progress2048

Evidence of his foul presence:

2026-13-16 - Evidence of my bird nemesis

Or perhaps I should say...fowl presence?

A pigeon has decided that it wants to just hang out near our back door, in the rafters of the roof above our back stairwell. It's not nesting there, as far as I can tell, since there's no nest in our planting pots nor up on the rafters. It's just found its favorite spot and sits up there often, and of course, wherever a bird habitually sits, the ground below becomes a toilet. There's a ton of bird poop all over our back stairwell now and it's too cold for me to easily go out and clean it up.

I've taken to using a paintroller poll to just periodically go out and poke the pigeon when it's sitting up there in the hope that if I make staying near our door too annoying, it'll give up and hang out somewhere else. Watch this space to see if that happens.

Current Mood: aggravated
Current Music: The Mendoza Line - Lethal Temptress

davidlevine

The one-week Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop helps writers and other creators learn about space science. It's fabulous and it's FREE! Applications are open now for the workshop in July. https://www.launchpadworkshop.org/

lovelyangel

1/350 scale model of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (refit)
TOMY International
Nikon Z6 • NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 S
f/11 @ 105mm • 1/45s • ISO 1600

Back in 2011, I passed on the QMx USS Enterprise refit Artisan 1/350 scale Replica. Of course I did – it was $5,000!

Then in August 2024, TOMY International launched its crowdfunding campaign for their own 1/350 scale replica of the NCC-1701 USS Enterprise refit. In a moment of FOMO, I placed a preorder – which became real when the campaign was fully funded. 329% funded, actually. 19 months later, the 34" long starship replica was delivered to my door – today.

( A Few Pictures – and a Dilemma )

lovelyangel

I’ve been using black mesh zip pouches of various sizes to organize my gear – tech gear, photography gear – and for traveling, makeup/beauty products, vitamin/supplement containers. These pouches are very handy. I had been buying them from Amazon, but it appears that Daiso has them, too. Anyway, I have quite the assortment.

The thing about using them for my photography gear is that the contents all look sort of similar, so one might have to spend a moment or two figuring out what exactly is in the pouch.

At this year’s Portland Winter Light Festival, there was one night (Day 5 Tuesday) where I was shooting a Nikon D810 and a Nikon Z8. I don’t think I’ve ever used both a DSLR and a mirrorless camera on the same night. While those cameras can use the same battery, they use very different memory cards. So I had two very similar black mesh pouches – differing only by memory card type. It’s a little hard to figure out which bag was which in the dark.

I wanted an easier way to identify the contents of the black pouches, and at Etsy, I found Custom Zipper Pulls by ThoughtfulColors. I built up a list of tags that I wanted and placed an order on March 4. The tags arrived today, and I affixed them to my photography zipper pouches. They are excellent!

Tagged black mesh zip bags for photography gear
Zipper Pulls by ThoughtfulColors@Etsy.com

The black zipper pulls are one-sided and are for general organization in my studio or my luggage. The purple zipper pulls are two-sided (same text on both sides) and are for pouches I have in my photography field kit. The purple makes the labels stand out more for faster identification. Anyway, I’m very pleased with these tags – high quality materials, excellent workmanship – and high legibility.

ysabetwordsmith

The Kotlin Crisis: Earth’s first mass extinction may have been far worse than previously believed

Fossils of the first sea creatures, long assumed to have vanished before a major mass extinction about 550 million years ago called the Kotlin Crisis, have now been found and are providing new details about that time period.

This discovery transforms what once looked like a routine species decline in Earth’s early history into what may be the first catastrophic extinction in animal history.

Second, actually, after the Great Farting Oxygen Event changed the atmosphere from reducing to oxydizing -- almost everything died, except a few archaea that found anoxic refuges and a few organisms that figured out how to use oxygen. But most people forget about that one.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and frigid, spitting snow and howling wind. :/ It stormed last night.

I fed the birds. I've seen a small mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, plus several cardinals.

I put out water for the birds.

Current Mood: busy

oursin

This is so much what I've been thinking about a different period that I'm writing about - that it's there, even though people are saying It's Ded, it's just not doing the flashy newsworthy visible stuff or the results are the things are are not, or no longer, happening: The one thing everyone gets wrong about feminism.

***

I am a great admirer of Professor Athene Donald's blog, and I like this recent post: Unintended Consequences - in particular perhaps this apercu:

Business gurus tend to talk about ‘being authentic’ as the right way to lead. But if you are a testy, over-bearing soul being authentic may be very destructive for those around you.

So much that.

