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Join the Christmas Bird Count from December 14-January 5. This is a popular piece of citizen science. To participate, see a map of active circles to find one near you. If you're inside one, you can also count birds at your own feeders.

Are you taking pictures of birds in your locale? Share them on

birdfeeding and see what other folks have in their areas.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy, chilly, and foggy. Much of the snow is melting or subliming with the water vapor just hanging in the air.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I bagged up Pink, Johnathan, and Johnagold apple seeds with damp sand to cold-stratify in the kitchen.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

The three act structure and holidays

So, now, I'm thinking of organizing holidays/really exciting events around these three factors:
* buildup appropriate to the event (edit: with a sense of joy and wonder, as a friend points out)
* a climax that is fun/exciting/enjoyable enough to justify all the buildup
* the day of the event should be low enough stress that the participants have the energy to enjoy it

This is a very astute analysis of holidays, how they work, and how to make them enjoyable. While it can't fix the problem of holiday sprawl in the wider culture, it CAN make a huge difference in how you approach them personally or as a family to create better experiences.

I've got a long comment under this post discussing some of my observations and practices too.

Current Mood: busy

maju

When I answered the question about "something you wish you had done earlier in life" with "travelling", I was reminded that the other night I was lying in bed planning out a short road trip for myself to Provincetown, MA. Living here with my daughter, I am free to go away on short or long trips without having to worry about leaving my house empty or having to arrange pet care, so what is stopping me? At the moment, the thing that's stopping me is the arrival of winter; I have no desire to be driving in snow and/or ice. But next spring I could think of some places I could get to by car within a few hours drive of here. Like Provincetown. S and I spent a night there on our north eastern road trip back in about 2015 (I think), but due to less than perfect trip planning, it took us twelve or so hours to get there and we arrived exhausted late in the day, and then because we had accommodation booked further north, we left fairly early the next morning and didn't spend much time seeing the town. It appears to be about a four hour drive from here and it wouldn't be too tiring to drive over, spend a couple of nights, and drive back, and that would give me a day to walk around exploring. It's such a small town that that would probably be plenty of time. I'd also like to explore more or northern New York State, which S and I also visited on the same north east road trip.

full_metal_ox posting in

fancake

Fandom: Lord of the Rings; How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Pairings/Characters: Gen; Sauron, the Mouth of Sauron, Pippin, Sam Gamgee, the Hobbit community
Rating: General Audiences
Length: (Fic) 957 words; (Comic) 30 panels
Content Notes: No Archive Warnings Apply
Creator Tags:
Erisif | Valarhalla: #i could have done something useful today #instead i wrote this #i hate myself
english-history-trip: #lotr #nonsense #well that was my day how was yours #why is sauron in a cave and then a tower #go to hell that's why #why is frodo bartholomew cubbins instead of a who #the answer won't surprise you

Creator Links:
(Fic): Elisif: (AO3)

Elisif; (Tumblr)

valarhalla
(Fancomic): english-history-trip: (Tumblr)

english-history-trip

Theme: Amnesty, Crack, Crossovers/Fusions, Just Plain Fun, Non-Fic Recs: Fanart, Non-Fic Recs: Fancomic, Poetry, Tumblore

Summary: Every being in Eä liked peacetime a lot…
But Sauron, who was also in Eä, did NOT.

Reccer's Notes: Elisif’s retelling of The War of the Ring in Seussian rhyming verse, firmly informed by The Lore, maps the Shire onto Whoville without introducing an anachronistic Christmas (that’s for Narnia.)

And then, in proper cumulative Tumbloric fashion, english-history-trip proceeds to remix Seussian illustrations to match. (Spoiler: Sauron does not experience redemptive cardiac enlargement; another character gets to preside over the grand climactic celebration.)

Fanwork Links:

Fic: AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26135110
Tumblr: https://valarhalla.tumblr.com/post/190955320437/every-being-in-eä-liked-peacetime-a-lot-but

Fancomic: https://english-history-trip.tumblr.com/post/636994579930939392/english-history-trip-english-history-trip-part

maju

5. What artistic medium do you use to express yourself? The only artistic things I do are knitting, crocheting, and sewing, so I guess those.

6. Who or what is the greatest enemy of mankind? Greed.

7. What’s something you wish you had done earlier in life? More travelling.

maju

I am disgusted. I wasted a *lot* of money on socks that don't keep my feet warm, and also that aren't quite big enough. The socks I've been wearing in winter for years are 100% wool smartwool maximum cushion hiking socks, and I thought that was what I was buying last week when I ordered socks from Amazon. However, when they arrived they turned out to be 74% wool and 26% various other materials including nylon, although they are still marketed as max cushion wool hiking socks. I've been wearing one of the new pairs all day and my toes have been getting colder and colder, so I've just changed to the one clean pair of older socks on hand. Also, between us, S and I had some pairs in size medium and some pairs in size large, and the medium fitted me better so this time I ordered medium, but they aren't big enough. Obviously Smartwool has changed the way they make socks in the years since I last bought any, and not for the better. And even if I went to an actual shop to buy socks, it wouldn't be possible to try them on before buying, and there would be no way to know whether they worked well to keep my feet warm before wearing them for a few hours. I think what I really need is new feet with better circulation.

oursin

This week's bread: Country Oatmeal aka Monastery Loaf from Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno's Bread (2:1:1 wholemeal/strong white/pinhead oatmeal), a bit dense and rough-textured - the recipe says medium oatmeal, which has seemed hard to come by for months now (I actually physically popped into a Holland and Barrett when I was out and about the other day and boy, they are all about the Supplements these days and a lot less about the nice organic grains and pulses, sigh, no oatmeal, no cornmeal, etc etc wo wo deth of siv etc). Bread tasty though.

