mk30

wastewater specialist in training (back in school), art doodler, plant person, aspiring forest hag, living off-grid on hawai'i island. aloha 'aina!

this is my plant/gardening account. for other stuff, this is my 'general' account: @mk30

Public Key

npub1a9lffd6gxvmy4rq0krtpxe8mumjpadgwas76xfjq7ux39vfmuq5qn9mqqg

NIP-05 Address

mk30@regenerate-social.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqswjl55kayrxdj23s8mp4snvna7deq7k58wc0dryeq0wrgjkya7q2qpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds3u4x3s

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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npub1a9lffd6gxvmy4rq0krtpxe8mumjpadgwas76xfjq7ux39vfmuq5qn9mqqg

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Last Notes

2026-04-01 05:54:33 UTC

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@nprofile…guy9 my place is on pahoehoe lava that's 300-500 years old. there's a whole forest on it, but the excavator was pulling trees off the top of the rock, and they were coming up with a carpet of 3-4" of tangled roots and organic matter. you can literally roll up the organic layer like a carpet in a lot of places.
pahoehoe lava is mostly solid rock (it's not cinder), so to get it flat requires intense hammering. after the first day, the excavator person had scraped the entirety of the forest off the top of the rock, and the whole second day he was hammering with the excavator to break up the rock in some of the higher areas to make it more flat. tomorrow i'm getting 30 tons of 2.5" base course rock delivered. then this coming weekend (weather permitting), the excavator will come back and create a driveway and house pad with that rock.

2026-03-30 18:34:31 UTC

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This morning, after day 2 of excavation: https://youtube.com/shorts/3Ry2ul5VC60
I'm still not sure if this is the right thing to do, but it's done and I need to make the best of it. I gotta honor the sacrifice of the forest.
#offgrid
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2026-03-28 19:19:02 UTC

Excavation day 1!: https://youtube.com/shorts/x45PiP6Cxkg
#offgrid #hawaii

2026-02-26 20:35:19 UTC

Having a non-rainy morning, so here are some photos from the garden:
1) dendrobium orchid with a lovely smell
2) speckled pigtail anthurium
3) tiggy the cat
4) purple spotted phalaenopsis orchid
#gardening #hawaii #plants #bloomscrolling #orchids #anthurium #cat #cats
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2026-02-25 02:45:00 UTC

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@nprofile…guy9 i've seen them turn black and start to rot on the tree. coconuts however WILL bonk you on the head.

2026-02-24 22:05:53 UTC

An extremely productive tree at my friend's place... just loaded with jackfruit.
She's a newcomer to the island and these trees were already on the property she bought with her husband. I was looking at the tree in awe and she said that another friend of hers did the same. She has several trees on her property that are equally productive. This is all she's ever known about jackfruit, so in her mind, this is just normal, right? I don't have much experience with jackfruit myself, but I can still recognize and admire such a productive tree that makes pounds and pounds of good food.
#food #jackfruit #gardening #plants #trees #hawaii
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2026-02-06 23:14:33 UTC

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@nprofile…lkd4 so I think that part of the length of the process is to let flavors fully develop. I suspect that it still has flavor after less-intense processing.
When I harvested them yesterday, one had split open quite a bit, and I could already smell vanilla from inside. So one possible way this could have developed is: imagine no one uses the vibe, it's just a plant in a place with its native pollinator. Flower gets pollinated, bean develops naturally, starts to split, then maybe falls on the ground and starts to ferment. During the day, it naturally gets exposed to sun, at night it stays warm and wet in the jungle air. Tasty smells waft from it, attracting humans. (Because right now, as they're drying in the sun, the air around them smells great.) So maybe this process is based off something like that...I really don't know.
Cacao is also complicated! Let the beans ferment with the pulp for 10 days (that makes sense, because that could normally happen, if the pod falls and splits, for example). But then drying them for a while and slowly roasting them on a dry pan? Whose idea was it to roast these rotten beans? 😅

2026-02-06 23:06:28 UTC

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@nprofile…lkd4 I too wonder this!!!!

