May the Fourth Be With You
May. 4th, 2026 01:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithToday is Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you! Here are some ideas to celebrate it.
ysabetwordsmith
Monday Update 5-4-26
May. 4th, 2026 12:10 amysabetwordsmithThese are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Science
Books
Safety
Birdfeeding
Science
Today's Adventures
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Government
A Day Away
Greek Myth Fest Bingo Card 5-1-26
Today's Adventures
Friday Five
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 5-1-26: Movies
Bingo
New Year's Resolutions Check In
Community Thursdays
Birdfeeding
Poetry Fishbowl Report for April 7, 2026
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Gaming
Cuddle Party
Poem: "Walnut Park" has 42 comments. Early Humans has 22 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 67 comments. Safety has 78 comments.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth is running April 25-May 15. People aim to make a new post each day, or participate in various activities to celebrate the platform.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction to Becoming an Expert
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Architecture
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Dance
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Music
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Painting
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Poetry
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Sculpture
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Conflict Resolution
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Cooking
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Coping Skills
Censorship
"No Faster or Firmer Friendships" has 50 new verses. It belongs to Polychrome Heroics and needs $35 to be complete. Josué reads a funny poem to Maria-Vera.
The weather has been variable here. We got some rain the other day. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a pair of cardinals, a brown thrasher, and a fox squirrel. I heard a bluejay screaming but didn't see it. Currently blooming: violets, pansies, violas, sweet alyssum, bleeding heart, alliums, marigolds, honeysuckle, raspberies, snapdragons, lantana, million bells, blue lobelia, petunias, portulaca, nemesia, wild chives, star of Bethlehem, wood hyacinths, columbine. Flower buds: peonies, irises. Green fruit: mulberries.
Science
Books
Safety
Birdfeeding
Science
Today's Adventures
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Government
A Day Away
Greek Myth Fest Bingo Card 5-1-26
Today's Adventures
Friday Five
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 5-1-26: Movies
Bingo
New Year's Resolutions Check In
Community Thursdays
Birdfeeding
Poetry Fishbowl Report for April 7, 2026
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Gaming
Cuddle Party
Poem: "Walnut Park" has 42 comments. Early Humans has 22 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 67 comments. Safety has 78 comments.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth is running April 25-May 15. People aim to make a new post each day, or participate in various activities to celebrate the platform.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Introduction to Becoming an Expert
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Architecture
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Dance
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Music
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Painting
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Poetry
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Sculpture
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Conflict Resolution
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Cooking
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Coping Skills
Censorship
"No Faster or Firmer Friendships" has 50 new verses. It belongs to Polychrome Heroics and needs $35 to be complete. Josué reads a funny poem to Maria-Vera.
The weather has been variable here. We got some rain the other day. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a pair of cardinals, a brown thrasher, and a fox squirrel. I heard a bluejay screaming but didn't see it. Currently blooming: violets, pansies, violas, sweet alyssum, bleeding heart, alliums, marigolds, honeysuckle, raspberies, snapdragons, lantana, million bells, blue lobelia, petunias, portulaca, nemesia, wild chives, star of Bethlehem, wood hyacinths, columbine. Flower buds: peonies, irises. Green fruit: mulberries.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Coping Skills
May. 4th, 2026 12:01 amysabetwordsmithThis year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about reading as a way of becoming an expert in a given subject. Read Part 1: Introduction to Becoming an Expert, Part 2: Architecture, Part 3: Dance, Part 4: Music, Part 5: Painting, Part 6: Poetry, Part 7: Sculpture, Part 8: Conflict Resolution, Part 9: Cooking.
