Places Where I Lurk

Today is mostly sunny and mild.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches, a blue jay, and a fox squirrel. :D Blue jays are fun.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 5/10/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/10/26 -- I planted the pussy willow at the north edge of the savanna.

EDIT 5/10/26 -- I picked up sticks in the south lot, but only got as far as the birdgift tree. There were a LOT of sticks and they filled the trolley, which I dumped in the firepit. My partner Doug is out mowing a path around the prairie garden.

EDIT 5/10/26 -- I trimmed grass around the small garden beside the maple tree. The burgundy iris is open and smells musky-sweet. :D

We walked around the newly mowed parts of the prairie garden path. Much raking to do before anything can be sown there, but the sowing needs to wait for a rain forecast anyhow.

EDIT 5/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen a gray catbird at the hopper feeder.







.

This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about reading as a way of becoming an expert in a given subject. Read Part 1: Introduction to Becoming an Expert, Part 2: Architecture, Part 3: Dance, Part 4: Music, Part 5: Painting, Part 6: Poetry, Part 7: Sculpture, Part 8: Conflict Resolution, Part 9: Cooking, Part 10: Coping Skills, Part 11: Gardening, Part 12: Relationship Skills, Part 13: Repairing, Part 14: Survival Skills, Part 15: Archaeology.


Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Part 16: Biology

Biology is the science of studying life. Its two main subfields are botany (studying plants) and zoology (studying animals) but there are other branches such as evolutionary biology, genetics, mycology (studying fungi), paleozoology (studying extinct animals), and so forth. Aspects include history, famous people, and regions. Different cultures have very different approaches to biology too. Here on Dreamwidth, check out birdfeeding, common_nature, environment, gardening, naturaldyes, petchat, science, and scienceworld.




( Read more... )

This poem came out of the May 5, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from my partner Doug, lone_cat, and see_also_friend. It also fills the "Family" square in my 5-1-26 card for the Greek Myth Fest. This poem has been posted in memory of Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Antimatter and Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

( Read more... )

Today is mostly sunny and mild. It rained most of yesterday.

I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a mourning dove, and a fox squirrel.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 5/9/26 -- We went out to run errands, which included a stop at Rural King for more bagged goods and a few flowers. Sadly they're moving away from the small sizes that I prefer; much of it was big pots and I'm not going spend $15-20 on something I could get elsewhere for $3-4, especially when most of my plantings are mixed. I only bought one big potted thing this season, and that was a pot with 4 different violas (purple-lavender, purple-white, purple-yellow, purple-orange) in it.

We also finished reading Super Smoothies.

EDIT 5/9/26 -- I planted 4 celosia (3 pinkish-red and 1 yellow), a purple wave petunia, and a Bidens flower in the barrel garden. I hadn't seen the Bidens before but it is a yellow-and-orange flower similar to a marigold or coreopsis, so it fits well in the barrel garden. That's almost full -- I've got room to squeeze in a firecracker and maybe some marigolds but that's about it.

A petunia is blooming pale rosepetal pink under the maple tree, and an iris looks to be opening up sort of a chocolate color there too. I'm pleased that the peony has a strong scent; the dark pink one under the apricot tree is nearly scentless.

EDIT 5/9/26 -- I planted 8 yellow marigolds in pots around the new picnic table.

EDIT 5/9/26 -- I dug a whole for an oak seedling at the edge of the savanna.

EDIT 5/9/26 -- I planted a pin oak seedling at the edge of the savanna.

EDIT 5/9/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/9/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Bad Ass on a Budget is for Indie Filmmakers

Veteran stuntman and action filmmaker Eric Jacobus (God of War, Man Who Feels No Pain) delivers a tech-agnostic, philosophically grounded roadmap for zero-budget filmmakers to achieve high-impact action by mastering the “human universals” of physiology, psychology, and human relationships.

Badass on a Budget is a masterclass for the “Zero-Budget Action Filmmaker” (ZBAF) by veteran action designer Eric Jacobus, who draws on decades of experience from viral hits (Rope-A-Dope and Blindsided) to indie feature film production (Contour and Death Grip) to global franchises (God of War and Mortal Kombat). Rejecting gear-centric trends, Jacobus focuses on tech-agnostic “human universals”—physiology, psychology, and relationships—to provide a holistic framework for a high-impact “Action Ecosystem” where performance, choreography, camera, and editing work in perfect synergy.


Given the "human universals" I suspect this would work well for writers, artists, etc. who wish to choreograph effective fight scenes. Plus of course, a fun read for anyone who enjoys action flix and is fed up with the overuse of tech.  I also like the creative, DIY angle; it reminds me of the book Hang the Cat from Terramagne, which I wish existed in local-Earth.

( Read more... )