Ari "Two Elements" Jackson

Founding member of the Inflatable Unicorn Fight Club #IUFC Free hugs!

#ActuallyAutistic #queer #GenX #Kansan from #LFK, Certified Listener Poet, #Mindfulness #meditation teacher, hebalist, bodyworker, typewriter collector, Honda Element fan, Buddhist Dudeist, dog, cat, and chicken tender and superintelligent shade of the color blue.

Buy me a Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/aridee

Слава Україні! 🇺🇦
Protect Trans Lives 🏳️‍⚧️
Free Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Free Palestine 🇵🇸
#noindex
#nobridge

Posts are deleted after 6 months

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Home: NLFK

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Published at

2026-09-13T07:18:20Z

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Last Notes

2026-04-16 15:05:10 UTC

I think this might've flashed across my consciousness at some point in the last 10 years of surfing the web, but doesn't somebody make #merit #badges for #adulting?
I fucking need some of those -- and a fucking ostentatious sash to put them on.
Though I can't say I've really gotten any extraordinary adulting stuff done today, besides taking care of animals, which is rote.
I did get the recycling and trash out on Tuesday morning before the trucks got here. That was something! We had storms Monday night, so I didn't want to put the trash cans out when they might get blown around.

2026-04-04 13:56:20 UTC

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and they still haven't banned the Christian Bible? The Christian Bible contains all of those things that they want banned. Hypocrites!

2026-04-01 12:42:31 UTC

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I never even thought about that. 😳
Vibrations! Wow... I don't even want one near me to have to find out, but the powers that be are darn well trying because we're the poor part of town.
For a while last year there was some kind of low hum that kept happening intermittently and seemed especially prominent in the wee hours. I figured out it was coming from a weird tank/pump set up near the train tracks, which are two stone throws from my house (or about two dozen giraffes* laying down).
It was a deep low hum with a cycle and it kept me up at night because it was transmitted through the ground and through the very close water table about 15 feet underneath my house (I'm also four stones throw away from a significant river).
Another vibration like that would shred my sanity. The trains are fine because they're intermittent and their racket rarely last longer than just a couple of minutes.
But a constant, low, cyclic hum -- and more heat? We are building hell on earth.
* This is a joke about how Americans refuse to adopt the metric system

2026-03-31 18:57:54 UTC

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Thank you. I've been in need of an article about this because most people who only see normal (?) media have *no idea* at all how horrible these things are for the environment.

2026-03-13 19:25:19 UTC

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This is going to be an unpopular opinion, because a lot of adults do this for some reason, but I'll share it anyway:
For a number of decades I have thought that certain shaving and waxing practices, especially aimed at women, are actually promoting pedophilia. Or mock pedophilia, if you will.
To me, a shaved/waxed/hairless pubic area harks back to someone who is prepubescent -- making that, and the trend of lingerie as outerwear, all part of the same paedo-pushing culture in my mind.
Like I said, that's probably an unpopular opinion, and other people will likely want to argue vehemently with me about it, especially if they practice these things and enjoy these things themselves.
I am NOT judging folks who do these things or enjoy modifying their body hair in this way; I am pointing out the larger trend and a larger underlying cultural malfeasance.
In light of the sorts of revelations in this article, it is food for thought.
IMO, grown-ass people should be fucking hairy. Both in the literal and the metaphorical sense. 🤣

2026-03-12 14:02:48 UTC

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oh you're right, I should put the worms on the ground. They don't tend to go to feeders.

2026-03-12 13:02:46 UTC

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What a great tip! I didn't even think about feeding the robins soaked mealworms. I have some dried black soldier fly larvae that I feed my chickens. I think I'm going to give some a little spritz and put them in the front yard feeder.

2026-03-10 22:58:21 UTC

I thought you all might enjoy seeing Molly in her trailer.
She doesn't necessarily enjoy it, but it really is working well for us.
I'll run her brother for about half a mile first and then let her out to walk the rest of the way. I'm increasing his distance every time we go out as well, so we are all getting back up to conditioned.
Molly is up to .8 of a mile of walking now and doing great!
She's a month out from her surgery. We have our follow up x-ray in one month at which point I'm assuming she'll be released for full activity again.
It's hard because she really wants to run, but she's not allowed to run just yet.
#DogsOfMastodon
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/116/207/340/770/065/557/original/073fe61c5e36b30c.jpeg
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2026-03-06 16:39:26 UTC

I realize that I should've been more specific, so here's an edit: what I'm looking for is a way I can regularly live stream a meditation and have a fixed URL so that I can share that with people who want to watch (kind of the way people share a recurring Zoom link). It would be not just for folks here on Fedi -- it would be for anybody who has the link, including very non-tech savvy people. Also, I wouldn't be interacting with people the way someone would on Zoom.
I'm probably making this way too complicated as I'm overthinking this. 😬
Is there a #Fedi way to offer a weekly #livestream?
Wanting to start a short, regular meditation session that people can just tune into and watch without having to sign up for anything.
I would like to avoid YouTube, Zoom, and Twitch if at all possible.
Ideally, I would be able to embed the stream on my webpage (either my WordPress site or my Ghost site) so that it is easily accessible at the same place every week.
As video is not my forte, I'm asking you all, because some of you do live stream pretty regularly.
TIA for any advice and guidance.

