stonepicnicking_okapi

A is for Agatha Chrstie.
B is for Belladonna.

Here's a fun anecdote from A is for Arsenic: The poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Markup.

In 1977, a Frenchman added eyedrop solution (atropine, the dominant toxic compound in belladonna) to a bottle of wine and gave it to his uncle intending to kill a friend of his uncle's. The intended victim didn't drink the wine, but the uncle and aunt did, much later. Uncle died, aunt in coma. No foul play suspected until a carpenter and the uncle's son-in-law stop by the house to put uncle's body in the coffin and drank some wine (like you do) and ended up going to hospital.

Here's where it gets eye-rolling...police found a copy of Agatha Christie's Thirteen Problems where Miss Marple solves a case of eyedrop solution as poison...and the relevant sections were underlined.

Hey, kids, make sure you tidy up your research when you're trying to top somebody...hmmm?

So I finally made my sticky post with all the puzzles that DW friends recommended during the Snowflake Challenge. So today's prompt is...

Day 21: rebus

A rebus is a pictogram word play. Like this offer of escort.



May I see you home, my dear?

For housekeeping purposes, here are the past prompts.

( 3Weeks4Dreamwidth prompts )

ETA: I realize I forgot all the ficlet comms! [head smack] so they are: sweetandshort, 100words, drabble_zone, fffc, emotion100, vocab_drabbles


And the website/DW comm shout-outs
DAY 21: my Puzzle sticky post: https://stonepicnicking-okapi.dreamwidth.org/606650.html
DAY 20: fandomcalendar [for learning about challenges, exchanges, and new comms]
DAY 19: kindreadspirits [for vintage horror & ghost stories and all the gayness therein]
DAY 18: endings [caption-less postings of the last sentence of works]
DAY 17: common_nature [for pretty photos of birds, sunsets, flowers, etc.]
DAY 16: prettygoodword [word-a-day fun]
DAY 15: get_knitted [craft comm--one of the best comms on DW]
DAY 14: bitesizedcleaning & unclutter [for cleaning and decluttering]
DAY 13: booknook [books & reading, another of DW's best, imo]
DAY 12: ficlet comms: sweetandshort, fffc
DAY 11: 1word1day [more word-a-day goodness]
DAY 10: ficlet comms: drabble_zone, 100words
DAY 9: super_effuctive [porn fic promptfest until 31 May]
DAY 8: ficlet comm: emotion100, vocab_drabbles
DAY 7: journalsandplanners [for planners]
DAY 6: the_scent_of_lilacs [for Dracula & Nosferatu fandoms]
DAY 5: DW user dine [for interesting news-of-the-day mostly around art, nature, history, cat photos, and other goodies]
DAY 4: beautifulmechanical [for music, they've had a great set of challenges for 3Weeks4Dreamwidth]
DAY 3: Sherlock Holmes encyclopedia: https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/Sherlock_Holmes,_Consulting_Detective
DAY 2: poetry: https://poets.org/
DAY 1: random question generator: https://randomwordgenerator.com/question.php


I forgot to add the questions! I really am scrambled today.

Day 21: Do you believe there is only one other person in the world for you or many?

(Except in fanfic for fun) I don't believe in soulmates or that everyone has one (and only one) soulmate. There are many different combinations and permutations, and life is long for some and cut short for others, so NO (not only one) and NO (not many either)! The concept of soulmates also interjects magic where hard work and emotional maturity and many other elements related to individuals and the society they live in matter more.

( Full list of 3Weeks4Dreamwith questions )

1. It's raining, and it's going to be raining all day, and Minor's practice has been cancelled and for some reason the cancellation threw me into a sort of 'what do I do?' state of inertia. I have been wandering around trying to settle on doing something.

2. I went out with an umbrella to get some steps around the apartment complex and...I found my favorite hat in the pocket of the raincoat! So that's where it went! I thought I'd lost it somewhere. I know it's Magical Thinking but I believe the universe gives me a birthday gift every year and finding my hat is IT for this year.

3. Prompt #19 in Jo Bell's 52 is 'first time.' And I really don't want to write a poem about my first time but I couldn't think of another way to spin the prompt. So here is a 16-word senryu:

Oh, that’s it? The ground
did not swallow me up like
I’d thought. Still. That’s it.

Day 19 word: Rain

Comm shout-out: kindreadspirits


19. What do you secretly hoard?

It's a bad idea on several fronts to keep candy in the bedroom (as opposed to the kitchen), but I do hide some in my suitcase in the closet. Also, maybe not rising to the level of HOARD but I am a +1 back-up kind of person for all kinds of cleaning supplies and paper goods and household stuff. I also have a collection of fun postcards (which is growing!).

( Full list of 3Weeks4Dreamwith questions )

Ahh...this everyday posting is not working. Another double

Day 16: hinterland

Comm shout-out (for pretty photos): common_nature

Day 17: opsimath [one of my favorite words, a person who begins to learn or study only late in life]

DW user shout-out: prettygoodword (for more daily wordyness)

Happy Mother's Day! It's the last day of my celebratory week. Yesterday the boys' and the father gave me my gifts: 1. they washed the sliding glass door 2. they washed the shower stall and 3. they did LAUNDRY! I finished a circular jigsaw puzzle yesterday of artist Alma Thomas' Springtime. Alma Thomas is one of my heroes because she became a professional artist at the age of 69. This is 500 pieces from Pomegranate.



---

16. What do you like to do that's considered touristy?

I love museums. I love museum gift shops :) I love postcards.