Friday night supper: groceries arrived sufficiently early in the pm for me to have time to make up the dough and put the filling to simmer for sardegnera with pepperoni.

Saturday breakfast rolls: adaptable soft rolls recipe, 4:1 strong white/buckwheat flour, dried blueberries, Rayner's Barley Malt Extracxt, turned out very nicely.

Today's lunch: savoury clafoutis with Exotic Mushroom Mix (shiitake + 3 sorts of oyster mushroom) and garlic, served with baby (adolescent) rainbow carrots roasted in sunflower and sesame oil, tossed with a little sugar and mirin at the end, and sweetstem cauliflower (some of which was PURPLE) roasted in pumpkin seed oil with cumin seeds.

lilliane posting in

holiday_wishes

Hi! I'm Lilliane, a 60 yo person who has chronic illnesses & is disabled, neurodivergent and newly diagnosed with brain cancer (biopsy being performed on 12/9/2025) who is not only looking for some assistance this holiday season but is also looking to help others in this community!

It is my 4th year participating and while it's been a tough year, it's been nothing compared to the last two weeks. Being diagnosed with a brain tumor (Glioblastoma), having a stroke and a seizure is no joke, boys and girls. Not even close.

Some of the things that I would love to give & receive this year are:

1) Correspondence via email or snail mail! Contact me via my Inbox here and I will give you an email address or my snail mail address, whichever is to your liking. It could be exchanging holiday cards, postcards, or even letters/emails throughout the year. I, of course, will be reaching out to those of you who wish for the same.

2) Groceries and prescriptions are more and more difficult to come by, as I think they are for a lot of folks, particularly this year and going into 2026. I would be grateful for any denomination of Walmart, Kroger, or VISA gift cards. Physical ones are fine, please ask for an address (obviously) but probably the quickest and simplest way are probably e-cards.

3) Be of service to your local animal shelter, library, memory home, art program, unhoused shelter, aging agency or city council in your community. It is so important to give back in your community if you are able to! There are so many different ways to be of service, not just monetarily. Even one hour of helping a senior at the library every week learn to use the computer, or bring a neighbor some groceries each week, read to a blind person or a child who is not yet able to read, help the local shelter get dogs out of their cages for a day outside…so many different ways to assist! You can even write letters or send cards to people in nursing homes! Get your kids or spouse involved and have fun with it!

4) I have an Amazon wish list: Lilliane's Wish List
I have all sorts of things on here, and trust me, they do NOT have to come from Amazon. If you wish to send them from somewhere else, like walmart.com or even yourself, just ask for my address. My roommate says my list is boring and made me add fun stuff. Not sure how I feel about that. :-)

5) Be kind to each other. It’s free, and I think we can ALL use a bit of kindness each and every day. However, remember to not confuse kindness and niceness, there is a distinct difference!

Thank you for taking the time to read wishes and help each other out! You are all fantastic!

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: Athens, GA, USA
Current Music: The dryer

marycatelli posting in

book_love

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14 by Nekokurage

The tales continue. Spoilers for the earlier ones ahead.

( Read more... )

$mdlbear: blue fractal bear with text "since 2002" (Default)$

mdlbear

There were some real lows this week -- possibly having less to do with Leslie Fish's death (see Sunday) than with my realization on Tuesday that I was a month away from Colleen's and my 50th anniversary. Possibly also including communicating with my healthcare providers, which required an email to my GP's clinic (also on Tuesday) and a phone call to my oncologist's office on Friday. I prefer using a website, but both websides and the app are broken in various ways.

And Tuesday evening there was a huge wave of something negative, but I've no idea what or why.

However, I got the things done. And there were also a couple of unexpected highs, notably Thursday afternoon when somebody from the family of previous occupants came over to get a misdirected package. And I was able to hand them a nearly-full grocery bag of stuff that had accumulated over the last year, and which I had failed to find the last couple of times I had a chance. As I noted afterwards, it apparently doesn't take much to lift my spirits for a few moments.

But four walks, and four (admittedly short) guitar sessions. I'll take it. And today is my daughter's 7th anniversary! (I had forgotten, but I'd gotten a DM Friday night to say that they needed money because their car had died. Good timing.)

Linkies! Raccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floor. Dumuzi's Dream - world's first film in ancient Sumerian. (With subtitles, of course.)

