{"id":8651,"date":"2024-05-01T10:38:53","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T16:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.happysimpleliving.com\/?p=8651"},"modified":"2024-05-01T12:00:23","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T18:00:23","slug":"easy-times-may-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happysimpleliving.com\/easy-times-may-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy Times, May 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Happy May, friend!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my home state of Colorado, this time of year is always full of surprises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day the sun is shining, the tulips are blooming, and life is glorious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day it’s snowing sideways, temperatures plummet, and the tulips are covered in snow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This post may contain affiliate products. Please see our disclosure statement<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, the sun returns and the tulips miraculously bounce back. I’ve been thinking about resilience a lot lately, because the past couple of months have been challenging for many bloggers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.I. (artificial intelligence) generated content is flooding all of the major platforms. Creators’ original articles, photos and recipes are being scraped and copied by the major search engines and used to train their A.I. systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the food realm, perhaps you’ve seen some odd recipes or images that don’t quite make sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At first glance the image looks like two grilled hot dogs, but then you notice the weird buns, strange lettuce garnish, and loopy condiment topping. (Photo credit: Instacart)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook is suddenly flooded with A.I.-generated food photos and fake recipes, some of which get hundreds of thousands of likes and shares. The traffic to many legitimate creators’ social media pages decreased in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI is everywhere on Google, too. Have you noticed more machine-generated answers at the top of the search page?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll likely see more results from the same sites like Reddit and Forbes, and you’ll have to scroll way down to find original content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon we may all feel like we’re being fed a diet of homogenized content created by Big Tech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s hard to know where this will go, but here’s how I’m responding right now:<\/p>\n\n\n

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More than ever, I will support creators of original content<\/strong>, whether it’s an artist, a musician, a designer, a writer, or a blogger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online, I’ll look for a real human creator<\/strong> who makes and tests their recipes in a real kitchen, a DIYer who completes and photographs their projects, a travel writer who actually visits the locations, or a product reviewer who personally evaluates things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can’t control what the social media algorithms feed me, but I can seek out the good stuff.<\/strong> I’ll subscribe to e-mail newsletters of creators I like, visit their websites, and share their content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will actively seek out and reward the “real thing.”<\/strong> I’ll do all I can to support and promote human creators.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In this rapidly-changing digital landscape, I’m so very grateful to you for reading and visiting Happy Simple Living. Connecting with readers like you is always a joy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you, too, are trying to stay positive and resilient this month, maybe it’s time to plan a Staycation<\/strong><\/a> – a day off dedicated to recharging and taking care of YOU. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think I’ll “X” out a day on the calendar soon and do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the mean time, we’ve got rhubarb recipes, Mother’s Day gift ideas, home decluttering strategies and much more below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next month,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eliza<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P.S. I’m always on the lookout for ideas and article to help make life easier. If you come across great tips or sources, please send them my way! I love hearing from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Readers’ Top 3 Favorite Articles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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It’s always fun to check our website reports to see what you’re reading. These are the articles you clicked and read most during the past 30 days:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post #1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post #2<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post #3<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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May Food Holidays<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Did you know that May 13th is International Hummus Day<\/strong>? Celebrate with this extra-creamy, delicious Mediterranean Hummus<\/a> and some pita chips and veggies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May is also National Asparagus Month<\/strong>, and I love this easy recipe for Oven Roasted Asparagus with Bacon, Breadcrumbs and Parmesan Cheese<\/a> from our sister site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the tastiest Cinco de Mayo<\/strong> food, I always find the best, most authentic Mexican recipes from Ana Frias at Muy Delis<\/a>h<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for all of the free spirits who don’t pay much attention to food holidays, May 11th is World Eat What You Want Day<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the Garden: Growing, Harvesting, and Enjoying Rhubarb<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Whether you want to plant or harvest rhubarb, we’ve got you covered with our Organic Rhubarb Growing Guide<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhubarb takes a few years to get established, but then it’s a reliable perennial that comes back bigger and better each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of our favorite rhubarb recipes include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n