Coping skills make up a toolkit for dealing with stress and challenges. Broad categories include distraction, grounding, emotional relief, self-love, thought challenge, and higher self. Different methods suit different kinds of difficulty. It is important to develop a wide variety of coping skills so that you have something to suit most issues you encounter. Here on Dreamwidth, consider![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
awesomeers, birdfeeding, bloomandawaken, books, cherishchanges, gardening, goals_on_dw, journalsandplanners, recipecommunity, or thankfulthursday
( Read more... )
Coping skills make up a toolkit for dealing with stress and challenges. Broad categories include distraction, grounding, emotional relief, self-love, thought challenge, and higher self. Different methods suit different kinds of difficulty. It is important to develop a wide variety of coping skills so that you have something to suit most issues you encounter. Here on Dreamwidth, consider
awesomeers, birdfeeding, bloomandawaken, books, cherishchanges, gardening, goals_on_dw, journalsandplanners, recipecommunity, or thankfulthursday( Read more... )
Science
May. 3rd, 2026 11:21 pmysabetwordsmithNew tree genus discovered that is related to tomatoes and potatoes
Scientists have identified a rare Andean forest tree related to tomatoes and potatoes as a plant group never named before.
The discovery redraws part of the nightshade family and ties the tree to plant chemicals with medical power.
Scientists have identified a rare Andean forest tree related to tomatoes and potatoes as a plant group never named before.
The discovery redraws part of the nightshade family and ties the tree to plant chemicals with medical power.
Censorship
May. 3rd, 2026 09:39 pmysabetwordsmithThis year I've spotted multiple events and venues doing Three Weeks for Dreamwidth that are also banning Harry Potter and generative AI content. If someone wants to do this in their own event or venue, that's their choice. But when they do it in a way that makes it seem like a parameter of Three Weeks for Dreamwidth as a whole, that is not true and not okay. The one core activity of Three Weeks for Dreamwidth is blogging every day, on ANY topic.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Safety
May. 3rd, 2026 02:07 pmysabetwordsmithWhy the U.S. struggles to track heat deaths and protect people from extreme temperatures
A new analysis has revealed that the United States cannot reliably count heat deaths or identify who must act when temperatures turn dangerous.
That failure can turn a clear forecast into a patchy response, leaving protection to depend on local records, budgets, and authority.
TL;DR -- People don't give a shit.
However, there are things that any individual, organization, or town can do about this even in the absence of effective government or societal action.
( Read more... )
A new analysis has revealed that the United States cannot reliably count heat deaths or identify who must act when temperatures turn dangerous.
That failure can turn a clear forecast into a patchy response, leaving protection to depend on local records, budgets, and authority.
TL;DR -- People don't give a shit.
However, there are things that any individual, organization, or town can do about this even in the absence of effective government or societal action.
( Read more... )
Birdfeeding
May. 3rd, 2026 01:42 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly sunny, windy, and cool.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I planted the lantana in a pot and the lady's mantle in the strip herb garden.
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I planted the ice plant in the mauve pot and put it on the old picnic table.
The weather has turned cloudy with howling wind. >_<
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I planted the hoary vervain in the wildflower garden.
I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I planted the lantana in a pot and the lady's mantle in the strip herb garden.
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I planted the ice plant in the mauve pot and put it on the old picnic table.
The weather has turned cloudy with howling wind. >_<
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I planted the hoary vervain in the wildflower garden.
I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.
EDIT 5/3/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Cooking
May. 3rd, 2026 12:25 amysabetwordsmithThis year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about reading as a way of becoming an expert in a given subject. Read Part 1: Introduction to Becoming an Expert, Part 2: Architecture, Part 3: Dance, Part 4: Music, Part 5: Painting, Part 6: Poetry, Part 7: Sculpture, Part 8: Conflict Resolution.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Part 9: Cooking
Cooking is a skillset for preparing food to be eaten. It refers to heat, but not all food necessarily heated -- think salads, ice cream, and so on. Aspects include a variety of kitchen skills such as knife work and making sauces, cooking methods such as steaming or grilling, and specific appliances such as a crockpot or microwave oven. Everyone needs to eat, so it's best for each person to have at least some cooking skill. All cultures have their own foodways. Here on Dreamwidth, check outthecookbook, creative_cooks, fresh_haul, recipecommunity, veg_life, and vegansofdreamwidth.
