Famous witch Patricia Crowther has crossed over.

And there is much rejoicing in the Summerland!

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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 31st, 2025 03:23 pm)
Today is mostly sunny and mild.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.  They drained the hopper feeder.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/31/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/31/25 -- I did more work around the patio.





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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 31st, 2025 02:25 pm)
I saw this line elsenet and thought it would be fun to share here:

What day does the Christmas season begin?

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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 31st, 2025 01:53 pm)
libraries as resistance

In a system that wants to dismantle education and undermine critical thought, libraries become sanctuaries of truth, radical hope, and quiet rebellion.


Generously stocked, freely accessible, public libraries are ideal.

However, if the government destroys them, we have another option: private libraries run by actual bookworms. A library can be stocked quite cheaply with used books, hence the Little Free Library movement and swap shelves. But if you have or can afford to rent or buy space in a building, then you can provide a bigger collection. A private library is not at the mercy of the government, and you are free to do things like ban censorship.
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 31st, 2025 04:44 am)
Scientists discover a stunning new golden-tongued lizard in China

A new species of mountain lizard, Diploderma bifluviale, has been discovered in the upper Dadu River Valley of China. Its distinct traits and isolated habitat highlight the hidden biodiversity of the Hengduan Mountains.

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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 31st, 2025 04:28 am)
Revisit those who have passed during the year. These entries from my "Moment of Silence" tag highlight those who have died recently. Some of my posts have a "Carry on the Work" section regarding the person's accomplishments in case anyone else wants to explore those.

Browse ways to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.

Here are some things to do for Samhain. See the Greenhaven Coven page for Samhain and its recipes.

Does anyone else have names to remember?
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 31st, 2025 12:46 am)
We made it to the end of October! \o/ If you have completed some of your medium-term goals or subgoals, and/or you're still chugging away at your ongoing goals, then pat yourself on the back. You worked hard for that. We are now well into autumn. If you're doing seasonal goals, share what you're working on for this fall.

This year I'm trying something new, continuing to track goals at the end of each month. So far it seems to be helping, so that's encouraging. I'm looking at my goal list more often and trying to keep ticking off more of them. The main drawback is that this update becomes more of a chore each month.

These are the previous check in posts:
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 4
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 10
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 17
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 24
New Year's Resolutions Check In January 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In February 28
New Year's Resolutions Check In March 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In April 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In May 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In June 30
New Year's Resolutions Check In July 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In August 31
New Year's Resolutions Check In September 30

Read more... )
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 31st, 2025 12:12 am)
Today's theme is Kpop, Korean popular music.

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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 30th, 2025 11:52 pm)
I have made bingo down the B column of my 10-1-25 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. I also have 8 extra fills.


B1 (wizards) -- "What Wizardry Is All About" (standalone)
B2 (black / orange) -- "The Two Cottages" (Quixotic Ideas)
B3 (magic) -- "Maybe She's Just Singing" (Practical Magic)
B4 (witches) -- "The Unretired Witch" (The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia)
B5 (unstable) -- "A Fountain of Energy" (Polychrome Heroics: Rutledge)

I2 (herbs) -- "No Worthless Herbs" (One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis)
I3 (dark side) -- "Set on Continuous Improvement" (Polychrome Heroics: City Engines)
I5 (broken) -- "The Clearest Signal" (Polychrome Heroics: City Engines)

G1 (Alone in the Woods) -- "The Songwitch" (Practical Magic)
G2 (transformation) -- "The Road to Transformation" (Sleeping Beauty)

O2 (talking dog) -- "The Disappointing Daughter" (The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia)
O4 ("That felt weird.") -- "To Understand Water" (Polychrome Heroics)
O5 ("Do you trust me?") -- "Trying to Be Better" (Polychrome Heroics: City Engines)
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 30th, 2025 03:32 pm)
Yale study: Most Americans support climate justice — once they know what it is

Climate change is an omnipresent threat for us all, but its impact disproportionately affects non-white populations.

Inequalities stem from generations of racial injustice and colonization of Indigenous lands, contributing to ongoing marginalization and risk in BIPOC populations.

