Nathan Lowell (he/him)

Professional teller of tales

I write the books I want to read but can't find.

he/him

#selfpublishing #sff #dailyhaikuprompt #bookstodon #fountainpens

Public Key

npub1wjdq3k36vxv4upxv6d9rmle57p03l9sun0xg9fvam34lf6c842dsnmy28h

NIP-05 Address

nlowell_at_zirk.us@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs8fxsgmgaxrx27qnxdxj3alu60qhcljcwfhnyz5kwac6l5avr64xcpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qzxrhwden5te0wfjkccte9ehx7umhdpjhyefwvdhk6g95amj

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

relay.noswhere.com

relay.nostr.band

Author Public Key

npub1wjdq3k36vxv4upxv6d9rmle57p03l9sun0xg9fvam34lf6c842dsnmy28h

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Last Notes

2024-09-20 11:44:01

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Things to do. People to meet. Places to be.
Not my usual day.
Might be nice to break up the routine a little.
An unexpected boon yesterday enabled some positive changes this morning. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all works out.
Perhaps the wave will toss me or maybe I'll ride it all the way to the beach but either way, looks like surf's up and I need to get paddling.
I hope you ride your waves #today

2024-09-19 19:36:23

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@npub150l…r96e
I have an app for that with time stamps to wave them in my face.
I'm scheduled through December. 🤪

2024-09-19 12:11:11

cornfield yesterday
noisy shopping mall today
a bitter harvest
#DailyHaikuPrompt #senryu

2024-09-17 12:24:16

A new day. Another chance to succeed.
Slow start. Taking my routine out of order but I have no real schedule demanding compliance.
A day to lounge around again. I seem to have more of them lately. A day to enjoy the silence of early morning. When my old ears hear only the clicking of the keys, the faint hum of the machine, and the audio eigengrau of tinitus.
If only for a few blissful moments before day crashes over me.
May you have at least a few blissful moments in your life #today

2024-09-16 13:24:08

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@npub1sr0…6h8d
Bright light and optimism.
Something of a joker, fiercely loyal, they'll stand up for the right and mock enemies with their raucous calls.

2024-09-16 12:52:59

summer's bright farewell
golden queen of fall flowers
chrysanthemums bloom
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-15 11:07:53

no summer freshet
harbinger of season's change
first storm of autumn
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-13 10:50:23

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Scattered morning. Jumping from one thing to another. Almost frenetic.
And I can't even blame coffee. It's still brewing.
After several days of a lazy river, this is more like shooting the rapids.
It's kinda fun. Getting little bits of stuff done. Moving on to the next. Stuff to do. Things to see. Bread to bake. Walk to take.
A thorny problem seems to be resolving after days of frustration.
Things are happening.
I hope you enjoy your happenings #today

2024-09-12 10:42:07

sparrows in the grass
blending in the browning stalks
dun gleaners feeding
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-11 12:47:43

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@npub1ljf…4e4q
We had a service for a few months but it drove my spouse crazy having to clean the place up before they arrived so they wouldn't see what slobs we are.
I wish I were joking.

2024-09-11 11:08:19

quietly creeping
morning fog awaits bright dawn
melting in sun's warmth
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-10 13:52:50

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@npub1u9x…av7u
What is this "break" of which you speak? 🤪

2024-09-10 12:48:51

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@npub1ml0…d9z6
Yeah. The chicken-egg metaphor made that clear.
What hangs me up is the idea that there are two things to reconcile to begin with.

2024-09-10 12:03:50

cool day fades away
autumn dusk falls quietly
creeping from the east
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-10 11:58:49

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
I'm always puzzled by the "meaning of life." It came up in my reading this morning.
Like there's some kind of reason I'm breathing and I'm supposed to figure it out?
It's not enough that I'm here? Sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding.
Just trying to make it to tomorrow again.
Why would there be some kind of meaning? Some deep, ineffable truth I'm supposed to find?
I don't get it.
I hope you find what you're looking for #today

2024-09-09 10:44:13

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
I lapped myself in my morning readings several months ago, catching up to where I started in this volume.
I don't remember all of them. Some of them feel brand new.
Many I remember but their meanings haven't changed.
Once in a while I read the same words but glean new meaning.
It always makes me pause. Partly to consider the new meaning. Partly to consider how I've changed.
I hope you have something interesting to think about #today

2024-09-07 14:47:41

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@npub150l…r96e
Congrats. A big accomplishment!

