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Challenge #3

Journaling prompt: What are your favorite summer-associated foods?
Creative prompt: Draw art of or make graphics of summer foods, or post your favorite summer recipes.

I actually talked about my this last time and my love of summer fruits. I also love corn on the cob when it is it in season. I made this recipe for corn/chickpea salad the other day, at least I sort of did, I excluded the herbs, olives, and pickled onions, and added some soft cheese cubes. I also added a tiny bit of maple syrup to the dressing to cut the vinegary/sourness, I saw that on a YouTube shorts vid. It was very good, and I've been eating it for lunch for the last couple of days.

spikedluv

Murderbot: Good ep! ( spoilers )

Resident Alien: Good ep! ( spoilers )

spikedluv

I had a chiropractic appointment this morning, so I didn’t get to mom’s until 9:20am. I took advantage of the fact that I needed to go downtown for that appointment to do some shopping; I got in Walmart and Price Chopper before my appointment, and the Pharmacy after. I also got in a walk around the park before my appointment.

I then had to go home and unload the car and put away groceries. I was home in time to make supper (Pip requested grilled cheese). I also hand-wash dishes, scooped kitty litter, and placed an online order.

I started the next Duncan Kincaid book and watched the current ep of Resident Alien and an HGTV program.

Temps started out at 65.5(F) and reached 84.2.

Mom Update:

Mom was sitting on her porch when I got there this morning. ( more back here )

mxcatmoon

The sun is just starting to disappear behind the horizon and crickets can almost be heard over the music and the laughter echoing through the carnival night. You can't see any stars yet, but the twinkling lights of an amusement ride are highlighting the graceful curves of a swan boat and the high arching hearts of the entrance. Grab the hand of a sweetheart or a sweet friend and embark on a journey through the…

Challenge #2

Tunnel of Love

Journaling: The romance of summer! What do you love? Write about anything you feel sentimental about or that gets your heart pumping.

( Read more... )And here's one of my favorite photos. I took it at a county fair in 2011:

Current Mood: pleased

svgurl

Challenge #3

Journaling prompt: What are your favorite summer-associated foods?
I have to go with ice cream. I have a total sweet tooth, and I love when the weather warms up. My favorite flavor is coffee but I'm also a sucker for a chocolate/vanilla soft serve swirl. As a kid, I used to love all the popsicles and the ice pops and the orange cream bars. Also loved ice cream sandwiches and certain Sara Lee products that they don't make anymore.

Pomegranates are another favorite food that I think of when summer hits. When we moved into our house as a kid, there was a bush in the backyard and over the years, it has grown into a bigger tree. I loved when the pomegranates and ripened, which did happen in summer. Some years, they were good and others not so much. A couple of years ago, we got a lot of amazing, sweet fruit. Last year was a little hit or miss, but my cousins' kids had fun picking them and enjoying what they picked, even if one or two weren't totally ripe yet. I think of watermelon too. I have a ton of memories of enjoying it as the weather warmed up. I'm not a fan of mangoes myself but it is also a very summer fruit. My mom especially loves mangoes and is happy when the season hits and always is ready to make the most of it.

I'm sure there are more, but that is really the ones I can think of off the top of my head. :D

Creative prompt: Draw art of or make graphics of summer foods, or post your favorite summer recipes.

I got a little too into this and made 32 icons of ice cream and various fruits (cherries, strawberries, pomegranates, mangoes, and watermelon). Anyone is welcome to save/use them! :)

( icons )

morgandawn

In late 2019, TV, movie, anime, gaming, celebrity, music, and book fans assembled to save Yahoo Groups after Verizon decided to shut down the mailing list service. Approximately 300,000 fandom groups have been saved. The Yahoo Gedden project is working on identifying the fandoms of Italian language mailing lists and can use your help. We need people who can read Italian natively right now to help us identify the Unknown groups. You can work at your own pace and it is a low time commitment. Work is done on Discord, just reading the Italian group description and a few messages and summarizing the messages in English, maybe answering a question of clarification ("is it talking about X or Y?"). No software or other tools needed besides your phone/computer and access to Discord.

