psybelle

This week's Resolution Recipe: Fresh Pasta.
( Read more... )

It's a little before midnight and so it's time to launch a new Magic Monday. Ask me anything about occultism, and with certain exceptions noted below, any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer. Please note: Any question or comment received after that point will not get an answer, and in fact will not be put through. If you're in a hurry, or suspect you may be the 341,928th person to ask a question, please check out the very rough version 1.3 of The Magic Monday FAQ here.

Also: I will not be putting through or answering any more questions about practicing magic around children. I've answered those in simple declarative sentences in the FAQ. If you read the FAQ and don't think your question has been answered, read it again. If that doesn't help, consider remedial reading classes; yes, it really is as simple and straightforward as the FAQ says. And further: I've decided that questions about getting goodies from spirits are also permanently off topic here. The point of occultism is to develop your own capacities, not to try to bully or wheedle other beings into doing things for you. I've discussed this in a post on my blog.

(The meme? I've finished the sequence of my published books; while I decide what I want to do next, I have some memes to share. Besides, this one's such a perfect summary of certain points I've been trying to make in recent posts over on the blog...)

Buy Me A Coffee

Ko-Fi

I've had several people ask about tipping me for answers here, and though I certainly don't require that I won't turn it down. You can use either of the links above to access my online tip jar; Buymeacoffee is good for small tips, Ko-Fi is better for larger ones. (I used to use PayPal but they developed an allergy to free speech, so I've developed an allergy to them.) If you're interested in political and economic astrology, or simply prefer to use a subscription service to support your favorite authors, you can find my Patreon page here and my SubscribeStar page here.

I've also had quite a few people over the years ask me where they should buy my books, and here's the answer. Bookshop.org is an alternative online bookstore that supports local bookstores and authors, which a certain gargantuan corporation doesn't, and I have a shop there, which you can check out here. Please consider patronizing it if you'd like to purchase any of my books online.

And don't forget to look up your Pangalactic New Age Soul Signature at CosmicOom.com.

~~With that said, have at it!~~

***This Magic Monday is now closed and no further comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: George Winston, "Road"

madbaker

We absolutely would not have gone if not for the job, because the house is still a shambles from long Beltane. Nevertheless we did, and we had a reasonably good time chatting with mostly usual suspects. I'm looking forward to getting to know the now-former Prince/Princess better.

I mentioned a possible opening gag for this year's GSP production to Juan & Rose and was pleased that they both thought it had merit, although they said it needs work. I agree with that - this was just a joke that I thought was funny, so it's more concept than polished opener at this stage. Of course this morning my brain started fleshing out a possible approach that I also think is funny - we'll see if it lands with the cast when we start rehearsals. Assuming I remember then, but it will probably stick in my brain.

I entered a batch of Strong Green Sauce (16th c, Messisbugo) in the Silver Spoon, which was sauces. I've made it before (though never for a competition) and this was a particularly good batch. It was a close runner-up, although my documentation and presentation were better and I could probably have forced at least a tie if I had wanted to. I don't really have anything to prove though - I have three Silver Spoons already. And, well, a cooking Laurel. So I deferred to a newcomer whose dish really was very tasty. Speaking of, he is half of a couple we met at WCCS that are jumping in to All! The! Things! He cooks and bakes sourdough bread regularly, so I am thinking of approaching him with an offer to be a student for a year and a day... if he does and it works out, we can perhaps do a more formal apprenticeship. We'll see how that goes.

Current Mood: cheerful

solarbird

Greater Northshore Bike Connector Map 2.1.1 – 15 May 2026 – is now available on github, as is MEGAMAP 2.1.1.

If you’re on a pre-2.1 map, 2.1 was massive, filling in large swaths in the south end and you want this update to catch up.

If you’re on 2.1 already, this is a minor update unless you’re in Newcastle, where by percentage the new bike lane openings are a big deal since not much exists down there. In Seattle, there are also new facilities connecting Broad Street in front of the Space Needle to 4th Ave and the rest of the network, which is a long-awaited connection finally here.

If you’re only using the Greater Northshore map in particular, you have no real reason to update with this release. The CKC is still closed at 85th and will be at least until June. Updating that text to note the slightly-extended construction time is the only change, so you can wait ’til 2.1.2, when you will have reason to update.

2.1.1-specific changes:

ADDED: Newly-opened protected bike lane along Broad Street in front of the Space Needle all the way to the 4th Ave downtown bike corridor. (MEGAMAP only)
ADDED: A missing short bike lane on Broad Street from Elliot Ave to Elliot Bay Trail (northwest side only) has been added ot the map. (MEGAMAP only)
ADDED: T-033 Phase II in Newcastle, which completes the eastbound bike lane on May Creek Park Drive east from the roundabout. Westbound got a sharrow, but no lane. (MEGAMAP only)
CHANGED: The CKC closure-with-difficult-detours is extended at least through the end of May, and may (may!) go into June. Warning flag modified to note this. (Both maps)

Particular thanks to Shawn Wilsher/@sdwilsh@social.ridetrans.it for photos confirming the new Seattle bike lanes being open.

All permalinks continue to work.

If you enjoy these maps and feel like throwing some change at the tip jar, here’s my patreon. Patreon supports get bonus map variants, like pre-sliced printables of the Greater Northshore, and this month I’m throwing them an all-cautions-removed 0% compression version of the MEGAMAP to see whether people like that. Plus, I can be open to requests.

Regardless – enjoy biking!

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.

solarbird

The christofascists sure like to talk about “biological reality,” particularly lately. It’s stupid and meaningless, particularly given how much they hate science, but wow, do they like to whip that shit out against trans people when they think they can get away with it.

It’s not just against trans people, though. It slithers out eventually to any class of people they want to beat down as either inferior or eliminate entirely – lesbians and gays, women, anyone not white – it’s all “biological reality” sooner or later, their self-proclaimed “biological” superiority giving them the right to do horrible things to the rest of us.

Of course, their “biological reality” is always – always, never forget it – a stack of blithering bullshit sorted to suit whatever fascist political agenda they want to serve at the moment. None of it’s in good faith, so don’t treat it like it is. If they believed in biological reality – in biological science – they wouldn’t be a bunch of fucking vaccine deniers. They’d be all over vaccination, and yet, surprise! They’re not!

“Biological reality.” Their use of the phrase genuinely disgusts me.

Anyway, I was thinking about this, and came up with a teardown rant. Next time some fash brings their “biological reality” shit up as an attack on trans people, maybe try some variation of it.

You want to talk biological reality? Are you sure? Is that what you want to embrace?

Because great. Let’s talk biological reality.

Biological reality is that you are an animal. A mammal, of the clade of the great apes, no different from a chimpanzee, and very little different from a dog or a cat. Take any decent college course in anatomical biology and you will see every part of the biologically real you in every creature you dissect from the flatworm on up.

Biological reality is that you are a short-lived animal in the life of this world, and even shorter in the life of the universe. You were born through an accident of complicated chemistry to live briefly and then die, ending forever, and that’s it. You have no more soul – no more immortal part – than does a cockroach, and in the long term will leave exactly as much behind.

Biological reality is that you. are. an. animal. like. every. other. animal., and not one iota more.

So if you want to embrace biological reality, fucking do it, you clown, you fool, you coward. Because that is what you are embracing, because that is the actual biological reality. And you are no more made in the image of God than is a scarab, the dung beetle the ancient Egyptians thought holy.

But you won’t do that. You won’t embrace actual ‘biological reality.’ You can’t.

I don’t even mind that you can’t. I don’t mind that you don’t.

But my gods, I loathe the pretence – the filthy, disgraceful lie – that you do, and that you only pretend to do it as a weapon against others. You only claim you care about science when you think it’s a weapon you can use to hurt.

In my head, I deliver it hot; you’d probably want to present it cooler, particularly if you’re not in person and can’t get hot yourself, which is important for hot deliveries. Maybe deliver it cold. Maybe very cold. It’s up to you, by which I mean do not quote it, make it your own.

Just whatever you do, don’t deliver it nicely. Nice is the opposite of the point. Be mean, because there is no “nice” response to the lie of “biological reality.”

If that doesn’t work for you, maybe just use the vaccination thing. That’s easier, I suppose. But it’s also less… direct. Less personal. And it leaves them a little room, where “YOU. ARE. AN. ANIMAL.” doesn’t leave any.

These fuckers want to talk about “biological reality?” Fine.

Let ’em have it.

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.

gwydion

* The latest Iran news isn't in here. Apologies.

* "Ceasefire with Iran on ‘life support,’ Trump says:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/11/trump-iran-ceasefire-life-support-00914197

* "The Long Journey From the Strait of Hormuz to the Gas Tank:" https://archive.ph/sBHBx

* "Trump says he’ll move to suspend federal gasoline tax. He can’t do it on his own:" https://apnews.com/article/trump-gas-tax-high-prices-iran-war-85313468d583c40b79c59e34d8186ee7

It requires a vote from Congress. The taxes fund things like road repair and mass transit.

* "Oil price predicted to remain above $100 for rest of year:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgp4ev4yg4o

******

* "More than 70 civilians killed in Ukraine in less than a week :" https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167454

****

* "Military strikes, gang massacres in Nigeria kill around 100 civilians:" https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260511-military-strikes-gang-massacres-in-nigeria-kill-around-100-civilians

* "Keir Starmer's party lost big in U.K. local elections. Here's what comes next:" https://www.npr.org/2026/05/10/nx-s1-5817491/uk-elections-keir-starmer-resign-reform-green

* "As Two Trans Candidates Win Scottish Parliament Bids, J.K. Rowling Praises Anti-Trans Loser:" https://www.them.us/story/jk-rowling-q-manivannan-iris-duane-election-anti-trans-candidate

*** Immigration/I.C.E/Autocracy/***

* "Murder suspect missing after Trump administration lawyer withheld info from immigration judge:" https://www.wcvb.com/article/doj-ice-gomez-rhode-island-release-trump-lawyer/71269017

* "How do state prison systems work with ICE?:" https://mailchi.mp/themarshallproject/irq4yg4ca7

* "Rabbis arrested during Jewish-led anti-ICE protest in NYC:" https://www.jta.org/2026/05/01/ny/rabbis-arrested-during-jewish-led-anti-ice-protest-in-nyc?