2024-09-07 11:30:49

single leaf sails west
fallen from turning maples
calm, clear water rests
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-05 15:20:55

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@npub1zvn…8r3h
Some of the older games work best with older versions of Proton but most of the games I play work perfectly well right out of the box.
It really opens the doors to a huge library of games.

2024-09-05 15:06:03

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@npub1zte…x3jf
Why choose? :D

2024-09-05 12:18:47

ancient walnut stands
sole sentry from days gone by
leafy branches spread
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-03 15:48:12

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@npub1zma…mzqw
Every month is NaNoWriMo for me
Nathan's Novel Writing Month.
No AI (or batteries) required and it starts again every damn morning! 🤪

2024-09-03 14:47:14

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@npub1fm4…f7sx
I'm still looking but I have 30ml of iroshizuku take-sumi to use up
I've tried manyo chigaya, diamine onyx, and cartridges from several pen makers.
Take-sumi does it for me atm.

2024-09-03 12:44:25

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@npub1j06…gvv7
Thanks.
It's been a struggle for a long time but maybe the fog has started to clear.

2024-09-03 12:30:54

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
In the quiet dark of morning, I'm taking a little time for me.
I've written my morning journal and cleared away some of my overnight correspondence.
There's a new stub in my story that I want to pick up on. I think it'll push the story where I want it to go. After months of struggling with it, I might be back on the path.
Or not.
We'll see.
The sun has begun to peek above the horizon. Time for breakfast.
I hope you can take the time you need #today

2024-09-02 15:23:51

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@npub1ggx…cmlq
Every time I'm forced to listen to what a useful tool AI is, I block the channel.
The problem is that AI is a cockroach and blocking has become whack-a-mole

2024-09-02 15:07:45

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@npub1yp8…kf75
THANK YOU!
This encapsulates everything I've been trying to do with this word of the year, surf.
Aligns with my readings on Tao as well.
Now, can I do it?
Maybe :)

2024-09-02 12:09:18

rising with days breaking
somewhere between here and there
new moon sails unseen
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-02 11:57:23

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
It's been a long time since I woke up mostly clear headed. This used to be the norm for me. I don't remember the last time it happened.
Maybe the weird nightmares cleared the psychic fog. Maybe I'm finally catching up after...well...everything.
I finished my coding experiment yesterday. I have plans for the next.
My writing has choked, again, but perhaps this mental clarity will let me dig out.
I hope you can see clearly #today

2024-09-01 13:42:18

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@npub15wt…7rek
Good luck and may the algorithms all bless you.

2024-09-01 12:48:31

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@npub1ste…szjx
I appreciate that.

2024-09-01 12:46:30

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@npub1ste…szjx
Yes. I set up over there when it looked like zirk might be having issues.
Since I'm there, I'm helping Steaphan with moderation but don't know what else I might use that account for.

2024-09-01 12:39:36

wind storm sweeps cleanly
blowing autumn clouds away
clearing cluttered minds
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-01 12:10:33

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
First day of the month brings a few tasks. Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow but if I don't get them taken care of now, I'm likely to forget.
The perils of ADHD. Lack of object (and in this case objective) permanence. If I can't see it, I forget it's there.
It's why my work spaces are always cluttered. As much as I like a nice neat desk, putting things in drawers is akin to tossing them out.
I hope you don't lose sight of what's important #today

2024-08-31 17:24:11

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@npub10d5…vvxa
Good on ya! :)

2024-08-31 14:01:30

in their multitudes
sardines roil ocean's waters
each one so tiny
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-31 13:07:36

