Groceries on Scooter
Jun. 12th, 2025 03:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis guy has Turq's level of skill at bag-wrangling. See "Filled with Joyous Surprises" for Turq's version.
ysabetwordsmith
Hobbies: Ceramics
Jun. 12th, 2025 01:11 amysabetwordsmithFolks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.
Ceramics is a hobby of making things from clay. It can include practical things like dishes or ornamental things like sculptures.
On Dreamwidth, consider creative communities like![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crafty, get_knitted, justcreate, or nacramamo.
( Read more... )
Ceramics is a hobby of making things from clay. It can include practical things like dishes or ornamental things like sculptures.
On Dreamwidth, consider creative communities like
crafty, get_knitted, justcreate, or nacramamo.( Read more... )
Photos: Dark Gardening
Jun. 11th, 2025 11:49 pmysabetwordsmithI enjoy growing dark-colored plants. I have black flowers, bronze leaves, black fruits, all kinds of interesting things.
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
Habit Tracking: Week 22 (June 01 - June 07)
Jun. 11th, 2025 09:18 pmmistressofmuses
For the start of Pride month, a sticker from NerdyKeppie's "Proud to the Bone 2" pin collection.
And my tiny printout of the show flyer, since we don't get hard copy tickets anymore.
(It's a bit hard to write this from the perspective of it being the week Before, but I'm trying.)
This was a fairly busy week! It was a good week, and I made it through the first big rush of busy, but still feel like I have a lot to catch up on. FastCAT, the gardens, and the concert were all really good. Work was average to fine. I do hope to do more reading and writing next week, since it feels like that's where progress is most stagnant.
Goals for the week:
- I did post my book reviews for May
- I started, but didn't finish, catching up on DW
- I watered my plants
- I read more of Maeve Fly
- I did my getyourwordsout check-in: 1666 words written in May, bringing the ytd total to 58483
- We went to the Botanic Gardens with my mom and Taylor
- We did Bella's FastCAT
- I talked to mom and saw her briefly on her birthday
- We went to the Aesthetic Perfection show
- I wrote up and posted my June writing goals
- I printed off some short stories for my mom
- I put my laundry away
- I still haven't cancelled the dentist appointment
- I still didn't make it to the bank
- I still didn't finish part 3 of the snowflake outline
- Alex did get rent paid
Tracked habits:
- Work - 5/7
- Household Maintenance - 3/7
- Physical Activity - 3/7
- Wrote 500/1000+ Words - 2/7 - one day of over 1000, one day of over 500
- Wrote on 2nd+ Draft - 0/7
- Meta Work - 5/7
- Personal Writing - 5/7
- Other Creative Things - 3/7
- Reading - 6/7 - mostly I started reading Maeve Fly, and read some Duma Key with Alex
- Attention to Media - 7/7 - Sunday I had some youtube in the background at work; Monday half-watched some exploration videos; Tuesday had storm chasing and abandoned place videos in the background; Wednesday was more storm chasing in the background; Thursday we watched some storm chasing (they found an impressive tornado!) and I listened to music (mostly Aesthetic Perfection in preparation for the show on Friday); Friday we went to the concert; Saturday listened to music (mostly Whorticulture, Solar Fake, and Aesthetic Perfection.)
- Video Games - 0/7
- Social Interaction - 5/7
Total words written: 4712 on my book reviews and writing plans
-
I am still very sad, and I'm trying to strike the balance between "being gentle with myself" and "wallowing."
Fireflies
Jun. 11th, 2025 09:06 pmysabetwordsmithFirefly species discovered after 90-year absence: 'Even when things seem lost, they can still find their way back'
Tan soon realized that he was looking at a Pteroptyx gombakia, or a Gombak bent-winged firefly. The discovery marked the first time that the species had been identified in 90 years — and the first live sighting of the species, ever.
Yay, fireflies!
Tan soon realized that he was looking at a Pteroptyx gombakia, or a Gombak bent-winged firefly. The discovery marked the first time that the species had been identified in 90 years — and the first live sighting of the species, ever.
Yay, fireflies!
Birdfeeding
Jun. 11th, 2025 03:14 pmysabetwordsmithToday is sunny and warm.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches. They've been draining the hopper feeder daily and putting a dent in the thistle feeder.
