If you write me here I will respond here. If you write me on your user talk page then please tag me there so I may respond there. If a discussion is begun in one location then please keep it there for the sake of continuity. I may move discussions to keep them in one place when they are related.
I will archive discussions regularly but no longer than 6 months at a time so if you don't see a particular discussion please look in my archives before alerting me.
I have some rules on my talk page I would appreciate being observed by everyone: be kind, be nice, and be understanding. Honesty is important and how you feel is valid but if you are upset by something I have done or said or something said here by others then please step back, take a deep breath, and approach me calmly- I'm totally willing to listen and will admit if I have made a mistake and apologize, especially, if I have offended you!
Sometimes it may take longer for me to reply. If a few days pass without a reply, please forgive me and send out a search and rescue team to find me. I undoubtedly fell into a hole somewhere. I will respond as soon as it is humanly possible for me to do so.
My talk page is regularly monitored by helpful Talk Page Watchers and Wiki-friends. They may comment or offer assistance from time to time and their presence is both wanted and appreciated. They are my guests as long as they don't eat all my cookies. :)
Please note that it is 9:56 AM (-9 UTC), where I live.
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INDEFINITE BREAK
ARoseWolf is on an indefinite break from Wikipedia. I will decide whether to return editing or not at some point. I may still get online to read or respond to others queries over time and if applicable. I will not go into specific reasons for this break and leave that for you if you decide to research it if you wish. Just know it is Wiki related and my decision was formed over multiple discussions concluding with this so no health fears. My cancer has not returned. I am well. I love you, you are in my thoughts and keep singing your song. Maybe we will meet again.
I had an interesting experience yesterday evening, and I thought right away about sharing it with you. At this time, I'm taking a brief vacation in the house that I grew up in, as a child. Usually, I live in a city, but this house is in the suburbs. Not rural at all, but suburban. Anyway, last night as I was finishing dinner, I looked outside the window, and there was a doe standing there, not ten feet away from me. I'm pretty sure she couldn't see me through the window, but I stayed still and watched her. She was kind of thin, and struck me as having an ancient and "wise" look about her face. She very carefully ate the weeds that I had been thinking about weeding out, myself. She cleared out the weeds, and left the ornamental plants entirely alone. That selectivity was remarkable. The scientist in me decided that the weeds were plants that grow here natively, whereas the ornamentals are probably "exotic", and therefore less palatable to her. She did this for a while, and then was gone. I'm a much less spiritual person than you are, but I think this is a story that would have meaning for us both. --Tryptofish (talk) 16:58, 30 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Tryptofish, I call it "Spiritual" because I really don't understand it. I don't go looking for anything. I don't really care if anything happens or not and I don't seek attention from it. It is so much a part of my everyday that I'm used to overlooking it unless it grabs my attention. In reality I just think it's a light energy/life essence type something that's part of the universe we don't understand. Yes, a pseudo-science of sorts that I cant explain. I have a sensitivity to it much like some people have sensitive smelling, hearing or sight. I just hear and see with different ears and eyes. There is more to us than we naturally see. I could go on with stories of encounters with animals that blew my mind when I had them. People too. I have run into LifeSongs who have spoken to me as if they know me yet we have never met before. Or maybe we have. Spiritual connections? Or just that our essence contains notes from the very old Songs of the beginning of existence and time and space. Maybe these vibrations resonate at frequencies that, at times, draws us together and, at others, pushes us apart. Like the tides of the ocean. Idk, maybe one day we will become enlightened enough to know for sure. If "God" exists I would think of this being as more of an orchestrator, someone who created the laws of life, seen and unseen, and let's us live within that sphere as best we can, being the Rainbows of Light and Song with the goal of reflecting Love and Charity into the Life of others. --ARoseWolf17:25, 30 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I'll be the first to admit that I'm far from understanding everything. And "the goal of reflecting Love and Charity into the Life of others" is a goal we all should share, regardless how we get there. --Tryptofish (talk) 17:28, 30 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
