ravan

Today is sunny and cool, almost warm -- too warm for a jacket even. That's warmer than even the January thaw used to get.

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

I put out water for the birds.

.

Current Mood: busy

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Tomorrow we are promised real rain. And high winds. Meanwhile I dug a toadstool out of the grass in back before it had quite reached saucer size.

I needed to place a few reorders for GAFilk so that I can have them for the con, which meant that I needed to find out how many of various CDs I owned and how many might still be lurking in the basement. Once I counted the third party basement inventory, I decided I might as well just finish the job. And so I did.

If someone wants to come in and place a big wholesale order before the end of the year, I will just recount things as required. :)

Mind you, I am running out of people who might *place* a big wholesale order...

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Recipes for Hugo
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only):1653
[A few days before Christmas 2016]

:: Heron has assembled a complicated gift for his cousin Hugo. It sparks a surprising reaction in the younger man. Part of the Finn family and the Shiv/Omaha story arcs in the Polychrome Heroics universe, the story was written in the December 2025 prompt fest, with my deep thanks to the reader who suggested it. ::

“Recipes for Hugo.” The period at the end of the sentence grew irregularly, creeping from beneath the tip of the gel pen. Heron stared at it with a flat, narrow-eyed glare, and capped the pen silently before dropping it into the black fireproof trash can labeled, “Test to Destruction” with a strip of duck tape and red permanent marker.

That tiny noise nearly woke Mallory, asleep on the sofa.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: awake

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Today I'm making rosemary-lemon holiday cookies, somewhat inspired by this recipe, but I'm using lemon powder and Maine pine bitters. The dough tastes good, at least. It's currently chilling in the fridge before I attempt to roll it out and cut little evergreen trees. Cutout cookies are not what I do best, but rosemary cookies just deserve that shape.

EDIT 12/22/25 -- The cookies are done! \o/ They turned out quite delicious. The first bite just tastes like sugar cookie, but then the lemon and pine flavors bloom. Rosemary cookies are tricky to balance. Too sweet and they're just sugar cookies, not sweet enough and they taste like crackers; too little rosemary and they're sugar cookies again, too much and it tastes like you're baking with floor wash. But these are perfect.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: accomplished

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These are the content notes for "Along These Sympathetic Fibers."

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Current Mood: busy

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In the waning light, standing barefoot on damp grass, I blóted Wóden, Frige, Baldr, Nanna, Buri, Bórr, Vili, Vé, Hœnir, Loðurr, Víðarr, and Váli with more red wine.

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: amused

Here are the timeline notes for "Along These Sympathetic Fibers." They compare divergences between local-Caribbean and Peculiar-Caribbean events in history.

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Current Mood: busy

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This poem is spillover from the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from

see_also_friend. It also fills the "Rainbow" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with

fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Peculiar Obligations.

( Read more... )

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This was too good to pass up.

Current Mood: amused

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What Would It Take to Approve a Housing Permit in 24 Hours?

In its Housing-Ready City Toolkit, Strong Towns recommended a 24-hour turnaround for permits. That's not an exaggeration.

Before reading onward in the article, here's how I would set it up...

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Today is cloudy and cool.

I fed the birds. I put out a new suet cake. I've seen a huge flock of mostly sparrows.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/22/25 -- I filled the trolley twice with berry-laden twigs from the brushpile in the parking lot, and put those in the firepit.

I saw the great horned owl fly from somewhere near the parking lot into the trees around ritual meadow. I heard woodpeckers squeaking but didn't see them.

EDIT 12/22/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

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These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "The Unicorn Door"
Poem: "The Coracle in the Forest"
Poem: "The Unknown Depths of Our Lives"
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Climate Change
Today's Adventures
Poem: "Creativity, Ingenuity, Compassion, and Perseverance"
Space Exploration
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Economy
Poem: "The Community Couch"
Poetry Fishbowl Report for December 2, 2025
Poem: "Mamalokshen"
Unsold Poems for the December 2, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl
Crafts
Safety
Wildlife
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 12-19-25: Languages and Linguistics
Dinosaurs
Moment of Silence: Gil Gerard
Birdfeeding
History
Birdfeeding
Today's Adventures
Three for the Memories Coming Back Next Month!
Early Humans
Hard Things

Food has 47 comments. Trauma has 46 comments. Affordable Housing has 78 comments. Robotics has 119 comments.

The 2025 Holiday Poetry Sale has closed, with a massive amount of material to post. It will take me a long time to get it all online, so please keep an eye on the sale page.

Winterfaire 2025 is still open!.List a Booth for anything you sell that would make good holiday gifts, or comment with what you're shopping for to crowdsource ideas. There are links to two similar shopping events online. if you know others, please pass the word.

"An Inkling of Things to Come" belongs to Polychrome: Shiv. It needs $72 to be complete. Shiv and his classmates discuss magical weather, magical geography, natural resources, plants and animals, history, and other aspects of worldbuilding.

The weather has been cold and snowy here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a pair of cardinals, and two mourning doves.

Current Mood: busy

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blogging,
personal

Here is Monday's Modem Problems from Matthew McAndrews:

( Matthew McAndrews' Modem Problems #2293 - Three - December 22nd, 2025 )

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This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It was inspired by the "Twilight" square in my 11-1-25 card for the Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with

fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Coracle Shores and follows "The Coracle in the Forest."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Here are the content notes for "The Coracle in the Forest."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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These are the character notes for "The Coracle in the Forest."

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Current Mood: busy

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We bought dog food and housemate food, and got gently rained on. The dog took me for a walk to the park, and we got gently rained on. I went for a long walk alone, and got gently rained on.

The most scathing book reviews of 2025. Found via Followmehere. Apparantly one of a series.

This poem came out of the November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from

helgatwb. It also fills the "Journey" square in my 11-1-25 card for the Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with

fuzzyred. It begins the new series Coracle Shores. Its sequel is "The Unicorn Door."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

D.O.P.-T.

Inventory Time

Recipes for Hugo (part 1 of 1, complete)

Today's Cooking

Content notes for "Along These Sympathetic Fibers"

Third night of Yule

A little something to set your feet tapping

Timeline notes for "Along These Sympathetic Fibers"

Poem: "Along These Sympathetic Fibers"

Happy Yule

Affordable Housing

Birdfeeding

Monday Update 12-22-25

#2293 - Three

Poem: "The Unicorn Door"

Content notes for "The Coracle in the Forest"

Character notes for "The Coracle in the Forest"

D.O.P.-T.

Poem: "The Coracle in the Forest"

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