2026-03-05 22:32:17 UTC

Have I said it yet today?
FUCK WAR

2026-03-01 16:12:14 UTC

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Happy Birthday, Kengo! 🥳🎉🎂🎁

2026-02-22 18:14:02 UTC

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Kengo is smiling so happily in that first picture! I'm glad you all got to go out and hike.

2026-02-22 00:27:27 UTC

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I so wish this was actually happening. It's the future I want. Can we make it happen?

2026-02-22 00:27:03 UTC

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Yes! 😍 At every pagan festival I've been to, people were asked (if they were able) to sign up for at least one two-hour shift of volunteering. My favorite iov was being the golf cart driver for the folks who had trouble walking over the rough terrain up in the mountains. It was fun to meet people and do good service for them! Most of the other jobs were done in pairs, though.

2026-02-18 23:02:14 UTC

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How could we be tired of flowers and Kengo? Never ever ever. 🤗

2026-02-03 16:07:49 UTC

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Oooh, these are just lovely!
It seems like everywhere else in the world has these fabulous, colorful birds (even the robins in Europe are more colorful and fun than ours, aptly named "turdus") and I'm here noting yet another "LBB" (little brown bird) sighting. 🙄

2026-02-03 14:58:27 UTC

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the writing in this is so tongue-in-cheek. Hilarious!

2026-02-02 20:38:50 UTC

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thank you for posting this. It is absolutely fascinating!
That is an ongoing conversation in both herbalism and in native plant restoration work. Should we be looking at what "pristine" areas were like and be emulating them? Should we be upset when what we plant doesn't emulate what we assume was originally growing there?
Or, should we be flexible, and go with what works? Let the plants guide us, let the plants tell us what they need and where they want to go?
I'm in the second camp; not only do these plants know exactly what they need, you can't force them to do anything (trust me, I've spent years trying to convince home gardeners that they should add native plants to their yards, but also cautioning them that they can be unruly and downright willful about whether or not they like being in your garden).
They migrate, they creep, they communicate, they make choices about where they're going to grow or not grow. They have a lot more intelligence than we give them credit.
I love that these folks are approaching these areas without bias and just learning about what's happening there now. It's amazing!

2026-02-02 15:51:52 UTC

A line from one of my poems that seems apropos at the moment (and pretty much always):
"but eschew the billionaires --
let's bring those stunted fruits
to their knees."
#poetry

2026-02-01 01:01:43 UTC

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Sleepmaxxing is something I can get behind!

2026-01-31 16:53:07 UTC

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it's amazing that you're getting snow there! What does Kengo think about it?

2026-01-31 16:45:23 UTC

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naturally! Kengo is a star. ⭐️

2026-01-31 15:30:22 UTC

Hey, cool! A friend turned me on to this tool. Haven't tried it yet, but will do so next time I encounter an article that is paywalled.
https://www.removepaywall.com/blog/install-shortcut

2026-01-25 15:53:35 UTC

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Mmmm! I don't have any Portobello, but I'm wondering if I can rehydrate and use the oyster mushrooms that I preserved last year? It'll be a great day to make some soup. Thanks for posting!

2026-01-20 22:35:09 UTC

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Ohhhh, his sweet face...

2026-01-17 17:07:33 UTC

I just liked somebody's photo of daffodils in a vase and it made me remember that I *did* get out there in late fall to plant about 100 bulbs in my front yard -- including many new-to-my-yard types of daffodil.
So now I'm excited for March to see what has made it through the winter and what will come up!
Every year I look at everybody else's ornamental spring flowers and I think aw, I want some of those. This year, I will have them in addition to all of my native flowers. Yay!
Since I don't have any pasqueflower here, the first plant to flower in my yard is usually the clove currant bush. It smells absolutely divine and provides berries for wildlife (I rarely get any).
#gardening #nativeplants

2026-01-17 14:44:35 UTC

It is #Caturday and the kittens are 7 months old today.
It's also #BettyWhiteDay! So don't forget to donate soon to your local animal rescue in her name if you have a few extra bucks.
It is still really difficult to get a picture of Ash when he's awake. So, blurry head it is.
#CatsOfMastodon
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/910/960/111/102/640/original/8a0c7ee95b5fb759.jpeg
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2026-01-14 23:41:45 UTC

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Aw, what a sweet selfie with Kengo!