I put out water for the birds.
My partner Doug is out mowing the house yard.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I refilled the thistle feeder.
I started trimming grass around the edge of the strip garden, now that I have the big weeds pulled out.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I took some pictures around the yard.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I picked half a bag of mulberries in the south lot.
I've seen a skunk on the patio. I've seen a catbird and a phoebe. I heard a red-bellied woodpecker but didn't see it.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I set up firestarters for the firepit.
I picked half a bag of mulberries along the west fence.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- We lit the bonfire for the esbat tonight. It took a little while to get going but then it burned pretty well. I'll try to check on it later.
Fireflies are out and I've seen a bat.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I checked the bonfire. It's mostly burned down. I threw most of the stray ends into the middle, but it was still too warm for me to get all the way around. I'll need to go back out later.
.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches. They've been draining the hopper feeder daily and putting a dent in the thistle feeder.
I put out water for the birds.
My partner Doug is out mowing the house yard.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I refilled the thistle feeder.
I started trimming grass around the edge of the strip garden, now that I have the big weeds pulled out.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I took some pictures around the yard.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I picked half a bag of mulberries in the south lot.
I've seen a skunk on the patio. I've seen a catbird and a phoebe. I heard a red-bellied woodpecker but didn't see it.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I set up firestarters for the firepit.
I picked half a bag of mulberries along the west fence.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- We lit the bonfire for the esbat tonight. It took a little while to get going but then it burned pretty well. I'll try to check on it later.
Fireflies are out and I've seen a bat.
EDIT 6/11/25 -- I checked the bonfire. It's mostly burned down. I threw most of the stray ends into the middle, but it was still too warm for me to get all the way around. I'll need to go back out later.
.
Moment of Silence: Brian Wilson
Jun. 11th, 2025 01:18 pmysabetwordsmithBrian Wilson, leader and co-founder of the Beach Boys, has passed away. He will be missed.
Carry on the Work
Bands -- WikiHow
How to Learn to Sing Pop Without Getting a Teacher -- WikiHow
How To Produce: The Complete Guide to Making Pop Music -- Soundtrap
How to Start a Band (10 Easy Steps) -- Chicago Sound Collective
How to Write a Pop Song -- WikiHow
Learning to Sing -- WikiHow
Music Production -- WikiHow
Songwriting -- WikiHow
Carry on the Work
Bands -- WikiHow
How to Learn to Sing Pop Without Getting a Teacher -- WikiHow
How To Produce: The Complete Guide to Making Pop Music -- Soundtrap
How to Start a Band (10 Easy Steps) -- Chicago Sound Collective
How to Write a Pop Song -- WikiHow
Learning to Sing -- WikiHow
Music Production -- WikiHow
Songwriting -- WikiHow
(no subject)
Jun. 11th, 2025 11:26 ammistressofmusesTiny, silly thing that made me smile at least a bit today:
I have a notebook I bought for myself about 13 or 14 months ago. It's my current "writing notebook" that I take with me in my bag so I can jot things down at any time, with no excuse not to write an idea down. I mostly use it at work. (In actual usage it's more of a journal/to-do list/planning notebook, but at least with a bit of a writing bent.) It's got flowers and mushrooms and bugs on it. It's very cute, colorful, and kind of 'cottagecore', I guess. I bought it because I liked it!
At Christmas, Alex bought me the exact same notebook, because "it looked like something you would like!" ...The same one I'd been carrying around for seven months or so at that point, haha. (To be clear, I was happy with it, because it absolutely *is* something I would like! And now I have a spare!)
Today I got to work, and my manager had bought me... The exact same notebook. I had needed a new one for my work stuff, but figured I'd just get a plain one. She bought it because she knew I liked that size, and it was a cute cover that looked like I'd like it. (She has seen that notebook on my desk at work for over a year.)
Help, I'm predictable. But also it's very funny that I can carry something with me daily, and the people most likely to see it don't remember that... But see it and apparently think of me.
I have a notebook I bought for myself about 13 or 14 months ago. It's my current "writing notebook" that I take with me in my bag so I can jot things down at any time, with no excuse not to write an idea down. I mostly use it at work. (In actual usage it's more of a journal/to-do list/planning notebook, but at least with a bit of a writing bent.) It's got flowers and mushrooms and bugs on it. It's very cute, colorful, and kind of 'cottagecore', I guess. I bought it because I liked it!