( Read more... )
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Part 9: Cooking
Cooking is a skillset for preparing food to be eaten. It refers to heat, but not all food necessarily heated -- think salads, ice cream, and so on. Aspects include a variety of kitchen skills such as knife work and making sauces, cooking methods such as steaming or grilling, and specific appliances such as a crockpot or microwave oven. Everyone needs to eat, so it's best for each person to have at least some cooking skill. All cultures have their own foodways. Here on Dreamwidth, check out
thecookbook, creative_cooks, fresh_haul, recipecommunity, veg_life, and vegansofdreamwidth.( Read more... )
Science
May. 2nd, 2026 11:43 pmysabetwordsmithThe “big one” might not come alone: Double West Coast earthquake threat
Two of the most dangerous fault systems on the U.S. West Coast may be more connected than scientists once thought. New research suggests the Cascadia subduction zone and the San Andreas fault can “sync up,” triggering earthquakes within minutes or hours of each other. This rare “synchronization” could dramatically increase the scale of a major West Coast disaster. Instead of one massive quake, multiple regions could be hit at nearly the same time.
( Read more... )
Two of the most dangerous fault systems on the U.S. West Coast may be more connected than scientists once thought. New research suggests the Cascadia subduction zone and the San Andreas fault can “sync up,” triggering earthquakes within minutes or hours of each other. This rare “synchronization” could dramatically increase the scale of a major West Coast disaster. Instead of one massive quake, multiple regions could be hit at nearly the same time.
( Read more... )
Climate Change
May. 2nd, 2026 09:24 pmysabetwordsmithReducing air pollution has triggered something worse that scientists didn't predict
Scientists have determined that “marine cloud reflectivity,” caused by cleaner air, has dropped by roughly 2.8 percent per decade across the North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific.
Together, those regions span about one-seventh of the planet’s surface, making even small changes in brightness significant on a global scale.
A solution-caused problem. O_O Well, that sucks.
Scientists have determined that “marine cloud reflectivity,” caused by cleaner air, has dropped by roughly 2.8 percent per decade across the North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific.
Together, those regions span about one-seventh of the planet’s surface, making even small changes in brightness significant on a global scale.
A solution-caused problem. O_O Well, that sucks.
May Day Full Flower Moon.
May. 2nd, 2026 03:10 pmfull_metal_ox posting in common_natureTaken at 22:25 Eastern US Daylight Time over the parking lot joining Winn-Dixie and a local hotel, the latter outlined by its lights.
Once again, the photo doesn’t reflect what my corrective-lensed eyes actually saw—a serenely luminous disc the pale yellow of Muenster cheese—but the image is stark and dramatic. The lens flare on my cheap-ass burner phone made it resemble a black star sapphire (or, to read the image as suitably floral and local, a spider lily):
(I wasn’t the only one prowling this clear moonlit tropical night in search of food; two of the Burrowing Owls at my apartment complex were out hunting on the side lawn, as a third stood perched at the nest; this represents a full year of continuous occupancy and breeding, reflecting how safe they must feel here. They squawked at my approach, but did not hiss.)
Once again, the photo doesn’t reflect what my corrective-lensed eyes actually saw—a serenely luminous disc the pale yellow of Muenster cheese—but the image is stark and dramatic. The lens flare on my cheap-ass burner phone made it resemble a black star sapphire (or, to read the image as suitably floral and local, a spider lily):
(I wasn’t the only one prowling this clear moonlit tropical night in search of food; two of the Burrowing Owls at my apartment complex were out hunting on the side lawn, as a third stood perched at the nest; this represents a full year of continuous occupancy and breeding, reflecting how safe they must feel here. They squawked at my approach, but did not hiss.)
Birdfeeding
May. 2nd, 2026 10:58 amysabetwordsmithToday is sunny and chilly.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and a fox squirrel.
EDIT 5/2/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 5/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and a fox squirrel.
