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neilgaiman_feedThere are a few remaining copies of the 25th Anniversary edition of Little, Big or, The Fairies' Parliament, by John Crowley, with art by Peter Milton. More information here.
While you are there, there is also a 15% off coupon for the trade edition and/or posters, as well as an invitation to make a donation in support of horticultural conservancy.
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birdfeeding
ysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeeding daily_otter_feed
Photo by Glen and Rita Chapman, via the IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group - they write:
Deep in the rivers of Central Africa, the Congo clawless otter (Aonyx congicus) does something few otters dare: it forages by touch, not by sight.
With fingers more like ours than most other otters, it feels its way through the mud for hidden prey - a perfect adaptation to the murky forest waters where visibility can drop to zero. Its unwebbed digits, shorter claws and frosted mask give it an unmistakable look and a serious edge in the dark.
However, Aonyx congicus still remains almost invisible to science. Few confirmed photos exist, and its population trends are a mystery. What do we know? It’s Near Threatened, its habit is shrinking, and understanding its ecology could reshape how we protect Africa’s freshwater systems.
merriamwebster_feedMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 18, 2025 is:
eccentric • \ik-SEN-trik\ • adjective
Eccentric usually describes people and things that deviate from conventional or accepted usage or behavior, especially in odd or whimsical ways. It is also used technically to mean "deviating from a circular path" and "located elsewhere than at the geometric center."
// He's an endearingly eccentric scientist whose methods are quite inventive.
// The dwarf planet Pluto has an eccentric orbit.
Examples:
"The film [Annie Hall] is considered one of the great romantic comedies of all time, with [Diane] Keaton's eccentric, self-deprecating Annie at its heart." — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
Did you know?
Eccentric was originally a technical term at home in the fields of geometry and astronomy. It comes from the Medieval Latin adjective ecentricus, meaning "not having the earth at its center," and ultimately has its root in a Greek noun, kéntron, whose various meanings include "stationary point of a pair of compasses" and "midpoint of a circle or sphere." But its figurative use is long-established too: as far back as the 17th century the word has been used to describe people and things that deviate from what is conventional, usual, or accepted.
ysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeeding daily_otter_feed
Via Alaska SeaLife Center, which writes:
Our male otter pup patient, admitted in July, now has a name!
Say hello to Nipi, which means “sound” in the Iñupiaq language. It is a fitting name for a pup who has boisterous vocalizations.
We are grateful to honor one of the Alaska Native languages and cultures with his name as we continue caring for this little one!
merriamwebster_feedMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 17, 2025 is:
crucible • \KROO-suh-bul\ • noun
A crucible, in the word’s literal use, is a pot in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted. But crucible is more often encountered in figurative use referring to a difficult test or challenge, or to a place or situation that forces people to change or make difficult decisions.
// The bronze was heated to 2,100 degrees in the crucible and then poured into molds designed by the artist.
// Her latest novel follows two best friends in a fantastical, battle-ravaged kingdom who emerge from the crucible of war with opposing views and values on what should come next.
Examples:
“... the original film follows four married couples—close friends who reunite once a year for a weeklong vacation together. On the surface, the retreat is meant to help them relax and reconnect, but it quickly becomes a crucible for examining the cracks in their relationships.” — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
Did you know?
Unless you’re studying Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in school, it may not be crucial to learn the story behind crucible, but it can’t hurt! Crucible looks like it should be closely related to the Latin combining form cruc- (“cross”); however, unlike crucial, it isn’t. It was forged instead from the Medieval Latin crucibulum, a noun for an earthen pot used to melt metals, and in English it first referred to a vessel made of a very heat-resistant material (such as porcelain) used for melting a substance that requires a high degree of heat. It’s possible that the resemblance between cruc- and crucible encouraged people to start using crucible to mean “a severe trial,” as that sense is synonymous with one meaning of cross, but the idea of simmering in a literal crucible also sounds plenty severe. The newest sense of crucible (“a situation in which great changes take place,” as in “forged in the crucible of war”) recalls the fire and heat required to transform some solids into liquids.
ysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeeding merriamwebster_feedMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 16, 2025 is:
writhe • \RYTHE\ • verb
To writhe is to twist one’s body from side to side. The word is often used when the body or a bodily part is twisting in pain.
// The injured player lay on the football field, writhing in pain.
// At the instruction of their teacher, the children rolled the fallen log aside to reveal worms and other small critters writhing in the soft earth.
Examples:
“The creatures named after writers are mostly bugs, which makes sense. There are a lot of those little guys writhing around, and I imagine most of them escaped our attention for long enough that science had to start reaching for new names. And a lot of them are wasps: Dante has two wasps named after him; Marx has two, Didion has one, Dickens has two, Zola has two, Thoreau has seven, and Shakespeare has three wasps and a bacterium. Nabokov has a lot of butterflies, naturally.” — James Folta, LitHub.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Did you know?
