winterfirelight

Finally started some seeds this past weekend! A little later than I intended, but given that last year I started them a whole 2 months sooner than I ought to have, I'll take it as a win. More seeds than I had realized need to be stratified first, so those are now chilling in the fridge and I'll get them in pots next month instead.

I'm hoping this week it'll be warm enough out that I can get some compost into the garden so it's all prepped when plants are ready to go in. We've already had crocuses and daffodils up for a few weeks, but we also had a frost this morning, so it's still a little early for most things. Unpredictable March! I've got big plans for some of the space this year, but we'll see how much I actually manage to get done. So far I'm mostly working on clearing out the cabinets so I have space for harvests later in the season. I made some tincture blends on Saturday to consolidate some jars, and used up some oils for salve yesterday. I'll have to spend a lot of time over the next couple of months drinking tea to work through my stash of dried herbs. There are worse fates!

The community garden has gotten started too, and I spent some time there today weeding and clearing out dead plants. I took an extra parsley and some stray borage home with me. I've never gotten borage to take in my garden, but I've tried putting it in a different location this time and maybe it'll settle in.

ysabetwordsmith

This video looks at magic in worldbuilding. It lays out four points ...

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

cornerofmadness

Just did laundry and finished my short story, steampunk 'day at the races' as a try for something in Louisville. Is it my best work? no. Will I have tons of competition? Some but who knows. Could use eyes on it.

I'm mostly here to do Music Monday and Women's history. Yes I missed saying something International Women's Day (I was beat) so today have the woman who started off my sabbatical research, someone I met in college and carried her story with me all these years Elizabeth Blackwell

As for music Monday, on the drive here the last radio station I go to (the one I listen to in this area) was having an International Women's Day fest by playing women artists (and mentioning iheartradio's women's history station) and in the next 1 1/2 hours they played 3 songs by women. 3...

So we can do better. THis monday I 'm taking a break from the list and let's just share songs written by, performed by women (however you care to define it)

( Women of Song )

Current Mood: lazy
Current Music: The Running Man

glitteringstars posting in

writethisfanfic

Hi everyone! Hope all is going well!

Did you write today?

Also, what are thing you do to help with writer's block?

mellowtigger

ICE is still in Minnesota and Minneapolis. If you had any doubt, based on the lack of coverage in national news, just see these Reddit posts showing photographs of trucks delivering loads of new vehicles to the Whipple building. March 9th (#1, I'm not sure where post #2 went, #3, #4, #5, #6, also #6, #7), March 5th (#1 and this video saying there were 3 more), March 2nd (#1 and also #1, I think). ICE is definitely not gone. I don't know if these delivered vehicles were then driven out individually or on trucks, or if they still remain there.

We know that ICE is stealing license plates from cars of observers, making it more difficult for USA citizens to use their cars for anything. It's reasonable to suspect that ICE will use those plates on their own vehicles, as a disguise to hide their true identity. It's not unreasonable, since we know they are doing illegal plate swaps on vehicles, even using duplicated plates. We know that local law enforcement doesn't care when ICE commits crimes, even when it happens right in front of them.

We know that ICE steals children then tries to bureaucratically hide them. Fuck ICE for terrorizing young people. I don't use language like that lightly. I only ever do it when it's important. Like when children keep getting killed in this shithole country where 1/3 of the population worships greed and violence, defending it and voting for it. I still join my patrols, hoping to dissuade ICE from abducting more children, or at least to record the event, so people are not forgotten amongst the lies that ICE and this Republican administration tell.

You can see maps of known ICE abductions at this webpage, below. It's 238 days until the 2026 elections in the USA. Trump will use ICE violently and massively again before that date arrives.

https://iceout.org/

Sadly, Mni Owe Sni will disband this week, due to it being located on a documented Dakota burial site, so they'll remove the prayer camp. This article (MPR News) has good reporting on the tribal discussion about the presence of the camp.

romanajo123 posting in

tenminutesaday

Apparently I just need something utterly silly to focus on right now. :) So have this ) set timer for 10 minutes).

