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Not great photos. Sixteen of the 22 we picked up. Maybe I'll be able to get more but I didn't want to disturb them too much. They were much more vocal yesterday when I took this. On the way down in the van they were all quiet and obviously terrified. Not so much now. They are beginning to get better. And noisier. Like dogs.

I went over to the shelter yesterday and did about four hours of intake assistance. Not exciting work since what they really need is to be sure the paperwork, all the computer entry, is done so they can get the dogs ready to be adversised and closer to adoption. But it is work I don't mind doing and it really makes such a difference for the staff who can focus on what they do working with the dogs. And I don't mind doing that kind of work. And I get to see the dogs all I want. I can always just go back and grab a dog and take them for a walk.

I thought that I'd be working on the Chihuahua intake forms but they had not even gotten to them yet. They had a different set of 9 puppies and a couple of adults that had come in the previous day. Entirely different but needed the processing documentation entered so I was doing that. It is an endless job. The staff is actually pretty amazing. They never seem to be overwhelmed.

soemand

Ça commence.

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and chilly.

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

I put out water for the birds.

3/14/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

soemand

I’ve been digging deeper into the old AM clear‑channel stations lately—their enormous range, their cultural reach, and the way they quietly shaped mid‑century life, hundreds of nautical miles and a country away. A friend, Ernest, recently shared a story that captures that influence better than any technical explanation.

His late mother, elegant and soft‑spoken, had a lifelong love of country music. It always seemed a little unexpected, so he finally asked her where it came from.

She told him that as a girl, she woke each morning to country music drifting from a big floor‑standing tube radio her father switched on before dawn. He was a barber, up early every day, and he always tuned to WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia.

WWVA was one of those powerful clear‑channel stations whose signal could leap across states in the dark, landing in kitchens and bedrooms far from its origin. For her, that signal became the sound of comfort, routine, and childhood itself.

It’s a reminder that those stations didn’t just broadcast—they shaped the soundtrack of people’s lives.

susandennis

I went to bed too early and could not get to sleep. I finally did but then at 11:30, the electricity came back. I got up to plug in shit and turn off shit and then, of course, I could not get back to sleep. Finally about 2, I got up and watched the last 45 mins of a show I started in the afternoon. And then, finally, I went back to sleep. Julio and Biggie wanted breakfast at 5:30 so they got it and then I went back to sleep again until 7:30. I think, in all, I got plenty enough sleep.

My emergency hardware did great. Especially, my portable power station. It's the size of a children's shoe box and has all manner of DC outlets and 2 AC outlets and a big light. It cost me about $70. (not available any more so no link but look for 'portable power station' - there are a bunch the size of children's shoe boxes that have the outlets.) I charged it up when I got it in the fall of 2024. When I turned it on yesterday, the charge was showing 100%. I plugged my bed into it and got the head raised for sleeping. I plugged my toothbrush/water pick in and got my teeth ready for sleeping. My plans this morning were to have plugged my coffee pot in to make a cup, plug my induction plate in for scrambled eggs and my toaster in for, well, toast. All easy and doable. And, doable, probably for several days with no more charge required.

Another thing I could plug in but maybe wouldn't would be my toilet. For more than a decade now my toilet has sported a bidet that includes a heated seat. My ass is just used to the finer things and sitting on a ice cube is just a shock it does not appreciate. But, I guess, sacrifices need to be made. It (my ass) loved that the juice was back on this morning.

Timber Ridge sent an email last night saying breakfast would be served at 10 this morning, lunch at 1 and dinner at 5. They totally know how to handle buffets for all of us now. AND the meals today would be complementary. I'm guessing they are still going with that plan. And then tomorrow back to normal.

Oh and unlike last time, when the wifi came roaring back as soon as the electricity did which was very nice to see.

In other news, the IRS sent me an email saying there was news so I checked Where's my Refund which is way easier than logging into my account and, sure enough, they are promising the refund in my account by Thursday.

Volleyball was called off for today yesterday afternoon. Elbow coffee starts at 10 but that's when they are serving breakfast downstairs so it may be a no go.

