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It's been a wild 2 weeks here in RL land for the Hartwicks. RL school has been wild...the Kindergarten teacher I work with came down with the flu and I was let to take over and try to figure the planning of lessons for the week. Yes she had some stuff in reserve but actually I was winging it on a wing and a prayer as they say. Then this weekend sinter decided to show up after having been missing for 4 months. Snow, sleet, rain, freezing rain all decided to come at the same time. Trees down, power lines down, no power... no internet.... the town is still dealing with all of this... we even got a "snow day" because the power is still out at the school. So... I'll try to do a mash up of what I had planned to do, and post something later today.... or tomorrow!

Badgers, and lions, Eagles, and snakes, are all, United spring to fall.

Badgers come and go On their way to do great things But then comes back home

I'll start: Black cloaks, yellow hats Classmates, Professors and friends Welcome to The Sett

It is April! Happy April Fool’s Day! Or let us make it into a month of smiles, laughter, jokes, and mischief! Let us explore this concept within the world of the animal kingdom. For sure, something funny is also going on in there. See you this month!

Me too! I also did it in a paint program and had a hard time colouring it. But tried my best! I like your colouring!

So many of you did this so beautifully! Good job! This pic had quite a lot of small details which got hard to colour for me as I was doing it in a paint program. The bears are very cute, though! Here's mine:

I'm not sure where to put this, so for now I'll just leave this here. *puts a stack of paper slips and a little box on a table in the corner of the common room.* The box is a warm yellow colour with black trimmings, and there is a narrow opening on top - the perfect size for those paper slips. It is also possible to take off the lid, and browse through the slips already inside. Have you ever tried writing your own poetry? Back when I started trying that out, I felt awkward about it because I thought poetry "had to" be a certain way; had to adhere to some complex set of rules, or at least had to rhyme. Somehow it felt too fancy for me, and I spent a long time getting over the idea that I wasn't good enough for this art form. One of the things that helped me was discovering the poetry type called haiku. What is a haiku? A haiku is a Japanese form of poetry, which consists of three lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables. Other than that structure, there are no requirements. No need to rhyme. No complex structure. No limits about theme or topic. Even though traditional haikus are often about nature and the natural world, it's possible to write them about anything. It's a chance to just play with words, and see if you're able to fit your thoughts to the 5-7-5 format. The fact that a complete haiku is so short might also be motivating, because it makes trying writing your own a less daunting task. Of course you can string multiple haikus together for a longer poem, if you wish. But in that case, each haiku should be complete on its own, too. What is a syllable? I suppose we also need to look at what constitutes as syllable, for this form of poetry to make sense. According to Oxford Languages, this is the definition of a syllable: Pay attention to how it says "one vowel sound" and not "one vowel." For example, the word "foot" is one syllable, because "oo" is said as one sound, even though it's actually written as two o's. So, when counting syllables, always think of how you say the words, not how they are written. Sometimes it's obvious how many syllables are in a word, just from the definition above. For example, "football" has two syllables - "foot" and "ball." But how about a more complex word like "raspberry"? ... do you want to know a cool fact about syllables? They have a mind of their own. More specifically, the vowel sound in a syllable always wants to have as many consonants as possible in front of itself, but it can only keep claiming consonants for itself as long as it's still pronounceable. The best way to find syllable borders is to count from the back of the word. So, "raspberry" has "y" functioning as a vowel. Because Y wants friends, we give it the R next to it, forming the syllable RY. We cannot give it the next R as well, because RRY becomes unpronounceable. The next vowel is E, who also wants friends. We've already established that there is a lone R after it, so that joins the E as his friend. Towards the left, we give it B as well, but we cant give the next consonant, which is P, because PBER is unpronounceable. So BER it is. Finally, the only vowel left is an A, which means RASP must be a syllable of its own. Hence, "raspberry" is three syllables: RASP-BER-RY. Thanks for coming to my little TED talk about haikus. ... I was thinking we could use the box here for our very own haikus. Don't be shy; write about whatever falls into your mind, as long as you also keep all HOL rules in mind. I hope this can be an enjoyable activity.

