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dialecticdreamer is hosting Feathering the Nest. This one is always about fluff and comfort. Leave prompts, get ficlets!dialecticdreamer is hosting Feathering the Nest. This one is always about fluff and comfort. Leave prompts, get ficlets!
I am stalled at page 330 on finishing the magic kingdom book
which is nearly the end
but this book is
bad.
there is one character in it.
he is a bit rubbish.
he is also King because money says so.
Everyone around him only exists to provide exposition or go Oh No Don't and then he do.
They have days and days of travel but it keeps saying they don't talk.
Can you imagine, just days and days of not getting to know each other because they're treating it like zoning out on the bus home.
This is not an author who thus far has a firm grasp on how long a day is, is all.
Make him write a 45 minute script based on this lot and it would cover the whole story and be Dire.
The naked lady has no motivation except Fate and Belonging To Him.
I keep being distracted by imagining any other set of characters walking into this world, and the basic problem is they would tear through the paper thin flats of the backdrop and NPCs without even trying.
Any fandom's blorbos are better realised characters than this and to make the world fill in to their level would take writing so so much of it.
This book is inspiring.
If something this flat can get published I'm not all that bad.
which is nearly the end
but this book is
bad.
there is one character in it.
he is a bit rubbish.
he is also King because money says so.
Everyone around him only exists to provide exposition or go Oh No Don't and then he do.
They have days and days of travel but it keeps saying they don't talk.
Can you imagine, just days and days of not getting to know each other because they're treating it like zoning out on the bus home.
This is not an author who thus far has a firm grasp on how long a day is, is all.
Make him write a 45 minute script based on this lot and it would cover the whole story and be Dire.
The naked lady has no motivation except Fate and Belonging To Him.
I keep being distracted by imagining any other set of characters walking into this world, and the basic problem is they would tear through the paper thin flats of the backdrop and NPCs without even trying.
Any fandom's blorbos are better realised characters than this and to make the world fill in to their level would take writing so so much of it.
This book is inspiring.
If something this flat can get published I'm not all that bad.
The Myth of Mobility: Why Faster Cities Often Leave People Behind
When cities measure mobility by speed, they often make everyday life harder to reach.
In many large urban areas, particularly those built during the late twentieth century, everyday necessities have been separated from residential life. Homes are clustered in residential zones while shops, restaurants, libraries, and workplaces are placed far away along commercial corridors or in large retail centers. The result is a city where nearly every basic activity requires driving. On paper, this appears to increase mobility. In reality, it often reduces it.
For people who cannot drive easily, such as older adults, children, individuals with disabilities, or those who cannot afford a car, the distance between daily needs becomes a barrier. Even for those who can drive, environments designed for cars are not always designed for people. Vast parking lots, wide arterial roads, and enormous retail spaces can be physically exhausting and psychologically overwhelming to navigate. True mobility should not be measured only by how fast people can travel, but by how easily they can reach the things they need.
When cities measure mobility by speed, they often make everyday life harder to reach.
In many large urban areas, particularly those built during the late twentieth century, everyday necessities have been separated from residential life. Homes are clustered in residential zones while shops, restaurants, libraries, and workplaces are placed far away along commercial corridors or in large retail centers. The result is a city where nearly every basic activity requires driving. On paper, this appears to increase mobility. In reality, it often reduces it.
For people who cannot drive easily, such as older adults, children, individuals with disabilities, or those who cannot afford a car, the distance between daily needs becomes a barrier. Even for those who can drive, environments designed for cars are not always designed for people. Vast parking lots, wide arterial roads, and enormous retail spaces can be physically exhausting and psychologically overwhelming to navigate. True mobility should not be measured only by how fast people can travel, but by how easily they can reach the things they need.
Tags:
This floating time crystal breaks Newton’s third law of motion
A simple setup of sound-levitated beads has revealed a bizarre new time crystal that breaks physics rules—and could reshape future technology.
Scientists have created a new kind of time crystal using sound waves to levitate tiny beads in mid-air. These particles interact in a one-sided, unbalanced way, breaking the usual rules of motion and creating a steady, repeating rhythm. The system is surprisingly simple yet reveals complex physics with big implications. It could help advance quantum computing and deepen our understanding of biological timing systems.
Aaaaaand all of us from the Torn World shared world are going O_O >_< O_O
A simple setup of sound-levitated beads has revealed a bizarre new time crystal that breaks physics rules—and could reshape future technology.
