jarandhel

Today is cloudy and cooler. :D

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/20/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/20/25 -- I watered spaces to put the irises.

EDIT 8/20/25 -- I planted a Dangerous Mood Bearded Iris (lavender standards with near-black falls) in the purple-and-white garden. I planted a Montmartre Bearded Iris (purple with yellow edges) and a Ziggy Reblooming Bearded Iris (yellow standards with burgundy-and-yellow streaked falls) under the maple tree.

EDIT 8/20/25 -- I watered the newly planted irises.

EDIT 8/20/25 -- I watered the old picnic table and the patio plants.

EDIT 8/20/25 -- I watered the new picnic table and septic garden.

EDIT 8/20/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and some of the savanna plants.

Cicadas and crickets are singing. Fireflies are out.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

Build an Emergency Food Supply List

There are several ways to build an emergency food supply to stock a survival kit and a “bug out bag”. While you can purchase specialized food products or a self-contained emergency preparedness kit, these can be costly and wasteful.

Instead, you can simply assemble shelf-stable foods that you already buy or preserve at home. Many canned, dried, and pickled foods are quite suitable for use in an emergency kit.


Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

In particular, watch for sales.  Anytime you see a shelf-stable food that you use, consider buying extra if feasible.

Today is partly cloudy and sweltering.  It rained a little last night.

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

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I put out water for the birds.  I've seen a male cardinal.

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I watered the barrel garden and the old picnic table garden.

EDIT 8/19/25 -- I watered the new picnic table and the septic garden.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Myanmar’s massive quake hints at bigger earthquakes to come

The massive 2025 Myanmar earthquake revealed that strike slip faults can behave in surprising ways. Using satellite data, Caltech researchers found the Sagaing Fault ruptured more dramatically than expected, suggesting faults like the San Andreas could unleash even larger quakes than history shows.


Never assume that the worst thing you know about is the worst thing that can happen.

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Writing
Read "For the Many" by Beepbird
How to not build the Torment Nexus
Affordable Housing
Moment of Silence: Terence Stamp
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Robotics
Genetics
Birdfeeding
Crafts
Climate Change
Creative Jam
Philosophical Questions: Diversity
Today's Adventures
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 8-15-25: Indie
Affordable Housing
Celebrate Love Your Bookshop Day
Birdfeeding
Vocabulary: Unintended Sidequences
Conservation
Birdfeeding
Poem: "To Allow in More Light"
Hard Things

Affordable Housing has 26 comments.  Robotics has 46 comments.  Food has 34 comments. "Philosophical Questions: Looks" has 49 comments. "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness" has 75 comments.


summerofthe69 is open! You can see the calendar here and the current themes are Kinky 69 and Tropefest 69.


There are no open epics at present.


The weather is still sweltering here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a mourning dove, a male cardinal, a fox squirrel, a skunk, and a bat. Currently blooming: dandelions, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, oxalis, moss rose, yarrow, anise hyssop, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, Asiatic lilies, cucumber, yellow squash, zucchini, morning glory, purple echinacea, black-eyed Susan, yellow coneflower, chicory, Queen Anne's lace, sunflowers, cup plant, gladioli, firewheel, orange butterfly weed. Tomatillo and pepper have green fruit. Tomatoes, cucumbers, ball carrots, and groundcherries are ripe.

china_shop has posted "Writing meta: What Middles Are For." It's an excellent essay about story structure.

How to not build the Torment Nexus

This week’s question comes to us from Will Hopkins:
When your job and healthcare depends on building the Torment Nexus, but you actually learned the lesson from the popular book Don't Build the Torment Nexus, how do you keep your soul intact and try to put less torment into the world?


I would add: when your survival requires a job, and most jobs involve building some form of Torment Nexus, be aware that your society is in the toilet, circling the drain.  And it's not an accident for people to feel outright trapped in truly heinous jobs.  That's what homeless people are for: so the boss can say, "Quit dragging your feet and build the goddamn Torment Nexus!  Or do you want to be homeless?"

Famous actor Terence Stamp has passed away. He was best known for his role in two Superman movies ("Kneel before Zod!") but performed in many other roles as well.


Carry on the Work:

Acting -- how to articles from wikiHow

The Creative Writer's Ultimate Guide to Science Fantasy

How to Study Voice Acting: A Step-by-Step Guide

Today is partly sunny and sweltering.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/17/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/17/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 8/17/25 -- I watered the patio plants and the old picnic table garden.

I picked 4 goldenberries.

I've seen a male cardinal.

EDIT 8/17/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden.

I picked 2 red cherry tomatoes.