Reading

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Questions

Wayfinding and sense-making in a fractured world

Many of my friends are now in the 30-something club and facing many of the same existential questions about life and our place in it.

Am I happy? What skills do I need in this changing world? Do I want kids? Should I even have kids, knowing about climate change? What does a meaningful life look like? Should I move closer to home to be with my parents while they’re still around? Should I quit my job and start a commune?

These are great questions, and in general, asking probing questions about your life is an excellent idea. If you're into that,

goals_on_dw is into its busy season December-January when lots of people look at their past year's accomplishments, contemplate their level of satisfaction, identify areas they'd like to improve, and set new goals for the future.

( Read more... )

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Birdfeeding

Today is partly cloudy and cold.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/9/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/9/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/9/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

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

Current Mood: busy

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Economics

The 50-Year Mortgage Was Always Coming.

When homes are priced beyond what local incomes can sustain, the system stretches the debt instead of fixing the root problem.

In most cases, a 50-year mortgage is outright fraud.

( Read more... )

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Photos: Tuscola Winter Window Walk Part 2

This is the second part of the Tuscola Winter Window Walk. Begin with Part 1.

( Walk with me ... )

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Photos: Tuscola Winter Window Walk Part 1

Monday we visited Tuscola so I could take pictures of the holiday window paintings. These were done by Libby Neathery of Libby Jo Art Studio and there are 22 in this year's batch. I did not find quite all of them but I came close. Despite changing the camera batteries right before we left home, I barely got through the two sides of the block with Flesor's Candy Kitchen before the batteries died, so we had to stop and get new ones. I did manage to finish photographing the rest of the windows we found. I love seeing local artists do things like this, because it encourages people to get out and look for them. A little slice of Terramagne! (Continue with Part 2.)

( Walk with me ... )

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Today's Adventures

Today we visited Tuscola and Champaign for holiday activities.

( Read more... )

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[#282 | Catharsis] Voting Post

Here are the entries for this challenge:

( List of entries )

Please Note: Because we only have 3 entries this week, there is only a First Place and Runner Up to vote for!

In order to vote, please reply to this post using the form provided. All comments are screened, and entries are listed in the order they were submitted. For your vote to qualify, you must fill out your entire voting card (both spots) in order to be counted. Winner votes are worth 2 points, Runner Up votes are worth 1 point. Meeting the bonus goal on an entry gets an extra point for that submission.

When voting, please copy/paste the ENTRY NUMBER and the FIC TITLE from the list above into the spot you're voting for (this prevents accidentally mis-numbering a vote and casting it for the wrong entry). It should look like this:

First Place: 61. Fic Title Here
Runner Up: 88. Another Fic Title

Please note that you cannot vote for your own entry, and that votes cannot be made anonymously. You do not have to be a member of the community in order to vote, nor have submitted an entry for this week; everyone is welcome to participate in the voting. IP addresses are logged to prevent duplicate voting.

Voting closes Wednesday, December 10 at 9:00PM EST.

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

Today is sunny and quite cold.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/8/25 -- While we were out, we saw a small flock of white birds with long necks. They may have been swans or geese. Trumpeter swans are the largest of those found in Illinois and tend to hold their necks straight, which these were doing, and the juveniles are gray, which I also saw. Tundra swans are similar but smaller. The pictures of geese are stockier with much shorter necks, so I'm thinking we saw swans.

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blogging,
personal

Monday Update 12-8-25

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Holiday Activities
Today's Cooking
Climate Change
Christmas Bird Count
Birdfeeding
Holiday Activities
Affordable Housing
Read "The Sound of Celebration"
Economics
Science
Today's Adventures
Climate Change
Philosophical Questions: Trends
Today's Cooking
Activism
Economics
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 12-5-25: Active Communities on Dreamwidth Fall 2025 J-Z
Photos: House Yard
Today's Adventures
Activism
Art
Birdfeeding
Wildlife
Poem: "Protect the Inner Core"
Photography
Birdfeeding
Poem: "Never -- Ever -- Quit"
Self-Care Wednesday
Cuddle Party

Trauma has 45 comments. Affordable Housing has 75 comments. Robotics has 101 comments.

The 2025 Holiday Poetry Sale will run Monday, December 15 through Friday 19. This is a good place to spend holiday money or buy a gift for a fellow bookworm. \o/

Winterfaire 2025 is now open! List a Booth for anything you sell that would make good holiday gifts, or comment with what you're shopping for to crowdsource ideas. There are links to two similar shopping events online. if you know others, please pass the word.

