takethisforexample

Today is mostly sunny and quite warm -- it's 75F outside.

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

I put out water for the birds.

.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Well, it's not Monday, but

dialecticdreamer is running a Magpie prompt call that will stay open until Friday night. Leave prompts, get ficlets!

The theme for this month is Disruption and Opportunity.

Life throws disruptions at us all the time, but sometimes, those disruptions are opportunities. Genna Saint Croix, driving halfway across the country at the invitation of a lazy detective to check a John Doe body, has a major disruption amid a life-altering crisis already going on. That she stopped to help a teenager who convinced his pals not to rob her was an opportunity… for both of them.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today's theme is Kink. Obviously this is NSFW at most places.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

5 'foods of the future' that could help save the planet

Fortunately, regenerative agriculture, sustainable farming practices, and eco-friendly approaches are changing the way we farm, fish, and feast. From grain that’s been cultivated since 5000 BC to newly engineered “climate blend” bread, these five foods may have different histories, but they all have a part to play in future food menus.

I am increasingly interested in lesser-known, indigenous, and climate-resistant foods.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

prizefig

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

ysabetwordsmith

Today is partly cloudy and mild.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- I watered the Egyptian walking onions.

I gathered seeds from the 'Shirley' landrace zinnias that I'm developing.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- I emptied the two spigot jugs of comfrey tea. The pure one had so little liquid that I just dumped it out, and it didn't have much of a smell, just kind of moldy. The one with a handful of leaves decanted 2 gallons of tea-colored liquid fertilizer, and not much noticable smell. That's the one I'm more likely to repeat. I never did get around to testing it because the weather was so sweltering most of the time. But I have it to try out in spring.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- I rinsed out the two spigot jugs and brought them in.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard looking at places in the prairie garden that need to be mowed, trimmed and carried away a few branches, and now my partner Doug is out mowing.

EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard again and got another strip mowed.

I did a lot of work around the patio.

I've seen a fox squirrel running through the trees.

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

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Carcinization is a form of convergent evolution in which non-crab crustaceans evolve a crab-like body plan. The term was introduced into evolutionary biology by Lancelot Alexander Borradaile, who described it in 1916 as "the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab".

Crabs have evolved five separate times – why do the same forms keep appearing in nature?

... including at least one sexbot whose lower body is a mechanical battle crab. :D

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

The November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl made its $300 goal, so there will be a half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics from Monday 17-Sunday 23. Mark the dates on your calendar, and I hope to see you then!

Current Mood: busy

scrubjayspeaks

Those who enjoyed the lofty views from the tea house as it strutted about were disappointed to find it quite flat to the ground, chicken legs tucked under it and shingles all puffed out, looking more like a sprawling ranch house than an animate cottage. “Is it brooding?” one regular asked over a pot of Darjeeling. “Only in the sense of sulking,” the proprietor tutted as she served forth a plate of scones, “all because I resealed the roof before the rains start, the big baby.”

---

LL#1329

moonhare

I had my urologist follow-up appointment this afternoon: things went well. Next checkup is in May.

Spotify has been slow loading on the iPad: annoyingly slow! It loads quickly on my phone and the Roku app. So, I’m playing music into the Bluetooth headphones hooked through the tv.

The Northern Lights and a meteor shower are supposed to be visible here tonight… yes, it’s cloudy.

I’ve been watching the “Welcome to Derry” series on HBO. I’ve read the ‘based on’ book a couple of times and seen both movie adaptations and am having trouble getting into this. I’m looking at this as a wholly separate take on events (like all those different “Star Trek” series). *blush* One thing I’m finding myself doing is nitpicking historical errors. The series starts in 1961, and progresses quickly to 1962, when I would have been seven. The supermarket has some fantastic reproductions of groceries from the era, except that they show Spaghetti-Os, which were introduced in 1965. And then there’s the Kodak Instamatic camera… 1963. And it had a flash cube, four pics per cube: they took many more pics than that and I don’t recall the cube being changed! I had an Instamatic when they first came out.

I tried the “House of Dragons” sequel to “Game of Thrones.” One episode. Meh.

This little update is getting too long.

Quick pic-

Goodbye Horses

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Q Lazzarus

ysabetwordsmith

Happy Monsterotica Launch Day!

The crowdfunding campaign to fund publishing of our next erotic anthology, Monsterotica: Tales of Unusual Courtship and Coupling, is now live on Kickstarter!