I popped Eight and Charley in the Genremixer and got " Fantasy and Animal transformation".

__________________________________

Charley stared down at the tiny, green creature currently dozing around her feet like a lap dog. She watched as every few seconds, a puff of smoke would exit his nose.

"Doctor?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper so as not to wake him. " Can you understand me? "

In response, Charley got what sounded like a purr.

Well, thought Charley, that at least answers that. The real question was: what to do with him? Of all the things she'd learnt in school, how to care for your friend who had suddenly been cursed into a dragon was not apparently something an Edwardian lady needed to know. There had to be a book in the library about it. Oh, if she could remember a lot of the fairy stories about dragons! One had a thorn in its wing. Or perhaps that was a lion?

A short series of growls and a quick blast of smoke interrupted her musings.

" Doctor, I don't know what you want" she commented apologetic.

The tiny green dragon sniffed at the cup of tea she'd left on the table.

"Oh, you want tea, do you?" Some things didn't change, and she could use a little more.

"I'm going to the kitchen. Do growl if you need me."

(A/N: I am picturing the Doctor as a drake. Also, the story Charley is thinking of is Androcles and the Lion)

Current Mood: excited
Current Music: KLOVE 90s

shadowkat

59 years...doesn't feel that long somehow. Good news - I only have three-four years until retirement now. Yippee! (Actually it may be more like three and a half, we'll see, it depends a lot on finances and crazy org, and crazy union.) Although the body feels it. What's that saying? It's not the years, it's the mileage? I always consider my birthday - my own personal New Year's Day. Since our years on this earth and for things like pension, medicare, senior discounts, and retirement are tracked by the date of our birth.

It's been a good birthday so far. The Universe gifted me with a sunny spring day, with barely a cloud marring the pristine robin's egg blue surface, plus Daylight Savings Time - so the day is ever so slightly longer, with sunset around 6:45 pm - granted no flowers or green trees as of yet, but I bought some reddish purple carnations to fill a vase in my living room window and a smaller vase in the bathroom. Also, took a long walk to Courtyelou Road in Ditmas Park, and browsed a smaller bookstore (which had comics, and mostly books by minority authors), the Brooklyn Artrery, and just meandered. Didn't buy anything.

Finished Merrily We Roll Along - which I rented for $9.99 from Apple TV (it's also available on Prime for the same amount). It's the 2024 smash hit Broadway musical revival by Stephen Sondheim, Martha Friedman, George Kaufman and Moss Hart - starring Jonathon Groff, Daniel Radcliff, and Lindsey Mendez. It's much better than expected. Daniel Radcliff blew me away during his number Franklin Shepard, Inc. Also features the classic, "Not a Day Goes By". I found it weirdly comforting - in that it shows how friendships can dissolve over time bit by bit due to various things, but mainly that the friends don't want the same things or have the same central focus. ( Read more... )

Also been binging Count of Monte Cristo on PBS. Had the last of the three slices of Birthday cake from BY THE WAY BAKERY (courtesy of Whole Foods in the Financial District). Tonight - am considering having the freshly made artichoke and spinach gluten free ravioli.

[And I've been enjoying the three birthday gifts that I received - which are: ( Read more... )]

Was considering renting another movie ("Hamnet by Chole Zhao") - but I may hold off, it could very well become available for free - soon enough.

Question a Day Meme - March Catch-Up

4. Have you ever been in a road traffic accident (either as a driver, pedestrian or on a bike)?

Not that I recall? I've witnessed quite a few.

5. How many local birds can you name?

Robin, Bluejay, Pigeon, Whitetail Hawk, Bald Eagle, Sparrow, Cardinal, Crows, Ravens...technical names? No. I have enough issues remembering the names of humans, let alone names humans give specific birds.