A new day. Another chance to succeed.
The morning reading is about living close to the land and in tune with the seasons.
I grew up with a large garden. Subsistence level stuff.
To child-me, nothing about that was simple.
Plowing and planting. Endless days weeding in summer heat. Harvesting and storing.
Elder-me feels the draw even as I know I lack the skills and strength to do it.
But maybe I can do something simple. Perhaps plant a tomato or two.
I hope you do something simple #today

2024-08-31 02:50:49

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@npub1dkr…l5qs
I do. I write one page every morning in an A5. Mostly bitching. Some thinking.
I use it to get the brain meat warmed up a little before I try anything more complicated than pouring a cup of coffee.

2024-08-30 17:38:29

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@npub1nqa…96cd
I'm beginning to think that "Boeing" is the sound the parts make when they fall off...

2024-08-30 17:37:17

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@npub1dkr…l5qs
Thanks. Snarfed a sample.

2024-08-30 17:31:34

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@npub1dkr…l5qs
Can't argue with that synopsis.

2024-08-30 16:03:18

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@npub1qe5…8ugl
I would watch the hell out of that channel.

2024-08-30 12:11:37

port and perfect pear
bit of stilton on the side
sweet contemplation
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-30 12:07:03

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Another month winds down to the last few ticks of the clock.
Looking back at the year so far, I haven't done many of the things I thought I needed to, partly because what I thought then doesn't match the reality I've faced.
But I have done things that needed doing.
Funny how often that happens, huh?
I feel good about what might come next without much expectation that it will turn out the way I want.
That's okay.
I hope you're going to be okay #today

2024-08-30 11:58:49

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@npub1l5q…s44k
Thanks

2024-08-29 19:43:45

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@npub1gvl…8ag7
Fingers crossed for you.

2024-08-29 19:42:42

@npub1kqz…20mr
Happy Launch Day for Rights of Use
🎉

2024-08-29 17:59:41

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@npub1l5q…s44k
Yeah. I'm building my framework up based on what I want to see.

2024-08-29 17:50:17

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@npub1l5q…s44k
this is *so* close to working
but the header and page-to-page navigation doesn't resolve correctly.
https://nathanlowell.com/view/

2024-08-29 13:27:35

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@npub1xqs…8nsw
Ugh.
This is all in the top, left, front.
The first 10 minutes will be the worst.
I've spent worse mornings. 🤪

2024-08-29 12:08:49

flickering lamplight
across the years remembered
old man's secret smile
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-29 11:55:38

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
The postponed dental appointment from a couple of weeks back comes back to haunt me today.
I'm blessed with a good dentist and sufficient means to cover the financial burden. It wasn't always the case and that trauma will probably never leave.
It'll be unpleasant as much for the boredom of having to sit still for 3 hours as much as the drilling.
I'm treating myself to goblin mode this afternoon.
I hope you have something good to look forward to #today

2024-08-28 12:30:44

dew diamonds glisten
the dawn's clear light reflected
morning's jeweled crown
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-28 12:15:11

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Another day without demands except the ones I place on myself.
I have a coding problem that's driving me today. I almost said "crazy" but frustration isn't crazy. It's the normal response to a seemingly intractable problem.
It's an itch I can't stop scratching.
Time to scrap it all, go back to basics, and rebuild, but starting with more information than I had the last time.
I think I've been here before.
I hope your iterations go smoothly #today

2024-08-27 11:48:19

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@npub1pn0…kn97
Thanks.

2024-08-27 11:43:21

autumn wind teasing
the scent of season's turning
dusky yet sublime
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-27 11:26:15

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
After yesterday's packed schedule, I welcome a day without prescribed chores. Feels freeing.
A good day to think. To look back.
My word of the year, surf, has worked pretty well after a somewhat slow start. A third of the year remains.
The morning reading carries memento mori overtones, perhaps a good reminder for me and a nudge to pay attention.
There's still time to catch a few good waves.
I hope you ride a few good waves #today

2024-08-27 02:15:00

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@npub18wd…vs4h
Peanut butter (especially Addams or any other "just peanut butter with maybe a bit of salt) is my snacking friend.
There's enough protein in it to temper the carb spike.