* "NM ICE detainee says he was subject to sudden transfer, poor conditions amid 10-day hunger strike:" https://sourcenm.com/2026/05/08/nm-ice-detainee-says-he-was-subject-to-sudden-transfer-poor-conditions-amid-10-day-hunger-strike/

* "Hundreds gather for protest, sit-in at Taylor Park to speak out against federal immigration activity:" https://www.mynbc5.com/article/vermont-protest-st-albans-ice-out/71253699

* "Judge rejects Florida's push to pause Alligator Alcatraz phone order:" https://www.wptv.com/wptv-investigates/judge-rejects-floridas-push-to-pause-alligator-alcatraz-phone-order

* "Florida's controversial 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center faces closure:" https://www.npr.org/2026/05/09/nx-s1-5816182/floridas-controversial-alligator-alcatraz-immigration-detention-center-faces-closure

* "A Pa. county hosts one of ICE’s largest detention centers, a site of controversy and complaints:" https://www.pennlive.com/news/2026/05/abuse-claims-protests-surround-moshannon-valleys-ice-prison.html

* "Austin protesters rally for detained immigrant mothers ahead of Mother's Day:" https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/immigration-news/austin-protest-rally-detained-immigrant-mothers/269-7e11fb54-8f38-4bf1-b33d-8597e299d000

* "Advocates rally against alleged treatment of female detainees at Mo-Valley ICE Center:" https://wjactv.com/news/local/advocates-rally-against-treatment-of-female-detainees-at-moshannon-valley-ice-center

* Here are some ways to help Immigrants and the anti-ICE Protesters:

"Project Salt Box:" https://projectsaltbox.substack.com/
Links to Help organize in advance of ICE Occupation: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/807226885129060352?source=share
"When the Feds Come to Your City: Standing Up to ICE :" https://crimethinc.com/2025/12/03/when-the-feds-come-to-your-city-standing-up-to-ice-a-guide-from-chicago-organizers
Immigrant Defenders: https://give.immdef.org/give/545119/#!/donation/checkout
The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/
National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directory
Amnesty International: protect asylum-seekers: https://donate.amnestyusa.org/page/113080/donate/1
The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/
CHIRLA: https://www.chirla.org/
AL Otro Lado: https://alotrolado.networkforgood.com/projects/63833-al-otro-lado-fund
"Know Your Rights:" https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights
"Disappeared In America:" https://www.disappearedinamerica.us/

* "Lawsuit seeks halt to Trump’s reflecting pool makeover:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/11/trump-reflecting-pool-lawsuit-00914078

* "Reflecting Pool Repairs to Cost $13.1 Million. Trump Had Promised $1.8 Million.:" https://archive.ph/68qOp

* "‘The Damage Is Massive’: How the Justice Department Dismantled Its Voting Rights Section:" https://www.wired.com/story/the-justice-department-has-destroyed-its-voting-rights-section/

* "The Trump Administration Approved a Big Lithium Mine. A Top Official’s Husband Profited.:" https://archive.ph/haRS8

* "Trump official says she’s involved in policy changes that benefit her family’s ranches, video shows:" https://archive.ph/ck1Ik

* CW: Rape. "Lawsuit accuses Trump DOJ of stripping anti-rape protections from trans prisoners:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/transgender-prisoner-rape-lawsuit

* "RFK Jr. defends his health agenda and Trump's proposed budget cuts in hearing:" https://www.npr.org/2026/04/16/nx-s1-5787749/rfk-jr-hearing-hhs-health-budget-cuts

* "Kennedy Refuses to Commit to Backing New C.D.C. Director on Vaccines:" https://archive.ph/whPbp

* "US health officials nix publication of a study on COVID vaccine effectiveness:" https://apnews.com/article/cdc-covid19-vaccine-study-ea3a8e56d0dcdb7428f060b395b5ff23

* "CDC’s Full-Time Cruise Ship Inspectors Were Laid Off One Year Ago amid Record Outbreaks: Report:" https://people.com/cdc-full-time-cruise-ship-inspectors-were-laid-off-one-year-ago-amid-record-outbreaks-report-11969485

* "RFK Jr. Halts Ban on Minors Using Tanning Beds, Cites 'Personal Choice' and 'Parental Decision-Making':" https://people.com/rfk-jr-hals-proposed-ban-minors-tanning-beds-11969258

* "Federal judge unloads on ‘unserious’ RFK Jr., says anti-trans policy showed his ‘cruelty’:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/judge-calls-rfk-unserious

* "RFK Jr. can’t do math, former top CDC scientist says, and Pete Hegseth should stick to pushups:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/rfk-embarrasing-math-daskalakis

* "RFK Jr once cut penis off ‘road-killed raccoon’ in New York, new book reveals:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/16/rfk-jr-road-kill-raccoon-new-book

* "Federal appeals court says Trump orders aren’t law, rejects trans athlete ban in Minnesota:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/legal-win-trans-athletes-minnesota

* "Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon has started kicking trans troops out of the military, DOJ says:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/pentagon-begins-terminating-transgender-troops

* "Lawyers ask judge to certify case to protect all trans troops affected by Trump military ban:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/trans-military-ban-class-action

* "The Pentagon forced out a transgender Army major. Now her story is Emmy-nominated:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/erica-vandal-transgender-emmy-nomination

* "The Trump administration is paying trans troops not to work:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/transgender-military-wasted-money

* CW: Rape "Appeals court clears path to move trans women into men’s prisons despite sexual assault risk:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/transgender-women-court-mens-prisons

* "Trump fires the entire National Science Board:" https://www.theverge.com/science/918769/trump-fires-the-entire-national-science-board

* Terrifying things. "White House puts trans rights groups in counterterrorism crosshairs:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/transgender-activists-terrorism-threat

* "Trump Justice Department recruits transphobes with law degrees using $25,000 bonuses:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/doj-transgender-case-bonuses

* "Families ask judge to block Trump DOJ nationwide from getting trans kids’ medical records:" https://www.advocate.com/health/transgender-health/class-action-transgender-minor-records

* " Rhode Island resists Trump DOJ demand for trans youth records ordered by Texas judge :" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/rhode-island-trans-records-texas

* "Federal judge blocks FTC probes into trans medicine groups, citing ‘extensive evidence of animus’:" https://www.advocate.com/health/transgender-health/wpath-endocrine-society-legal-victory

* "Trump DOJ redoubling election scrutiny efforts:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/19/trump-doj-redoubling-election-scrutiny-efforts-00880159

* "Federal judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit seeking detailed information about Rhode Island voters:" https://apnews.com/article/voter-data-doj-privacy-elections-rhode-island-c79e6f395f4b296ce91d3eeff172365a

* "White House cuts $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/13/white-house-cuts-billions-california-medicaid-00919351?__cf_chl_tk=Rdy4p8m4wgvbWPueuIf3KXGwaJo0eKpAmHLSjUDeu.s-1778821711-1.0.1.1-W3dGJ9J28B3JvFA9Zlb8Btf1FtShW1jpGSjZN9VAMGs

* "Republican resistance to Iran war grows in the Senate as Murkowski flips:" https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-congress-lisa-murkowski-3efd8b6bc1834a66eca8526a0a9b3ffe

That makes three (Murkowski, Collins, and Rand). If one of these is your Critter, I beg of you that you call to thank them. Yes, I know all the ways that they are shitty, but it is more important that we reign in Trump and stop the war.

WE NEED ONE MORE VOTE. I know, I know, number four is the hardest, but we are So Close.

* "Senate confirms Warsh for seat on Fed Board, clearing path to become chair:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/12/senate-warsh-fed-board-chair-trump-00915835

* "Do Your Phone Calls and Emails Matter? :" https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/do-your-phone-calls-and-emails-matter

* Our until Midterms is to survive, to build grassroots resistance, to do all in our power to slow the republican Christo-fascist agenda, and to prepare for 2026 in case there is still Democracy.

"Take action with Indivisible:" https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/

Trump 2.0 Indivisible Guide. https://indivisible.org/resource/guide

If you can't safely contact them in person, here are some other options for contacting your Congress Critters:

Five Calls to your critters: https://5calls.org/

Here is one that will send your reps a fax: https://resist.bot/

And another: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

Snail Mail Campaigns: https://conuly.dreamwidth.org/3622760.html

"Congress. gov:" https://www.congress.gov/

White house (Possibly Dangerous): https://www.whitehouse.gov/

ACLU advice for writing to your Critters: https://www.aclu.org/writing-your-elected-representatives

This tracks legislation: https://www.govtrack.us/

"The Public Comment Process (+ how to write effective public comments):" https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/781844516804149248?source=share

"Swing Left:" https://swingleft.org/

Run for Something: https://runforsomething.net/

"Vote Smart:" https://justfacts.votesmart.org/

Protests: "50501 Events:" https://www.fiftyfifty.one/events

"ICE Raids Toolkit: Defend Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests:" https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/raids-toolkit/

Contains a raid tip hotline amoung other things. "Know Your Rights
LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY:" https://wearecasa.org/know-your-rights/

* "North Carolina voters have until July to comment on proposed election rules:" https://www.1011now.com/video/2026/05/15/north-carolina-voters-have-until-july-comment-proposed-election-rules/

* "She was forced to retire for being trans. Now, Virginia’s redistricting fight ended her congressional dreams:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/bree-fram-ends-house-campaign

* "Local election officials fear retribution ahead of fall midterms:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/13/local-election-interference-midterms-00868234

* We are in primary season. States vote at different times, so I beg ALL of you to check when your state is voting. If you are in an in-person vote state, research ahead of time so you can vote for the candidate with views closest to your own. If you vote by mail, take the time to look them up when your ballot comes.

THIS is how you move the party further LEFT.

PLAN YOUR VOTE!!!

Primary schedule here:

* "2026 Statewide Primary Calendar:" https://www.270towin.com/2026-state-primary-calendar/

I don't know where you live, so I can't link this for you, but I find the Progressive Voter Guide online very helpful in narrowing down candidates in the often packed primaries where I live.

I also suggest looking at things like volunteer work and endorsements, because it really, really helps with things like sheriff and judicial elections, but can be useful in all sorts of primaries when you have multiple good options.

REMEMBER: Don't just vote for the big things like US Congress. Vote in every State and local race down to the smallest and on all the referendums.

State and local elections have a massive impact on your quality of life.

* Louisiana! Don't forget to vote May 16!

* Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, Pennsylvania! Don't forget to vote May 19!

* "West Virginia election results: Who won primaries for US Senate, House?:" https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/05/13/west-virginia-election-results-midterm-primaries/90045364007/

* "Nebraska Democratic Senate primary winner says she’ll drop out to support independent in general election:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/12/nebraska-demoratic-house-primary-winner-cindy-burbank

* "This gay D.C. Council candidate wants Washington to live up to its progressive image:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/election/miguel-trindade-deramo-dc-council

* "Barack Obama appears with James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa at Austin restaurant:" https://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/12/texas-barack-obama-james-talarico-gina-hinojosa-austin-restaurant-2026/

* "Trump leaves GOP candidates to ‘eat each other alive’ as Dems seize advantage to rally:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-leaves-gop-candidates-to-eat-each-other-alive-as-dems-seize-advantage-to-rally-2499866179730

* "Flurry of new NC constitutional amendments piling up for November ballot:" https://ncnewsline.com/2026/05/14/flurry-of-new-nc-constitutional-amendments-piling-up-for-november-ballot/

* "Signature dispute could derail Maine’s anti-trans ballot initiative:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/maine-anti-trans-ballot-measures

* "Conservatives are turning to American voters to target trans rights:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/war-on-trans-rights-continues

* "New Jersey races to block red state attacks on reproductive & gender-affirming care providers:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/new-jersey-trans-abortion-care

* "California to provide free diapers to newborns leaving hospitals in 1st-in-the-nation program:" https://abc7news.com/post/california-provide-free-diapers-newborns-leaving-hospitals-1st-nation-program-newsom-announces/19064053/

* "Mom Slams 82-Year-Old Congresswoman's 'Hostile' Response to Her Son's Letter, Which Told 4th Grader to Learn What 'Propaganda' Means:" https://people.com/mom-slams-virginia-foxx-letter-to-fourth-grader-11971908

She sent him a bunch of propaganda while attacking his fact based report on Electric vehicles with seemingly no sense of self awareness.