Writhe wound its way to us from the Old English verb wrīthan, meaning “to twist,” and that ancestral meaning lives on in the word’s current uses, most of which have to do with twists of one kind or another. Among the oldest of these uses is the meaning “to twist into coils or folds,” but in modern use writhing is more often about the physical contortions of one suffering from debilitating pain or attempting to remove oneself from a tight grasp (as, say, a snake from a hawk’s talons). The word is also not infrequently applied to the twisting bodies of dancers. The closest relation of writhe in modern English lacks any of the painful connotations often present in writhe: wreath comes from Old English writha, which shares an ancestor with wrīthan.
post_secret_feedDear Frank,
I write to you with incredible news. Last month, I brought home my new service dog, Tango. This was made possible by this Sunday Secret Post.
That post led to nearly $10,000 of donations within 2 weeks! I send all my love to you and to every single person from the PostSecret community and beyond who contributed, as well as those who weren’t able to contribute but still saw the post and hoped on my behalf. You all have made something amazing happen for this 25-year-old woman who is now so excited for the life of independence, freedom, and trust Tango and I are building together.
Thank you for hearing me and helping me that chilly day in Connecticut several years ago, Frank. The secret I shared in that auditorium was one of despair, believing I would never be able to partner with a service dog of my own. I am so grateful to be able to look back on that day and smile because I just didn’t know yet what good fortune was coming my way.
If you would like to make a difference in someone’s life this Giving Tuesday, please consider the following non-profits.
Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities
Active Minds – Promoting Student Mental Wellness
The post Adira’s Story appeared first on PostSecret.
post_secret_feed
Dear Frank,
A few years ago, I came to one of your shows in Ohio. I was in a really bad season of life – my depression and anxiety were bogging me down. Most days, I did not want to be alive. I had counseling the day of the show, and I told my counselor that it was free and I had been waiting years to be able to go to one of your shows, but that my depression wasn’t allowing me to even feel excited at the opportunity. She convinced me to go, and I will always be thankful for that. I ended up getting a seat right next to the stage and it was so awesome. I cried almost the whole time because I had felt actual joy again for what felt like the first time in forever. I was surrounded by strangers, yet somehow felt we were all connected by just being there together.
Anyways, you ended up giving me one of the books in the middle of your show, and had written a message in it (I didn’t yet know this) At some point, you offered people to go to the back/side of the room where there were microphones – you said we could share a secret or a story. I quietly got up and went to the back so I could share. While I was waiting, to my surprise, you said something along the lines of “there was a young lady sitting up here who I gave the book to. I had written a message in there but I think she left?” To which I shouted, “no, I’m just back here!!!!” I ended up sharing with the audience about how I came to know about PostSecret (two of my best friends who I feel have changed my life forever, for the better, introduced me to you and your website and your books) and how I struggled with suicidal thoughts and how coming to your show that night was the first think that felt right that whole year.
I cried into the microphone as I shared what reading the Sunday secrets for all these years has done for me and I thanked you for helping me feel known, seen, and heard. You walked from the stage to meet me as I was waking back to my seat and hugged me. I cried even more! You said to the audience something along the lines of, “it’s ironic that you shared your story tonight, because the message I wrote in your book says, “the world needs to hear your voice!” and it was just such a moment! You also handed me the dollar bill you had kept in your wallet, the one that had, “we are all part of something bigger and we are all part of it together.” I cried, again! To no surprise haha. I felt such happiness, such gratitude. I called my mom after the show and she ended up writing you on Facebook to thank you because she had been so worried about me. Anyways, I just wanted to tell you thank you. You have no idea how much that night meant and still means to me. I’m happy to report that life is better these days. I still have anxiety and depression, but I don’t want to die anymore. I framed that dollar bill and I see it everyday and I’m reminded that it’s good to be alive, even when it doesn’t always feel like it.
The post PostSecret Live! Story appeared first on PostSecret.
ysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeeding daily_otter_feed
Via MTSOfan, who writes, “An otter's focus of attention is always changing. Here, Jet still had a mouthful of food when he thought about the humans watching him.”
merriamwebster_feedMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 15, 2025 is:
radial • \RAY-dee-ul\ • adjective
Radial describes things that are arranged or have parts arranged in straight lines coming out from the center of a circle.
// Her mosaics echo radial patterns observed in nature, from succulents to sea urchins.
Examples:
"Inspired by flowers that grow organically, the project transforms organic patterns into space arrangements, embodying the idea of blooming. The design distills the essence of a flower's radial symmetry into a geometric language, creating a rhythmic play of radial patterns and sunburst lines." — Architecture Update (India), 19 Feb. 2025
Did you know?
Picture the sun shining brightly on a cloudless day. Its rays stretch in every direction along radiant radii so far-reaching they radiate daylight. It's pretty rad, and it's a cinch to describe in English thanks to the expansive influence of the Latin noun radius, meaning "ray." As you might have guessed, radius is an ancestor of the English words ray, radiant, radiate, and of course radius. It's also the sunny source of radial, which joined our language in the 1500s as an adjective meaning "arranged or having parts arranged like rays." Radial has bourgeoned in meaning over the centuries, adopting unique applications across many fields including medicine, engineering, and astronomy.
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