Modding on the Spectrum

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Morndas the 13th of Second Seed and a very quiet predawn here on warm sands. Wage slaves lament, the weekend is over. Hide if you can or work if you must, it's Morndas again. The blessed moons continue to wax through the first crescents, but for now they have set, and it is once again time for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Stockholm Lungo, and no biscuits for old cats this morning But we have plenty of fresh Toll House for the rest of our guests. Checking the hot sheets we have 39 new from all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eye today.

PotatoFried17 released Enhanced Arch Mage's Quarters as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119302
"This mod reimagines the Arch Mage's Quarters, i've always liked it yet it has always given me a feeling of insatisfaction. It changes a lot of things within the room and also expands it by adding a room dedicated to smithing and another one dedicated to storage."

The old cat has no idea why the arch mage would be smithing in his quarters, but welcome all the same. This would have issues with Obscures dynamically changing room, but should be fine with most other overhauls. Load below of course. Thanks.

A18718 released two today that buff trainers, and nerf costs. Not the first, thanks
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/A18718/mods?gameId=1704

IKentaI joined the make ugly go away with BOS camp.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119273
The title is the explanation, it has no title

FathomXMods released Slaughterfish Egg and Egg Cluster HQ Retexture
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119292
Not really a retexture as much as a recolor, but it does look better. Thanks

FYX - Windhelm Docks Entrance Consistency by Yuril
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119282
"Add consistency to both sides of the docks entrance. NO ESP"

Another of those vanilla issues you probably never noticed before, but just can't unsee now LOL. This one gets a cookie. Downloaded to endorse

And finally the old cat will call this the mod of the day.

Read The Spell Incantation by kuroishitam
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119316
"Now you can see spell incantation on description."

Okay, some of the actual prose for the spells remind the old cat of Ron Weasley trying to turn his rat yellow in the first HP movie, but overall these are cute and add to the feeling that the scrolls have an actual spell to be invoked. This one gets a cookie.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed and the floors are swept. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Sundas the 12th of Second Seed and a bright sunny morning here on warm sands. The blessed moons have set, and it is once again time for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Inspirazione a Venezia, and the biscuits are almond Biscotti. Checking the hot sheets we had 49 new with the usual mixed bag. Lets see what catches the eye of an old cat over a fresh cuppa or two.

Sparkveil released 3rd Person Subtle Stagger Camera as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119254
"Replaces the wild shaking camera when you get staggered in 3rd person with a new more subtle camera shake." The old cat will have to take your word for it. Not an MCO fan, and I play in first person. Thanks, and welcome.

RangerBoyd released Camp Rorikstead.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119204
Their second mod and there second 'canned' camp. This one in the hills overlooking Rorikstead. Nicely laid out. A larger area is fenced in so the camp can be expanded . Thanks

anbeegod relesed yet another follower dialog expansion. Lydia this time.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119226
"xpands Lydia with 180 immersive, lore-friendly voiced lines. Quest and location awareness." Shakespeare it's not, but he wasn't sworn to carry your burdens Thanks

Lets see... Xaliber13 released Modern Wait Menu - Dear Diary Dark Mode Reskin
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119240
"A custom redesign of Fallen01135's Modern Wait Menu. Designed for Dear Diary Dark Mode." Thanks Looks good.

riverbord released Riften Revival - Parallax Textures 4k - 2k
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119209
"A Riften texture overhaul adding a touch of natural allure. Feel the roughness of aged wood and the grit of dirt underfoot as you traverse its streets." A nice cohesive set that works well together. The old cat is not fond of aged brick, and the over use of moss and ivy, but it works here. Worth a look and a cookie. Nicely done

Halffaces released two more replacers today. the large Brewery casks, and dog meat
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/Halffaces/mods?gameId=1704
The dog meat looks really good, and only 42 meg (small for this one) The cask needs better cube maps, and at 172 meg... maybe not. Looks nice though.

And we'll finish up by marking the return of Qudix with No Console Spam
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119246
"SKSE64 plugin that removes console spam" Requires SKSE64 and Address library. Not for version 1.5.97, current game only.

The 'spam' is the 588 lines of "didn't use this keyword" when you open the console for the first time. This fixes the problem. From the author of Qui. Welcome back. Have a cookie, now update Qui

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, yada yada. We-B-Open!

Goooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Loredas the 11th of Second Seed and a peaceful dawn on warm sands. Wage slaves rejoice the weekend has arrived. Ah'vrie apologizes for being tardy, His pet smoothskin was up very late making the radioactive wastes safe for very lazy settlers yes he was. Personally Ah'vrie thinks he's been sipping from the wrong bottle, but that reality is worlds away from Nirn. Anyway, it's late and Ah'vrie must tend the inn. Excuse please while the ash pits are emptied and the fires rebuilt. This tends to get a tad dusty so you might wish to cover your tankards for a bit... That's much better no? Ah'vrie always likes to start the weekend off with happy fires. They warm more than the room as his mother used to say. Now to compost the ash, see what's ready to harvest in the garden, scrub the kettles and put fresh water to the boil...

Our brew of the day is Miami Espresso, and the biscuits are Apricot Verona, but Ah'vrie will be baking fresh when he returns from the markets yes he will. Checking the hot sheets we have 39 new mods. Lot's of jiggle but little substance. Let's see what catches the eye of an old cat over a fresh cuppa or two.

MooNVVeLL released I4 Fossil Mining Icons as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119108
"Add tiers icons for the fossils" Requires fossil mining (or LOTD), and the Inventory Interface Information Injector. If it makes you happy. Thanks

Diamonddoggaming1 ported Horsemen - Mounted Combat Enhancement
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119142
"Rongphale made this amazing mod that expands upon mounted combat and with the request of one of my fellow modders comes the Special Edition" The author didn't convert the original BSA files, so Vortex will throw an error.

Cizzy414 released Falkreath Waterfall Cave
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119146
"This mod adds a small cave behind the waterfall in Falkreath. The cave contains glowing mushrooms, crystals, some torchbugs, a waterfall, a place to swim or bathe, and a few sit markers." Quiet and colorful. a nice little grotto to bathe in. Thanks.

Elfiemyrtle3 released Lucia Stop Complaining
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119091
"A tiny edit to the BYOH urchin dialogue which sets the complaint about Braith to be uttered only once." We like Lucia, but this one gets a cookie LOL

Clofas released Volkihar Soundscape Overhaul
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118891
"Complete Overhaul of Castle Volkihar's Soundscapes using Base Object Swapper and Sound Record Distributor." Worth a listen. Gives the soundscape a more eerie feel like a 'B' horror movie. Interesting. Thanks

oldkottor released Uthgerd The Companion
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119161
"With this mod you can ask Uthgerd to join the Companions when you are the Harbringer" Assuming you want that crazy bi@tch as a companion LOL. Thanks?

And finally we'll call this our mod of the day, but it seriously needs testing

runesentinel released Demon of Dream
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118719
"A Daedric quest in which you enter the nightmares of three ex-cultists of Vaermina. Includes nightmare-themed spells, enchanted artifacts, and an Atronach Forge-style trading system." Inventive to say the least. A nice addition for those that prefer to take the skull and do Vaermina's bidding. Why not? Thanks

And that will do for today. Fresh casks of ale were delivered last night, and the new batch of mead is ready so drink up. We're serving mudcrab scrambles for the early meal, and will plan the late meal when Ah'vrie returns from the markets. As always there will be a hearty stew simmering all day for those that prefer it. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors have been swept and mopped. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Fredas the 10th of Second Seed and thank the divines the weekend is nigh. The blessed moons have set, the paths are closed, and it is once again time for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is from Indonesia, and the biscuits are classic Fig Newtons. Checking the hot sheets we have 48 mods and believe it or not some of them don't have a cup size. Let's see what catches the eyes of an old cat over a fresh cuppa... make that two ;-)

Let's start with the today's real estate buyers guide... Location, location, location

Norman73Spear1 the patron saint of one handed gaming released Companion's Thane Home direttly above the skyforge... Doesn't even use the whiterun kits
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119079
your game your way... PASS

AutisticAussie released The Village of Falls Creek
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119088
"Well to be precise, the villages of Lower Falls Creek and Upper Falls Creek" Shoe horns in two small housing groups above and below the waterfall leading to the ancients ascent... Yeah that one. Bandit camp, a bear, the two roasted settlers gone? Okay, I guess none of that matters to the author. Several of the NPCs in the pictures have brown face as well... PASS

Moving on... kuroishitam released Read The Dragon Shout
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119039
"A simple mod which adds readable words of the shout in description." Uses the description framework. Thanks, reads well. This one gets a cookie.

IxionXVII released Suspicious City Guard Improvements
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119028
"This is an addon to the mod Suspicious City Guards which makes some improvements for a smoother experience." Original mod required of course, You'll want to read the mod page. Cleans up some of the conditions and pop up dialogs, as well as removes a useless dependency. Thanks.

