📣 similar to some other hosts, we've been experiencing spam from mastodon.world due to bots operating on their instance.
As such, a temporary limit is in place. If you are following accounts on there, you'll still see the posts, but limiting will keep unwanted content from appearing in your feeds / notifications otherwise.
I'm going to review the situation in a few days, and it it has resolved, I'll remove the limit.
This is just a funny thing that happened to me. When I got covid in November, I knew I would have to mask at home for a while, and my mask supply was running low.
I was holding on buying new masks because the 3M auras I use are good.. but a bit ugly ... so I had been looking for other options. Airgamis.. I could not afford (and I just learned they sold out) :blobcatmeltcry:
The KN94 have pretty prints, but I don't think I get a good fit... I've tried a couple, and either my glasses fog, or the loops feel loose or I get an itchy feeling in my nose.
Anyway. This was an emergency, so I got more ugly 3M auras. Last time, Walmart had a discount ($40 for 40 masks), so I went to their website again. It had only the large sets on discount.. in my already-sick-with-covid state, I saw they had "more than a hundred" for "a bit less than $100". That sounded fair. One hundred masks is a lot, but we're on this for a while. Plus they are good for forest fires and even for mixing the compost pile. So I got them.
Next week, there is this HUGE box delivered to our house. It was for me. I opened and it was completely full of masks. Eventually I figured out it was a 3M industrial box of 440 masks. 😂
It seems I'll be wearing the same masks for a while.
This was a very good read Pauline. Thank you for bringing your skills as anthropologist to illuminate this process.
I was surprised at how I've had so many similiar experiences to what you describe. The difficulty of working with more rigid structures like schools. The way that plans approved at the administration level get pushed back due to larger political and monetary funds. The dismissal from fellow citizens and lack of interest from "inward-looking" families (I like a lot that term! ).
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@compost well, my city accepts food waste in the yard-waste bin, so all of our food waste goes there. When we have a lot in a sitting (e.g. when doing food prep) we simply put the food waste in a paper grocery bag and quickly take it to the bin.
Some exceptions: the banana peels go into a worm-compost pile in the yard, where they get mixed with the leafy material from the yard. The worms love the banana peels.
The coffee grounds go on some plants that like the acidity.
We pick up all the leaves in our parking strip and sometimes those of our neighbors (before the city takes them away). Then make leaf-mold that is well loved by the apple trees.
We are in Western Washington. This evening we were down by the railroad watching trains and the train coal passed by.
Coal trains are (unfortunately) a common view where we are. Usually these trains are ~150 cars, maybe ~180 cars. With front and back engines.
As we watched the train go by, we noticed this one had helper engines in the middle. This usually happens with very large or very heavy trains. We had never seen it for a coal train. We got curious and started counting cars.
The second half of the train had 130 coal cars. The front part, we estimate another 130 cars (we had to estimate as the train stopped and a section was out of view, but we think is a good estimate based on the position of the main locomotive, which we could see). Given our estimate, this was a ~260-cars coal train.
So we saw a train carrying 26000 to 31200 tons of coal, likely for export at British Columbia ports.
Possibly this was a once-in-a-while occurrence. Maybe the earlier coal train broke and they had to put two trains together. But the whole thing had dystopia vibes.
I should note that this train was preceded by the oil train (another common occurrence).
On bright days I dream up how this infrastructure could be used for other purposes.
On worry days, I investigate which of the items I use may be connected with coal power, and try to reduce or stop acquiring those.
But today I just got out of there feeling I have to batten down the hatches.
@pvonhellermannn It was eerie. It was just after sunset, there was fog. We saw the first set of locomotives in the distance as we walked down from seeing the Christmas lights at the marina. When we got near the rail the train was still going. We saw the first middle locomotive which we -mistakenly- thought would be the end of the train, and started happily counting locomotives with the toddler.. but then more train continued.
It was dark, so I wondered aloud what could they be carrying. My husband coldly replied "Coal." I squinted, saw the coal, and that's when I got the sinking feeling.
#ClimateDiary Nothing positive here but I do feel slightly vindicated in that, when i did a few posts about #Climateflation a while ago, many responded that it was wrong to even talk about this as it was the narrative of those trying to hide the effects of #Brexit and #greedflation. Yes these (and war etc) are hugely important too in rising food prices - nothing is monocausal - but good to recognise and start talking about #Climateflation too.
@pvonhellermannn I had not seen the term and I find it useful to explain everyday observations.
Just yesterday, I was at the grocery store and the frozen fruit was more expensive than last winter. That wasn't surprising. What was interesting was that the price increase for the raspberries was much higher than for the other fruit, almost by 50%.
We buy the groceries at a small co-op and all the fruit I was comparing was from the same local farm. The only explanation I could think for the much larger price increase of the raspberries was some extreme weather or lack of pollination due to weird weather. Climateflation would fit here.