Scientists have created a new kind of time crystal using sound waves to levitate tiny beads in mid-air. These particles interact in a one-sided, unbalanced way, breaking the usual rules of motion and creating a steady, repeating rhythm. The system is surprisingly simple yet reveals complex physics with big implications. It could help advance quantum computing and deepen our understanding of biological timing systems.
Aaaaaand all of us from the Torn World shared world are going O_O >_< O_O
Today is partly cloudy and chilly, now in the 40s. Yesterday went from a high of 87°F to just below freezing. >_<
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows, a mixed flock of blackbirds including a redwing, and two mourning doves.
I put out water for the birds.
We measured the parking lot and driveway.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I've seen a pair of house finches.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I sowed 4 pots (each with 2 seeds) of 'Sugar Ann' snap peas and 4 pots (each with 2 seeds) of 'Avalanche' snow peas on the new picnic table garden. My plan is to sow the other pots when I plant tomatoes, peppers, or whatever and then see which does best.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I cleaned up the 4 giant pots by the septic garden.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I did some trimming in the savanna.
I set up air-layering on the excellent mulberry beside the old fishpond.
I've seen a female cardinal at the hopper feeder.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
* * *
Measurements for driveway and parking lot:
Length of driveway, from street to parking area: 117 feet
Width of driveway: 10 feet
Width of parking area, from sidewalk to rock border: 47 feet
Length of parking area, from rock border to propane tank: 39 feet
Area of driveway (10’ width): 1170 square feet
Area of parking area: 1833 square feet
Total surface area of driveway and lot: 3003 square feet
I fed the birds. I've seen a large flock of sparrows, a mixed flock of blackbirds including a redwing, and two mourning doves.
I put out water for the birds.
We measured the parking lot and driveway.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
I've seen a pair of house finches.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I sowed 4 pots (each with 2 seeds) of 'Sugar Ann' snap peas and 4 pots (each with 2 seeds) of 'Avalanche' snow peas on the new picnic table garden. My plan is to sow the other pots when I plant tomatoes, peppers, or whatever and then see which does best.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I cleaned up the 4 giant pots by the septic garden.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I did some trimming in the savanna.
I set up air-layering on the excellent mulberry beside the old fishpond.
I've seen a female cardinal at the hopper feeder.
EDIT 3/23/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
* * *
Measurements for driveway and parking lot:
Length of driveway, from street to parking area: 117 feet
Width of driveway: 10 feet
Width of parking area, from sidewalk to rock border: 47 feet
Length of parking area, from rock border to propane tank: 39 feet
Area of driveway (10’ width): 1170 square feet
Area of parking area: 1833 square feet
Total surface area of driveway and lot: 3003 square feet
Anyway.
Partner and I are in need of a solicitor for a fairly routine and non-urgent matter, so, looked up who it was we went to last time we had a routine life admin thing requiring the services of a legal professional.
(This was actually a bit more time-consuming than I anticipated, have I mentioned that archivists are really Not All That at keeping on top of their own papers? The cobbler's children syndrome.)
But, I found the name of the practice and looked them up on The Internetz and they are there, as having gone out of business some few years ago, on Companies House website.
And they are by no means the first solicitors I have had dealings with, though I think the ones in Kentish Town saw me through the purchase of First Flat and present dwelling and possibly various other legal matters, but are now no longer operating more or less adjacent to the Tube station.
I suppose that these days one should not anticipate that you have Old Mr Thing the attorney-at law and Young Mr Thing his son who keeps up the practice and Even Younger Mr Thing who is being brought on in the family tradition -
- and that these things come and go like everything else and they are no longer quite the repository of folk memory like in mystery novels.
Way back when I was starting out as a Wee Babby Archivist, I remember that a big thing of the day, practically A Crisis, was solicitors' records. As I was never actually employed in a repository where I had any direct dealings with the problem, I'm not sure whether this was due to practices going defunct, or just somebody going down into the cellar and realising that they still had all the papers from Jarndyce v Jarndyce back to its origins along with tons of other stuff. But anyway, there were Massive Amounts of Very Misc Material (quite surprising what turned up) which looking back I suspect had all sorts of issues around ownership to complicate matters even further.
(If anyone has recs for N London solicitors would be glad to hear of them.)
These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "The Bridge of Mist"
Science
Birdfeeding
Select Seeds Order
Prairie Moon Order
Fossils
Birdfeeding
Moment of Silence: Nicholas Brendon
Philosophical Questions: Marriage
Follow Friday 3-20-26: Magic
Friday Five
Birdfeeding
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Science
Birdfeeding
Cuddle Party
Linguistics has 45 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 63 comments. Safety has 59 comments. Wildlife has 49 comments.
