conuly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
conuly) wrote2025-06-28 03:56 pm
conuly) wrote2025-06-28 03:56 pm
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-23 02:17 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-23 02:17 pm
Entry tags:
Birdfeeding
Today is partly sunny and sweltering.
I fed the birds, including a refill of the thistle feeder. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/23/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden.
I've seen a gray catbird.
.
I fed the birds, including a refill of the thistle feeder. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/23/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden.
I've seen a gray catbird.
.
conuly (conuly) wrote2025-06-27 02:18 pm
conuly) wrote2025-06-27 02:18 pmOf the Shining Underlife by Carl Phillips
Above me, the branches toss toward and away from each other
the way privacy does with what ends up
showing, despite ourselves, of
who we are, inside.
Then they’re branches again—hickory, I think.
—It’s not too late, then.
******
Link
the way privacy does with what ends up
showing, despite ourselves, of
who we are, inside.
Then they’re branches again—hickory, I think.
—It’s not too late, then.
Link
conuly (conuly) wrote2025-06-26 02:10 pm
conuly) wrote2025-06-26 02:10 pmWell, at least Iran is limiting themselves to legitimate military targets
Can't wait to hear the exaggerated anger at how dare they retaliate....
Sholio (sholio) wrote2025-06-22 11:55 am
sholio) wrote2025-06-22 11:55 amEntry tags:
Thank you!!
Thank you so much to everyone who left comments on my solstice/anniversary post. ♥ ♥ ♥ I don't know whether I'll manage to reply to you all individually, but I have been loving reading them!
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-23 12:37 am
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-23 12:37 am
Entry tags:
Audience Becomes Choir
This performance from AGT snagged my attention, in which the contestant turns the audience into a choir.
1) Some people with Bardic gift can share theirs with other people; it's rare but I've known people who could do it. That's likely part of this.
2) Some people have a gift for conveying abstract ideas visually, which is rare enough, but doing it intuitively like that is really rare and impressive. Musical scores are precise but take a lot of training to read, especially sight-read without practice. Creating a visual representation of a song in three voices (high, middle, low) with indications of pitch and duration -- which works well as demonstrated -- is epic.
Business world: "Dammit, I wish we had someone that good with visuals to do whiteboard notes for our meetings."
Music world: "We saw her first."
1) Some people with Bardic gift can share theirs with other people; it's rare but I've known people who could do it. That's likely part of this.
2) Some people have a gift for conveying abstract ideas visually, which is rare enough, but doing it intuitively like that is really rare and impressive. Musical scores are precise but take a lot of training to read, especially sight-read without practice. Creating a visual representation of a song in three voices (high, middle, low) with indications of pitch and duration -- which works well as demonstrated -- is epic.
Business world: "Dammit, I wish we had someone that good with visuals to do whiteboard notes for our meetings."
Music world: "We saw her first."
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 11:54 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 11:54 pm
Photos: Barnyard Picture
Hanging this picture of a barnyard was one of my goals for the year. \o/ It took us a lot of fuss and bother, but we got it up there eventually!
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 09:53 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 09:53 pmEntry tags:
New verses in "In the Heart of the Hidden Garden"
Thanks to a donation from lone_cat, there are 24 new verses of "In the Heart of the Hidden Garden." Lawrence shows Stan the Iron Courtyard.
lone_cat, there are 24 new verses of "In the Heart of the Hidden Garden." Lawrence shows Stan the Iron Courtyard.
rebeccmeister (rebeccmeister) wrote2025-06-22 06:30 pm
rebeccmeister) wrote2025-06-22 06:30 pmEntry tags:
Weekend cooking bender [food]
Saturday we had friends over for a thank-you dinner for cat-sitting for us. I made two kinds of curry out of 660 Curries, an eggplant dish that is a total star recipe, with toasted peanuts, sesame seeds, white poppy seeds, coconut, and more. The second dish was a paneer curry with a sauce made from red peppers and cashews. LOVE that cookbook.
For dessert, I pulled two aged bags of raspberries out of the freezer, thawed them, and whirred them in the food processor with 1/2 C of water. Then I mixed in ~ 3/4 C simple syrup made from 1 C sugar, 1 C water, heated up. I pushed the slurry through a sieve, stuck it in the fridge, and then we had fun passing around the ice cream maker. DAMN raspberry sorbet is amazing.
Today was the usual pancakes for breakfast, a batch of muesli, some black beans for backup meals later in the week, roasting some broccoli, then using that plus some other fridge ingredients to assemble some pasta bakes.