Last week we found a lovely gift in one of the Little Free Libraries in our neighborhood: a couple of mugs stuffed with tea bags, treats and bookmarks.
We liked the idea so much, that we did the same for the little library on our block. The mug was gone a couple of hours later when we came back from our walk! I'm liking this a lot.
Went to spread compost for our plot at the community garden and sunset caught up with us.
The tool shed looked so pretty in the dark!
In the last 8 years, this space has been transformed, little by little, from a barren piece of land into a thriving garden.
The garden may not be as pretty or lush as other community gardens. Enrollment is still low and we are in a kinda rough area, with the occasional theft and vandalism. But there is so much positive going on.
I don't have good words to explain it, and the pictures don't make justice to the feeling. But so many living beings have moved in. So many positive interactions with other gardeners. And with visitors. It's a work in progress and it is beautiful.
This place gives me hope that we can build other types of systems. Sometimes I think it's like a baby solarpunk seed.
It also shocked me to know that English speakers in America call people who speak other languages ‘monolingual’ (because their English isn’t as good as it ‘should’ be) when in fact I thought English-speaking Americans are the real monolinguals
@skinnylatte similar for public k-12 schools. In my school district, if you fill "two languages" in the registration form, your kids have to take an extra test for two years in a row to demonstrate English proficiency.
I (immigrant) tried to explain to the school official that both languages were spoken with the same proficiency, and she said something on the lines of nothing to do, those were the rules. So I had my husband (American) call her, and then suddenly there was an option: to waive the test, we had to drop the second language from the registration form.
I post some heavy shit. But there's a very good reason I have so little patience with the horrible crap going on all around us:
Solutions exist.
All of the energy and resources being poured into endless war right now, need to be aimed instead towards projects like this.
It is possible to rehabilitate large-scale ecosystems. Enough carbon could be sequestered this way, to actually return us to pre-Industrial levels.
I grew up with my father, an engineer, constantly explaining in detail the short-sighted flaws in how many things are done all around us, and how it could be fixed by people willing to do things the right way.
This is why I'm so fired up. We can do so much better than the pathetic fate we're expected to resign ourselves to. The Paris Accords don't come close. The oh-so-greenwashed infrastructure act and inflation reduction act are laughable next to the scale of what needs to be done. People who promote net zero scams and blather about tech miracles are dodging the issue and wasting our time. They think 3C increase is acceptable. They will let us burn. They are liars who want you to believe I'm trying to discourage you by pointing out the flaws in what's happening. The opposite is true.
Solutions exist. There is hope.
Corporate toadies of the fossil fuel industry don't want us to realize it-- nothing else is so dangerous to the tyranny of the status quo, as the realization that solutions exist. It's an enormous job, but we CAN do it if enough resources are directed the right way.
And every little bit counts.
Your yard, your neighbor's yard, the median, the ditch, empty lots-- anywhere. Everywhere. Build topsoil. Like our lives depend on it. They do.
Build connections, trust, friendships. Repair things. Find people with good hearts, people who are building something real. People who talk about work like this:
@violetmadder have you read "Nature's Best Hope?" It has great concrete examples for North American cities and suburbs. It focuses on native plants instead of top soil. I found it very inspiring.
I used to be a bit anti #Halloween (US import, commercial etc) but have really changed my mind through children these last few years. It is just lovely - everyone out together, children everywhere, and so many really great house decorations - so much effort and generosity just for everyone’s joy and community. Here my favourite pumpkin! #Eastbourne#Community (now bracing myself for lots of “why Halloween really is bad” replies 😊)
@pvonhellermannn I agree. although I still cannot get my head wrapped around the gore (I find it disrespectful of the dead), but the spookiness makes more sense each time.
Your post prompted me to re-read David's Fleming entry on Lean Logic for "Carnival" and I think it has some in common with what you mention. Reading the entry and reflecting on it right now.
I didn't open this account to post so much about nature being out of whack but these changes in weather are making me feel out of sorts.
I'm close to Seattle, it's mid October, and we're having 73 F(23 C) weather. It feels like a mini heat-wave to me.
I got a bit of a sunburn because I couldn't get myself to put on my Summer hat on an Autumn day. And I forgot about sunscreen until later in the day. Okay, those are due to the way my brain works, but still. It is unsettling.
And the combination of the heat plus the sun being low in the horizon makes me scared. Other moms at school were raving about the "good weather" but for me it all feels "wrong" at a gut level.
The light takes on a special hue this time of the year, I think due to how low the sun is in the horizon. I think my brain is subconciously calculating ... if we're this hot with this light, how hot will we be when get the bright summer light? (sun much higher in the horizon)
Plus, a part of me is sad I cannot wear my fall orange trench coat in October because it's too hot (usually I have the opposite problem). But this is just vanity.
