Oh interesting, would these be the larvae then? A quick Google tells me that we have over 60 different types of native ladybugs here, so I’m gonna have to do some searching. Thanks.

And yes, I realise bugs all have their role to play and aren’t inherently good or bad. But I was looking for “is it likely that these clustering bugs are killing my plant”, i.e. are they a foe in this situation.

[off topic question: I see a lot of people including image descriptions in text for accessibility purposes. Is there a benefit to doing that instead of/in addition to including alt text with the images, which - if I understand it correctly - will be picked up by screenreaders?]

I’ve been trying to cultivate my home as a place my friends feel comfortable showing up to. There’s a bunch of people (too many) in my life who are going through tough stuff, and lately more and more they just show up for a chat, reading a book in peace and quiet, or sleep over and have a night away from home if they need it.

It’s not so much them being welcome that feels like an accomplishment (because that’s just a given), but rather that they seem to have internalized that it’s OK to ask for help/support and feel comfortable enough with me/us to come here.

As I’m typing this out I’m not sure if this fits in the “betterment” category, but it’s a positive change in my life I’ve noticed and worked on lately, so submitting it anyway. 😊

I’m going to add a few more fun facts about this plant (and haworthias in general):

The leaves of this plants are somewhat translucent on the top. Why? Well, in nature it grows in very hot and very sunny locations. So much so, that it’s easy to get scorched. It actually grows with most of the plant under the soil, with only the tips poking out. But, then it’d be really hard to get enough light, right?

Well, the insides of the leaves are coated with chlorophyll. The translucent windows let in sunlight, and the plant gets to do photosynthesis underneath the soil all throughout the buried leaves! It even is able to somewhat adapt how translucent it is, depending on light supply.

Plants are so cool! 😁

I think you’ve already had plenty of replies here, but yeah here in western Europe, straight from the tap. I’m also fortunate not to have any chlorine in my water. It’s delicious.

One thing about the chlorine, it also just evaporates over time without boiling. Filling a jug of water and leaving it standing around for a while will also get rid of that chlorine smell/taste!

Yes, it’s a good thing! I really like the highlights in the green parts. So vibrant and intense. Doing a quick paintjob well is a skill :D

This looks great! Fun model and great paintjob. It looks quite cartoony, especially with the unsubtle highlights, and that’s a great choice for this model. Love it.

I quite enjoy falafel and I’d like to try my hand at making them, but deep frying is not an option for me. Anyone have suggestions how to make them in a skillet or oven?

That’s great, thanks! I’m not in the US, so I’ll have to do any shopping elsewhere, but I’ll check out the videos. Is it expensive to get started, or can you get the most basic necessities on a budget? (I tend to be a multicrafter, trying everything a little bit, and only spending more if I really want to dive into it.)

And yeah I’ll join you in the community, excited to learn more. Thanks!

That looks absolutely gorgeous, if I saw that in a shop I’d be like “I must have this!”

I’ve wanted to try working with leather for a long time, but I find it very intimidating. Do you have any suggested resources on how to get started?

That sounds fun! I was actually thinking about doing something similar, but only about a few ones I think are special. Would love to see it.

Edit: what I mean is, I think it’d be interesting content, not that I’m in any way trying to “compete”!

I agree! I’ll make sure to post more as I finish them ;)

What are you working on? Do share!

They are so cute!

Question, I have multiple friends who have guinea pigs, but they’re all quite scared of humans. They’re still adorable, but it’s hard to get any interaction with them. Yours don’t seem that way, did you do anything special to make that happen, or are my friends just unlucky?

It is a really cool game, yeah. The minis are great, but more importantly, the gameplay is really good! It has a lot of tactical gameplay without being overly complicated.

I believe they’re doing a second printing now which is fulfilling via a kickstarter, it’s been a challenging one to get. But it’s super well received everywhere so I hope it ends up in regular shops some time too.

The game that it’s from is in 45(?)mm scale I think, but it has huge monsters. So this one is ~12cm tall, on a 10cm base

It is, yes! From Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood. When we got it and it came with such epic minis (and you reveal a new one every game), we decided we wouldn’t play with grey plastic anymore. So now in between each of the games we have to paint a new monster!

Absolutely adorable, this is the cutest thing I’ve seen all day. Thank you for sharing!

That’s amazing, that seems like an intense project. How long did it take you? It must be so nice to live in something you built yourselves.

That’s awesome that you managed to teach him commands! I’d love to do the same, but mine is deaf (has been all his life) and also generally not very perceptive or smart… For example, when I notice 6 cats while we’re out on our walk, he might spot just 1 of them if we’re lucky 😂 So I really have no idea how to even approach teaching him commands. But at least he’s learned he can’t just walk into the street when there’s cars coming (those he doesn’t notice either)!

Aww that belly looks irresistible! Worth a few scratches just to snuggle with it?