* "‘Unhinged’: MAGA lawmaker melts down over 10-year-old’s letter:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/unhinged-maga-lawmaker-melts-down-over-10-year-old-s-letter-2499995715681

* "Rand Paul’s son unleashed antisemitic, antigay rant toward prominent Republican congressman:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/rand-paul-mike-lawler-homophobic

* "Oklahoma teacher suing Ryan Walters says Libs of TikTok terrorized him for years:" https://www.advocate.com/news/ryan-walters-defamation-lawsuit

* "Media For Truth, Not Profit w/ Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart:"

( Embed: )

* "Man charged in White House correspondents’ dinner attack pleads not guilty:" https://apnews.com/article/trump-correspondents-dinner-allen-shooting-d9a2d4ddab8c6a48d3e365f72eea9a86

* "19-year-old transgender University of Washington student fatally stabbed:" https://www.advocate.com/news/19-year-old-transgender-university-of-washington-student-fatally-stabbed

* "Suspect in fatal stabbing of trans University of Washington student turns himself in:" https://www.advocate.com/news/suspect-in-fatal-stabbing-of-trans-university-of-washington-student-turns-himself-in

* CW: Sex Crimes "Anti-LGBTQ+ extremist charged for filming men using public bathroom at Florida Pride event:" https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/naples-pride-voyeurism-arrest

* "The right tried to take down this transgender instructor in Oklahoma. She's staying put.:" https://www.advocate.com/news/people/mel-curth-oklahoma-instructor-interview

* "‘I’m livid’: Republicans called out for denying Arizona town funds over library drag events:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/grijalva-republicans-library-drag-defunded

* " Federal appeals court weighs whether schools must out trans students during trips:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/transgender-student-trips-colorado

* "GLAAD warns that the internet is becoming more dangerous for LGBTQ+ people:" https://www.advocate.com/news/glaad-2026-social-media-safety

* "Can a single infusion of immune cells suppress HIV for years?:" https://www.advocate.com/health/breakthrough-for-possible-hiv-cure

* "Jack Schlossberg wants free PrEP for all — and for his cousin to stop undermining HIV care :" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/jack-schlossberg-hiv-prevention

* "US passengers of hantavirus cruise ship being monitored in Nebraska:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy2e9e1g0wo

I can't reiterate enough that person to person transmission rates are low. This is a disease carried by rodents. It is a terrible thing to catch, yes, but the risk for treating them on land is low, especially with proper precautions taken by medical personnel in nice clean rodent free hospitals.

No matter what the AI slop and scaremongers in general say, this is not the next great pandemic. There are small outbreaks every year in areas where it is endemic.

If you are worried about a pandemic, COVID is still COVIDing.

* "Spain reports new hantavirus case in passenger evacuated from cruise ship as outbreak grows to 11:" https://apnews.com/article/hantavirus-outbreak-hondius-cruise-ship-ac42357c5c3ae1694a93f1d43ba38bdb

* "Norovirus Outbreak Sickens 115 on Cruise Ship:" https://archive.ph/8nIra

Unlike Hantavirus, Norovirus is very transmissible, to the point I've seen a school close over an outbreak and the district sent around letters, and email begging people not to send asymptomatic siblings to school lest they spread it to other buildings servicing divergent age groups.

* "‘Unprecedented’ global effort gives new name to polycystic ovary syndrome – and new hope to millions of women:" https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-new-name-polyendocrine-metabolic-ovarian-syndrome-pmos

* "Josh Tyrangiel - “AI for Good” | The Daily Show:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kolVzstukgs

Jon asks a question in there several times that I don't think I've heard anyone in media ask before.

* "Kickstarter’s New “Mature Content” Guidelines:" https://jackviolet.com/2026/05/12/kickstarters-new-mature-content-guidelines/

* "Tesla is recalling its cheaper Cybertruck because the wheels might fall off:" https://www.theverge.com/transportation/926741/tesla-cybertruck-cheaper-recall

* Monday, I stayed up for errands. My ILL went back with only a few chapters read because it arrived at the same time as the glorious Plague book. I shall order it back, but not just now as both Apparently, Sir Cameron and my returning Plague book arrived last week.

I hit the Co-op on the way back and got a ton of basil (thai and goth. I already have sweet growing.) and some more tomato varietals, all of which are now planted. I am trying rosemary again. Wish me luck, as I have never kept rosemary alive through the fall, though last year wasn't my fault for once. I am endlessly grateful EBT lets me buy starts and seeds. The tomatoes that went in I think it was two weeks ago are growing beautifully. I really need to start eating the lettuce more, and have purchased more burger rolls and tomatoes and veggie patties to put in them to start using the garden lettuce more. If I made a salad, that would be it, but this way they last longer. On my to do list is starting the next lettuce crop. The regular basil is inside. I am checking temp frequently tonight to see if I need to bring the rest of the basil in.

I even remembered the gravy this time and worked out which vegetarian broth has the least salt and bought a couple extra. You'd think this would be easy, but it wasn't. I don't much like salt, as it tends to make me queasy, but it is in nearly everything. (I get cravings when I need sodium and have a small number of foods I like salt on which I eat in those circumstances, but I generally like low or no sodium things best taste wise). The other broths were 15-25% of daily allowance, but I found the one brand at 5%. I feel less stupid for struggling with this now.

In other news, I've been refereed to a foster at the town just north of us for kitteens (Teenaged kittens). This is the best outcome at this point. Two there are significantly cheaper then one in my small city, and the drive is reasonable. I admit I really liked the ones from the place we got Livia, but carrying two kittens for an hour or more over a mountain pass is not ideal. If the place that responded tonight works out, I'm taking those.

UPDATE: I decided to bring them in just to be safe. It's a dangerous undertaking involving a ladder as otherwise Livia will eat them all, but better safe than sorry.

* My body is just being extra awful with the pain and exhaustion, plus bonus allergy stuff. They mowed Monday and my eyes went itchy and painful and the lids swelled up. It was significantly worse with the eye that is always much worse. I spent Tuesday with it swollen half shut and attempting to glue itself together if I left it shut the rest of the way too long. It is hard to do anything with an eye that hurts that much and keeps filming over. I did compresses as one does and the swelling was gone on the left and half the size Wednesday, but also I was exhausted as it had been days at that point since anything like proper sleep in appropriate amounts.

I remain really angry about multiple insurance company scammers phoning me twice a day in hopes of me letting them trick me into fucking up my medicare. We are on the forth script with one of them. The other called when I was at the computer. They are apparently a massive private insurance company that deliberately named themselves so they sound like a non-profit senior advocacy group, the bastards.

I still haven't heard from the foster with the kitteens. Livia's rescue emailed me Thursday. Apparently they'd been texting my landline as no one ever believes one when one says one has a landline and not a cell. They still had five of the seven kittens from January that I'd inquired about. I said my priority was two kittens bonded to each other and I didn't mind that the specific one I'd asked about had been adopted out. She wants to do a phone call interview which is perfect. These kittens are about 50 dollars more for the pair than the teens, plus gas, which would be worth it. The kitten fund has been moved in anticipation, so I can pay up front if they accept us.

I also emailed the kitteen people reminding them that I had a landline and can't receive texts in case this is why the foster hasn't contacted me yet.

I would love if someone phoned me tomorrow. Let us hope.

* "Hantavirus Is Not the Next Covid, But Try Telling That to the News Media | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Trump's "Very Simple" Iran War Plan | Forgetting Mother’s Day | Duffy's Road Show | The Alien Files:"

( Embed: )

* "RFK Jr. Dissatisfied with Teen Sperm & Sean Duffy Gets Back to Reality | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Are These Dueling AI Necklaces the Solution to Male Loneliness? Ronny Investigates | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* The adaption history is worth the watch. "Every Frankenstein Adaptation Sucks And Here's Why:"

( Embed: )

* "ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "Zoot Suit Riot" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies:"

( Embed: )

* "Andy Richter’s Near-Death Experience: How a Stroke Changed His Life:"

( Embed: )

* "Radical Roman Reforms:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DKB01ahVWSw

* "Civilly Caesar Wars 4 (Dyrrhachium):" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rCH8wHleQJQ

* "Civilly Caesar Wars Final Part (Pharsalus):" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZQAQcZU4J60

* "Belligerent Britons:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/E2vOtjUX-Y8

* "Naughty Nero:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lcv9dt2ENiE

* "Frivolous Fields (of Gold):" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/J6528HFX-8M

* "Conniving Colonial Companies:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UMFX4xN7WsU

* "Nautical Naval Combat:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/63L-ewlySh0

* "Blase Britannia:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CwIkqS5mSfg

* "Goofy Gollum Gandering:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yOHwuZDBPyk

* "This Is Not A Golden Calf!:"

( Embed: )

*****
* Full list of Resistance and charity links has been migrated to my profile as it was getting out of hand.

The help links are at the bottom under the cut.

* The public comment period is open now through May 22, 2026: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/docket-detail/19-41

* "Transcontinental Pipeline:" https://tcpipeline.org/steps/

* "Project Salt Box:" https://projectsaltbox.substack.com/

* "When the Feds Come to Your City: Standing Up to ICE :" https://crimethinc.com/2025/12/03/when-the-feds-come-to-your-city-standing-up-to-ice-a-guide-from-chicago-organizers

* Links to Help organize in advance of ICE Occupation: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/807226885129060352?source=share

* "Swing Left:" https://swingleft.org/

* "2026 Statewide Primary Calendar:" https://www.270towin.com/2026-state-primary-calendar/

( More )

ranunculus

I planted the lemon yesterday afternoon. In planting it I realized that I had been under watering. Lemons don't like a lot of water, but they need some! In an attempt to not over water I apparently vastly under watered the pot. It was bone dry except for one little spot at the top. Also substantially root bound. Already this morning it has perked up, undoubtedly from all the water it got at planting.
In a few minutes I'm off to hook up the mower to the tractor and mow the side of the road down at the Red Barn. I'll also mow the lower edge of Slides Pasture, as the roadbank is too steep for me to mow with the tractor. Hopefully I'm hitting the exact right timing when the grass is dry enough not to regrow, and wet enough to keep fire danger down. I'll take my backpack sprayer with water in it as a safety measure.
The horses at the Red Barn are eating down the pastures next to the road also as a fire safety measure. It is so dry already now in mid-May, that if a fire started mid-day it would burn readily.

madbaker

This week's Resolution Recipe: 90-second Microwave Oatmeal.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: blank

ranunculus

PG&E's tree crews have been here for the last couple of days. Mostly it has been ok, except for one crew member who managed to park completely blocking the driveway and then run his tracked vehicle up onto my circle skinning back the surface. The second day I believe the same guy managed to ignore company protocol and drop a tree on the boundary line fence smashing it. So much for their vaunted "professional" tree crews.

M came home today, which is very nice. He is here for a month before abandoning me for the rest of the summer to be in lovely Alaska where it won't be hot like it is here.

The garden loves the warm days and is growing fast. My soil amendments this year seem to be working well so far. Planted the old lemon tree today. I bet it is a LOT happier in the ground. I added a mix of compost and coconut coir around it to help keep the soil fertile and light. Looks like the compost was very much needed as there were almost no worms in the dirt. I'll top it with a good thick layer of wood compost and horse manure in an attempt to keep building the soil. That approach is certainly working on the trees at the top of the garden. Hardpan is turning fluffy up there. One of my apples was yellow and sickly last year, but having a thick layer of horse manure compost around it this winter has turned the tree dark green and very happy.

ecosophia

As I noted late last month, this journal is starting to get a little thin now that both the regular forums hosted here have gone to one post a month, and I've started a sequence of book reviews -- more or less whatever I've been reading of late -- under the label "Old Prose."

* * * * *

In recent years, competent scholarly studies of occult topics have become a little less rare than they once were. It's still a genuine pleasure to encounter one. That's what happened last month when I ducked into a bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina, more or less on the way between a speaking gig and the trip home. The Serpent's Tale: Kundalini, Yoga, and the History of an Experience is a very capable work; in fact, it may just be the best scholarly work on a specific esoteric practice I've yet read.