2026-02-06 22:12:07 UTC

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Next step on the vanilla journey: 10-14 days of "sun drying during the day and sweating with the hot water bottle in an insulated cooler bag at night."
After yesterday spent in the cooler bag, today is the first day of sun-drying (as shown below).
The air smells like vanilla 🥰
4/
#vanilla #food #plants #gardening #hawaii
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2026-02-05 19:30:23 UTC

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After patting the vanilla pods dry, I wrapped them in towels and packed them in an insulated cooler bag with a hot water bottle, wrapped in more towel.
This is the beginning of the "sweating" stage that lasts 10-14 days. The will spend evenings wrapped up with a hot water bottle in an insulated cooler bag, and they will spend daytime drying in the sun.
See process description here: https://www.kingson-foodtech.com/en/a4-11232-16797/The-Journey-of-Vanilla-Beans-Vanilla-Bean-Processing.html
And here: https://www.vanillapura.com/blogs/vanilla-extract-making-101/how-to-cure-vanilla-beans-at-home-a-step-by-step-guide
Pic 1: I wrapped the pods in their little towels, then packed them in an insulated cooler bag that was lined with a big folded towel.
Pic 2: I put a hot water bottle on top, wrapped it all up in the big towel, and zipped up the cooler bag.
The will stay like this till tomorrow (I'll keep an eye on the water bottle and refill with hot water as necessary), then will set to sun dry during the daytime tomorrow.
#vanilla #orchids #plants #food #hawaii
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2026-02-05 19:23:19 UTC

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The first step in vanilla pod processing is to "kill" the bean via boiling or freezing.
I don't have a freezer, so I decided to submerge in boiled water for 3-5 mins.
Instructions here: https://www.vanillapura.com/blogs/vanilla-extract-making-101/how-to-cure-vanilla-beans-at-home-a-step-by-step-guide
And here: https://www.kingson-foodtech.com/en/a4-11232-16797/The-Journey-of-Vanilla-Beans-Vanilla-Bean-Processing.html
Pic 1: beans in boiled water (not on the flame - just in water that I boiled).
Pic 2: after boiling, I laid them out and dried them with a towel.
#vanilla #plants #food #hawaii #orchids
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2026-02-05 19:19:21 UTC

It's vanilla bean harvest day! After growing vanilla vines in various places for various years and finally getting some flowers in a place I could reach (as opposed to high up in a tree), then hand-pollinating them with the right technique, then waiting for the pods to reach full size over a couple months, then letting the pods ripen on the vine for 9 months, they're finally ready to harvest!
I'll be using this thread to track the rest of the process.
So, how did I know when to harvest? According to this blog post: https://vanillery.com/ripe-green-vanilla-pods/ they are ready to harvest when the bottoms are yellow and just starting to crack. I've included pics below showing my pods this morning when I decided to harvest.
Pic 1: yellow on the bottom
Pic 2: yellow on bottom and just starting to split
Pic 3: further splitting, with seeds visible inside. I smelled this one at the place where it was opening, and it smelled fantastic - like vanilla.
Next steps described in next posts...
1/
#vanilla #orchids #plants #hawaii #food
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2026-01-25 07:32:45 UTC

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@nprofile…fzyj are you getting enough sun and rain these days?

2026-01-17 03:08:14 UTC

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@nprofile…hawp @nprofile…guy9 it looks like a cenote 🤔

2026-01-15 21:01:49 UTC

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@nprofile…n0jn i have so many plastic bins ;_;
and it doesn't really work for small things.

2026-01-15 20:46:39 UTC

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@nprofile…kna2 what the heck...is there snow on the ground? are they trying to leaf-blow snow?

2026-01-15 20:28:41 UTC

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...dealt with a few problem surfaces and now I have most of the rest of the little stuff in a pile. GOD I hate all this little stuff. It doesn't have a place, I don't know what's useful, and you have to go through it piece by piece. If anyone has tips on dealing with tiny place-less items, please lmk.
#cleaning #organizing
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2026-01-13 18:38:28 UTC

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@nprofile…5kaq as a womb-haver, I see *other* people way too concerned about who's having or not having kids (including my mom 🫩).

2025-12-31 19:25:56 UTC

i finished the solar shed extension yesterday (except for the gutter, which i still need to add): https://youtube.com/shorts/F6OI4zJyxSc?feature=share
currently the water tote is under there, but once the gutter goes up, the tote can be moved outside and start receiving water. then i can start putting things under the extension (mostly garden and construction supplies, buckets, etc.). THEN i can start taking down the other extension that's not really doing its job right now (it leaks and is not really fixable, but i will re-use the materials).
and at some point in the distant future, maybe i can add more solar panels to the current array (which is on the solar shed itself, but now there's more roof space for panels to go). but i'll probably need a larger charge controller before i can do that. anyway, one step at a time!
#diy #offgrid #homestead