#ClimateDiary Yet again floored by my lack of plant knowledge and attention so far in life. Just went on a walk and for the first time noticed how many red berries there are at this time of year (and wouldn’t be able to say whether this is “normal”, but assume it is). Thinking again about Kimmerer’s term #SpeciesLoneliness.
Here some pictures of a few (looked up on plant net): Stinking Iris (Iris foetidissima), Holly (Ilex) and Dog Rose (Rosa dumalis).
I've been curious about rose hip syrup for a while. I have no idea if it can be done with our western North America native rose (nootka rose) and I'm completely ignorant of the process or the bristles inside the hips!
It is disorienting to me that a lot of knowledge seems to have vanished from everyday life. I don't know how to do rose hip syrup, but I don't know either how to industrially produce vitamin C.
I assume the concentration of specialized knowledge makes things more efficient, but I don't know if it makes people more resilient.
@msquebanh I love raking and composting. One of your earlier posts inspired me to overcome my shyness and ask one of my neighbors if I could use their leafs for my leaf compost!
🍂 🍂
@mikemccaffrey
I just make a very large pile and let the leaves sit until the next fall where I transfer the half-decomposed mulch to the apple trees. It has worked well, except for the year we got a wasp nest on the leaves, and we could not touch the area until the winter. But it was a minor nuisance compared to the nice fungal compost the leaf pile provides.
Sometimes I get chunks out of the leaf pile to add as "browns" to a regular compost pile.
I read somewhere that you can do the leaf fungal compost without the mower, it just takes longer. My memory says the ideal time is two years, but I don't have yet a system set up for that length of composting time.
A good tip if you have to move the leaves from one side of the yard to another is to rake the leaves into a tarp, and then move the tarp. Makes it so much easier to locate the leaves in a good place.
I don't like mowers. Too noisy for me. We have a push one, but I have not bothered running it over the leaves.
I found the book where I read the time frame of 2 years for composting the leaves (see pic). The four methods to speed up the process down to 1 year are: shredding, watering, turning and inoculating with decomposes or including a nitrogen source.
The snippet is from "The Complete Compost Gardening Guide" (B. Pleasant & D. Martin)
I posted this a while back when my server was isolated from the Fediverse, so I'm posting again.
Our schools is doing a "Social-Emotional Learning Survey".It is possible to opt out. I took a look at the questions and I don't like the idea of my AuDHD son answering them.
The problem is I don't know if I'm overreacting. According to the principal, they will share the data with key adults to "provide targeted interventions".
Do you see any red flags or positives in questions such as:
"When you are working on a project that matters a lot to you, how focused can you stay when there are lots of distractions?"
"If you fail to reach an important goal, how likely are you to try again?"
"How often did you pay attention and
resist distractions? "
"How often did you follow directions in class?"
"How often did you get your work done right away, instead of waiting until the last minute?"
"How often did you remain calm, even when someone was bothering you or saying bad things? "
"How often did you keep your temper in check? "
"How often were you polite to adults?"
"How clearly were you able to describe your feelings?"
Here is the full survey in case anyone is curious.
It is 2007 or 2008. I am walking in one of the university buildings and there is a poster advertising a new seminar on climate change. It says something on the lines of "if we keep walking in the direction we are going, we'll arrive to the place where we are going".
Now it's 2023. October. I'm walking on a trail watching the leaves fall from the trees. But instead of the cold and crisp autumn air, I'm sweating, and the weather forecast projects 82F (28C). Just 5 days ago it was 64F (18C). Abrupt temperature changes like that are though for me and I go through the day in a haze and with a mild headache.
Systems have ways to keep themselves stable, but can also go through rapid transitions as they look for the next stable point. This year, more than others, I'm having the nagging feeling that something has tipped. The nagging feeling that we have arrived to where we were going.
I found wisdom in your thought. Sometimes gems need just a bit of polishing.
Yes, we're not ready.
At first I thought maybe you were thinking on a specific mitigation or adaptation strategy. But I agree that "readiness" in that regard may not be a useful concept.
Now that you bring up "emotional readiness", I may know what you mean. When I first became aware of the magnitude and consequences of climate change, while also learning about the entrenched role that fossil fuels have in our lives, and also seeing first hand the destruction of ecosystems that were close and meaningful for me... it was too overwhelming. It took me almost a decade to feel I could start actively taking steps towards climate action beyond my immediate personal circle.
To your comment I'd like to add, yes, we're not ready. But we can become ready.
We, as humanity, may be in a process of "growing up" where we'll need to have a sober assessment of our situation.
And in this process, it's going to be necessary to openly explore our emotions, so that we can feel the readiness that will help us do what is necessary.
I never thought I'd had so many different hashtags in a post! My apologies for spamming you all! But the #ClimateEmergency may truly be a #AllHandsOnDeck situation.