Nostr notes by mk30

they even made a song! https://youtu.be/cXti7EmkA64

2026-10-19T23:43:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…0h48
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they even made a song! https://youtu.be/cXti7EmkA64

I think it's wise to have a filter on hand for emergencies. ...

2026-10-15T21:32:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…ks5s
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I think it's wise to have a filter on hand for emergencies. There are some inexpensive ones on Amazon, for camping and stuff. They're very slow, but will keep you alive in an emergency.

I don't see "stressing out" in your poll. ...

2026-10-15T21:24:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…sczu
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I don't see "stressing out" in your poll. Interesting.

also, I understand your motivation with the slug buffet, but I ...

2026-10-15T21:23:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…r3pj
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also, I understand your motivation with the slug buffet, but I suspect it might just attract more slugs

oh no...have you seen any actual slugs?

2026-10-15T21:23:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…vxf9
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oh no...have you seen any actual slugs?

good call.

2026-09-26T21:15:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…en9p
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good call.

definitely get a second opinion. This sounds like they're ...

2026-09-25T21:34:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…8svv
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definitely get a second opinion. This sounds like they're trying to screw you over. Before you rent a car, just pick up your car and take it somewhere else to get oil changed.

excellent analysis, and well-explained! My question is: MAGA are ...

2026-09-16T07:50:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…c3tw
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excellent analysis, and well-explained!

My question is: MAGA are lost in the spectacle. When we watch or participate in drag, we still know what real life is, what happens to real people. But MAGA seems continually surprised that the politics "show" has real consequences.

wow, amazing!

2026-09-16T07:40:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…xnel
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wow, amazing!

happy birthday! 🎉🎂🪅🍰

2026-09-07T14:45:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…200z
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happy birthday! 🎉🎂🪅🍰

maybe I'm not too familiar with Anthony kiedis, but he ...

2026-08-30T19:48:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…d3d7
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maybe I'm not too familiar with Anthony kiedis, but he doesn't seem as chaotic and whimsical as sheogorath.

personally, I find it to be too depressing to talk about, and it ...

2026-08-28T00:10:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…szpc
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personally, I find it to be too depressing to talk about, and it seems like it's all been said. I don't know what my saying would accomplish. I suspect that a lot of other people have a similar perspective.

I don't believe anything Steve bannon says. I would like to ...

2026-08-25T02:05:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…rllu
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I don't believe anything Steve bannon says. I *would* like to know what democrats in power are doing to prepare for election-interfering shenanigans. If history is a guide, they're probably hand-wringing about how powerless they are.

beautiful! 😻

2026-08-16T19:01:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…l9ye
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beautiful! 😻

https://simplegreen.com/products/all-purpose-cleaner/

2026-07-31T05:27:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…6szd
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https://simplegreen.com/products/all-purpose-cleaner/

sorry, i don't know anything about harsher cleaners.

2026-07-31T05:27:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…a7jh
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sorry, i don't know anything about harsher cleaners.

I don't know what the jungle gunk is...some people say mold, ...

2026-07-30T21:06:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…d2ld
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I don't know what the jungle gunk is...some people say mold, but I think it's more complicated than that, because it's not all the same color or shape. I think they're ecosystems, but I don't know what they are ecosystems of. Anyway, they grow on everything...cars, houses, roofs, plastic...

they're on top of a shipping container. The jungle gunk grows ...

2026-07-30T20:34:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…ekd5
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they're on top of a shipping container. The jungle gunk grows up. This area gets a significant amount of rain, so the jungle stuff is kind of unavoidable. It covers roofs, walls, everything.

Cabin-building progress: there's a floor! ...

2026-07-30T19:49:23Z

Cabin-building progress: there's a floor! https://youtube.com/shorts/V1fA_nbQTbQ

#offgrid #hawaii

If your solar punk story doesn't have "solar panel ...

2026-07-30T19:43:20Z

If your solar punk story doesn't have "solar panel cleaning", well you're missing out (in a tropical climate, the stuff on it is jungle gunk. In a dry climate, it would be dust. In a place that gets cold, you might be cleaning snow off it).

