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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Nov 9, 5:22pm
Post #26 of 71
(630 views)
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My grandsons are14 and nearly 12 now; the older one has reached 'grunt, huff and strop mode' and can be quite argumentative, resulting in withdrawal of internet privileges etc. The younger one watches with interest - not sure if he regards his brother as a good example or a terrible warning! Good luck with your three when the hormones kick in!
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Ataahua
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Nov 9, 6:15pm
Post #27 of 71
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There's a lot of 'feeling' in your work - something I never achieved with my efforts way back when. Thank you for sharing them. And it's lovely to see you popping in. 
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Nov 9, 9:04pm
Post #28 of 71
(609 views)
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If you haven't done it yet, hope it's a breeze!
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Kimi
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Nov 9, 10:18pm
Post #29 of 71
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What a spread! Still delicious next day.
We're just back from a week away. First we went to the annual garden festival in Taranaki, where along with enjoying lovely gardens and walks in the countryside we met up with Ataahua for the first time in two years - a real treat to catch up.
One of my favourite gardens:
https://www.gardens.org.nz/visit/tupare
Then we were off to the mountains, at Tongariro National Park. We stayed in an old railway cottage just by the train station, and found that lots of trains run at night! Fortunately we both enjoy the sound of trains, and dropped off to sleep again very quickly. In the daytime we did some nice walks, and in the evenings we cozied up by a wood fire and enjoyed a couple of streaming services, not something we have at home.
Our trip between Taranaki and National Park was interesting, as we took a detour to follow the one section of the Main Trunk (train) line we missed earlier in the year. It's amazing what you can come across down country lanes. We stopped to look at the longest tunnel on the line, and there was a tiny private graveyard with a quite magnificent tomb. It was fenced off, and faced the railway rather than the road, so I couldn't get very close, but I did find this afterwards:
https://www.flickr.com/...FmLc-2qnt9sp-2q5fZRA
The last part of our drive home yesterday was fairly dire, as the motorway was blocked by a crash, and the last stretch took a very long time. But, as Mr Kimi said, someone else was having a much worse time of it.
Lovely to see some old friends checking in! Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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Ataahua
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Nov 9, 10:39pm
Post #30 of 71
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Do you know the name of the locality,
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or the road, where that tomb is? I haven't seen that before.
Tupare is gorgeous. We had a team Christmas gathering there a few years ago and played some abridged form of cricket on the river flat. We also had a tour of the house (it's just beautiful inside) but the upper floor is interesting. To get into one bedroom, you have to be short and skinny because there's kind of a dog-leg to get through the low door. And I didn't know until I was back outside, but there's a 'hidden bedroom' with the door inside the closet of the first bedroom you come to. Interesting design choices, back in the day!
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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Kimi
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Nov 9, 10:56pm
Post #31 of 71
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But not very livable! We've done the tour, too, though not this last time.
The location is called Poro-o-tarao. You get there by taking the road between Te Kuiti and Benneydale, and turning off towards Ongarue. Sealed all the way, surprisingly enough, and a nice drive. Ongarue has a very interesting display about the terrible rail accident of 1923, our worst rail disaster until Tangiwai. My main character is taking that same train journey 18 months later, so the crash will be on her mind. And the tomb was already there at the time she comes through, so will definitely be mentioned! A bonus of taking that detour.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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acheron
Gondor
Nov 10, 1:23am
Post #32 of 71
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Older son and I went hiking up Old Rag mountain here in Virginia last weekend. It's one of the most famous/popular hikes in Virginia, but pretty tough. And it reminded me of a satire article I saw recently about "studies show 100% of hiking males imagine themselves on a quest during the Third Age of Middle-earth", which did occur to me while going up the mountain. :D
For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much -- the wheel, New York, wars, and so on -- while all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man, for precisely the same reasons. -- Douglas Adams
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Kimi
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Nov 10, 4:25am
Post #33 of 71
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What a great job she's been doing as Sarah. Thanks for sharing!
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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Kimi
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Nov 10, 4:31am
Post #36 of 71
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and that the gathering provides some much-needed refreshment of the spirit.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
(This post was edited by Kimi on Nov 10, 4:32am)
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Kimi
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Nov 10, 4:33am
Post #37 of 71
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And lovely to see you, Magpie.
I follow a couple of active iNaturalists on Mastodon. It's a great resource, and I see you've been adding some fabulous entries.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
(This post was edited by Kimi on Nov 10, 4:34am)
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Nov 10, 9:21am
Post #38 of 71
(528 views)
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that one looks lovely and I enjoy the Arts and Crafts style of the house too. My daughter planted a liquidambar in her garden - the autumn colour is glorious. Shame about the traffic problems, but Mr K was right.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Nov 10, 2:47pm
Post #39 of 71
(503 views)
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*geeky flying tackle hug* HI!!!
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I'm so happy you're here!! :D As usual, you come with wonderful surprises, stories and treats! I'm enthralled with your collection of cards... captivated is more like it :D You have put your "retirement" to much better use than I have. The discoveries you've made on your nature walks you have shared to advance the incredible life going on outside right down to the life going on under leaves and plants :) I am going to... determined to... spend more time looking at what is out there, starting with my own yard! I'm also going to spend WAY too much time at the iNaturalist site. I think you've mentioned it before; but I lost track of it... along with my car keys and memory ;)
Oh... and I'd love to walk through your grandmother's leftovers lounge :D What a wonderful memory to warm your holidays with.