6. Have you ever seen a dinosaur skeleton?

Yes, at the Museum of Natural History in NYC

7. Do you embrace technology or prefer things the way they used to be (or a bit of both)?

See birthday gifts. So yes, I've embraced it. I resist for a bit, give up, and embrace. I don't go overboard. I have co-workers who update their iphones and headphones and watches every year. I don't. Also, I learned from my parents to wait a while before trying the latest gadget - like maybe a couple of years. (We learned this lesson - when we were among the first to get the 8 track player (I even owned a mini-one) - which was the newest gadget and my father was convinced it would take off. It well...didn't. So after that colossal failure - our family waits a few years before getting the gadget.)

8. It’s International Women’s Day – can you name any famous female artists, musicians, scientists or authors?

Octavia Butler, Chole Zhao, Marie Curie, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin,
Kate Bush, The Runaways, The Go Gos, Cyndie Lauper, Lady Gaga, Toni Morrison, Jane Austen

9. As it’s ‘Check Your Batteries Day’, when was the last time you checked your stock of batteries? Or, do you just buy them when you need them?

I have batteries that will last at least ten years in my fire/carbon dioxide alarm. So not an issue. They are too hard to replace - so I got one last year that has batteries that last close to fifteen years.

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and chilly with gusts of wind.

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

I put out water for the birds.

In the water jug greenhouses, a few shady wildflowers are sprouting. :D

EDIT 3/9/26 -- My gold curly willow cuttings have arrived! \o/ I have put two in water and one in a pot.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I took cuttings from the older serviceberry tree and a shellbark hickory sapling to put in the willow cups.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I cracked open some peach pits. It was a lot easier than I expected. I found a natural hollow in the concrete step, where I balanced a peach pit on its edge. A seam goes along the sides. I put a flathead screwdriver point into the seam and tapped the handle with a hammer. Most of the peach pits popped apart neatly, releasing the seed. A couple chipped in fragments. I think I got several viable seeds, which I put in a baggie of damp sand. I also bagged up some leftover persimmon seeds. Then I put the baggies in the refrigerator for cold stratification to see if they'll sprout.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I tried using an ax to hack away at one of the saplings in the driveway. I certainly made more progress than I did with the saw. It's slow going, but I might be able to beaver it down eventually. The question is whether I'll have the time and energy for that, with all the other spring yardening to do.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 3/9/26 -- I transplanted a few more snowdrops from the parking lot to the apricot tree.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

yourlibrarian

1) I am starting plans for a fall foliage road trip in October through Michigan. Anyone have any recommendations?

2) Following up on what I wrote about in my last post, I watched several episodes of Paradise S2. I'm not sure why I'm still watching this. ( Spoilers )

3) By contrast, I saw the Muppet Show (special? Apparently a one-off?) and found it a delight. Disney has definitely struggled in finding a way to utilize the Muppets and two shows have now failed. I'm glad they tried to do something different with them, and I rather liked the show where they were trying to make a more realistic "behind the scenes" Muppet show.

But maybe these days a return to the past would be particularly welcome (and surely there's still a lot of appeal for kids). I've got to imagine they've got a potential guest list a mile long. My partner and I kept thinking that some of the puppeteers must have been filled with glee at being able to recreate this show.

It did make me laugh when Sabrina Carpenter said she'd watched the show, her parents had watched the show, and her grandparents had watched the show. We'd be rather young to be her grandparents but, yeah, 50th anniversary after all.

4) I found the first of my top 3 shows of the year last month when we watched How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. I'd quite enjoyed Derry Girls, so was interested in trying this. I found it had a lot of the fun from Derry with an added mystery at the center. ( Read more... )

5) When in his latest charity auction batch Stephen Colbert listed a Lord of the Rings sword that had been on the stage wall, we couldn't believe he'd be selling such a thing at any price. Turns out it's a replica of the actual sword used in the film, which he already has (and he joked he would be buried with). Even so, I figured it would go for a lot, and it's going to be well over $25,000. His neckties are going for over $1000.