I may watch the Mariners game. I for sure will be putting all my emergency supplies away, hopefully for a long time.

soemand

I had breakfast this morning with a sailing friend at the market — a space that felt even larger than usual thanks to the solid-state precipitation keeping everyone else away. With the place nearly empty, we drifted through a handful of topics: the cultural quirks of small towns (he’s from Newfoundland, so he has stories), and some of my recent posts about how the old clear‑channel stations shaped the music scene.

Eventually the conversation tacked toward the water. Both of us will soon need to recommission our boats for the season, and later in August I’ll be joining him on the delivery trip for a regatta. A small reminder that even on a snowy morning, summer plans are quietly taking shape.

Current Music: DSOTM

ysabetwordsmith

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

What will be/are some of the by-products to society of everyone having the ability to take pictures or a video at any time?

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Separation of Church and Parking Lot

How can we repurpose church parking lots for the better?

But unlike the bank in the bottom left of the first map, whose lot is never full—even predictably so—and where one might justify changing the parking requirements to accommodate this phenomenon, churches are assembly halls. Once or twice a week, they do fill up.

And unlike the banks, churches, mosques, temples, and other houses of worship are civic spaces. These spaces are where neighbors come together to share meals and company, or where folks from dispersed corners of a city unite under a common purpose. If a city lacks the density to begin with, and driving to church is the obvious option, there is no good argument for denying a church its parking—they use it!

But a dilemma lies in the five or six days of the week in which these lots sit empty. Churches and other houses of worship are amenities within neighborhoods, but blocks of street-facing parking lots are the opposite. They sit unused for about 250 to 300 days of the year.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists warn that a certain type of earthquake is much more destructive and being overlooked

In a typical quake, a rupture spreads along a fault at a speed slower than shear waves, seismic waves that shake the ground sideways. A supershear rupture outruns those waves, so energy piles up at the rupture tip and forms a sharp shock front.

That shock front is why these quakes can be so damaging. A nearby town can get hammered first by the high speed rupture front, then by the trailing waves in what Elbanna describes as a “double strike”.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today we went to the Home and Garden Expo at the Otto Center. The parking lot was so full, we had to go all the way in the back to find a space -- there's a whole extra lot back there that we'd never even seen before.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Seed Library Network
This website has extensive resources on seed libraries and seed swaps.

Seed the Map
Is your seed library open? Take 5 minutes to get on the Global Seed Library Map.

Explore the Map
Search the map to find other folks in similar regions or at the same type of location.

Seed Library Networks
Check out the other seed library networks & learn about how you can create your own.

Current Mood: busy

susandennis

We still have tons of snow. But, we are seriously lacking tons of electricity. Puget Sound Power shows most of Issaquah and the surrounding areas are all dead zones with no ETA. Timber Ridge is not dead thanks to a marvelous generator but... We have lights in the hallways and power outlets in the elbows and the elevators work and the kitchen works.

But... no power in our apartments. I, somehow, am getting a teensy bit of wifi and I have my phone which does pretty good for internet except in the bedroom.

They can rig the generator to include hot water if this goes on for days. Last time it was 6 days.

Also last time, as soon as the power went out, Bonny packed up and went to her daughters. But, now her daughter is not speaking to her. OOOOPS Jackie has worked for weeks on a gynormous Kiwanis charity dinner tonight which will now not happen. Jim Down the Hall leaves in the morning for a massive road trip with his son, IF they can get out of Issaquah! He told me tonight that he plans to hook up with my brother!

Jim across the hall is now pretty convinced, I hope, that it's more than just him and he didn't cause it.

I have my emergency lights, two lanterns, spare batteries and a big battery that takes nearly any kind of plug there is and I can recharge it in the elbow if need be. So... all is sure not terrible.

And... it's still snowing!

susandennis

and

susandennis

Well, that was an adventure! By the time I got my car out of the garage it has stopped not snowing. It was actually coming down fairly steadily in huge flakes. But, I ventured on, slowly. I had left way early. I didn't have any trouble really. Until I got out of the car. I have boots. But 1. They are way up high in the closet and not worth the trouble getting down and then I was going to have to take one off when I got there anyway plus 2. I forgot.

It was wet and slushy and felt pretty slippery but I made it inside. And was greeted warmly by the receptionist who thanked me for coming on in! I got all entered into the system and paid my copay and then went upstairs to my doctor's waiting room. Before I could even match butt to chair, I heard "Susan?!". I laughed at her and complained that last time she did not even let me get my game up on my phone and this time I didn't even get to sit down! She countered with "more bad news, he's all ready for you."

