Photos: Fairy Garden Lantern Deconstruction

Sunday, September 14th, 2025 10:14 pm
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Someone overheard that I'm working with terraria and gave me this fairy garden lantern so I could turn it into a terrarium. :D So today I deconstructed it and cleaned the container.

The lantern part has an open top with a hanging loop and a solid base. It has a hexagonal shape with a narrow top, widest part below the middle, and slightly narrower base. The panes appear to be rigid plastic. The frame seems to be metal. There's a bit of heft to the base, even when empty.

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Safety

Sunday, September 14th, 2025 02:53 pm
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Scientists invent 'glue gun' filled with 3D-printed materials that heal broken bones 'in minutes'

Tested on rabbits, the device was able to quickly create complex bone implants using 3D printing technology, without prefabricating a metal or donor-bone graft in advance.

Placed directly on the area of impact, the 3D-printed grafts offer flexibility while also releasing anti-inflammatory antibiotics and promoting natural bone regrowth at the site, according to the research, published in the journal “Device.”



This really is closer to handheld 3D printing than a true bone glue. The former is useful when large parts of bone are missing. The latter is what you want for attaching the ends of a bone broken in half or to piece together many fragments. And while replacing lost sections or puzzling pieces together are invasive processes, just sealing one break doesn't have to be.

Of course, that's if hospitals can be arsed to provide this type of care. They probably won't.

Birdfeeding

Sunday, September 14th, 2025 02:34 pm
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Today is mostly sunny and sweltering. It is 90°F in mid-September. Fuck climate change. >_<

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

I put out water for the birds. The metal birdbath was empty again.

EDIT 9/14/25 -- I set up 9 crabapple seeds in a baggie of damp sand to cold-stratify in the refrigerator.

EDIT 9/14/25 -- I disassembled the fairy garden so I can use its lantern container as a terrarium.

EDIT 9/14/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 9/14/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

9/'14/25 -- I watered the irises, old picnic table, new picnic table, septic garden, telephone pole garden, and a few seedlings in the savanna. *goflopnow*

Cicadas and crickets are singing. I've seen a lot of butterflies today -- cabbage, painted ladies, and monarchs. :D

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

Candy Jar Terrarium Part 2: Plants

Saturday, September 13th, 2025 11:33 pm
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This post covers planting the candy jar terrarium. Begin with Part 1: Setup.

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Candy Jar Terrarium Part 1: Setup

Saturday, September 13th, 2025 11:23 pm
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Today I assembled the large candy jar terrarium. Continue with Part 2: Plants.

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Wildlife

Saturday, September 13th, 2025 02:04 pm
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No one knows what these strange larvae grow into

Constructing the tree of life for parasitic barnacles and their relatives.
Not all barnacles just sit on rocks and ships. Some invade crabs, growing like a parasitic root system that hijacks their bodies. A mysterious group called y-larvae has baffled scientists for over a century, with no known adult stage. Genetic evidence now reveals they’re related to barnacles and may also be parasites — lurking unseen inside other creatures
.

Birdfeeding

Saturday, September 13th, 2025 01:57 pm
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Today is partly sunny and hot.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.  The honeybees had drained the metal birdbath again.

9/13/25 -- I assembled the large terrarium with a polka dot plant and a fern.

9/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

9/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

9/13/25 -- I watered the patio plants.

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

Safety

Saturday, September 13th, 2025 12:41 pm
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I’m exhausted but am surviving. How can I heal from burnout without expensive time off?

You can't. Burnout comes from exceeding your capacity over the long term, doing more than your body and mind can handle sustainably. It can permanently injure you. It can kill you. As long as you continue overworking yourself, burnout will get worse. Before you can heal a knife wound, you must first remove the knife.

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Philosophical Questions: Rights

Saturday, September 13th, 2025 03:24 am
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People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

What is the most important right our government allows for?


Liberty. With that, you can get most of the others; without it, you're screwed.

Life is also important, but America has ample evidence of people valuing freedom over mere survival.

Though I should point out that the government is terrible at supporting rights. Most things have devolved in to paid privileges or prizes for winning the crotch lottery.


Poem: "The Most Precious Heritage"

Friday, September 12th, 2025 10:17 pm
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This poem is spillover from the August 5, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from [personal profile] librarygeek, [personal profile] chanter1944, and [personal profile] 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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Today's Adventures

Friday, September 12th, 2025 09:47 pm
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Today we went up to Amish territory.

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Low-Carb Meatloaf Recipes

Friday, September 12th, 2025 12:41 pm
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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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Birdfeeding

Friday, September 12th, 2025 05:52 pm
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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.

Follow Friday 9-12-25: Iron Man

Friday, September 12th, 2025 12:19 am
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Today's theme is Iron Man.

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Sustainability

Thursday, September 11th, 2025 11:01 pm
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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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Recipe: "Edwards Family Meatloaf"

Thursday, September 11th, 2025 10:09 pm
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We made this tonight.

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Content notes for "But an Empty Shell"

Thursday, September 11th, 2025 09:31 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Damask smiling over their shoulder (polychrome)
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These are the content notes for "But an Empty Shell."

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