Last week's bonus fishbowl went well. I am still writing.
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marchmetamatterschallenge is running this month. See my tracking post and the first check-in post.
The weather has been erratic here, and yesterday was downright psychotic. It was cold with howling wind, then mild, then hot. Yesterday went from 87F to 57F in an hour, then 47F, and just below freezing overnight. We got a dribble of rain, but most of last night's storm missed us. The ground is starting to crack -- in March, which used to be the Moon of Mud Everywhere. >_< Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several brown-headed cowbirds, two mourning doves, two male cardinals, and a fox squirrel. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. Currently blooming: crocuses, snowdrops, daffodils, squill, violets, apricot, grape hyacinths.
Poem: "The Bridge of Mist"
Science
Birdfeeding
Select Seeds Order
Prairie Moon Order
Fossils
Birdfeeding
Moment of Silence: Nicholas Brendon
Philosophical Questions: Marriage
Follow Friday 3-20-26: Magic
Friday Five
Birdfeeding
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Science
Birdfeeding
Cuddle Party
Linguistics has 45 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 63 comments. Safety has 59 comments. Wildlife has 49 comments.
Last week's bonus fishbowl went well. I am still writing.
marchmetamatterschallenge is running this month. See my tracking post and the first check-in post.The weather has been erratic here, and yesterday was downright psychotic. It was cold with howling wind, then mild, then hot. Yesterday went from 87F to 57F in an hour, then 47F, and just below freezing overnight. We got a dribble of rain, but most of last night's storm missed us. The ground is starting to crack -- in March, which used to be the Moon of Mud Everywhere. >_< Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several brown-headed cowbirds, two mourning doves, two male cardinals, and a fox squirrel. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. Currently blooming: crocuses, snowdrops, daffodils, squill, violets, apricot, grape hyacinths.
Wish to inform those that are interested in Clorinda Cathcart's Circle that Volume 25, Choices: Taking Decisions will appear this coming Friday, 27th March:
A Parliamentary election causes considerable upheaval to the summer plans of Society in general, and of Clorinda and her circle. But besides any choices concerning the government of the nation, several of them find that they have to make decisions touching on more personal matters.
The delay in making this announcement has been caused, in part, by problems with the Google Books version: but it is hoped that these will be resolved in a timely manner.
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cakewrecks_feed Mar. 23rd, 2026 01:00 pm)
cakewrecks_feed Mar. 23rd, 2026 01:00 pm)Deedeedeedeeedeedeedeedee
You unlock this bakery with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension.
A dimension of icing.
A dimension of piping bags.
A dimension of wreckitude.
You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of bad taste and even worse skill. You just crossed over into...
The Twilight Zone.
BUM BUM BAAAAAHHHH...
Picture, if you will... a monkey. This monkey:
I know, creepy right? [shivering] Brrrrrr. Totally.
[resuming serious announcer voice] Ahem. Now picture, if you will, five ravenous-yet-dim-witted Shih Tzu dogs:
[sternly] Let's call them Muffy, Boopsie, Precious, Buttercup and Mr. Snuggles.
Now picture, if you will, a face of terror that watches in malignant silence far beyond your present capacity to understand. A face enigmatically bizarre in terms of time and space. A face...
...of a tweety bird.
Now picture, if you will, Meerkat Zombies...raising the roof.
"What up, playah?"
This is the stuff of fantasy, the thread of imagination, the ingredients... of the Twilight Zone.
BUM BUM BAAAAAHHHHH...
SQUEEDLEDEEEE!!!
Jennifer P., Matt N., Christine S., and Melanie L., picture, if you will... a dolphin eating a Snickers bar in flip-flops and a cardigan. Then tell me what that looks like. I've always wondered.
UPDATE! LeAnna and Woobie took up the dolphin challenge and sent in their ideas.
First LeAnna's:
AWESOME! Check out the flip flop thongs on his flippers.
And next we have Woobie's
See, the snickers bar is wearing the cardigan and flip flops because I apparently have no grasp of sentence structure. ?thought Who would have
Touché!
One more!
This one's from Vanilla Smoke. Awesome!
*****
P.S. Here's one more read for you Rod Serling fans:
The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television
It's a graphic novel - so basically a long-form comic book - about Serling's career and "descent into his own personal Twilight Zone." OooOOOooh. Looks awesome, and it has great reviews!