https://imgur.com/a/L8kRVtn

Puzzles by Geoffrey Tristam: Fothergill Unfinished - Finished - Marmaduke Unfinished - Finished - Henrietta Unfinished - Finished -

The human is going about looking for their book. Where is their book? They are studying it hard for a test tomorrow. They just put it down, to go get something to drink and a bit to eat, and now it's missing! Looking looking, under the pillow, on top of the counter. Could they have put it back into the bookshelf, absent-mindedly? Where could it be? The human goes back into the kitchen, looking on the shelf. Wait, check the fridge? (Well, some people have been known to put their glasses in the freezer, being absent-minded ...) No, not there either. "Well, I don't know where it is" they say to themself, frustrated.

Seal Seal looking at beach goers: "Silly fools." Seal to his brother - "Gary, don't make a sound, sneak up behind them, then bark as loud as you can." Gary - *sneaks up behind the beach * ..... *BARKS* Beach Goers jump and fall into the water Seal: "That's funny every time!"

The Camel Senu is one of the camels that's used for transporting tourists around the edges of the Sahara desert and does that job pretty well. Still, it's a thankless task, especially when some of the tourists don't particularly take care of her and her fellow camels. She takes a lot of joy in seeing the tourists try to get on the camel without much success. They trip, fall down, fall over, dangle into the ropes of crude saddles, and generally make a fool of themselves. She loves to laugh at them when that happens. Eventually, she'll take pity on them and lay down in the sand to allow them up.

Snowy Owl I'll work under the assumption a human camped out to capture the photo of the snowy owl, and that is what the snowy owl is laughing at. Snowy owls mainly reside in the Arctic tundra biomes, so it would be cold for a human unless they were dressed quite warmly, involving multiple layers of clothing. With many layers of clothing piling on, a person would look strange and likely puffy to any creature in that biome. The snowy owl likely laughed at the ridiculous look that the photographer would have to wear in such a climate, especially since they would likely also try to blend in with the environment, which would fail miserably in the snowy owl's eyes and be a laughable offense.

Welcome back Fels!!

Oh, oh, she's BACK. Welcome back, Fels!

Apologies for posting late. Just got back from a trip. Week 2! This week is all about animals and their mischief, mostly a sign of their intelligence. Number one or somewhere in the top of our list is featured in this week’s jigsaw puzzle. Below is the link to the jigsaw puzzle. Solve the puzzle, reply here the solved picture (not greater than 600x600 pixels, please) before end of April HOL time to earn 30 diamonds. CLICK HERE!

Gallery of 10 300 Piece puzzles finished and unfinished: https://postimg.cc/gallery/y7T7pR2

Jigsaw - https://imgur.com/a/xqLXaA8 Quiz - https://imgur.com/a/xqLXaA8

We have seen a lot of smiling/laughing animals this week. I guess we need to fill in the humor in the pictures. What do you think are in their heads? What are they laughing at? For this activity, you can choose at least one picture of animal below. In a minimum of 100 words, you may explain what are in their minds in the picture? Maybe what they are seeing or hearing or sensing that makes them laugh? Another option you can do is edit the picture with a thought or conversation bubble with statement/s of whatever they are thinking or saying regarding the reason of their laughing (no greater than 600x600 pixels, please). You have until the end of April HOL time to reply in this thread your submission in this activity to earn 30 diamonds. Be reminded of the HOL rules in your submissions. Always be respectful to others, animals or humans. Have fun imagining the reason for their laughing! So cuuute them all!