Pieter82 released Higher Poly Vanilla Meat Meshes
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119049
"In a recent play session the "dog meat" mesh caught my eye for the wrong reason: being very low poly. So I decided to search out all the meat meshes with noticeably low polygon counts and give them a high poly makeover." A subtle improvement, but worth a look.

Halffaces - small edit of Cauldron
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119045
Yikes, your game your way, but makes it look worse and only 192 meg?

And finally Nordic Ruins Tower Rework by KhrysINXS
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118802
"Geometrical rework of the Nordic Ruin Tower to promote a much more natural and organic appeal" Read that as rounds off some of the vanilla corners by making the walls thicker. Another subtle improvement, but noticeable. Worth a look.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open!

Gooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Turdas the 9th of Second Seed and a quiet predawn here on warm sands. This is the last night of the hunter's festival, Ah'vrie pities the hangovers tomorrow, but hopefully the goddess enjoyed her rest. It is time once again for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked, and fresh water is put to the boil...

Our brew of the day is from Cape Town, and the biscuits are Dublin short bread. Checking the hot sheets we have 58 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa or two.

LilithSaturn returns after 2 years with Distributed Arc's Mead Barrels
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119006
"Replaces mead barrels in fancier areas with Arc's more classy version using the power of Base Object Swapper." They decided that the fancy barrels shouldn't be in dungeons and ruins. The old cat agrees. There's also a Dynamic Things Alternative Version available. Thanks

dBottle released Vanilla Sun and Clouds Upscaled
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/119003
"4x upscale of all the vanilla cloud textures. Did this for my own game so figured might as well share." And thanks for sharing. Includes a separate upscale for the sun texture as well.

sothasimp released The Royal Seat - A Noble Seating Replacer
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118892
"A model replacer for noble benches, noble chairs and the Solitude throne. Low to mid poly with mostly 2k textures, a few 4k where appropriate. No ESP" Interesting models, and nicely textured. Seriously worth a look, and the file size is only 148 meg for the all in one.

Ah'vrie thinks a certain currently prolific author could learn a few things...

jamiedow99 released Eyes That Kill - More Eye Colors for Women
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118924
"A small collection of semi-realistic eyes for Human races and Elves. WOMEN'S ONLY. 1K textures. ESL flagged." Not bad, interesting color choices. Worth a look. Thanks

cleme3387 released Vanaheimr Landscape - Dirt and Rocks
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118991
"Overhaul of Dirt and Rocks textures." 2K and 4K versions, in normal or Complex parallax, with patches for Majestic Landscapes. Thanks, we love choice.

markuskarttunen1 released Boxwood - Small Fixes and Improvements
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118951
"Small bug fixes and improvements upon the Boxwood" Collision box, and color corrections... Thanks again, Have a cookie

And finally two by Tomatokillz, fire and ice... fitting
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/Tomatokillz/mods?gameId=1704

Whiterun's Brazier - Parallax "A simple retexture of Whiterun's brazier with parallax."
Which the old cat likes quite a bit. Nicely done in 1k and 2K with an HPP patch

Tomato's ICE - Standalone 4K 2K "My Landscape AIO's ICE as a standalone. Meshes/Textures only." Interesting, though the blue ice could use a little love. Thanks

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Middas the 8th of Second Seed and a quiet predawn at the inn. The blessed moons will be new tonight, and we hope the goddess enjoys her rest. The hunters are drunk already (Truth be told some of them started celebrating over the weekend, and were well into their cups before the festival, Shhh) It's always impressed an old cat to see the airship navigating the mountain passes during the new moons. The deck torches and boarding hooks make the ship look like a giant glowing insect against the clouds to an old cat's eye. Anyway, it's time once again for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil...

Our brew of the day is Stockholm Lungo, and the biscuits are apricot raspberry Verona. Checking the hot sheets we have 54 new with all the usual jiggles, dangles, patches, and pointy sticks. Let's see what catches the eye today over a fresh cuppa or two.

rossomaha released Blackreach Mushrooms Fix
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118856
"FXAA is not able to smooth out the glowing tentacles of mushrooms and 90% of time in blackreach you see flickering. Mod just removes tentacles. Yes, it's a radical solution, but I haven't come up with anything better. In addition, performance increases by about 15-16%."

