you’re selling the eggs it’s a question of how you value your time, and who knows how much time is really involved when it’s mostly bits and pieces of time every day? So most farmers, I think, who are selling at local markets just do what was done traditionally, and go with the “fair” price, meaning the one everybody else charges. The benchmark would be the supermarket, plus a premium depending on how yours are raised and so on, but if the benchmark price goes up, yours does too. Actual dollars-and-cents accounting on a per-product basis would be almost impossible in a mixed operation. When I say “loss leader” I’m going by what a couple of farmer friends have told me — that they don’t feel it’s really worth their while for the money, but customers expect them and are drawn in to buy other products.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/99117791","date_published":"2026-10-12T23:29:42+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-12 23:29","date_timestamp":1791847782,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"99114979","content_html":"

@JohnBrady @jabel Except that farmers market eggs are often loss leaders.

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@jabel I only had them boiled as a kid, so I hated them. Now I love them. But not boiled.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/99007641","date_published":"2026-10-10T18:38:03+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-10 18:38","date_timestamp":1791657483,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"99006001","content_html":"

@JohnBrady My daughter’s favorite foods at age five were radishes and kale. But even though she was born in 2003 it’s not clear she was raised entirely in the 21st century.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/99006001","date_published":"2026-10-10T17:51:30+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-10 17:51","date_timestamp":1791654690,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98957255","content_html":"

@jaheppler That probably has a better story behind it than “Ding.”

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98957255","date_published":"2026-10-09T19:58:04+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-09 19:58","date_timestamp":1791575884,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98950319","content_html":"

@jaheppler Man, people had some nicknames back then.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98950319","date_published":"2026-10-09T17:50:16+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-09 17:50","date_timestamp":1791568216,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98900392","content_html":"

@jabel Chest hair is basically pubic hair. Dangerous to morals. Standard 19th-century belief.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98900392","date_published":"2026-10-08T22:20:45+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-08 22:20","date_timestamp":1791498045,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98895900","content_html":"

One great thing about using powdered milk paint for frames is that I can mix up only the two or three teaspoons that I need at a time and minimize waste. Another great thing is that to get 4-oz. jars for mixing such small amounts, I have to make a lot of pimiento cheese.

\n\"packet\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/10/08/one-great-thing-about-using.html","date_published":"2026-10-08T20:12:00+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-08 20:12","date_timestamp":1791490320,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"98895439","content_html":"

Hosing out the garbage dumpster this morning I thought, “M is for maggots!” and found myself composing a sort of Young Victorian’s Guide to Pestilence.

\n

A is for ANTS, that march in formation,
\nRavage our picnic and consume our collation.

\n

B is for BEDBUGS, that nip in the night—
\nSo shake out your mattress, and...

social.davidwalbert.com","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/10/08/hosing-out-the-garbage-dumpster.html","date_published":"2026-10-08T20:02:29+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-08 20:02","date_timestamp":1791489749,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"98875397","content_html":"

If people go down to the end of the town, well, what can anyone do? Not much, it seems. Not much at all.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/10/08/if-people-go-down-to.html","date_published":"2026-10-08T13:43:51+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-08 13:43","date_timestamp":1791467031,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"98838296","content_html":"

@aemiliana @bradleyandroos Same here, but it is also the only René Girard joke I have ever seen.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98838296","date_published":"2026-10-07T22:02:29+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-07 22:02","date_timestamp":1791410549,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98765458","content_html":"

@isaacgreene There’s no point getting pretentious about a man who worked as a plumber to fund his composing.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98765458","date_published":"2026-10-06T17:22:37+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-06 17:22","date_timestamp":1791307357,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98721032","content_html":"

@jabel Your link scared me for a moment, but I was relieved to see that the Budget does not, in fact, have a website.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98721032","date_published":"2026-10-05T23:45:37+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-05 23:45","date_timestamp":1791243937,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98720996","content_html":"

@joshuapsteele I hope you get a result soon!!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98720996","date_published":"2026-10-05T23:43:52+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-05 23:43","date_timestamp":1791243832,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98720974","content_html":"

@isaacgreene There can’t be many things more annoying than a teenager who is seriously into Philip Glass.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98720974","date_published":"2026-10-05T23:42:34+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-05 23:42","date_timestamp":1791243754,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98606515","content_html":"

@tinyroofnail I know you didn’t post it here, but thanks for that business about the camel coaxers. It was simultaneously the weirdest and the most sensible thing I read all week.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98606515","date_published":"2026-10-03T16:23:33+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-03 16:23","date_timestamp":1791044613,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98606440","content_html":"

@todd Big pies or hand pies? (Do they have hand pies in Indiana? I’ve lived in the South so long I can’t even remember if we had them in Pennsylvania, let alone what they were called.)

