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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 13th, 2025 02:45 pm)
Today is cloudy and mild.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches. I heard a squirrel chattering but didn't see it.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/13/25 -- I planted groundnut roots in two pots of the new picnic table garden.

I've seen a fox squirrel up a tree.

I picked a handful of groundcherries.

EDIT 10/13/25 -- I watered the new picnic table and septic gardens.

EDIT 10/13/25 -- I watered the irises, telephone pole garden, and savanna seedlings.



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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 13th, 2025 12:02 am)
These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Affordable Housing
Wildlife
Half-Price Sale in Polychrome Heroics
Today's Smoothie
Free Epic Poll
Activism
Unsold Poems for the October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl
Journalism
Birdfeeding
Today's Adventures
Art
Politics
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Society
Photos: Seeds
Photos: Coles County Community Garden
Poem: "What Wizardry Is All About"
Conservation
Birdfeeding
Photos: Charleston Food Forest Part 2 Left Side
Photos: Charleston Food Forest Part 1 Right Side
Follow Friday 10-10-25: Jazz
Today's Adventures
Sustainability
Poem: "The Disappointing Daughter"
Poem: "The Unretired Witch"
Birdfeeding
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Books
Good News

Trauma has 29 comments. Food has 51 comments. Affordable Housing has 53 comments. Robotics has 85 comments.


"An Inkling of Things to Come" belongs to Polychrome: Shiv and needs $191 to be complete. It has 4 new verses. Maiara and Arthur discuss taking notes.


The weather has cooled off slightly, but still unseasonably warm. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, and at least two squirrels. I heard a blue jay screaming but didn't see it. The migration is heavily impacted -- we drove past the lake again and there was no sign of waterbirds. However, I spotted a small flock of geese flying south Saturday evening. Currently blooming: dandelions, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, oxalis, moss rose, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, yellow squash, zucchini, morning glory, chicory, Queen Anne's lace, sunflowers, cup plant, cypress vine, sunchokes, sedum, violas. Tomatoes, ball carrots, and groundcherries are ripe. Fields are more than half harvested.
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 12th, 2025 11:21 pm)
This article looks at housing as one possible bottleneck in human birth rates.  As countries around the world become more urbanized, overcrowding makes it harder to afford enough space to have children.  Overcrowding itself also tends to suppress fertility.  If a shortage of affordable housing is a significant limiting factor, then producing more of it might enable more families to have children (or more children).  Note that even 2 kids require a total of 3 bedrooms if you  have a boy and a girl but don't want them sharing a room -- and minimum wage doesn't support any kind of residence anywhere in America.
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 12th, 2025 11:16 pm)
Spider gynandromorph!

Arachnologists poking around in Thailand discovered a new species of mygalomorph, Damarchus inazuma. One individual was particularly unusual: it’s a gynandromorph!

With cool pictures.
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([personal profile] weofodthignen Oct. 12th, 2025 08:45 pm)
The Chronicle weather guy is trying to foment panic about tomorrow's weather. Major storm! An inch of rain in San Jose! Thunder and lightning! Deep snow in the Sierra! etc. etc. Hopefully it will water my plants. I swept the driveway; I should have run a rake over the front grass, but didn't get to it.
The October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl made its $300 goal, so there will be a half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics from Monday, October 13 through Sunday, October 19.  Yes, I'm running it the week after the fishbowl instead of skipping one, but I'm done writing and the end of the month will be extra busy, so I hope this works for folks. 
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([personal profile] billroper Oct. 12th, 2025 10:22 pm)
A friend is coming by later this week to work on my pinball machine and (with any luck) get it working again after six years of lying fallow. He asked if I had a soldering iron.

Well, I *have* a soldering iron. *Finding* the soldering iron is another matter altogether.

Tonight, I ransacked the laundry room where the tool shelf sits, hunting for my soldering iron.

I didn't find it. But on the floor, I found an old Archer soldering iron, still attached to its card. I'm going to assume that it works. But there was no solder to be found there.

I went to look in the studio. I threw away several cable envelopes that should have departed a while ago and eventually discovered a spool of solder.

But still no soldering iron. Why the solder was there and the soldering iron wasn't bothers me.

Not enough to keep looking though.

In other news, the low tire pressure light on my dash went off on the way home from the baseball game on Thursday night. This led to my looking for a reasonable place to put air in your tires, which is rather more of a problem than it used to be.

Last night, I gave up and ordered a battery-powered air compressor.

Today, my tires are full.

And I have an air compressor for the next time this happens.
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 12th, 2025 10:16 pm)
Today we made a smoothie with:

1 cup apple cider
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
1 fresh banana
1 frozen banana
1 tablespoon apple cider caramel sauce
1/2 cup ice

The result is beige and on the thin side, but tastes deliciously of caramel apple cider. :D It would probably work better with both bananas frozen though.

