Sewing!

People are trying again to kill the penny.  Just to add insult to injury, the law would require all prices to be rounded up. 

Dexterity and climbing ability: how ancient human relatives used their hands

Scientists have found new evidence for how our fossil human relatives in South Africa may have used their hands. Researchers investigated variation in finger bone morphology to determine that South African hominins not only may have had different levels of dexterity, but also different climbing abilities.

Diversity is strength.

Today is cloudy and mild.

I fed the birds.  I've seen several sparrows and house finches, a catbird, and a phoebe. 

I put out water for the birds.

I set out the flats of pots and watered them.

EDIT 5/21/25 -- I did a bit more work outside.

I've seen a female cardinal.

EDIT 5/21/25 -- I potted up 2 pink-flowered 'Toscana' strawberries, each in its own pot.  I filled another pot with a purple-and-white striped 'Wave' petunia, a 'Dusty Miller' artemesia, and 2 white sweet alyssums.  I put these on the tall metal planter and tied them in place.

EDIT 5/21/25 -- We moved 2 bags of composted manure to the old picnic table.

I've seen a young fox squirrel.

EDIT 5/21/25 -- I potted up the last of the Shithouse Marigolds and Charleston Food Forest marigolds, each in its own pot.  These are the last of the ones I grew from seed.  All winter-sown pots sprouted at least one marigold, and many sprouted several.  That makes this a good approach to repeat.

EDIT 5/21/25 -- I sowed a pot with passionflower seeds.  No idea if they'll actually fruit here, but it's a host plant for multiple butterfly species who only need the leaves.  I've never tried to grow these before, and bought them on a whim when I saw the seed packet in a store, knowing that they are a valuable host plant.

I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 5/21/25 -- I sowed two pots with nasturtiums. 

EDIT 5/21/25 -- I took pictures of the pots where I sowed seeds earlier.  Of the 10 pots of Little Bluestem that I sowed on 2/24/25, five of them sprouted healthy little clumps of grass.  I planted these five in one of the strips of the prairie garden.  While 50% is not a great success rate, it is a useful rate particularly with native plants that are expensive to buy in pots.

EDIT 5/21/25 -- I did a bit more work outside.

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches along with several mourning doves.

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

Today is cloudy, warm, and damp with a light breeze.  It rained last night.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches plus a catbird.  We seem to have a lot of catbirds this year.

I put out water for the birds.

I set out the flats of pots and watered them.

EDIT 5/20/25 -- I did a bit more work outside.

EDIT 5/20/25 -- I trimmed grass beside the new picnic table, filled one of the new taupe pots, then planted it with a 'Pink Berkeley' tomato and Charleston Food Forest marigold seeds.

EDIT 5/20/25 -- I sowed cypress vine seeds around the support wire of the telephone pole.  Asiatic lilies have buds.

I planted 'Purple Ruffles' basil and curry plant in a trough on the old picnic table.

The new variegated iris is blooming pale lavender with a strong cotton candy smell.  :D

I've seen a brown thrasher, a blue jay, and a fox squirrel.

EDIT 5/20/25 -- I planted a Shasta daisy in the white garden.  There's another one blooming there from earlier.  \o/

I started pulling grass from the septic garden.  I sowed cypress vine there.

EDIT 5/20/25 -- I brought in the flats of pots.

EDIT 5/20/25 -- I sowed borage and summer savory seeds in the trough pot with the basil and curry.

EDIT 5/20/25 -- I sowed 'Lovely Lettuce Mesclun Blend' in 3 pots on the top shelf of the metal planter.

I've seen the black-sided skunk.

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

The half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics is now open on LiveJournal.  Donors, start your engines!  :D

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poetry Fishbowl Report for May 6, 2025
Unsold Poems for the May 6, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl
Poem: "A Lens of Ice"
Artificial Intelligence
Birdfeeding
Summer of the 69
Today's Adventures
Creative Jam
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Distance
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 5-16-25: Heroes
Space Exploration
Hobbies: Jewelry Making
Photos: Cookie Jar Terrarium Part 2: Planting
Corruption
Gengineering
Birdfeeding
Economics
Fossils
Photos: Savanna and Prairie Garden
Photos: House Yard and South Lot
Poem: "The Delicate Balance of Mentoring"
How to Do Anything in 6 Steps
Birdfeeding
Photos: Sunset
How to Secure Trough Pots to a Bench
Good News

"Not a Destination, But a Process" has 133 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 85 comments.


There will be a half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics from Monday, May 19-Sunday May 25.

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth ran April 25-May 15. During this time, people post content only visible on Dreamwidth (although it can be reposted elsewhere after the event ends). There's usually a flurry of activity as bloggers share anchor posts, new fiction, icons, banners, questionnaires, friending fests, memes, and other goodies. Community hosts often hold special activities in their communities too. (See the introductory posts from 2022, 2023, 2024.)



This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I wrote about goal-setting frameworks for newcomers.

Goal-Setting Frameworks
* Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks
* Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule
* Part 3: The 12-week Year
* Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific)
* Part 5: Backward Goal
* Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals)
* Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick)
* Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable)
* Part 9: Goal Pyramid
* Part 10: Golden Circle
* Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward)
* Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult)
* Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators
* Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant)
* Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks)
* Part 16: OKR (Objectives, Key Results)
* Part 17: PACT (Purposeful, Aligned, Continuous, Tracked)
* Part 18: Tiered Goals
* Part 19: Theme Word
* Part 20: WISE (Written, Integrated, Synergistic, Expansive)
* Part 21: WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan)
* Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Wrapup


"Babes in the Pineywoods is now complete! Bo-Art and Creamjeans say goodbye to the Pineyspooks.


The weather has been variable here. It was hot, then rainy, then milder. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several starlings, several catbirds, several blackbirds, several mourning doves, a pair of cardinals, two brown thrashers, a female goldfinch, a grackle, a blue jay, an adult fox squirrel, two young fox squirrels, and a skunk. Daffodils are done blooming. Columbine and lilies of the valley are winding down. Currently blooming: violets, dandelions, honeysuckle, alliums, Solomon's seal, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, wood hyacinths, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, pink peony, poppies, white peony, blackberries, irises, tomatoes. Mulberries and raspberries have green fruit.