At Christmas, Alex bought me the exact same notebook, because "it looked like something you would like!" ...The same one I'd been carrying around for seven months or so at that point, haha. (To be clear, I was happy with it, because it absolutely *is* something I would like! And now I have a spare!)
Today I got to work, and my manager had bought me... The exact same notebook. I had needed a new one for my work stuff, but figured I'd just get a plain one. She bought it because she knew I liked that size, and it was a cute cover that looked like I'd like it. (She has seen that notebook on my desk at work for over a year.)
Help, I'm predictable. But also it's very funny that I can carry something with me daily, and the people most likely to see it don't remember that... But see it and apparently think of me.
BtVS Double Drabble: Not Over You
Jun. 11th, 2025 06:39 pmbadly_knittedTitle: Not Over You
Fandom: BtVS
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Oz, Willow.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 453: Over You at
drabble_zone.Spoilers/Setting: Years into the future.
Summary: Oz still thinks about Willow, the love of his life.
Disclaimer: I don’t own BtVS, or the characters.
A/N: Double drabble.
( Not Over You... )
FAKE Quadruple Drabble: A Question Of Pets
Jun. 11th, 2025 06:29 pmbadly_knittedTitle: A Question Of Pets
Fandom: FAKE
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Dee, Ryo, Dick the dog.
Rating: G
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: Even after being together for so long, there are still things Dee doesn’t know about his lover.
Written For: Challenge 474: Animal at
fan_flashworks.Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
A/N: Quadruple drabble and a half, 450 words.
Double Drabble: Torchwood Normal
Jun. 11th, 2025 06:20 pmbadly_knittedTitle: Torchwood Normal
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Written For: Challenge 869: Left at
torchwood100.Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Ianto is beginning to wish he hadn’t let Jack go on the latest Rift retrieval alone.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Double drabble.
a sanctuary safe and strong
Jun. 11th, 2025 05:01 pmpensnestI did the cardio/toning class on Monday, and ventured back to Tough Yoga yesterday morning. I did everything (mostly on easy mode, but hey), and after lunch I was so exhausted I fell asleep.
My arms and inner thighs are still muttering at me, but today, I did useful work in the garden for a couple of hours. Something—I assume very hungry caterpillars—having eaten my lovingly cultivated kale and cauliflower plants, I bought defenses for them, and have planted the three extra kale plants I grew originally, plus seeds for kale, broccoli and Everlasting Spinach (we shall see), and thefour eight ten red cabbage plants I picked up at the garden centre when purchasing the hoops and nets. Also a copious amount of hoeing, outright weeding, and put a couple more attempts at mange touts into the ground. There have been half a dozen or so peas on the m-t plants, but this is not a useful quantity.
Tonight, I go to the first evening of Drawing class!
My arms and inner thighs are still muttering at me, but today, I did useful work in the garden for a couple of hours. Something—I assume very hungry caterpillars—having eaten my lovingly cultivated kale and cauliflower plants, I bought defenses for them, and have planted the three extra kale plants I grew originally, plus seeds for kale, broccoli and Everlasting Spinach (we shall see), and the
Tonight, I go to the first evening of Drawing class!
Growing Strong
Jun. 11th, 2025 07:26 amluna_moon
All of our peppers and tomatoes are looking really good so far. We have been getting rain every couple days and the temps have been hovering around 70s to mid 70s. The variety heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes still need some time, but just about everything else has blooms on it right now!
This week I am hoping to get a few more tote planters fully set up. I also have some beans I planted last week that are starting to sprout that I will need to get into containers soon. I am going to be experimenting with growing various common types of beans and peas in smaller grow bags to see how they do. I have gotten progress #9 peas, blue lake bush beans, white half runners, and Kentucky pole beans from my local seed library. I have a feeling the first two will do the best in small containers, but I am willing to see how the pole beans do too. I had gotten some Jacob's Cattle Beans last year and I wish I did a better job saving them (I did it wrong and they all molded.....). They did well in the small pots, but I sadly didn't see any at the library this year. I think next year I might look at seed catalogs and look more into beans. We make plenty of soups and chilis over the cold season.