I feel fortunate that I can afford to eat well, both with regards to the cost of food and with regards to time in which to cook it.
It's going to be another busy research week, so now it's time to buckle up.
For dessert, I pulled two aged bags of raspberries out of the freezer, thawed them, and whirred them in the food processor with 1/2 C of water. Then I mixed in ~ 3/4 C simple syrup made from 1 C sugar, 1 C water, heated up. I pushed the slurry through a sieve, stuck it in the fridge, and then we had fun passing around the ice cream maker. DAMN raspberry sorbet is amazing.
Today was the usual pancakes for breakfast, a batch of muesli, some black beans for backup meals later in the week, roasting some broccoli, then using that plus some other fridge ingredients to assemble some pasta bakes.
I feel fortunate that I can afford to eat well, both with regards to the cost of food and with regards to time in which to cook it.
It's going to be another busy research week, so now it's time to buckle up.
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 02:19 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 02:19 pmBirdfeeding
Today is partly sunny and sweltering. It's 87°F and the heat index is 95°F. :P A beautiful day to stay indoors and write!
I fed the birds. I've seen a small flock of sparrows and house finches, several mourning doves, and a fox squirrel.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/22/25 -- I watered the plants on the new picnic table.
EDIT 6/22/25 -- I watered the old picnic table and house yard, and the septic garden.
I've seen at least one, possibly two bats. Lots of fireflies are out.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a small flock of sparrows and house finches, several mourning doves, and a fox squirrel.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/22/25 -- I watered the plants on the new picnic table.
EDIT 6/22/25 -- I watered the old picnic table and house yard, and the septic garden.
I've seen at least one, possibly two bats. Lots of fireflies are out.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 12:45 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 12:45 pmEntry tags:
Pride Month
Duck Prints Press is doing a set of 10 pride dragons that will be available on stickers and other swag. These are kawaii dragons rather than fierce ones, but sometimes people want a non-confrontational signal.
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 12:03 am
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-22 12:03 amBook Bans
Oregon has passed a bill to protect school libraries from book bans.
Another win for freedom to read legislation on the West Coast this week, as Oregon’s state House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1098 on Monday, a bill that will protect access to books in school libraries. It’s great news: books can no longer be banned solely because they discuss sexuality, religion, or other topics, nor can books be removed because they are written by someone from a protected class. SB 1098 now goes to the governor, who is expected to sign it into law.
I'm delighted to see laws against book bans spreading. To promote this, point out that it will save lots of time and therefore money that is currently wasted dealing with attempt after attempt to tell other people what books they can't read. Most people love saving time and money, and will thus support the effort even if they don't care about books or freedom.
Another win for freedom to read legislation on the West Coast this week, as Oregon’s state House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1098 on Monday, a bill that will protect access to books in school libraries. It’s great news: books can no longer be banned solely because they discuss sexuality, religion, or other topics, nor can books be removed because they are written by someone from a protected class. SB 1098 now goes to the governor, who is expected to sign it into law.
I'm delighted to see laws against book bans spreading. To promote this, point out that it will save lots of time and therefore money that is currently wasted dealing with attempt after attempt to tell other people what books they can't read. Most people love saving time and money, and will thus support the effort even if they don't care about books or freedom.
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-21 11:56 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-21 11:56 pmEntry tags:
Philosophical Questions: Harm
People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
How far should governments go to prevent its citizens from causing harm to themselves?
( Read more... )
How far should governments go to prevent its citizens from causing harm to themselves?
( Read more... )
conuly (conuly) wrote2025-06-25 09:51 pm
conuly) wrote2025-06-25 09:51 pmWell, it just keeps on getting better and better, doesn't it
US strikes 3 Iranian sites, joining Israeli air campaign against nuclear program
Can't say I'm too surprised, but I can say I'm disappointed.
Can't say I'm too surprised, but I can say I'm disappointed.
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-21 04:03 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-21 04:03 pmEntry tags:
Books
A Rainbow of Queer Books for Pride 2025: Turquoise
HAPPY PRIDE 2025! For Pride this year, we’re changing up our usual rec lists. Instead of doing books with specific identities or themes, we’re focused this time on cover color! Throughout the month of June, we’ll be doing 8 rec lists, each with covers inspired by one of the colors of the original Gilbert Baker Pride Flag. We drew a little additional inspiration from the meaning behind the color and why it was included in the original LGBTQIA+ flag (in this case, turquoise = magic), but we prioritized color over meaning. The contributors to this list are: May Barros, Rhosyn Goodfellow, Linnea Peterson, Tris Lawrence, Sebastian Marie, Shannon, Rascal Hartley, and Nina Waters.