2025-12-15 20:30:01 UTC

a few updates from my place:
* i have made big progress in containing one of my invasive vines (which i posted about here: https://regenerate.social/@mk30/115641462292092095 ). the main section of it is contained in an area that's maybe 15 ft squared. there are other bits of it, but the main section is contained. the goal is to eliminate it entirely.
* i am re-doing the main gutter on my kitchen (that goes to my kitchen's water catchment system). it was not secured properly (basically tied up with cord), so i'm going to try and do it a bit more properly. i've taken it down, thought about how to secure it properly, painted the 2x4 that it will be attached to, and the next step will be to secure the 2x4 under the edge of the roof.
* i am adding an extension onto my solar shed for more dry space. it will also allow me to potentially add more panels to the system. i got 2 of the 4x4s painted, cut, placed on leveled concrete blocks, and arranged so that roof can be tucked right under the current roof (this extension will be on the lower side of the shed). i was about to set up the other 4x4s, but it turns out i only have 1 more! so i painted it and have to get another 4x4 next time i go to town.
i'd like to maintain momentum on these projects, but i have a final tomorrow and the day after for my wastewater course, so i have to actually study for them! classes are done and my mind is already on break, but i WILL study. and by wednesday afternoon, i'll be on winter break!!
also i have to pack and mail xmas gifts, do laundry, refill water, and take the trash to the transfer station. that should all be today lol.

2025-12-14 22:51:29 UTC

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@nprofile…yvu4 the wizard of gauze is a mummy doctor who practices in secrecy because he is misunderstood by the world. He drives icy roads at night, and if he encounters any car accident victims, he uses pieces of his own wrappings to patch them up. He calls 911, gives the location, and continues on his way.

2025-12-01 00:25:39 UTC

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@nprofile…02kw you're amazing! A champion of pro-social cultural practice!
Is this in Chicago by any chance? Looks like it could be.

2025-12-01 00:24:39 UTC

I'm dilly-dallying on doing a small (bug annoying) water repair, so I'm sharing what I've been doing the last few days: clearing a large area of this ding dang vine.
It covers everything, grows in 0 soil, chokes other plants, crawls *under* other plants, puts down roots at every node, breaks very easily (so you can't really tug on it and get the whole string), the root breaks easily (I've started using my garden knife to get the roots out), has a pretty strong root given how delicate the vine is, comes back from a single node, every node can put out vines in multiple directions, and if you leave it in a pile, it'll grow back.
And the worst part? I introduced it myself 😭😭😭😭. I've been battling it for years, and every time I clear an area, i have to stay on top of it because there are inevitably pieces I missed.
It's a nitrogen fixer, so you'd think it would be acceptable, but it is not. I have other aggressive vines that are extremely difficult to kill, but this one is the most sneaky and annoying.
Pic 1: kitten with a patch of vine
Pic 2: baby vine growing from bean
Pic 3: example of it's robust root
Pic 4: this is me gently tugging on a vibe to see where it connects to the ground. This goes into a pile of rotting coconuts that is being used for planting. This is almost certainly how I introduced the vine - from truckloads of these old coconuts I got from a former friend's place several years ago. The vines love to put their roots into the rotting parts of the coconuts. And that's why you should always be very careful about what plant material you bring to your place! I was ignorant and I brought an entirely new pest to my place.
#plants #weeds #gardening #VineGang #hawaii
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2025-11-26 02:45:34 UTC

Here's a lovely orange epidendrum orchid high up in a dracaena tree.
Pic 1: the flowers
Pic 2: zoomed out view showing how high up the orchid is in the tree
Pic 3: the epidendrum 's root clump. The roots are completely exposed to the air, and the plant is happy.
This giant dracaena patch was filled with these orchids. I imagine their seeds get blown around and settle in different parts of the dracaena.
Seeing plants like this reminds me to always look up into the trees when I'm in a climate zone that's hospitable to orchids.
#plants #orchids #flowers #hawaii #bloomscrolling
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2025-11-24 20:12:54 UTC

There are so many varieties of ti plant (cordyline fruticosa)!
I love them all - from your basic "green" to your "anonymous maroon". Here are a few of my favorites.
They grow from cuttings and you can basically stick a cutting in the ground (although it'll do better if you leave it in water to grow roots).
In Hawaiian they're called "ki" and they are one of the canoe plants: https://canoeplants.com/ki.html
#plants #gardening #hawaii
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2025-11-21 07:16:32 UTC

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@nprofile…83cq fish

2025-11-16 20:31:27 UTC

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@nprofile…afyv i don't think i need to remind you that an army runs on its stomach! same for a bunch of anarchists in the woods lol.