Climate justice is a movement that seeks to rectify those inequities, with the goals of reducing unequal harms of climate change, producing equitable benefits from climate solutions, and including affected communities in the decision-making process
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Among examples of climate justice are taking steps to stop exploitative actions that worsen climate and environment, and ensuring that people have humane ways to escape environmental foreclosure.  The latter is crucial because right  now, victims of climate-driven eviction have no rights; they are classified as migrants without even the flimsy protections that refugees of war or discrimination have.  And if you look at the Dustbowl, you can see how very badly America has handled that issue in the past.
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 30th, 2025 02:08 pm)
Today is mostly sunny, breezy, and mild.  It drizzled yesterday.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/30/25 -- I planted 12 mixed crocuses around the barrel garden.

EDIT 10/30/25 -- I planted 12 Dutch irises around the yard.

EDIT 10/30/25 -- I planted 5 purple-and-white striped crocuses in the purple-and-white garden.  This concludes the currently purchased bulbs.

EDIT 10/30/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/30/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/30/25 -- I hauled a large fallen branch to the ritual meadow.

I am done for the night.
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 29th, 2025 09:14 pm)
Today we went around Charleston and Mattoon with a friend.

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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 29th, 2025 07:59 pm)
Gifts That Do Good: Ethical Subscriptions That Give Back

If you’re wondering how to make the most of your holiday giving, consider giving a subscription to one of the many options Good Good Good has sourced below.

We’ve rounded up some of the most ethical and sustainable subscriptions on the Internet. In addition to being a great gift, you’re also supporting companies that do good
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 29th, 2025 04:34 pm)
Today is cloudy, chilly, windy, and wet. It rained off and on yesterday, then drizzled earlier today.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/29/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/29/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 29th, 2025 01:07 am)
Good news includes all the things which make us happy or otherwise feel good. It can be personal or public. We never know when something wonderful will happen, and when it does, most people want to share it with someone. It's disappointing when nobody is there to appreciate it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our joys and pat each other on the back.

What good news have you had recently? Are you anticipating any more? Have you found a cute picture or a video that makes you smile? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your life a little happier?

Our theme this time was "Witches and Wizards." I wrote from 1 PM to 4:30 AM, so about 13 hours 30 minutes, accounting for breaks. I wrote 8 poems on Tuesday plus 2 later in the week.

Participation was up, with 11 comments on LiveJournal and another 28 on Dreamwidth. A total of 12 people sent prompts.


Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"The Disappointing Daughter"
"The Unretired Witch"
"What Wizardry Is All About"

"New and Innovative Approaches"


Buy some poetry!
If you plan to sponsor some poetry but haven't made up your mind yet, see the unsold poetry list from October 7. That includes the title, length, price, and the original thumbnail description for the poems still available.

This month's donors include: [personal profile] janetmiles and Anthony Barrette. All sponsored poems from this fishbowl have been posted. There is 1 tally toward a bonus fishbowl.


The Poetry Fishbowl has a landing page.
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 28th, 2025 08:47 pm)
We went up to Champaign-Urbana today.

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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 28th, 2025 08:46 pm)
Before plants or animals, fungi conquered Earth’s surface

Fungi were Earth’s first ecosystem engineers, thriving long before plants ever took root.

Fungi’s evolutionary roots stretch far deeper than once believed — up to 1.4 billion years ago, long before plants or animals appeared. Using advanced molecular dating and gene transfer analysis, researchers reconstructed fungi’s ancient lineage, revealing they were crucial in shaping Earth’s first soils and ecosystems
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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 28th, 2025 12:19 pm)
Today is cloudy and cool.

I haven't fed the birds yet, but we heard a great horned owl hoo-hooing out in our yard!  :D  That's awesome.  I don't think we've had one since a few years back when an owl and several crows fought over the yard for the whole summer.

EDIT 10/28/25 -- I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, possibly goldfinches.

I put out water for the birds.

It's spitting rain.

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([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith Oct. 28th, 2025 12:05 pm)
Unraveling the Drama Between Hank Green and the Knitting Community

Hank Green has been a knotty boy. One of the latest episodes of his YouTube show, SciShow, is all about knitting and how science is elevating the lowly craft to a place of actual importance. You know who finds that take distasteful? Knitters.

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