Oooh! Prodigy has a Mirror Universe episode!
Jun. 14th, 2025 03:24 amconulyAs always, Evil!Janeway is hot, though less so than the Living Witness version. It's the eyes - our main characters all have huge eyes, so the somewhat more realistically animated adult human characters look slightly uncanny valley, even though their eyes ought to make sense.
Also, damn, Chakotay has got some arms! Is this true IRL? I don't remember ever seeing the live actor ever without sleeves....
Also also, I honestly love every time Gwen gets a moment of happiness, no matter how small. She really has had a miserable life. Every second chasing replicated pie over the ship, or squirting whipped cream into her mouth, or, one hopes, finally spending some time playing goofy holodeck games, is a second worth living. And so, I will say, I appreciate that the animators took the time to let her smirk a little when Evil!Chakotay proposed starting his torture session with "the cute one", aka Murf the Indestructible. You gotta find those moments of joy when you can, sweetie!
(Question: Are mirror tribbles... nice? What about their new team pet, Bribble? Would Bribble have a goatee and be evil in the mirror verse? How sapient is that thing, anyway?)
********************
( Read more... )
Also, damn, Chakotay has got some arms! Is this true IRL? I don't remember ever seeing the live actor ever without sleeves....
Also also, I honestly love every time Gwen gets a moment of happiness, no matter how small. She really has had a miserable life. Every second chasing replicated pie over the ship, or squirting whipped cream into her mouth, or, one hopes, finally spending some time playing goofy holodeck games, is a second worth living. And so, I will say, I appreciate that the animators took the time to let her smirk a little when Evil!Chakotay proposed starting his torture session with "the cute one", aka Murf the Indestructible. You gotta find those moments of joy when you can, sweetie!
(Question: Are mirror tribbles... nice? What about their new team pet, Bribble? Would Bribble have a goatee and be evil in the mirror verse? How sapient is that thing, anyway?)
( Read more... )
Insect Apocalypse
Jun. 11th, 2025 04:04 amysabetwordsmith‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects
A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides.
They include in Germany, where flying insects across 63 insect reserves dropped 75% in less than 30 years; the US, where beetle numbers dropped 83% in 45 years; and Puerto Rico, where insect biomass dropped up to 60-fold since the 1970s. These declines are occurring in ecosystems that are otherwise protected from direct human influence.
[---8<---]
At one research centre – falling within a 22,000-hectare (85 sq mile) stretch of intact forest in Panama – scientists comparing current bird numbers with the 1970s found 70% of species had declined, and 88% of these had lost more than half of their population.
As the insects die off, everything that eats them -- birds, amphibians, reptiles, etc. -- suffers a decline also.
A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides.
They include in Germany, where flying insects across 63 insect reserves dropped 75% in less than 30 years; the US, where beetle numbers dropped 83% in 45 years; and Puerto Rico, where insect biomass dropped up to 60-fold since the 1970s. These declines are occurring in ecosystems that are otherwise protected from direct human influence.
[---8<---]
At one research centre – falling within a 22,000-hectare (85 sq mile) stretch of intact forest in Panama – scientists comparing current bird numbers with the 1970s found 70% of species had declined, and 88% of these had lost more than half of their population.
As the insects die off, everything that eats them -- birds, amphibians, reptiles, etc. -- suffers a decline also.
Why do things always go from bad to worse? Why can't they go from bad to somewhat less bad?
Jun. 12th, 2025 10:28 amconulyI don't want this getting lost in the links: A Journey Through the Dystopiaverse (some of those poems hit hard)
In personal news, how many nos is one expected to get before they get a yes?
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( I managed to find some non-doom-and-gloom links to shove in here as well )
In personal news, how many nos is one expected to get before they get a yes?
( I managed to find some non-doom-and-gloom links to shove in here as well )
Hard Things
Jun. 11th, 2025 12:04 amysabetwordsmithLife is full of things which are hard or tedious or otherwise unpleasant that need doing anyhow. They help make the world go 'round, they improve skills, and they boost your sense of self-respect. But doing them still kinda sucks. It's all the more difficult to do those things when nobody appreciates it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our accomplishments and pat each other on the back.
What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?
What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?