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Heron takes flight

I accidentally walked up on this lovely heron at the lake today (US Midwest, small man-made lake that just happens to be close enough for me to walk to), and he was obliging enough to stand still until I had a chance to get out the camera! I see a lot of birds out there every year (right now we also have ducklings, a small geese population, and a lot of red-winged blackbirds), but this is the closest I've ever gotten to one of the herons, and I thought this community might like to see him.

a gray and black heron taking flight from a lake

a gray and black heron taking flight from a lake

Fairly sure it's a great blue heron, though I'm not a bird-identifying expert.

Current Mood: busy

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How to Make a Mosquito Bucket of Doom

I found this article about making a Mosquito Bucket of Doom.

1) Fill a bucket with water and put it outside.

2) Add a handful of grass to make carbon dioxide which will attract more mosquitoes.

3) There are two options to kill the resulting larvae.

-- Dump the bucket weekly and refresh the trap with new water and grass.

-- Add a mosquito dunk, which lasts about a month. Replace whenever it sinks or dissolves.

Also, make sure there are no other pockets of still water to attract mosquitoes elsewhere in your yard. Every bit that you can find and remove is one less mosquito nest.

Current Mood: accomplished

How to Make a Mosquito Bucket of Doom

Current Mood: busy

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How to Make a Mosquito Bucket of Doom

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Half-Price Sale in Polychrome Heroics

fuzzyred is hosting a pool for the half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics. The pool will close Saturday evening, so if you want to join that, now's the time.

The sale itself will close Sunday evening, if you're shopping on your own, so you've got an extra day on that.

[ SECRET POST #6714 ]

⌈ Secret Post #6714 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

( More! )

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 44 secrets from Secret Submission Post #960..
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

[ SECRET SUBMISSIONS POST #961 ]

[ SECRET SUBMISSIONS POST #961 ]

The first secret from this batch will be posted on May 31st.

RULES:
1. One secret link per comment.
2. 750x750 px or smaller.
3. Link directly to the image.

More details on how to send a secret in!

Optional: If you would like your secret's fandom to be noted in the main post along with the secret itself, please put it in the comment along with your secret. If your secret makes the fandom obvious, there's no need to do this. If your fandom is obscure, you should probably tell me what it is.

Optional #2: If you would like WARNINGS (such as spoilers or common triggers -- list of some common ones here) to be noted in the main post before the secret itself, please put it in the comment along with your secret.

Optional #3: If you would like a transcript to be posted along with your secret, put it along with the link in the comment!

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

Today is partly cloudy and pleasantly cool. :D

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

I put out water for the birds.

I set out the flats of pots and watered them. It's down to 2 partial flats now.

EDIT 5/24/25 -- I finished pulling the tall grass out of the septic garden. I cut down the tree seedlings.

I've seen a catbird and a fox squirrel.

EDIT 5/24/25 -- We walked the prairie garden to point out where to remow paths. My partner Doug is out mowing that and the ritual meadow.

EDIT 5/24/25 -- I weeded the first section of netting in the prairie garden down to the ground, so that one is ready to roll up and add fresh dirt.

EDIT 5/24/25 -- I weeded the wedge between sections of netting in the prairie garden down to the ground

EDIT 5/24/25 -- We walked around to look at the mowed areas.

I have a bee tree again! :D 3q3q3q!!! I am so excited. While walking through the savanna, I heard the lawnmower sound, so I checked the most recent bee tree and the girls were back to-ing and fro-ing overhead. *GLEE*

I trimmed around a hydrangea at the east edge of the house yard, in case more mowing becomes feasible.

EDIT 5/24/25 -- I weeded the second section of netting in the prairie garden down to the ground. So the interior weeding is done. \o/

EDIT 5/24/25 -- I cut open the bag and spread fresh soil over the first section, then put the net back down there.

I've seen a male cardinal.

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

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news,
science

Neutrinos

This post talks about measuring the mass of neutrinos.