EDIT 5/2/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 5/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Conflict Resolution
May. 2nd, 2026 12:37 amysabetwordsmithThis year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about reading as a way of becoming an expert in a given subject. Read Part 1: Introduction to Becoming an Expert, Part 2: Architecture, Part 3: Dance, Part 4: Music, Part 5: Painting, Part 6: Poetry, Part 7: Sculpture.
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Part 8: Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is a skillset for peacefully sorting out disagreements between people. Individual aspects include body language, communication skills, cooperative decision-making, coping skills, emotional awareness, mediation, negotiation, and problem-solving. The goal is to find a win-win solution, or if that is not possible, at least something that everyone can live with. Sometimes you may identify a need for additional resources, reorganzing things, or other stuff that could take a while to accomplish. Conflict resolution is effective when it diffuses the tension of the moment and identifies at least one practical step toward reducing or avoiding future conflicts over the same issue. It's okay if that takes multiple rounds to fix fully. All people experience conflicts sometimes, but different cultures handle this in different ways. Dreamwidth has no conflict resolution communities per se, but you might explorecommon_nature, goals_on_dw, or thankfulthursday for a few of its subskills.
( Read more... )
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Part 8: Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is a skillset for peacefully sorting out disagreements between people. Individual aspects include body language, communication skills, cooperative decision-making, coping skills, emotional awareness, mediation, negotiation, and problem-solving. The goal is to find a win-win solution, or if that is not possible, at least something that everyone can live with. Sometimes you may identify a need for additional resources, reorganzing things, or other stuff that could take a while to accomplish. Conflict resolution is effective when it diffuses the tension of the moment and identifies at least one practical step toward reducing or avoiding future conflicts over the same issue. It's okay if that takes multiple rounds to fix fully. All people experience conflicts sometimes, but different cultures handle this in different ways. Dreamwidth has no conflict resolution communities per se, but you might explore
common_nature, goals_on_dw, or thankfulthursday for a few of its subskills.( Read more... )
Philosophical Questions: Government
May. 2nd, 2026 12:28 amysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
Should governments make laws to protect people from hurting themselves?
( Read more... )
Should governments make laws to protect people from hurting themselves?
( Read more... )
A Day Away
May. 1st, 2026 11:32 pmysabetwordsmithA Day Away Spring/Summer 2026 is now up at the Effingham Magazines page. :D 3q3q3q!!! If you live in or plan to visit central Illinois, this is the best guide to events and attractions within daytrip distance of Effingham.
Greek Myth Fest Bingo Card 5-1-26
May. 1st, 2026 10:55 pmysabetwordsmithHere is my card for the Greek Myth Fest Bingo over in allbingo. The fest runs from May 1-31. (See all my 2026 bingo cards.)
If you'd like to sponsor a particular square, especially if you have an idea for what character, series, or situation it would fit -- talk to me and we'll work something out. I've had a few requests for this and the results have been awesome so far. This is a good opportunity for those of you with favorites that don't always mesh well with the themes of my monthly projects. I may still post some of the fills for free, because I'm using this to attract new readers; but if it brings in money, that means I can do more of it. That's part of why I'm crossing some of the bingo prompts with other projects, such as the Poetry Fishbowl.
Underlined prompts have been filled.
GREEK MYTH FEST BINGO CARD
allbingo. The fest runs from May 1-31. (See all my 2026 bingo cards.) If you'd like to sponsor a particular square, especially if you have an idea for what character, series, or situation it would fit -- talk to me and we'll work something out. I've had a few requests for this and the results have been awesome so far. This is a good opportunity for those of you with favorites that don't always mesh well with the themes of my monthly projects. I may still post some of the fills for free, because I'm using this to attract new readers; but if it brings in money, that means I can do more of it. That's part of why I'm crossing some of the bingo prompts with other projects, such as the Poetry Fishbowl.
Underlined prompts have been filled.
GREEK MYTH FEST BINGO CARD
| loss | journey | destruction | music | fruit |
| metamorphosis | underworld | quest | nature | silver |
| recognition | centaur | WILD CARD | escape | building |
| rescue | hero | gods | identity | wait |
| monster | minotaur | chosen | magic | family |