The old cat would not call this a fix per say. More the surgical removal of an eye sore, but in truth the old cat does like the look. It never made sense for the shrooms to have tentacles if they weren't also carnivorous. (That would be an interesting mod ;-)

Suinier released Flora Additions - Boxwood
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118901
More new plants from the resource pack hand placed around the map. Personally Ah'vrie could see the boxwood shrubs as a BOS replacer for the dead shrubs... But that's just an old cat thinking out loud ;-)

FathomXMods released Slaughterfish Scale HQ Retexture
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118870
"High quality retexture of the Slaughterfish Scale item/alchemy ingredient, with 4K & 2K options available. Recommended to use alongside Slaughterfish HQ Retexture." These don't look upscaled to the old cat at all, just a slightly darker recolor. If it makes you happy

Halffaces - Heavy iron shield (or alternative solution for bugfix)
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118841
"Mesh and textures replacer for heavy iron shield (shieldheavy.nif)" Made as a bug fix for a corrupted UV map in their own game. Not thrilled with the model, and at 235 meg... PASS

Elfiemyrtle3 released Fenwood Marsh
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118916
"A tree replacer for the Morthal Marsh. Requires Unique Marsh Trees." This was made as a follow up to their Swamp Hut No Load Door Alchemist home mod from a few days ago. It adds some huge trees from 'Ancient Forest of Falkreath' to the Morthal swamp. Why not?

GhoulSmasher released GS Nilheim Expansion
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118827
"A small overhaul for Nilheim. Adds new ruins architecture and bandits to make the location feel more significant. Built with a vanilla aesthetic in mind." Thanks

SmilingAncestor released Fair Rebalancing Of Transit Tariffs - Active Graph Evaluation
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118890
"An enhancement to the popular Carriage and Ferry Travel Overhaul mod, with prices based on distance, war, and obstacles to travel." Not the first, but instead of a blanket price increase, this is based on the map and the route. This one gets a cookie. Thanks

Lets see... kuroishitam released Animated Carriage for Northern Roads, and updated their additional routes mod to go with it.
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/kuroishitam/mods?gameId=1704

and zmea released two mods to remove unimmersive mod related crap at game start, and a small fix for Sofia and SkyUI.
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/zmea/mods?gameId=1704

And that will do for today. Nothing really jumps out as a mod of the day. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. We-B-Open!

Gooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Tirdas the 7th of Second Seed, and a rather chilly predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons are gibbous tonight and new tomorrow, but for now they have set, and it is once again time to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil...

Our brew of the day is Istanbul espresso, and the biscuits are Bordeaux. Checking the hot sheets we have 44 new with all the usual suspects. Let's see what catches the eye of an old cat over a fresh cuppa... Maybe two ;-)

WandererReece released Hearthfire Aquarium Remover as a first mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118839
"This mod removes CC Fishing's Aquariums from Hearthfire's Cellars. This basically fixes other, cellar mods so they can work"

The all in one resets the cellars data back to original vanilla, and makes the construction recipes vanish by adding impossible conditions. You can also select individual homes, but the recipes are still visible. This mod is intended to allow other cellar mods to function normally again. Sack of salt time... use with caution, it is a first mod.

allbrancereal's Mod Updater and Sharing Utility
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118767
Basically a python based manual collections alternative for use with MO2... Okay, too early for this... honestly over an old cat's head, but thanks.

We have a couple of flora mod edits...

Blubbos Shrub Replacer - Darker and Greener by Sleepernn
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118444
"Darker and greener with less saturation" Thanks

Cathedral 3D Tundra Cotton MY EDITION by Whatopia
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118838
The cotton looked bad with their setting, and basically still does. PASS, keep working at it...

Ivarstead Source by RedxYeti
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118825
"Adds a source to the Ivarstead river because Any Austin pointed it out. JKs Skyrim compatible. ESP flagged as ESL."

adds a small waterfall that couldn't possibly feed the river, and the lake alone, but... Thanks LOL

markuskarttunen1 released 4 today
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/markuskarttunen1/mods?gameId=1704
Subdivide and Smooth - Storm Atronachs, and a few collision fixes for some of the new plants / trees in the new resource pack. Thanks

And finally Skyking Riften Complex Parallax Texture Overhaul
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118714
"Skyking Riften features all new textures for Riften and the Ratway. Featuring 1k, 2k, or 4k textures and a complex parallax option for those who desire that effect. These textures are designed to give Riften a high quality visual overhaul while also giving it a more fantastical sense."