Now through December 2nd, 2025, we seek to raise $10,500 to cover publishing of the anthology and creation of the related merchandise. This awesome book contains 16 queer stories by 16 awesome authors, each story up to 7,500 words long. We encouraged authors to pitch us stories featuring unusual creatures and unconventional genitals; you won’t find any vampires or weres here, but you will find insectoid aliens, mountain cryptids, scales and feathers, tentacles, detachable anatomy, interspecies shenanigans, courtship confusion, and much more. And of course, in addition to featuring monster x monster and monster x human relationships, every single story also includes queer characters and queer relationships!

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

My poem "GAMING" is up on

computerworld.

beavertech has been commissioning poems to be posted in The Freaks Club family of communities.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

In praise of the small things in life: DDG Bangs!

DuckDuckGo is a privacy-respecting search engine launched in 2008 that has been slowly expanding into something else truly. (I mean, come on, Identity Theft Restoration?). Well, nevertheless, I still use DuckDuckGo because it's easy, their search results aren't polluted with all sorts of nonsense, they did introduce an AI summarize feature but I don't use it and it's easy to opt out thankfully. But all of that pales in comparison to the best DDG feature, Bangs!

Bangs are… well it's kinda hard to describe them, it's basically a shortcut from your search engine to wherever else, so if you have DuckDuckGo set as your search engine, you can basically search using other search engines quite easily!

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Here is an interesting discussion about what it costs to buy kitchen equipment. None of this is how I'd go about it, unless someone handed me grant money earmarked for that purpose. (Fair disclosure: I could make a crude but usable knife by busting a rock, and I could cook on a flat rock or with sticks. Kitchen equipment is a beloved convenience for me.)

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Massachusetts is turning retired cranberry bogs into natural wetlands. They’re on track to rewild 1,000 acres

In November 2024, the DER funneled $6 million in grants to the restoration plan. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, more than 500 acres of retired cranberry bogs have already been converted into wetlands — with hopes of restoring 1,000 acres in the next decade.

“These projects will transform degraded former cranberry bogs into thriving wetlands that will provide habitat to important species, flood control in time of storms, and access for all to beautiful natural areas,” Governor Maura Healey said in a statement.

This is a brilliant plan that will provide tremendous benefits for wildlife, as wetlands are among the most biodiverse communities. It will be especially helpful to migrating waterfowl of the Atlantic Flyway.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is sunny and mild, a beautiful fall day.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a fox squirrel.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 11/12/25 -- I planted 4 clusters of Egyptian walking onions.

EDIT 11/12/25 -- I filled a trolley with dead weeds and dumped it in the firepit.

EDIT 11/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 11/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 11/12/25 -- I filled another trolley with dead weeds and dumped it in the firepit.

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

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Everyone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.

We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, along with various other harvest festivals and feasts. :D Load up the table! I am putting out Delectable Turkey of Gratitude, Buddha's Hand Salad, Mashed Yams with Halva, Persimmon Crumble, and apple cider.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Solar flares are causing auroras to appear in the northern half of the continental USA.

We caught a great show here in central Illinois. :D There was a large bright green blob to the northwest, a paler green streak just south of that, a larger red area just north of it, and some pink off toward the northeast. It's the most distinctive aurora we've seen -- previous examples tended to be solid sheets and less bright.

Current Mood: excited

ysabetwordsmith

This picture of a horse in a spacesuit snagged my attention. There are a lot of things wrong with the picture, but one in particular I wanted to talk about because it's so relevant to science fiction. That horse would be almost blind. Humans see mostly forward with binocular vision. Horses see mostly sideways with monocular vision; they have a narrow blind spot in back, another right in front of them, and a little wedge of binocular vision. This is why you always approach a horse from the side, where they can see you easily, and why they often turn their head to look at you sideways if you are in front of them.

So a spacesuit helmet for a prey species with eyes to the side should have its reinforcement as a strip from front to back, with a faceplate on either side, rather than a small window only in the front. When you design spacesuits for aliens, keep in mind how their sensory organs work, and try to avoid just mimicking equipment designed for humans.

Current Mood: busy

moonhare

It was a blustery, chilly day here. A lot of oak leaves have fallen since our two heavy frosts, and I decided to brave the winds to move the deepening layer out of the driveway. I had a rake and a push broom, but the best tool turned out to be a snow shovel! I’d rake the leaves to the driveway edge and shovel them up into the air somewhat for the wind to help carry them off a ways.

Speaking of snow shovels, we did have some light flurries this afternoon!

