creative_cooks | Member Posts

This poem is spillover from the February 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a post from

elinox. It also fills the "Validate Yourself" square in my 2-1-26 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem is the second freebie courtesy of new prompters

gs_silva,

ionelv, and Laura G.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Degrowing tomorrow in today's soil

My main claim is that regeneration work, together with resistance organising around ecosocialism (via unions, parties, media, communities), offers the most promising avenue towards desirable futures where no one is left behind. I will explain the opportunities and challenges of regenerative agriculture systems in this post as an introduction, and throughout the year in more detail.

The goal of regenerative agriculture is to bring life, resilience, and prosperity back to landscapes, communities, and ultimately entire ecosystems. It starts from a simple but profound understanding: soil health is the foundation of life and secures our capacity to heal both ecosystems and human bodies. Soil is not only a medium that provides nutrients to plants, microbes, and ultimately people; when healthy, it also acts as a sponge that retains water, cools the land, absorbs carbon, and buffers extreme weather events such as floods and droughts.

There are diverse types of regenerative agriculture and related programs for restoring the soil and other parts of the biosphere. Explore and see what's available in your locale. Here are some restoration ideas...

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists find genes that existed before all life on Earth

Life’s story may stretch further back than scientists once thought. Some genes found in nearly every organism today were already duplicated before all life shared a common ancestor. By tracking these rare genes, researchers can investigate how early cells worked and what features of life emerged first. New computational tools are now helping scientists unlock this hidden chapter of evolution.

This is a much more useful look at "earliest life" than a lot of what I've seen with people fumbling around the Ediacaran acting like that's early, simple life. Here we are talking about genes that help define was the earliest life was like -- it had a membrane to distinguish itself from its environment, proteins to perform functions, and DNA to encode information. That is very, very close to the beginning. Much farther back and you get into, hmm, parabiology where things sort of behave like life, but also sort of not because they're missing key pieces. So for instance viruses, which are alive because they can be killed, but they can only reproduce by hijacking another cell's reproductive equipment. This far back is very interesting to explore, especially if you're also into things like worldbuilding or speculative evolution.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is sunny and cool. Most of the ground is bare, although patches of melting snow remain.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/10/26 -- I refilled the hopper feeder.

I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a large flock of sparrows and two starlings.

EDIT 2/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

galeogirl

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Current Mood: moody

ysabetwordsmith

dialecticdreamer is hosting Magpie Monday with a theme of "just a normal day." Leave prompts, get ficlets!

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Consumers spend much more when making digital payments instead of using cash

The use of digital payments has led people to spend more than they do when using cash, according to survey evidence from more than 1,200 consumers.

The shift reframes everyday purchases as moments where restraint weakens quietly, long before shoppers notice any change in their budgets.

This is why one of the most effective ways to save money is to buy things with cash, and thus, one of the many reasons for protecting the use of cash.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the February 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from

kengr,

librarygeek, and (Anonymous) IP Address: (46.110.23.207). It also fills the "Take a Class" square in my 2-1-26 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by

janetmiles. It belongs to the series Daughters of the Apocalypse.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the February 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from

readera. It also fills the "Do What You Love" square in my 2-1-26 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by

janetmiles. It belongs to the Kraken thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "But an Empty Shell," "Beautiful, Damn Hard, Increasingly Useful," and "Filled with Things You Don't Know" ($49) so read at least the first two or this won't make as much sense.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is partly cloudy and cold. Patches of snow remain, separated by stretches of bare muddy ground.

I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/9/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 2/9/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the February 3, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by

janetmiles. It also fills the "Respect Limits" square in my 2-1-26 card for the Valentines Bingo fest.

"Books That Bite Back"

Some books are easy reading,
while others really are not.

There are the vindaloo cookbooks
and the guides to growing hot peppers.

There are the essays about ethics
and the history books written by losers.

There are the comparative religion texts
and the papers on quantum mechanics.

Just like food that commands respect,
there are books that bite back.

Current Mood: busy

witchpoetdreamer

Today I'm going to the thrift store to get myself a post bound scrap book so I can build my grimoire. I've been keeping my witchcraft notes in a normal notebook on the side but I really like the creative process of making something that is both more organized and more artistic as well. It's something I want to take my time with. I might share my pages here too if I'm particularly fond of them.

ysabetwordsmith

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Buffalo Seed Company Order
Science
Birdfeeding
Website Updates
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy
Artificial Intelligence
Birdfeeding
Website Updates
"An Inkling of Things to Come" is now complete!
Follow Friday 2-6-26: London
Economics
Food
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Wildlife
Birdfeeding
Cuddle Party

Safety has 43 comments. Food has 44 comments. Wildlife has 36 comments. Food has 64 comments. Robotics has 135 comments.

Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I am still writing.

The 2026 Rose and Bay Awards are now open for excellence in crowdfunding. It's time to vote for your favorite projects!

The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2025.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2026.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2026.

These are the handlers for the 2026 award season:

Art: gs_silva Nominate art! Vote for art! (4)
Fiction: fuzzyred Nominate fiction! Vote for fiction! (3)
Poetry: gs_silva Nominate poetry! Vote for poetry! (4)
Webcomic: curiosity Nominate webcomics! Vote for webcomics! (5)
Other Project: curiosity Nominate other projects! Vote for other projects! (4)
Patron: fuzzyred Nominate patrons! Vote for patrons! (5)

"An Inkling of Things to Come" is now complete. Shiv and his classmates finish their first worldbuilding session.

The weather has been frigid here, but is slightly less cold than it was. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a large flock of sparrows, one female and three male cardinals, and a starling.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

... arrived today! :D They always send a surprise extra packet of something, this time 'Evening Sun' sunflower, which looks to be a cultivar that produces medium-size flowers in shades of red. That ought to be fun.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Earth still had seasons during its longest deep freeze

A planet locked in ice can still experience seasons, climate swings, and solar rhythms, according to new research. For decades, scientists pictured Snowball Earth as a long pause in climate history, with movement and change frozen in place.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is sunny and chilly. Large patches of ground are visible, but there are still large patches of snow too.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/8/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a flocks of sparrows. I heard a cardinal but didn't see it.

EDIT 2/8/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

I saw a male cardinal.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

bill_schubert

Last week's lunch at an independent living facility continues to have ripples. I was getting something out of my sock drawer and realized that I no longer wear socks for 10 months of the year. I'm in shorts but for the couple of months it is cool and I don't wear socks but for pickleball when I'm in shorts. So why all the socks?

I dumped a bunch a few years ago but apparently not enough. So I made a pile:

I'll be adding some other stuff from the back of the closet and then off to Goodwill. I've only been in a Goodwill once in the past 40 or so years but now have a need. I've dropped off more than I can even remember when we relocated in 2018 and I cleaned out my life the first time. I've got some drop offs other than my socks. Several pairs of pants are clown size and I have to wear suspenders to keep them up. Just the long stuff. My shorts adapt.

But I do need long pants so I'll be looking.

Having pants that fit the smaller me keeps me in the mindset that I don't need to get bigger again. I've still got another 15 pounds to lose so I don't want to buy new stuff that will soon be too big. So Goodwill.

See what I can find.

I will miss some of those socks.

ysabetwordsmith

Thanks to

fuzzyred, the series Peculiar Obligations now has its own landing page. This series features Quakers and organized crime, particularly with pirate allies.

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith

These 773,000-year-old fossils may reveal our shared human ancestor

Exceptionally well-dated fossils from Morocco capture a moment nearly 800,000 years ago, right at a major turning point in Earth’s magnetic history.

Fossils from a Moroccan cave have been dated with remarkable accuracy to about 773,000 years ago, thanks to a magnetic signature locked into the surrounding sediments. The hominin remains show a blend of ancient and more modern features, placing them near a pivotal branching point in human evolution. These individuals likely represent an African population close to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens, Neandertals, and Denisovans.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is sunny and cold. Much of the snow has melted.

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

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 2/7/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I refilled the hopper feeder.

I've seen a female cardinal.

EDIT 2/7/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

There were two cardinals in the forest garden, but it was hard to tell colors at dusk.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

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February 2026

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Creative Cooks

Member Posts

Poem: "No Friend as Loyal"

Activism

Science

Birdfeeding

So detached

Magpie Monday

Economics

Poem: "Libraries from the Ashes"

Poem: "A Never Failing Spring"

Birdfeeding

Poem: "Books That Bite Back"

Getting started on my grimoire

Monday Update 2-9-26

Buffalo Seed Company Order

Science

Birdfeeding

Downsizing

Website Updates

Early Humans

Birdfeeding

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February 2026

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