Here's some more to keep you warm on your walks. *massive hug* Thank you so much for sharing homecoming with us!!!!!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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Annael
Immortal
Nov 10, 4:15pm
Post #40 of 71
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Yes, it went very well, thanks! And yes, the entire gathering has been balm to my soul. Mythies are very good at seeing into the deeper meanings of events.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Annael
Immortal
Nov 10, 4:20pm
Post #41 of 71
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And it's giving me a push, because I started doing tiny collages years ago and put them aside - but seeing yours, I want to pick it up again! I can imagine how satisfying it is.
Thanks for the link to the naturalist app. I walk with Merlin to identify birds, but yeah, it's been a while since I got any surprises.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Kimi
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Nov 10, 7:54pm
Post #42 of 71
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Magpie :) Though there are currently one or two visiting my garden.
But I'm very glad to hear it all went so well.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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Kimi
Forum Admin
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Nov 10, 7:58pm
Post #43 of 71
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when we strolled around the small town of Opunake, which obviously has a bunch of keen knitters. Every post was decorated, shop windows had appropriate knitted displays from "cakes" and "milk bottles" through to a life-sized cow, and the statue of local-boy-made-Olympic-athlete Peter Snell had a smart new knitted outfit. Quite a point of difference!
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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Magpie
Immortal
Nov 10, 10:49pm
Post #44 of 71
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Thanks everyone, for the feedback and compliments. I do try to vary up what I'm doing so that I don't bore the people I'm giving them to and so that I don't get stuck in a rut, especially a 'comfort' rut.
Especially at the beginning (COVID!), I was trying to work with what I had - and I did have some stuff leftover from my own art classes for my graphic design degree plus both of my kids took some art classes in college and their supplies got left behind when they moved out. I worked for a number of years with kids and did crafty stuff with them. And, I've been collecting all kinds of stuff (MAGPIE!) for decades including stuff that could be purposed into art.
But I also was set myself to 'use up' more than I 'bought'. I started out using old business cards as a substrate. If I don't like how something turned out, I set it aside to see how I felt about it later on. It's kind of amazing what one can do with 'failures'. :-) Very little makes it to the trash can.
But in a distinct turn I took from all the art and craft I'd done in the past - in younger years - I learned to just play and experiment. I often started out with the idea 'what happens if I do ____'. And if something 'failed', then I knew it couldn't get any worse so it was real easy to experiment on that.
I believe that we all need some creativity in our lives. I think it can come in many forms and at many levels. If anyone gets a spark of inspiration from something, I say go for it. The pleasure to 'just do' is enough. Anything after that is gravy. But the pleasure of 'just doing' has to come first.
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Magpie
Immortal
Nov 10, 11:17pm
Post #45 of 71
(452 views)
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general replies re: iNaturalist
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I'm always hoping any little dribble of info I put out there about iNat will spark interest in someone. If it does (now or in the future when you come across another mention of it), then I will offer a few comments.
It's essentially a citizen sourced database - and I know the people on TORn understand the power of citizen sourced projects! People come to it for lots of different reasons and all are welcome, including the casual user that just wants to know what the plant is.
As a database, it can function in a multitude of ways which can make it look daunting to get started. I like to tell people that the best way to learn is to jump in and give it a try. Folks will help you along the way understand the nuances and there isn't anything you can do that can't be undone (if you're familiar with working on wikis, you'll get how that works). Don't get fussed if a mistake is made that needs correcting. I feel like I was pretty comfortably in after a couple of weeks.
You just need a photo you took of an organism you saw yourself, you need the location (which can be obscured if security is an issue), and you need the date/time you saw it (date alone is okay if you don't have the time of day). Old photos are okay if you have the location/date info.
Captive (zoo) and domestic animals and plants planted by people are okay, but mark them as 'not wild'.
I personally think using the website is much easier than using the app. But I'm old enough to find most web interfaces easier than apps. The website has more features than the app. If you're uploading old photos or photos from a (non-phone) camera, the website is the place to do that.
Even if someone just posts a few birds, plants, and a frog - that is all contributing to data that can be sourced for a variety of applications, i.e.:
--tracking extensions in range for species
--finding/identifying new species
--tracking invasive species
--mitigating roadkills by tracking where they were occurring
--tracking phenology data
I've set the copyrights for my photos to a fairly lenient level that lets them be used for any educational purposes. Some of my insect photos have made it to Wikipedia. I was watching a youtube video about spiders. The narrator was trying to explain about genus and species and he was using deer as an example - specifically White-tailed Deer (which we get in MN) and Mule Deer (as found in the Dakotas). He put up a photo of a Mule Deer. I recognized the backdrop of the Mule Deer as Medora ND - a place we'd recently visited and stayed in. And then I recognized the exact spot as the place I'd seen a Mule Deer standing so still, I thought it was a statue at first. Then I realized... It was my photo! lol. That was a nice surprise.
Also, the observations I and others made at a local park were used by advocates for the park when its future was threatened. They were able to show documentation for 557 species in the park.
If anyone currently uses iNat or joins in the future, feel fee to DM me on the site if desired. It's really the only way to connect as 'following' people doesn't work quite the same way as on Facebook.
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dernwyn
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Nov 11, 2:15am
Post #46 of 71
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She's having a grand time as Sarah, that's great to hear!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Nov 11, 2:17am
Post #47 of 71
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So glad you came by, do come more often if you can!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Nov 11, 2:19am
Post #48 of 71
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That "study" is perfect for this place!
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Nice to see you again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Nov 11, 2:21am
Post #49 of 71
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I use it often for my hot coffee, the curved-in rim makes me less likely to spill it when walking around the house!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Nov 11, 2:25am
Post #50 of 71
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What an enjoyable and uplifting way to spend the weekend!
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And I hope they enjoyed your presentation! 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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