Whatcha Reading? May 2025, Part Two

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/05/whatcha-reading-may-2025-part-two/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=145302

Cozy seat in beautiful backyard flower garden Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here’s how we’re wrapping up May:

Elyse: I just started This Monster of Mine. The author said the hero was inspired by Ben Barnes as the Darkling so …

Claudia: I’m struggling with the new Susanna Kearsley book, The King’s Messenger. ( A | BN | K | AB ) It’s told from the perspectives of multiple characters and to me it just feels jarring, like I don’t get to know any of them.

Amanda: What a coincidence, I picked up This Monster of Mine this week!

Tara: I just finished Dream a Little Dream by Melissa Brayden. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I want someone to make a mini series out of it now, because it has nighttime soap opera vibes.

Sarah: I was thinking about nighttime soaps this weekend. Dallas was my first really “grown up” show.

Carrie: I’m reading The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I’m loving it but also finding it slow going and I’m not sure why.

Sarah: I am reading A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne. ( A | BN ) I think it was #1 in a category on Amazon that made me laugh — yes, “Magic romance.” Y’all, when Beyond Heaving Bosoms was released we were #1 in “movements and periods,” which meant that I’m forever charmed by the ?! bestseller tags.

A | BN | K | AB

Amanda: Very surprised you’re reading that one lol

Sarah: This has been a curious reading experience. The Duskwalkers are like Leshens from Witcher and before that, mythology, and the whole “we eat people and absorb their humanity” is intriguing and also has some gaping plot holes. It also has some of the most clumsy, cumbersome sentences I’ve ever read.

“Her smile was haunting when he raised his head, knowing that she meant inside and not just how he had.”

At this point I’m reading to figure out how they get to the telegraphed ending: aside from schtupping and mundanity, there isn’t a lot of plot.

And I have learned that a few readers online think it is very heavily inspired by the anime/manga Ancient Magus Bride. I’m going to have to read that, too, huh? All in the name of “what is the monster type that would most interest me should I wish to embark upon monster romance.” I went with Leshen and look what happened, y’all.

Shana: Weirdly, I just put This Monster of Mine on hold at the library yesterday. Clearly this book is having a moment.

I’m reading Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) I don’t usually like memoirs but this feel more like eavesdropping on a series of therapy sessions

Sarah: I listened to that book! It very much felt like I was listening in on things I wasn’t meant to hear.

A | BN | K | AB

Kiki: I bought The Poppy War Trilogy by R. F. Kuang in audiobook on super-duper discount over a year ago and just started listening. I’m liking it so far, but I also know myself and know my odds of actually finishing a large fantasy series are…slim. Not a reflection necessarily of the book, just of my brain (and my love of an audiobook deal, seriously, the complete series was $6.00)

Sarah: That is a GOOD PRICE.

Kiki: For 60 hours of audiobook!

Sarah: HOLY CRAP.

Where are you going, Jupiter?

Kiki: Oh I’m one of those people who is always listening to something. Walking anywhere, cooking, cleaning, etc. and honestly a fair amount of my job can be done while listening to something too which helps.

Sarah: Same here. 60 hours my gosh. That’s a lot of chorin’.

So, whatcha reading? Let us know in the comments!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/05/whatcha-reading-may-2025-part-two/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=145302

Current Mood: busy

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recurring posts

Philosophical Questions: Stealing

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

If I steal a loaf of bread from you and eat it, when does the bread itself cease to be yours and becomes mine?

In practice, when you remove it from where the owner put it. But ethically and legally, stolen property is not ever yours.

[ SECRET POST #6713 ]

⌈ Secret Post #6713 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

( More! )

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #959..
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Podcast 668, Your Transcript is Here!

Posted by SB Sarah

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/05/podcast-668-your-transcript-is-here/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=145300

The transcript for Podcast 668. Hot Takes with Sarah & Amanda has been posted!

This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.

❤ Click here to subscribe to The Podcast →

Thanks as always to Garlic Knitter for being awesome!

