chanter1944 | Entries tagged with charlie in dairyland

A few small but significant warm fuzzies from my corner of the isthmus, because why not?

My winter thyme (insert temporality jokes here, I already have) is happy, as is the pineapple sage. The [vehement swearing redacted] squirrels are still digging in my daylily pot, but the daylily doesn't seem to be too bothered. And both my spinach and dill are growing so well they need harvesting; the dill's getting long, and the spinach is flourishing in all directions. :)

We may, and I'm not certain I can be sure without a visual ID, have a northern mockingbird in the area! I didn't think we got them this far west, but I was absolutely hearing snippets of multiple other birds' songs in succession - cardinal, robin, house finch - from exactly the same location, none of them duplicated in full. Next time I hear whoever that is, I'll call AIRA and see if they can pin down a visual. I wish them luck searching through the local trees. :P

Blooming lilacs are a joy all their own. Sniff sniff sniffity sniiiiiff. :D

And speaking of sniffing. On my usual lunch break walk, I met a passerby going in the other direction, clearly accompanied by at least one puppydog. I melted, asked if I could say hi, and got an affirmative, but a warning that both (!) dogs were bouncy friendlies with a tendency to jump for joy. I took a guess, said they sounded like retrievers, and yep! Two goldens, neither very old. One was just a year, which is absolutely still a puppy when you're a retriever, and particularly when you're a golden goofball. I said as much to said teenage floof, while snuggling him and getting licked in the face. Awww. They were both super sweet, which... well, retrievers. <3 My day was brightened, which is also not unexpected when retrievers are around.

Current Mood: sleepy

It's fully online this year, but it's still on. I've already been on one panel, dealing with acespec identities and representation, and I've got another Sunday. I'll be attending at least a couple more between now and then. But seriously, I *need* this four-day weekend. I took today off deliberately, given it's WisCon weekend, and con or not, that was absolutely the right call. Good gosh.

I intend to be up and out early tomorrow, the better to get to the farmers market and back again before the 10 AM panels happen. Wish me luck? :P

jesse_the_k, are you in on WisCon this year?

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Brewers vs Pirates baseball game

Means opening the windows and airing the place out, and relishing in the fact that it's finally warm enough and nice enough to do so! It also means changing the flannel sheets for cotton ones, potting plant seedlings, and sweeping the balcony. Said balcony's outside window ledge now sports a row of five plants, my overwintered Short's aster, dill, winter thyme (yes, I know, puns ahoy), pineapple sage, and a yellow daylily cutting from my childhood home. We'll see how everything goes.

Current Mood: sleepy

Specifically that one plant, or possibly those two or more plants, whose leaves I was petting as I was selecting herb seedlings for the kitchen garden's starting: I wish I'd known how best to take care of you. I wish I'd had the knowledge of what you need if you're going to a balcony kitchen garden, to say nothing of recipes for later. I wish I'd been able to take you home. I will be keeping a look out if I'm there next week, but as it is, I don't know that the same plant seedlings will be on offer. If it isn't me, may you have found an excellent home to go to in the week between markets, even if it isn't mine.

Wobbly tenses are wobbly. The sentiment behind them is still, hopefully, obvious.

This post brought to you by tipsy!Chanter and her righting past wrongs thing.

No, not me. :) My day's been brightened by hearing what I at first thought might've been some kind of wind-related weather spinner, except that a) it changed locations and b) it wasn't activating with noted wind gusts. Several minutes and two canceled recordings later (darn cars), Merlin IDed the intermittent, peeping and infrequently almost trilling spinner sound... as a merlin. As in the actual falcon, right in the midst of a west side park. I played someone else's recording to get an audio match of my own, and yep, that's exactly what it was! Talk about your new ID for the life list!

So. cool. :D

Current Mood: pleased

Otherwise known as, my *gosh* that was a tremendous crowd at Madison's rally yesterday! I am appallingly bad at estimating crowd size, but the capital steps and lawns were nothing short of a sea of people and signs. It was incredibly diverse out there too, in terms of age, race, gender, economic circumstance and ability, which was excellent to see. People kept spotting my Red Cross pins and either asking what they were or recognizing a fellow donor; someone from Saint Paul, MN just achieved her own ten gallon pin, yay!

I can say both that I shouted/chanted/sang myself hoarse during all that, and that I'll be wearing different shoes next time I rally. The current walking shoes are great for getting miles in, but they don't have much cushion for when you're standing in place on concrete steps. Oh well. I did not, as requested jokingly by the sidelined by sickness

meimichan, drop the F-bomb during events, but I was keeping an ear out for an opportunity to do so. It just didn't happen. :P

Some of my favorite signs from yesterday:
*The Turd Reich, including Trump, Musk, et al photoshopped into exactly the uniforms you'd expect
*Hands Off My Public Schools, carried by a kid old enough to know exactly what he was doing (as a family including multiple teachers across generations, we thanked him for that one)
*My Parents Fled Europe To Escape This Crap
*Elon's Not A Cheesehead, He's An Asshat
*I'm Not Usually A Sign Guy, But Jeez

My eye is now on May 2, and the pro-immigrant rally being planned for the same location. Heck yes, I'm going.