Poll #34344 Kudos Footer-562

This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7

Want to leave a Kudos?

View Answers

Kudos!
7 (100.0%)

ysabetwordsmith

dialecticdreamer is hosting Magpie Monday with a theme of "Apologies." Leave prompts, get ficlets!

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Space Exploration
Moment of Silence: Country Joe McDonald
Poem: "Confident Guesswork and Improvisation"
Poem: "Nuff Respect"
Esbat
Science
Safety
Humor
Birdfeeding
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Civilization
Photos: Savanna
Photos: House Yard
Wildlife
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 3-6-36: Meta
Wildlife
Poem: "The Express Bus to Crazy-ass Death Land"
Read "ICE Out" by Charles de Lint
Nature
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Read "Find a Way Forward"
Safety
Birdfeeding
Good News

Linguistics has 32 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 40 comments. Safety has 53 comments. Wildlife has 40 comments. Food has 67 comments.

Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I still have at least one more poem to write.

March Meta Matters Challenge banner

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

"The Struggle Against Overwhelming Odds" is now complete. Gideon and Raymond get some unexpected help in the fight.

The weather has been warmish here, though it rained much of the week. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a female cardinal, and a fox squirrel. A skein of geese flew overhead, honking quite loudly. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. I've heard a killdeer and a mourning dove calling, but didn't see them. Honeybees are out and swarming the flowers. Currently blooming: crocuses, snowdrops, winter aconite, miniature irises.

Current Mood: busy

ratsplain

In an incredibly random set of ocurrances I ended up watching a pair of YouTubers I like react to Kimetsu No Yaiba/Demon Slayer and now I'm craving a a long epic fic with particular tropes but I can't risk taking the time to find it this late at night on a Sunday 😭

( non-specific demon slayer spoilers ahead )

Anyway. Just needed to complain in case someone stumbles upon this post and shows me a DW comm or Tumblr that accepts rec requests 😭😭😭

Current Mood: thirsty

ysabetwordsmith

NASA shares photos of an extraordinary event witnessed by astronauts on the space station

While most people witness only the familiar crack of thunder and flash of lightning from storms on Earth, brilliantly-colorful electric fireworks detonate much higher, in the thin air up to 55 miles overhead, easily seen from the ISS.

These brief spectacles – blue jets, red sprites, violet halos, ultraviolet rings – are collectively known as transient luminous events, or TLEs.

For decades, they eluded systematic study, appearing only in pilots’ anecdotes and the occasional lucky photograph.

The International Space Station (ISS) has changed that by offering an unobstructed seat above the storms, where specialized cameras and sensors capture every fleeting spark.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Singer and songwriter Country Joe McDonald has passed away. Among other accomplishments, he is famous for the "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die-Rag" at Woodstock, on record, and elsewhere.

Carry on the Work:

Guitar -- how to articles from wikiHow

Hippie Culture

How to Be a Singer Songwriter: 15 Steps (with Pictures)

Music Occupations -- how to articles from wikiHow

Musical Instruments -- how to articles from wikiHow

Singing -- how to articles from wikiHow

Social Activism -- how to articles from wikiHow

Songwriting -- how to articles from wikiHow

Current Mood: pensive

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the March 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from

siliconshaman and

janetmiles. It also fills the "Smudges" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by

janetmiles. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

soc_puppet

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: groggy

ysabetwordsmith

These are the notes for "Nuff Respect." Enjoy some recipes for Jamaican and Minoan foods in memory of

minoanmiss.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

cornerofmadness

Made it to PA. Forgot my damn onion sets for the parents. Guess I'll be growing onions... And I didn't even bid at

fandomtrumpshate didn't realize it was that fast and I'm slightly salty about that. We didn't even get half a weekend to deal with this. Yes there were other days but jobs are a thing and so is time. Oh well. Oddly I don't really care that much. I can whip my money to charities on my own and there is always next year. Hope all my friends who DID manage to manage their time better than me got good requests and got the ones you were bidding on.