17. What is the most recent life lesson you've learned?

I'm not a 'Dear Diary' daily journaling kind of gal, and I probably need to accept that instead of feeling guilty I am not using my fancy planner to its full potential.

( Full list of 3Weeks4Dreamwith questions )

3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!
Come join in for fun, memes, activities, and more ♥

Today's prompt is...ex libris

And today's comm is a book comm who has its weekly check-ins on Wednesday: booknook

Day 13/7 May: What argument did you have that looking back on was absolutely ridiculous?

Not an argument but I once raised a question about the price of something, and it turned out to be a penny different. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized how ridiculous I sounded. Minor enjoys making arguments ridiculous (like focusing on technicalities instead of substance), like saying he has a C+ instead of a C, as if that makes a difference.

( Full list of 3Weeks4Dreamwith questions )

3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!
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Today's prompt is...haulm which was the word I posted TODAY as Monday's wordsmith of 1word1day.

Day 11/5 MAY: How do you think your reality differs from others you know?

I think it boils down to what is NOT in my life.

I am not part of any extended family which has an active presence in my life and because my parents are dead and my sister lives far away (and doesn't visit and I have no intention of visiting, even though we talk once a week, my other family are Trump supports and I cut them off in 2016) and my in-laws live in Africa and Belgium and I've only seen any of them once and the current situation means I probably won't ever see them again, so all kinds of family issues are NOT part of my life. I don't have pets or want pets and I don't have plants or want plants, so those are more parts of most people's realities that aren't part of mine. I live in an apartment so the realities of homeowning aren't part of my reality, either. No garden, no yard.


( Full list of 3Weeks4Dreamwith questions )

3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!
Come join in for fun, memes, activities, and more ♥

So I realized I'm sort of de facto making a Comm/Website Rec of the Day list:

1. random question generator: https://randomwordgenerator.com/question.php
2. poetry: https://poets.org/
3. Sherlock Holmes: https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/Sherlock_Holmes,_Consulting_Detective
4. music: beautifulmechanical [they are doing fun prompt challenges for 3Weeks4Dreamwidth]
5. Views & News: DW user dine
6. Dracula & Nosferatu: the_scent_of_lilacs
7. planners: journalsandplanners
8. crafting: get_knitted
9. porn fic prompts: super_effucktive [thru 31 MAY, use Pokemon moves as the title of porn fic, formerly known as dick_or_treat]

Prompts:

1. zebra
2. unconventional vocabulary
3. treasure hunt
4. UGH!
5. thrifty
6. vampire
7. may
8. fairy
9. knock off or knockoff

Today I posted a new short BTS Namgi mature-rated meet-cute AU, Old Boyfriends Reunite and Sexytimes Ensue, Semi-public sex at the Flea Market one shot (called Knock Off) for the Super Effucktive (formerly known as Dick or Treat). That challenge is running thru the end of May.

Day 9/ May 3: What part of the human face do you look at when you talk to someone?

Eyes. Are there other answers? If you aren't one of the Cthulhu Elder Gods sizing up your next meal?

( Full list of 3Weeks4Dreamwith questions )

Happy May!




3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!
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DAY 7/ May 1: What uncommon thing would you like to see become more common?

Patience among drivers. Paternity leave. Affordable...everything.

( Full list of 3Weeks4Dreamwith questions )

3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!
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So on Tuesdays I do my personal posts (when life allows) and I want to give a shot-out today to DW friend dine who does daily (or almost daily) posts and they are always fun links to interesting articles (archeology, museums, art, words, and other thought-y subjects, pop culture, hockey etc.) as well as pictures of kitties or puppies or goats (or some other cute animals). And other things, music, videos. Anyway, I enjoy her posts very much.

1. I applied for another job! This is #2. For the grocery store across the street. And it required doing a proper resume and cover letter which, you know, was a humbling and nerve-wracking experience.

2. I got my match for the Case Fic Exchange and it's good. I can do this. I was nervous about it, and I am relieved. Assignments due 11 July. 3k minimum.

3. Minor did great at his track meet on Sunday. Two new PRs for 400 and 800 m and he tried a new event (relay 4x800) and didn't drop the baton! Minisculus' soccer game was cancelled 20 minutes into it due to lightning. :( Pain the butt-ock!

5. What's most important to you about your school/work environment?

Ha! I am a stay at home mom so the most important thing about my work environment is that we have a washer and dryer in our own apartment and two bathrooms so I don't have to share my toilet with two stinky little boys.

( Full list of 3Weeks4Dreamwith questions )

I usually do an ASMR of the week. I am still watching the old ones: Ryu and Ryua going camping, the miniature house-making one CocoBellyDIY and the animated animals getting spa care HABO and my gal moment.D doing her collaging.

I really like the voice of this Junk Journaling lady Thrifty Day and even though it's bordering conspicuous consumption, I watch all this 'Pack an Order with Me' videos because I like her voice.

3weeks4dreamwidth is celebrating Dreamwidth's anniversary!
Come join in for fun, memes, activities, and more ♥

Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual," today's prompt is:

treasure hunt

Here's the collage I did:



DAY 3/27 APR What's something that you know you should start, but haven't?

Seriously looking for a job. Seriously losing weight so I can schedule a check-up [confession: I haven't seen a doctor in 10+years! Like since I went to the obstetrician for my last post-partum check up after Minisculus! So God know what's wrong with me, probably everything] It's all so depressing.

( Full list of 3Weeks4Dreamwith questions )