And yes, Tryptofish, your experience does mean very much to me. I'll try not to get emotional. It reminds me that distance is something abstract. That I am not alone, a feeling I have lived with for long periods in my life. That we are more alike than we are different and that's comforting. There is something about going home, any place we formed memories. I did that once and stood where my mother gave birth to me. Just an old wooden structure that was falling apart. But to me it might as well been a crystal palace where all my thoughts and dreams and memories, the colors of my Song, exploded into this world. Love and Charity. We must get there, Tryp. We have to push for this in life. We can lose focus and see the darkness. The best of us do. But we are light bringers, and the dawn follows us. --ARoseWolf17:44, 30 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
That cantata is absolutely extraordinary. I did love the rainbow pic and the laughing cat. It really made my day. Thank you for you, Gerda. You are joy to visit with every day. --ARoseWolf16:11, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
You accidentally prompted me to start User:Timtrent/Kindness as an SOP, and I have jotted some 'stuff' down. This invitation is an early one to you to ask for help in shaping this prior to opening it up for wider scrutiny. Please come and have a crack at it! Obviously your talk page watchers are welcome too! 🇺🇦 FiddleFaddle 🇺🇦 14:16, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
An invitation to a U.S. Mountain West online meeting
The Wikipedia users of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming are invited to an online meeting from 8:00 to 9:00 PM MDT, Tuesday evening, August 13, 2024, at meet.google.com/kfu-topq-zkd. Anyone interested in the Mountain West or the future direction of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia movement is encouraged to attend. There is no obligation to participate and all guests are welcome. Please see our meeting page for details.
StartGrammarTime, let me first say that you gave me a good laugh when I saw your question this morning. Yes, I jumped in a "lake", it was actually a shallow stream that runs into the lake but we typically bathe in the stream. We use natural soap (I make the soap myself) that is eco-friendly. We get our potable water from the stream too (upstream). It's a glacial stream cut by receding glaciers thousands of years ago. Now it is just runoff from the melting snow cap so it is particularly cold, even in Summer. We have very little humor around here and we take our editing very serious, often too serious. I thought it was a fun way to interject that I , in fact, had jumped in a lake, on purpose and not to harm myself. --ARoseWolf12:37, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I'm certainly very glad to have made you laugh! Jumping into freezing cold water is meant to be good for you - but even the idea makes me shiver so I'm happy to leave all the benefits to you...it sounds lovely to have your very own stream/lake though.
Maybe we ought to propose a new Fun Fact Policy - if you want to edit something and be Extremely Serious about it, you have to put a fun fact about yourself/your life/something that interests you in the edit summary - or maybe if you want to post on a 'drama board' you have to have a fun fact, and it has to be new each time? That would have the dual purpose of slowing down posts and also making us all more aware that we're all humans. I think we're onto something here!
(Fun fact: yesterday I left my house, which I almost never do due to chronic pain, and when I came back the birds literally came down from the trees to sing to me...okay, it was because they wanted me to put out seed for them, but I've decided I'm an honorary Disney princess anyway. They're normally very stand-offish but they flew to my feet and it was magical!) StartGrammarTime (talk) 12:47, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
StartGrammarTime, you are a princess, radiant and beautiful. I love to see nature react to us, especially to watch the relationship we have with those Songs. Nature recognizes the Song in each of us. Sure they wanted seed from you but you did the kind act of offering to begin with. Your kindness resonated with them and they offered you their Song in return. It is truly magical.