Its strengths are threefold. First, both the authors are practitioners of kundalini-based practices as well as trained academics. It's only recently that this kind of double qualification has been permitted in academic works on occult topics, and earlier works routinely suffered from embarrassing shortcomings because their authors had no practical experience with what they were talking about; it was all rather like reading pornography written by lifelong virgins. Borkataky-Varma and Foxen, by contrast, have a solid grasp of the experiential as well as the scholarly dimensions of their topic. They don't intrude their personal experiences into the text, but the deft handling of the narratives they discuss show a practitioner's touch.

The book's second strength is more subtle. Most scholarly works in any field tell a story. There's a plotline, sometimes implicit but quite often right out there in plain sight, that provides the armature around which facts are grouped. That's probably inevitable for a storytelling species like ours, and can be a great strength, but it can also lead to unhelpful oversimplifications. That's particularly common in scholarly writing about occultism. What Borkataky-Varma and Foxen do here, by contrast, is something much more difficult and interesting; they talk about how the various competing narratives about kundalini rose and interacted, without privileging any of the voices in the conversation.

This is essential because of one of the core facts about kundalini: there is no one kundalini tradition, no one canonical experience. The current interpretation standard in Western societies -- seven chakras vertically aligned, sensations of fire and light rising up the spinal column, and the rest of it -- is only one of many things stuffed all anyhow into the grab-bag labeled "kundalini." There are respected Indian texts that list more or fewer than seven chakras, and put them in wildly different places. There are teachings, some of them very important in the history of Indian spirituality, that identify kundalini as an obstacle that has to be gotten out of the way in order to achieve enlightenment. There are traditional practices in which kundalini begins its ascent from the heart, or the solar plexus, or the sexual organ of a partner during lovemaking.

It's perhaps the greatest contribution of The Serpent's Tale that it embraces these divergent visions and experiences without trying to impose a fake unity on them. Borkataky-Varma and Foxen treat all the competing versions, from dissident medieval Tantric texts straight through to the latest vagaries of online culture, as equally significant phenomena for the scholar. The result is a solid overview of a tradition too often flattened out into a mental monoculture, and an object lesson on how to look at the genuine diversity of occult theory and practice across times and cultures.

Current Mood: delighted
Current Music: Steven Halpern, "Chakra Suite"

madbaker

I parked in a semi-local mall. When I came out, our car had been sideswiped - bunch of scratches on the body and the side mirror is hanging by a wire.

I've started the insurance claim and am waiting for the auto body shop to schedule. This... was not on my bingo card for today.

Current Mood: grumpy

gwydion

* Some Items may be older. I'm gnawing at the backlog. I didn't check the Sunday evening news, so some items may already be out of date.

* I am putting Trump Administration claims the war is over at the top as a contrast with the war that is obviously continuing in the intervening week.

* "Trump tells Congress the Iran war has ‘terminated’ as legal deadline hits:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/01/trump-congress-war-terminated-00902681

* "Hegseth says battle for Hormuz is ‘separate and distinct' from the Iran war:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/05/hegseth-hormuz-iran-oil-blockade-00906313

Don't piss on me and tell me it's raining.

* May 7 "Pakistan says it's hopeful a U.S.-Iran deal can happen soon:" https://www.npr.org/2026/05/06/nx-s1-5813497/iran-war-strait-hormuz-updates

* "Trump’s Iran posts are a mess. Hayes has the receipts.:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/trump-s-iran-posts-are-a-mess-hayes-has-the-receipts-2499274819850

* And then this happened: "US fires on and disables 2 more Iranian tankers as tensions rise in the Strait of Hormuz:" https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-war-may-8-2026-6490db55a65880a61a6233eff7acc68b

* May 9: "Iran ceasefire appears to hold and Bahrain detains dozens over suspected Revolutionary Guard links:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/trump-s-iran-posts-are-a-mess-hayes-has-the-receipts-2499274819850

* "Iran Damaged or Destroyed Hundreds of Targets in US Bases, Reporting Reveals:" https://truthout.org/articles/iran-damaged-or-destroyed-hundreds-of-targets-in-us-bases-reporting-reveals/

* "CIA Says Iran Can Outlast U.S. Blockade On Strait Of Hormuz For Months: Report:" https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cia-iran-outlast-us-blockade-strait-hormuz_n_69fcc21ae4b0cb033e5034bc

* "Leaker(s) expose Trump’s bluffing on Iran:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/leaker-s-expose-trump-s-bluffing-on-iran-2499311171938

* "Trump team struggles to spin soaring gas prices as panic sets in:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/trump-team-struggles-to-spin-soaring-gas-prices-as-panic-sets-in-2499305539512

* "Trump Accuses Pope of “Endangering” Catholics as He Reignites Feud:" https://newrepublic.com/post/209939/trump-pope-endangering-catholics-feud

******

* "Trump says US will reduce number of troops in Germany ‘a lot further’ than withdrawal of 5,000:" https://apnews.com/article/germany-trump-troops-nato-drawdown-pistorius-merz-a93151327dcb7279a56a36dd4bbeca1c

The troops in Germany are intended to protect Europe from Russian invasion and we are using Germany as a staging area, etc. for Trump's illegal war against Iran.

* "Trump’s rash decision on U.S. troops in Germany follows Putin phone call (again):" https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-s-rash-decision-on-u-s-troops-in-germany-follows-putin-phone-call-again-2498870851663

******

* "Ukrainian drone hits upmarket Moscow high-rise ahead of Victory Day celebrations:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy234llx3vo

* "Russia declares a truce in Ukraine to mark Victory Day. Kyiv says it’ll cease fire two days earlier:" https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-unilateral-truce-parade-9a686273da1f284230180a7819613719

* "North Korean troops join Putin’s scaled-back military parade as Ukraine agrees to temporary ceasefire:" https://www.nbcnews.com/world/russia/putin-hosts-scaled-back-military-parade-no-tanks-no-internet-ukrainian-rcna342637

* "Putin denounces Nato at scaled back Victory Day parade:" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c626xjq0q0vo

* "Millions in India stripped of vote before critical state election, as government seeks to ‘purify’ electoral roll:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/india-west-bengal-state-elections-millions-stripped-of-vote?

* With predictable results. "Modi's party takes control of India's West Bengal in key state election:" https://www.npr.org/2026/05/04/g-s1-120053/modis-party-takes-control-of-indias-west-bengal-in-key-state-election

* "Alberta government keeping eye on investigations into voter info breach:" https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/9.7187728

* "Federal court rules against new global tariffs Trump imposed after loss at the Supreme Court:" https://apnews.com/article/trump-global-tariffs-trade-court-df01218b89ca925015fe41c700d6beb9

* "Trump sets two-month deadline for EU to enact trade deal:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/07/trump-deadline-european-union-trade-deal-tariffs-00910521

* "Businesses begin claiming refunds for Trump tariffs struck down by US Supreme Court:" https://apnews.com/article/tariff-refund-trump-customs-08861f153801156d213c30c4e2f6a683?

* "Trump says he will 'remember' companies that don't seek tariff refunds:" https://archive.ph/GITNu

*** Immigration/I.C.E/Autocracy/*** Most items are a little older below this point because I've been swamped.

* "Trump ‘Gold Card’ Visa Granted to Only One Person So Far, Lutnick Says:" https://archive.ph/BbKSt

* "While ICE cracked down on L.A. protests, Marines were told to use force as ‘last resort’:" https://archive.ph/ATXFQ

* "Hate Meta glasses? Wait until you hear about ICE glasses:" https://freedom.press/the-classifieds/hate-meta-glasses-wait-until-you-hear-about-ice-glasses/

* "How Trump’s bungling turned his top issue into his greatest liability:" https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/how-trump-s-bungling-turned-his-top-issue-into-his-greatest-liability-2498677315722

* "Judge mulls contempt over DHS’ ‘patently false’ allegation in deportation case:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/04/ice-detention-case-contempt-hearing-00905610

* "‘It Wasn’t Real, but It Was Real’:" https://archive.ph/Y8kQy

* "Separation:" https://archive.ph/EBwiA

* "Teen says judge’s order for her release from immigration detention had her family screaming with joy:" https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/olivia-andre-release-dilley-immigration-ice-detention-maine-rcna344006

* "After five months in ICE detention, Allan Marrero is free — and reunited with husband:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/immigration/allan-marrero-ice-custody-freed

* "Caught in the Crackdown: As Arrests at Anti-ICE Protests Piled Up, Prosecutions Crumbled:" https://www.propublica.org/article/caught-in-crackdown-ice-cbp-doj-trump-arrests-convictions?

* "Feds say they’ll drop conspiracy charge against remaining ‘Broadview Six’ protesters:" https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/feds-say-theyll-drop-conspiracy-charge-against-remaining-broadview-six-protesters/

* "Citizens Bank customers pull money over lender’s ICE ties:" https://www.bankingdive.com/news/citizens-bank-customers-pull-money-over-lenders-ice-ties/819223/

* "Arizona AG sues Trump over Surprise immigration detention warehouse:" https://azmirror.com/2026/04/24/arizona-ag-sues-trump-over-surprise-immigration-detention-warehouse/

* "‘Shut it down’: May Day protesters rally outside Alligator Alcatraz :" https://archive.ph/pjkZt

* "Texas lawmakers and protesters urge release of children held at ICE center in Dilley:" https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/texas-lawmakers-renew-calls-to-release-families-held-at-ice-detention-center-in-dilley

* "Sex toys thrown at detention facility in L.A. anti-ICE protest; police declare unlawful assembly:" https://archive.ph/VWTwr

* "Mesa can’t enforce its own fire codes at an ICE facility where detainees can’t even sit down:" https://azmirror.com/2026/04/27/mesa-cant-enforce-its-own-fire-codes-at-an-ice-facility-where-detainees-cant-even-sit-down/

* "Protesters march against ICE plans to build Romulus detention center:" https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2026/04/25/romulus-ice-detention-center-march-protest-gilchrist-immigration/89795933007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z115449p116450l004250c116450e1127xxv115449d--47--b--47--&gca-ft=183&gca-ds=sophi

* "Reported hunger strike renewed at Michigan ICE detention center:" https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/04/27/reported-hunger-strike-renewed-at-michigan-ice-detention-center

* "Seeking answers, Salt Lake City hears crickets from feds on planned ICE warehouse :" https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/04/24/salt-lake-city-seeking-answers-on-planned-ice-warehouse/

* "Protesters push back against proposed ICE detention center in Marana :" https://www.kold.com/2026/04/26/protesters-push-back-against-proposed-ice-detention-center-marana/

* "Large crowd protests in front of the proposed ICE processing facility in southeast San Antonio:" https://www.tpr.org/news/2026-04-25/large-crowd-protests-in-front-of-the-proposed-ice-processing-facility-in-southeast-san-antonio

* "Americans thwart Trump’s immigrant prisons plan by making it too hard:" https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/americans-thwart-trump-s-immigrant-prisons-plan-by-making-it-too-hard-2498014787639

* "Federal judge limits construction at proposed Md. ICE facility:" https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/federal-judge-limits-construction-at-proposed-md-ice-facility/4091483/

* "Scope of Trump’s immigrant prison plans suggests ulterior motive:" https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/scope-of-trump-s-immigrant-prison-plans-suggests-ulterior-motive-2498012227925

* "PETITION TO WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL - Support the Civil Detention and Enforcement Facility Prohibition Ordinance :" https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-the-whatcom-county-council-support-the-civil-detention-and-enforcement-facility-prohibition-ordinance?source=direct_link&

If you live in Whatcom County Washington State, please sign.