I have no thoughts for the writing side of things but I do have Ezio's character sheet done. Been noodling it (and letting it show me where the world building needs to happen) Ezio wasn't meant to be a central character but at this point I see 2 overarching story arcs and his is one. We meet him almost immediately after one of his dancers is murdered. I'd love opinions on this if you have time.

( Meet Ezio Zucca )

Open Calls

The Best Noir Sci-Fi-Horror of 2026 Mixing speculative fiction and police or military stories

The Gren-Wode Stories based in the world and legends of Robin Hood

Savagery on the Salty Seas, Volume 1. Maritime-themed horror has a high word count

Solar Punk Magazine April 2026 Window Works that stir readers with themes of defiance, change, and achievement

Otherside April 2026 Window Speculative fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by self-identified members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community

Stone’s Throw April 2026 Window SCHOOLS OUT (FOREVER)

Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Submissions in March 2026

45 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for March 2026

From Around the web

The Official Manuscript Wish List Website a wishlist from agents

Putting in the Work (from the woman who runs that author zoom I go to)

The Opening Mystery: Creating Curiosity before the Inciting Incident

Keep the audience engaged as you keep secrets.

Five Quick Ways to Level Up Your Manuscript

How to Write a Gripping Psychological Thriller

Embodied Writing: How to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Story

How to Get and Keep Amazon Reviews Without Getting Banned

Goals, Conflicts, & Stakes: Why Plots Need All Three

Authors Guild Expands “Human Authored” Certification Program to All U.S. Authors

3 Common Mistakes Committed by Self-Published Novelists

nothing from Betty this week. I wasn't the only one with a con this weekend.

Current Mood: drained
Current Music: Sherlock Holmes

ysabetwordsmith

This poem came out of the March 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from

librarygeek,

alatefeline, and

mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Artisan" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by

librarygeek in memory of

minoanmiss, who passed away recently and loved both Jamaican and Minoan cultures. It belongs to the Trichromatic Attachments thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains graphic descriptions of delicious food that you may not be able to find or afford.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

astrogirl

Dear Unsent Letters creator,

Hello, and thank you for writing for me!

First off, let me assure you that my tastes are really broad. I like everything from heart-warming fluff to full-bore tragedy, and the whole spectrum in between. I also tend to be very character-focused, so while plot is fine, I do regard it as entirely optional and I can be 100% happy with, say, fic that's nothing but two characters talking (or in this case writing, texting, etc.) to each other, or to themselves. Any rating is fine, but when it comes to sex scenes, I prefer them to feel like they're strongly based in the characters, rather than the characters mostly just being there as a vehicle for the porn, if that makes sense. Honestly, I care less about precisely what they're be doing in bed than about whether they feel like themselves while they're doing it.

( general likes, DNWs, etc )

( My requests: Gravity Falls, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005), Disco Elysium )

Profile

winterfirelight

February 2026

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28

Page Summary

Style Credit

Style: Sea and Salt for Nouveau Oleanders by branchandroot
Resources: OpenClipart and Oceanside Twilight

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Mar. 10th, 2026 01:21 pm

winterfirelight

Reading

Seed Starting

Magical Discussion

Took a day off

Check In: Day 9

ICE is still here

Fill- Challenge 554 (DW/BFA)

March 9, 2026 - my 59th year on this earth starts today...

Birdfeeding

TV Stuff at High Prices

Magpie Monday

Monday Update 3-9-26

im craving a specific kind of mineral

Space Exploration

Moment of Silence: Country Joe McDonald

Poem: "Confident Guesswork and Improvisation"

March already 😵

Notes for "Nuff Respect"

Writerly Ways

Poem: "Nuff Respect"

Dear Writer of Unsent Letters

Profile

February 2026

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags