My elderly neighbor had amazing mandarin and grapefruit trees in her yard when I was young. I have a distinct memory of being up on her roof on a particularly cold and windy day, harvesting the mandarins, trying not to get poked by the massive 6-8cm spikes along the branches while we combed through each part of the tree. She was grateful to have our help and I really enjoyed time spent around her. Great memory that I didn't think about until your post, so thank you!
I'm even more hopeful than ever seeing locals showing up to vote for common sense policies and representatives. I've felt a distinct lack of interest in civic responsibility and political activism from most folks in Texas for years, although some groups are definitely making up for the broader public apathy in the way they show up. I'm unfairly comparing Texas to other politically active places like New York is in the way people are civically engaged, but this is good news to me overall. The tide continues to turn...
Oh, thank you for this! Any excuse to enjoy one more weekend preparing/resting rather than doing the hard labor. Especially if it means I'm helping out our friends!
I'm still trying to determine what kind of fruit trees are growing in the yard. Getting closer to identifying them as the days pass! Getting more confident about the plum and apple guesses.
It's been fun to see the grapevines waking up; I made a few wreaths with the trimmed vines last week. I'll keep picking at the mint that I found lounging around the stairs so it doesn't get too out of hand.
Cut down some invasives and trimmed up the trees a few weeks ago and everything is filling out nicely. Once the leaves and branches are fully raked and removed, I'll be able to see what's up for the rest. It looks like most of the pollinators are awake and about now that it's warm enough so I feel better about tidying up the leaves to send to the city compost.
I pressed some of the freshly fallen PJM rhododendron flowers between parchment paper and set them under some weight. Looking forward to seeing what they look like in a few weeks.
I'm discovering hyacinth (and gardening for that matter) for the first time this year! Yours has an incredible color! I'm on mobile using the Jerboa app so I'm not sure if the pic i added uploaded. We'll see! Also our PJM Rhodie is in bloom.
We're still trying to figure out what kind of fruit trees we have in the backyard but I'm assuming plum, and maybe apple or pear.
My colleague introduced me to the term Traditional Ecological Knowledge today, which is very reminiscent of what you're describing. This should be standard practice to learn everywhere!
Awesome anecdote and wise words to live by. We all have a part to play, no matter how small we perceive it to be. Our friends, family, and neighbors all need to know that we don't capitulate to the pressure of bullies.
Every single person I talk to just wants a normal life - to put food on the table, and to be able to have a decent existence in their short time on this planet.
We're all struggling to understand this chaos we exist in now. Let's all try to be as understanding as we can with each other... that is, all except for the N@zis at the Fed right now. They can most certainly get f'd.
This comment is further motivating me to get back to lifting heavy things. I miss body building... and also raves! It's been too many years since I've engaged in either.
This was a great synopsis of the tour and a focus on some of the key points.
On the matter of Dems that aren't fighting for the people, there are indeed a few but they've been pushed out by big money campaigns, such as Jamààl Bowman. He is an authentic leader that is constantly making the rounds with folks on the ground, and ÀIPÀC ran a smear campaign against him that cost him his congressional seat.
What stings is that Dems don't come to the defense of their own, and the few that are actually doing anything good just get forced out, lack press, or are outright silenced. There's no unity within the party because they're all bought by different interests, competing for the same kickbacks.
If I can give you any small kernel of hope, there are a lot of people in the world, including non profits, government workers, community champions, and people that talk to their friend networks about living for and facilitating a more sustainable and respectful life on this planet - that care about people and the environment, and are fighting every day of their lives, dedicated to mitigation and adaptation regarding climate change. They may not have very much power, but they are surely standing up right now against this brain drain, and I feel confident that the tide will eventually turn. Will it be in the time we need it to? Absolutely not, but all is not lost.
It's happening - people are tired of the bullshit and are putting differences aside to tackle the world's foremost problem that we know how to solve. I'm so grateful, and despite the dumpster fire that is the US government right now, there's so much hope to be found here!
This was awesome! So much history I didn't know. Proud to be among this group! Mountain biking is my favorite sport, and ebikes are my primary choice for commuting (when I can safely). So grateful for those that paved the way.
Seconded!