* Here are some ways to help Immigrants and the anti-ICE Protesters:

"Project Salt Box:" https://projectsaltbox.substack.com/
"MASTER LIST OF WAYS TO HELP IN MINNEAPOLIS:" https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/807223113540599808?source=share
"Here are Minnesota groups that need your help organizing against ICE and DHS operations:" https://www.advocate.com/news/minnesota-mutual-aid-groups-ice
Links to Help organize in advance of ICE Occupation: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/807226885129060352?source=share
"How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota:" https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/
"Support minnesotans defending their communities from ICE:" https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
"When the Feds Come to Your City: Standing Up to ICE :" https://crimethinc.com/2025/12/03/when-the-feds-come-to-your-city-standing-up-to-ice-a-guide-from-chicago-organizers
Immigrant Defenders: https://give.immdef.org/give/545119/#!/donation/checkout
The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/
National Bail Fund Network: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/nbfn-directory
Amnesty International: protect asylum-seekers: https://donate.amnestyusa.org/page/113080/donate/1
The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/
CHIRLA: https://www.chirla.org/
AL Otro Lado: https://alotrolado.networkforgood.com/projects/63833-al-otro-lado-fund
"Know Your Rights:" https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights
"Disappeared In America:" https://www.disappearedinamerica.us/

* "John Roberts decries heated criticism of the Supreme Court:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/06/supreme-court-john-roberts-voting-criticism-00909592

Does he believe what he says? Because I am having a hard time believing he's that unaware of the horrible things he is doing to this country.

* "Sherrilyn Ifill - What Happened to the Voting Rights Act? | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "SCOTUS: No More Black Politicians:"

( Embed: )

* "The Supreme Court is taking up a case that could shut LGBTQ+ families out of preschool:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/supreme-court-lgbtq-colorado-preschool

* "Justice Department seeks the names of 2020 election workers in Georgia’s Fulton County:" https://apnews.com/article/2020-georgia-election-worker-names-trump-2c4bc764855341a0c9eedb135d25591e

* "DOJ can keep 2020 Fulton County election records it seized, judge rules:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/06/fulton-county-records-judge-ruling-00909583

* "Apple CEO Tim Cook steps down:" https://www.advocate.com/news/tim-cook-steps-down-apple

* "Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Will Be 38.5% Owned by Middle Eastern Funds Following Close: Filing:" https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-warner-bros-foreign-ownership-middle-eastern-funds-1236731732/

* "Musk scorned “shady” loopholes, yet offshore tax tricks likely saved Tesla hundreds of millions :" https://archive.ph/FWez6

* "The ‘Complete Collapse’ of the Job Ladder for Gen Z:" https://archive.fo/lhDl9#selection-4749.0-4757.117

* "Some Connecticut Towing Companies Are Ignoring New Law Aimed at Helping Low-Income Residents:" https://www.propublica.org/article/connecticut-towing-companies-ignore-new-law

* "Rural Hospitals and Communities Feeling Impact of H.R. 1 Medicaid Cuts, Rural Health Fund Falls Short:" https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2026/05/01/rural-hospitals-and-communities-feeling-impact-of-h-r-1-medicaid-cuts-rural-health-fund-falls-short/

Republicans did this in purpose with their Big Ugly Bill so they could have tax cuts for the rich.

* "‘This is not democracy’: voting rights activists shocked by speed of US states moving to stifle Black voters:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/08/voting-rights-activists-louisiana-callais-black-voters

* "Republicans get massive win in fight for House with Virginia court ruling:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/08/virginia-redistricting-2026-election-overturned-00911357

* "Hayes warns Trump’s GOP is trying to Jim Crow-ify the House:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/hayes-warns-trump-s-gop-is-trying-to-jim-crow-ify-the-house-2499426883525

* "Flooding, alarms, evacuation bring abrupt end to tense day at Alabama State House:" https://www.al.com/politics/2026/05/flooding-alarms-evacuation-bring-abrupt-end-to-tense-day-at-alabama-state-house.html

* "Alabama voting rights protest erupts inside State House: ‘We’re here to save democracy’:" https://www.al.com/politics/2026/05/alabama-voting-rights-protest-erupts-inside-state-house-were-here-to-save-democracy.html

* "Tennessee Democrats lock arms in protest as GOP lawmakers approve new congressional map:" https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-tennessee-democrats-lock-arms-in-protest-as-gop-lawmakers-approve-new-congressional-map

* "Tennessee Passes Redistricting Map, Arrests Protesters in Final Day of Special Session Marked by Burning Flag, Walkouts:" https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/05/07/tennessee-congressional-redistricting-confederate-flag/

* "Mississippi house to hold redistricting session at Jim Crow era capitol :" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/06/mississippi-redistricting-old-capitol

* "Louisiana map fight erupts at Capitol after Supreme Court ruling:" https://www.wafb.com/2026/05/08/louisiana-map-fight-erupts-capitol-after-supreme-court-ruling/

* "Challenge accepted: Democrats strategize to counter GOP runaway gerrymandering:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/challenge-accepted-democrats-strategize-to-counter-gop-runaway-gerrymandering-2499306563798

* We are in primary season now. States vote at different times, so I beg ALL of you to check when your state is voting. If you are in an in-person vote state, research ahead of time so you can vote for the candidate with views closest to your own. If you vote by mail, take the time to look them up when your ballot comes.

THIS is how you move the party further LEFT.

PLAN YOUR VOTE!!!

Primary schedule here:

* "2026 Statewide Primary Calendar:" https://www.270towin.com/2026-state-primary-calendar/

I don't know where you live, so I can't link this for you, but I find the Progressive Voter Guide online very helpful in narrowing down candidates in the often packed primaries where I live.

I also suggest looking at things like volunteer work and endorsements, because it really, really helps with things like sheriff and judicial elections, but can be useful in all sorts of primaries when you have multiple good options.

REMEMBER: Don't just vote for the big things like US Congress. Vote in every State and local race down to the smallest and on all the referendums.

State and local elections have a massive impact on your quality of life.

* Nebraska, North Carolina, and West Virginia! Don't forget to vote May 12!

* Louisiana! Don't forget to vote May 16!

* Please no. "Kamala Harris confirms she might run for president again: ‘I’m thinking about it’:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2028-election/kamala-harris-confirms-might-run-president-2028-rcna273682

* "Constituents showed up to testify against an anti-drag bill. Ohio Republicans mocked them:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/republicans-mock-constituents-ohio

* "Ron DeSantis signs law that could strip Florida of Pride celebrations:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/florida-anti-dei-law-pride

* "Ohio Republicans are trying to strip transgender adults of health insurance coverage:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/ohio-transgender-medicaid-restrictions

* "Colorado quickly rewrites & passes new conversion therapy ban to get around Supreme Court ruling:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/colorado-passes-conversion-therapy-ban

* Extended Interview with Barack Obama:"

( Embed: )

* "Care without Coercion:" https://epochemagazine.org/87/care-without-coercion/

* "Grindr's surprising ties to the Republican Party, explained:" https://www.advocate.com/news/grindr-republican-ceo

* "‘She’s opening the bees!’ US beekeeper jailed for trying to save friend from eviction:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/massachusetts-beekeeper-jailed-eviction

* "Exonerees struggle to rebuild their lives and gain lasting employment, even if elected to office:" https://apnews.com/article/exonerees-stigma-employment-dd603de9dafca7078517aea4ae8cfc9e

* "In Chicago, Prosecutors Fight to Keep Exonerated People from Clearing Their Names:" https://boltsmag.org/chicago-cook-county-certificates-of-innocence/

* CW: Rape. "Oregon to pay $295K to trans woman imprisoned until 2049:" https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/oregon-transgender-inmate-abuse-settlement

* "New NC report: Wells Fargo denied minority mortgage applicants twice as often as whites:" https://ncnewsline.com/2026/04/23/new-nc-report-wells-fargo-denied-minority-mortgage-applicants-twice-as-often-as-whites/

* "The Library Is a Commons:" https://inthesetimes.com/article/public-libraries-are-commons-in-america

* "Texas Tech University bans teaching, researching LGBTQ+ topics:" https://www.advocate.com/news/texas-tech-lgbtq-topics-ban

* "Teacher fired for reading LGBTQ+ children’s book takes fight to Georgia Supreme Court:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/georgia-teacher-book-fired-appeal

* CW: Child Abuse. "Adopted and Locked Away: Kids promised ‘forever homes’ instead confined in for-profit institutions:" https://apnews.com/article/adopted-children-boarding-schools-treatment-investigation-e5d8dab2e4db1f2f4c5abbfaf0d97c52

* CW: Rape. "Exposing a global 'online rape academy' that is teaching men how to :" https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2026/03/world/expose-rape-assault-online-vis-intl/index.html

* "Hospitals dodge questions on restoring trans youth care despite judge ruling they can keep providing it:" https://www.advocate.com/health/transgender-health/trans-youth-care-hospitals-dodge

* "Virginia researchers debunk the claim that most trans kids ‘grow out of it’:" https://www.advocate.com/health/transgender-health/vcu-debunks-trans-youth-regret

* "Vatican report admits conversion therapy caused LGBTQ+ Catholics’ ‘profound suffering’:" https://www.advocate.com/news/religion/catholic-church-conversion-therapy

* "Black LGBTQ+ survivors speak out about conversion therapy in religious spaces:" https://www.advocate.com/news/religion/black-lgbtq-conversion-therapy

* "Botswana is moving forward on LGBTQ+ rights. The U.S. is regressing:" https://www.advocate.com/opinion/botswana-lgbtq-rights

* "Cold case detectives one step closer to solving murder of Florida trans woman:" https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/cold-case-murder-of-transgender-florida-woman

* "Transgender Idahoans sue to block criminal bathroom law:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/idaho-bathroom-criminalization-lawsuit-transgender

* "Trans man forced to leave Idaho to use public bathrooms joins lawsuit against state:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/idaho-bathroom-crime-law-lawsuit

* "A mom asked the NYT publisher about harm from trans coverage. He defended the process instead:" https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-parent-nyt-earnings-call

* "A Florida city fined a lesbian couple over a rainbow fence. Now they’re suing:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/key-west-pride-fence-lawsuit

* "Madison Square Garden security allegedly tracked a trans woman’s movements, including bathroom breaks, down to the second:" https://www.advocate.com/news/madison-square-garden-security-allegedly-tracked-a-trans-womans-movements-including-bathroom-breaks-down-to-the-second

* "Texas city declares Trans+ History Week in historic first:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/san-antonio-trans-recognition-week

* "Inside a hidden summer camp where trans youth in the South thrive:" https://www.advocate.com/news/culture/trans-kids-summer-camp

* "Anal fissures are painful and common. Here's how to heal and get back to bottoming:" https://www.advocate.com/health/anal-fissures-treatment

* "Cruise ship hantavirus patients arrive in Europe for treatment:" https://apnews.com/live/hantavirus-cruise-ship-updates-05-06-2026

* "Experts wonder ‘Where is the CDC?’ as a hantavirus outbreak unfolds on a cruise ship:" https://apnews.com/article/cdc-hantavirus-cruise-ship-trump-who-2eaf686534d31e8ad67482f05e1ec870

* "Psaki: ‘Slow, sloppy response’ to hantavirus raises concerns about damage from Trump cuts:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/psaki-slow-sloppy-response-to-hantavirus-raises-concerns-about-damage-from-trump-cuts-2499356739642

* "Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth:" https://www.propublica.org/article/more-parents-decline-vitamin-k-shot-newborns

* "The Looming Silence at Mauna Loa:" https://climateshift.substack.com/p/the-looming-silence-at-mauna-loa

* "The Other Side of the Bitcoin: Crypto & Corruption w/Ben McKenzie | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart:"

( Embed: )

* "AI & the Future of Work | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart:"

( Embed: )

* "Google Chrome may have silently installed 4GB AI model on your computer. Here's how to check:" https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/google-chrome-ai-installed-computer/

* "Instagram censorship crackdown sparks alarm among LGBTQ+ creators:" https://www.advocate.com/news/instagram-censoring-queer-creators

* "We translated the Palantir manifesto for actual human beings:" https://www.theverge.com/policy/915237/palantir-manifesto

* "The MANY Lies About H.H. Holmes and the "Murder Castle":"

( Embed: )

* "Big Game:" https://magazine.atavist.com/2026/san-luis-valley-wildlife-poaching?