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
Music Meme, Day 24
A song that gets stuck in your head:
This one is ever-changing for me, as I imagine it is for other people. A song that you wake up with in your head one day, one that lilts or churns or waltzes through your head throughout that day may give way the next morning to something completely different, but equally mesmerizing. As someone who wakes up and goes to sleep with music, I think that's a wonderful thing.
There are dangers. If you're unlucky enough to get some song or other piece of music that you can't stand it could drive you spare. Bob told me once that he had that happen to him when he was much younger. He wasn't able to get it out of his head for days. I was about to say that I wouldn't wish that on an enemy, but actually, that would be an exquisitely nasty thing for a nasty enough enemy.
But in general, if you're like me, the songs that get stuck in your head are pieces where the music, or the words, or some combination of both are positive things.
So here are two songs that almost always remain in my mind long after their notes have faded.
I love music and words that combine to become aurally hypnotic. REM's "Maps and Legends" does that for me. "Maybe these maps and legends have been misunderstood." The descant that Mike Mills sings behind Michael Stipe's strange and only partially understandable (in both senses of the word) lyrics are what I wish I could have sung as a backup singer. They are borderline ecstatic, a word I've used more than once this week.
Here's a link to my last entry, which will, if you're patient enough, lead you to all my previous entries.
But I do have one more song that I replay in my head repeatedly on some days: It's "LLM," a song written and sung by Hwa Sa, a KPop singer whose voice sometimes makes me feel as if it can hurt and heal at the same time. She's doesn't fit the Korean image of demure femininity and she's perfectly fine with that. I like her songwriting, and one of her most recent songs, "Good Goodbye" is another favorite of mine. But "LLM" is the one that stays with me. To a small extent, it's the beautiful, disturbing, and eventually hopeful music video. But ultimately, it's her voice and the melody that keeps it in my head.
A song that gets stuck in your head:
This one is ever-changing for me, as I imagine it is for other people. A song that you wake up with in your head one day, one that lilts or churns or waltzes through your head throughout that day may give way the next morning to something completely different, but equally mesmerizing. As someone who wakes up and goes to sleep with music, I think that's a wonderful thing.
There are dangers. If you're unlucky enough to get some song or other piece of music that you can't stand it could drive you spare. Bob told me once that he had that happen to him when he was much younger. He wasn't able to get it out of his head for days. I was about to say that I wouldn't wish that on an enemy, but actually, that would be an exquisitely nasty thing for a nasty enough enemy.
But in general, if you're like me, the songs that get stuck in your head are pieces where the music, or the words, or some combination of both are positive things.
So here are two songs that almost always remain in my mind long after their notes have faded.
I love music and words that combine to become aurally hypnotic. REM's "Maps and Legends" does that for me. "Maybe these maps and legends have been misunderstood." The descant that Mike Mills sings behind Michael Stipe's strange and only partially understandable (in both senses of the word) lyrics are what I wish I could have sung as a backup singer. They are borderline ecstatic, a word I've used more than once this week.
Here's a link to my last entry, which will, if you're patient enough, lead you to all my previous entries.
But I do have one more song that I replay in my head repeatedly on some days: It's "LLM," a song written and sung by Hwa Sa, a KPop singer whose voice sometimes makes me feel as if it can hurt and heal at the same time. She's doesn't fit the Korean image of demure femininity and she's perfectly fine with that. I like her songwriting, and one of her most recent songs, "Good Goodbye" is another favorite of mine. But "LLM" is the one that stays with me. To a small extent, it's the beautiful, disturbing, and eventually hopeful music video. But ultimately, it's her voice and the melody that keeps it in my head.
This poem came out of the March 17, 2026 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by librarygeek for Gwinnie, a pit bull mix and a good dog. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.
Warning: This poem features impending animal death of natural causes. HANKIE WARNING.
( Read more... )
librarygeek for Gwinnie, a pit bull mix and a good dog. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.Warning: This poem features impending animal death of natural causes. HANKIE WARNING.
( Read more... )
If you're still shopping the Bonus Fishbowl, now's the time to make your selections. I've already finished 7 poems besides the freebie, and I've still got a couple left to do.
Depression fatigue appears at the cellular level in brain and blood
Scientists have identified an unusual energy signature in young adults with depression: cells in both the brain and blood appear highly active at rest but lose ground when demand rises.
The finding recasts fatigue as a measurable feature of the illness, one that may surface before treatment choices become clearer.