2026-01-13 00:03:13 UTC

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unfortunately, I had a cache of a bunch of old punk rock zines and posters and I lent them to a friend who was cataloging these things, and the history of the music scene in our town, etc. And he died before I was able to get them back! He had my only copy of the art zine that my friends and I put out in the 1980s. 😬

2026-01-07 15:46:54 UTC

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Nope.
But, as another commenter mentioned, many feel powerless to stop the juggernaut they've built so they can be the baddies now.
It's been a systematic effort for years and years to put most folks on the rails, so, as we can only struggle to keep our heads above water, they can amass great fortune at the world's expense.
It is a schozoid split of a country, and unethical, greedy, lawless dipshits are at the wheel now. It's what the republicans have wanted for decades, apparently. Not a republic; an extractive capitalist machine that sucks the world dry for little green pieces of paper and gold-plated toilets.
They can't eat gold. It will take the working and serving class stopping feeding their delusions and stopping serving the billionaires to start change.
That won't happen; a general strike would only hurt us, not them. They can wait it out in their bunkers and on their yachts. We would starve, because we don't have systems for mutual aid and community care in place, and we don't have much wealth to distribute amongst ourselves to keep us afloat.
To put it mildly, it's quite the pickle.

2025-12-29 16:02:39 UTC

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Luckily with these, it actually looks really straightforward. I found a fabric that I love, love, love on Spoonflower; I just have to decide what weight of fabric to get, because it's really pricey.

2025-12-29 15:13:16 UTC

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Birds of a feather... due to my sister, I have two MCM chairs with terrible 1980s fabric on them, so they're just sitting in the storage room in the garage. I keep intending to replace the fabric with something cool from Spoonflower, but I haven't gotten around to setting up the sewing machine. I probably already said this to you before, but your posts about fixing things and sewing are very inspiring!

2025-12-29 00:55:14 UTC

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my word those are lovely. Don't let my sister see them; she would drive all the way to (redacted) just to have these. (She has a small problem with acquiring chairs...)

2025-12-28 23:39:28 UTC

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Here's the basic recipe!
https://www.recipesfromitaly.com/castagnaccio-recipe/

2025-12-28 22:33:54 UTC

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oh and Italian chestnut cake, which isn't really cake at all. It is ground up chestnuts combined with raisins and rosemary and pine nuts and some other spices (and no added sugar). Kind of like a cold polenta? Weird but compellingly tasty.

2025-12-28 22:29:04 UTC

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oh yeah they turn into gravel! It's an easy mistake.
My first year working at the chestnut orchard, I thought I would make some kind of shortbread cookie with chopped chestnuts on top for our harvest party. Nope! It was like chewing on sand with gravel nonpareils. Total fail!
My successes have been when I've made chestnut crème, and rolled that into things like chestnut Mont Blanc, chocolate chestnut pie, and this year, I made chestnut crème brûlée.
they're fantastic as a noodle substitute in minestrone. What I do is blanch and peel them, and then throw them into the soup around the same time that I throw in the green beans to cook.

2025-12-28 22:22:41 UTC

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as long as they're still in date, absolutely! I described Chestnuts as a cross between an acorn and a sweet potato. There's really nothing like them. They're not really nuts. They do well either cooked in fats or cooked in liquids, like braising. Since they have very little fat themselves, they need some kind of liquid to stay plump and edible.

2025-12-24 17:30:06 UTC

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Ahhhh, Kengo is not amused, but he sure is cute!

2025-12-21 14:23:42 UTC

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I like the back seat cover for Kengo! For a second I thought "What, a new dog companion for Kengo? But that's Kengo there?!" (It is early and I haven't had any coffee). Then I saw the comments re the new car. Enjoy!!

2025-12-12 03:35:10 UTC

I haven't had enough time over the past two days to work on learning more about #chess and it's totally making me cranky!
I have still been able to grind on Duolingo to keep my top spot in the Diamond league tournament, but I dearly want to get to my chess set on my kitchen table to set up some games scenarios and play some more historic games. I can lose myself for hours this way, and I don't have those hours over the next three days. UGHH BEING A GROWNUP SUUUUCKS
I just got a whole new set of cards ("The Chess Deck" by Levy Rozman) that outline the openings of numerous famous gambits, and I'm itchy, itchy because I haven't had enough time to physically practice (that is, with an actual board and everything, not just on the phone or iPad).
I guess this means that I like it and I'm going to keep doing it?! Unless I lose steam and the DHD of my #AuDHD side wins. If I'm still loving this in three weeks, that will be a victory.
Right now, the autistic side is more in control, thank the gods, evidenced by the fact that I've been keeping all of my dishes washed as I go and keeping up on some other household tasks.
Except vacuuming. I fucking hate vacuuming. 🤣

2025-12-10 16:29:37 UTC

I've had this coat for 3 winters so far.
It was a free hand me-down of an REI recycle/return (the name and phone number of the original owner, not anyone I know, are still written in multiple places on the tags inside!).
It is hands-down the best and warmest puffer jacket I've ever owned, but the zippers on the pockets were blown out when I got it.
I have lost multiple gloves out of these pockets over the last 3 winters, so today, I FINALLY mended the zippers.
(Burnout is a helluva thing!)
Yay for winter number four WITH pockets that zip again! Hopefully I won't lose my favorite gloves now.
#VisibleMending
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/696/198/796/267/859/original/993a5d08dce57420.jpeg

2025-12-10 02:04:50 UTC

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Aw, this is just the best! What a cool image. Thanks for sharing!