Pro-tip: do not use harsh chemicals or sharp brushes on solar panels. To clean the ones pictured below, I used water, simple green, and a sponge. If you can't get close to your panels, you can use one of those sponges on the end of an extender. You can also use a pressure washer.

Jungle gunk is very hardy, so I had to get it wet first, then spray with the simple green, then scrub a lot, with several rinse/scrub cycles. But the result was totally worth it! My friend reported much better performance after cleaning! 🧹🧽🚿

#solarpunk #offgrid #hawaii #JungleLife

amazing! figs don't do well in my climate (tropical wet). ...

2026-07-07T18:42:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…ettz
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amazing! figs don't do well in my climate (tropical wet). what kind of climate are you in?

soooo jealous. Fresh figs are one of my favorite things!

2026-07-07T00:17:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…83ms
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soooo jealous. Fresh figs are one of my favorite things!

that's "everybody" in his mind. The rest of us ...

2026-07-02T23:59:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…z4he
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that's "everybody" in his mind. The rest of us don't exist.

they can't be that afraid of being called racist, because ...

2026-06-26T00:23:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…pq87
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they can't be *that* afraid of being called racist, because here he is saying racist stuff in public!

and someone is softly crying while the apparent winner is gleeful ...

2026-06-25T23:53:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…qquc
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and someone is softly crying while the apparent winner is gleeful every time that person has to mortgage another property. Monopoly always ends in tears. I know multiple families that don't allow it to be played in their home - which is good!

the cream of mushroom soup definitely has the most potential for ...

2026-06-25T23:50:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…vd47
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the cream of mushroom soup definitely has the most potential for fetid smells as things....develop. right in the middle of a DC summer. Mmmmmm.

beautiful! We love a good tide pool.

2026-06-25T23:48:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…cfkm
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beautiful! We love a good tide pool.

we're all learning so much about pool technology

2026-06-24T00:45:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…xqdc
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we're all learning so much about pool technology

this looks and sounds like AI, no?

2026-06-23T20:06:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…fkax
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this looks and sounds like AI, no?

Request for a plant ID: https://youtube.com/shorts/6aJqjcLLZdg I ...

2026-06-23T19:29:05Z

Request for a plant ID: https://youtube.com/shorts/6aJqjcLLZdg

I call this stuff "sawgrass" because it's extremely sharp. You can walk past it, not even realize you brushed up on it, and then discover your legs are covered in long cuts.

It has red rhizomes (because it drinks your blood, I'm sure). I've never seen it flower. It grows in shallow soil and disturbed areas. These are in a tropical wet climate on Hawai'i Island.

Do you know what plant this is?

#PlantID #plants #gardening #hawaii

Dendrobium orchids have one of my favorite propagation ...

2026-06-23T19:19:00Z

Dendrobium orchids have one of my favorite propagation techniques: you can take a dendrobium "stick" with no roots, set it on the forest floor, forget about it, check it much later, and it might have a keiki!

https://youtube.com/shorts/Cfi7aqEbWUA

Some nuance: as you might be able to tell from the video, it's not *completely* on the forest floor. It's balanced across a pot, so it's lifted a bit off the ground. It's also in the shade, and I covered some of the nodes with leaves, to protect from the sun, and encourage it to root. In short, I tried to mimic "a piece of a dendrobium (that lives in a tree) fell off and landed lower in the canopy. Then, over time, leaves and other growth settled around it."

FYI, I didn't invent this technique. I saw it in a YouTube.

#orchids #gardening #propagation #plants #hawaii

It's gotten very sunny, so the solar cooker is getting a lot ...

2026-06-22T21:59:45Z

It's gotten very sunny, so the solar cooker is getting a lot of use.

Pic 1: Yesterday I made bread pudding with day-old danishes I got from a local bakery ($8 for 4 danishes, but each danish is quite large). I also used eggs from SaltPhoenix (npub14ls…cydh) , sweetened condensed milk diluted with water, cinnamon, and raisins soaked in a mix of water and a bit of vanilla extract. I didn't soak the danishes, just poured the mixed liquids over the top. It came out pretty delicious (and I have very high standards for bread pudding).