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Apoki - Space (stuck in head)

Anybody else find it fitting in the best sort of way that a pro-democracy, pro-human rights and anti-erasure rally is happening on First Contact Day?

Anyway, off I go, as soon as I dry my hair... and wait for two of my aunts to get here. They're parking at mine and taking the bus downtown, which will be a new experience for them both, since they don't want to brave traffic and parking. Heck, that's a major reason for public transit in the first place! It's sounding like the crowd in Madison is going to be enormous. My mother and elder niece are already downtown (they dropped in briefly on the way), one of my nieces friends and her parents are going, several of my own friends might turn up (yo,

meimichan!), and that's just my immediate circle of RL connections. Judging from the chatter online, this is going to be massive. Let's hope it's entirely peaceful. I want us to make the national news for all the best reasons and none of the worst ones.

You know I'm wearing my royal blue fleece with all the buttons and pins and patches. I intend to pick up a new addition or two, should anyone be selling something suitable. I have an assurance from L (my niece) that yes, she can definitely draw a pride flag or two on my face. That assurance was given as she was touching up and adding to her own rainbow artwork. The sign I'll be carrying is two-sided, 'keep your tiny hands off my human rights' on one, 'resist your local fascist' and an upraised solidarity fist in pride colors on the other. I'll do my best to get pictures to share later. For now, a quick use of hairdryer and brush, and I'm off!

No counterprotesters, please, universe...?

Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Apoki - Space

Susan Crawford will join the Wisconsin Supreme Court. AP race call at 9:16 PM. Liberal majority maintained.

WHEEEEEE-EEEEW!

When I heard the news for the first time, I shrieked so loudly in relieved glee that my neighbors might have wondered what the heck was up. Whoops. :P My youngest sister later texted the family group chat, "Chalk one up for the good guys." My response? "Chalk one up for the good *girls!*"

In short, stick it, Elon. I won't suggest where.

Current Mood: relieved
Current Music: Civic Media livestream

Exchange while on a walk this evening, amid the first snow flurries of the season.

Me, amused/bemused, to a person going the other way: How do ya like the snow?!
Fellow pedestrian, masculine-voiced and with feeling, in an accent that I'd hazard a guess as either Nigerian or Ghanaian: I don't!

That reply was lightning quick and perfect in delivery, sir. XD Given this neighborhood is filled with people from around the world, I doubt you're alone in not liking the white stuff.

Current Mood: amused

Today, I am disgusted at the short-sighted, racist, sexist pile of shit that is over half this country. I am staring in disbelief at segments of the population who the incoming kankerlijer* openly hates, who nonetheless voted for him. This is how Hitler came to and clung to power, you idiots.

Tomorrow, I'll fight. You'll find me volunteering with Open Doors For Refugees, at the very least, and I've told relatives, straight out, that if there are attempts made at mass deportation in my city, I'll be one of those forming a human barrier to enforcement, so they may have to come bail me out. Not on my watch, buddy. I'm also getting involved with some sort of trans-inclusive, trans and enby positive queer activism locally. It's about time I did, and I am making damn sure whoever I link up with are trans and enby positive, celebratory, before I join. No more of this MOGAI spaces tacitly becoming LG spaces stuff. None.

I will leave my reproductive possibilities, my own potential connections to IVF, quiet for now, but they do exist.

... ¿Mis hermanos, mi familia, por que¿ :( :( :(

Today I cry. Tomorrow, I fight.

Checking in, and please do ping in, on all my circlefolken. Is everyone safe, as in not in immediate genuine need of a physical or mental crisis call? We're all in horrified shock, yes, but I want to make sure no one is in immediate danger.

*Thanks for the word,

camwyn. It fits the incoming guy horribly well, in both actions and message, and yes, I know it's a nasty Dutch swear word.

Current Mood: nauseated

Had a surprise hour off work at the end of today, so ran and voted early in-person absentee. I was going to go on Friday afternoon, because our office closes, but when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it. It was busy but well-organized at the designated site (the downtown library), which was all great to see. I was in and out in, at most, a quarter hour. And I admit, I triple checked my selections, just to be darn sure I didn't goof somewhere. Thanks, anxiety brain.

On the way in the door, I stopped to check my mail, and got into a conversation with our mail carrier that ended in my passing her the info that yep, you can vote in-person absentee on Sunday at Central Library during a certain time window. She was all about it! Yay! And she is, from other parts of that conversation, not voting red, as it were. Double yay!

