Simone Jester

Today is mostly sunny and sweltering.

I haven't fed the birds yet, but I saw a wren, possibly a Bewick's wren or Carolina wren, at the hopper feeder. :D

EDIT 10/1/25 -- I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I heard a squirrel chattering but didn't see it.

EDIT 10/1/25 -- I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/1/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/1/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/1/25 -- The tree guy came! We walked around the yard discussing what needs to be done. Based on a preliminary estimate (we should get solid numbers tomorrow) we should be able to get the branches cleared beside the driveway, the parking lot cleared, the path to the east edge and the orchard path restored, and the tree-sized branch removed from the south lot. Small stuff will be chipped for mulch, large stuff will be cut down for firewood. :D 3q3q3q!!! I really hope it comes together.

I also watered the irises, telephone pole garden, savanna seedlings, and old picnic table.

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

This is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "Witches and Wizards." I'll be soliciting ideas for witches, wizards, other magic users, mentors, elders, teachers, students, adventurers, explorers, damsels/gentlemen in distress, historians, partners, leaders, dark lords, the Chosen One(s), superheroes, supervillains, teammates, fantasy species, ethicists, activists, queerfolk, other unusual fantasy folk, studying magic, doing magic, enchanting artifacts, breaking curses, breaking rules, exploring new territory, meeting new species, upsetting predictions, twisting tropes, flipping stereotypes, expecting the unexpected, researching, revising theories, parenting, teaching, adventuring, leaving your comfort zone, discovering things, conducting experiments, observation changing experiments, experiments changing paradigms, adapting, improvising, troubleshooting, cleaning up messes, cooperating, taking over in an emergency, saving the day, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, coming out, running away from home, going off the rails, subverting fate, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, preparing for the worst, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, other fantastic activities, witch's huts, wizard's towers, magical schools, castles, ruins, stone circles, dungeons, dragon lairs, Underhill, the forest primeval, underwater, underground, liminal zones, kitchens, campfires, libraries, laboratories, apothecary shops, supervillain lairs, makerspaces, nonhuman accommodations and adaptations, farmer's markets, magical lands, foreign dimensions, other phantasmagoric settings, unusual magical systems, pointy hats, robes, wands or staves, cauldrons, herbs, crystals, potions, magical artifacts, quests, time periods other than medieval, governments other than monarchy, dragons, unicorns, enchantments, reversals, contradictions, conundrums, puzzling discoveries, sudden surprises, inventions that change everything, time travel, travel mishaps, the buck stops here, trial and error, polarity, weird food, secret ingredients, supplements that turn out to be metagenic, intercultural entanglements, asking for help and getting it, enemies to friends/lovers, interdimensional travel, lab conditions are not field conditions, superpower manifestation, the end of where your framework actually applies, ethics, innovation, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.

Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia is about live happy lesbians in a quirky fantasy world.

Clay of Life is Jewish fantasy about a blacksmith and a golem.

A Conflagration of Dragons has unforseen disasters and cultural upheavals.

Gloryroad Crossing is the weird village where adventurers go to restock.

Kande's Quest is sword & soul with caucasian-inspired demons.

Monster House is suburban fantasy with a diverse household, where the line between truth and fantasy isn't always clear.

Not Quite Kansas has a helpful demon.

The Ocracies features all the political systems other than monarchy.

One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis follows Shaeth as he works on becoming the God of Drunks.

Path of the Paladins is low fantasy about paladins trying to restore a world gone to ruins.

P.I.E. is urban fantasy about paranormal investigations.

Polychrome Heroics has primarily superpowers, but magic is described as "sorcery" there.  Antimatter & Stalwart Stan are a cross-cape couple, and Antimatter essentially does science-based magic.  Aubrey the Alabaster is another sorcerer.  Eric the Elven King has interdimensional refugees. 

Practical Magics is low fantasy with a prosaic focus.

Quixotic Ideas is contemporary fantasy where magic integrates with modern life in positive ways.

The Ursulan Cycle is genderbent King Arthur.

Yellow Unicorns is a quirky fantasy setting where the only yellow things people can see are the unicorns.

Or you can ask for something new.

Boost the signal to reveal a verse in any open linkback poem.

If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week. (If you're not available that day, or you live in a time zone that makes it hard to reach me, you can leave advance prompts. I am now.) Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog.

( New to the fishbowl? Read all about it! )

We made this tonight. It's quite tasty. :D We have plenty of pigeon peas left, so I can try other recipes too.

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Today is mostly sunny and sweltering. It's 85°F here. The migration is heavily impacted -- we drove past the lake yesterday and there was no sign of waterbirds, whereas normally this time of year there would ducks, pelicans, etc. in fairly large flocks.

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

EDIT 9/30/25 -- I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/30/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/30/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I watered the telephone pole garden, savanna seedlings, patio plants, new picnic table, and old picnic table.

Cicadas and crickets are singing.

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

Today we went to Grissom Family Orchard.

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Junk food can scramble memory in just 4 days

Scientists discovered that high-fat junk food disrupts memory circuits in the brain almost immediately. Within just four days, neurons in the hippocampus became overactive, impairing memory. Restoring glucose calmed the neurons, showing that interventions like fasting or dietary shifts can restore brain health. This could help prevent obesity-related dementia and Alzheimer’s.


Of more immediate application: if you need to study for anything, don't eat junk food while doing so. Eat brain food.

This post has an interesting discussion about human/wildlife relationships.

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I found this amusing.



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This is an extra question I stumbled across and thought would fit with this project:

What is your contribution to peace?



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Today we went out eventing again.

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Today is mostly sunny and warm.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 9/27/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/27/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

The cornfield across from us has been harvested.  It's a bit of a wreck though, looks like Bubba Fail the Farmer set his blades too high.

As it is suppertime, I am done for the night.

Today's activities got a bit scrambled, but we got some useful things done.

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Today is mostly sunny and warm.

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

I put out water for the birds.

9/25/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

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

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

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

I picked several goldenberries.

EDIT 9/25/25 -- I watered the telephone pole garden and savanna plants.

I gathered northern sea oats and wild senna seeds in the wildflower garden.

I heard a blue jay screaming but didn't see it.

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

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

YouTube secretly used AI to edit people’s videos.

In recent months, YouTube has secretly used artificial intelligence (AI) to tweak people’s videos without letting them know or asking permission. Wrinkles in shirts seem more defined. Skin is sharper in some places and smoother in others. Pay close attention to ears, and you may notice them warp. These changes are small, barely visible without a side-by-side comparison. Yet some disturbed YouTubers say it gives their content a subtle and unwelcome AI-generated feeling.


This causes a variety of damage including but not limited to:

* Tampering with people's intellectual property without their permission.

* Damaging trust between producer and consumer (especially if the producer says that they don't use AI).

* Undermining people's ability to choose whether or not they wish to use or consumer AI.

* Undermining people's ability to find and identify truth.

Yet another in the suddenly growing pile of reasons to hate YouTube, which sucks, because it's the most widespread place to share video content. >_<

dialecticdreamer is hosting Feathering the Nest.  Leave prompts, get ficlets!