8/8/2025 Inspipration Trail

Aug. 8th, 2025 06:45 pm
mrkinch: Erik holding fieldglasses in "Russia" (bins)
[personal profile] mrkinch
This morning was just about perfect, a bit of fog to start but almost 60 and no wind. In fact it was a bit too warm by the time I left. It was a three warbler morning, not bad for August, and all singing; I hadn't heard a Wilson's sing in a while, and like a few days ago there was one and possibly two Orange-crowned Warblers singing, but best of all there was a MacGillivray's Warbler! He chipped loudly for quite a while and then began to sing. I was very glad he did because I'm not entirely confident of their chip note. I got a brief glimpse of him, but not diagnostic. The list: )

Other highlight was hearing a Common Raven.:) It's been several weeks.

Safety

Aug. 8th, 2025 08:27 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Helsinki just went a full year without traffic fatalities — here's their secret

In the United States, traffic incidents are a leading cause of death, with an average of 120 people dying every day due to motor vehicle collisions.

On a global scale, a person dies from a road-related accident every 24 seconds.

But Finland’s capital city of Helsinki has pulled off something astonishing — the last recorded traffic-related death was over a year ago, in July 2024
.

Read more... )

Moment of Silence: Jim Lovell

Aug. 8th, 2025 06:17 pm
ysabetwordsmith: (moment of silence)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Astronaut Jim Lovell has passed away. He flew four missions, including the famous Apollo 13 in which the crew narrowly averted disaster.

Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill
.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson

Read more... )

Birdfeeding

Aug. 8th, 2025 01:45 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is sunny, humid, and hot.

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

I put out water for the birds.

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

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

EDIT 8/8/25 -- I watered the patio plants and the new picnic table garden.

I picked a red cherry tomato.

EDIT 8/8/25 -- I watered the savanna seedlings.

EDIT 8/8/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and the septic garden.

I found a baby preying mantis on the burn barrel and moved it to the barrel garden.

Cicadas and crickets are singing.  I've seen a few fireflies.
 
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Follow Friday 8-8-25: Icons

Aug. 8th, 2025 01:07 am
ysabetwordsmith: A blue sheep holding a quill dreams of Dreamwidth (Dreamsheep)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today's theme is Icons, a very popular topic on Dreamwidth with several high-traffic communities.

Read more... )

Today's Adventures

Aug. 7th, 2025 08:36 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
We went out thrift shopping today.

Read more... )

Inventions

Aug. 7th, 2025 08:12 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This student's life-changing injury made him realize how 'outdated' traditional casts are. So he 3D-printed a better one
AUG 7, 2025 12:34 PMPT

It’s an injection-molded lattice forearm cast, made with durable Nylon material that is lightweight, fully breathable, and a lot more comfortable than traditional fiberglass casts.

Read more... )

Fossils

Aug. 7th, 2025 05:06 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Illinois is home to one of the ‘world's best fossil sites': Field Museum

"These fossils tell the story of an ancient inland sea, home to alien-looking plants and animals such as squid-like cephalopods, sea scorpions, and the bizarre-looking state fossil of Illinois, the Tully monster," said the release.

Birdfeeding

Aug. 7th, 2025 01:24 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is mostly sunny and hot.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/7/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/7/25 -- I watered the new picnic table and septic gardens.

EDIT 8/7/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden.

Cicadas and crickets are singing.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
mrkinch: Erik holding fieldglasses in "Russia" (bins)
[personal profile] mrkinch
U and I went to Middle Harbor this morning to see who's come back. No peeps but three species of plover, including a Semipalmated Plover and two Black-bellied Plovers, one still in their striking breeding plumage. She needed a Whimbrel for a list she's keeping and there they were! Along with the usual mixed flocks of Marbled Godwits and Willets and a few Long-billed Curlews. The highlight for me was four species of tern: Caspian, incl a juvenile; two Least Terns; a Forster's camped out on the mudflat; and we heard Elegant Terns the entire time but never saw any. Perhaps they were in flight off the point, but that was frustrating. The list: )

The local Osprey flew over a few times, and we saw a couple of White-crowned Sparrows. They live year round at the shoreline, but it was still nice to see them.

Bigotry

Aug. 6th, 2025 04:41 pm
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Islamophobia Research Hub at York U releases report on Canada's anti-Palestine bias

Documenting the “Palestine Exception": An Overview of Trends in Islamophobia, Anti-Palestinian and Anti-Arab Racism in Canada in the aftermath of October 7, 2023.
In the aftermath of October 7, 2023, Canada saw a rise in anti-Palestinian racism (APR), Islamophobia, anti-Arab racism (AAR) and antisemitism that affects many areas of life and work for Canadians
.

Read more... )

Birdfeeding

Aug. 6th, 2025 02:21 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is partly cloudy and warm.

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

EDIT 8/6/25 -- I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/6/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

The day has gotten sunnier and much hotter.

I've seen a house wren screaming its head off at anything that moves.

EDIT 8/6/25 -- I potted up 3 white peach seeds and 4 local yellow peach seeds.

EDIT 8/6/25 -- I did a bit more work around the patio.

I picked 3 red cherry tomatoes and a ball carrot from the septic garden.

EDIT 8/6/25 -- I picked a handful of blackberries from the second-crop bush.

EDIT 8/6/25 -- I pulled a few weeds around the septic garden.

Cicadas and crickets are singing.

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

Good News

Aug. 6th, 2025 01:44 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Good news includes all the things which make us happy or otherwise feel good. It can be personal or public. We never know when something wonderful will happen, and when it does, most people want to share it with someone. It's disappointing when nobody is there to appreciate it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our joys and pat each other on the back.

What good news have you had recently? Are you anticipating any more? Have you found a cute picture or a video that makes you smile? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your life a little happier?

8/5/2025 Inspiration Trail

Aug. 5th, 2025 01:25 pm
mrkinch: Erik holding fieldglasses in "Russia" (bins)
[personal profile] mrkinch
U and I are going out for a while tomorrow morning, so given my energy levels I didn't want to do much today. But staying home is depressing, so I went to Inspiration Trail and sat on the bank in the dip for an hour or so. The wind in the parking lot was fierce but the dip is sheltered, the sky was clear, and I was glad that after a while the trees on the ridge blocked the sun. It was nice just to sit and listen. Best bird I heard was an Orange-crowned Warbler! Singing, no less. They haven't been around, or at least we haven't seen or heard any since June. The list: )

Still not much in the way of Corvids. Wonder why.

8/4/2025 Tilden Nature Area

Aug. 4th, 2025 02:34 pm
mrkinch: Erik holding fieldglasses in "Russia" (bins)
[personal profile] mrkinch
Apparently I overdid it last week, so this morning I simply walked up the boardwalk to meet U and Chris at Jewel Lake. The chainsaw guys were at work just east of the Lake and the sound of two or three chainsaws was almost overwhelming. Fortunately they took a break about the time U and Chris got down to meet me, so on our walk back to the parking lot we could hear birds. The boardwalk was very lovely, still green, with a big flock of Bushtits and a few other birds. I only heard one Swainson's Thrush and the others heard two. The only excitement was an accipiter zipping over the Lake, too fast for good ID but so tiny I suspect it was a Sharp-shinned Hawk. The list: )

The two fledgling Common Ravens are still being excruciatingly annoying. It will be such a relief when they are feeding themselves!
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
The 31-year-old electrical engineer says poor reception is a common frustration for residents of Vermont's Orange County. To address this issue, he's providing his community with a new way to stay connected.

Schlott has taken old pay phones, modified them to make free calls, and set them up in three different towns across the county. He buys the phones secondhand from sites like eBay and Craigslist and restores them in his home workshop
.


I've always said that dismantling pay phones was dangerous, because even if most people have cell phones, those can be lost, broken, or out of service. It's nice to see this public good reviving in at least some areas.

Birdfeeding

Aug. 5th, 2025 01:46 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is mostly clouding and mild, a beautiful day.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/5/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/5/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I checked the new picnic table and septic garden.  No new vegetables to pick, but multiple zinnias are now blooming in shades of red and red-violet.  :D  Also the first of the giant sunflowers are blooming there.

I am done for the night.

Poetry Fishbowl Open!

Aug. 5th, 2025 12:54 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED. Thank you for your time and attention. Please keep an eye on this space as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Books and Learning." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.

I'll be soliciting ideas for readers, writers, storytellers, scribes, editors, publishers, students, teachers, caregivers, children, parents, bookworms, nerds, bookstore owners, librarians, an anonymous benefactor, activists, volunteers, superheroes, supervillains, other bookish people, reading, writing, delighting the reader, editing, publishing, bookbinding, shopping for books, telling stories, teaching, inviting students to a lesson, demonstrating tools, educating the whole child, learning, studying, parenting, lending a hand, cooperating, concentrating on a current task, volunteering, supporting people in hard times, respecting people, modeling manners and skills, learning to trust others, observing the environment, engaging all the senses, cultivating a full life, creating intimacy, making friends, getting to know each other, cooking together, choosing your own goals, discovering things, improvising, adapting, cooperating, bartering, sharing, making mistakes, fixing what's broke, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, other educational activities, books, scrolls, magical tomes, printing presses, pens and pencils, bookstores, libraries, Little Free Libraries, book nooks, windowseats, Montessori schools, other alternative schools, preschools or daycares, Montessori homeschool, prepared environment, colleges and universities, beautiful places, craft centers, community centers, coffeehouses, outdoor classrooms, parks, nature centers, other spaces designed for learning, Triton Teen Centers, mentor circles, intentional communities, clubs, quiet rooms, inclusive workplaces, Thalassia, the Maldives, the Lacuna, the Aqademy of the Qrossroads, Waldorf toys, Montessori materials, intrinsic motivation, child independence, respect for the child, freedom to choose, freedom of time and uninterrupted work periods, absorbent mind, post-traumatic growth, individualized education, three-part cards, language lessons, mathematics, diverse ages and abilities, self-correcting toys and lessons, natural consequences, freedom of movement, intentional neighboring, diversity, inclusivity, emotional closeness, nonsexual intimacies, first contact, rescue, interspecies relationships, trial and error, trust issues, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.


Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:

Crime Classics Bingo Card 8-1-25

Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

An Army of One involves education and reading in the Lacuna.

Arts and Crafts America focuses on fine arts and practical crafts, sometimes education. Bookbinding would be a logical craft.

The Bear Tunnels has future books in a past culture.

Daughters of the Apocalypse have to rediscover many historic skills for survival, including earlier methods of sharing knowledge.

Frankenstein's Family has two scientists teaching villagers to be thoughtful instead of stupid, and after a few years, several more people keenly interested in books and education.

Not Quite Kansas started with mishandling a book of spells, and involves trying to learn about a whole new world.

Path of the Paladins includes the Canticle of Thorns and other books.

Peculiar Obligations has Quakers in organized crime. The Religious Society of Friends has been greatly involved in education, including abolitionist and natural science publications.

Polychrome Heroics is largely about people learning things. Threads particularly focused on this include Antimatter and Stalwart Stan, Aquariana, the Big One, Danso and Family, Dr. Infanta, Iron Horses, Officer Pink, Rutledge, and Trichromatic Attachments.

Quixotic Ideas is set in a world with plenty of magic and a positive tone, where people often help each other and solve challenges peacefully. It includes a healthy magical school.

Schrodinger's Heroes save the world from alternate dimensions, and they learn a lot along the way.

Or you can ask for something new.

Linkbacks reveal a verse of any open linkback poem.

Read more... )

Linguistics

Aug. 4th, 2025 08:57 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
[personal profile] prettygoodword is posting about the Uto-Aztecan language family, and today's word is saguaro.  Apparently they have edible fruit.

Emergency Food

Aug. 4th, 2025 08:32 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
[personal profile] dialecticdreamer has expanded her comment under my first Emergency Food post into a separate post with more tips for people with special dietary needs

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