Because I missed Halloween posting-

Current Mood: content
Current Music: More 60s

ysabetwordsmith

Killer whales perfect a ruthless trick to hunt great white sharks

Orcas in Mexico are flipping young great whites for their livers — a chilling display of intelligence and adaptation.

In the Gulf of California, a pod of orcas known as Moctezuma’s pod has developed a chillingly precise technique for hunting young great white sharks — flipping them upside down to paralyze and extract their nutrient-rich livers. The behavior, filmed and documented by marine biologists, reveals a level of intelligence and social learning that suggests cultural transmission of hunting tactics among orcas.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and cold.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 11/11/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 11/11/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen a young fox squirrel at the hopper feeder

EDIT 11/11/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

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

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Plausible: Privacy focused Google Analytics alternative

Even though the purpose of Plausible Analytics is to track the usage of a website, this can still be done without collecting any personal data or personally identifiable information (PII), without using cookies and while respecting the privacy of your website visitors.

By using Plausible Analytics, all the site measurement is carried out absolutely anonymously. Cookies are not set and no personal data is collected. All data is in aggregate only. The website owner gets some actionable data to help them learn and improve, while the visitor keeps having a nice and enjoyable experience.

I stumbled across this today. Here is the kind of thing that websites could be doing instead of violating people's boundaries, using their property without permission, and teaching dangerously wrong interpretations of "consent." If you have your own website where you control the software, you might look into it.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

From

prettygoodword:

apastron (uh-PAS-truhn, uh-PAS-tron) - n., the point of greatest separation between a celestial object and the star it orbits.

Many dictionaries specify that the celestial object is another star in a binary system, but the more general definition is correct. Contrast with periastron, the point of closest approach. Coined on the model of aphelion from Ancient Greek roots ap(o)-, away/apart (the form of ad- before vowels & h) + ắstron, star (ultimately from PIE root *h₂stḗr, burn/glow).

This sounds useful for my nerd friends. :D

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are the content notes for "The Struggle Against Error."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are the location notes for "The Struggle Against Error."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Here are the character notes for "The Struggle Against Error."

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This poem came out of the April 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from

rix_scaedu. It also fills the "dark / light academia" square in my 4-1-25 card for the Aesthetics Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the Antimatter and Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "In the Heart of the Hidden Garden," so read that first.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from

dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "WILD CARD: brownie" square in my 11-1-25 card for the Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by

janetmiles. It belongs to the series Monster House, although it's a side story featuring different characters.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

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

torc87. It also fills the "Elves" square in my 11-1-25 card for the Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by

janetmiles. It belongs to the Eric the Elven King thread in the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "The Heart to Rejoice" and "A Perfection That Eludes Us" so read those first or this won't make any sense.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes the aftermath of a kidnapping attempt, dealing with difficult memories, reference to past abuse and arguing over it, reference to past breakup, reference to past unplanned pregnancy, reported death of a friend / lover, dysfunctional family dynamics, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today I finished assembling the lantern terrarium. I installed the branches, air plants, and other decor. \o/ (Start with Photos: Fairy Garden Lantern Deconstruction, Photos: Lantern Terrarium Assembly Part 1 Gathering Materials, and Photos: Lantern Terrarium Assembly Part 2 Testing the Fit.)

( Read more... )

Current Mood: accomplished

scrubjayspeaks

While all Lewisia restaurants and businesses pay their employees a living wage (or equivalent thereof for non-living staff), tipping can still be a means of showing one’s appreciation for excellent service when done appropriately. As a general rule, staff prefer tips to be made in the form of accepted currencies, small high-value goods that can be easily taken home with them, or minor boons from lesser entities. Remember, if you and your waiter have to discuss the age at which your first-born child will be offered up, you are negotiating, not tipping, and you should consider waiting for their paid meal period to continue or just leaving cash instead.

---

LL#1328

moonhare

I tried a new pressure canning recipe from the Ball Guide to Preserving book today: clam chowder base (Also found on this .edu site*- https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/sp-50-931-canning-soup). I had been looking for six packs of Snow’s Clam Chowder when I thought that maybe there was a canning recipe available, and yes, there was ;o)

The actual instructions are for a 20 half-pint batch, but I reduced this to 10 for a first run. I had the jars, and the basic ingredients were on hand (onion and potato); I had to pick up salt pork, and the 51 oz clams/juice can came from Amazon.

Wooohoo!

All went well! The lids all pinged (sealed) and will be checked tomorrow.