Not bad at all, this one is worth a look. It's interesting that the "whole logs" used in the building construction now have alternating types of bark. While it does add visual interest, it also draws the eye and makes for obvious repeat patterns. Nicely done, but maybe not for old cats ;-)

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat and the wenches will serve you. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. it is Morndas the 6th of Second Seed and wage slaves lament, the weekend is over. Hide if you can or work if you must, it's Morndas again. It's another quiet predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons will be gibbous tomorrow and Ah'vrie thinks some of the hunters started celebrating over the weekend. Hopefully there will not be too many 'accidents' tonight. The village needs it's hunters. Anyway, the moons have set and it is once again time for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is out to the boil...

Our brew of the day is from India, and for biscuits it's mini crumb muffins today ;-) Checking the hot sheets we have 61 new with plenty of jiggles, dangles, patches and goofs. Let's see what catches the eye of an old cat over a fresh cuppa.

First PhantomZerov2 gets a facepalm for USSEP Rebalanced Patch "bringing back the restoration loop with drawbacks and disadvantages" No link for this one.

codehead0 released Freeze Time as a first mod. Welcome
Turns the slow time shout into a virtual toggle, with bugs... No link, but thanks

DaSplatfestGurl formerly MissSofiaHearts released Tamriel Worldspaces
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118678
This is a modders resource that provides complete world space and height maps for all of the other provinces of Tamriel... Bloody huge maps. Thanks

UltraHex released Dangerous Trap Fixes (D.T.F.) as a second mod. Welcome back
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118741
"Torches ignite traps! (as they were always meant to) and other fixes to the flammable trap scripts." Seems complete and well thought out. Needs testing. Thanks

csjcsj released Whiterun Dibella Club as a third mod.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118757
"A beautiful Dibella 's Club in whiterun , and 9 beautiful playerhouse for beautiful followers" Empty, probably has some exterior LOD and navemesh issues judging from the third pic. A new red light district for Whiterun? Your game your way. PASS

Let's see... ArnoldP released A.N.A.L. ENB
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118752
Quite a few requirements, and was intended as an alternate preset for their wabbajack. Worth a look, but nothing really special. Thanks

Fe4therstone released Vanilla Player Homes Revamped
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118675
"this is an evolution of my mod Simple Player Home Improvements. I wanted to add a number of tweaks and variations while at the same time keeping the older, simpler version available" Basically adds ovens, butter churns, and bath tubs to all the player homes. If it makes you happy why not? The old cat is not thrilled with a couple of the textures, but worth a look. Thanks

Yuril released ALT - Windhelm Entrance - Defensive Towers
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118674
"Add two towers to the Windhelm entrance." totally decorative, but

From the outside, they're inside the walls. from the inside their outside the walls. The old cat already can't un-see this. Hard Pass (Don't hire this one as a contractor)

Let's get to the good stuff...

Suinier released Flora Additions - Mugo Pine
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118691
"This mod hand places these new Mugo Pine shrubs into the game." Interesting plant, requires "_ResourcePack.esl" from the .1130 update Thanks

Halffaces - small edit of Baskets
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118718
"New mesh and textures for baskets" Interesting woven patterns, and worth a look. The associated cube maps make them look a little shiny to the old cat, but nice at "ONLY" 300 meg for the 4K file PASS

And yes Virginia we do have a mod of the day, sort of...

Xocco3's Mead Replacer - Non-Transparent Edit by GrIInShOt
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118753
"An edited, non-transparent version of beautiful xocco3's Mead Replacer"

Okay, this is a little different. The original mod by Xocco3 has absolutely beautifully detailed bottles and lables. Only they made the bottles transparent, and the mead was all in bright rainbow colors which looked ridiculous. This mod faithfully preserves the aesthetic, but the bottles are now opaque, and the colors muted. About a thousand percent improvement. The only complaint the old cat has is the embossed scroll work at the base of the necks are all identical. That's easy enough to head canon if the bottles all came from the same source. Unlike the original mod, the old cat would use these. Worth a look and we'll call this a 2 cookie edit.

And that will do for today. The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-Open!

Goooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Sundas the 5th of Second Seed and a quiet predawn at the inn. The blessed moons have set and it is once again time for this one to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the fires are stoked and fresh water is put to the boil.

Our brew of the day is Inspirazione a Napoli, and the biscuits are Biscotti, but we'll be baking fresh a little later. Checking the hot sheets we have 49 new with lots of jiggle but little substance again. Let's see what catches the eye over a fresh cuppa or two.

veti released Skylarks of Skyrim as as second mod
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118572
"Solitude's famous for its Bards College. Worth a visit if you've never been. Some of them can sing just as pretty as a lark." - various carriage drivers.