I think it is a great idea. I'm thinking of creating a subpage where those that visit my user page can leave a fun fact about themselves or tell the community one detail from their day or perhaps something funny related to recent editing. I'm all about building community relationships. I think it helps us get in touch with the human side of the encyclopedia. These are not just words, but experiences. --ARoseWolf13:09, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Asareel, I love that you make me laugh even before I have finished my 1st cup of coffee! I saw on my watch list the heading of this and had to see what it was all about. I spent last evening hoping for another glance at Opie. If you want to see his/her picture, I think she is adorable, look on my talk. She and her mom live in our urban back yard and my cats aren't even interested in them. Although they hunt lizards frequently, for some reason iguanas and possums are not prey. I find that totally fascinating. Thank you for you. SusunW (talk) 14:08, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I so needed this laugh this morning. It is so difficult at times when I see so much hurt and I know a little empathy goes a long way. Why is it so difficult for some to show empathy? I remind myself they do not see what I see. I thought seeing with ears was typical for everyone when I was a child yet I know that not to be the case now. I try to help others listen by sharing my experiences and allowing them to share theirs. I do get frustrated. I do want to just recede into my corner of the world and be unheard sometimes. I am human but this is not my nature only a response to the pain and hurt. I just want you all to know how much your work here and your stories and Songs impact me daily. You are my Rainbows. I live your experiences and the experiences of the ones you write about through your words. I am thankful for you. --ARoseWolf14:33, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I saw Opie...adorable. MY cat is more interested in chasing bears (no kidding) than chasing mice. She's feisty like me. lol --ARoseWolf14:36, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Your timing is perfect... I am lying awake thanks to my meds and The Pain (it deserves the capital; it's an entity of its own at this point) and needed a reminder of the eternal song that weaves through us all. You gave me a smile, which is a true gift to me. I am quite sure you're a warm, glowing rainbow too.
A subpage sounds like a great idea - I am tempted to start one myself with kind and encouraging words for those who might be discouraged, sad or anxious as they try to edit. Open for all to add to, naturally! It would be for the newbies who had their draft declined after working on it for hours, the people who got snapped at when they were doing their best, and the oldies struggling with burn out... and everyone in between. What do you think?
StartGrammarTime I knew Asareel would love Opie, but so many people are scared of possums. No clue why. She's tiny right now, not as big as my hand. I am glad Opie made you smile. Smiles don't take away pain, but certainly make it easier to bear. Asareel, I learn so much from writing the stories I write. I am glad they are beneficial to others. I have the deepest respect for you and joy at knowing you exist in this world. SusunW (talk) 16:39, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
StartGrammarTime, know that the Pain IS TEMPORARY. I know Pain (with a capital P). It is very familiar to me. At one time so familiar I was almost friends with it. I was so accustomed to feeling it and it never left. From the time I was a child I went from Pain to Pain. It became overwhelming. Imagine a child that begged for death and peace that comes with it. There are children, people, humans the world over that have suffered with Pain so often, like me, they becomes friends with it and simply wait for death. We can learn from their stories, their experiences. I am a Rainbow, I am a promise, as my grandmother said. It is not anything I do but what I do for the benefit of others, my humankind, that makes me so. Even when my humankind hurts me in return, it causes me to push harder and drive further to be more than my individual Colors allow.
I tell you a quick story. I was going from Haines to Juneau on the ferry and met a man from India who told me the purpose in life is to become enlightened, to gain understanding of higher planes of existence. I pondered that and responded that simply gaining an understanding the higher plains exist is not the purpose, it is the results of the purpose. The purpose of Life is the smile that touched your face, the laugh that Susun felt resonate through her body, the possum Opie and mother possum, the birds whose Song lifted your spirit, princess, the momentary relief of a Rainbow taking your Pain away. This is the highway to enlightenment and it comes from being available to see the Colors in others and allowing their Song to become part of your own. Life is in the details, we just need to slow down and listen. --ARoseWolf17:28, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
As I've recounted (in maybe too much clinical detail) on my talk page, about a year ago I was experiencing the kind of Pain that did indeed make me think seriously about death. I am incredibly fortunate in that my condition was successfully cured, but I will never forget what it was like, and I will always remind myself to empathize with anyone less fortunate than I was, as indeed so many people are. Reading everyone's comments here, I just want to say that, no matter your suffering, you are valued and loved. --Tryptofish (talk) 21:14, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for sharing, Tryp. I'm glad you came through your Painful situation. This place, my experience and life would be less enriched if you were not part of it. --ARoseWolf12:43, 15 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Toby the Cat