One of the biggest challenges with mental health is that almost all diagnoses rely on abstract rather than concrete assessments. It's usually done by self-reporting or observation, which is neither precise nor objective, unlike most illnesses that have scientific tests. So finding any kind of biomarker is extremely useful.
Scientists have identified an unusual energy signature in young adults with depression: cells in both the brain and blood appear highly active at rest but lose ground when demand rises.
The finding recasts fatigue as a measurable feature of the illness, one that may surface before treatment choices become clearer.
One of the biggest challenges with mental health is that almost all diagnoses rely on abstract rather than concrete assessments. It's usually done by self-reporting or observation, which is neither precise nor objective, unlike most illnesses that have scientific tests. So finding any kind of biomarker is extremely useful.
(beccaelizabeth Mar. 22nd, 2026 11:42 pm)
beccaelizabeth Mar. 22nd, 2026 11:42 pm)I started rereading Terry Brooks
Magic Kingdom For Sale Sold
and immediately discovered I have retained very little of this and am now finding it *very* annoying.
I think the only women with words so far are receptionists, and I am over 150 pages in.
I keep stopping and staring into space for a bit thinking
okay but if even one woman was in the room right now and able to speak
this would be a very different story.
Also: I am not buying this guy as a lawyer, corporate or otherwise. ( Read more... )
Basically he's a lawyer as an alignment, to go with the Paladin.
I and my tiny legal knowledge want to throw a collective of lawyers at this setup just to see how MANY spanners could be hiding in the works that this story has no interest in.
The story as written is being very boring so far. I can only buy the idea this man thinks he can buy a Kingdom and save it if I also think he's a really annoying kind of a person. It's not ideal.
But it is reminding me why I have a collection of books where the appeal is
a woman is in this book and she gets to talk and everything.
Their reread value is less than their first read value at the time, but I am recalling why they were an improvement.
ETA: page 167, there is now a woman in this story.
this is not an improvement.
she arrives naked and announces she belongs to the protagonist.
Honestly at this point I'm only going to finish reading it because I know I've read the whole series before. It has to get better than that.
Magic Kingdom For Sale Sold
and immediately discovered I have retained very little of this and am now finding it *very* annoying.
I think the only women with words so far are receptionists, and I am over 150 pages in.
I keep stopping and staring into space for a bit thinking
okay but if even one woman was in the room right now and able to speak
this would be a very different story.
Also: I am not buying this guy as a lawyer, corporate or otherwise. ( Read more... )
Basically he's a lawyer as an alignment, to go with the Paladin.
I and my tiny legal knowledge want to throw a collective of lawyers at this setup just to see how MANY spanners could be hiding in the works that this story has no interest in.
The story as written is being very boring so far. I can only buy the idea this man thinks he can buy a Kingdom and save it if I also think he's a really annoying kind of a person. It's not ideal.
But it is reminding me why I have a collection of books where the appeal is
a woman is in this book and she gets to talk and everything.
Their reread value is less than their first read value at the time, but I am recalling why they were an improvement.
ETA: page 167, there is now a woman in this story.
this is not an improvement.
she arrives naked and announces she belongs to the protagonist.
Honestly at this point I'm only going to finish reading it because I know I've read the whole series before. It has to get better than that.
Tags:
This week's bread: Elizabeth's David's Light Rye Loaf, which turned out nicely even though I discovered that the fresh yeast had finally given up and I had to fall back on Allinson's Easy Bake Yeast (which is not, horrors, the same as their former Active Dry Yeast).
Friday night supper: grocery order came early enough that I was able to put in hand the makings of a sardegnera with pepperoni.
Saturday breakfast rolls: brown toasted pinenut, with Marriage's Golden Wholegrain Bread Flour, turned out quite well.
Today's lunch: game casserole - mixture of pheasant, venison, duck and partridge with onion, garlic, bay leaf, juniper berries, coriander seeds and red wine; served with kasha, warm green bean and fennel salad, and baby pak choi stirfried with star anise
Today is sunny and hot. It is 85°F already. >_<
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several brown-headed cowbirds, and a mourning dove.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- We hauled the first three garden bags to the old picnic table. It's 86°F now and too hot to do everything at once. :/
EDIT 3/22/26 -- We hauled the next three garden bags to the old picnic table.
The first grape hycacinth is blooming randomly in the middle of the house yard, pollinated by tiny native bees.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- I did a bit more work outside.