* "The United States at 250: How the Country Has Changed in the Past 50 Years:" https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2026/03/25/the-united-states-at-250-how-the-country-has-changed-in-the-past-50-years/

* Thursday: every time I tried to make toast, alarms, which has been an issue all Winter. I did everything right the second time: cleaned toaster, turned the hood fan and the big fans on. There is nothing for it, but for me to only make toast outdoors. We also have had a persistent problem with opening the oven setting off alarms at the higher temperatures the whole time we've lived here, but the toast thing is likely to do with the fire system upgrades last year. Sigh.

I have a power strip I run through the air conditioner cardboard insulation gap, which I use for Halloween lights and such. I turned the power back onto it and made toast for the last of yesterday's soup on the blue garden chair I had out there, plus extra toast to eat with preserves by way of dessert. It's a bit of a problem as I have to leave the door ajar and hope I can here the pop over the TV, as we are having another arctic blast, so toast will get cold very quickly if I don't dart out and rescue it immediately, and I do not like how this will go in Winter, but for now, it's just extra steps between me and emergency food. (I can't leave the toaster out there, so I need to carry it out and plug it in, then bring it inside once it cools off). Why must everything be this hard?

New Millennial came over for the evening to do skills practice as part of the get New Millennial to be allowed to work again campaign. Squirrel is showing them tricks and I am the practice dummy. They will be back Wednesday, and which point we need to get the wheelchair out of my car and figure out where to practice. My bed is too high and Squirrel's too low. I am thinking we clear Livia's stuff and related gear off the window bench and use that for a bed. It will be a Production, but I think it will be all right.

They know how to Do the Things, but they need to do them quickly and smoothly according to their very picky rules, not all of which make real world sense, and both of these skills are ones requiring extra equipment and a partner. Practice went really well tonight. Squirrel gave them professional advise and I gave them test taking advise to avoid test anxiety and test paralysis, because really, that's a hurdle for a lot of people.

If anyone knows how to fly through high stakes testing with excellent marks, it is me.

Fingers crossed, everyone.

* CW: Sexual Harassment. "Trump Dumps Toxic Ballroom Debris on Golf Course & DJ Marco Rubio Loves 90s Rap | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Josh Johnson Dives Into the Internet Frenzy Over the JPMorgan “Sex Slave” Lawsuit | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Presidential Fitness | Hegseth's Bubble | Trump's War Is Bad For Business | Met Gala's Wild Looks:"

( Embed: )

* "Iran Mocks America's "Wishlist" | Reflecting Lincoln | Vape Candy For Adults | A MAHA Compromise:"

( Embed: )

* "The True Cost Of Trump's War | The Pope Likes To Have Fun | Kids Beat Online Age Checks:"

( Embed: )

* "The Shadow Docket: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO):"

( Embed: )

* "Is America's 250th Year Worth Preserving in a Time Capsule? Troy Iwata Investigates | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "The Rise and Fall of Misery Memoirs:"

( Embed: )

* "The Pitt Is The Best LEGAL DRAMA We’ve Ever Reviewed:"

( Embed: )

* "11 Reads Starring Queer Asian Americans for AAPI Heritage Month!:" https://duckprintspress.dreamwidth.org/262761.html

* "Stephen Colbert Addresses The Nation From President Obama's Oval Office:"

( Embed: )

* "Kids Pitch: Late Night Edition:"

( Embed: )

Everyone involved is clearly having a wonderful time.

*****
* Full list of Resistance and charity links has been migrated to my profile as it was getting out of hand.

The help links are at the bottom under the cut.

* The public comment period is open now through May 22, 2026: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/docket-detail/19-41

* "Transcontinental Pipeline:" https://tcpipeline.org/steps/

* "Project Salt Box:" https://projectsaltbox.substack.com/

* "When the Feds Come to Your City: Standing Up to ICE :" https://crimethinc.com/2025/12/03/when-the-feds-come-to-your-city-standing-up-to-ice-a-guide-from-chicago-organizers

* Links to Help organize in advance of ICE Occupation: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/807226885129060352?source=share

* "Swing Left:" https://swingleft.org/

* "2026 Statewide Primary Calendar:" https://www.270towin.com/2026-state-primary-calendar/

( More )

ecosophia

It's a little before midnight and so it's time to launch a new Magic Monday. Ask me anything about occultism, and with certain exceptions noted below, any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer. Please note: Any question or comment received after that point will not get an answer, and in fact will not be put through. If you're in a hurry, or suspect you may be the 341,928th person to ask a question, please check out the very rough version 1.3 of The Magic Monday FAQ here.

Also: I will not be putting through or answering any more questions about practicing magic around children. I've answered those in simple declarative sentences in the FAQ. If you read the FAQ and don't think your question has been answered, read it again. If that doesn't help, consider remedial reading classes; yes, it really is as simple and straightforward as the FAQ says. And further: I've decided that questions about getting goodies from spirits are also permanently off topic here. The point of occultism is to develop your own capacities, not to try to bully or wheedle other beings into doing things for you. I've discussed this in a post on my blog.

(The quote? I've finished the sequence of my published books; while I decide what I want to do next, I have some memes to share.)

Buy Me A Coffee

Ko-Fi

I've had several people ask about tipping me for answers here, and though I certainly don't require that I won't turn it down. You can use either of the links above to access my online tip jar; Buymeacoffee is good for small tips, Ko-Fi is better for larger ones. (I used to use PayPal but they developed an allergy to free speech, so I've developed an allergy to them.) If you're interested in political and economic astrology, or simply prefer to use a subscription service to support your favorite authors, you can find my Patreon page here and my SubscribeStar page here.

I've also had quite a few people over the years ask me where they should buy my books, and here's the answer. Bookshop.org is an alternative online bookstore that supports local bookstores and authors, which a certain gargantuan corporation doesn't, and I have a shop there, which you can check out here. Please consider patronizing it if you'd like to purchase any of my books online.

And don't forget to look up your Pangalactic New Age Soul Signature at CosmicOom.com.

~~With that said, have at it!~~

***This Magic Monday is now closed and no more comments will be put through. See you next week!***

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Three Dog Night, "Shambhala"

madbaker

Last week's Resolution Recipe, which I made but did not post while we were away: Spiced Pearl Couscous.
"Pearl couscous is an ideal one-pot meal. This was inspired by a recipe from an Israeli cookbook."
( Read more... )

Current Mood: cold

ecosophia

I imagine that by this time all my readers have heard the yelling about a hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius. It's all very familiar stuff for those who remember a certain other virus outbreak not that many years ago: scare stories in the media, a first wave of reassurances from officials that it won't be a serious public health issue, and so on. While we wait to see just how precisely this scare tracks the Covid fiasco of 2019-2023, I'd like to raise a point relevant to some of the ongoing discussions here and on my blog.

It's become increasingly clear that every virus capable of causing human deaths has, or can have, a twofold existence: one as a biological entity, the other as a media spectacle. These two needn't have much to do with each other at all. With this in mind, I'd like to borrow and repurpose a turn of phrase from Jacques Derrida, and propose that viruses that play a certain closely related set of roles in media spectacles might best be termed hauntaviruses.

Derrida used the term "hauntology" as a slurring together as "haunt" and "ontology," to point to phenomena such as Marxism which haunt the collective imagination with visions of a world that does not and will not exist -- in Derrida's phrasing, "an always-already absent present." In exactly the same way, a hauntavirus is a virus loaded up with imagery of mass death borrowed at one and the same time from cultural memories of the past (e.g., the Black Death and the Spanish Flu) and media-generated images of catastrophic dieoff in the future. Those spectral images, not the prosaic details of disease biology and epidemiology, then guide the collective reaction to the virus.

Of course that reaction can be, and has been, exploited by various groups for political and financial gain, Of course that reaction can also be fostered by various groups for the same reason. There's a mordant irony in the fact that Naomi Klein's book The Shock Doctrine is among the best analyses of this process, given that Klein herself became a cheerleader for the medical and pharmaceutical interests that profited most egregiously from the Covid fiasco, following the very scheme she'd anatomized so precisely. (I wondered more than once if she'd ever read her own book.) Yet the reaction isn't just a product of exploitation -- and indeed the fact of crass exploitation of a medical crisis, as we saw during the Covid years, has itself become another specter hovering over a viral outbreak.

Exactly how the current hauntavirus will play out over the next few years will be interesting to watch. It might follow the arc of Covid, in which case may the gods help us all. It might follow the arc of monkeypox, which was well on its way to becoming a hauntavirus when politically embarrassing facts got out -- first, that the outbreak in question seems to have been entirely a matter of sexual transmission among gay men, and then, once this became clear, that the virus turned up in very awkward places. such as the pet dog of one infected gay couple. (To be fair, it's worth noting that some straight people do gross things too.) We'll just have to see -- but it seems to me that the Situationist perspectives discussed over on my main blog might offer some useful tools for tracking the rise of a new hauntavirus and the ways in which competing groups try to exploit it for their own gain.

Edit 5/10/26: Chile's Ministry of Health has an excellent website with information on the hantavirus strain involved in this outbreak, which Chilean physicians deal with routinely. It's in Spanish, but translates clearly. Give it a read, and copy the information so we can see if the website gets changed later on...

Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: Mark Isham, "Pittsburgh 1901"

ranunculus

I had my first raspberry today. Yum.
Bewilderbeast finally opened up today. I had the rhizomes planted in an area that they HATED. Too much clay and too much water. Some completely rotted away before I realized what was happening and moved them to a pot. Here is the strongest of the survivors. This iris is quite variable, with each bloom a little different. The second picture was taken several years ago in the Henry St garden. On the second picture note the huge white stripe on the upright standard, as opposed to today's flower that has very modest white on the standards.

( Read more... )

ecosophia

The first Friday this month happened to be May 1, which is a very busy time for Druids! Apologies for not getting this up then. At any rate, welcome to Frugal "First" Friday! This is a monthly forum post to encourage people to share tips on saving money, especially but not only by doing stuff yourself. A new post will be going up on the first Friday of each month, and will remain active until the next one goes up. Contributions will be moderated, of course.

There has been talk about releasing these posts in print format. In case that turns out to be worth pursuing, please note: if you comment on this or any future Frugal First Friday post, you are giving permission for that comment to be included in print or other editions. This means, for those of you into the legalese, that by posting something in the comment thread you are granting me non-exclusive reprint rights to your comment, and permitting me to transfer those to a publisher or other venue. Your contribution will have your name or internet handle attached, your choice.

I also have some simple rules to offer, which may change further as we proceed. One change from the earlier frame is that if you produce goods or services yourself, and would like to let readers know about them, you may post one (1) (yes, just one) comment per month letting people know, with a link to your website or other contact info. The other rules ought to be familiar by now.

Rule #1:  this is a place for polite, friendly conversations about how to save money in difficult times. It's not a place to post news, views, rants, or emotional outbursts about the reasons why the times are difficult and saving money is necessary. Nor is it a place to use a money saving tip to smuggle in news, views, etc. I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #2:  please give your tip a heading that explains briefly what it's about.  Homemade Chicken Soup, Garden Containers, Cheap Attic Insulation, and Vinegar Cleans Windows are good examples of headings. That way people can find the things that are relevant for them. If you don't put a heading on your tip it will be deleted.

