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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 1d

To add to today’s feed of minor victories in passing on silly lore to the younger set:

Preschooler began singing on our way into the donut shop, with me coming in to harmonize (poorly) on

🎶 oh no
there goes Tokyo
go go Godzilla! 🎵

with roaring afterward. Delighted at least one passerby.

Purchased angel food cake adorned with whipped cream, streaks of purple icing, halved strawberries*, & dinosaur shaped cookies to be “Tokyo” Godzilla cake.

*strawberries have been in short, mushy supply for a few weeks now in Texas** & we had to cut out a lot of bad parts to get usable berry halves

**for many crops, the closest most practical truck farm sites are in Mexico. Texas is LARGE & the soil is not good

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 1d

Stovetop kettle and 110 volt tears.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 1d

Instructions unclear, mentally pictured miniature weedwhacker.

I like the idea of mechanizing the tedious chopping but haven’t got the hang of any sort of chopping gadget.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 2d

Went to the pumpkin festival. It’s for certain a preschooler themed experience, so we hit it at just the right year. School aged kids looked bored. Toddlers & kindergarteners were having a blast. The “corn pit” is a sandbox enclosure of feed corn & lots of happy creative play happened.

#rrtx

WELCOME
Round Rock Pumpkin Festival
Pumpkins $1/lb.
Bounce House
Train Rides
Pumpkin Painting
Corn Pit / Treats
Face Paint

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 2d

Pinecone kitty is so comfortable without his cone.

He also just attacked my butt to pounce on my fart. Must’ve made my skirt ripple. How’s your morning going?

#cats #catsofbluesky #timetotrimthoseclaws

A brown-gray striped tabby cat celebrating the recent removal of his post-surgical cone by lolling upside-down in a human’s arms & lap.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 3d

Our silly foam eating cat has been medically cleared to no longer bear the Cone of Shame. He celebrated by stealing a similar sized lump of fresh baked bread. (Steakhouse copycat rolls.) Since he couldn’t play bite so hard, his siblings rearranged the pecking order & they all cuddle & groom more.

One dilute orange & brown tabby older kittens snuggled together on a gray duvet. One cat is yawning: the other two look half-awake.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 5d

Your headline writer continues to be one of the finest wits in today’s media.

Greetings from Texas. 😑

Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 5d

I think you’re on to something, if a quick glance around the full ridership rapid-routes of my city versus the few riders of the neighborhood dawdlers is any confirmation.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 5d

And it added 10 minutes every time I turned it on today, then I used one power level boost higher than usual & that drained half an hour of ‘time’ over twenty minutes of pedaling, but rebounded by an hour on the way home with minimal boosts…I’m almost convinced it’s recharging as I pedal…

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 5d

The preschooler had a day out at the arcade with papa & has been worshipping the ground he walks on ever since. Earlier this week wanted to know, over breakfast, what color shirt papa was wearing so they could dress alike, & was nonplussed that the accurate answer was ‘he’s asleep, so he’s naked’.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 6d

Ok, maybe not you personally. Sorry for assuming. 🥲

I was just shocked when I upgraded from more than six gears on the rear & climbs I had to make by stomping on the pedals were now as ‘effortless’ as bike riders said they could be. At a leisurely walking pace, but still beat carrying stuff as well

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 6d

Using toddlers or preschoolers is cheating, sir: their energy is nigh-infinite.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 6d

No, wait. A recumbent bike, with a fairing to cut the wind, fastest human powered vehicle last I heard. Add sail. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 6d

I believe water transport loses because of the friction of water itself, but yeah, I’d like to see more of those examples on the chart too.

…and kiteboarding, for the contrast. Anyone got a science fair kid this year?

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 6d

Helping!

The gray & white kitten balancing on the tow bar…

…failing to make the jump, and looking into the trailer from ground level…

…and successfully jumping up to the front edge of the trailer.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 6d

Now that the kittens’ mother has kicked them away, they are lonely & receptive to human attention. They come running when I return home after the school run. They haven’t yet learned to not run in front of the bike. I’m getting plenty of practice in abrupt stops.

#ebike #bikecommuting

Three kittens (two gray striped tabbies & one gray & white long haired tuxedo cat) playing with an unhooked bike trailer towing strap. One gray kitten has reached through the rear wheel’s spokes.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 6d

Thought so before, but bikes have changed a little bit since we were kids. More gears now. You wouldn’t think having eight or ten gears on the back would be that much different than six, but it is! Can actually find & keep that ‘just barely feeling resistance, can do this all day’ pedaling.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 7d

Thank you! I’ve been sitting on the fence about ordering there for months!!! Happy to hand you the credit & get whole carob pods to restart the ‘grow carob trees’ project (in uncontaminated soil). I’ve grown one viable seedling, but the trees require one of each sex to set fruit.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 7d

I think the maddening e-bike clock begins by displaying how many minutes it can run on a full charge, but starting at 12:00 due to a programming error, but also counts elapsed time. I watched it all this journey as it would lose 20 minutes on the uphill, then slowly regain them while I pedaled alone

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 8d

I’ll see you that & raise you five years running of Julius Caesar. English, history, maybe even Latin class, I’ve blanked out the details for self-preservation. At least it held up to repeated readings. As does 1984.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 8d

We’re doing separates mostly, they can be folded with some parental guidance. No tears over clothes hangers.

The Stretch & Sew pants are so very basic that they’re pajams only. No RTW details. The shirts are ok.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 8d

Oh that jolted my memory. The 1960s pattern worked well. Would be around 50th percentile height, 25th weight by my estimation.

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 8d

For example, I’ve bought here & worn them undyed until I get around to prepping them. The thigh high socks are wardrobe extenders for cool weather! Go up to the main clothing menu for the “Made in the USA” options. Also carry fabric, USA & imported.

www.dharmatrading.com/clothing/wom...

Women's Clothing

The world's best selection of white dyeable women's fashion clothing blanks! Basic blanks too. Affordable. Ready to be dyed, painted, printed and decorated!

www.dharmatrading.com

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 8d

With a disease that has costs beyond your means? For now, yes. Takes time to increase income, commit to a religion with cleansing rituals, or do the self-therapy.

I wonder if undyed clothing blanks would please you. They’re uniform, plain white, low cost, sometimes even USA made. 1/

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Property of the Gnomish Empire @samanthajoelsson.bsky.social · 8d

I’m betting on polyester satin. Maaaybe wicking fabric, shiny side out.

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