The rings come off in the morning and the jars will be washed before going to the pantry. To prepare for a meal: in a saucepan, add a tablespoon of butter and a cup of milk per half-pint, season to taste, and heat.

*Only use recipes that have been tested/approved by USDA, Ball, or .edu sites. I do see a discrepancy between my Ball book and the website I linked: the website says you add two tablespoons of butter and two cups of milk per half-pint when serving. I’ll go with my book!

—

A couple of more comics (pups!)

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: 60s

ysabetwordsmith

smallfandomfest is running a fest. Visit that community to see the various information posts on how to participate.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is partly cloudy and cold. It snowed a bit more last night, leaving white patches sprinkled over the yard.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 11/10/25 -- I finished assembling the lantern terrarium with the air plants. \o/ It looks pretty good. I had to put it on the table with two other terrariums, though, because today is too cloudy to see where the light falls in the planter window.

Also I need to bring in the ceramic pots from outside, which I should have done earlier.

EDIT 11/10/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches mobbing the fly-through feeder.

Most of the mulberry leaves dropped all at once, and this year they're a muddy shade of yellowish-brown instead of the normal bright gold.

EDIT 11/10/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 11/10/25 -- I brought in the goddess statue and the ceramic pots.

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

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Extreme Animals
Birdfeeding
Grand Prairie Friends
Communities
Photos: Lake Charleston
Photos: Coles County Community Garden
Photos: Charleston Food Forest
Activism
Safety
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Community
Today's Smoothie
Poem: "A Clear Path of Freedom"
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 11-7-25: Kingdom Hearts
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Food
Birdfeeding
Poem: "To the Rational Mind"
Early Humans
Hard Things

Trauma has 36 comments. Affordable Housing has 60 comments. Robotics has 97 comments.

Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I still have at least one more poem to write.

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

The weather was pleasantly cool, then today the temperature suddenly plummeted and it snowed a little. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a goldfinch. A great horned owl has been hoo-hooing outside along with a shrieking owlet. :D 3q3q3q!!! Currently blooming: dandelions, marigolds, red salvia, sweet alyssum, blue lobelia, firecracker plant. Fields are almost all harvested.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

There are currently three poems available from this week's fishbowl, and I'm working on the next. If you're still shopping, now's the time to make your choices.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Life found in a place scientists thought impossible

Life defies limits in the deep sea—microbes flourish where Earth’s chemistry seems too extreme for survival.

Deep beneath the ocean, scientists uncovered thriving microbial life in one of Earth’s harshest environments—an area with a pH of 12, where survival seems nearly impossible. Using lipid biomarkers instead of DNA, researchers revealed how these microbes persist by metabolizing methane and sulfate. The discovery not only sheds light on deep-sea carbon cycling but also suggests that life may have originated in similar extreme conditions, offering a glimpse into both Earth’s past and the limits of life itself.

Extremophiles are fascinating.

Also, I really want to play with that blue serpentine mud to see if it would stand up to pinching, coiling, slabbing, or throwing and what would happen to it in a kiln. It looks like clay. I am betting it would fire either to a soft blue-gray (nice) or a sky blue (so much wow).

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and much colder. Bits of snow and grauppel are falling from the sky. Last night it drizzled a bit.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 11/9/25 -- I went out looking for more bits to use in the lantern terrarium, but didn't find much. It started snowing more briskly, enough to collect in places on the ground, which counts as First Snow.

EDIT 11/9/25 -- I went out looking for more bits to use in the lantern terrarium, and found a bit more.

I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

EDIT 11/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 11/9/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

scrubjayspeaks

I have been writing on my lunch breaks! This is the sort of easy, reasonable choice that nonetheless makes me feel like I am a very good big boy who deserves a parade. ✪ω✪

I’ve just generally been trying to arrange my days a little differently. I’m not really cutting anything out. In fact, I’ve added in both an exercise routine (I’m not doing as much heavy lifting at work as I did in my previous position) and the NaClYoHo cleaning time most days. It doesn’t even feel like I’ve cut back that much on social media time, though maybe it was adding up to more than I realized before.

The Writing Excuses podcast recommended the Balance meditation app--I’ve already forgotten why exactly--and I was feeling amenable to such an experiment. I’ve been trying to improve my sleep and manage my stress. I found myself really enjoying using it to both wind down at night AND, unexpectedly, ramp up in the morning. Using a little three-minute wake-up module really helped deal with the workday existential dread I’ve been dealing with.