It's 87°F now, which is just ridiculous for March.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- We hauled the giant bag of raised bed soil to the side of the garden shed, where it's meant to fill in a hollow area.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- I put a few scoops of composted manure in each of the top and bottom row of large pots along the north side of the new picnic table. This bag wasn't broken down as fully as usual. :/
I stepped out the door and it was cold. I checked the temperature: 57°F. Yes, it dropped 30 degrees is another an hour. For fucksake.
The first purple violet and the apricot tree are blooming.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
It is now 47°F with howling wind. 0_o
EDIT 3/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night. The weather has been two different kinds of crappy all day.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- It got down just below freezing overnight.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several brown-headed cowbirds, and a mourning dove.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- We hauled the first three garden bags to the old picnic table. It's 86°F now and too hot to do everything at once. :/
EDIT 3/22/26 -- We hauled the next three garden bags to the old picnic table.
The first grape hycacinth is blooming randomly in the middle of the house yard, pollinated by tiny native bees.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- I did a bit more work outside.
It's 87°F now, which is just ridiculous for March.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- We hauled the giant bag of raised bed soil to the side of the garden shed, where it's meant to fill in a hollow area.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- I put a few scoops of composted manure in each of the top and bottom row of large pots along the north side of the new picnic table. This bag wasn't broken down as fully as usual. :/
I stepped out the door and it was cold. I checked the temperature: 57°F. Yes, it dropped 30 degrees is another an hour. For fucksake.
The first purple violet and the apricot tree are blooming.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
It is now 47°F with howling wind. 0_o
EDIT 3/22/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night. The weather has been two different kinds of crappy all day.
EDIT 3/22/26 -- It got down just below freezing overnight.
(cakewrecks_feed Mar. 22nd, 2026 01:00 pm)
cakewrecks_feed Mar. 22nd, 2026 01:00 pm)Though it already feels like summer down here in sweltering ol' Florida, I'm determined to make the most of this "Spring" thing. (So long as it doesn't involve leaving the house, of course. Have you SEEN the pollen levels out there? HAVE YOU? Poor John is a one-man sneeze machine.)
Ahem.
So, yeah, in honor of Spring I plan to revel in sweet pastels...
And cutey-patootie lady bugs...
And even a little gardening!
Made by Jean D.
FYI: Oreo crumb "dirt" is my favorite kind of dirt.
Oh, and I couldn't decide which gardening cake I liked better, so here, have two:
Mmmm...edible garden tools.
I don't wear heels very often, and to be honest I'm not all that fond of shoe cakes...but this is the exception:
Open mouth: insert shoe.
Seriously, this sweet Jimmy Choo shoe makes me think sugar and spice and everything frilly, girly, and nice. Perfect for a garden party where everyone's sipping tea out of delicate porcelain teacups like this:
Submitted by Emily B. and made by All About Cake
Except these teacups aren't porcelain; they're sugar. WOWZA.
And what garden is complete without a birdhouse?
(I can't get over that weathered "wood" fence and the "metal" roof. Amazing.)
And we can't forget Spring's main attraction: the flowers!
Just when you thought a cake couldn't get any better, you go and learn that the butterflies are made of chocolate. I repeat: THE BUTTERFLIES ARE MADE OF CHOCOLATE.
Man, I love Spring.
And you'll never believe it, but these flowers are made of sugar paste:
Submitted by Alison M.; baker unknown.
And this is actually cake!
Submitted by Isabella, made by Williams-Sonoma
Well, ok, the missing slice helps make it a bit more believable.
If you follow me over on my other blog, Epbot, then you know I've had cherry blossoms on the brain lately. So naturally, I couldn't resist this slice of heaven:
By the way, for all of you in the DC area admiring the cherry blossoms right now: I am so jealous.
Spring weddings always have the cleanest, freshest style:
Made by Julie D.
And finally, let's go out with a Sweet Spring-splosion!
Those flowers may look freshly cut, but they're actually painstakingly hand crafted from sugarpaste. The cake itself is fondant-free, though, and I have to say I'm really digging that texture. Absolutely gorgeous.
Hope you enjoyed my pollen-and-allergen-free Spring Sweets! Happy Sunday!
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
My seeds arrived from Select Seeds.
Painted Tongue 'Select Superbissima Mix' (seeds)
Yarrow 'Flowerburst Red Shades' (seeds)
Coreopsis 'Corusco Cream-Red' (seeds)
Painted Tongue 'Select Superbissima Mix' (seeds)
Yarrow 'Flowerburst Red Shades' (seeds)
Coreopsis 'Corusco Cream-Red' (seeds)
.