Snowflake Challenge 5: What Has Improved

Snowflake Challenge 5

Talk about what has improved in your life thanks to fandom. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Fandom can be a highly meaningful experience for many! We'd love to hear about how being part of a fandom has helped your life change for the better. Have you made any cherished memories or connections? Does fandom bring you joy? Tell us about the ways that fandom has helped you.



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Birdfeeding

Today is sunny and cold.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a large flock of sparrows, a flock of mourning doves, several starlings, one male and two female cardinals, a tufted titmouse, and a dark-eyed junco.  They're mobbing the feeders again.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I put out more water for the birds.  I've seen a flock of cardinals.  :D

I am done working outside for the night.

 

Book Bans

6 states expand library protections amid surging book bans: 'The freedom to read... is supported and protected'

New Jersey joined at least five other states — California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington — that have passed legislation within the past two years that aims to preserve access to reading materials that deal with racial and sexual themes, including those about the LGBTQ+ community.

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Poem: "Cableknit Wits"

This poem came out of the January 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by fuzzyred. It also fills the "It Can Be Done" square in my 1-1-25 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.


"Cableknit Wits"
-- a rondelet

[Tuesday, January 7, 2025]

It can be done.
Needles click, making cableknit.
It can be done.
Over and under, one by one --
Check on the pattern in the lit --
Feel the texture and test the fit.
It can be done.

* * *

Notes:

Read about the rondelet form. Learn how to write one.

Cableknit comes in many stitches and patterns. Learn how to do it.

Poem: "The Talisman of Happiness"

This poem came out of the January 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by "The Talisman of Happiness" square in my 1-1-25 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by fuzzyred. This poem belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.


"The Talisman of Happiness"

[Tuesday, January 7, 2025]

The candle stands tall,
a spiral of honeycomb
as golden as sunlight.

It needs no dye
to make it look
beautiful, and no
perfume to make
it smell sweet.

The bees have
done everything
that the candle
needs to give light.

Crowned with flame, it is
the talisman of happiness
on a dark and snowy day.

Even in the middle of winter,
beeswax smells of summer sun.

* * *

Notes:

Beeswax is made by honeybees to build their hives, and it has many benefits. Candles can be made by dipping, rolling, pouring into a mold, or pouring into a jar. You can even decorate them.

Poem: "Seichel v'a Katz"

This poem came out of the January 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by mama_kestrel. It also fills the "I May Be Wrong" square in my 1-1-25 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored byfuzzyred. It belongs to the series Clay of Life.

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Poem: "The Port of Dreams"

This poem came out of the January 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from wyld_dandelyon. It also fills "The Port of Dreams" square in my 1-1-25 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Hart's Farm.

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Poem: "Wallscrawling"

This poem came out of the January 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from callibr8. It has been sponsored by fuzzyred. This poem belongs to the Dr. Infanta thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. See also the "Time's Up" thread by dialecticdreamer.

Warning: Do not read with mouth full.

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Website Updates

Thanks to work by nsfwords, the series page for Quixotic Ideas is now up to date.  Go check it out to find anything you might have missed. 

Emergency Lantern

A friend tipped us to this multifunctional emergency lantern that we plan to buy. Costco has them, so we'll try there first, but if not then there's Amazon as a backup plan. I have found fluorescent bulbs vastly superior to LED, but the diverse features make this worth a try.

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