HAPPY PRIDE 2025! For Pride this year, we’re changing up our usual rec lists. Instead of doing books with specific identities or themes, we’re focused this time on cover color! Throughout the month of June, we’ll be doing 8 rec lists, each with covers inspired by one of the colors of the original Gilbert Baker Pride Flag. We drew a little additional inspiration from the meaning behind the color and why it was included in the original LGBTQIA+ flag (in this case, turquoise = magic), but we prioritized color over meaning. The contributors to this list are: May Barros, Rhosyn Goodfellow, Linnea Peterson, Tris Lawrence, Sebastian Marie, Shannon, Rascal Hartley, and Nina Waters.
rebeccmeister (rebeccmeister) wrote2025-06-21 03:59 pm
rebeccmeister) wrote2025-06-21 03:59 pmSlowly making progress on boathouse projects [rowing, projects]
Today I decided to go back to the boathouse after rowing and coffee, to continue work on various boathouse projects for a couple hours.
First, I rehung the boat light charging station on L-hooks, and while I was at it, hung up a second shoe holder to serve as a walkie talkie charging station. I was able to get everything powered up thanks to having obtained some 8-foot extension cords at the hardware store yesterday.
I also moved all of the supplies for keeping megaphones and coxboxes charged up, onto a temporary portable step unit.
This now gets all of the rowing electronics into one place inside the boathouse, instead of having everything scattered in different locations. It also gets all the electronics to a spot where they can be recharged regularly.
Once that was done, I turned my attention to our first aid cart. During this transition, it, along with some of our electronics, has been living inside a shipping container.
Something about the first aid cart has been bothering me for years. The original person who assembled it, assembled the wheels incorrectly. See if you can tell what I mean from the photo below. Up until now I really haven't been in a position to do anything about the problem. Vexing. Especially when you consider that people periodically want to wheel the cart to new locations during our special events.
I kind of feel like there isn't a WORSE way to assemble the wheels!
At one point, the wheels were so poorly fastened that one of the wheels came off entirely. So when I took things apart to swap the wheels to the correct positions, I encountered multiple sizes of nuts and bolts. But at least now the cart will actually roll properly, and with any luck no one will have to tilt this beast on its back to fix the wheels again anytime soon!
Along with the wheel problem, there has been some sort of long-term lingering issue with one of the bottom drawers, where it refused to stay completely closed. Super annoying. When trying to work on the wheels, I ascertained that I would need to remove the bottom drawers to access the wheel nuts from inside the cart. That eventually led me to watch an internet video about how to remove this type of drawer from this type of cart (and it turns out there are two different overall types of cart/drawer; initial hits were for the other type. Complicated!).
The internet video I eventually found helped me to understand that one of the plastic drawer removal latches had snapped off, making it extra difficult to remove the drawer.
A couple extra minutes with a small screwdriver and a bunch of swearing did the trick.
Intact latch:
Snapped-off latch:
In the end, I did not reinstall this "trouble drawer," as that seemed unwise.
Once the wheels were fixed, I relocated the cart to a new, more prominent spot inside the boathouse:
It just seems to me that having a first aid cart in a prominent, accessible location is a good idea.
I was so pleased to find that the cart fit exceptionally well into the space where I wanted to put it. The only issue was that the ground was far from level in that location. So I used a chunk of an old wooden platform that used to be underneath our oars, to provide a stable surface for the cart to rest on.
Totally satisfying projects!
Now I can turn my attention to the next boathouse project, constructing a long-term charging station for the coxboxes and megaphones.
First, I rehung the boat light charging station on L-hooks, and while I was at it, hung up a second shoe holder to serve as a walkie talkie charging station. I was able to get everything powered up thanks to having obtained some 8-foot extension cords at the hardware store yesterday.
I also moved all of the supplies for keeping megaphones and coxboxes charged up, onto a temporary portable step unit.
This now gets all of the rowing electronics into one place inside the boathouse, instead of having everything scattered in different locations. It also gets all the electronics to a spot where they can be recharged regularly.
Once that was done, I turned my attention to our first aid cart. During this transition, it, along with some of our electronics, has been living inside a shipping container.