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98606440","date_published":"2026-10-03T16:20:57+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-03 16:20","date_timestamp":1791044457,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98606373","content_html":"

@canneddragons @ReaderJohn We’re talking about two different things, of course. Following Christ has never been easy, even in contexts that claimed to encourage it (medieval monasteries e.g.) Merely identifying as a Christian used to be much easier than it is. Renn (I am basing this judgment on his writing, and to some extent setting up an evangelical straw man, but) appears to have a fairly shallow theology that doesn’t require him to actually follow Christ, only to identify as a Christian.

\n

That said, I do think that something really valuable is lost when you cannot hold people accountable to the thing to which they pay lip service.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98606373","date_published":"2026-10-03T16:20:13+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-03 16:20","date_timestamp":1791044413,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98605862","content_html":"

Not knowing what to choose from my fall CSA last week I got triple green tomatoes and this morning made green tomato marmalade from Putting Food By (3d edition, 1982), which may be over the years my most-consulted cookbook. Lemon makes it gel; the tomato gives an earthy undertone.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/10/03/not-knowing-what-to-choose.html","date_published":"2026-10-03T16:07:39+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-03 16:07","date_timestamp":1791043659,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"98605684","content_html":"

@isaacgreene @isaacgreene Well, “bad taste” is probably unfair. You’re picking up what I’m putting down, let’s say. And clearly you know a great deal more about music than I do, so I expect you’ll give me something interesting, and spare me uncomfortable conversations about why I don’t really want to do a carving based on a Taylor Swift song. Which I have never had but always somehow fear. :)

\n

Once at a craft market I got into a conversation with someone about a carving based on a Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel song and it turned out she was a music student who had written a thesis about Hensel. So, you never know.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98605684","date_published":"2026-10-03T16:03:00+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-03 16:03","date_timestamp":1791043380,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98602887","content_html":"

@ReaderJohn I don’t know about “ahead.” I’m more like the kid who wants to know why can’t we have hot dogs for breakfast?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98602887","date_published":"2026-10-03T14:40:10+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-03 14:40","date_timestamp":1791038410,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98565439","content_html":"

@isaacgreene That’s the idea! Preferably someplace where they don’t have these pesky child labor laws.

\n

You can also commission something, if you’re feeling ambitious, around particular music. I don’t offer that to people I think might have bad taste, which is to say just about everybody.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98565439","date_published":"2026-10-02T20:53:00+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-02 20:53","date_timestamp":1790974380,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98563989","content_html":"

@isaacgreene Strictly speaking it’s just “Laser?” From a middle aged guy who wants to show me how knowledgeable he is. And gets nervous when he hears the answer…

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98563989","date_published":"2026-10-02T20:14:39+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-02 20:14","date_timestamp":1790972079,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98560611","content_html":"

@jabel Oh, I meant to reply to this. Do you know any more about this planetary waltz? People did such bizarre wonderful stuff in the 19th century.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/dwalbert/98560611","date_published":"2026-10-02T19:07:12+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-02 19:07","date_timestamp":1790968032,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"edit_url":null,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"98558973","content_html":"

I posted a page of frequently asked questions about my carving for those who can’t come to shows in person to ask them.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/10/02/i-posted-a-page-of.html","date_published":"2026-10-02T18:36:27+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-02 18:36","date_timestamp":1790966187,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"98556224","content_html":"

Suggested listening for October: The first season of RKO’s The Shadow, starring Orson Welles. (And in case you find yourself wondering, Blue Coal really was blue).

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/10/02/suggested-listening-for-october-the.html","date_published":"2026-10-02T17:37:41+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-10-02 17:37","date_timestamp":1790962661,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"98033117","content_html":"

Yesterday was the equinox and whoop-de-do for astronomy, but if you think of “day length” like any sensible person who just wants or needs to do stuff outside, you would use not sunrise and sunset but first and last light: something like civil twilight. By that standard, we won’t have equal day and night...

social.davidwalbert.com","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/23/yesterday-was-the-equinox-and.html","date_published":"2026-09-23T13:39:07+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-23 13:39","date_timestamp":1790170747,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97972039","content_html":"

“The Country of Marriage” (7”x12”) titled after Wendell Berry’s 1973 book of poems. (The birds are modeled on sandhill cranes, so I should maybe have found a title from Aldo Leopold?) N.B. the frame is meant to evoke sunset and autumn leaves, not to go with your décor. Thanks for supporting etc.