I was back in my car by 8 am for my 7:50 appointment in the snow! I went downtown and picked up my packages and then stopped at UPS to turn in my returns and then home.

Still snowing and there were a couple of dicey spots. I had a hard time get out of the parking spot in one case and then, I was stopped, on a hill, waiting to turn left and slid a little. So I was very glad to get to my garage door. But then it wouldn't open. No big deal. I called security and he came down, opened the door, and pointed out that had I just cleared the snow off my license plate, the door would have opened fine. And it was the security guard who doesn't really like me anyway. Another notch on his belt. Bone. Head.

I did not get gas. Another day. It will be more expensive but around here, it's always expensive so big whop. On the news last night, they said that gas might soon be up to $4 a gallon. It's been $4 a gallon here for several years.

It is now 10 am and it is still coming down. (The receptionist at the doctor's office said she heard it was supposed to go until noon.) It's very pretty. I've killed the rest of the morning just piddling around on the internet while watching the snow fall. I gotta say, it's not a bad way to waste time.

I may do some more of it.

ysabetwordsmith

Today is partly cloudy and chilly with blustery wind.

I fed the birds. I've seen several sparrows and house finches plus a mourning dove.

I put out water for the birds.

3/13/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

3/13/26 -- I moved the 16 water jug greenhouses from the parking lot to near the barrel garden. Many of them have sprouts inside now! :D

3/13/26 -- I trimmed brush along the north side of the house.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

New Worlds: Miscellaneous Arts

Throughout the art sections of this Patreon, I've been grouping them into broad categories: visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, and so forth. But what about the arts that are kinda of . . . none of the above?

This is a fun ramble through many different arts and crafts.

Current Mood: busy

soemand

A few years ago, in March.

soemand

Burning through the last of Friday at work, just waiting to face the "tyranny of the timecards" before I can finally punch out for the weekend. With the family headed off to the in-laws, I'm looking forward to a rare, quiet house— much-needed chance to finally rest after a brutal month of illness and the emotional pummeling of yesterday.

Thankfully, things are looking up. My knee treatment plan is showing significant improvement, and while I'm still sad about yesterday's outcome, my focus has shifted. It's all about the little one now, ensuring they process everything safely and feel supported.

susandennis

I woke up, got coffee, fed the cats, sat down at the table next to the window and WHOA!!

It was still snowing then, a little, but now it has stopped. I can see some traffic and several cars have come up the hill to the garage without issue. It is 7:05 and I have an appointment with my foot guy at 7:50. I'm going for it. Once I get off this hill, I suspect there will be nothing on the roads.

But, what a treat! Sorry I didn't get to see it falling. But, at least we got one - teeny tinsey - snow this winter.

After the doctor's, I need to stop at the Amazon Lockers and pick up a package and then at UPS to return one. Then I was going to get gas but it's probably too cold and I probably won't.

hyarrowen posting in

little_details

For large-scale projects, specifically for ships. All my ship-related resources for the era are for the British Navy, and books on colour that I've read have been on artists' paints or dyes.

How would a French Imperial Navy vessel be painted, not at one of the big shipyards? Would it be mixed up on site from raw ingredients, or bought in? Would there be barrels, buckets with lids, cannisters, vats or what - and what would the paint be made of?

Searching online produces info on painting scale models, or contemporary pictures of ships. I found a chapter on ship decoration in Conway's History of the Ship: The Line of Battle but that doesn't have the early-in-the-process details I want. I found an article on the pre-Revolutionary Navy in the International Journal of Maritime History, by David Plouviez, that's too early and still doesn't cover paint.

Thank-you in advance.

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Curmudge

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Doggies

Signs of spring

Birdfeeding

WWVA, Continued...

Snow is melting and the lights are on

⛵︎❄

Philosophical Questions: Pictures

Communities

Safety

Today's Adventures

Gardening

4:10 pm

It's now 1:50 pm in pix

Old people are such boneheads - especially me!

Birdfeeding

Crafts

Death Valley

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Surprise!!

Paint manufacture, storage and transport in Napoleonic Europe

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March 2026

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