Something about the first aid cart has been bothering me for years. The original person who assembled it, assembled the wheels incorrectly. See if you can tell what I mean from the photo below. Up until now I really haven't been in a position to do anything about the problem. Vexing. Especially when you consider that people periodically want to wheel the cart to new locations during our special events.
I kind of feel like there isn't a WORSE way to assemble the wheels!
At one point, the wheels were so poorly fastened that one of the wheels came off entirely. So when I took things apart to swap the wheels to the correct positions, I encountered multiple sizes of nuts and bolts. But at least now the cart will actually roll properly, and with any luck no one will have to tilt this beast on its back to fix the wheels again anytime soon!
Along with the wheel problem, there has been some sort of long-term lingering issue with one of the bottom drawers, where it refused to stay completely closed. Super annoying. When trying to work on the wheels, I ascertained that I would need to remove the bottom drawers to access the wheel nuts from inside the cart. That eventually led me to watch an internet video about how to remove this type of drawer from this type of cart (and it turns out there are two different overall types of cart/drawer; initial hits were for the other type. Complicated!).
The internet video I eventually found helped me to understand that one of the plastic drawer removal latches had snapped off, making it extra difficult to remove the drawer.
A couple extra minutes with a small screwdriver and a bunch of swearing did the trick.
Intact latch:
Snapped-off latch:
In the end, I did not reinstall this "trouble drawer," as that seemed unwise.
Once the wheels were fixed, I relocated the cart to a new, more prominent spot inside the boathouse:
It just seems to me that having a first aid cart in a prominent, accessible location is a good idea.
I was so pleased to find that the cart fit exceptionally well into the space where I wanted to put it. The only issue was that the ground was far from level in that location. So I used a chunk of an old wooden platform that used to be underneath our oars, to provide a stable surface for the cart to rest on.
Totally satisfying projects!
Now I can turn my attention to the next boathouse project, constructing a long-term charging station for the coxboxes and megaphones.
ysabetwordsmith (ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-21 12:26 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-06-21 12:26 pmBirdfeeding
Today is mostly sunny, muggy, and hot.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/21/25 -- Temperature when we went out shopping was 94°F. Temperature in our yard is currently 88°F. Trees sweat so you don't have to!
EDIT 6/21/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio. The evening has started to cool off a little.
I've seen a mourning dove.
EDIT 6/21/25 -- I watered the patio plants and the ones in the house yard including the old picnic table.
Fireflies are starting to appear.
EDIT 6/21/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and the savanna seedlings.
More fireflies are out. :D
EDIT 6/21/25 -- I watered the new picnic table and the septic garden.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/21/25 -- Temperature when we went out shopping was 94°F. Temperature in our yard is currently 88°F. Trees sweat so you don't have to!
EDIT 6/21/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio. The evening has started to cool off a little.
I've seen a mourning dove.
EDIT 6/21/25 -- I watered the patio plants and the ones in the house yard including the old picnic table.
Fireflies are starting to appear.
EDIT 6/21/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and the savanna seedlings.
More fireflies are out. :D
EDIT 6/21/25 -- I watered the new picnic table and the septic garden.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
Sholio (sholio) wrote2025-06-21 12:35 am
sholio) wrote2025-06-21 12:35 amSolstice 2025
In 2000, I was married on the summer solstice, and we decided at that time that the solstice would forever be our anniversary, no matter what day it fell on. This year is our 25th - silver! we made it to a valuable metal! - and we met at the place we were married (Pioneer Park aka Alaskaland, a local park with food concessions) to revisit the pavilion in which we were married, and have a takeout dinner (halibut/Thai/Brazilian fusion tacos; it was delicious). We took a number of terrible selfies, and completely by accident, especially given that it was taken on a timer with my phone which was propped up in a crack in a picnic table, we achieved what may be my favorite picture of us in all the time we've been together.
I never realized that I lift my heels off the ground when I kiss him, but apparently I do. That's what a foot of height difference will do for you.
We came home to ash and charred needles dropping on my car hood from a wildfire north of town.
Yesterday we had a fire evacuation scare, and still have the fully packed bags sitting in our living room. Today we're fine, despite a gentle rain of ash. I can't wait for the next 25 years.
I never realized that I lift my heels off the ground when I kiss him, but apparently I do. That's what a foot of height difference will do for you.
We came home to ash and charred needles dropping on my car hood from a wildfire north of town.
Yesterday we had a fire evacuation scare, and still have the fully packed bags sitting in our living room. Today we're fine, despite a gentle rain of ash. I can't wait for the next 25 years.