2025-12-07 16:33:20 UTC

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oooh, this one has been on my list for a while. Can't wait to see what you think!

2025-12-06 16:43:45 UTC

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I remember those days. They were ugly!

2025-12-06 16:40:10 UTC

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That is unbelievably wrong. Wow!

2025-12-06 16:32:39 UTC

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Wait, they blamed the vaccines for mutations?
Total facepalm, I literally just facepalmed. I couldn't not facepalm.
Willful. Ignorance. 🤬

2025-12-06 16:11:37 UTC

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Omgs, just the idea of being chronically infected sounds hellish! 😞
That is one thing I've found that most ordinary people don't understand and/or willfully ignore: mutations happen in human bodies. They don't happen magically out in the air or on the ground or because of sky fairies. You can't "positive think" your way out of potentially being a Petri dish.
Mutations. Happen. In. Living. Bodies.
Early on in the pandemic I was trying to remind people that if they got sick, they could potentially be a host for mutating the virus and passing it on in a mutated form to somebody else.
Nobody wanted to hear this! Everybody took it waaaaay too personally, like I was accusing them of somehow intentionally manipulating the virus to infect other people.
I don't understand why people can't understand basic facts about how viruses replicate. I guess that goes hand-in-hand with how they don't want to understand how viruses are transmitted.
They don't want to take personal responsibility for any of it. I'm so very tired of all of the willful ignorance.

2025-11-29 15:45:36 UTC

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Oh haha! Okay. Well, good luck!

2025-11-29 15:04:47 UTC

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Cheese cubes and cut up turkey hotdog are the things I use... but cream cheese does also work! So far mine haven't figured out that there's medication in them... (I'm assuming this post is about a dog?)

2025-11-28 19:48:21 UTC

New fren!
Arrived waaaaay earlier than I expected.
Its federation #beige, bebbes!
#plushtodon
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2025-11-24 15:31:44 UTC

This whole last week, all of the wild #birds have been making what I would call "springtime" sounds, especially the robins. We're just about to hit meteorological winter on December 1. I guess the birds don't have internet.
We have had some gentle rains, mild temperatures, and a lot of fog, which is more common in the fall around here than it is in the spring. But to me, the birdsong is distinctly spring-like.
Maybe I'm just associating their songs with spring, and they're actually their songs of optimism and "yay we have water in the sky", which can be spring, summer, or fall. They just all sound really chipper for some reason!

2025-11-12 02:38:07 UTC

Omg omg omg Northeast #Kansas #Aurora
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2025-11-09 16:45:34 UTC

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Yeah, it's... earthy. I don't mind the smell, but oils do help!

2025-11-09 16:41:10 UTC

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Thanks for posting the recipe. I'm probably going to have to handmake gifts for people this year. This will go over well!
I just had another brain fart where I foolishly bought some lotion that looked okay, ingredients-wise, from the grocery store.
The scent is HORRID! I do not know how people put up with crap that is scented so heavily and so terribly!
I seem to do this about every five years or so, try a new brand of lotion just because it looks good only to find out that it smells like axe body spray and dawn dishwashing detergent had a baby.
I'm going to put the bottle in a little free pantry because I can't even stand to think about using it.
I should've known better, but sometimes I forget that I have the capability to make my *own* lotion and hand creme that is *way* better.
Thanks for the reminder!

2025-11-05 23:25:39 UTC

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Ohhh. Look at Kengo's sweet, sweet face!
The leaves are lovely as well.
But that face!!! 🥰🥰🥰

2025-10-28 00:46:31 UTC

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Honestly I wish the world was such that the most sensational thing I had to post about was a cute tiny frog.
Thank you for posting the cute tiny frog!
These kinds of posts are essential to helping us continue to trudge along.
We have to see the tiny bits of beauty.

