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The Wordsmiths Forge showcases the writing of Elizabeth Barrette in nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. It also provides a virtual living room for discussing topics such as environmental and social issues, current events, intentional community, network
Recent Posts Tagged With 'Personal'
Holiday Lights
Recently we drove through a local park that hosts a lovely display of holiday lights. Doug and I took turns taking photos with his fancy digital camera.These penguins are playing around an igloo.Here is a row of carolers.We got to drive th...
Almost Done...
... with a reversible vest that I'm making for Doug as a birthday present. This morning it was barely started -- the pieces cut out and the first line or two of stitching done. Now it is all done except for cutting holes for grommets and ...
Esbat Tonight
We're having a full moon esbat tonight, open instead of our usual closed. Chanting, drumming, candles, and good company....
Making Progress
Today I finished a batch of donor gifts for folks who have supported the Poetry Fishbowl project during 2009. Most of them are done now, either mailed or waiting to be mailed shortly....
Hungry Birds
The woodpecker has continued to return several times a day, drilling away at the suet feeder on my office window. I got a slightly better snapshot of him.I keep hoping to catch him perched on one of the bushes, but he only stays there for ...
Holiday Lights
Shortly we'll be heading out for pizza with some relatives. We're all going to a local park that puts up a big display of holiday decorations, so we can take pictures of the lights. I don't know if I'll wind up with the good camera i...
Holiday Activities
Yesterday I cleaned most of the scrapbooking mess off the table, laid out and cut the pieces for a reversible vest that I'm making for my partner's birthday (not a surprise, since he'll see me sewing it together). I also got some work done on s...
Yule Event Report
We had fun with our Yule event yesterday. A lot of people arrived late, but we managed to juggle the schedule so that everything got done and we didn't run too much overtime. We sang holiday carols, exchanged gifts, and shared stories abo...
White Yule Pictures
Today is our Yule ritual. It snowed just enough to dust the ground with white, so I took a few snapshots with my cheap camera.Here is the hopper birdfeeder covered with snow.This is one of my herb gardens.The huge tree is Home Base, and you can...
Downy Woodpecker Snapshots
As photos go, these are not great, but they do let you see what I'm seeing of the cute little feathered dude peeking in my office window.This is the first shot I took, right after he landed; he's leaning back so I can see a good part of him.&nbs...
Waiting for the birdie...
Camera program installed.Camera memory cleared.Fresh batteries installed.Heeeere birdie birdie birdie ......
Downy woodpecker sounds like...
... a dog toy. He lands on the suet cage and goes "Squeak!" I suppose if I stretched it I could imagine that as a more avian "Cheep!" but it really, really sounds like stepping on a rubber toy. Then he hammers on the suet and t...
The Art on My Walls
Thanks to haikujaguar for this meme, listing the art on your walls. I'm going to do my office.West wall is my accomplishments: college diploma and tassel, Sol Magazine Poet Laureate 2003 certificate. (I had more, but had to take them down...
My Bio in Twitter Form
Tonight I had cause to compose a bio of myself suitable for use on Twitter (137 characters):Elizabeth Barrette: writer, editor, reviewer, blogger, crowdfunder, gardener, priestess, activist. http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comIf any of you need a ...
Cookies
I made cookies with the Nestle dark chocolate / mint chips. They turned out pretty well, but figuring out when they're done is a bit tricky....
Wings of Glass
A little while ago, I had a bit of spending money, and I wanted to spend it on something that would make me happy. I had books in mind. (Surprise, surprise.) But then I saw these in a booth at a mall. I decided to buy them ins...
Life Rating
I was intrigued by this quiz which attempts to rate various aspects of one's life. Most of it is reasonably apt. I note, however, that advice to "live within your means" is only sensible if one has some means to begin with.This Is M...
Wishlist for the Wordsmith
For those folks who'd like to know what kind of holiday gifts would make me go SQUEE ...My Amazon Books wishlist is up to date. Type in "Elizabeth Barrette" (there were two, last I checked; mine is the central Illinois entry).Other good bets are...
Woodpecker for the Win!
I just saw a downy woodpecker on my birdfeeder. Ironically it's on the hopper feeder (not a type favored by woodpeckers) rather than the suet cage (explicitly provided for the woodpeckers). But it seemed to be very happy picking out the s...
New Computer, Yay!
My parents have bought me a new computer, somewhat early as a Christmas present, for which I am deeply grateful. We're still in the process of setting it up. I will be very glad to have one that runs at decent speed. Working on this one is like sw...
Birdfeeder, yay!
I finished putting the wood sealant on the fly-through birdfeeder. I also cleared weeds and dead branches away from the tree where I plan to put it, with some help from Doug wielding the loppers. Supposed to rain the next day or so, but after that,...
What I Did on Buy Nothing Day
I stayed home and worked on holiday projects. This incuded ...* Putting the first coat of wood sealant onto a large fly-through bird feeder. I actually got this last year with some Midwinter money, but by then the weather was too bad to work on it ...
Home from Thanksgiving
We spent much of the day in Champaign today, visiting with family there. It was a small, quiet gathering with a tasty supper. The pear-cranberry rustic tart with ginger ice cream was a definite high point....
Personal Meme: What Kind of Art Are You?
You Are a DrawingYou appreciate things that are simple and elegant.You believe that complexity is mostly used to mask flaws.You believe that art is about leaving more to the imagination.The best art isn't overly showy or flashy. It is subtly beautifu...
Torn World Update
I've been doing a lot with Torn World lately. Here's a summary...The LanguageI worked up a large set of Torn Tongue vocabulary words, starting with Ogden's Basic English list of 850 words. I threw out some that didn't seem relevant, and added some ...
What D&D Character Are You?
This was a fairly detailed and interesting quiz.You Are A:Chaotic Neutral Elf Ranger (6th Level)Ability Scores:Strength- 10Dexterity- 12Constitution- 12Intelligence- 17Wisdom- 15Charisma- 13Alignment:Chaotic Neutral- A chaotic neutral character follo...