Toby lives outside. He is not homeless as he has many homes he visits throughout the neighborhood. But my building is his base. He once was an inside cat but his owners, tenants of mine, let him out one day, he tasted freedom, and now scorns entering any doorway. He just arrived (at 6AM) to check his dish which another tenant fills daily. Empty! I told him to go catch a city rat and eat it this time instead of dropping it off, decapitated, in my yard. He looked at me and walked away, insulted that I asked him to actually eat his prey. I didn't want to tell Toby that his former mate, Amy, was passing away upstairs. See, the former jerk tenant, that I had to evict for non-payment of rent, had four cats. Toby, his mate Amy, and two of their kittens that were adults. The jerk tenant completely abandoned the three inside cats leaving it to me to call the Anti-Cruelty Society to pick them up for adoption since they were good cats. They came but we only found two. Two weeks later, Amy jumped out of a hide-a-bed we were dismantling for discard and went to hide. For weeks she hid (not to well since we knew where she was) on the enclosed back porch, We LET HER BE, as instructed by the Beetles but she didn't eat food or drink we put out for her. On day she was gone! I left windows open and figured she jumped out one and went to join Toby in the Great Outdoors. Sadly that was not the case. A few days ago, my first floor tenant tells me he has been hearing mice in his bathroom ceiling. Knowing there is an access panel to the 6' foot tub and that I had opened it weeks ago to start a repair that was now on hold, I knew it was Amy. As I write this, Amy is in the throws of death. I can't get to her, poor thing. I dropped some wet food down to her and water but she is comatose...still breathing but barely. If I could I would end her pain but I can't reach her to help. Toby doesn't Know. I haven't told him. Maybe Tommorrow. Buster Seven Talk (UTC) 11:43, 15 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I can't say she died peacefully. She basically starved to death because she had picked such a "hard to get to spot' to hide and by the time I discovered her, she was unable to move. All I could really see of her was her hindquarters and the slow rhythm of each struggling breath. We gave her food and water but it was never touched. She died earlier today. I wrapped her in Linen, put her in an Air Jordan shoe box, put a little food in the box, tied it with cord and buried her in the back garden. I had dug a hole earlier in the day but waited till nightfall to place her in her resting place. I heard Toby somewhere in the vicinity, but I never saw him. Maybe he knew. My wife and I will have a little ceremony for her Wednesday and I will make a plaque to mark the spot. She was very timid. Whenever I went into her owners apartment to repair this or that, she always ran and hid. Most cats are curious and will eventually come and sniff me and my tools. Not Amy. She was a beautiful Tabby and deserved a better life and, certainly, are more gentle death. Buster Seven Talk (UTC) 06:22, 20 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I am so sorry to hear about Amy's passing, Buster. I know that must have been difficult to watch. I hate to see any animal suffer. Thank you for showing her the respect and dignity she deserves. I will have speacial thoughts of her and your wife and you on Wednesday.
We have one very beautiful cat named, Persephone. She is my bear chaser. She takes on my fierce personality but she has gentle moments (we don't talk about that around her). We also currently have 38 Huskies and 12 Malamutes used for transporting people and freight along the north-south trails in the region. We do keep our bush pilots busy too. --ARoseWolf12:16, 20 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Buster7, thank you for sharing the story about Toby and Amy. Sad about Amy but what glorious animals cats are. Hiya Asareel! Persephone is a lovely name for a cat, but at 4 syllables, it's a tad long. Do you call her by her full name or something else? --Rosiestep (talk) 12:35, 20 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Rosie, its good to hear from you. I call her "Madame Per" or just "Per", a play on pur. I adopted her as a kitten from a neighbor when I lived in Haines. We hit it off right away. For a few years it was just her and me, until I met my daughter and her Dad. Persephone has always been fierce. She has a very entitled streak being my first "child". She has cat trees in nearly every room so she can find her a perch up high where she likes to lord over us (lol). My nephew got really sick not long after my brother and his family moved on the homestead. Persephone almost never left him. She laid on the blanket beside him and rubbed herself all over him (something very peculiar for her). He is the only one, besides me, she will actually follow around. Anytime I remind her she is showing her softer side her ears pin back and her tail twitches. --ARoseWolf12:50, 20 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Today's story has 3 composers, I couldn't decide for the one on the Main page or the one who didn't make it on his bicentenary, so took both, and the pic has a third. Listen if you have a bit of time. The music, played by the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra in Germany in April 2022, impressed me. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:48, 4 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Running from October 1 to 31, 2024, WikiProject Women in Green (WiG) is hosting a Good Article (GA) edit-a-thon event with the theme Around the World in 31 Days! All experience levels welcome. Never worked on a GA project before? We'll teach you how to get started. Or maybe you're an old hand at GAs – we'd love to have you involved! Participants are invited to work on nominating and/or reviewing GA submissions related to women and women's works (e.g., books, films) during the event period. We hope to collectively cover article subjects from at least 31 countries (or broader international articles) by month's end. GA resources and one-on-one support will be provided by experienced GA editors, and participants will have the opportunity to earn a special WiG barnstar for their efforts.