2025-10-26 16:01:11 UTC

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Happy Birthday! My dogs were born 4 years ago today. 🎉🥳

2025-10-19 00:04:15 UTC

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And holy crap we're already on Facebook. 🙄
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/397/900/083/935/239/original/b411cbe6bdb85651.jpeg

2025-10-19 00:00:08 UTC

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Hey! My friend's ex got a photo of us!
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/397/882/550/211/976/original/69735d170cdd2539.jpeg

2025-10-18 23:51:46 UTC

Woooooooooo!
The inaugural dance party of the Inflatable Unicorn Fight Club is officially done and dusted.
I tell you what, moving around in one of those costumes in a park with uneven ground and lots and lots of people and noise while you're sweating and dancing and fogging up the little window in the costume is one helluva challenge.
But we all survived, exhausted from dancing, but relatively unscathed. I was so proud of my friends coming out to do this with me! My speaker set up worked fairly well, too. My playlist wasn't long enough, which I thought was odd.
Tons of people asked for their photos with us. There were at least six other inflatable costumes that we ran across including a hippo, a chicken, a guy riding a chicken, three more unicorns, and a T-Rex. I can now see the appeal of those costumes that look like you're writing them. Only your midsection and legs are in the sweaty part. So I might consider getting one of those costumes. I don't prefer having my face exposed, though.
I don't have any photos because I did not go with my phone, but our pictures got taken so much that I expect to find us in the online paper -- if not tomorrow, sometime next week.
#NoKings

2025-10-16 03:09:22 UTC

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How did Kengo do in your absence? I am sure it's lovely to be with him again.

2025-10-16 02:45:15 UTC

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i've heard waaaaay too many stories of people just setting out completely unprepared to do something like this and ending up dying in horrible ways. 😞

2025-10-11 23:07:23 UTC

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I'm glad it turned out all right! Those near-miss meltdowns are brutal.

2025-10-11 00:26:11 UTC

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If they start gassing the boomer hippies that do the protests here, shit's gonna get too real.

2025-10-10 23:13:02 UTC

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I've been wanting to experiment with what kind of filter material I could put on the inside of the intake without reducing the inflating capacity. I have some surgical duck bill N95s that might work if I can figure out how to secure the material around the intake.
Regardless, I will be wearing an N95 under the costume.

2025-10-10 19:30:59 UTC

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Also they are made of nylon, like a lightweight tent. You basically have to have the intake fan going the entire time you're wearing it in order to keep it inflated.
I got this to stand up in my living room (so I could take this picture of it) by putting rubber bands on the ends of the arms and legs.
Yes I'm wearing it to the protest on the 18th. I'm trying to convince another friend of mine to get another one so we can dance around together.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/351/524/442/224/115/original/70ab7adecba70afa.jpeg

2025-10-09 17:52:42 UTC

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I can't even wrap my head around why somebody would want to do this as a service. (I don't need you to write out an explanation; I don't want to take up your time that way. I will look it up.)
I think this is one of the stupidest things I have seen proposed recently. Next thing you know we'll have LED billboards in space or... whatever.
That's not the future I want! I want dark nights and to be able to see the Milky Way from my house, and for birds not to get lost in their migration paths and healthier sleep and... I guess I want to time travel back to the 1200s, when there were no satellites and no electric lights. Grrrr.

2025-10-06 19:27:35 UTC

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I would be really happy if you "photo bombed" us with more of these gorgeous pictures! But it is also very important that you enjoy your time at home. Thank you for sharing these.

2025-10-05 16:11:27 UTC

In #gardening news (other than my complete failure at being a potato farmer this year because of interpersonal conflict), we were trying to add nitrogen to some bare fill soil that is along the sidewalk at my mom's house. So we over-seeded with white clover seed a few times, and it was doing really well!
Then, without telling her they were going to do it, the lawn company that does the lawns in their neighborhood sprayed the clover and the few dandelions with a broadleaf weed killer last week.
Mom is livid! We were actually trying to do something with that soil in a non-chemical, advantageous way so that she can have plants grow there and not have these big, bare patches of soil that even stupid grass can't take hold in.
I don't know what to do now. I guess wait until the half-life or whatever of the broadleaf herbicide used passes because we won't be able to plant anything until that happens. 🤬🤬🤬
Yes, we have tried over-seeding with grass numerous times. The grass did not take. The soil is AWFUL, which is why we were trying to improve it with a nitrogen-fixating plant.
She said she doesn't want flowers in that area, but I really think throwing down some flower seeds and flagging it off is the only way to go. I'm going to start shopping for bulk native seeds that need overwintering and probably spend too much time manually removing grass clumps to cultivate those seeds. she said that they are allowed to cultivate flowers a few inches (maybe 12?) out from their sidewalks? So I'm going to use that regulation to her advantage.
The natives that I planted alongside her house after she moved in, pictured below -- which has the same exact fill soil -- are doing really well. People actually like them! She was even featured in the newsletter a few years ago. They're not a formal garden, but they are a solid pollinator garden. I'm trying to get her neighbors more on board with natives and pollinator gardens, but it is an uphill battle.
I have not had much time to devote to this crisis because I'm working every day right now, but it's on my mind because I don't like seeing my mom upset about things like this. She actually said that sometimes she regrets living in the neighborhood, even though it's the one she wanted to live in when she moved back here.
I've been trying to find an equivalent house in my neighborhood since before we moved her, but they go too fast. I have told her for years that if she did move up here, I would take responsibility for her yard work. What that means in my book is, as a little lawn as possible, and as much food and native plants as possible. She's on board.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/322/401/667/168/178/original/b11eaa577c99a5a4.jpeg