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/05/podcast-668-your-transcript-is-here/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=145300

Current Mood: busy

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Birdfeeding

Today is partly sunny and mild. It rained a little yesterday.

I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a catbird, a blackbird, a blue jay, a young fox squirrel on the hopper feeder, and an adult fox squirrel running through the trees.

I put out water for the birds.

I set out the flats of pots and watered them.

EDIT 5/23/25 -- I pulled grass from inside the septic garden.

EDIT 5/23/25 -- I pulled more grass from inside the septic garden. I discovered that a few gladioli are still surviving there.

Also there are mosquito larvae in the trough pond on the old picnic table, so I need to get some mosquito dunks for that. :/

EDIT 5/23/25 -- I pulled more grass from inside the septic garden.

EDIT 5/23/25 -- I pulled more grass from inside the septic garden.

I've seen two fox squirrels in the forest garden.

EDIT 5/23/25 -- I potted up a purple-and-yellow torenia, a yellow portulaca, two yellow snapdragons, and two white lobelias in a big clay pot on the patio.

I've seen a female cardinal.

EDIT 5/23/25 -- I potted up crosne knotroots in one of the big taupe pots that I put on the north side of the new picnic table. I have 2 of those pots left to fill.

EDIT 5/23/25 -- I filled the last two of the big taupe pots with half composted manure and half potting soil. I sowed one with ground cherry seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds, which emptied that packet; it didn't come with a lot of seeds in it. I sowed the other pot with goldenberry seeds from John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds, which still has plenty left.

EDIT 5/23/25 -- I potted up a purple-and-white picotee petunia, a purple-and-white striped 'Wave' petunia, a 'Dusty Miller' artemesia, and two white lobelias in a clay pot on the patio. I also added a 'Dusty Miller' artemesia to the pot of yellow flowers from earlier.

I've seen a skunk on the patio.

EDIT 5/23/25 -- We picked up 2 bags of potting soil, 2 bags of composted manure, new grass shears, and a package of mosquito dunks. I put one of the dunks into the trough pond.

I watered the newly planted things.

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

Current Mood: busy

Entry tags:

Birdfeeding

Unsent Letters: "Mr Rowl" and Dial "M" for Murder

I wrote two stories for Unsent Letters!

‘Nary a cause for tears’: Queer friendship in the diaries of Admiral Hervey Barrington, R.N. (1772–1833)
"Mr. Rowl" -- D. K. Broster
Raoul des Sablières/Hervey Barrington, Raoul des Sablières/Juliana Forrest
Epistolary, Enemies to Lovers, Bittersweet, Missing Scenes, Canon Compliant, Pining
Teen, No Warnings Apply
9,400 words

If he dies here, that will be his final judgement of me: that I take joy in his suffering.

Were it true, I would be a happier man this night.

luzula had several great requests, but I knew early on that what I really wanted to do was write my Hervey/Raoul manifesto. Broster has a bit of a trademark in writing just-this-side-of-deniable, surely-that-was-deliberate queer characters and relationships, and Hervey is one of my favorites. The text is unambiguous that he's not straight (he's gay or ace, reader's choice), and as the novel progresses, he is so obviously sweet on Raoul... And not just obvious to us, but to all the characters around him.

( Read more... )

So here we are! If you enjoy bittersweet queer romance with a naval flavor, I invite you to give this a shot -- because of the framing, this story requires absolutely no canon knowledge.

I also picked up a pinch-hit!

To: 61A Charrington Gardens
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Mark/Margot
Epistolary, Pre-Canon
G, No Archive Warnings Apply

Write M for "Margot, I'm Madly in Love"

I'd never seen the movie, but my library has it streaming on-demand through Kanopy (and it doesn't even count toward your monthly limit!), so we watched it over two nights, and then I downloaded the subtitles file for reference. (A subtitles file is not quite as good as a transcript, because it doesn't usually say who is speaking, let alone give any indication of the action, scene changes, etc. But it can still prove useful nonetheless!)