Hello ARoseWolf, I hope you are doing well these days? I have been away for a month but now back and working on a draft page for a Cherokee ethno-musicologist. User:Balance person/Charlotte Heth. As you know, my own heritage is very different from Heth's so I would be grateful if you could save me from blunders by checking? I hav also contacted SusunW as I am a bit short on references too. I appreciate that you might be extremely busy so no hurry of course from my side. Only if you can. Thanks. Balance person (talk) 11:45, 22 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
We will add a new module to the Newcomer Homepage that will allow communities to highlight specific events, projects, campaigns, and initiatives. We have released a simple version on beta wikis and we will soon start an A/B test on our pilot wikis. This module will only display on the Newcomer Homepage if communities decide to utilize it, so learn how to configure the Community Updates module, or share your thoughts on the project's talk page.
One design concept aimed to increase constructive activation
After showcasing early design ideas at Wikimania, we conducted user testing of design prototypes. We now aim to engage communities in further discussions and plan to run a targeted experiment, presenting a structured task within the reading view to logged-in new account holders with zero edits.
This Community Configuration extension was developed to help communities customize wiki features to meet their unique needs. The Growth team is now helping other Wikimedia Foundation teams make their products configurable:
The Moderation Tools team now provides Community Configuration for Automoderator. (T365046)
Certain Babel extension settings will be configurable soon. (T328171)
Future work
As part of the Growth team annual plan, we will continue to investigate ways to increase constructive activation on mobile, while also working with Data Products to move forward A/B testing functionality via the Metrics Platform.
Community events
Growth team members presented Community Configuration: Shaping On-Wiki Functionality Together at Wikimania (slides). The session recording is available to watch on YouTube. This session provided an update on the Community Configuration project and introduced details about the upcoming features that communities will soon be able to configure. Representatives from the Moderator Tools, Editing, Web, and Campaigns teams shared their plans for utilizing Community Configuration in the future. Following these presentations, the WMF Growth team's Benoît Evellin and Martin Urbanec answered audience questions.
Growth team weekly updates are available on wiki (in English) if you want to know more about our day-to-day work.
If you want to receive more general updates about technical activity happening across the Wikimedia movement (including Growth work), we encourage you to subscribe to Tech News.
Hello! Voting in the 2024 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23:59 (UTC) on Monday, 2 December 2024. All eligible users are allowed to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.
The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.
Women in Religion have a monthly virtual edit-a-thon and the next session is December 2nd 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. CST. For Zoom meeting details, contact Dzingle1 or RosPost. Women in Red members are welcome to join the Zoom Meeting here
Tip of the month:
Think of rewarding contributors, especially newcomers, with a barnstar.
Peace is a state of balance and understanding in yourself and between others, where respect is gained by the acceptance of differences, tolerance persists, conflicts are resolved through dialog, people's rights are respected and their voices are heard, and everyone is at their highest point of serenity without social tension. Happy Holidays to you and yours. Buster Seven Talk (UTC) 01:11, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
9:56 AM (-9 UTC), where I live.
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