Current Mood: it's chilly in here

The temperature has dropped, the wind is getting up, and the humidity is if not gone, then at least lower. I think heaven sent that breeze. Oh my good gosh, whew! I stepped out the door after work, aiming to make a combined dinner and grocery run, and I absolutely said, "Oh, thank frick!" out loud. :) I could stand in the path of that breeze for a while.

Current Mood: relieved

It is disgustingly, soupily humid, and oh my lord it's gross. :( It's not an issue an air conditioner can fix; that way you end up cold and wet instead of vaguely warm and wet. Yuck! :s

Current Mood: uncomfortable

I've been out to dinner with a couple of local friends. We all independently admitted we needed the get-together, and for much the same reasons; we're all prone to doom spiraling, and were pleased to escape that, while still having wide-ranging substantive conversations! :) A local take on Thai veggie curry didn't hurt things either, at least for me, heh. Yes, I'd eaten comparatively little all day, whoops.

One of our trio (J, she who feeds and names both birds and squirrels) split off from us after a while. She has a chinchilla who's recovering from a medical scare, so she needed to get home to dispense meds and probably cuddles. That left V the one-time Californian and I to loop our way back to mine and part company, at which point I asked about an adjoining street's sidewalk. The darn thing's been under construction for months, and it came out in conversation that they're finally paving it. She was game to explore the corner nearest my place when I asked for a sighted eye view, and a little poking around later, it was established that the frakking road that's been an inaccessible rock climbing wall since March is walkable again! Yay! Thank *God*.

All in all, this evening's been a very nice one. I needed that.

Every year at or around the solstice, ham radio people all over the US and Canada turn out for Field Day, which means activating stations from all the heck over and making as many contacts as possible within 24 hours. Lots of local parks sprout antennae and friendly nerdpeople in abundance.

And darn near every year, it storms. Aieeeee!

This post brought to you by the gal who managed a little much-needed time on the air, working phone on 20 meters under the local club call, but whose evening, like all of ours, got cut short by incoming weather. I'd have stayed out and played radio all night, had I been able. As it was, it was safer to get under cover of something more than a park pavilion. Darn.

Current Mood: a smidge tipsy

If you take the opportunity that a power outage affords and go chasing DX from your balcony, you'll know the power has come back on somewhere (we lost it at about 9:00 last night due to the nasty storms in the area, which made this morning especially fun) when the noise level on the shortwave bands increases with a general BZZZZ and drowns out the faint carrier you're chasing. On the downside, so much for catching the 1730Z sign-on of Radyo Pilipinas, which was admittedly unlikely to be heard here anyway. On the upside, yay power! I absolutely went, "Hmm. Something just came back on somewhere. Let me go in and see--aha!" The aha being when I stepped into the kitchen and heard the noise of a refrigerator in operation.

For a little context, Madison and, really, much of southern Wisconsin had some truly nasty storms last night, to the tune of severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings, powerful wind gusts and, in some places, coin-sized hail. Eeks! There are reports of large trees and power poles down, though not right here. My plants were first tucked on the balcony's internal ledge, then brought inside, and you'd better believe I was staying away from windows and sliding doors for quite a while there.

Looking back, we were roughly 14 hours without electricity, which in the grand scheme of things isn't so bad. The contents of my refrigerator and freezer are now likely safe from going off, my laptop and phone can charge, and I can log in at work. Have done, in fact, as of forty minutes or so ago. My boss has been understanding throughout the whole thing, thank goodness. This area seems to have avoided any major damage, save some downed branches. It could have been so, so much worse, given the ridiculous wind gusts we had last night. I was monitoring on one of our local VHF repeaters throughout the storm activity, because Dane/Iowa County's ARES/RACES emergency call was sharing severe weather net duties with another Midwest severe storm call, and I'm super glad I had that ability. Ham radio privileges for the win, and the relevant info. I needed it, especially after the power went out.

I did wind up at the local Whole Foods with a friend this morning, both to charge a near-dead cell phone battery and to get breakfast. Also to escape the apartment for a bit, rather than sitting here spinning my wheels. The intention was to go back over there with the laptop later, but now that isn't necessary.

In short, whew!

Current Mood: relieved

Got most of my answers re As It Happens and Kahliweyo'se during tonight's WPR zoom call. Much of the former boils down to either listener numbers which, you keep talking about listener surveys and focus groups, WPR, so why is this the first time I'm hearing about them? or a desire to focus on more local as opposed to national/international content. (Related, if I never hear the word content again, it will be too damn soon! Shove that back to money-scrabbling social media where it belongs.) The latter is getting the delete button along with all the other volunteer-hosted local programs, as well as the remaining regional ones. The whole thing strikes me, given the reason As It Happens is being ditched, as very 'We want more local emphasis. No, not that way!'

