Apr. 27th, 2023

ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.

Golf is usually a solo sport, although occasionally people play in teams. It has roots in Chinese, Roman, and Scottish games that involve using a stick to hit a ball into a receptacle. Modern golf is played on variable terrain, typically with 9 or 18 holes. Slopes, rocks, trees, water, and other hazards add to the challenge. Full-size golf is often considered a rich person's sport, and golf courses are notorious for playing into class warfare. Still, it's good for getting outside and walking in nature, with a low level of physical exertion and risk.

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ysabetwordsmith: Text -- three weeks for dreamwidth, in pink (three weeks for dreamwidth)
Three Weeks for Dreamwidth runs April 25-May 15. This year, I'll be posting about birds in honor of [community profile] birdfeeding. Today's topic is Woodpeckers.

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth 2022

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ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Today is cloudy and mild.

I haven't fed the birds yet, but this morning I saw at least four blue jays in the forest garden, maybe more the way they were moving around. I also saw a pair of brown-headed cowbirds, a mourning dove, and a brown thrasher.

EDIT 4/27/23 -- My partner Doug picked up 2 bags of American Countryside Compost and Manure and 2 bags of Evergreen Potting Soil. That's my favorite brand of compost. I really like the texture -- light and fluffy when it comes out, but once it soaks into the ground, it leaves a little top layer of wood chips.

I dumped one bag of compost on bare patch and sowed it with Bee Lawn Mix.

EDIT 4/27/23 -- I fed the birds. I've seen lots more blue jays mobbing the feeders, and a pair of cardinals.

We cleared branches from the ritual meadow so it can be mowed. We walked around the prairie garden and front strip deciding what could be mowed.

I started digging weeds and grass out of the septic garden. Hopefully I'll get enough done so I can plant that today. We're supposed to get a good soaking rain tonight.

I've seen a pair of cardinals.

EDIT 4/27/23 -- I did more digging in the septic garden. I pulled out a lot of wild violets and stuffed their rootballs into holes in the yard. Hopefully some of them will survive there.

EDIT 4/27/23 -- I did more digging in the septic garden.

Also the new parts of the prairie garden have been mowed, so at some point they can be raked and seeded. A lot of other stuff got remowed. Yay!

EDIT 4/27/23 -- I did more digging in the septic garden.

EDIT 4/27/23 -- I planted 25 gladioli bulbs in the septic garden. Then I spread the second bag of compost there. Finally I planted Hopi Landrace sunflowers, Florenza sunflowers, Big Flower Mix zinnias, Monticello Peruviana zinnias, and Summer Pastels yarrow.

The septic garden is in the middle of the south lot, one of my full-sun spots for growing big flowers. I'm tempted by the Towers of Flowers mix and may try that next year.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Glaze is a protective program for artists. It lets you create a modified version of your art to post online that will be harder (not necessarily impossible) for AI art programs to duplicate.  This is an interesting step in cyberspace theory. 

It does change the look of the art.  Now if I were making art, that would intrigue me.  I'd look for ways to make art that could capitalize on those changes.  Think of that end version, and you won't feel like you're "damaging" the image.  

If you sell your art, you could also use this to produce a modified image to give shoppers an idea of the contents, but the sold file would be higher quality.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
This is an old article of mine. I was talking with a friend about how horror works, and mentioned that I'd written a whole article on the topic. I tried searching it, and found it. :D Once you understand human psychology, it's easy to scare the skin off them.

Amusingly, my series with horror "character types" are lighter.  Frankenstein's Family is Gothic fluff.  Monster House is suburban fantasy.  The Moon Door is women's lit in surburban fantasy context.  Some of the science fiction runs considerably darker.  Diminished Expectations is postwar horror.  Tripping into the Future is extreme far-future horror.

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