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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-21 01:00 pm
Entry tags:

Monday Update 7-21-25

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Permaculture
Conservation
Early Humans
Creative Jam
Birdfeeding
Recipe: "Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Spread"
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Productivity
Permaculture
Survival Skills
Self-Care
Birdfeeding
Current Events
Fireflies
Fruit Trees
Permaculture
Volcanoes
Follow Friday 7-18-25: Homestuck
Hobbies: Makeup Art
Conservation
Safety
Invasive Species
Birdfeeding
Anthropocene
Earthquakes
Evolution
Poem: "Beautiful, Damn Hard, Increasingly Useful"
Paleontology
Smoothie King
Birdfeeding
Good News

"Philosophical Questions: Looks" has 46 comments. "Not a Destination, But a Process" has 147 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 96 comments. "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness" has 65 comments.


Last week's bonus fishbowl went well. Writing is slow, but I have drafts of a triptych to thumbnail shortly.


[community profile] sunshine_revival is running through July. See the schedule, meet the moderators, and use the master post to navigate the event. Meet new folks in the friending meme. Spread the word!

Sunshine-Revival-2025-Banner-3.png

* Sunshine Revival Challenge 1: Light
Poem: "The Pleasure of Escaping the Responsibility"

* Sunshine Revival Challenge 2: Tunnel of Love
Poem: "Legs of Grass, Feet of Flowers"

* Sunshine Revival Challenge 3: Food

* Sunshine Revival Challenge 4: Fun House
Poem: "The Bee Tree's Gift"

* Sunshine Challenge 5: Carnival Barker

* Sunshine Revival Challenge 6: Game Night
Poem: "A New Twist"


[community profile] summerofthe69 is now open! You can see the calendar here and the current themes are and Greater Than 69 and Sopping Wet.


There are no open epics at present.


The weather has been hot and wet here. It rained again yesterday. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a pair of cardinals, a mourning dove, and a fox squirrel. I've heard red-winged blackbirds, wrens, and a woodpecker without seeing them. Currently blooming: dandelions, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, yarrow, anise hyssop, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, Asiatic lilies, cucumber, yellow squash, zucchini, morning glory, purple echinacea, narrow-leaf mountain mint, black-eyed Susan, yellow coneflower, wild bergamot, chicory, Queen Anne's lace, sunflowers, cup plant, gladioli, firewheel, orange butterfly weed. Tomatillo and pepper have green fruit. Wild strawberries, mulberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers are ripe. Peas are winding down. The first crop of blackberries is done.

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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-20 11:23 pm
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-20 10:38 pm

Conservation

The genius invention that made peace with lions

A 12-year-old boy invented a system of lights that mimicked human patrols, thus shooing lions away from homes and livestock. This reduced interspecies conflicts, allowing lions to coexist peacefully with humans and their livestock.

Think about how humans and wildlife interact. Where there are dangerous conflicts as above, seek to understand each other's behavior and how small changes can reduce or eliminate conflicts so that all species can live and let live. Watch for effective solutions and spread them.
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nnozomi ([personal profile] nnozomi) wrote in [community profile] guardian_learning2025-07-20 05:44 pm

第四年第一百九十二天

部首
⺁ part 3
原, original; 厦, tall building; 厨, kitchen pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=27
厶 sī
去, to go; 县, county; 参, to participate pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=28
又 parts 1-4 yòu
又, again; 叉, fork/to cross; 及, and; 友, friend; 双, pair/double; 反, against; 发, to send out/hair; 叔, uncle; 取, to take; 受, to receive; 变, to change; 叛, to betray
pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=29

语法
以前 and 以后
https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/yi3qian2-yi3hou4/
过 for present perfect(-equivalent)
https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/guo4-past-experiences/
除了...以外, except...
https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/chu2le-yi3wai4/

词汇
屋子, 房屋, house
武器, weapon; 武术, martial art
舞台, stage; 跳舞, dance
西部, west
希望, hope
系, [university] department; 关系, relationship; 联系, contact
pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/

玩玩
Only very tangentially related to Chinese language study, but this is an artist I happened to meet in person a little while back and thought her work was gorgeous—sort of a Chinese Osias Beert in a way (very random analogy). Couldn’t find very much of it online, sadly.

夏天好长啊,但是至少我现在听不到蝉鸣,蝉鸣的声音我就是最讨厌的。大家过的怎么样?
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-20 04:13 pm

Poem: "A New Twist"

This poem was written for the Sunshine Revival Challenge 6: Game Night. It also fills the "Dodge" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo Fest. It belongs to the series Love Is For Children.

Read more... )
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-20 03:31 pm

Sunshine Revival Challenge 6: Game Night

Sunshine Revival Challenge 6: Game Night

Journaling prompt: What games do you play, if any? Are you a solo-gamer or do you view games as a social activity?

Creative prompt: Write a story/fic around the theme "game night".

Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so
.

Sunshine-Revival-Carnival-2.png

Read more... )
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-20 02:24 pm

Early Humans

11,000-year-old feast uncovered: Why hunters hauled wild boars across mountains

Ancient Iranians hosted epic feasts with wild boars that had been hunted and transported from distant regions. These animals weren’t just dinner—they were symbolic gifts. Tooth enamel analysis revealed they came from different areas, suggesting early communities valued geography in gift-giving. The event took place even before agriculture began, hinting at deeply rooted cultural traditions.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-20 02:22 pm

Creative Jam

The July [community profile] crowdfunding Creative Jam is open with a theme of "Heroism -- Real or Perceived."  Come give us prompts, or claim some for your own inspiration.


What I Have Written




From My Prompts



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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-20 02:11 pm

Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy and warm.  It rained yesterday.