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/UyJdffhw2b

mxcatmoon

Yes, I'm a lot less stressed these days. A co-worker even mentioned how I sounded happier the other day.

( But I'm gonna ramble a bit anyway... )

Current Mood: relieved

jacieleigh

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linky

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

Current Mood: tired

reeby10

Reading

I've read nothing but fic this week lol Still on Gradence. Currently I'm rereading The Standard Book of Spells by canis_m , which I don't really remember, but I'm enjoying it.

Watching

I continued watching movies my roommate wouldn't want to watch. This week was:
- Bitten. I thought the premise of this movie was interesting, but the soul deep romance fell a bit flat. I also could not figure out who they thought the audience was, with the divorced middle aged man "fucking women amirite" jokes and the twelve year old boy poop jokes.
- Ghost Shark. Even more ridiculous than it sounds tbh, but overall pretty fun.
- Planet of the Sharks. Very interesting worldbuilding that I wish wold have gotten explored some more. They went hard on the climate change stuff, which was not bad.
- Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus. Pretty ridiculous, but about on par for what I expected from this franchise lol
- Hoax. I'm always down for a Bigfoot hunt, so pretty fun. I feel like the twist discovery at the end kind of ruined it a bit for me though, I don't love a cannibal redneck story.
- Ozark Sharks. A pretty fun movie cribbed very much from Jaws. But I liked the characters and relationships.
- Mississippi River Sharks. This was so funny to watch right after Ozark Sharks bc it's the same director and even uses some of the same b roll footage. It also has a character that ties the movies together, plus has a in canon shark movie series that shares names with the director's shark movies, so that was interesting.
I was craving a BL romance, so I started a Thai series called Your Sky. I stayed up until after midnight two nights this week because I didn't want to stop watching lol I also got the bff to start watching and she's obsessed as well. It's just so fun and so cute! And great side romances!
Watched one more PBS Nova episode, Lost Tombs of Notre Dame. Very interesting!
AEW as usual. Kyle Fletcher remains my favorite guy regularly on at the moment.

Listening

Been wanting some seasonal music, so I found a summer alt rock playlist. It was ok. I should probably just make myself one.

Writing

I wrote a poem for a NaPoWriMo prompt.

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Tunnel of Love

Journaling: The romance of summer! What do you love? Write about anything you feel sentimental about or that gets your heart pumping.

Since this is what I did most of last Sunday, I'll talk about how much I love baking. I love to bake. It's something I've done since I was a child. My mom was the one who taught me, with box mixes and canned frosting to begin with, before I moved on to making cakes from scratch. I remember taking a whole tray of cupcakes for a surprise party our class planned for our teacher in elementary school (okay, it was the girls. I vaguely remember us thinking the boys couldn't be trusted to keep their mouth shut so we left them out. I think we were, like, 10 or 11?). I also remember making birthday cakes and father's day cakes for my dad. I remember taking things for all sorts of class parties throughout the years really. When we had a project in elementary school on teaching the class "how to do something", I chose baking a cake and I remember switching from mix to wanting to do a scratch cake. My dad carefully measured out the ingredients in the morning before school so it would save me time. So much of my baking memories are tied to my family.

Baking is something that calms my mind. There's a precision to it that I appreciate. I'm someone who likes really exact instructions, which is why even though I have learned to like cooking, I do like baking more. You stick to a recipe and outside of mild variables, like the oven timing, it should come out right. And I like the results too! I have a sweet tooth, but I do like when people around me enjoy my baking. I am not great with taking compliments, but I like hearing them (who doesn't, right? lol)! I do like pretty things so it's been fun learning and practicing decorating as well.

People have made jokes about me starting a bakery in the past, and while there are many reasons I wouldn't, I do just like some thing just being an enjoyable hobby. And I will keep doing it. It's a nice way to spend an evening or a weekend. Doing what I love and sometimes, for the people I love. Because they're the reason I learned to do this in the first place. :)

( cupcakes )

spikedluv

I was at mom’s by 6:30am. Before I headed to mom’s, I did a load of laundry, hand-washed some dishes, scooped kitty litter, and dropped Grant off at the garage.