2024-08-26 13:49:39

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@npub1yp8…kf75
Yeah. Some days are like that.

2024-08-26 13:49:10

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@npub1yy2…7vpm
Not at all. I want my readers to have something good to read while they're waiting for my next one.
Oh, I'll be ready for Wielder, book 2 by Wednesday.
Just sayin' 🤣

2024-08-26 13:45:11

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@npub1ahq…wjwd
I love your morning blooms.
Thank you.

2024-08-26 11:25:29

fields filled with hay bales
hills painted in bright fall colors
harvest time arrives
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-26 11:25:15

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Gah! This day has so many moving parts. Things that need careful timing for them all to fit.
I have the oven heating so I can bake bread before the sun gets up. Family support functions. Refill the larder.
All in addition to the things I want to accomplish today just for me.
The morning reading reminded me about the importance of caring for my own health and well-being.
In the banquet of life, I'm not the dessert.
I hope you eat dessert first #today

2024-08-25 16:02:30

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@npub1acg…qy64
I'll need to find the right release of node.js. Mint distributes 12. :/

2024-08-25 13:24:27

clear air, crystalline
free of summer's damp blanket
fuels autumn's harvest
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-25 12:11:29

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
A day to practice my metaphorical surfing.
It always seems to happen when life has started to click into place. You're toodling along nicely and get smacked in the face with a dead trout.
Of course, it's all in the perception. I have no reason to think "Well, things are going in my favor. Nary a trout in sight" when life rolls along.
And when things are rough to begin with, a sudden, dead fish makes little impact.
I hope your day is fish free #today

2024-08-24 14:38:48

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@npub15wt…7rek
Oh! I loved Woodspell!!
I'm going to have to put these books into rotation.
Thanks for the reminder.
Good luck with being wide.

2024-08-24 12:17:13

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@npub1jh4…5vwx
There's a reason there are 9million variations on Solitaire.

2024-08-24 12:14:03

yellow aspen leaves
red leaves among the maples
autumn's colors spread
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-24 12:05:44

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
I'm buoyant this morning, fresh off some minor success with a side project yesterday.
Something about digging into a technical project, figuring out new software, new possibilities, becoming familiar with new tools.
It doesn't hurt that I got a good night's sleep.
I've a good book to read later, and things to look forward to.
It's quite a lovely feeling. I think I'll milk it for all it's worth.
I hope you find a spark of joy in your life #today

2024-08-20 16:39:50

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@npub1xau…pfnu
I can't decide which is worse.
Cold? Or Warm.

2024-08-20 11:53:18

soft breeze at sunrise
sweeping out night's dark cobwebs
cool and refreshing
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-20 11:50:06

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
A quiet day planned. I've had too many unquiet days lately and am feeling the need to regroup and let some of the dust settle before getting back into the fray.
A short period of enjoying what I've accomplished.
No, I haven't done everything. Loose ends continue to dangle.
But I've done some and that's worthy of acknowledgement.
If all I do is focus on what I haven't done, I never get a chance to enjoy what I have.
I hope you celebrate your wins #today

2024-08-20 11:29:02

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@npub1l4f…vh4y
I'll give them another look.

2024-08-19 12:23:30

dusk comes earlier
sunset sliding into night
cooling day's hot gaze
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-19 12:17:41

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
My moment of quiet contemplation this morning has been invaded by brain weasels intent on keeping me busy chasing them down.
It would be easy to label this as weakness. A failure of something. A lack of something.
Not what I should be doing.
Meh.
Who says?
The sun is just peeking over the horizon. The day has only barely started. There's time enough in the day for me to take a few moments.
I hope you find a few moments for yourself #today

2024-08-18 14:29:23

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@npub1ml0…d9z6
Agreed.
The "composition that pleases us" carries a lot of water.

