akblake

Today is cloudy and cool.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/24/25 -- I planted 15 purple and pink mixed tulips in the purple-and-white garden.










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Today's theme is Jpop and Jrock from Japanese music.

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10 effective ways you can make change — in addition to attending a protest

In a nutshell: Nonviolent resistance is based on noncooperation with autocratic actions. It has proven more effective in toppling autocracies than violent, armed struggle.

But it requires more than street demonstrations.

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Today is mostly sunny and cool.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a small flock of sparrows and house finches.  Some of the sparrows were splashing in the red birdbath.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/23/25 -- I potted up some of the asparagus seeds from the Charleston Food Forest.

EDIT 10/23/25 -- I planted 10 'Colour Magic' tulips around the barrel garden, and still have 10 left.  These flowers change colors as they mature, often starting white or yellow with color at the edges which then spreads.

EDIT 10/23/25 -- I planted the rest of the 'Color Magic' tulips in the tulip bed.

EDIT 10/23/25 -- We went out for lunch.  I picked up a bag of 12 assorted Dutch irises and a bag of 12 mixed crocuses at Rural King, plus 4 bags of compost and manure to top the flowerbeds.  Then I got a bag of 15 purple and pink tulips, and a bag of 5 purple-and-white striped crocuses at Home Depot.

EDIT 10/23/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/23/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Córdoba -- Festival of the Patios

In addition to being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Córdoba also appears on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list for its Festival of the Patios. Held each spring, the festival celebrates the tradition of decorating the patios or courtyards of the homes in the historic center of the city with flowers and other plants. During the Festival, these patios are open to the public, to show off the beauty of these spaces.

The pictures come from later in the season, not the festival itself, but are still beautiful.

Are you looking for a theme to make your small town stand out? Or a theme for a spring event that isn't Easter? Consider a patio festival! Celebrate the beauty of small gardens on patios, balconies, front porches, etc. Get your local florists and garden shops to join the fun with special displays or sales.  Throw in a plant / seed swap for houseplants, garden plants that are customarily divided or planted in spring, local landraces of flowers or vegetables, and so on.

Scientists say dimming the sun could spark global chaos

Researchers warn that real-world solar geoengineering would be far more unpredictable and risky than models suggest.

Scientists are taking the once-radical concept of dimming the sun through stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) seriously, but a Columbia University team warns that reality is far messier than models suggest. Their study reveals how physical, geopolitical, and economic constraints could derail even the best-intentioned attempts to cool the planet. From unpredictable monsoon disruptions to material shortages and optical inefficiencies, every step introduces new risks.

WARNING: Do not practice mad science on whole planet!

Here's a list of NaNoWriMo replacements.  These are good options if you're fed up with the old NaNoWriMo.  However, plenty of people are still doing that, so if you have enjoyed it, you can just keep writing a novel in November.

Looking for other activities?  goals_on_dw has lists of Writing and Art activities that include November options.

Today is mostly sunny and cool.

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

I put out water for the birds. 

This poem is spillover from the June 4, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Public Places" square in my 6-1-24 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred and mama_kestrel. It is an alternate universe crossover of Polychrome Heroics and Schrodinger's Heroes.

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Tonight I made the blueberry muffins again.  This time I added a teaspoon of freeze-dried lemon powder.  The lemon flavor is there, if subtle.  I may try this again with honey instead of maple syrup.

Straight out of the bag the lemon powder is intense, sour, and surprisingly floral.  It lacks the bitter notes I was expecting, as it comes from complete lemons peel and all, so if you want that you'll need to use fresh zest.  Advantages of the powder are that it's not overwhelming, it's dry rather than wet, it's not so acidic that it's liable to curdle things as fresh lemon juice can do, it can't spill, it should have good shelf life, and unlike lemon extract it contains no alcohol.  I'd like to explore more uses for this.  One suggestion was making lemonade or stirring it into tea, and yeah, it does smell like lemonade powder.  If you like sour flavors, you could certainly use this as a dusting ingredient for candies or cookies.