2025-11-12 21:58:21 UTC

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@nprofile…yvu4 i just want to know what the "him leaving" scenario looks like 😅
i've heard reasoning that's like "well, some of their people will lose midterms", and that would be good, but it still leaves the president in place.

2025-11-12 21:53:49 UTC

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@nprofile…yvu4 well, what's the scenario under which they're cooked? it's not like the president is going to resign out of shame.

2025-11-06 08:51:27 UTC

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@nprofile…ayx3 aloha and welcome!

2025-11-06 04:07:37 UTC

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@nprofile…25le mazel tov!

2025-11-05 08:42:05 UTC

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@nprofile…f397 beautiful!

2025-11-04 21:44:09 UTC

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@nprofile…xvju it's originally from the Philippines and does well in other tropical climates. It can be invasive, but I have very poor soil, so that seems to contain it somewhat. TBH, I'm kind of amazed it flowers at all.
Fun fact: its pollinator is a type of bat! 🦇

2025-11-04 21:42:14 UTC

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@nprofile…n340 I thought it might be a loofah, but loofahs have a slightly different shape. I guess I'll find out when I harvest it.

2025-11-04 21:41:05 UTC

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@nprofile…n340 I love it and if it strangles me in my sleep, I'll die in awe 😅

2025-11-04 21:37:59 UTC

My Jade vine is flowering for the 2nd time this year 🥰
Every time I pass it, I can't help but smile.
#hawaii #flowers #bloomscrolling
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2025-11-04 21:32:57 UTC

Mystery longfruits growing in the bushes. They might be cucumbers? But I've never planted cucumbers... 🤔
#plants #gardening #hawaii
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2025-11-04 21:31:00 UTC

I liberated a bunch of my orchids from their pots the other day. These all look like they want to be in trees, so I'll find some branches for them to sit on. Plus, I can probably split a few of these, which will be nice.
When I finally released the roots and fluffed them out, I imagined the orchids going "ahhhh", like how I feel after freeing my hair from a long day of being cooped up in a braid.
Remember: orchid roots need air, and most potted orchids are way too tight in their containers, and their roots are often too wet. I always learn a lot when freeing orchids from the pots they were sold in.
#orchids #plants #hawaii #roots
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2025-10-29 19:19:36 UTC

Rainy day views ❤️
#anthurium #hawaii #rain #flowers #orchids #Bloomscrolling
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2025-10-29 09:18:07 UTC

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@nprofile…0dcq so tiny!

2025-10-28 18:57:46 UTC

The rainy season has arrived here in East Hawai'i. The plants are happy, and although I can't spend much time in the garden, I'm happy because we were in such a severe drought before the rainy season started. Things were crispy every day (and this is in an environment where we like it to rain most nights).
Anyway, with the rainy season come new patterns of living, with a focus on keeping stuff dry. Especially: keeping feet dry. I basically wear slippers (flip-flops) all day every day, so just walking to the outhouse or to the garden gets my feet and slippers wet. I'm trying to dry both of them off afterwards.
Why the focus on dry feet? Well, I got a foot fungus a few years ago and I hated it. I didn't even realize what it was at first ... It was just peeling skin on my toes that never healed. It didn't hurt or anything, and it wasn't particularly gross (just peeling skin), but I hated how it never fixed itself the way a cut would (even with liberal application of aloe). Eventually I figured out it was a fungus, got an anti-fungal cream, and started focusing on keeping my feet dry. But even with that, it took a few weeks of applying the fungal cream for it to heal. Which is like...kind of creepy! The organism (which I never directly saw...all I saw was peeling skin) needed to have death cream applied every day for two weeks before it died! So basically that experience made me want to not get The Fungus again.
So friends in tropical wet climates (especially going into the rainy season): keep those toesies dry!
(And yes, I know I can just wear rain boots, but my feet hate being all cooped up! 🤣)
#hawaii #CountryLiving #offgrid #JungleLife
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2025-10-28 00:03:17 UTC

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@nprofile…dcjv @nprofile…yg7d can highly recommend it (if that's the kind of life you want)

2025-10-25 06:23:41 UTC

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@nprofile…0dcq incredible! i've never seen anything like it. we have a lot of orchids here in hawai'i, but i haven't seen any of these australian kinds before!