Rule #3: don't post anything that would amount to advocating criminal activity. Any such suggestions will not be put through.

Rule #4: don't post LLM ("AI") generated content, and don't bring up the subject unless you're running a homemade LLM program on your own homebuilt, steam-powered server farm.

With that said, have at it!

Current Mood: dour
Current Music: The Who, "Won't Get Fooled Again"

gwydion

* I'm in the process of a minor shift in how items are organized.

* "US and Iran launch new attacks as they wrestle for control of Gulf waters:" https://archive.ph/wip/9VaDX

* "South Korean-run vessel ablaze in Strait of Hormuz; Trump says Iran fired at the ship:" https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05/05/world/south-korean-vessel-hormuz/

******

* "Trump Being ‘Humiliated’ in Iran Talks, German Chancellor Says:" https://archive.ph/SAp1d

* "Trump Seems To Confuse Ukraine and Iran: ‘They’re Defeated’:" https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-seems-to-confuse-ukraine-and-iran-theyre-defeated/

* "There's growing disquiet in the military. The Iran war made it worse:" https://www.npr.org/2026/04/10/nx-s1-5771612/military-iran-war-trump-conscientious-objector?

* "The Iran war now has a price tag ($25 billion), but still no end date:" https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/g-s1-119333/the-iran-war-now-has-a-price-tag-25-billion-but-still-no-end-date

* "The U.S. Started the War. The Rest of the World Is Feeling the Effects.:" https://archive.ph/f1EA0

* "Helium Is Hard to Replace:" https://www.construction-physics.com/p/helium-is-hard-to-replace

* "Oil surges to highest level in 4 years on Iran fears:" https://www.semafor.com/article/04/30/2026/oil-surges-to-highest-level-in-4-years-on-iran-fears

* "‘Simply wrong’: GOP lawmakers caught lying about gas prices:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/simply-wrong-gop-lawmakers-caught-lying-about-gas-prices-2498438211836

* "Oil shock could backfire on fossil fuel-loving Trump, ignite ‘green future’:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/oil-shock-could-backfire-on-fossil-fuel-loving-trump-ignite-green-future-2498581571902

* "Energy secretary says fuel prices may not get back under $3 until 2027:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/19/chris-wright-fuel-prices-gasoline-00880043

******

* "MAGA figures are pushing Trump’s campaign to grab Greenland. But it’s tough sledding:" https://archive.ph/kqIKT

* "One thin allegation fueled a national trans panic & an FBI mission to Cuba touted by Kash Patel:" https://www.advocate.com/news/evidence-thin-trans-child-cuba

******

* "Inside Chornobyl: 40 years after disaster, nuclear site still at risk in Russia’s war:" https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/25/chornobyl-power-plant-at-risk-amid-russia-war-ukraine?

* "Ukraine’s army evolves under fire, with new units challenging Soviet legacy:" https://apnews.com/article/war-russia-ukraine-army-technology-business-military-a135fe06f5a4ffd9ea0fb49a6c41e0e4?

****

* "Photos of daily life in Sudan as war enters its fourth year:" https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/sudan-war-photos-4c6fcc61ce0e56404b62c9b85508908a?

* "They scour the Mexican cartel lands for the missing — and for closure:" https://apnews.com/article/search-mexico-missing-people-drug-cartels-5e4acba628fbb827e76ca1d46f3ac4b9?

* "‘A well-known secret’: inside Toronto’s violent tow truck wars:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/toronto-tow-truck-shootings-canada?

* "2027 French presidential election: Who's already running, who could be, and key dates:" https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2026/04/30/2027-french-presidential-election-who-s-already-running-who-could-be-and-key-dates_6752856_9.html

* "One year from presidential election, a 'quiet anger' in France's streets:" https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2026/05/01/one-year-from-presidential-election-a-quiet-anger-in-france-streets_6753031_5.html

* "White House Posts Photo of 'Two Kings' Donald Trump and King Charles During Royals' State Visit:" https://people.com/white-house-posts-photo-of-two-kings-donald-trump-and-king-charles-during-royals-state-visit-11960786

* "King Charles schools Trump on democracy in speech to Congress about checks and balances:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/king-charles-schools-trump-on-democracy-in-speech-to-congress-about-checks-and-balances-2498157123575

I am angry I have to report something positive about King Charles.

* "India voices anger after Trump shares comments calling it a ‘hellhole’:" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/24/india-trump-hellhole-post

* "Trump says currency swap with UAE is under consideration:" https://archive.ph/S687l

* "May Day protests across US draw huge crowds – in pictures:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gallery/2026/may/01/photos-may-day-protests

* "Nationwide May Day protests pick up mantle of 'No Kings':" https://www.npr.org/2026/05/01/nx-s1-5805805/may-day-protests-boycott-schools-trump

* "Kids Over Corporations: Thousands of N.C. educators gather in Raleigh, call for more funds:" https://abc45.com/news/local/kids-over-corporations-thousands-of-nc-educators-gather-in-raleigh-call-for-more-funds

* "Thousands rally in L.A. for May Day to protest immigration sweeps, high cost of living:" https://archive.ph/LIaNe

* "S.F. supervisors, state senator arrested as May Day protest closes SFO roadway:" https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/may-day-protest-sfo-22236936.php

* "Maddow: Trump is terrible at everything except this one thing:" https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-trump-is-terrible-at-everything-except-this-one-thing-2498863683829

* "Department of Education threatens to pull Smith College's funding for admitting trans women:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/smith-college-trans-women

**** Corruption of the Justice System, Pushback, and Related ****

* "FBI raids office of Dem state lawmaker in Virginia who led redistricting efforts:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/06/louise-lucas-fbi-virginia-00908222

* "‘But do you trust them?’: Hayes questions timing of FBI raid in Virginia:" https://www.ms.now/all-in/watch/but-do-you-trust-them-hayes-questions-timing-of-fbi-raid-in-virginia-2499120707781

* "Supreme Court rejects bid to punish school for respecting trans student’s identity:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/supreme-court-student-identity-florida

* "Supreme Court grapples with use of ‘geofence warrants’ by law enforcement:" https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5848192-geofence-warrants-fourth-amendment-supreme-court/

* "Justice Samuel Alito restores medication abortion access nationwide:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/sam-alito-restores-medication-abortion

* "Powell plans to remain on Fed board, cites legal actions by Trump administration:" https://apnews.com/article/powell-warsh-trump-federal-reserve-inflation-4e09e4cdb25856635c94abe0021fc1d3

* "Democrats Explore Suing Trump If He Ignores Congress on Iran War:" https://time.com/article/2026/04/28/exclusive-democrats-explore-suing-trump-if-congress-doesn-t-authorize-iran-war/

* "Dems file 6 impeachment articles against Hegseth:" https://www.axios.com/2026/04/15/iran-war-pete-hegseth-congress-impeachment-articles-democrats-reflecting-search-interest-order

* "Senate bans its own members and staff from betting in prediction markets:" https://apnews.com/article/senate-prediction-markets-betting-congress-ban-f067c97278654caeacd9e336b5474f1d

Your move House of Reps.

* "Trump pulls Means' nomination for surgeon general:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/30/trump-pulls-means-nomination-for-surgeon-general-00900671

* "Rep. Tom Kean Jr. Has Disappeared From Capitol Hill. He’s Still Trading Stocks.:" https://www.notus.org/congress/tom-kean-trading-stocks

* "Tom Kean Jr. says he’ll be back ‘very soon’ :" https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/04/27/congress/tom-kean-jr-says-hell-be-back-very-soon-00894191

* "Puerto Rico Senate leader attacks trans Miss Universe beauty pageant contestant:" https://www.advocate.com/news/culture/miss-universe-puerto-rico-transphobia

* "Southern state Republicans look to capitalize on Supreme Court ruling weakening Voting Rights Act:" https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-supreme-court-voting-rights-act-b4e3a7be89305f94a4f05c09981406ce

* "Louisiana congressional primaries are suspended as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling:" https://apnews.com/article/congress-louisiana-primaries-supreme-court-03cdb6951d7fefb448bfd2f37f98c0ea

I don't understand how it is legal to stop an election that has already started for political gain or how black people having representation in congress counts as an emergency.

* "DeSantis signs Florida's new GOP-friendly congressional map into law — and is swiftly sued:" https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/04/florida-desantis-map-sign-redistricting-00905256?can_id=afc248c8f33ebb5b04607e2a45c1c1c7&email_referrer=email_3224606&email_subject=progress-florida-daily-clips-5-5-26&link_id=2&source=email-progress-florida-daily-clips-5-5-26

* "Tennessee Republicans move to eliminate state’s last Democratic district following Voting Rights Act carnage:" https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/tennessee-republicans-eye-new-gerrymander-to-eliminate-states-last-democratic-district/

* "Alabama and Tennessee set special sessions to consider new congressional maps after Supreme Court ruling:" https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/alabama-governor-calls-special-session-move-primaries-redistricting-ge-rcna343125

* We are in primary season now. States vote at different times, so I beg ALL of you to check when your state is voting. If you are in an in-person vote state, research ahead of time so you can vote for the candidate with views closest to your own. If you vote by mail, take the time to look them up when your ballot comes.

THIS is how you move the party further LEFT.

PLAN YOUR VOTE!!!

Primary schedule here:

* "2026 Statewide Primary Calendar:" https://www.270towin.com/2026-state-primary-calendar/

I don't know where you live, so I can't link this for you, but I find the Progressive Voter Guide online very helpful in narrowing down candidates in the often packed primaries where I live.

I also suggest looking at things like volunteer work and endorsements, because it really, really helps with things like sheriff and judicial elections, but can be useful in all sorts of primaries when you have multiple good options.

REMEMBER: Don't just vote for the big things like US Congress. Vote in every State and local race down to the smallest and on all the referendums.

State and local elections have a massive impact on your quality of life.

* Nebraska, North Carolina, and West Virginia! Don't forget to vote May 12!

* Louisiana! Don't forget to vote May 16!

* "Democrats Keep Michigan Senate Majority With Special Election Win:" https://archive.ph/zMyEs

* "Brown, Ramaswamy and Beatty advance to November. See Ohio election results:" https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/05/05/election-day-live-updates-coverage-results-more-at-columbus-dispatch--live/89932416007/

* "Five Indiana senators who voted against redistricting lose primary election to Trump-endorsed candidates:" https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/five-indiana-senators-who-voted-against-redistricting-lose-primary-election-to-trump-endorsed-candidates/531-6be2b783-dfb5-476d-9187-25a59b242cff

All the once with an once of backbone and some lingering patriotism, because of course.

* "Life after Trump: Elections show political adjustments as Trump fades from relevance:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/life-after-trump-elections-show-political-adjustments-as-trump-fades-from-relevance-2498999363966

* "Michigan Dem claims trans primary opponent violated law by not running under deadname:" https://www.advocate.com/news/michigan-dem-claims-trans-primary-opponent-violated-law-by-not-running-under-deadname

I hope Frank Liberati loses.

