Fossils

Apr. 4th, 2026 04:44 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Ancient bees found nesting inside fossil bones in rare cave discovery

Ancient bees pulled off a bizarre survival trick—turning fossilized bones in a cave into their own ready-made homes.

Thousands of years ago in a cave on Hispaniola, an unusual chain of events left behind a rare scientific treasure: bees nesting inside fossilized bones. After giant barn owls repeatedly brought prey like hutias into the cave, their remains accumulated in silt-rich chambers—creating a strange underground environment. Later, burrowing bees took advantage of the soft sediment and even reused tiny cavities in fossilized jaws and bones as ready-made nests, coating them with a smooth, waterproof lining.

Birdfeeding

Apr. 4th, 2026 02:03 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is cloudy, cool, breezy, and wet.  It rained again this morning.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/4/26 -- I've seen a fox squirrel at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 4/4/26 -- I raked a section of the east path, so that I can sow grass seed later.

EDIT 4/4/26 -- I started sowing grass and clover seed along the east path.

EDIT 4/4/26 -- I finished sowing grass and clover seed along the east path.  But the new grass seed is bad, so covered in chemicals that it's blue.  >_<  Local selection is poor, but we'll have to try to find something different when this runs out.








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National Native Plant Month

Apr. 4th, 2026 01:35 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
April 2026 is National Native Plant Month

Please help to spread the word that the month of April is Native Plant Month and plan activities in your community to make a real difference by planting native plants, removing invasive plants, and teaching others about the importance of native plants as a source of food and habitat for wildlife.

Read more... )

Social Media Design

Apr. 4th, 2026 11:05 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
"Why people think I'm weird!"

Hey remember this? "Don't forget to like and subscribe and follow"

I wanted to share some thoughts on the current state of
social media and human connection.



People think I'm weird because I am weird -- that is, I differ in many ways from conventional people, and much of that is obvious very quickly. I was the kid who could read before kindergarten, learned anatomy by dissecting roadkill, talked about violent historical mayhem over the dinner table and didn't care about fashion, famous people, or other mundane trivia. Many of the things I like are rare interests; most common interests bore me. However, I learned to say "If you're normal, I'm glad I'm not" very young and this has remained true. It's the normies who are wrecking the world, not the weirdos.

Read more... )
mdlbear: portrait of me holding a guitar, by Kelly Freas (freas)
[personal profile] mdlbear

... is Hurrian Hymn #6, addressed to the goddess Nikkal (wife of the moon god Nanna) and dates to around 1400 BCE.

Here it is on YouTube. The actual song, with lyrics in Hurrian and English, starts around 8:20. That's what I encountered first.

Here's an article on OpenCulture.com, which quite a few different videos; the first of which has the lyrics all on one screen (under the cut). I'm going to assume that the song is public domain. By a lot. The article has a quite a few good related links.

lyrics, if you don't want to click through: )

Philosophical Questions: Miracles

Apr. 4th, 2026 12:03 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

What is a miracle that happens every day?


Sunrise. Every morning, massive amounts of free energy fall from the sky. The sun gives everything, and asks for nothing in return.

D.O.P.-T.

Apr. 3rd, 2026 09:32 pm
weofodthignen: selfportrait with Rune the cat (Default)
[personal profile] weofodthignen
The temperature bounced up again (though only to the 70s, today) so I mowed in back, where the native grass clumps all went *boing!!*. I should bite the bullet and start ripping them out one by one.

Follow Friday 4-3-26: Marvel

Apr. 3rd, 2026 08:16 pm
ysabetwordsmith: A blue sheep holding a quill dreams of Dreamwidth (Dreamsheep)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today's theme is Marvel.

Read more... )

Today's Adventures

Apr. 3rd, 2026 07:59 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today we went up to Kankakee to visit with relatives for a mutual birthday.

Read more... )

Birdfeeding

Apr. 3rd, 2026 11:52 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is cloudy, mild, and damp. It rained again last night. At least the howling wind has calmed down.

I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity though.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/3/26 -- I've seen a pair of house finches feeding each other. <3 courting behavior.

EDIT 4/3/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

It rained more today.

I am done for the night.

History

Apr. 3rd, 2026 10:53 am
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
What is nostalgia?

I’ve been reflecting on nostalgia lately,
specifically regarding the differences
between growing up in the '80s and '90s
versus the experience of kids today.


It is extremely different, and I suspect that the bad changes outweigh the good ones, considering the generally poor health of young people today.

Read more... )

D.O.P.-T.

Apr. 2nd, 2026 11:44 pm
weofodthignen: selfportrait with Rune the cat (Default)
[personal profile] weofodthignen
It was beautiful today, but only in the 60s. Bracing.