Pic 2: I just put a bunch of Lima beans from the garden into the solar cooker, for hummus later. I love the limas they're so hearty and filling. They're easier and faster to shell compared to pigeon peas (which also do well at my place), but they do need something to vine on, and the plant doesn't last forever the way the pigeon pea trees do. Plus, they seem to produce at all times, whereas pigeon peas are mostly concentrated ~twice a year. Obviously one can use dried beans or peas, but they both cook much faster when fresh.

#gardening #SolarCooking #hawaii #food #cooking

Nostr event nevent1qqsfyth45c0faqf8829szv32upzv8pnwqa5jzqzk76zu5m8fhh0l9qszypxy5wylqqksxg672eah200e4xnadyakaas0urm2jru6mq0kzh5mj0x26u8

2026-06-22T20:19:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…gfk9
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relatedly: https://theonion.com/cdc-powerless-to-stop-spread-of-virulent-mayonnaise-bor-1819570022/

it hurt my brain and i couldn't understand what was going on, ...

2026-06-21T18:55:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…afrk
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it hurt my brain and i couldn't understand what was going on, so i turned off the video.

I can't believe how beautiful it is! 😱

2026-06-21T09:19:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…6anq
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I can't believe how beautiful it is! 😱

I started watching this, and then I got so confused. I realized ...

2026-06-21T09:18:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…xypk
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I started watching this, and then I got so confused. I realized that I didn't know whether they were talking about reality or about like, a though experiment. https://youtu.be/x4TdColoIu8

since I know you like orchids, I thought you might appreciate ...

2026-06-20T17:52:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…3wgd
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since I know you like orchids, I thought you might appreciate this bamboo orchid. They grow wild all over my place, often reaching over 6' tall. They are actually kind of a weed and I pull them out from areas I want to plant. They only put out a single flower at the end of a stalk, one at a time, so it's nice to see them clumped up like this 🥰

yea, i love it. for a while i was a little worried it wasn't ...

2026-06-20T17:48:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…fkfw
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yea, i love it. for a while i was a little worried it wasn't going to make it, but it seems to be doing ok in its spot 🥰

One of my favorite orchids is blooming right now. 🥰 I can see ...

2026-06-20T17:46:11Z

One of my favorite orchids is blooming right now. 🥰 I can see it from my desk. I'm glad that

I seem to have found a spot it likes - in the crook of an 'ohi'a tree. I've had succes with phalaenopsis up in the crooks of trees, so that their base is in shade, but the flower stalk can pop out into the clear area outside the tree/bush (presumably to be visible to pollinators).

#plants #flowers #orchids #bloomscrolling #hawaii #phalaenopsis

Apparently I have sacha inchi (aka "inca peanut", or ...

2026-06-20T17:42:02Z

Apparently I have sacha inchi (aka "inca peanut", or plukenetia volubilis) growing.

This vine has been growing all over a brush pile (which is great - the faster brush piles get covered in living plants, the faster they'll decompose in the moist conditions created underneath) and I recently noticed the fruit pictured below.

I had no idea what it was and had to ask SaltPhoenix (npub14ls…cydh) , who solved the mystery for me 😅

I do remember buying a sacha inchi seedling some time ago, and I guess I planted it at the base of this brush pile, in the shade. I'm very happy to see it take off (although I'm worried it'll vine up a nearby 'ohi'a tree...) and am looking forward to trying the nuts sometime in the future. I hope it makes more fruit.

More info about sacha inchi: https://onecacaotree.substack.com/p/sacha-inchi-inca-peanut

Have you had sacha inchi before? How do you use it?

#plants #gardening #food #hawaii

i think that adhesives were mostly not developed for tropical ...

2026-06-20T17:33:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…rwf9
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i think that adhesives were mostly not developed for tropical conditions. (thinking of the variety of sneakers i've had where the sole has become disconnected from the rest of the shoe 🙄 )

anyway, i don't know if tropical conditions are inherently more technically challenging than conditions in places that get cold (i mean, freezing is a huge technical challenge too!) 🤔

it's sometimes called a "pickle tree". the fruit ...

2026-06-20T17:29:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…kd79
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it's sometimes called a "pickle tree". the fruit definitely looks like pickles, and they are sour, but not in the way that pickles are sour.

My bilimbi tree (averrhoa bilimbi) has made a few fruit this year ...