( Read more... )

I also tried my hand at picking up the other two long-neglected pinch-hits, but hardly any of the requested fandoms were quick-entry. In both cases I was three-quarters of the way through the first novel of six or a 11-hour video game walkthrough, when someone else swooped in and picked up the pinch-hit. I choose to superstitiously believe that in both cases someone swooped in because I was nearly through my canon reading/viewing, and that my attempting to read/watch these canons was my little contribution to the collection opening at last. ;-)

Entry tags:

Book Review Poll

I have been reading much more than I've been reviewing. So...

Poll #33152

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 115

View Respondents

Which of these books would you MOST like me to review?

View Answers

When the Wolf Comes Home, by Nat Cassidy. Horror novel about an out of work actress on the run with a little boy.
12 (10.4%)

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty. The rollicking adventures of a middle-aged mom PIRATE in fantasy medieval Middle East.
61 (53.0%)

Diary of a Witchcraft Shop, by Trevor Jones and Liz Williams. What it says on the can: a diary of owning a witchcraft shop in Glastonbury.
18 (15.7%)

Sisters of the Vast Black, by Nina Rather. SPACE NUNS aboard a GIANT SPACE SEA SLUG.
45 (39.1%)

Making Bombs for Hitler, by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. Children's historical fiction about Ukrainian children kidnapped and enslaved in WWII, by a Ukrainian-Canadian author.
14 (12.2%)

Under One Banner, by Graydon Saunders. Commonweal # 4!
17 (14.8%)

Archangel (etc), by Sharon Shinn. Lost colony romantic SF about genetically engineered angels.
23 (20.0%)

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton. Historical murder mystery with time loops and body switching.
26 (22.6%)

Irontown Blues, by John Varley. Faux-noir SF with an intelligent dog.
8 (7.0%)

Blood Over Bright Haven, by M. L. Wang. Standalone fantasy that kind of looks like romantast but isn't, with anvillicious anti-colonial themes.
14 (12.2%)

An Immense World, by Ed Yong. Outstanding nonfiction about how animals sense the world.
38 (33.0%)

Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling, by Henry Lien ("Peasprout Chen"). Nonfiction, what it says on the can. Not all stories are in three acts!
35 (30.4%)

Blacktongue Thief, by Christopher Buehlman. World's greatest D&D campaign in a truly fucked world.
19 (16.5%)

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Fantasy Romance, Meredith Duran, & More

Posted by Amanda

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2025/05/fantasy-romance-meredith-duran-more/

https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/?p=145274

A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch

A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley is $1.99! This is book two in the Glimmer Falls series, which didn’t work for me as I prefer my paranormal romances to be a little darker. The heroine is a gym rat witch and the hero is a snarky demon with amnesia.

Calladia Cunnington curses the day she met Astaroth the demon, but when he shows up memoryless, why does she find him so helpless . . . and sort of hot?

Calladia Cunnington knows she’s rough around the edges, despite being the heir to one of small-town Glimmer Falls’ founding witch families. While her gym obsession is a great outlet for her anxieties and anger, her hot temper still gets the best of her and manifests in bar brawls. When Calladia saves someone from a demon attack one night, though, she’s happy to put her magic and rage to good use . . . until she realizes the man she saved is none other than Astaroth, the ruthless demon who orchestrated a soul bargain on her best friend.

Astaroth is a legendary soul bargainer and one of the nine members of the demon high council—except he can’t remember any of this. Suffering from amnesia after being banished to the mortal plane, Astaroth doesn’t know why a demon named Moloch is after him, nor why the muscular, angry, hot-in-a-terrifying-way witch who saved him hates him so much.

