Some literal ups and downs
Jul. 7th, 2025 07:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
allekhaSkating has been going well, despite ongoing boot issues (and I'm probably not going to get new ones from Graf before they go on summer vacation). I'm finally getting my free leg in front in spins! I conquered the stupid cassette tape crossover mohawk pattern!
Then, last week, I slipped on the stairs and fell the equivalent of three to four steps onto one foot. Be careful about stairs, everyone, that's not the first time in my life I've hurt myself on them.
I tried to look up sprain types out of curiosity and I... am not sure I actually sprained it because the pain was primarily in the front of my shin. Either way, I learned a month ago at my workplace that RICE is not really evidence-based, but we don't have much of an alternative that is. I did ice it at first to help with the pain, and I spent a day hopping around the house; heat seemed to help after the first few days when it started feeling all bruised. It's almost back to normal now, and I'm definitely looking forward to spending time on an ice rink again with the heat we've been having.
Z and I had a relaxing weekend of packing, making a snickdoodle cake, and on the second try (first ended with an anxiety attack) traveled out a bit to a pick your own lavender farm. The lavender plants were up on a beautiful hill overlooking a valley below with a swimming pond looking temptingly close.
We thought we had two bundles, but they only charged us for one. (We also thought we had two varieties, but we were told they were both 'true blue' at different stages.) They smell amazing.
And finally, we are sooooo close to closing on the house. In fact, we were told we were going to close tomorrow! And then today I got a call saying that there were last minute issues that everyone involved was trying to wrap up. So we may or may not close tomorrow. We will learn in the morning. (I also had a stressful time because I don't have a bank branch locally, but my bank's website said you can't wire transfer the amount we needed. Turns out they can if you just call them and carefully spell out every name to the operator. At one point the operator had me on hold, I put their hold music on hold because the lawyer was calling and I wanted to let them know I had figured it out after all, and also a meeting I needed to be in was starting.)
So, may or may not have a house tomorrow, we'll see! Would really like to move in before Battleship starts, especially given that I already took time off for doing so 😅
Then, last week, I slipped on the stairs and fell the equivalent of three to four steps onto one foot. Be careful about stairs, everyone, that's not the first time in my life I've hurt myself on them.
I tried to look up sprain types out of curiosity and I... am not sure I actually sprained it because the pain was primarily in the front of my shin. Either way, I learned a month ago at my workplace that RICE is not really evidence-based, but we don't have much of an alternative that is. I did ice it at first to help with the pain, and I spent a day hopping around the house; heat seemed to help after the first few days when it started feeling all bruised. It's almost back to normal now, and I'm definitely looking forward to spending time on an ice rink again with the heat we've been having.
Z and I had a relaxing weekend of packing, making a snickdoodle cake, and on the second try (first ended with an anxiety attack) traveled out a bit to a pick your own lavender farm. The lavender plants were up on a beautiful hill overlooking a valley below with a swimming pond looking temptingly close.
We thought we had two bundles, but they only charged us for one. (We also thought we had two varieties, but we were told they were both 'true blue' at different stages.) They smell amazing.
And finally, we are sooooo close to closing on the house. In fact, we were told we were going to close tomorrow! And then today I got a call saying that there were last minute issues that everyone involved was trying to wrap up. So we may or may not close tomorrow. We will learn in the morning. (I also had a stressful time because I don't have a bank branch locally, but my bank's website said you can't wire transfer the amount we needed. Turns out they can if you just call them and carefully spell out every name to the operator. At one point the operator had me on hold, I put their hold music on hold because the lawyer was calling and I wanted to let them know I had figured it out after all, and also a meeting I needed to be in was starting.)
So, may or may not have a house tomorrow, we'll see! Would really like to move in before Battleship starts, especially given that I already took time off for doing so 😅
Poem: "Tomato Seedlings in Tin Cans"
Jul. 7th, 2025 04:48 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "growth" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the series Daughters of the Apocalypse.
( Read more... )
wyld_dandelyon. It also fills the "growth" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the series Daughters of the Apocalypse.( Read more... )
Bee Food Flowers
Jul. 7th, 2025 03:11 pmysabetwordsmithScientists’ top 10 bee-magnet blooms—turn any lawn into a pollinator paradise
Botanists from the University of Copenhagen and the UK set out to find the best flower combinations for bees and hoverflies.
Danish and Welsh botanists sifted through 400 studies, field-tested seed mixes, and uncovered a lineup of native and exotic blooms that both thrill human eyes and lure bees and hoverflies in droves, offering ready-made recipes for transforming lawns, parks, and patios into vibrant pollinator hotspots.
Below are the plants recommended for European and United Kingdom uses...
( Read more... )
Botanists from the University of Copenhagen and the UK set out to find the best flower combinations for bees and hoverflies.
Danish and Welsh botanists sifted through 400 studies, field-tested seed mixes, and uncovered a lineup of native and exotic blooms that both thrill human eyes and lure bees and hoverflies in droves, offering ready-made recipes for transforming lawns, parks, and patios into vibrant pollinator hotspots.
Below are the plants recommended for European and United Kingdom uses...