Weather continues to be warm in the day and chilly at night. I’m hoping the predicted rain for this next week amounts to something so things will continue growing. It’s nice having green grass everywhere again after the dusty brown of summer.

Lewisia: 3 new pieces written, November posts queued

Day job: 42.5 hours

Cleaning: worked on cleaning my stuff on and around mum’s piano, removed cobwebs from three rooms with my new Swiffer thingy <3

Crafting: continued attaching back patch

Gardening: garden club post

Reading: Dracula audiobook (old reread, new-to-me production, audiobooks really do make the classics so much more accessible to me)

Listening: Everybody Scream by Florence + The Machine (finally, enjoyable but needs more time to settle in for me)

Clock Mouse: 1115 words

ysabetwordsmith

Grand Prairie Friends Acquires New Property- Warbler Bend

Grand Prairie Friends (GPF) is thrilled to announce the purchase of Warbler Bend, a meandering 110 acres along the Embarras River in Coles County (IL). This purchase expands the Conservation Land Trust’s existing Warbler Ridge Conservation Area, now totaling almost 1,400 acres. Warbler Bend is GPF’s second property north of Highway 130, joining Warbler Bluff, located on Harrison St. Rd (Charleston).

Over the last decade, GPF has restored more than 1,200 acres at their Warbler Ridge Conservation Area including the addition of 90,000 trees, nine acres of wetlands and hundreds of acres of pollinator fields.

Connected to Lake Charleston to the north, and Fox Ridge State Park to the south, Warbler Ridge Conservation Area began in 2015, to connect these three landscapes to create an over 4,000 acre contiguous corridor for wildlife, natural habitats and public natural space for the community.

I am so excited! More riverfront!

Current Mood: excited

ysabetwordsmith

displacementdiaries -- Displacement Diaries
A reflective space for journaling life abroad, family complexity, grief, and personal growth.
Displacement Diaries is a reflective space for journaling life transitions, grief, family complexity, and experiences abroad. This community is for those who write about survival, emotional upheaval, and the slow work of rebuilding one’s life. Longform personal narratives, introspective essays, and memory-based storytelling are welcome.

For my friends who are from afar, or forced away from home, or may become so.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today we visited the Charleston Food Forest, Coles County Community Garden, and Lake Charleston. These are the lake pictures, thus meeting my fall goal for birdwatching / leafpeeping. (Begin with the food forest, community garden.)

( Walk with me ... )

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith

Today we visited the Charleston Food Forest, Coles County Community Garden, and Lake Charleston. These are the community garden pictures. (Begin with the food forest. Continue with the lake.)

( Walk with me ... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today we visited the Charleston Food Forest, Coles County Community Garden, and Lake Charleston. These are the food forest pictures. What started out as a beautiful fall day, sunny and cool, clouded over by the time we got out of the house. So the lighting isn't great, but at least the pictures look okay. (Continue with the community garden and the lake.)

( Walk with me ... )

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith

Engineers built a drifting wheelchair for an injured colleague.

Given how crappy the official medical equipment is, and how expensive, I'm delighted to see people making adaptive equipment on their own.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Common pesticides may cause testicular damage and lower sperm counts

Widespread farm pesticides may be quietly undermining male reproductive health.

A decade-long review by George Mason University researchers reveals growing evidence that neonicotinoid insecticides—the world’s most widely used class of pesticides—may harm male reproductive health. The findings, based on 21 animal studies, show consistent links between exposure and reduced sperm quality, hormonal disruption, and testicular damage.

This will be useful to people seeking to ban or limit harmful pesticides. Perpetrators may not care about the environment or other humans, but they almost certainly care about their own virility. Similarly victims who are lethargic about other health threats may rally over this one.

Current Mood: busy

scrubjayspeaks

Welcome to the November edition of Pandemic Garden Club! Growing good things in strange times!

Anyone is welcome to comment with what they're growing right now, things they would like to try, problems they're encountering, and questions they have. Share resources, answer questions, shout encouragement.

As for myself...

( Read more... )

ysabetwordsmith

Today is sunny and cool, a beautiful fall day.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 11/8/25 -- We went to the Charleston Food Forest and Coles County Community Garden, where I gathered more seeds.

We also stopped by Lake Charleston in search of migratory birds, which was largely a bust. :/

EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

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

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Is hierarchy necessary for all successful human communities?

No. It's just easier. Humans seem inclined to prefer having leadership. Egalitarian communities exist, but they tend to take more work to create and maintain.

Current Mood: busy

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