\n\n

\"chip

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/22/the-country-of-marriage-x.html","date_published":"2026-09-22T12:55:22+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-22 12:55","date_timestamp":1790081722,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97971407","content_html":"

More fun for the whole family: The North Carolina Liver Mush Festival in Shelby, October 17. I don’t believe I’ll be in attendance, I just want to make sure y’all are apprised of your options.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/22/more-fun-for-the-whole.html","date_published":"2026-09-22T12:43:25+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-22 12:43","date_timestamp":1790081005,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97881002","content_html":"

Added to my platform: Tax breaks for bands with brass sections.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/20/added-to-my-platform-tax.html","date_published":"2026-09-20T20:27:48+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-20 20:27","date_timestamp":1789936068,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97722320","content_html":"

Far be it from me to criticize what I don’t understand, but I have to think that emails reminding me that my CVS points expired today would be more convincing if I only received one, instead of four… or at least if they all listed the same number of points. I feel like we’re just not even trying.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/17/far-be-it-from-me.html","date_published":"2026-09-17T22:56:19+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-17 22:56","date_timestamp":1789685779,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97661328","content_html":"

If I weren’t going to be at Centerfest in Durham this weekend, I’d be going to Asheville for the 46th Annual World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/16/if-i-werent-going-to.html","date_published":"2026-09-16T23:13:51+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-16 23:13","date_timestamp":1789600431,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97587274","content_html":"

A Severe Misalignment of AI in Mathematics, signed by 25 Fields medalists:

\n
\n

In recent months, the success of AI in solving major mathematical problems has made headlines even outside mathematical circles. But solving problems is only a tool and proxy for achieving the primary goal of conceptual understanding and insight. Forgetting this in the world of AI may turn the tool against the primary goal. Indeed, the mass production at faster and faster pace of “true/false” statements could destroy fertile ground instead of breathing life into new ideas.

\n
\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/15/a-severe-misalignment-of-ai.html","date_published":"2026-09-15T17:16:07+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-15 17:16","date_timestamp":1789492567,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97541405","content_html":"

Maybe I shouldn’t admit this but the no-splash urinal paper was exactly the sort of thing that fascinated me when I was in physics.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/14/maybe-i-shouldnt-admit-this.html","date_published":"2026-09-14T23:42:52+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-14 23:42","date_timestamp":1789429372,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97223146","content_html":"

The victory of the grass: social.davidwalbert.com

","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/09/the-victory-of-the-grass.html","date_published":"2026-09-09T12:12:34+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-09 12:12","date_timestamp":1788955954,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"97011552","content_html":"

Perennial grains in the news! If you are one of those people who like to mutter about how the agricultural revolution of 10K BC was bad idea, this is one way forward. If you want to try them at home you can buy Kernza flour here, among other places. It makes good muffins.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/05/perennial-grains-in-the-news.html","date_published":"2026-09-05T13:18:40+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-05 13:18","date_timestamp":1788614320,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"96766653","content_html":"
\n

When I rise up
\nlet me rise up joyful
\nlike a bird.

\n\n

When I fall
\nlet me fall without regret
\nlike a leaf.

\n
\n\n

(Wendell Berry, c. 1969)

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/09/01/when-i-rise-up-let.html","date_published":"2026-09-01T13:49:05+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-09-01 13:49","date_timestamp":1788270545,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"95575675","content_html":"

James Rebanks:

\n\n
\n

On one level, clearly, a drought is just bad luck, the savage will of the gods. If it doesn’t rain for long enough, then every farming system grinds to a halt. But the severity of how drought affects a place is shaped by how it has been managed before. And the fact is that a lot of British farmland is now being farmed so efficiently — in monocultures, and fed with synthetic nutrients — that often it has quite low levels of soil organic matter. Now, this can work fine in years where there is plenty of moisture. But over time, we also know that degraded soils dry out quicker in droughts.

...
social.davidwalbert.com","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/08/11/james-rebanks-on-one-level.html","date_published":"2026-08-11T12:29:59+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-11 12:29","date_timestamp":1786451399,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"95413594","content_html":"

Repainted what is essentially my studio bathroom, formerly my daughter’s bathroom, which I had permitted her to paint bright salmon pink. Color yes, pink no. It was the most annoying room I have ever painted—all obstacles, no room to maneuver—but it’s done, and now I get to build a wall cabinet.

\n\"my\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/08/08/repainted-what-is-essentially-my.html","date_published":"2026-08-08T17:03:10+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-08 17:03","date_timestamp":1786208590,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"95406051","content_html":"

View from my driveway after the wettest July since the 1930s

\n\"Vertical\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/08/08/view-from-my-driveway-after.html","date_published":"2026-08-08T14:04:51+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-08 14:04","date_timestamp":1786197891,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"95348390","content_html":"

Speaking of buying things: The very last straw for me with SquareSpace was discovering that without my choice or even knowledge it was now possible to buy, via my website, a $30 spreader in four easy payments of $7.50. Make a new plan, Stan. We’re finished.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://social.davidwalbert.com/2026/08/07/speaking-of-buying-things-the.html","date_published":"2026-08-07T12:58:53+00:00","author":{"name":"David Walbert","url":"http://www.davidwalbert.com","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F02%2F10333.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"dwalbert"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-08-07 12:58","date_timestamp":1786107533,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"is_podcast":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}}]}