Sewing!

Archaeologists Triple the Scale of an Ancient Amazonian Civilization We Know Almost Nothing About

Hundreds of geometric earthworks were recently found in the southwestern Amazon, evidence that a monument-building, precolonial civilization was so much larger than previously thought. The scale of this hidden world of massive earthen construction projects only began to truly be understood this decade, but a recent aerial survey using laser radar has dramatically increased the footprint of this civilization. It may indeed be larger than anything yet known in the region, with the total body of evidence showing a greater concentration of these structures in just 3% of the Amazon than in the other 97%.


If you want to build monuments that last as long as possible, choose earthworks. Dirt tends to stay where it's put over a long time.

From Carolyn Hax's chat:

How do you know if someone is a narcissist versus someone who is just self-centered?


Carolyn Hax:

Self-centered will walk by you like you're furniture.

Narcissist will see you as furniture, put you in their room, have you reupholstered in a color that's more flattering with their skin tone, then break you and dump you in an alley and blame the upholsterer for doing it wrong even though you came out exactly as ordered.

Today is partly sunny and warm.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 8/29/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 8/29/26 -- I gathered sunflower seeds for my developing 'Summer of Love' landrace. Yesterday I noticed that one head was ripe and being pecked by birds. Today I rescued what was left of that one, a good handful of fairly large striped seeds. Below the ripe head is a smaller one starting to bloom. I suspect this is a cross between large-headed single-flowering and small-headed multiflowering types. I checked others, but the dry heads were already picked clean or had not set seed. There are a couple that have set seed but are not yet dry enough to harvest.

EDIT 8/29/26 -- I started gathering Shithouse Marigold seeds from the old picnic table (finished) and the new picnic table (one side done). A bumblebee busied herself in the currently blooming flowers as I picked the dry seedheads. We worked quite companionably side by side, a few inches apart, each unbothered by the other, sharing the small bounties of the garden. :D

EDIT 8/29/26 -- I gathered seeds from the short red and yellow marigolds in the new picnic garden, and managed to finish both sides.

Small butterflies are visiting the flowers blooming in the grass, mostly white clover and some yellow.

EDIT 8/29/26 -- I finished gathering Shithouse Marigold seeds from the south side of the new picnic table, so that's done for now.

EDIT 8/29/26 -- I watered all the gardens.

EDIT 8/29/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

Cicadas and crickets are singing.

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

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

Why did technology progress more slowly in the past than it does now?

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Recently a large piece of glacier broke off and triggered a landslide that turned into a tsunami-like debris flow which scoured mountain valleys, wiping away villages, roads, bridges, people -- everything in its path.


This video shows footage of the event and its aftermath.

Disturbing footage shows moment deadly flash floods hit Nepal

At least 160 people are dead, and more than 400 are missing after devastating flash floods in Nepal. These videos capture the moment a mudslide struck near the Nepal-China border, the destruction caused by the floods and rescue efforts.

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California Creek Restoration Helps Young Salmon Grow Twice as Fast—And Doubles Their Survival Rate

Prairie Creek is one of the last refuges for three threatened species of salmon: California Coastal Chinook, Northern California steelhead, and coho salmon (whose numbers declined by 90% in the last century).

The major US restoration project, led by NOAA Fisheries and a broad coalition of partners, has transformed a former lumber mill into wetlands and a thriving floodplain ecosystem where young salmon can find food and grow before making the difficult journey to the Pacific Ocean.


In some cases, restoration doesn't require large spaces and lots of money. Sure it goes faster if you have those. But creek restoration is something that can easily be done with a handful of local nature nerds working on a small stretch at a time. Those stretches can have a huge impact for a fish the size of your finger.

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These are active communities in Dreamwidth from Summer 2026. They include things I've posted, but only the active ones; the thematic posts also list dormant communities of interest. This list includes some communities that I've found and saved but haven't made it into thematic posts yet. This post covers J-Z.

See my Follow Friday Master Post for more topics.

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