I'm sorry, but I'm going to be salty forever about the single indigenous show on the network getting chucked in favor of more one-genre white focus, and no matter how presenters try to broaden their range of composers, the fact is, European-style classical music *is* a one-genre focus, and a distinctly white one. I wasn't happy when the Hmong-language program from the valley ended production a few years ago either.

I know answers were given in good faith tonight. I know directors and staff have the best of intentions. But wow. Inserting regional/cultural segments into Morning Edition when, incidentally, I'm probably either at work already or scrambling around getting going, feels a little token-y, a little like a consolation prize. Yes, more regional and cultural stories from Wisconsin presented as segments in amid Morning Edition is apparently the plan. And who knows? It may turn out excellently down the road, but for now, side-eye! It feels like, just now, WPR doesn't quite know how to serve a population who can hold simultaneous local and international interests, and broader multicultural ones. Or maybe I'm just telling on myself again.

Current Mood: discontent

I wasn't thrilled with the idea of WPR reorganizing its stations and changing both network names when first I heard about it, but now I find out that both As It Happens and Q are being deleted from the program lineup, and Kalihweyo’se is going away. Damn. it! There goes the main reason I tune in in the evenings. As for Kalihweyo’se, I've been listening to that show since I was in middle school, and I still tune in if I'm within range of Green Bay's stations. So much for diverse music getting airplay. Nope, we get more white European niche twiddling, carefully curated.

Ugh!

I am not a happy Chanter. I'll be civil about it, but I've got an invite to a webinar regarding all the changes tomorrow, and am I going to bring up my dismay twice over? You betcha!

No offense to either fans of classical music or the WPR hosts who present the same, but I've almost never understood the appeal. The fact that an entire network's worth of the ever-lauded genre can't make room for a First Nations music program with a two-decade history for two hours on one night a week really cheeses me off.

And why the frak are they deleting As It Happens? Thanks a lot! :(

Current Mood: pissed off
Current Music: Thunderstorm!

What with one thing and another read: the entire mess that later February has been for my extended family so far, I needed to get north and see at least the most immediate members of my goofy bunch sooner rather than later. Frankly, the loss of Uncle Todd kicked me in the pants and how, and made me badly want to hug all my siblings and niblings, not to mention meet newest baby nephew for the very first time ASAP. So I'm on the marsh for the weekend.

So far I've seen both parents, one sister, and both nieces. Younger niece is in fact unexpectedly staying here tonight, as her elder sister is at a sleepover and her parents are sorting out yet another later-February mess - on his way home from work, brother-in-law J hit a patch of black ice amid deteriorating road conditions and rolled his truck! :( :( :( He's fine, thank God about ten times over, if understandably shaken, but his truck is emphatically not so. To the tune of he needs a new truck, this one is toast. Thanking God yet again that it's only the vehicle that's damaged, and not the driver. But yes, younger niece is staying with her grandparents for the night, and she gets an aunt in the mix. She's currently asleep in the room that belongs to my youngest sister, while I'm across the hall trying not to laugh or squeak too loudly at anything I read.

Can this frakking month give us a break, already? More *happy* events would be excellent, universe. One brand new baby and one narrow miss total one and a half, and it's not that I'm not grateful for both, but...

In the absence of a more eloquent posting style!

The yum: Decent DX at the crack of dawn this morning. Not bad at all, for still being in the wake of a shortwave spectrum radio blackout.

The yuck: Being up at the crack of dawn, and not by my own intention. Messed up sleep schedule strikes again!

The yum: Getting holiday cards and presents sorted, wrapped, and/or sent out. I've got one left to drop in the mail tomorrow - heads up,

meimichan - and the last of my cards will go out at around the same time.

The yuck: There really is no corresponding yuck to this one. :) Incessant commercial Giftmas writ large is a whole other story.

The yum: Excellent coffee. Enough said.

The further yum: It's Night of the Nocturne over at Flight Rising, and

yhlee gets the credit for getting me hooked on a game of pixel creatures.

The double yuck: The Packers have a defense consisting of wet tissue paper today. Good *lord*. I don't know if we need to fire the defensive coordinator (signs point to yes) or what, but wow. :(

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Clarisse McClellan's Daughter

Entries tagged with charlie in dairyland

spring in Dairyland

WisCon 2025 is here!

spring in Wisconsin

to the gentle, long-leaved, French taragon plant at this morning's DCFM

Namesake catching namesake on recording

¡Quita tus manos¡

Off to a rally!

This post brought to you by W-H-E-W!

you know it's November in Wisconsin when...

Today we mourn. Tomorrow we fight.

I voted!

Whew!

this post brought to you by UGH

it's a lovely night in Dairyland

the traditional thunderstorm

a radio nerd's guide to power restoration

well, that was a somewhat dismaying webinar

Dammit, WPR, what are you doing?

on the marsh for a couple days

The Yum, The Yuck