https://i.imgur.com/Kspoj6V.png

https://imgur.com/a/qhGjUCb

Animals associated with mischief are mostly the same animals tagged as intelligent creatures. Some of them are listed below: Chimpanzees – Humans and chimpanzees share about 99% of the same genomes, explaining the intelligence and mischief they display. They are capable of using tools and solving problems. Raccoons – Their appearance look like masked bandits, adding to their mischievous character. They are able to maneuver through obstacles and can pick locks. Octopus – Their ability to squeeze themselves in and out of small and tight places are mischievous for sure. Crows – They can recognize human faces and solve complex problems. They learn from experience and avoid paths deemed dangerous and previously killed other crows. They bring gifts to people who feed them. Pigs – They are neat animals and can understand human emotions. They can also solve complex games and mazes. They don’t sweat so they need another way to regulate their body temperature, hence their use of muds to cover their bodies to stay cool. Elephants – They are intelligent creatures and use their trunks for some mischief. They suck up water and squirt it at people and other animals. Mischievous, right? They commonly bring down electric poles and electric fences. They have amazing memories. I only listed 6 of these intelligent and mischievous animals but there are a lot more of them. In this activity, in a minimum of 100 words, identify at least one mischief animal and describe their deeds or adventures of mischief, displaying their intelligence. If you have less than 100 words, you can also provide a picture (not greater than 600x600 pixels, please) or a link to a video displaying the mischievous character of the animal species you discussed about. You have until end of April HOL time to reply here in this thread your submission to earn 30 diamonds. Follow HOL rules. Kindly provide the references you utilized in this activity. References: https://wildlifeinformer.com/mischievous-animals/ https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/68716/what-natural-animal-could-represent-a-goddess-of-chaos-and-entropy

One such animal is a raven! They're actually quite playful despite being a bad omen for some, so no wonder they're considered mischievous as well. They're known to pull feathers or even on the tails of other animals and then fly away really fast. But it's not just animals, even humans can fall victim to their pranks. Ravens have been observed to sit on the top of buildings during wintertime and push snow on the unsuspecting human beings below. What's nice to see is that despite their mischievousness, they seem to be capable of feeling empathy for their fellow ravens as they tend to console them when something goes wrong. Source: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/ravens-discover-the-brainpower-of-the-bird-in-black/1507/

One animal that is both intelligent and mischievous is a dolphin! There are some debates about dolphin intelligence due to the structure of their brain, but they possess cognitive abilities such as problem-solving skills, complex social interactions, and the ability to experience grief. Dolphins are known to play with plants and other animals. For example, seagrass can be passed between their body parts and between individuals as a way to play. They have also churned water to generate a vortex and then blow a bubble of air into it to create an underwater ring. Dolphins also stir up a bit of mischief by chasing, play-fighting, and riding waves with each other. Source: https://www.marinebio.org/creatures/dolphins/behavior/

Dogs are said to be man's best friend, and with good reason. Not only are they very loyal as companions and protectors, they are also increasingly intelligent and incredibly mischievous creatures. This popular animal is very social and loves their human companions. They have high energy levels and their desire to be around their people at all times causes them to make a lot of mischief. While different breeds of these cute canines have different levels of intelligence, they are on an average highly ranked among creatures, in order of intelligence. They are capable of learning a surprising amount of things including obeying commands, fetching objects, finding something (police dogs) and even performing their daily tasks like using the toilet in a proper way like humans, with the help of good training. The average IQ of a dog is estimated at 100. It is believed that the average dog can learn about 160-200 words. Various studies suggest that a dog's IQ is similar to a two-year-old child's. They are like a two-year-old child or sometimes more in terms of understanding, their interaction with people, and their emotional intelligence. Dogs are also known to recognize danger and malicious people, with a penchant for sniffing out shifty characters with bad intent. They recognize good people and bond well with them. I last remember watching a few cool movies about dogs, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and my favorite was certainly "The Duke" (1999) as well as "A Dog Named Duke" released in 2012, both of which obviously included a lot of dog mischief besides showcasing their intelligence throughout the movie. Our favorite family pets are obviously very mischievous and they steal food directly from their owner's plates or from their favorite human's table or straight from the fridge itself if they are a smarter variety and chew our toys and shoes and think everything is a bone and dig up holes everywhere and chase rabbits when we go for picnics giving us a good time and a bad time at the same time. They try to break free from their bonds and bark at other pups and dogs, and try to escape when we take them out for walks. Besides, they are also adorable and lovely companions who guard us fiercely and protect us from danger, including staying awake all night to bark at thieves, potential thieves, (as well as non-thieves : P). Sources: https://www.pupvine.com/average-iq-of-a-dog/

April Adeline Morior: 140 diamonds Harry Walles: 200 diamonds Hiya Debnath: 30 diamonds Louis Walles: 200 diamonds Prof. Felicia Hartwick: 30 diamonds