If you don't make your own caramel sauce, storebought would probably work. I warmed it up to pouring consistency because in the fridge it's closer to fudge texture.
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 12th, 2025 09:44 pm)
The October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl has made its $200 goal, so you get a free epic. Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll. I will keep it open at least until Monday night. If there's a clear answer then, I'll close it; otherwise I may leave it open a little while longer. Here are your options...

"Once the Avalanche Has Begun"
A foolish choice in a neighboring town makes life challenging for Shaeth's followers.
70 lines

"The Well-being of All Our People"
When bandits attack a caravan, Menachem and Yossele defend their fellow travelers.
69 lines


Poll #33718 Free Epic for the October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13


Which of these should be the free epic?

View Answers

"Once the Avalanche Has Begun"
6 (46.2%)

"The Well-being of All Our People"
7 (53.8%)

Lunch and Logistics
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1594
[Thursday, May 7, 2020, late morning]



:: At lunch, several neighbors meet the Teagues and interest spreads. Part of the Edison’s Mirror arc. ::


Back to Shopping Surprises
To the Edison's Mirror Index
On to



“This menu is bewildering,” Aidan murmured. He shifted his shoulder, making Ed’s head lean closer, until it rested in the crook of Aidan’s neck. The boy seemed on the verge of unconscious instead of merely asleep, and had not stirred no matter how many times he’d been lifted in and out of Nik’s van.

Vic raised a brow. “Do you like pork? The adobo is--”

Aidan brightened. “A vinegar sauce, somewhat spicy? Garlic and soya sauce?” His smile widened. “I haven’t tasted it in… many years. Not since I was in Las Felipinas.” He closed the menu, running a fingertip under the Restaurant’s name. “Shore Leave. That’s an interesting name for a restaurant.
Read more... )
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 12th, 2025 08:31 pm)
"Move slow and fix things." -- [personal profile] crashthegm

This is a much, much better philosophy than the techdudebro "Move fast and break things," which is clearly the motto of people who never had to clean up after themselves.
The following poems from the August 5, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my Dreamwidth profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods. There are still verses left in the linkback poems "Delight in Another," "A Sense of Weather Changes," "Ouroboros Insects," "The Loving Embrace of Night," "Generations of Cooks Past," "Homefree and Clear, " "One Bite at a Time," "Stars and Diamonds," "Mishpocha," "Changing Your Nature," and "Besa."


"A Fountain of Energy"
Sumary: Johan works on his land connection.
70 lines, Buy It Now = $35

Johan hopped off the bus when
it reached Rockheart Garden.



"No Worthless Herbs"
Summary: Shaeth and Trobby decide to plant a garden, but it's not as easy as it looks.
92 lines, Buy It Now = $46

Shaeth and Trobby owed a favor
to Abredin the Herb Goddess, so
they decided to plant a garden.



"The Songwitch"
Summary: Soraya makes music and magic.
33 lines, Buy It Now = $15

"To Understand Water"
Summary: Emma Jane Davis wants to learn more about her new superpowers.
120 lines, Buy It Now = $60

Emma Jane Davis sat in the waiting room
of the Onion City SPOON Base, trying
and failing not to tap her foot on the floor.



"The Two Cottages"
Summary: A quest for love takes an unexpected turn.
52 lines, Buy It Now = $20
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 12th, 2025 05:41 pm)
Staying informed -- and sane

When I worked in the newspaper business as a reporter and editor, there were more than 80 major news companies across the country, and many more independent papers, tv and radio stations. Now there are six major companies that own the majority of newspapers, tv and radio stations, and several of them have bowed to FOTUS for favors.

Read more... )
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 12th, 2025 01:45 pm)
Today is mostly sunny and mild.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

Yesterday evening I saw a small flock of geese flying south!

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/12/25 -- I got about half of the major outdoor repair done.

I've seen at least two squirrels running around in the trees.

EDIT 10/12/25 -- I finished the repair. It's sloppy as hell but it should hold. Done is better than perfect. *goflopnow*

EDIT 10/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

As it is almost suppertime, I am done for the night.
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([personal profile] melchar Oct. 12th, 2025 05:06 am)
Trey & I got our flu shots & Covid vaccinations early on Thursday morning. Trey was feverish by night, full of body aches. He felt bad yesterday - and was fully recovered by Saturday night.

Me? My arm is still sore from the jabs and it's only -now- that I'm beginning to feel a little achy. Not fevery yet. My immune system is just kind of pathetic.
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([personal profile] mdlbear Oct. 12th, 2025 01:37 pm)

A couple of good things happened, but I also procrastinated way too much, which increases the stress level for this week. So does that make it a good week or a bad week? Maybe not.