I stayed until 3pm (again, giving mom a couple of hours by herself before my sister arrived). I stopped at the library on the way home to drop off a book and found a surprise book waiting for me, as I hadn’t yet received the notification. I also stopped at Stewart’s (for gas and milk).

I grilled Italian sausage for Pip’s supper (I’m not a fan), hand-washed more dishes, hung up Pip’s uniforms (last night’s load of laundry), dried the dog sheets (this morning’s load), emptied the dishwasher, and took a shower.

I finished the Clare Fergusson book and read two cozies, the next two in the Inn at Holiday Bay series, on my Kindle app.

Temps started out at 73.2(F) and reached 81.4. It was overcast all day even though we weren’t forecasted to get any rain. I hate not having sun, but it would’ve been much hotter if we had.

Mom Update:

Mom was tired today. ( more back here )

spikedluv

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Silence in the Library (A Lily Adler Mystery) by Katharine Schellman, The Falcon at the Portal (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) by Elizabeth Peters, I Shall Not Want (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming, and Portent in the Pages & Poison in the Pudding (The Inn at Holiday Bay) by Kathi Daley.

What I am Currently Reading: I just finished reading the last book last evening, but today I’m going to start Necessary as Blood (A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery) by Deborah Crombie.

What I Plan to Read Next: Heir, Apparently by Kara McDowell, unless something else comes in at the library that eclipses it.

Book 53 of 2025: Silence in the Library (A Lily Adler Mystery) (Katharine Schellman)

I enjoyed this book! ( spoilers )

This was a good book and I've already requested the next in the series. I'm giving this one five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

Book 54 of 2025: The Falcon at the Portal (An Amelia Peabody Mystery) (Elizabeth Peters)

Good book! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and have requested the next in the series. I'm giving this book five hearts, despite my one disappointment.

♥♥♥♥♥

Book 55 of 2025: I Shall Not Want (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) (Julia Spencer-Fleming)

Good book! ( spoilers )

I enjoyed this book and have already requested the next. I'm giving this book five hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

Book 56 of 2025: Portent in the Pages (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything in this series, but I was looking for something easy to read after I finished the last book, so I looked through my Kindle library and chose this one. (Technically, I chose a different one that I DNF’d before I got more than a dozen pages into it, so this was my second choice.) This is the sixteenth in the series, to my surprise!

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick comfort read. I was happy to be reintroduced to the characters again. ( spoilers )

There wasn't a whole lot of suspense or concern for the characters, but it did what I wanted it to, which was help me kill a couple hours in an enjoyable fashion. I’m giving it four hearts, and I might even go on and read the next in the series.

♥♥♥♥

Book 57 of 2025: Poison in the Pudding (The Inn at Holiday Bay) (Kathi Daley)

After reading the other book, I decided to keep on with the series. This one was an enjoyable story, but a predictable mystery. Thankfully I read this series more for the characters and location than I do the mysteries. ( spoilers )

I'm giving this book four hearts.

♥♥♥♥♥

svgurl

flashexchanges is running size difference flash, a multifandom flash exchange featuring size differences. Nominations/sign-ups close on July 9th, 11PM UTC.

sedoretuex, an exchange dedicated to celebrating the sedoretu (a specific organization of a poly marriage created by Ursula K. Le Guin), is accepting nominations until July 12th, 11:59PM EDT. More info, including the schedule/FAQ can be found HERE.

raremaleslashex, a multifandom fic/art/podfic exchange focused on rare m/m ships, has opened sign-ups until July 13th, 8PM UTC.

relationshipping, a gift exchange for incest ships (ships that are not canonically related are welcome for incest aus too), is open for nominations until July 13th, 9:59PM EDT.

enemiestoloversex, a multifandom gift exchange focused on the "enemies to lovers" trope (though all ships are welcome, not just ones fitting that dynamic in canon), is accepting nominations until July 14th, 10PM UTC.