Pink Flower 143p: Unfinished Finished Beautiful Blue Rose 144p: Unfinished Finished

Seal Two humans on a beach are trying to pet the seals and take photographs of them. One of them really wants to feed the seals some live fish, while being captured on camera. They have bought some live fish swimming in a bucket of water, from a nearby fisherman. While the other person is ready with the camera to take a video, the one who wanted to be captured on camera while feeding the seals live fish, tries to pick the fish swimming in the bucket. The fish are too slippery and keep falling out of her hands back into the bucket or out into the sand. A huge number of seals have gathered to watch the human feat, and they end up giggling and laughing at the frantic efforts of the human to hold on to the slippery fish for long enough to be able to feed the seals. 15 minutes into the whole funny scene, the human is still unable to hold on to any fish and feed the seals, as the fish keep slipping out of her hands. Now her bucket is almost empty with no fish in it and the water in it reduced to less than one-third of the original quantity. Meanwhile, the seals are having a good laugh, just like this one:

We are headed into Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere 144p: Unfinished Finished Colourful Textiles 143p: Unfinished Finished

Sunset 143p: Unfinished Finished Another sunset 144p: Unfinished Finished

https://postimg.cc/gwbqs39m

The degu or known as the common degu is a type of rodent species endemic Chile known for their laughter. They are highly social creatures with complex social structures and communities. The degu laugh is described as purring or grumbling sound which I can only imagen is the cutest thing. They are able to make up to 15 different sounds. Here is a few cute images: https://i.postimg.cc/CLH53TfP/Untitled-design.png Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_degu

Colourful Tradition 300p: Unfinished Finished Floral Cake Party 144p: Unfinished Finished

Old Street 180p: Unfinished Finished Winter 144p: Unfinished Finished

I do love the beach. Sitting in a beach chair, listening to the waves, soaking in the sun and watching the sea gulls. And listening to them as well. They do have a call that indeed makes them sound like they are laughing. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/laughing-gull If you click on this link, click on the blue box on the top right, then scroll down to "Laugh like outburst" and you will hear what I'm talking about.

I've had no idea that some predominantly water species, like marine mammals, can also laugh! Besides dolphins already mentioned in the first post, killer whales can laugh too! Instead of through their throat and mouths, killer whales 'laugh' through their blowholes, which is where the air passes for them. Killer whales, like many other species, laugh when they try to signify a non-aggressive type of play so that the other party doesn't think it's a fight. Besides through the blowhole, the sounds they make that could be designated as laughter are also clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls. Fun fact, they can also approximate human laugh as well! Source: https://patch.com/us/across-america/killer-whales-say-hello-goodbye-laugh-listen

One species reasonably known for its "laughter" is the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). These animals are famous for their human-like laughter. This creature's vocalizations are characterized as giggle sounds that are high-pitched. Unlike the animals listed above, the spotted hyena doesn't laugh due to joy or fun. Instead, they often make this vocalization when they're feeling threatened, such as being attacked. They also can use this sound when they're frustrated. A fun fact about the pitch of their laughter is that it could give insight into details about the hyena. For example, an older hyena is likely to have a lower pitch than a younger one. Source: https://www.britannica.com/story/do-hyenas-really-laugh

https://imgur.com/a/BBm9q7Y

I hope the Easter Bunny will still make an appearance - (104 pieces) ((the unfinished link shows 99 pieces but of course I forgot to take a screen shot of the 104 puzzle) unfinished - https://imgur.com/a/76n1RAd Oops I did it again .... didn't;t take a screenshot of the real puzzle I did finished - https://imgur.com/a/MxQ1zxP actually 104 pieces

Done in 8:28 on 110 pieces. https://imgur.com/aGrT7kx

Happy belated birthday, Adeline. ❤❤

Welcome back, Professor.

A favorite book which has been made into several movies/shows -- I have a BBC show and a movie and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ..... Scrambled Done

Belated Happy Birthday Adeline! I missed this post on the day.

https://postimg.cc/hXbdS9vw

My time is 19 minutes 30 seconds.