ceciliatan

A major storm is sweeping over America.  Here it has just started to snow.

Here is a post about keeping water liquid for birds. If you have feeders, make sure they're full.

Looking for something to do?  Buy Nothing Day has links to many crafts and other activities.

A friend from Tennessee shared this video made by a nearby police station, a parody of "Let It Snow." Bear in mind that they're expecting a lot of snow, in an area that rarely gets any, so folks have neither the experience nor the equipment to deal with heavy snow safely.

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

Under our government are there any rights that you have but shouldn’t? How about rights you don’t have but should?

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We've passed the third week of January. This includes more of the dropoff days: January 17, January 19, and the third Friday.

It's good for people to make their own plans, with help if wanted or needed. Variations of "How is that working for you?" are used to gauge progress. Here's an example from Brief Action Planning with a flow chart. This concept applies to most problem-solving situations, and it's something that anyone can learn to use.

The above approach is a shorthand version of the engineer problem-solving method. It requires following several steps such as defining a problem, brainstorming solutions, testing a solution, evaluating results, and making changes if necessary.

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Today is partly sunny and cold.  Heavy snow and deep cold are predicted for the weekend. :/

I fed the birds.  I've seen a small flock of sparrows and a male cardinal.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/23/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a large flock of sparrows and a female downy woodpecker.

EDIT 1/23/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 1/23/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night. 

bookclub_dw is running a poll about what to read in February.

Here are the location notes for "The Bones of Chihuly."

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This poem is spillover from the March 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from librarygeek. It has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. This poem belongs to the Big One and Shiv threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains intense topics that may distress some readers, especially glass artists and fans of glass art. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes upset friends, crying man, emotional first aid, Shiv's awkward but effective crisis response, Chihuly Garden and Glass destroyed by earthquake, salvage operations, insufficient organization causing emotional upset, reference to clumsiness, sorting broken glass that used to be art, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your taste and headspace before deciding if this is something you want to read.

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Today is cloudy and chilly.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/22/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 1/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 1/22/26 -- I filled the trolley twice with large branches that I hauled to the ritual meadow.  Now all that's left of the brushpile by the driveway is one big forked branch that I can't break down myself, and the leftover twigs that will need to be raked up. \o/

I've seen a large flock of sparrows, a male and a female cardinal separately, and a starling.

EDIT 1/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen a pair of cardinals.

I am done for the night.
 

This year I'm doing Community Thursdays. Some of my activity will involve maintaining communities I run, and my favorites. Some will involve checking my list of subscriptions and posting in lower-traffic ones. Today I have interacted with the following communities...


* Posted "How to Restart When You've Fallen Off Your Goals" in goals_on_dw.

* Continued checking and responding to Wishlist posts in snowflake_challenge.  See my Granting Wishes post.

* Made my 3 nominations for the Rose and Bay Awards: Other Project in crowdfunding. Nominations are still open through January, so if you haven't made yours yet, we could sure use more! Boost your favorite crowdfunded projects and patrons from 2025.