2025-10-24 23:27:46 UTC

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@nprofile…f397 phew..

2025-10-24 17:30:16 UTC

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@nprofile…daef @nprofile…7fxg so true: "Musk thought he’d bought partnership. He bought the privilege of being degraded publicly."

2025-10-24 06:58:53 UTC

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@nprofile…0dcq stunning!

2025-10-23 23:16:14 UTC

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@nprofile…f397 oh no....is this your main stove or the one in the garage?

2025-10-22 19:52:27 UTC

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@nprofile…k68q those peppers are stunning!

2025-10-21 20:29:00 UTC

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@nprofile…zfr2 interesting, i'll see if i have a usb with a distro on it. thx!

2025-10-21 20:04:04 UTC

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@nprofile…zfr2 how would that be different from viewing it from the linux distro on my laptop?
(and yes, they are not encrypted)

2025-10-21 19:12:49 UTC

request for help getting data off a hard drive that has both a windows and linux partition:
so i have this hard drive with a linux and windows partition. i would like to get access to the files on the linux side.
i have this SATA dock: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LS5NFQ2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title it's supposedly compatible with linux and windows, and it does work when i plug it into my linux machine and pop the hard drive into the dock, but it only shows me the stuff on the *windows* partition. it shows that there *is* another partition, but when i go to open it, it shows no files.
if any of you leet hackers have recommendations for how i can get access to my linux partition files, i'd love to know <3
#hack #hacks #tech #TechSupport #computers #hardware

2025-10-19 17:39:44 UTC

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@nprofile…f397 excellent point!

2025-10-19 17:31:58 UTC

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@nprofile…f397 very interesting, and an important note about the system having to shutdown after a couple years. There's a lot of "hailed breakthroughs" out there with very little followup on what happens afterwards, leading to a huge amount of misinformed techno-optimism (which in itself wouldn't be bad, but it leaves people thinking that green tech solutions are easier to implement than they often are, which I think leads to complacency about the way things currently are - "well if it gets really bad we'll just switch to x"

2025-10-18 20:21:34 UTC

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@nprofile…szem well, this is why we evolved to live in groups, so that everyone's uniquenesses can be handled
with a little help from friends 💞

2025-10-17 21:57:26 UTC

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@nprofile…szem this is wild: "Absolutely no clue when I'm hungry, cold, too hot, thirsty or need to pee until it's almost an emergency and I'm just super irritated for seemingly no reason". I take the sensing of all of these totally for granted and I think it would be very difficult to not be able to sense them until emergency time!

2025-10-17 21:38:27 UTC

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@nprofile…5l5u @nprofile…wv2u omg THE GODFISH

2025-10-16 03:11:05 UTC

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@nprofile…6mmu that's what i get for listening to it on silent!

2025-10-15 17:18:08 UTC

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@nprofile…6mmu I think the song is "psycho killer" by the talking heads. 😁

2025-10-15 17:13:37 UTC

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@nprofile…f397 good luck! 💪💪💪

2025-10-15 17:07:03 UTC

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@nprofile…f397 I just use mastodon from my phone's browser

2025-10-14 22:17:35 UTC

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@nprofile…f397 I like 1 and 3.

2025-10-12 19:36:14 UTC

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@nprofile…e9yx correct! great job and congratulations! 🥰
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/362/873/166/087/229/original/9c06723b1c230fee.mp4

2025-10-12 01:49:19 UTC

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@nprofile…ghkc congrats!

2025-10-12 01:47:54 UTC

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@nprofile…f0fj @nprofile…lwy5 oh oh I have one! This one is in Hilo, HI
#necroscaping #halloween #hawaii #spooky
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/358/672/451/638/905/original/c9bde93b8321f690.jpg

2025-10-12 01:38:13 UTC

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@nprofile…fmzj I most certainly did not know that!

2025-10-12 01:32:35 UTC

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@nprofile…5ks8 I touched it and everything! It was pleasantly fuzzy.

2025-10-11 23:53:21 UTC

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@nprofile…jtta oh! what was the creature, if you don't mind sharing

2025-10-11 23:51:03 UTC

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@nprofile…jtta i'd be interested in seeing data from onekahakaha as well, mainly because i see a lot of people with kids there...