2025-09-21 11:57:11 UTC

#Kitten update:
They managed to unplug two fans and almost unplugged my router overnight. Fortunately I had put anti-chewing protection on the optical fiber line that's coming through the wall and hiked it up well off the floor so that they can't chew through that. The router is actually up in the top of the closet.
I got, I don't know... fewer than six hours of sleep? I am loathe to check my sleep stats, honestly.
These buggers are also impossible to photograph unless they are sleeping.
Here are some "action" shots. 🤣
Enjoy!
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/242/123/105/001/316/original/0da05f3ba825673f.jpeg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/242/123/116/860/258/original/fa6c8f829a97585c.jpeg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/242/123/122/966/669/original/0927c07722ee4c86.jpeg

2025-09-19 13:17:44 UTC

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I honestly could have written this post myself.
I deep-dive all sorts of medical and scientific topics. I find I have really solid comprehension of even very dense reports, and I am able to draw conclusions and suppositions from them that can help me and other people (part of why I do the reading I do is because of my work).
I'm in a medically-adjacent profession with a deep knowledge of the structure, function, and pathologies of the human body, but I am by no means a medical practitioner.
Yet I do often know way more about whatever condition I've looked into (or experiencing) than the medical professionals that I encounter. I seriously often have to tone it down.
I have long wished that medical advocacy was a thing. Having a deeply knowledgeable, compassionate, yet dispassionate third person in medical conversations would be so helpful to most patients! They're often overwhelmed by the gaps in communication styles and the infodump word salad of medical terms from doctors (who tend to be very siloed and forget their patients aren't trained in the way they are).

2025-09-14 21:40:32 UTC

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Stunning!

2025-09-10 02:51:54 UTC

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I gave one of the prints that you sent me to my sister for her birthday and I wanted you to see how she framed it. 🥰🪺
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/177/722/008/612/993/original/b784b80b23e44539.jpeg

2025-09-10 02:47:21 UTC

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Oh gosh, you are reminding me how much I love working with porcelain. I have got to get back into clay. It is a goal... your work is very inspiring to me!

2025-09-10 02:44:49 UTC

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Wow! 🥰

2025-09-08 22:37:23 UTC

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It was a distressingly busy day here as well.
I just got back from a short trip yesterday and I prefer to have at least one day to decompress, but I didn't get it.
I always love the photos you post of Kengo!
I hope the rest of your week goes smoothly and calmly (assuming that is what you prefer...)

2025-09-07 20:55:55 UTC

#SilentSunday
Siblings reunited and sleeping!
#DogsOfMastodon
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/164/998/122/478/869/original/a5bbf520af8367c3.jpeg

2025-09-02 22:54:30 UTC

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Oh laws this is my FAVE Mac ever!!! But mine is sitting in a tub in the garage bc it needs a new motherboard installed.
It won't accept either of of the drives, floppy or CD. I can no longer connect it to the Internet, either.
But that keyboard for writing. Was. The. Best!

2025-08-26 01:38:45 UTC

Please read this entire thread. The truth remains the truth no matter who wants to stick their heads in the sand. This is powerful and sobering.
From: @npub1h30…z24y
https://mstdn.social/@mcnado/115090143137860449

2025-08-26 00:14:31 UTC

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I learned today that they *are* supposed to notify us, because the person at the streets department blamed the subcontractors!
Everybody at City Hall is really good at blame shifting. It's really tiresome.

2025-08-25 22:04:57 UTC

I LEVELED UP IN KAREN TODAY!
This is the second time in as many months that I have come home and I couldn't easily access my front driveway because some subcontractor for the city has blocked off my street and dug a big hole in the street.
This time I'm escalating it with the city.
If I had clients coming over in the next two days? I would have to reschedule them -- thus these subcontractors would have lost me money. That is what I'm going to tell the person if they call me back. All I want is notification so I can prepare for disruptions like this. They *are* supposed to notify us ahead of time when they are going to block our streets off. They never do so.
The last time I talked to the streets department, the person I talked to admitted that a lot of the times they don't even know where their crews are on any given day.
I live in a part of town where we don't have street parking, and a lot of us don't have alternate parking spaces -- we've got driveways either in front of or behind our houses. The city rarely blocks off the alleys, fortunately.
Blocking access to my driveway without telling me and leaving a big hole there for who knows how long is just maddening.
Spitefully, I got around it this afternoon (yay, off-road tires and really knowing my car's edges) and got into my driveway, but I will have to move my car tonight because they will have equipment out there in the morning doing whatever they're going to do with the fucking hole that they've left.
I stuck a typed note on the closed road sign. Oh yes I did.
If they put in concrete (which is what I think they're going to do because it's around a sewer cover?) I'm absolutely going to go out there with a stick and write antifascist slogans in the concrete when they leave. 🤬🤬🤬
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/091/655/595/138/918/original/98d0c159c71b6cc1.jpeg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/091/655/557/648/111/original/dd8c09058079bc7a.jpeg