"An Inkling of Things to Come" belongs to Polychrome: Shiv. It has 44 new verses and needs $72 to be complete. Shiv and his classmates discuss magical weather, magical geography, natural resources, plants and animals, history, and other aspects of worldbuilding.

The weather has been cold and snowy here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several mourning doves, one female and two male cardinals, and a dark-eyed junco.

Current Mood: busy

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Holiday Activities

The Fragile Heart’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays

Because I know I’m not the only one facing the challenges that this time of year makes even harder. Perhaps it’s your first holiday after your divorce and you’ll be away from your kids, or you’ve been laid off in this terrible economy; perhaps anticipatory grief won’t let you forget that this will be your last Hanukkah with a beloved relative. Maybe you’re facing a scary health challenge. There are as many ways to be emotionally rocked this holiday season as there are on needles on a Christmas tree.

This article offers some good advice for treating emotional injuries over the holiday season.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: accomplished

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food,
recipe

Today's Cooking

Today I'm making Lemon Thumbprint Cookies. :D The first filling is Lemon-Elderflower from Berries & Flour and the second is bettergoods Raspberry, Cardamom & Rosehip Fruit Spread. We've tried the Lemon-Elderflower first and that jam is quite strong. Thumbprint cookies are the perfect use because there's only about 1/4 teaspoon in each. On toast it might be overpowering. Another good use would be thinning it down to glaze for a fruit salad or tart.

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Climate Change

Satellites spot rapid “Doomsday Glacier” collapse

Two decades of satellite and GPS data show the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf slowly losing its grip on a crucial stabilizing point as fractures multiply and ice speeds up. Scientists warn this pattern could spread to other vulnerable Antarctic shelves.

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Christmas Bird Count

Join the Christmas Bird Count from December 14-January 5. This is a popular piece of citizen science. To participate, see a map of active circles to find one near you. If you're inside one, you can also count birds at your own feeders.

Are you taking pictures of birds in your locale? Share them on

birdfeeding and see what other folks have in their areas.

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy, chilly, and foggy. Much of the snow is melting or subliming with the water vapor just hanging in the air.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I bagged up Pink, Johnathan, and Johnagold apple seeds with damp sand to cold-stratify in the kitchen.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a pair of cardinals.

EDIT 12/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

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

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Holiday Activities

The three act structure and holidays

So, now, I'm thinking of organizing holidays/really exciting events around these three factors:
* buildup appropriate to the event (edit: with a sense of joy and wonder, as a friend points out)
* a climax that is fun/exciting/enjoyable enough to justify all the buildup
* the day of the event should be low enough stress that the participants have the energy to enjoy it

This is a very astute analysis of holidays, how they work, and how to make them enjoyable. While it can't fix the problem of holiday sprawl in the wider culture, it CAN make a huge difference in how you approach them personally or as a family to create better experiences.

I've got a long comment under this post discussing some of my observations and practices too.

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[#282] NECESSARY DISTRACTION (TORCHWOOD)

Theme Prompt: #282 - Catharsis
Title: Necessary distraction
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: After a difficult day, each of them has their own way of dealing with it.

( Read more... )

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Affordable Housing

How Fayetteville’s New Program Makes It Easy To Build Housing

Fayetteville, Arkansas, just gave residents something rare in the world of housing development: a clear, predictable, and affordable path to building.

Any town could do things like these to address their housing issues. Here are some toolkits you can use in your hometown. Now let's look at some things Fayetteville did right, that remind me of Terramagne-America...

( Read more... )

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Read "The Sound of Celebration"

Thanks to sponsorship from

gothfvck, you can now read my poem "The Sound of Celebration" over on

tfc_musicianships.

Current Mood: busy

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Economics

Rhode Island's $85 Million Expansion Masquerading as Maintenance

The Ocean State’s roads and bridges are failing. Rather than prioritizing repair, officials pursued an $85 million expansion that will cost decades of future maintenance.

( Read more... )

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Science

Earth’s early oceans hid the secret rise of complex life

Scientists have discovered that complex life began evolving much earlier than traditional models suggested. Using an expanded molecular clock approach, the team showed that crucial cellular features emerged in ancient anoxic oceans long before oxygen became a major part of Earth’s atmosphere. Their results indicate that early complexity developed slowly over an unexpectedly long timescale.

( Read more... )