Unable to leave anyone in such a vulnerable state—even the most despicable demon—Calladia grudgingly decides to help him. (Besides, punching an amnesiac would be in poor taste.) The two set out on an uneasy road trip to find the witch who might be able to restore Astaroth’s memory so they can learn how to defeat Moloch. Calladia vows that once Astaroth is cured, she’ll kick his ass, but the more time she spends with the snarky yet utterly charming demon, the more she realizes she likes this new, improved Astaroth . . . and maybe she doesn’t want him to recover his memories, after all.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Jasad Heir

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem is $2.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This is book one in The Scorched Throne series. I heard about this one through a reading newsletter one of my friends sends out. She isn’t a big romance reader, but had great things to say about this fantasy romance.

Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic outlawed; its royal family murdered down to the last child. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe.

The lost Heir of Jasad, Sylvia never wants to be found. She can’t think about how Nizahl’s armies laid waste to her kingdom and continue to hunt its people—not if she wants to stay alive. But when Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, staying one step ahead of death gets trickier.

In a moment of anger Sylvia’s magic is exposed, capturing Arin’s attention. Now, to save her life, Sylvia will have to make a deal with her greatest enemy. If she helps him lure the rebels, she’ll escape persecution.

A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity even as hatred shifts into something more. Soon, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind. The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.

In this Egyptian-inspired debut fantasy, a fugitive queen strikes a deadly bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a complex game that could resurrect her scorched kingdom or leave it in ashes forever.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Wraith King

The Wraith King by Juliette Cross is 99c at Amazon! I mentioned this on Get Rec’d because I was certainly suckered in by a Goodreads ad. I’ve also had good experiences with Cross’s books in the past.

A brutal, bloody war against the ruthless Wraith King has cost the light fae more than innocent lives. Una Hartstone, Princess of Issos, learns the price the Wraith King demands to end the war once and for all. Her. In exchange for the safety of her people, she agrees to give her life—and her body—to her greatest enemy.

Gollaya Verbane is determined to fulfill his destiny and his god’s prophecy. When his seer points to the Princess of Issos as the key to the rise of the dark fae, he demands her submission. But when she finally yields, he realizes Una is much more to him than a priceless weapon.

A mystery that has haunted Una for years awakens when she is abducted and dragged back to Näkt Mir. The palace hides many dark secrets…and at least one traitor. A traitor determined to take King Goll’s throne—and all he possesses. What he doesn’t know is that Una’s magick is more powerful than he can imagine, and that Goll will burn the whole world to save her.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

The Duke of Shadows

The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran is $3.99! We always get lots of comments when we feature a Duran title; many are hoping she’ll return to writing someday. If you need hope, I found a Reddit thread that mentioned Duran had updated her “About” page in the last couple years and makes references to finishing a manuscript. Sarah reviewed it back in 2008 and gave it a B-:

Julian was tortured and noble, and though he didn’t change so much as come to own himself and the power at his disposal in both of the cultures that shaped him, his journey was fascinating. Julian was marvelous, and did things I wished heroes in other historical novels would do, including beating the ever living shit out of someone who truly deserved it, and being vindicated for doing so. YUM.

In a debut romance as passionate and sweeping as the British Empire, Meredith Duran paints a powerful picture of an aristocrat torn between two worlds, an heiress who dares to risk everything…and the love born in fire and darkness that nearly destroys them.

From exotic sandstone palaces…

Sick of tragedy, done with rebellion, Emmaline Martin vows to settle quietly into British Indian society. But when the pillars of privilege topple, her fiancé’s betrayal leaves Emma no choice. She must turn for help to the one man whom she should not trust, but cannot resist: Julian Sinclair, the dangerous and dazzling heir to the Duke of Auburn.

To the marble halls of London…

In London, they toast Sinclair with champagne. In India, they call him a traitor. Cynical and impatient with both worlds, Julian has never imagined that the place he might belong is in the embrace of a woman with a reluctant laugh and haunted eyes. But in a time of terrible darkness, he and Emma will discover that love itself can be perilous — and that a single decision can alter one’s life forever.

Destiny follows wherever you run.

A lifetime of grief later, in a cold London spring, Emma and Julian must finally confront the truth: no matter how hard one tries to deny it, some pasts cannot be disowned…and some passions never die.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →