matrixmann | Reading

ysabetwordsmith

Here are the content notes for "The Most Precious Heritage."

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Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

These are the location notes for "The Most Precious Heritage."

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ysabetwordsmith

Here are the character and location notes for "The Most Precious Heritage."

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ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the August 5, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from

librarygeek,

chanter1944, and

see_also_friend. It also fills the Deep Waters square in my 8-1-25 card for the Crime Classics Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the Rutledge thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem is mostly fluff about a language nest, but it contains a few intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes refugees, a grandmother raising two grandchildren as the last survivors of their extended family, impact of war on childhood development, family adoption due to child marriage and a deadbeat father, children playacting graphic scenes of war and death, reference to parental death in a car crash, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

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ysabetwordsmith

Today we went up to Amish territory.

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Current Mood: happy

ysabetwordsmith

I got to talking about low-carb meatloaf ideas with a friend. There are plenty of options. I'll sort out some ingredient lists and include some recipes. If I were starting from scratch, though, I'd probably go with meat, onions, and mushrooms at 1:1:1 because that is delicious, moist, meaty in texture, low in carbs, and lower in calories than pure meat. Sage, juniper, and sea salt is a traditional seasoning but you can use others. Then just think what binder to add, probably egg.

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ysabetwordsmith

Today is partly sunny and hot. It's 89°F in mid-September. :P

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches. I saw a fox squirrel running through the trees along the east edge of the yard.

I put out water for the birds.

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

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

EDIT 9/12/25 -- I watered the new picnic table, telephone pole garden, and a few of the savanna seedlings.

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

Current Mood: busy

poliphilo

The Epstein Birthday Book shows us how the so-called elites carry on when they think no-one is looking. No point in ranting about it. The thing speaks for itself. It tells us exactly how things will be for as long as we go on thinking that (a} being very very rich is something to aspire to and (b) that it makes people fit to rule.

I've known that Lord Mandelson was a pal of Epstein's for months if not years but apparently our Prime Minister has only just found out....

The Epstein affair isn't about the Republicans being awful or the Democrats being awful but about all of them being awful....

ysabetwordsmith

Today's theme is Iron Man.

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ysabetwordsmith

Designing for Decay

The products of growth-driven design are easy to recognize. They gleam. They dominate. They shout, “I will last forever.” From reinforced skyscrapers to single-use electronics, the ideology is the same: resist entropy at all costs.

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ysabetwordsmith

We made this tonight.

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Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith

These are the content notes for "But an Empty Shell."

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ysabetwordsmith

Here are the character notes for "But an Empty Shell."

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ysabetwordsmith

This poem came out of the July 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from

dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Independent Woman" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the Kraken thread of the Polychrome Heroics series and is the prequel to "Beautiful, Damn Hard, Increasingly Useful."

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ysabetwordsmith

Today I'm making Edwards family meatloaf. :D This should go well with what's left of the tomato-basil bread, which is about half gone now.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and warm.

I haven't fed the birds yet.

There were lots of sparrows and house finches at the red birdbath though. The honeybees drained the small metal one again.

We walked around the yard listing things that need to be cleaned up or cleared out, since a tree service left us a flyer. :D At minimum we want to get the two downed tree-sized branches removed. Hopefully we can get the parking lot cleared of brush and a path re-established to the east edge of the yard. Maybe something else. They're willing to break down the quotes for sub-projects so we can figure out what will fit into our budget.

EDIT 9/11/25 -- I fed the birds.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/11/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/11/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 9/11/25 -- I watered the irises, patio plants, and old picnic table garden.

EDIT 9/11/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden, septic garden, telephone pole garden, and savanna seedlings.

I picked 2 red cherry tomatoes.

EDIT 9/11/25 -- I sowed 2 pots with crabapples.

I did some work around the yard.

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