2024-08-18 13:18:38

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@npub1ezn…xl2x
7:18 AM

2024-08-18 13:16:05

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@npub14dn…ruqg
Everything Trump says is a lie, usually painting himself as a relevant actor.
Why would this be any different?

2024-08-18 12:58:19

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@npub1aux…6rq5
#today collects a bunch of people who post in various modes from a daily post in the morning to the odd happenings that happened and pictures they just took.

2024-08-18 12:51:01

owl asks the question
grasshopper says katydid
crickets in the dark
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-18 12:39:24

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
The morning's reading about living an organized life has me pondering.
It talks about the importance of organizing life's details, which I agree with, but demands they all be in order, which I don't.
Sparks of inspiration happen when they will, though I'd love to schedule them.
Serendipity adds spice to a dull stew of days.
But maybe I'm applying too strict a rule to organization.
I hope you find the right level of organization in your day #today

2024-08-18 01:09:27

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@npub1aum…5jx0
Yes.
Not very.
I include them for those who do and to, maybe, pique the curiosity of those who don't.

2024-08-17 14:47:02

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@npub1w4x…7lhg
Thanks.

2024-08-17 14:26:28

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@npub128a…lww3
The first - often most difficult - task in solving one is understanding what - exactly - it is. 🤪

2024-08-17 13:02:21

stone wrapped in sunshine
golden flesh in fuzzy skins
peaches store summer
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-17 12:54:00

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
I've been struggling with writing for months. Beating my head against a story that wouldn't gel. Throwing words against the page.
"Write every day" only works until it becomes work instead of joy.
I thought I might get more books written if I focused on that.
I tried it for a time but that was never my process. Never the way I found joy in creation.
All this time, I thought the problem was the story.
I hope you work on the right problem #today

2024-08-16 13:43:40

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@npub1vex…0ahz
I'm a "write now, research only if I need it" person.
If the character doesn't need to know it, neither do I.
YMMV 🤪

2024-08-15 14:14:04

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@npub18wd…vs4h
Oh, man. I feel this so much.
Hang in there.

2024-08-14 14:16:09

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@npub1uky…pst7
Good luck and best wishes on the outcomes.
At 52 I published my first novel.
Never too late, unless your WIP becomes RIP. 🤪

2024-08-12 11:26:33

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
I have bread to bake this morning before the day heats up.
Several days of cool weather herald the changing season but seasons seldom change suddenly. High temperatures will be with me for a few more weeks.
Yet the change will come. In its own time. At its own pace. Autumn's colorful leaves edging out the summer green. Grasses, already losing their seeds, growing golden.
I just need to be patient.
I hope your patience pays off #today

2024-08-12 01:27:19

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@npub12j3…y6qj
I'd get rid of it in a hot second if the HOA didn't *require* it.

2024-08-11 11:26:57

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
A quiet hour of contemplation followed by breakfast and a walk outside, if it's not raining.
Maybe even if it is. It's not like I'll melt. I have a slicker. I'll wear a hat.
I seem to have become frail. More risk averse. Unwilling to venture out of my safe little cave.
Invisible boundaries marked out in yellow hazard tape with red letters
Leaving Comfort Zone.
A zone that has become less comfortable.
I hope you find your proper zone #today

2024-08-10 12:15:43

busy bees harvest
on a valerian drift
summer's sweet bounty
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-10 03:05:42

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@npub1knf…tu8j
If they just take the doors off, they could call it the "Donald Unhinged" ...

2024-08-09 12:06:14

quail with her hatchlings
hidden among tall grasses
fueling up for flight
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-09 01:21:31

A note about political polls.
They only call my landline, not my cell.
I hang up on them.
Garbage in.
Garbage out.
Just sayin'

2024-08-08 21:41:52

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@npub1dah…vkx3
That's a great book. I enjoyed it immensely.

2024-08-08 17:05:50

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@npub1pz6…dhex
Ingram Spark for widest distribution
Lulu for custom work

2024-08-08 11:24:12

rolling in clover
awaiting autumn's bounty
fresh tea at sunrise
#DailyHaikuPrompt