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.

No Mow May is in full swing - dandelions abound!

For San Antonio being a purple to somewhat blue city, I'm surprised to hear there was no event there, especially given the proximity to Austin.

Hear hear. They're fallible, make trash decisions, and bleed like the rest of us. It's time we recognize them only as the scourge they are.

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.

I'm very meh on the AWD as someone in the north. Not needed, but a/c is definitely helpful!

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!

This is the way.

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.

I really enjoyed this article and had no idea that the Tamaulipan forest was even a thing. It's encouraging to see that there are efforts to reforest the area; I hope that the areas not yet seeded aren't repurposed for development. It seems like building our urban centers in the RGV more densely, perhaps rezoning single family for mixed use, could be helpful to prevent urban sprawl there, as Texas is notorious for that. I'm encouraged to support the efforts there, and hope this chaos of current disinvestment in our climate mitigation/adaptation is only a tiny blip in our future of stewarding the lands.

We really should be doing more to get kids outdoors to see what it could be - get them to nature preserves, into environmental education programs, and internships that get them into tree planting, soil and water testing, and get them excited to learn about the natural world before we lose more of it. I've seen with my own eyes how impactful those can be on the trajectory of their careers, and it makes for an incredible, well-rounded experience for them that can build lasting friendships with humans and the ecosystem alike.

Just to reiterate for anyone reading, the section you want to focus on is Workforce, and yes - what are we going to do about this list? My creative resources are depleted atm but I know there's others here with solutions.

Cyclists have known this and promoted this idea for years. There's just so few protections for them in the legal system in practice, and on the flip side, so few consequences for drivers that harm cyclists and pedestrians. That's one of the things that keeps people away that are even remotely interested in cycling as transportation. That's not to mention the lack of interest/funding in cycling infrastructure.

Smart approach to go to the union, didn't think to do that. Thanks!

You're at least making up for my inability to step away from it atm. I wouldn't have bought into the environment had it not been for my partner, and work of course. I grew up on PS and PC gaming, just recently started using Xbox. Damn it.

I'd like to think I'm pretty decent at sticking to boycotts, but holy hell, my work platform is Microsoft and their products, and I run gaming servers for my friends online and play through game pass. This is going to be so hard for people to step back and not use their platforms and software if they're in it like me. Not sure how to proceed.