2025-08-25 13:56:25 UTC

One of my closest friends telling me not to use the word "fascist" except to talk about the people in power.
No.
Fascist tactics are permeating every level of society at this point, and the neighbor that has used state (city) power to cite a friend of mine on their overgrown garden is using *fascist* tactics to control outcomes that have NO ACTUAL IMPACT on them.
They just want to get all up in someone else's business rather than actually find out what is going on and perhaps helping their neighbor -- because that is how the fascists roll. They use the law as they see fit and to punish others and then they hide behind it when it suits them.
I call it like I see it. Also it's easier to type than "authoritarian".

2025-08-24 23:40:16 UTC

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Nicely done! That really sounds like fun.

2025-08-24 13:36:44 UTC

#SilentSunday
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/084/003/410/388/256/original/edd8bd20107acd43.jpeg

2025-08-21 20:04:04 UTC

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It's a stunning picture, but it hurts my brain trying to figure it out !

2025-08-21 20:02:13 UTC

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I am more than a little concerned.
I have heard people (in person) talking about their AI interactions as if it was some sort of seer, almost god-level. The AI was definitely encouraging them to think that they had mystical, almost messianic powers. It was frightening to witness.
When you know the mechanism, when you understand that it's simply regurgitating everything that it has slurped up from the Internet, good and bad, it becomes all the more worrisome.
We need to remind people to *pay attention* to the man behind the curtain, as it were. L Frank Baum got that bit right, even if he was a racist asshole.

2025-08-15 23:37:40 UTC

Another really kickass #bug I saw in my client's garden this afternoon. At first I thought it was an injured bumblebee because it has similar coloring.
It was crawling around in the mulch by the brick walkway and it climbed up a piece of mulch and flipped over on its back, so I flipped it back over and it thought I was trying to eat it.
I promised it that I was not a predator.
#Bugstodon #BugsOfMastodon #Insects
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/035/396/245/644/834/original/44ba09056b1d1411.jpeg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/035/404/127/415/369/original/5ee3824cb4f81f2f.jpeg

2025-08-15 01:50:30 UTC

Y'all I know I already boosted this once, but WOW.
This is one of the only positive current uses of "AI" that I am aware of -- besides some limited medical uses.
I am anti-AI in general, but when it is used for a positive preservation good like this, I will condone it.
I am listening now on my streaming service and I am GOBSMACKED.
Absolutely gobsmacked.
What a piece of history. So timely.
Do find it where you can and give a thoughtful listen.
#Music #antifacist #WoodyGuthrie
https://inthesetimes.com/article/new-protest-music-anti-fascist-folk-singer-woody-guthrie

2025-08-13 19:11:05 UTC

Frens!
I did go to the lake with the dogs.
Unfortunately my camera was set on time lapse rather than video, so the videos I got are hilarious.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/023/032/925/758/062/original/d72008397d4368a2.jpeg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/115/023/032/934/831/987/original/aad0409570be8220.jpeg

2025-08-12 22:22:29 UTC

So how is #gardening going, especially after the Great Potato Debacle of 2025?
It's not.
Garden partner got their knickers all in a dramatic twist, didn't explain it, didn't ask for help or give any clarification, only ranted about money, and has now absolutely ghosted everybody.
My chickens ate all the sweet potato slips that I had both planted in my back yard and had heeled into sand for planting at the big garden.
Those damn birds also killed all of my dahlias. Dahlias are incredibly easy to grow -- unless you have chickens.
The chard that I put in the same spot never appeared because of same. (I still have time to replant chard for fall, but... chickens!)
Parts of my front yard are now way too shady for the raised bed that I put my few peppers and tomatoes into, so they're not thriving.
And slugs got my cucumbers.
I think I'm going to quit trying to raise food myself.
I SUCK at it! 😖

2025-08-08 20:38:45 UTC

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another episode that knocked it out of the park, to use a sports phrase.

2025-08-08 18:50:15 UTC

Laughing bc yes, of course, #Honda, I already HAVE this exact tent... I've just never had a chance to use it!
I'd never seen it set up. It is roomy! I kinda want to move my chair in there while I am waiting because OF COURSE I do.
A queen-sized air mattress and two big dogs would fit in the tent, no problem. (As one of my Colorado acquaintances used to say, "I don't camp; I move.")
At the dealership today getting an oil change like a frikken GROWNUP. 🙄
This brightened my day!
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/994/613/059/292/468/original/e4e6d46269c0b411.jpeg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/994/625/684/278/178/original/d0f996073079a4e3.jpeg

2025-08-08 15:56:24 UTC

Cutie patootie from yesterday's lake trip. #Bloomscrolling
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/993/953/027/827/324/original/c959726ba91327ba.jpeg

2025-08-08 15:50:06 UTC

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Omgs the more I look the worse they get!!!