( Read more... )
Monday Update 7-7-25
Jul. 7th, 2025 02:10 pmysabetwordsmithThese are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "An Interest in the Affairs of Your Government"
Poem: "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness"
Poem: "Always Surprised by Consequences"
Poem: "No Such Thing as Finished"
Geology
Birdfeeding
Today's Smoothie
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Government
Fireworks
Writing About Fireworks
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 7-4-25: Historical Fiction
Blazing the Trail: Celebrating Indigenous Fire Stewardship
Birdfeeding
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Problem-Solving
Hard Things
"Philosophical Questions: Looks" has 41 comments. "Not a Destination, But a Process" has 146 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 95 comments.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
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 Challenge 1: Light
Poem: "The Pleasure of Escaping the Responsibility"
* Sunshine Revival Challenge 2: Tunnel of Love
Poem: "Legs of Grass, Feet of Flowers"
summerofthe69 is now open! You can see the calendar here and the current themes are Tetris 69 and Body Worship 69.
"In the Heart of the Hidden Garden" is now complete! Lawrence shows Stan more of his favorite places.
The weather has been variable here. It rained yesterday and last night. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a pair of mourning doves, a male cardinal, a gray catbird, a fox squirrel, a skunk, and at least 1 probably 2 bats. 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, snowball bush, 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. Daylilies are done blooming. Cucumbers, tomatillo, and pepper have green fruit. The first 'Chocolate Sprinkles' tomato ripened and some other tomatoes are showing color. Wild strawberries, mulberries, peas, and blackberries are ripe. Black raspberries are done.
Poem: "An Interest in the Affairs of Your Government"
Poem: "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness"
Poem: "Always Surprised by Consequences"
Poem: "No Such Thing as Finished"
Geology
Birdfeeding
Today's Smoothie
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Government
Fireworks
Writing About Fireworks
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 7-4-25: Historical Fiction
Blazing the Trail: Celebrating Indigenous Fire Stewardship
Birdfeeding
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Problem-Solving
Hard Things
"Philosophical Questions: Looks" has 41 comments. "Not a Destination, But a Process" has 146 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 95 comments.
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 Challenge 1: Light
Poem: "The Pleasure of Escaping the Responsibility"
* Sunshine Revival Challenge 2: Tunnel of Love
Poem: "Legs of Grass, Feet of Flowers"
summerofthe69 is now open! You can see the calendar here and the current themes are Tetris 69 and Body Worship 69."In the Heart of the Hidden Garden" is now complete! Lawrence shows Stan more of his favorite places.
The weather has been variable here. It rained yesterday and last night. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a pair of mourning doves, a male cardinal, a gray catbird, a fox squirrel, a skunk, and at least 1 probably 2 bats. 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, snowball bush, 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. Daylilies are done blooming. Cucumbers, tomatillo, and pepper have green fruit. The first 'Chocolate Sprinkles' tomato ripened and some other tomatoes are showing color. Wild strawberries, mulberries, peas, and blackberries are ripe. Black raspberries are done.
Fanfic: Triangle
Jul. 7th, 2025 08:39 pmscifirenegadeTitle: Triangle
Rating: General
Fandom: Ich und die Kaiserin (1933)
Pairing(s) / Character(s): Didier/Marquis(/Juliette)
Warnings: n/a
Spoilers: not really
Note: Forfic_promptly. Prompt was "any / any / we're dating the same person so... what are we?".
They're getting there.
( Read more... )
Rating: General
Fandom: Ich und die Kaiserin (1933)
Pairing(s) / Character(s): Didier/Marquis(/Juliette)
Warnings: n/a
Spoilers: not really
Note: For
fic_promptly. Prompt was "any / any / we're dating the same person so... what are we?".They're getting there.
( Read more... )
Birdfeeding
Jul. 7th, 2025 01:59 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly sunny and warm. It rained yesterday and last night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and at least one mourning dove.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I harvested a handful of peapods for supper. :D
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I took some pictures around the yard.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I trimmed brush in the prairie garden.
The first of the gladioli are blooming in the telephone pole garden and notch of the prairie garden. A sunflower is blooming in the telephone pole garden too.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I cut some of the brush into sticks for making bonfire cores.
.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and at least one mourning dove.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I harvested a handful of peapods for supper. :D
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I took some pictures around the yard.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I trimmed brush in the prairie garden.
The first of the gladioli are blooming in the telephone pole garden and notch of the prairie garden. A sunflower is blooming in the telephone pole garden too.
EDIT 7/7/25 -- I cut some of the brush into sticks for making bonfire cores.
.
Poem: "An Interest in the Affairs of Your Government"
Jul. 6th, 2025 10:49 pmysabetwordsmithThis 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.
( Read more... )
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... )
Poem: "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness"
Jul. 6th, 2025 10:20 pmysabetwordsmithThis 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.
( Read more... )
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... )
Poem: "Always Surprised by Consequences"
Jul. 6th, 2025 10:05 pmysabetwordsmithThis 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.
( Read more... )
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... )
Poem: "No Such Thing as Finished"
Jul. 6th, 2025 06:18 pmysabetwordsmithThis 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.
( Read more... )
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... )
Geology
Jul. 6th, 2025 04:15 pmysabetwordsmithDefying 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.
Birdfeeding
Jul. 6th, 2025 02:06 pmysabetwordsmithToday 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