Jul. 6th, 2025 11:15 pm
Jul. 7th, 2025 08:34 am
2025/103: Hemlock and Silver — T Kingfisher
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tamaranth2025/103: Hemlock and Silver — T Kingfisher
I had just taken poison when the king arrived to inform me that he had murdered his wife. [opening line]
A new T Kingfisher novel is always a delight, and Hemlock and Silver -- a dark and occasionally horrific riff on 'Snow White' -- has brought me great joy, right from that opening line.
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Jul. 6th, 2025 10:49 pm
Poem: "An Interest in the Affairs of Your Government"
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the March 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "Secrets" square in my 3-1-25 card for the Tolkien Bingo Fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.
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wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "Secrets" square in my 3-1-25 card for the Tolkien Bingo Fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.( Read more... )
Jul. 6th, 2025 10:20 pm
Poem: "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness"
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the July 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles. It also fills the "close-knit community" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family; it follows "Signs of Their Trespass," so read that first or this won't make much sense.
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janetmiles. It also fills the "close-knit community" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family; it follows "Signs of Their Trespass," so read that first or this won't make much sense.( Read more... )
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Jul. 6th, 2025 10:05 pm
Poem: "Always Surprised by Consequences"
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the July 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from rix_scaedu. It also fills "The Harder They Fall" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.
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rix_scaedu. It also fills "The Harder They Fall" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.( Read more... )
Jul. 6th, 2025 06:18 pm
Poem: "No Such Thing as Finished"
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the July 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from jake67jake. It also fills the "He's all hat and no cattle." square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.
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jake67jake. It also fills the "He's all hat and no cattle." square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.( Read more... )
Jul. 6th, 2025 04:15 pm
Geology
ysabetwordsmithDefying physics: This rare crystal cools itself using pure magnetism
Research team identifies atacamite as a magnetocaloric material.
Deep in Chile’s Atacama Desert, scientists studied a green crystal called atacamite—and discovered it can cool itself dramatically when placed in a magnetic field. Unlike a regular fridge, this effect doesn’t rely on gases or compressors. Instead, it’s tied to the crystal’s unusual inner structure, where tiny magnetic forces get tangled in a kind of “frustration.” When those tangled forces are disrupted by magnetism, the crystal suddenly drops in temperature. It’s a strange, natural trick that could someday help us build greener, more efficient ways to cool things.
Research team identifies atacamite as a magnetocaloric material.
Deep in Chile’s Atacama Desert, scientists studied a green crystal called atacamite—and discovered it can cool itself dramatically when placed in a magnetic field. Unlike a regular fridge, this effect doesn’t rely on gases or compressors. Instead, it’s tied to the crystal’s unusual inner structure, where tiny magnetic forces get tangled in a kind of “frustration.” When those tangled forces are disrupted by magnetism, the crystal suddenly drops in temperature. It’s a strange, natural trick that could someday help us build greener, more efficient ways to cool things.
Jul. 6th, 2025 02:06 pm
Birdfeeding
ysabetwordsmithToday is mostly cloudy and sweltering.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds. Bees are visiting the small metal birdbath again.
EDIT 7/6/25 -- It's raining, so I won't have to water anything today. :D
.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds. Bees are visiting the small metal birdbath again.
EDIT 7/6/25 -- It's raining, so I won't have to water anything today. :D
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Jul. 8th, 2025 07:54 am
Oh, I like this word!
conulyEirenicon: A proposal to resolve disputes and reconcile differences in order to advance peace, strengthen or establish unity, or foster solidarity.
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Jul. 5th, 2025 10:39 pm
Today's Smoothie
ysabetwordsmithToday we made a smoothie with:
1 cup orange juice
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup ice
The result is bright pink and on the thin side. It tastes mostly of orange. It's okay, but not as good as the tropical version from earlier.
1 cup orange juice
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup ice
The result is bright pink and on the thin side. It tastes mostly of orange. It's okay, but not as good as the tropical version from earlier.
Jul. 5th, 2025 05:19 pm
Early Humans
ysabetwordsmith125,000-year-old ‘fat factory’ run by Neanderthals discovered in Germany
Stone Age humans living by a lake in what’s now Germany systematically processed animal carcasses for fatty nutrients — essentially running what scientists describe as a “fat factory” to boil bones on a vast scale, according to new research.
Note that another thing you can make with animal fat is pemmican: a stable, high-energy trail food made with fat, powdered meat, and a carbohydrate such as berries. Since it's not something you'd make in a hot climate like Africa (where humans evolved) but rather in a cold climate (such as northern Europe), I'm suddenly wondering if it is in fact a Neanderthal or Denisovan recipe.
Stone Age humans living by a lake in what’s now Germany systematically processed animal carcasses for fatty nutrients — essentially running what scientists describe as a “fat factory” to boil bones on a vast scale, according to new research.
Note that another thing you can make with animal fat is pemmican: a stable, high-energy trail food made with fat, powdered meat, and a carbohydrate such as berries. Since it's not something you'd make in a hot climate like Africa (where humans evolved) but rather in a cold climate (such as northern Europe), I'm suddenly wondering if it is in fact a Neanderthal or Denisovan recipe.