2025-10-11 23:49:16 UTC

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@nprofile…jtta 🤦

2025-10-11 23:37:09 UTC

phew - the beach where i swim the most in hilo (moku ola, aka coconut island) is apparently the cleanest of the 5 hilo beaches tracked by the org hawai'i wai ola. yay!
in my wastewater classes i've been learning a lot about how much cesspool waste flows into hilo bay. we also had a presentation by a lady who owns a septic pumping company (the horror stories!!!) and she says she doesn't allow her kids to swim in hilo AT ALL.
anyway, the below graphics are from hawai'i wai ola's 2024 water quality report card (PDF): https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c43039e3c3a53c04e1aa171/t/6695edaa59321b4130199739/1721101749192/July+2024+HWO+Hilo+Report+Card+%28Final%29.pdf
pic 1 shows the water quality of the 5 hilo beaches they tracked, and pic 2 has the legend for the various symbols in pic 1.
you can learn more about the beach monitoring done by hawai'i wai ola here: https://www.hawaiiwaiola.com/data
#water #wastewater #hilo #hawaii #beaches #pollution #health
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/358/140/792/483/087/original/8c0db2c6d4f0e309.jpg
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/358/153/096/925/497/original/7311724b92c6bf4d.jpg

2025-10-11 19:49:23 UTC

Today's forest forensics: what is the thing in the image below? Note: it's fuzzy.
#plants #ForestForensics #hawaii
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/357/261/628/199/028/original/93590fb69abc7e07.jpg

2025-10-11 06:42:48 UTC

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@nprofile…k88l incredible

2025-10-08 18:59:03 UTC

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@nprofile…32r0 I am only somewhat handy with electronics, but I'd like to hear your suggestion anyway (if you have one).

2025-10-08 18:45:51 UTC

Dear solarpunks, hackers, and off-grid nerds of all stripes, i have a solar related question for you:
a friend has a 24V solar setup with an mppt charge controller and inverter. unfortunately the batteries regularly go down to 24 (and overnight, sometimes even below that 😭 ). the inverter only gives a screaming alert when it's way below 24 and generally the people who use the system don't have a way to know if the batteries are getting too low.
do any of you have suggestions for how we might set up an alert for when the batteries are around 24.2? ideally it would send a text or something, but if it makes a really loud sound, that might be ok as well.
the inverter does make a sound when the system is too low, but that's when the batteries are way lower than 24 and we don't have a way to set any options for it.
the charge controller is a victron and there's a victron app, but i haven't seen an option in the victron app that's like... "alert if battery voltage hits x value."
anyway, our budget is limited, but any ideas you all might have would be most appreciated 🙏 🌞 ⚡
#solarpunk #solar #offgrid #diy #tech #SolarPower #hack

2025-10-04 20:07:17 UTC

I've put my one Halloween decoration out by the driveway. As you can see from the pic of my street, we don't get a lot of trick or treaters.
But this friend has spent a number of years in the garden, so they've developed some very cool features, like plants growing in them, and a single very cool loc on the side of their head.
#halloween #spooky #hawaii
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/317/685/869/468/914/original/e9f2300c9ddcf72d.jpg
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/317/687/340/134/460/original/ebc2d6e45520c09a.jpg
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/317/689/056/775/249/original/f87362b3185485e0.jpg
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/317/690/895/024/815/original/74d59c4a82d719bf.jpg

2025-08-24 17:00:56 UTC

an anthurium farm in my area is looking for someone to take care of the plants and "bring them back to life"...for $10/hr.: https://honolulu.craigslist.org/big/lab/d/mountain-view-anthurium-nursery-acres/7876058508.html
i'm pretty sure i know this place and visited there a few years ago to buy a few plants. from the pictures, it looks like things might be a bit of a mess. the plants look quite dry and somewhat overgrown with weeds.
but $10/hr? seriously? i very much doubt they'll be able to find someone. especially if they want the person to be responsible for determining the correct course of action to bring everything back into abundance (and then do it).
#agriculture #hawaii

2025-08-15 21:45:48 UTC

A small salt production operation in kaimu, on the cliffs by the ocean. I'm impressed with how much they've harvested, because I've only ever seen tiny pockets of salt in depressions in the shoreline lava. I wish I knew the secret salt spot, or how they got so much. (I don't know who set up the drying racks. I don't think it was the people in the pic, they were just visiting the shore like I was.)
For those of us who like to think about where our food will come from when the boats stop coming, salt is easily-overlooked. But if you live in an area with shoreline, it may be possible to harvest it. I definitely wish I knew where the good spots were, just so I know that I *could* get it, should the need arise. It's definitely not a high priority issue (like setting up solar or getting gardens online), but it is a vital element necessary for human health and I'm glad there are people in my area who know how to do it and are actively doing it now.
(And of course, my mom, who was visiting, said "why would you harvest salt? It's so cheap at the store.", which is a fair point, and that's why you don't see me out there doing the harvesting. There was a lot more tourism to do that day, so I didn't feel like explaining about the boats and how the more stuff you know how to do for yourself ahead of time, the better position you'll be in if/when it's needed.)
#salt #hawaii #GrowYourOwn #food #solarpunk
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/115/034/926/192/853/443/original/7cffc3e03a579476.jpg