Adds lark songs to SRD (sound record distributor) The author references the carriage drivers, and wanted to actually hear larks. Why not? thanks

dffhxc Whiterun castle carvings 4k with parallax
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118636
replacer for castle column carvings. Not exactly Celtic, but we love choice. Thanks

Skyking Shalidor 4k Textures
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118637
"New 4k textures for the Shalidor statue in front of the college of Winterhold."

Personally the old cat doesn't like either the old or new textures. Eloquent proof that over-sharpened does not equal better. Pass

sumugi released Infinity Iris Eyes 4K
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/45410
"20 4K eyes with stunning iris details and 20 selectable lashes via Racemenu
Custom eye mesh with detached eyelash mesh!"

Only a couple of pics, so hard to judge. Interesting that this also adds 20 eye lashes for female characters accessible as facial hair during creation. Thanks?

And finally markuskarttunen1 released Subdivide and Smooth - Frost Atronachs
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118628
"Smoother, less jagged model for the frost atronach" If it makes you happy. Thanks

And that will do for today, they can't all be gems. Please try not to wake the old cat in the corner propped on his broom gently snoring. The fires are stoked, yada yada We-B-Open!

Gooooooood Morning Tamriel!

Ah'vrie wishes you well. It is Loredas the 4th of Second Seed and a quiet predawn here on warm sands. The blessed moons continue to wane through the final crescents as they must. The moons will be new on Middas, but now it is time once again for Ah'vrie to tend the inn for our most honored guests. Excuse please while the ash pits are emptied, and the fires rebuilt. You might want to cover your tankards for a bit. This does get a tad dusty, and Khajiit no not from free refills no we don't... There, much better no? Ah'vrie always likes to start the weekend off with happy fires. They warm more than the room as his mother used to say. Now to compost the ash, scrub the kettles, see what's ready to harvest the garden, and put fresh water to the boil...

Our brew of the day is classic Ristretto, and the biscuits are oatmeal cranberry. Checking the hot sheets we have 50 new with enough jiggle to placate DJ Red. All he needs are a few more voice actors... Really. Let's see what catches the old cat's eye over a fresh cuppa.

BarryMW released Unusual Perks of Barenziah as a first SSE mod. Welcome
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118484
"Designed to reward the arduous task of collecting the Stones of Barenziah, this mod grants a perk point for each Stone you find scattered across Skyrim."

So... You get 30 perk points for completing this TG side quest. While really cheaty on the surface, in truth this is a well crafted cheat for a pure thief build where it's more difficult to level up than with other character builds. especially with slow leveling or experienced based builds. The old cat approves. Have a cookie

Elaarie released Rosefield Cottage - a small Altmer themed home
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/118537
"Rosefield Cottage is a small Altmer-themed player home in Whiterun Hold, south of Rorikstead. Requires the Myrwatch and Rare Curios creations, and the official Resource Pack."

Nice floor plan, not too big, nice central location... Does not appear to be follower friendly. Not even a spare bedroll. Too bad, a certain golden Thalmor might have liked this.

Fallen01135 released Skyblivion Lockpick menu
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/117184
"Skyblivion Lockpicking is a complete overhaul of Skyrims Lockpicking system. Inspired by Oblivions original lockpicking, along with ESO's squeeze based system, this mod aims to offer a new way to experience lockpicking in skyrim designed for the Skyblivion modding project." Meh, the old cat will wait on Skyblivion, but thanks

Let's see... mnikjom is still running around tweaking balance and distributing items with Spid. No mention as to the overall goal.
https://next.nexusmods.com/profile/mnikjom/mods?gameId=1704

And finally our mod of the day. Summon the dancers!

JK's Castle Volkihar
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/116314
"An enhanced Castle Volkihar Overhaul."
Still a bloody mess, but with nicer amenities. Worth a look for perspective blood suckers.

And that will do for today. The ale is fresh and the new batch of mead is ready to serve so Ah'vrie hopes you're all thirsty. We're serving classic venison steak and eggs with roast diced potatoes on the side for the early meal, and ale braised sabercat with twice baked garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed carrots for the late meal. As always there will be a hearty stew simmering for those that need something a little heartier.

The fires are stoked, the kettles scrubbed, and the floors are swept and mopped. Have a seat by the fires and warm your bones. We-B-open!