( Notes & links, as usual )

Current Location: Schildhaven in Den Haag

susandennis

When someone dies here, they put out a small frame with or without their photo and with their name and birth and death dates. It stays for a week. I have seen weeks when there were 5 or 6 frames out. But, lately, like since Halloween, deaths have been few and far between. It's been a few frameless weeks. Until yesterday. When I got out of the elevator on the way back from volleyball, there was a group of non-residents getting in discussing funeral plans so I knew the no deaths string was broken. Turns out it was Harriet's husband. Harriet was the first person who ever left me a thank you note for my creatures. I did not even know who she was then. But now I do. She's a force. She's in charge of the pea patch program and next year will be head of the Food and Beverage Committee. And she has a giant golden retriever named Apple. She and Apple sometimes visit volleyball on their way back from morning walks. Also Apple has a job visiting folks in the memory wing.

I never knew her husband but saw them at the Abba cover concert last year. He needed a walker to move but clearly was ready to boogie. He kept getting up to try and dance and she kept getting up to try and stop him. Over and over and over again. He looked like a ton of fun. As most of us here, I have a healthy stash of sympathy cards. I'll drop one off for her on my way to swim this morning.

It's still dark out and foggy. Perfect for swimming. I think I'll go do that.

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have twin sons who are in college at different schools. They are good kids but a bit young for their age. I don't think either of them has ever dated. I have always taught them that they should have enough money to take a woman out on a date, and right now they aren't working. I offered to give them some cash to help them in case they do want to take someone on a date, but so far neither has taken me up on it. Have I done something wrong as a mother? Why are they so delayed? -- Arrested Development

( Read more... )

conuly posting in

agonyaunt

Dear Care and Feeding,

My sister openly doesn’t like me (and has said so publicly and directly), though we manage well enough for family events. I get along with my brother and his wife, but they are horrible at communication and interact with my sister more frequently. My dad gets along with all of us and is good at communication, but lives in denial of all weird family dynamics.

Around every holiday season or major family function, I get left out of crucial information regarding plans, transportation, emergency changes, etc. One consistent hurdle: Brother or Dad tells Sister something and assumes she will pass it on to me, and she doesn’t. I have explicitly told them both to stop doing this, and they just forget, leaving me scrambling when they ask why I haven’t RSVP’d/contributed to a group gift/etc. On the flip side, neither of my siblings is particularly good about getting back to me when I reach out to them, so asking directly doesn’t help either. (Brother and his wife are notoriously bad at responses with everyone, so it’s not personal, just frustrating.) One workaround I’ve discovered is to ask Dad to reach out on my behalf, because that guarantees an actual response, but it’s irritating that I have to resort to that to get basic information like, “What time do you expect me to arrive at your house?” Is there anything I can do to make this easier?

—It’s Mean Girls Meets Finding Dory

( Read more... )

geraineon posting in

cnovels

Thank you to the mysterious benefactor,

cnovels community is paid till 2026-01-22!

We should use more of the paid account features, like making polls and stuff.

(This is me, encouraging you to post silly-to-serious polls, while we have the power to do so!)

m_findlow posting in

fandomweekly

Theme Prompt: #282 - Catharsis
Title: Necessary distraction
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: After a difficult day, each of them has their own way of dealing with it.

( Read more... )

ysabetwordsmith

How Fayetteville’s New Program Makes It Easy To Build Housing

Fayetteville, Arkansas, just gave residents something rare in the world of housing development: a clear, predictable, and affordable path to building.

Any town could do things like these to address their housing issues. Here are some toolkits you can use in your hometown. Now let's look at some things Fayetteville did right, that remind me of Terramagne-America...

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Thanks to sponsorship from

gothfvck, you can now read my poem "The Sound of Celebration" over on

tfc_musicianships.

Current Mood: accomplished

kalloway posting in

mobilegames

This is the December 7th Weekly Megapost & Chat!

Things you can do in the comments-

- trade friend codes
- ask about games
- post about in-game events
- anything you don't want to make an individual post about
- share how the RNG is treating you

Quick admin note: While fanworks may be posted here, on weekends, I have amended the guideline to note that no AI slop/generative-AI content may be posted. (Also, communities like

videogamefanworks might be a better fit anyway.)

ysabetwordsmith

Rhode Island's $85 Million Expansion Masquerading as Maintenance

The Ocean State’s roads and bridges are failing. Rather than prioritizing repair, officials pursued an $85 million expansion that will cost decades of future maintenance.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

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Ricky Buchanan

Not Done Living!

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Christmas Bird Count

Birdfeeding

Holiday Activities

(no subject)

Lord of the Rings; How the Grinch Stole Christmas: How Sauron Stole Eä, by Elisif.

365 Questions 2025

(no subject)

Culinary

Holiday Wishes 2025!

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14

Done Since 2025-11-30

Death spurts

(no subject)

(no subject)

Paid account status

[#282] NECESSARY DISTRACTION (TORCHWOOD)

Affordable Housing

Read "The Sound of Celebration"

This is the December 7th Weekly Megapost & Chat!

Economics

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