2025-07-26 23:54:05 UTC

"I want the food plants that grow like weeds and that I can cut back if they grow too much." - Wade Bauer, food forest farmer
I'm attending a presentation + tour of his food forest farm
#farm #garden #gardening #permaculture #agroforestry #hawaii #food

2025-07-20 01:02:57 UTC

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@nprofile…pj8g beautiful! Yes, I'm planning to go.

2025-07-19 06:32:16 UTC

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@nprofile…4gss yes, hot and humid. Do you think this water was released by the plant?

2025-07-19 06:09:36 UTC

It was a hot, sunny day today, and as of now (8pm), it hasn't rained and the sky is clear. But look at this turmeric leaf!! It has a bunch of fat drops all around the edges. I'm guessing it's condensation? Plants are magic, for real. This leaf has made its own water out of a dry day 🌱♥️.
Plus look at how beautiful it is...sparkling droplets all around the edge of the lovely leaf.
@nprofile…zjch
#plants #gardening #hawaii
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/878/402/338/050/179/original/312b9d82224f78db.jpg

2025-07-19 02:48:12 UTC

My newest orchid purchase ($8.99). It's a dendrobium, but not sure what kind. The cute kind!
#orchids #flowers #bloomscrolling #hawaii
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/877/613/886/130/439/original/567351052bb9f0a8.jpg

2025-07-17 23:32:15 UTC

Veggie sautee with 100% garden veggies: long beans, sweet pepper, and Okinawa spinach (which grows incredibly well in our area and is a rich source of cooked green leaf veg).
This is the first time we've had my beloved long beans in years (the first year we lived here, we harvested them by the bucket and it was incredible). I'm saving the beans (and cooking the pods, which are soft and tasty) because this is exactly my favorite kind of bean and I don't want to repeat my previous mistake of letting them drop off. They are too delicious and nutritious!
Now I just need a local source of cooking oil (there has to be a local coconut oil company, right? 🤔 There's local macadamia nut oil, but it's very $$$)...and an alternative to propane 😭 (I do have my solar cooker, but it doesn't fry - it steams, boils, bakes).
#hawaii #growyourown #gardening #food #vegetarian
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/871/168/411/504/726/original/c7215ffc69d5c5b8.jpg

2025-06-07 06:10:43 UTC

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@nprofile…4mp2 i dunno, it's hard to turn down 9 pounds of free veg.

2025-06-07 06:00:38 UTC

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@nprofile…4mp2 i cut it into thin strips and fried it with the onion. then it got boiled with everything else in the curry. it's kind of just another vegetable in the curry, nothing specific.

2025-06-07 05:29:14 UTC

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@nprofile…4mp2 not any of those in particular, but i am making a curry with it right now (just a generic curry).

2025-05-30 18:27:12 UTC

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@nprofile…4mp2 I'd add the solarpunk tag to this post because people need to know lol

2025-05-27 17:50:50 UTC

Orchids currently in bloom at my place: a white and maroon dendrobium and a purple and white spotted phalaenopsis. Both are growing up off the ground (in the canopy).
#orchids #flowers #bloomscrolling #hawaii #plants
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/581/054/114/074/792/original/1ee5768af026c7c7.jpg
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/581/059/484/621/659/original/48db04449e382b12.jpg

2025-05-26 21:25:24 UTC

Can you see the crab in this photo?
Camouflage is amazing!
#animals #nature #hawaii
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/576/239/957/378/410/original/e6cb46d8d2f893c4.jpg

2025-05-25 02:33:22 UTC

My bf's neighbor has a mountain apples tree that's just loaded with fruit! We helped her pick a bunch and got pounds and pounds of them to take home ♥️.
They go mushy very quickly, so they need to be eaten or sliced up and put in the fridge. They can also be frozen for future baking and smoothie uses.
#hawaii #fruit #plants #food #homestead
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/566/122/642/688/100/original/8a129ba9e7c0fe85.jpg

2025-05-20 17:28:19 UTC

Azolla mosaic in a bucket. Azolla are tiny water plants that multiply very quickly and can be used as green mulch and animal feed supplement. To be determined: whether one of the azollas in the bucket will overtake another, or whether they will strike a balance.
#plants #gardening #hawaii
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/541/334/588/269/960/original/5b9283990e2b4d6a.jpg

2025-05-11 06:52:26 UTC

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@nprofile…nc9c @nprofile…lwka that's wild

2025-05-11 05:17:06 UTC

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@nprofile…fthg @nprofile…lwka @nprofile…nc9c in my area, it's quite rural and if I wanted to get connected to the grid, I would have to pay $1,000 for a pole to get installed.
Plus, the power goes out pretty frequently around here but it doesn't affect me 🤷
I also have low electricity needs, so a fairly small system is enough for me.

2025-05-09 22:28:01 UTC

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@nprofile…lwka it definitely helps if you know something about solar, but I agree with you 100%. I think the best thing to have is at least one other person with you who is as committed to the project as you are.

2025-04-30 19:31:39 UTC

Does anyone have suggestions for a wooden cutting board that won't grow moldy? I have an outdoor kitchen in a tropical wet climate and every wooden board I've ever used becomes a mold palace pretty quickly.
I use a plastic board now, but I want to eat fewer micro plastics. So if anyone has suggestions (maybe for a particular kind of wood to look for?), I'd be most grateful.
#offgrid #homestead #cooking #food #hawaii #tropical

2025-04-15 03:57:35 UTC

I get grumpy when people talk about the "law of the jungle", as if animals don't live in complex multi-species communities.
I've seen ducks rush in to break up rooster fights at @nprofile…4mp2 's farm , and here's a video where a duck alerts the farmer that one of the other farm birds is stuck in the bird house:
https://youtu.be/84ZA7GIyEM4
Yes there's aggression, violence, and hierarchy among animals, but it's far from a "war of all vs all where only the strong survive", which is implied by the phrase "law of the jungle".
i just feel like anyone who's actually lived in a jungle would never use "law of the jungle" the way it's commonly used. There might be laws of the jungle, but they're not "only the strong survive, and that's it."
#animals #nature

2025-03-25 21:58:20 UTC

So 'ohi'a lehua (cornerstone species on this island, sick with rapid 'ohi'a death, slow-growing, dominant canopy tree at my place) is known to be quite difficult to propagate.
They produce loads of tiny, airborne seeds, but they kind of need to land in the right medium to take off.
An ag person who has grown it before once recommended that I do a little pot of soil, top it with living moss, and sprinkle a lot of seeds on top of the moss. I did it one year, 0 sprouts.
Interestingly, as I was taking apart a rotten roof section yesterday, I noticed that one of the rotting 2x4's had loads of 'ohi'a seedlings growing with orchids in little pockets of moss that were growing on the side of the wood. 10 feet in the air!
I left them all on the wood and set it down in a shady spot. Unfortunately pig came last night and turned it over, but I turned it back up in the morning. I hope these little guys go! I would love to have a way to propagate 'ohi'a!!!
Pic 1 shows the largest seedling on the 2x4, and pics 2 and 3 show the other moss/orchid clumps with smaller seedlings. Pic 4 shows the entire 2x4 on the ground, while it was still attached to the roof section. You can see the moss clumps on the side of it.
#plants #hawaii #ohia #propagation #gardening #garden #forest
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/225/275/846/854/770/original/48f19930752a062b.jpg
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/225/281/370/426/118/original/5aad28c3f3ebf4bc.jpg
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/225/284/207/394/532/original/3b3b7a0179b34a88.jpg
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/225/289/591/138/869/original/6e70f90af0cf7c46.jpg

2025-03-22 21:33:40 UTC

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@nprofile…fqfw nice. What do you like to put in yours?

2025-03-22 21:21:41 UTC

I'm in the land of savory oatmeals. This is a multi grain oatmeal with a fried egg, salsa, queso fresco, and green onion. A+ personal brunch. Would be improved with avocado 😁
#brunch #vegetarian #food #breakfast
https://regenerate.s3proxy.de/media_attachments/files/114/208/176/303/431/172/original/f0af6477e2e32f6b.jpg

2025-03-08 05:39:31 UTC

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@nprofile…4tkp it's a big part of the job!