* "Graham Platner On Service, Messaging & the Future for Democrats | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart:"

( Embed: )

* "‘Shut this White House down’: Platner talks strategy to stop Trump:" https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/shut-this-white-house-down-platner-talks-strategy-to-stop-trump-2498463811655

* "NYC’s voters will decide if representation still matters in historic LGBTQ+ district:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/election/stonewall-district-manhattan-election

* "In NYC’s Stonewall district, voters want rent relief over representation debates:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/election/stonewall-district-special-election-reactions

* "Trump-backed House candidate tied to New Mexico church with extreme anti-women & anti-LGBTQ+ views:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/election/greg-cunningham-extremist-church-ties

* "Two NYC Democrats running for a U.S. House seat battle to prove who’s more pro-LGBTQ+:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/election/dan-goldman-brad-lander-lgbtq

* "Colorado takes new shot to curb harmful ‘conversion therapy’ abuse:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/states/colorado-conversion-therapy-ban-workaround

* "At least 13 hurt in shooting at Oklahoma campground party:" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/04/edmond-oklahoma-mass-shooting

* CW: Child Abuse. "Florida man charged with beating 5-year-old boy ‘for being gay’:" https://www.advocate.com/news/crime/florida-boy-beaten-gay

* "Pride flag burned outside gay couple’s Pennsylvania home:" https://www.advocate.com/news/pride-flag-burned-outside-gay-couples-pennsylvania-home

* "Cruise ship at center of suspected deadly hantavirus outbreak refused permission to dock:" https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/hantavirus-cruise-ship-docking-cape-verde-hondius-who-rcna343415

* "What to know about hantavirus, the illness suspected in a cruise ship outbreak:" https://apnews.com/article/what-to-know-hantavirus-cruise-ship-366c781ff168656ff47ae9796965daaa

* "Florida sits on millions in unspent funds for disability care while thousands wait:" https://www.fox13news.com/news/florida-millions-unspent-funds-disability-care-thousands

* "United flight strikes light pole, damages truck while landing in Newark:" https://abc7ny.com/post/united-flight-strikes-light-pole-landing-newark-airport/19030820/

The dash cam footage is scary. The truck driver is injured but is expected to be all right.

* How to prepare for extreme heat at the local and personal level: https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/15465979.html#cutid1

* "That "Pending PayPal Charge" Email Is a Scam — Even Though It Really Came From PayPal:" https://www.tedcromwell.com/blog/that-pending-paypal-charge-email-is-a-scam-even-though-it-really-came-from-paypa

* "From hospice, Barney Frank urges Democrats to rethink trans rights approach:" https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/barney-frank-hospice-trans-rights

Barney Frank, not content with throwing trans people under the bus every chance he got in a long political career decides to give trans people a last fuck you from his death bed.

He was dragged out of the closet kicking and screaming against his will and only reluctantly took up gay and lesbian rights, yet has been treated as some great gay elder statesman, while doing so very little.

Like a lot of respectability politics well off white cis gays of the '90 and oughts, the only rights he really cared about were those that made things a little easier for people just like him with zero care about what the rest of the community need.

Too bad he didn't just die in silence instead of going on right wing media to harm us, but it is oh so in character for him.

* "Barney Frank’s final interview from hospice was painful. His comments on trans people made it worse:" https://www.advocate.com/opinion/barney-frank-painful-cnn-interview

* "Streamer crushes MrBeast charity record with $70 million raised for kids with cancer:" https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/streamer-crushes-mrbeast-charity-record-with-50m-fundraiser-for-kids-with-cancer-3356823/

* So I had two days of extreme pain and spasms Tuesday and Wednesday. It's exhausting and time consuming. I ended up giving myself more days off physio than intended because my body just couldn't. Spasms are involuntary exercise and I basically ran a marathon.

Amoung my inevitable Insurance scam calls Friday was a real call from the New Aid, who was distraught. Asshole Agency suspended her for "asking too many questions" at another job, which is bullshit. She needs to know what the person wants and where things he is putting away go. She's so sweet and hard working. She also is doing really well with English despite having spoken it less than three years, but no one is perfect that fast so it's best to go slower and keep vocabulary reasonably simple for clarity. I am wondering if the real issue is that she needs to ask extra clarifying questions some times to make sure she understands, and the woman didn't like her doing that.

I reassured her that there is no such thing as too many questions as far as I'm concerned, that I'd happily vouch for her, and her job with me is safe. I told her we can reschedule the hours after it's sorted out and if she needs any help with Asshole Agency I would be happy to give it.

I am angry at the person who did this to her. It's one thing to decide you don't think the aid is a good fit, it's a whole other thing to fuck with her employment generally. She wants to be a nurse. Her money is going to pay for her classes. Other people depend on her. That woman could have just let her go and hired someone else. Complaints are for things like endangering someone, not "asks too many question."

So now both my aids are getting jerked around again.

I did manage to do the physio exercises Saturday, but it took 4-5 hours to complete them because I kept needing really long rests. I am achy and tired. There is still no word on kittens. IDK.

* Sunday, I ventured out intending to pick up OTC perishables, bagels, and do a quick run to the pharmacy, but the grocery store so completely wore me out that I did not make it to the pharmacy and I had premade salad for dinner, followed by a couple hour lie down. *facepalms* I didn't even do physio, because I wanted to make sure I had time to hit the pharmacy and add oil to the car.

* "The terrible cost of the Bezos Met Gala:" https://www.advocate.com/opinion/bezos-met-gala-backlash

* "Trump Spins Dinner Shooting for Ballroom Agenda & Blitzer Is CNN's One-Shoed Hero | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Trump and Republicans Want YOU to Pay $400 Million for His Ballroom | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Trump Indicts Comey Over Seashells & King Charles Is King of Congressional Comedy | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "SCOTUS Deals Blow to Voting Rights Act & Trump Deals Blow to NASA Chief’s Ears | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Jordan Klepper Checks In on California's High-Stakes Governor Race | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Gas Station Drugs: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO):"

( Embed: )

* Note: I don't approve of accent humor, but most of the rest of it is good. "Trump Ignores 60-Day Iran Deadline & King Charles Urges Congress to Do Its Job | The Daily Show:"

( Embed: )

* "Limitless Legions:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ynQtzhsnv7o

* "Foundational Fabian Strategems:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qIIfJmIJ3V0

* "Pilfering Pompey:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Nd7wM5e22JI

* "Civilly Caesar Wars 2:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XW2iFGr0THQ

* "Civilly Caesar Wars 3:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ql2jNESiBaw

* "Ancient Vikings Invented The Rap Battle:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/J6gH03lFsRo

* "Paternal Problems:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hr4GOsUnwys

* "Meticulous Marriages:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/U-xmuShrRd0

* "Frivolous Feudal Friendships:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qlPjIXWKpsQ

* "Princely Piers:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ajfC1jmdwME

* "Dastardly Dating Apps:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2vQaPtvQMjA

* "Home Security Ad - SNL:"

( Embed: )

* "My Room - SNL:"

( Embed: )

* "Rescue Dog Rescue: Where Arf They Now?:"

( Embed: )

* "Walk of the Rings:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MAUJ4YsP-O8

* "Strong Samwise:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HreGlv7aZ5c

* "NASA releases 12,000 Artemis pics! See our faves here:" https://earthsky.org/spaceflight/nasa-releases-12000-artemis-pics/

* "Met Gala Review:" https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iA13dJSRV9k

* From ReL Dracula: "Dracula's Guest:" https://open.spotify.com/episode/1rk4KeVKxJr1zKigY3jPjy?go=1&sp_cid=049bb227f8f3cefc612e99cfdd7d5345&nd=1&dlsi=67a23476b7614ce2

* I keep thinking about the Plague Ballet:

Picture the Rat Dancers and the Genoese forming the shape of a ship together, rats on the bottom, moving across the stage, a central sailor lifting the sail high. One by one, rat dancers fall over and roll away off stage, until it's just the men. Then, one by one the men fall sick and roll away until it'd just the bare minimum to make the shape of the ship as they dance towards a gathered mass of people representing a city. The sailors reaching longingly towards the safety of hope, the townsfolk reaching their hands out for their returning loved ones.

The hands touch, the ship breaks apart into the last dying survivors who are lifted up by their loved ones and carried around the stage as the rats dance around them. One by one, the rats fall sick….

*****
* Full list of Resistance and charity links has been migrated to my profile as it was getting out of hand.

The help links are at the bottom under the cut.

* The public comment period is open now through May 22, 2026: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/docket-detail/19-41

* "Transcontinental Pipeline:" https://tcpipeline.org/steps/

* "Project Salt Box:" https://projectsaltbox.substack.com/

* "When the Feds Come to Your City: Standing Up to ICE :" https://crimethinc.com/2025/12/03/when-the-feds-come-to-your-city-standing-up-to-ice-a-guide-from-chicago-organizers

* Links to Help organize in advance of ICE Occupation: https://www.tumblr.com/gwydionmisha/807226885129060352?source=share

* "Swing Left:" https://swingleft.org/

* "2026 Statewide Primary Calendar:" https://www.270towin.com/2026-state-primary-calendar/

( More )

ranunculus

Just ordered a bunch of drip irrigation parts.
Room 2, beds 3 & 4, have sort of been the bastard step children of the garden. They are on the south end of the garden, are hard to get to, though they are now a LOT easier to get to than they were. Bed 3 was literally falling apart (already!) Yesterday I pulled all the leeks that were going to seed and today I patched it up. One board had pulled free of its screws on one end, and both top boards were bulging out in the center. The repair involved pounding a section of old t-post and a rusty piece of 1/2" metal pipe. They went just outside of the center of the bed. After shoveling out the inside (so the boards could move) I installed one of my electric fence ratchets and pulled the two sides together. In the corner I replaced a piece of 2x4 that had mostly rotted away. Here is the bed, raked smooth and waiting for amendments. It will get some of my sifted compost, ground coconut coir and wood compost in the hopes that those components will help build soil structure so it holds water better. I want to get the last two pepper plants in plus a couple of butternut squash. These are supposed to be small and round! Can't wait to see how they turn out. Also maybe two more of the pickling cucumbers...

Next up is bed 4. It doesn't need repair, just to have a couple old collard plants cleared and some compost spread. It got heavily amended last year which changed it from a bed that was horrible to one that was quite nice. I think it will get some okra, but not quite yet, okra wants it HOT, and it is still in the 50's at night.
Need to set traps for the gopher.

ranunculus

Saturday Dave, Ray, John, Grant and Mark all came up to help. We went over, cut up the huge oak limbs that had fallen into their camp area, split the wood and they hauled it back and stacked it at the house. We also harvested some dead madrone. I like to burn madrone, it burns hot and leaves little ash. The next day I hosted a tack sale. Well attended by sellers we had few buyers, so not a terribly successful day.
Yesterday I mostly just slept.
A trip to San Francisco was planned for today, but thankfully I don't have to go. My goal today is to clear Room 2 Bed 3, which is grown up to dozens of leeks which I cannot eat. Any that are still useful I'll chop up and freeze for Donald and M. Then amend the bed and plant. I'm down to the last few peppers, and winter squash. Possibly one or two more cucumbers. Need to unload the last of the wood compost from the truck so I can go back and get wood chips to spread on the paths. The grass is growing back - again. Raw wood chips should suppress grass and weed growth.

herding sphinxes on the astral veldt

Pasta Point of No Return

Magic Monday

Investiture

Maps Release: Greater Northshore Bike Connector, MEGAMAP 2.1.1

“Biological reality”

5/11/26 - 5/14/26

Lemon Tree, Chores

Gruel and Unusual

Tree Crews, M, Garden, Lemon Tree

Old Prose: "The Serpent's Tale" by Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen

Bunch of Savages in this Town

5/7/26 - 5/11/26

Magic Monday

Coo Coo Cous

Hauntavirus!

Raspberrys, Flower

Frugal First (ahem) Friday

5/1/26 - 5/7/26

Irrigation

Wood, Tack Sale

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August 2024

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