Backyard Goldfish, and a bit of Grief

I don't quite know why I got fish. They were a little bit of an impulse buy, and by impulse I mean I thought about it a lot. And I talked to people about it a lot. One day when I happened to be at the pet store

The Willow Branch Problem

I'm feeling a lot better today than I did yesterday. Physically at least. I always find that a side effect of getting sick is that when I start feeling better, I get that rubber band of all of these things I didn't do and I don&

Tearing off Labels

There's an old joke in America about mattress tags. You buy a new mattress or a new pillow and it's got a tag on it that says "This must not be removed except by consumer." And pretty much everyone I know has at some

Learning to Let the Rain In

Storms rolled in yesterday and oh, it's chilly this morning. What do they say? March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, so that April showers can bring Mayflowers and Pilgrims. Storms are sometimes... transformative. Storms bring a difference. Storms harrow us and make change

Grace and Work

I'm a little scattered as I sit down this morning because yesterday was one of those days that was going absolutely perfectly... and then I had too many cups of coffee or some food that had sat in the fridge for too long and my entire evening turned

Monday Save States

There are some days when you're not quite sure where to start. There's an aspect of narrative alchemy that I feel is important: Calibrating for yourself where that line may fall, where that gray area path may be, between telling your own truth, acknowledging the truth

It Begins with a Nightmare

My goal with Narrative Eversion is to look at complex works of media and try to understand the motivations behind the creative choices which make them tick. These themes truly come to life when studying video games because of the complex interplay between creator intent and play choice which is

Pause by the Stream

One of my favorite memories of camping is a night from our big RV trip to Tennessee, the one that got extended thanks to COVID lockdowns. From where the RV was parked in the lot of a state park campground, we could hear the kids snoring up front and the

The Scotch Gambit

The Scotch Gambit is one of those irregular opening patterns that probably won't give you an immediate, clear advantage, but it’s incredibly useful for throwing off your opponent's confidence and pulling them right out of their usual line of preparation. One strong path to consider

Finding the Grey in Fandoms

I've backed off from fandoms over the years because the vociferous love or hatred, the intense dislike or like of any particular fandom's niches... both turn me off massively. And that can be a challenge, especially given my own interests and line of work. I'

Narrative Chicken Alchemy

I made a choice to record the video draft of today's post near where the chickens were eating the fridge scraps. And the noises which occasionally interrupt my vlog are unfortunately... and thankfully... the result of that choice. You see, today I'm thinking a lot about

Fiction as Maintenance

It's one of those days when you get out of bed, you make your coffee, and you know you've got things to do, but when yesterday was objectively a very good day, what do you do with the next day? How do you find that balance

In Such Times

Life in Translation

I forgot my mic when I came outside to record today. And by "forgot" I mean I spent ten minutes searching after very specifically taking it out of my office last night so I could use it this morning. It's how it always is, isn'

In Such Times

Finding Warmth in a Cold World

You sit down and you've got a thousand ideas in your head: Poems and quotes, headlines and daily tasks, ten thousand things that you feel like you have to get off your chest before you can even breathe. You wake up in the morning and you're

Garden Photography

Workshop Recap for Prune Your Photos (2026)

Thank you again to everyone who joined me for the Prune Your Photos workshop. I truly enjoyed working through your images together, and I want to make sure you walk away with more than a memory of a good Zoom call. This recap is designed to be something you can

Don’t Let Good Photos Get Lost in the Weeds

Gardeners know that pruning is just as important as planting. It’s how we clear away the clutter to let the real beauty thrive. The same is true for photography. We take hundreds of photos to capture that one perfect moment where the dawning light shifts through branches to paint

2026

We'll Be Pruning Soon

It's been a busy winter here at the farm as we settle in to the familiar routines of the cold weather: Room re-arrangement and oh, so much cooking. With all of the holiday family photos flooding my phone, I've been struggling to keep all my pictures

Andrew Linke

Learn to Use Your Tools Recap

Workshop Recap and Review Guide Thank you again to everyone who joined me for the Learn to Use Your Tools workshop. I truly enjoyed joining all of you to explore the essential composition and focus techniques needed to capture the real beauty in your gardens. Your questions were fantastic! This

Photography Workshops

Garden Photography Workshop at 1 PM Eastern, Today!

Hey there folks! We are just a few hours away from our live Garden Photography Workshop! I just recorded this quick video for you from my (very autumnal) garden to talk about what we'll be covering today. We'll be focusing on finding the beauty in the

Garden Photography

Prune Your Photos (2026)

9 February 2026 at 1:00 pm (Meeting Over) Zoom Meeting ID: 81174855875 Learn to edit the story of a photo both after and before snapping the shutter. This interactive workshop explores how simple edits and thoughtful composition can transform an image. You'll learn to see your garden

Learn to Use Your Tools (2025) Workshop Page

Thank you for registering for our Learn to Use Your Tools (2025) Garden Photography Workshop! Remember to bookmark or print this page so you can easily join our meeting. You must sign in to AndrewLinke.com with the same e-mail address you used to purchase the workshop, click the link

Garden Photography

Photography in an Autumn Garden

You might be thinking, "Why would I want to do garden photography now?" Halloween's already passed, Thanksgiving is racing towards us, and the stores are already playing Christmas music. In the garden, the big show of spring and summer is long over and the few remaining

Garden Photography

Learn to Use Your Tools

This workshop is designed to demystify the art of garden photography, focusing mainly on the powerful camera in the iPhone. Learn to make your photos blossom by mastering focus, depth, and composition. Perfect for any gardener who has ever felt frustrated trying to capture the magic of a bloom. Online

Magic the Gathering

Myrtifact

I've been running Myrtifact in one version or another for close to twenty years. Way back in my days as a builder of fat casual decks (usually around 100 cards, so EDH felt natural other than the 1 copy limit) I fell for a friend's deck