Jul. 5th, 2025 03:12 pm
Birdfeeding
ysabetwordsmithToday is partly sunny and hot.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, plus some brown birds that might be female blackbirds.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I refilled the thistle feeder.
I picked up the concrete paver that we used for fireworks last night, along with scraps of paper and cardboard left behind.
Volunteer sunflowers are blooming under the fly-through feeder.
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I picked a handful of blackberries in the prairie garden.
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and some of the savanna seedlings. A sunflower in the telephone pole garden is close to blooming. :D
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I pulled some weeds from the septic garden.
Fireflies are out. Cicadas are singing.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, plus some brown birds that might be female blackbirds.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I refilled the thistle feeder.
I picked up the concrete paver that we used for fireworks last night, along with scraps of paper and cardboard left behind.
Volunteer sunflowers are blooming under the fly-through feeder.
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I picked a handful of blackberries in the prairie garden.
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and some of the savanna seedlings. A sunflower in the telephone pole garden is close to blooming. :D
EDIT 4/5/25 -- I pulled some weeds from the septic garden.
Fireflies are out. Cicadas are singing.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Jul. 5th, 2025 02:21 pm
Poem: "Legs of Grass, Feet of Flowers"
ysabetwordsmithThis poem was written for the Sunshine Revival Challenge 2: Tunnel of Love. It also fills the "buffalo" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo Fest.
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Jul. 5th, 2025 12:56 pm
Sunshine Revival Challenge 2: Tunnel of Love
ysabetwordsmithSunshine Revival Challenge 2: Tunnel of Love
Journaling: The romance of summer! What do you love? Write about anything you feel sentimental about or that gets your heart pumping.
Creative: Write a love poem to anyone or anything you like
See "Poem: Legs of Grass, Feet of Flowers."
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.
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Journaling: The romance of summer! What do you love? Write about anything you feel sentimental about or that gets your heart pumping.
Creative: Write a love poem to anyone or anything you like
See "Poem: Legs of Grass, Feet of Flowers."
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.
( Read more... )
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Jul. 5th, 2025 01:05 pm
(no subject)
angrbodaIt's Book Swap Day* at the library. Last time I was lucky and found both volumes of a book by one of my favourite authors. This time I came out with almost the whole Masters of Rome series plus a bonus one about Troy, all by Colleen McCullough. Only the last one is missing from the Masters of Rome series. I'm sure I can source that some other how when I get that far. There's a lot of text to get through first. I have never actually read anything by this author before, but hey, there's literally nothing to lose by not trying and if I don't like them, they can just go back again.
*This is awesome. They do it I think once a month. You can donate books you don't want anymore (there are a few exceptions that they don't want) and you can take any books that seem interesting to you. It doesn't cost anything and you don't have to bring a book to take a book. I've found some gold nuggets there! (And a few regrets. Last time I stupidly didn't take the full set of 1001 Nights. 16 volumes. I think they were even illustrated. I don't know what I was thinking)
*This is awesome. They do it I think once a month. You can donate books you don't want anymore (there are a few exceptions that they don't want) and you can take any books that seem interesting to you. It doesn't cost anything and you don't have to bring a book to take a book. I've found some gold nuggets there! (And a few regrets. Last time I stupidly didn't take the full set of 1001 Nights. 16 volumes. I think they were even illustrated. I don't know what I was thinking)
Jul. 6th, 2025 06:43 am
Well, that was unexpected and unpleasant
conuly( Though, upon reflection, it's surprising that this hasn't happened before in 30+ years of menstruation )
I'd say that was the worst thing to happen this weekend, but then I glanced at the news, and how do things keep getting worse? I thought we might at least get a reprieve over the holiday weekend, Congress would all go on vacation and not pass any terrible bills in the interim, but I guess not.
I'm not linking to it, not today. I know how to take a break, even if they don't. Take this article on amenorrhea instead.
I'd say that was the worst thing to happen this weekend, but then I glanced at the news, and how do things keep getting worse? I thought we might at least get a reprieve over the holiday weekend, Congress would all go on vacation and not pass any terrible bills in the interim, but I guess not.
I'm not linking to it, not today. I know how to take a break, even if they don't. Take this article on amenorrhea instead.
Jul. 5th, 2025 09:21 am
2025/102: When Women Were Dragons — Kelly Barnhill
tamaranth2025/102: When Women Were Dragons — Kelly Barnhill
[Author's Note] I thought I was writing a story about rage. I wasn’t. There is certainly rage in this novel, but it is about more than that. In its heart, this is a story about memory, and trauma. It’s about the damage we do to ourselves and our community when we refuse to talk about the past. It’s about the memories that we don’t understand, and can’t put into context, until we learn more about the world. [p. 366]
Reread for Lockdown bookclub: original review here. I liked it even more the second time around, though I found myself focussing more on the silences, absences and unspoken truths of Alex's childhood than on the natural history of dragons. Interestingly, it felt a lot more hopeful when I read it in 2022 than now, nearly three years later.
Discussed with book club. Reactions were mixed. We wanted more about knots, and whether they were actually magic.
