The US Fish & Wildlife Service has a feather atlas to help people ID North American birds.

It’s not perfect as they may only have feathers from one or two individuals, and like people birds of the same species aren’t all identical. But it’s still a good resource. Plus it has an Identify My Feather feature that’s fun and interesting to use.

I did! Just a few days ago. I like how it turned out, so I guess the huge needles were worth it.

Your hard work paid off, these look really nice! I have a U shaped garden and used stone pavers to make the path in the middle, but the grass is still growing in between. Maybe I’ll plan to switch to mulch.

Sounds like your clocks aren’t set to cat time. Better check if they’re on the right time zone or if they need new batteries.

Uh oh. Were you 1 minute late with dinner again?

Half of the fun is in making things, and you can only have so many sweaters before you have to start giving them away anyways.

I’ll knit something for anyone, so this is exactly how I feel too. But for others (non-knitters) there seems to be this feeling that knit/crochet/quilted things should be treated as precious family heirlooms. Maybe because not as many people do these hobbies now? And/Or it’s still seen as something grandmas do, and things from your grandma should be treasured?

I’ve heard of it but don’t know anyone who’s experienced it. That said, a sweater is not usually an easy or quick knit. I could see someone being uncomfortable accepting one if they’re not sure about the relationship as a whole.

I like the visual interest those red leaf plants add

Look at that sweet innocent face! I just want to boop his widdle pink nose

That’s really smart! And probably less stressful for you and her. My cat used to play fetch on the stairs when he was younger. Now at 17 he just watches it roll down the steps, then stares at me until I go get it.

I didn’t mind the projectile part, probably because they never got me. It is pretty acidic and eventually stains an area no matter how much you clean.

When dry the feathers feel smooth, but not really oily. If you’ve ever pet a duck it’s pretty similar.

I did have an African penguin almost knock me into the pool once. It was nesting season and he tried to take my radio’s antenna. While it was clipped on my belt and I was crouched down scrubbing the edge of the pool. Luckily I regained my balance and he found a real stick to take instead.

Yeah they definitely look worse for the wear during the molt. Also, having taken care of penguins before, they have waaay more feathers than you think they would.

Not owl-specific, but interestingly penguins go through what’s called a “catastrophic molt” where they replace all their feathers in a short period of time (a few weeks to a month).

This is because they need their feathers to insulate them in the water. Typical bird molting, which lets most birds replace feathers without losing their ability to fly, would be like swimming with a leaky wetsuit for the penguins. This would force the penguins to burn too many calories just to stay warm. Instead they eat extra food leading up to the molt, then mostly stay on land and live off their fat reserves until the molt is finished.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading my bird nerd tangent lol

TLDR plant-based junk food is still junk food.

I find myself wondering why this study happened. Looks like it’s to actually have proof of something we’d assume is true?

a new study authors call “the first” to show ultraprocessed plant foods are associated with an increase in the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

You don’t say

That smile made me smile

“Who dares disturb my slumber?”

Thanks! I am, it’s the only way I get past second sock syndrome lol

We couldn’t be happier. And if you can afford to pay for a year up front, it’s only $15/line per month for unlimited data ($180 for the year). We just switched to that after using US Mobile for about 2 years. I wanted to be absolutely sure it worked before prepaying for an entire year.

Edit: Clarifying the price

Look into US Mobile. It runs on Verizon’s network (I think T-mobile too actually, you pick one or the other when you sign up). We have 3 phones sharing 12gb for $41 per month. You can also do a “top-up” of an extra 5gb for $10 if you’re running low one month, and it only charges for that month - meaning the next month they only charge you the 12gb plan.

Both rurally and in large Midwestern cities we’ve never had any issues with a connection. Which I did worry about them making us low priority since we’re piggy backing Verizon. But so far at least I haven’t seen it happen.

The worst is I’ve been her patient for 10+ years so she should know I don’t come in unless it’s something I can’t manage on my own.

Sleep: I take 1000mg magnesium (the glycinate kind) in the evening. That plus sleep headphones - basically a headband with little speakers in it - help me fall asleep around 10 or 11 most nights. Before that I would be lucky if I could fall asleep before 2 am.

Hot flashes & night sweats: I take 4mg Siberian rhubarb root. It doesn’t make them go away completely but I do have them less often.

I’ve become very forgetful, so now I rely a ton on my phone and our smart home assistant. For example, I created a routine where, when I say “I started the laundry,” our home assistant creates a reminder for a hour later to tell me to put the wash into the dryer.

What have you found that helps?