***

This is another story about mobility in the world: Looted from a royal palace: The medieval jug now on display in London:

A large bronze medieval jug bearing the English royal coat of arms would be a rare find if dug up in England, but somehow it had ended up in West Africa, in modern-day Ghana, thanks to early trading routes between nations.
Dating from between 1340 and 1405, the jug is the largest surviving bronze ewer from medieval England. Decorated with an English inscription, royal heraldry and coat of arms, it was originally a luxury object — but its meaning changed dramatically as it moved across continents.

***

I've had to do with either this artefact or another very similar in my working days, I did not know about the biological contamination (we didn't know for quite some time about the radioactive notebooks, either): a parchment scroll designed to guard against the dangers of childbirth:

Until now, this scroll’s worn surface and suggestive staining constituted the main evidence for its use in childbirth. However, new research by Sarah Fiddyment, presented in the exhibition, reveals that human proteins found on the scroll’s surface indicate the presence of cervico-vaginal fluid. This is an important breakthrough in the burgeoning field of biocodicology, which seeks out the invisible traces left behind by users of manuscripts, as they held, rubbed or kissed a parchment.

(I hadn't heard that story about the dormouse, but wot she does not mention the Godalming rabbit lady?!).

***

You know, I would have sworn that back in my working days I came across something appertaining to this historic event: How smallpox claimed its final victim, but I'm unable to trace it.

ysabetwordsmith

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "Colorful Opportunities"
Tool Use
Cyberspace Theory
Birdfeeding
Science
Today's Adventures
Urbana Free Library Seed Exchange
Wildlife
Creative Jam
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Pictures
Communities
Safety
Today's Adventures
Gardening
Birdfeeding
Crafts
Follow Friday 3-13-26: Love
Friday Five
Crafts
Birdfeeding
Ethnic Studies
Community Thursdays
Poem: "To Understand Water"
Cyberspace Theory
Science
Today's Adventures
Safety
Birdfeeding
Science
Prairie Moon Order
Select Seeds Order
Hard Things

Linguistics has 44 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 60 comments. Safety has 54 comments. Wildlife has 48 comments. Food has 67 comments.

There will be a Bonus Fishbowl on Tuesday, March 17 with a theme of "anything goes." Think back over your favorite ideas that haven't fit a prompt call yet; you can suggest whatever you want in this one.

March Meta Matters Challenge banner

marchmetamatterschallenge is running this month. See my tracking post and the first check-in post.

The weather has been erratic here. We've had warm days. Yesterday was cold with howling wind, then pouring rain; today it snowed a bit and is still howling wind. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a mourning dove, and a fox squirrel. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. Currently blooming: crocuses, snowdrops, winter aconite, miniature irises, daffodils, squill.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This is the freebie for the March

crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by the "tape" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.

"Colorful Opportunities"

Tape is a material
that is always full of
colorful opportunities.

It can make borders and
frames on scrapbook pages.

It stripes the handles of
tools for easy identification.

It flags pages for future reading.

It makes cute cutouts for
decorating boxes and books.

Tape holds hobbies together.

Current Mood: busy

lovelyangel

I confess to having a number of fast food apps – mainly for the purpose of getting discounts (replacing the old chore of coupon clipping). Sure, the companies track my redemption habits, but I don’t really care. If they keep wanting to offer me discounts, I’m frugal enough to keep taking them.

I provide my birthday to these apps as they give me special offers for my birthday. I thought I should itemize what I got this year for future reference.

( 2026 Birthday Offers, Under the Cut )

ysabetwordsmith

Today my partner Doug asked me to remove a bunch of staples for him. I first looked for my staple remover but couldn't find it. Instead I grabbed the tiny screwdriver that I got from Power Plus at the Home and Garden Expo. It actually worked better. Because it's swag, the screwdriver tip is very thin and narrow. That made it a lot easier to slide under the ends of the staples to open them, then slide under the wide part of the wire to twist it loose. Staple removers typically have very thick teeth that can be difficult to get under the wire. So this is now my staple remover of choice, and will live in my office drawer. :D

What most people call luck or opportunity is, in my observation, largely situational awareness. I needed a tool; I thought about what would work; I used what I had. And then I noticed that it worked better than a dedicated tool from the past. A small discovery, but it makes my primate brain very happy.

Current Mood: pleased

ysabetwordsmith

AO3 BS

AO3 is apparently crashing out again... Le sigh, do NOT get me wrong I do adore that site (for reading... I've yet to use it as a writer) but damn this just keeps happening.

Frequent service outage is one of the later signs of platform degradation heading for collapse. Always stay alert for warning signs, because they help you save your data and shore up contact with friends before it is too late.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and cool with howling wind. It's up to 18mph. A beautiful day to stay indoors and write!

I fed the birds. Unsurprisingly, I haven't seen any. I expect they're all huddled in whatever shelter they can find.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 3/15/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

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

EDIT 3/15/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

A tiny scilla is blooming white in the purple-and-white garden.

It's starting to rain.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

oursin

Last week's bread held out admirably.

Friday night supper: ven pongal (South India khichchari).

Saturday breakfast rolls: eclectic vanilla, came out a bit more vanilla-y than usual.

Today's lunch: Norwegian halibut fillets panfried for slightly less long than suggested on packet, as I have found this in the past to be a bit of an over-estimate, served with samphire sauce, baby cauliflowers quartered and cooked thus (used lime and lemongrass vinegar for the acidulation) and La Ratte potatoes roasted in goosefat.

ysabetwordsmith

This video beautifully demonstrates the use of art in education, showing how trees catch and release water to help drive the hydrologic cycle. Without forests, you get a drought-flood situation instead. :/

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today we went to Middlefork at the Mall in Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana. This is a big flea market, although not quite as big as the last one we caught. We both found some great stuff.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Yesterday I discovered the Seed Library Network. I was delighted to find one near me. (See Today's Adventures for our other activities.)

Today we visited the Urbana Free Library Seed Exchange. It's on the second floor. We rode the elevator up, and the display was big enough to be seen from where the elevator lets out. Seeds are stored in drawers, sorted by type. There are sections for flowers, herbs, and vegetables. Some of the really popular ones have their own drawer; others are grouped together. Unopened packets of commercial seed are filed as they are, for folks who want to know exactly what they're getting. Opened packets or homegrown seeds are put in envelopes by library staff. With wildflower and landrace seeds, especially mixes, you may get more surprises.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: excited

ysabetwordsmith

Scared of spiders? Scientists say the real nightmare is losing them

Scientists discovered that nearly 90% of North America’s insects and arachnids have no conservation status—revealing a huge blind spot in protecting the tiny creatures that keep ecosystems running.

Spiders and insects may not be fan favorites, but they are vital to the health of ecosystems—and scientists barely know how they’re doing. Researchers found that nearly 90% of North America’s insect and arachnid species have no conservation status, leaving their fate largely unknown. Even more striking, most states don’t protect a single arachnid species. The study warns that these overlooked creatures are essential to planetary health and urgently need better monitoring and protection.

Let me be blunt here: the insect (arthropod) apocalypse is going to pull the rug out from under the biosphere. Plants are the producers for most of the ecosystem; many essential plants rely on insects for pollination or other services. And the next layer is invertebrates, mostly arthropods -- they break down dead material to a size that fungi can deal with, they pollinate, they move seeds, they feed most of the next level up such as birds, amphibians, etc. Spiders in particular keep the rest of that arthropod mess in check so we're not buried alive in flies, mosquitoes, and so on. They're some of the tiniest predators and they're absolutely vital.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

The March

crowdfunding Creative Jam is now open with a theme of "Opportunity."

What I Have Written

A prompt from

dialecticdreamer inspired the free-verse poem "Hidden Opportunities." Juan Carlos likes visiting Schrodinger's Heroes for the opportunity to step outside his usual role and relax.
70 lines, Buy It Now = $35

"Colorful Opportunities" is the freebie.

From My Prompts

gs_silva took my prompt "Opportunity is using someone else's waste product as your raw material" as inspiration for an adorable picture and description from Alien Romance. :D

Current Mood: busy

mark posting in

dw_maintenance

Happy Saturday!

I'm going to be doing a little maintenance today. It will likely cause a tiny interruption of service (specifically for www.dreamwidth.org) on the order of 2-3 minutes while some settings propagate. If you're on a journal page, that should still work throughout!

If it doesn't work, the rollback plan is pretty quick, I'm just toggling a setting on how traffic gets to the site. I'll update this post if something goes wrong, but don't anticipate any interruption to be longer than 10 minutes even in a rollback situation.

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Page generated Mar. 22nd, 2026 05:01 am

Reading

My nemesis appears

Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop

The Starship Arrives

Tagged

Fossils

Birdfeeding

A miscellanea

Monday Update 3-16-26

Poem: "Colorful Opportunities"

Birthday Freebies

Tool Use

Cyberspace Theory

Birdfeeding

Culinary

Science

Today's Adventures

Urbana Free Library Seed Exchange

Wildlife

Creative Jam

Performing some traffic maintenance today

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March 2026

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