I fed the birds.  I haven't seen much activity, but heard a squirrel chattering.

EDIT 7/20/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 7/20/25 -- It rained copiously this afternoon, and is still thundering occasionally.

I am done for the night.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-19 11:53 pm
Entry tags:
nnozomi: (Default)
nnozomi ([personal profile] nnozomi) wrote in [community profile] guardian_learning2025-07-19 06:48 pm

第四年第一百九十一天

部首
又 part 4
受, to receive; 变, to change; 叛, to betray pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=29

词汇
系, [university] department; 关系, relationship; 联系, contact pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/

Guardian:
我们一直都是朋友,从来没变过, we've always been friends, that has never changed
本校生物工程系的一名老师, a teacher in the bioengineering department at this university

Me:
他就算受了伤也没叛逆了我们。
在你的系有没有毕业论文?
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-19 04:18 pm

Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy, mild, and wet. It rained all morning.

I fed the birds. I've seen motion but the windows were too wet to identify anything.

EDIT 7/19/25 -- Yay, the window dried up enough to see through!  Sparrows, house finches, and a mourning dove are mobbing the feeders.

EDIT 7/19/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 7/19/25 -- I potted up 2 cherry plums and a white peach.

EDIT 7/19/25 -- I added more potting soil to several pots that needed it.

Fireflies are coming out.  Cicadas are singing.

I am done for the night.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-19 02:24 pm
Entry tags:

Philosophical Questions: Productivity

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

How should we measure the productivity of a society?

Read more... )
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-19 03:59 am

Permaculture

THE MINI FOREST - Rewilding using the Miyawaki Method

Terrell Wong is about to plant 100 trees in her small Toronto backyard, a dense mini forest based on the Miyawaki Method. What at first seems like a simple act soon evolves into a complex story about dirt, lawns, fungus, wildlife, native species, and finally the human brain. An anti-lawn anthem from director David Hartman, The Mini Forest explores this innovative form of afforestation and the importance of restoring the native woodlands that once covered so much of Canada and the World.

Read more... )
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-18 07:35 pm
Entry tags:

Survival Skills

Man Builds House Out of ABANDONED PALLETS in the Middle of the Forest in 121 Days

In this video you will see how I built a house from free pallets by myself near the Samotochka River. From start to finish - life in the forest, survival, manual work without power tools. Everything was done only with the help of hand tools and natural materials that I could find around. This house by the river became a place for relaxation, silence and solitude away from civilization.

Read more... )
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nnozomi ([personal profile] nnozomi) wrote in [community profile] guardian_learning2025-07-18 08:08 pm

第四年第一百九十天

部首
又 part 3
发, to send out/hair; 叔, uncle; 取, to take pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=29

语法
除了...以外, except...
https://www.chineseboost.com/grammar/chu2le-yi3wai4/

词汇
希望, hope (pinyin in tags)
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/

Guardian:
那天要不是我去医院取药,没能保护你,就不会发生这样的事, if I hadn't gone to the hospital to get medicine and been unable to protect you, this wouldn't have happened
他除了被迷惑心智之外,我想不出来还有其他的可能性, other than that he has been confused, I can't think of any other possibility
只要活着一切都有希望, while there's life there's hope

Me:
除了你以外,没有人了解我。
我叫希望。(真的啊,看看我的梦幅小名)
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-18 06:18 pm
Entry tags:

Self-Care

Tai chi, yoga, and jogging rival pills for beating insomnia

Findings back use of exercise as primary treatment strategy for poor sleep, say researchers.
Yoga, Tai Chi, walking, and jogging may be some of the best natural remedies for improving sleep and tackling insomnia, according to a large analysis comparing various treatments. While cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) remains effective, exercise-based approaches—especially Tai Chi—were shown to deliver significant improvements in total sleep time, efficiency, and reducing how long people stay awake after falling asleep. Yoga stood out for boosting overall restfulness, and jogging helped ease insomnia symptoms
.

Read more... )
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-18 04:35 pm

Birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny, muggy, and sweltering. :P  It rained yesterday evening.

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

I put out water for the birds. 

EDIT 7/18/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 7/18/25 -- I picked 2 yellow pear and a round yellow tomato from the septic garden.  The yellow pears are considerably bigger than last year's which were more cherry size than salad size.

Zinnias and garlic chives are blooming.  :D

The white Toscana strawberry pot got knocked over, so I had to put more potting soil in that.  The pink one has sent out a runner!  :D  I'll have to keep an eye on it and see about propagating that.

EDIT 7/18/25 -- I planted a wild senna and a purple coneflower beside the barrel garden.  These were rescued from the lawn near the wildflower garden.

EDIT 7/18/25 -- I filled a couple more pots with several wild senna plants from the lawn around the wildflower garden.

The mower is back, but the forecast still calls for days of rain.

EDIT 7/18/25 -- I refilled the hopper feeder and walked around the yard a bit.

I am done for the night.
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-18 01:21 pm

Current Events

Israeli settlers beat U.S. citizen to death in West Bank

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank beat a U.S. citizen to death, according to local officials, during a Friday confrontation between a group of Israelis and Palestinians.

A municipal official and a relative of 21-year-old Sayfollah Musallet confirmed his death to NPR. Musallet was born in Florida and was in the village of Sinjil this week visiting family
.

Read more... )
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ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2025-07-18 03:56 am

Fireflies

TRANSFORM Your Garden To A FIREFLY Habitat!

* Avoid pesticides and other agrochemicals.

* Protect from light pollution.

* Plant native species.

* Leave some tall grass.

* Provide moisture.

* Leaf litter and woodpiles also offer cover.