The tent is still in place under the road viaduct, and a second one has appeared around the corner of the concrete support.

Review: 12 Rivers

Apr. 2nd, 2026 10:48 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
My big birthday present this year was the board game 12 Rivers, and we played it for the first time tonight. We spent 2 1/2 hours on it. About 30-45 minutes of that was setup like punching out the components, reading the extensive manual, and arranging the pieces on the table.

EDIT 4/3/26 -- We played again. This time it took just over 1 hour, which is within the range on the box and a much more feasible chunk of time. A lot more of the game made sense this time, after some practice, and we got to try out some new strategies. Note that the special abilities on the recruited villagers can drastically change the goals in play, making for a different experience each time and somewhat reducing competition.

Read more... )

Community Thursdays

Apr. 2nd, 2026 09:50 pm
ysabetwordsmith: A blue sheep holding a quill dreams of Dreamwidth (Dreamsheep)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
This year I'm doing Community Thursdays. Some of my activity will involve maintaining communities I run, and my favorites. Some will involve checking my list of subscriptions and posting in lower-traffic ones. Today I have interacted with the following communities...


* Posted "Birdfeeding" in [community profile] birdfeeding.

* Commented on "News Article: Backyard Birdwatchers help scientists uncover what hawks really like to eat" in [community profile] birdfeeding.

* Posted "Earth Month" in [community profile] common_nature.

* Commented on "Nature Diary" in [community profile] common_nature.

unexpected dental visit

Apr. 2nd, 2026 05:21 pm
redbird: closeup of me drinking tea, in a friend's kitchen (Default)
[personal profile] redbird
I was going to have my teeth cleaned next week, but the dentist's office called yesterday to tell me that the hygienist wouldn't be in that day, and asked me to reschedule either for today, with the next available after that being in June. So, I went over to Watertown this afternoon.

Before cleaning my teeth, the hygienist took a full set of X-rays, because it had been a couple of years. The dentist looked at them, and said that there are no cavities, but some of my old fillings are no longer doing their jobs. So, he wants to do two crowns (at least). This will involve some drilling, apparently, but no root canals. I have an appointment in two weeks to do the work on at least one tooth, possibly both, depending on how I'm feeling after the first. To my surprise, my current dental insurance is covering 100% of the cost.

Also, after a complicated office maybe-move and name change, that dentist is consistently seeing very few patients at a time: there's often nobody [else] in the waiting room while I'm there, which is reassuring given that I can't wear a mask while having dental work.

I stopped on the way home at Lizzy's and got a quart of ice cream. It's a few degrees above freezing and overcast/drizzly, so I didn't want to be outside eating ice cream, but that also meant I could leave the insulated bag home.

Website Updates

Apr. 2nd, 2026 01:33 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Thanks to work by [personal profile] nsfwords, Clay of Life is now up to date.  \o/ 

Cyberspace Theory

Apr. 2nd, 2026 12:54 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
THE HYPER-LOCAL GEO-INTERNET

I've had this idea in my head for years and I was really excited when I realized this was probably a good place to share it. It certainly has ties to [personal profile] genderjumper's Undernet post which I've been thinking about. That and the topic of leaving the internet or just wanting to get away from the Al slop and mindless scrolling keeps coming up in conversation with different people in my life.

Read more... )

Birdfeeding

Apr. 2nd, 2026 12:28 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is cloudy and cool with howling wind.  It rained more yesterday.  So much for my plan to sow grass seed today. >_<

I fed the birds.  I haven't seen any though.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 4/2/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a male cardinal, and a fox squirrel.

EDIT 4/2/26 -- Aaaaand now it's pouring rain.

EDIT 4/2/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen a male goldfinch, moulting into his yellow summer coat.

I am done for the night.


Thankful Thursday

Apr. 2nd, 2026 06:35 pm
mdlbear: Wild turkey hen close-up (turkey)
[personal profile] mdlbear

Today I am thankful for...

  • The successful launch of NASA's Artemis II mission.
  • Contact forms -- when they work.
  • The fact that I can dry-roast almonds in the microwave.
  • For that matter, microwave ovens. And convection ovens. And let's not forget dishwashers and other kitchen appliances we didn't have when I was a kid.
  • Blue cheese.

D.O.P.-T.

Apr. 1st, 2026 11:54 pm
weofodthignen: selfportrait with Rune the cat (Default)
[personal profile] weofodthignen
Another small shower. Everything helps. The sky was dramatically threatening in late afternoon, but failed to deliver a cloudburst.
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