austenexchange, a fic exchange focused on Jane Austen works, is open for nominations until July 15th, 10PM UTC.

dreams_mayhem is running Hodge Podge, a multifandom challenge where each week players will fill prompts to score points by writing fics, creating poetry, or making graphics. Sign-ups are open until July 19th.

fallingforyoufallexchange, a fall multifandom freeform exchange centered around ships getting together, is open for nominations until July 21st, 8PM EDT.

scaldinghotcibingo is running Consent Issues Mini Bingo. Claims can be made until January 4th, 2026.

satsuma

I recently attended a class on Ferns at a local botanical garden. The class was a mix of botanical info, caring for ferns in a garden context, understanding how they function ecologically in the wild, and recognizing any ferns you might come across locally--I was mostly interested in the last two points so that's what these notes reflect.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: studious

spikedluv

My sister A had to be to work by 7am. I didn’t quite make it to mom’s before she left, but I was there just a few minutes after 7. Before I left home I managed to toss a load of laundry into the washer AND dryer, hand-wash some dishes, pack my lunch, and scoop kitty litter.

I left mom’s at 3:30pm (though my sister wasn’t going to arrive until 5:30pm – we’re trying to slowly wean her from having care/company all the time because she’s already said she’s going to miss having us there). I stopped at the library on the way home to pick up a book. After I got home I did dishes, folded a load of laundry, tossed another into the washer AND dryer (that’s an accomplishment!), did a load in the dishwasher, and shaved.

I watched the first two eps of Smoke, read some fanfic and started the next Clare Fergusson book, and went for a walk while at mom’s.

Temps started out at 73.0(F) and reached 93. It was hot.

Mom Update:

Mom wasn’t as tired as I thought she’d be after going to the graduation party yesterday. ( more back here )

linky

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

Current Mood: tired

spikedluv

I decided to watch this show because of Taron Egerton. I’ve seen the first two eps and enjoyed them. ( spoilers )

spikedluv

I had to be to mom’s by 9am to relieve sister S. I did a load of laundry, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, hand-washed some dishes, and scooped kitty litter before I left. I left ~6pm and by the time I got home I just did some more dishes and took a shower before I collapsed on the bed to relax.

I marathoned four eps of the new show Countdown with Jensen Ackles and attended a graduation party. (My sister S’s step-grandson.)

Temps started out at 72(F) and reached 97 according to Pip. I didn’t doubt it; it was so frelling hot out. We sat outside at the graduation party, but were saved by a slight breeze. I still felt gross and sweaty.

Mom Update:

Mom was tired again today and just had zero get-up-and-go. ( more back here )

mxcatmoon

Just wanted to clarify my previous post about Corvyx. I encourage everyone to support these artists via Patreon and elsewhere, because they deserve it. I'm just very grateful that people like me who can barely afford to buy groceries are blessed to be able to listen to these artists even when we don't have the money to pay. (That's why I like, sub, and share as much as I can).

He's also on Spotify, FYI. I'm about to head over there now.

So, while I'm here, have another video. This seems to be one of his most popular ones.

Watch on YouTube

Current Mood: impressed

Big Bang Index

Sunshine Revival Challenge #3

TV Talk: Murderbot & Resident Alien

The Day in Spikedluv (Wednesday, July 9)

Sunshine Revival 2025 #2 (Journaling)

sunshine revival challenge #3

Italian Speakers Need For Yahoo Groups Rescue Project

It's not my job, man

Bow... BE GONE!

Jetman Thoughts, Eps 43-44

Wednesday What I'm...

sunshine revival challenge #2

The Day in Spikedluv (Tuesday, July 8)

Wednesday Reading Meme & Books 53 - 57 of 2025

more fandom events

Notes on Native Ferns

The Day in Spikedluv (Monday, July 7)

BL Roundup

TV Talk: Smoke (1.01 & 1.02)

The Day in Spikedluv (Sunday, July 6)

Just to add...

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