2025-08-07 20:07:54 UTC

#Kitten update: they are just over 7 weeks old now.
My BFF and I have a date on September 14th to meet in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas in the morning for kitten and birthday gifts exchange. That's about halfway between our two cities.
I don't think there are any lunch places we will be able to eat at on a Sunday there, though, especially with kittens in tow.
Kaly on the left and Ash on the right being held by BFF's oldest grandkid.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/989/272/985/861/344/original/bf3a34aaf1083a3d.jpeg

2025-08-06 15:27:44 UTC

Lookit this chonker! Not mine -- a client's.
We were trying to figure out if it's a rooster though. It has faster comb and wattle growth than its siblings.
It was supposed to be a hen; but it hasn't started crowing or active aggressively toward its siblings. My recc was wait and see if it does either before making any decisions about how/where to rehome.
#ChickensOfMastodon #FediverseChook
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/982/510/630/307/584/original/8b9f7cb654e15c16.jpeg
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/982/510/624/597/549/original/c7c75d8d955a9267.jpeg

2025-08-04 19:28:19 UTC

I improvised crockpot peanut butter chicken and put it over cilantro lime rice for lunch and wowweee, it's good!
Until this last month, I had no idea that "pulled" chicken is just braised/boiled slowly in liquid and then shredded with forks when it's tender. It's absurdly easy to make and the sauce possibilities are many.
One of my clients yesterday was talking about making peanut butter chicken in the crockpot and I thought heck, I will give it a try.
You would not think that peanut butter, chicken, and minced garlic would go together at all. They do!
I didn't really put any sweetener into the chicken dish because I don't need the sugar, but it probably would taste better if I put a some in. A couple of the recipes I referenced suggested honey, but I never cook honey.
No pictures, because it's basically just a tasty yet unattractive beige blob of food no matter how prettily you might plate it.
I will make a point of having some colorful foods like greens and purples and reds at dinner. I've been trying to make myself eat one salad-ish meal a day like a damn grown up.
Cilantro is a vegetable, right? Hot sauce is also a vegetable? Right?
I don't have any on hand, but bell peppers and red onion, sautéed, would taste really good with this chicken.
Pantries are usually only full of beige, white, and brown food, it seems. Ah, but that is what pantries are for!

2025-08-03 04:58:36 UTC

Tonight I did a monumental thing.
I emailed a newer, local next-gen #typewriter repair person to open up the conversation about rehoming most of my stock of machines.
This is the stuff of legend, honestly!
All typewriter collectors want to hear from old people who have collected so many machines that they don't know what to do with them.
I've been the lucky recipient of a barn find, myself.
Since the pandemic started, though ,and especially since my loss of my relationship, for many, many reasons, I haven't had the time or energy for such a hobby.
Machines have simply languished in my possession, and that's not fair to the world. These machines need to get out and into the hands of people who want to use them.
We shall see if this young, enthusiastic repair person gets back in contact with me. I have a sneaking suspicion that they are also neurodivergent.
I don't have any desire for a bulk rehoming of machines. In fact, I suggested a gradual transfer of machines over the next few years so that they can afford to take on the stock and keep their business going.
I will end up taking an incredibly deep loss financially, but the whole point of collecting in the first place was to keep machines out of key cutters' hands and out of the hands of people on Pinterest who would just want to paint them white and stick cacti in them.
The last time I went to a national gathering of typewriter enthusiasts was 2019. I long for those days, but the entire group has splintered. Unfortunately, we let politics enter the arena. We broke our own damn rules.
I also long for less stock and more space to do other things. It's time for my sister and me to start cleaning out my dad's art studio and make some progress on repairing the building. That will include getting rid of most of his cameras -- and most of my typewriters. I'm OK with that!
Were I a less scrupulous person, I would basically just advertise a "barn sale" to other collectors, first come with a truck, first served. But I really want to encourage a younger generation to get into the art of repairing and preserving machines. If I can supply stock to this young repair person over the next few years, it will be an honor.
I promised that if we do meet up, I will demonstrate the secret typewriter handshake. It is a thing!

2025-08-01 03:28:30 UTC

Almost forgot to post this.
Evidence of a leaf-cutter #bee in my yard! I must be doing things right.
https://media.beige.party/media_attachments/files/114/951/374/935/819/802/original/da35378e6ffb9506.jpeg

2025-08-01 00:53:51 UTC

Hey everyone. I've got the next #gravy
It is #potato
From: @npub1x5z…u3k4
https://tomkahe.com/@GiftArticles/114950721433956471