So let's start with the good stuff for a change: N's book, The World as It Ought To Be, has been published! The eBook can be had right now from Smashwords, which has a free sample you can read online. My signal boost post from yesterday lists more sellers. Go take a look -- it's hopepunk, solarpunk, protopian gentle fiction, and if you're a fan of [personal profile] ysabetwordsmith's ​Terramagne poems, you'll probably like it.

Also, according to pv magazine International, Solar tops [the] EU power mix in June with [a] record 22% share. And I got my flu and pneumonia jabs, to go with CCOVID last week.

Somewhere in between, I had a gastroscopy Wednesday -- I'll find out the results this coming Friday. I don't expect really bad news, but they sent me away with a prescription for a proton pump inhibitor.

On the down side, I've procrastinated a whole lot, with the result that the HyperSpace Express website needed some fast work, and needs more this week. So do my US federal income taxes. Our plans for the Kaleidofolk studio album are slightly up in the air at this point, only in part because I haven't been practicing enough. And I still don't have a medical alarm pendant.

If time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once, it's not working! And I'm not helping.

And on the way down side, of course, the US is still in the hands of a fascist regime led by a convicted felon and his gang of thugs and unindicted traitors, and I'm extremely worried about my friends and family members who are still there. Not to mention the planet.

Notes & links, as usual )

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([personal profile] weofodthignen Oct. 11th, 2025 09:35 pm)
And so today, Walgreen's for the prescription refills. While they wrestled with a balky computer so the housemate could get a shot, we made the acquaintance of 2 other women also waiting for the chance to get a shot, one of whom was toting what looked like a Pekinese mix. The dog was well behaved, only occasionally making small noises at the pharmacist. I suppose if you are going to carry a dog around a store, a dog that was bred to be carried around is a wise choice.
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([personal profile] azurelunatic Oct. 11th, 2025 09:14 pm)
There's a new power scooter out, the Golden Buzzaround Carry-On HD. The HD part is important. This is the heavy duty one, which is also first-in-class lithium ion battery scooter. But that's not what this entry is about (and the scheduled arrival date is Tuesday).

Since the scooter was backordered and not going to arrive in time for the Michigan trip, I ordered a (not too expensive for the specs) power wheelchair off Amazon. The choice was partly informed by the advertised shipping time: two days. Plenty of time for it to arrive. And then I watched the shipment crawl over what was clearly ground transport, likely because of the battery. Eventually the package arrival date got down to our departure date. Meanwhile, I was paralyzed with anxiety about the trip, and was barely able to pack. At least I was able to make checklists for when I eventually unfroze on the day of departure.

FedEx said my power chair would arrive between 1 and 3. This was inaccurate, and at some point the forecast switched to "end of day".

When it hadn't arrived by 4, we loaded into the car with my upright (unpowered) walker. At the last minute as we fled out the door, I thought our snack supply looked a little too small and grabbed a random bag to toss a few more things into. As we pulled out of the neighborhood I called the airline accessibility services line to report the change. Which took a little while, as I had to explain that no, I hadn't "changed my mind" about bringing the power wheelchair, the reason I wasn't taking the power wheelchair was because it hadn't arrived yet, so I couldn't take it. At that point I got the appropriate amount of sympathy.

Within the MINUTE I told the very nice customer service person goodbye, Alex spotted the FedEx truck.

By that point Silver and I were on I-5, but with a very nice turn off opportunity. (Silver had taken that specific route because it's a pain in the ass to get over another couple lanes that quickly and in traffic.)

So we went back, we thanked the Bastard profusely and profanely, with the double thumb-tap to the lips (both of us, simultaneously). Silver offloaded the walker and onloaded the chair while I talked to the airline accessibility department again and tried to figure out what the battery voltage was. The footrests fit into the duffel bag with the extra snacks, just as if I had planned it intentionally. I asked Silver to empty my padded tote bag, so we could use it for the battery.

We got to the airport on time for all of that.

I got the best of both worlds: chair coming with me, but since the battery wasn't charged we checked the main body of the chair at the Special Services counter and got wheelchair service through the airport. Security was less of a zoo than usual because we went through the wheelchair lane instead of the endless maze. I got pornoscanned for the first time.

That got us to the gate an hour earlier than we'd intended.

I was very glad to have the power chair with us, as it made some of the bits that would have been excessively strenuous much much better. Silver got used to lifting the thing into the back of their mom's SUV, and eventually we banged our heads on the car less often.

Coming back, it wasn't quite as easy going through security since I was still new at steering the chair and we didn't have the professional chair-pusher to finesse security. (No, not the ateva way.) We gate-checked the chair. I checked in with the two wheelchair-pushers who met us at the Seattle end of things, and assured the one who was waiting for me that I had my chair (as Silver cussed gently at the footrests).

And when we eventually got home, Yellface cussed us both out like I've never seen her cuss before. She was Peeved! That we! Had Abandoned! Her!!!!

I have since decked it out with retroreflective tape, electroluminescent wire, and a miniature disco projector meant for a bike.
.

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