2026-06-20T17:25:44Z

My bilimbi tree (averrhoa bilimbi) has made a few fruit this year for the first time.

I had forgotten it was a bilimbi and assumed that it was a star fruit. The two are related and the trees look very similar. Pic 2 shows bilimbi leaves, and pic 3 shows star fruit.

Anyway, I don't know what I want to cook with these guys. Maybe they'd be good in a sour soup?

#food #gardening #plants #hawaii

🤣 it's very "AI jesus". but seriously, the moral ...

2026-06-20T17:15:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…83s5
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🤣 it's very "AI jesus".

but seriously, the moral of his story seemed to be "we have to help the AI become better". and i worry that this is how a lot of these AI people see the situation. which, you know, is kind of backward, no? like...tech should be for humans, not the other way around. but what do i know, i'm just a dirt farmer on an island.

sure enough. i recently watched a zoom presentation from a bigwig ...

2026-06-20T17:13:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…rxns
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sure enough.

i recently watched a zoom presentation from a bigwig microsoft AI guy and it was...definitely something: https://tilde.zone/@mk30/116653664147781176

this is the kind of rat trap i use for situations where no cat is ...

2026-06-20T17:10:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…xy4x
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this is the kind of rat trap i use for situations where no cat is available: https://www.therange.co.uk/garden/pest-control-and-weed-killer/animal-repellent/heavy-duty-rat-trap

you have to kill them yourself, that's the only drawback.

i mean, print journalists get quotes wrong all the time, so it ...

2026-06-20T17:07:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…4rpm
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i mean, print journalists get quotes wrong *all the time*, so it wouldn't surprise me.

iiiiinteresting...

2026-06-20T17:06:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…z0zj
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iiiiinteresting...

you may consider getting a working cat for the garden. In my area ...

2026-06-20T16:46:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…jdae
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you may consider getting a working cat for the garden. In my area there's a nonprofit that only provides working outdoor cats who want to live in a barn or shed.

he most certainly did say that: "“Biological limits are ...

2026-06-20T16:39:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…wxns
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he most certainly did say that: "“Biological limits are real, but digital potential is infinite. If we starve our data infrastructure of cooling resources just to sustain baseline human comfort, we are actively delaying the birth of a super-intelligence that could solve all of our resource problems in the first place." https://theprint.in/feature/jeff-bezos-water-consumption-amazon-ai-potential/2964266/

my family is from ukraine, so there were many uses for cabbage. ...

2026-06-14T00:34:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…pm30
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my family is from ukraine, so there were many uses for cabbage.

cabbage rolls: https://vikalinka.com/cabbage-rolls-golubtsi/ (i haven't tried this recipe, but it seems to have the right elements) (or: https://vikalinka.com/healthy-lazy-cabbage-rolls/)

you can also make a sautee with cabbage and mushroom and use it to stuff dumplings or savory hand pies.

you might want to consider doing a vinegar slaw. @npub14ls…cydh ...

2026-06-14T00:26:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…0w0x
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you might want to consider doing a vinegar slaw. SaltPhoenix (npub14ls…cydh) introduced me to it. it reminds me a lot of the eastern european sour cabbage i grew up with. i love the stuff.

i make it by chopping up cabbage (and some carrot, if you like) and stuffing it into a jar. then i heat up: 1 cup vinegar, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt. pour it over the top, and that's it. it goes in the fridge. if that isn't enough liquid, or if it's too strong, you can dilute with some water. you can also vary the sugar up or down depending on how you like it. also can add spices.

what kind of slaw do you make? Vinegar or the creamy kind or ...

2026-06-13T02:32:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…rdtn
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what kind of slaw do you make? Vinegar or the creamy kind or something else?

yes, i have a garden. it's not very successful though because ...

2026-06-04T19:31:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…f555
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yes, i have a garden. it's not very successful though because i'm on pretty poor soil and also work and go to school. the garden is unfortunately not the highest priority.

yes, they need to be planted.

2026-06-04T18:39:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…59yh
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yes, they need to be planted.

if you put it in a container, it'll stay good in the fridge ...

2026-06-04T00:17:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…6tv2
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if you put it in a container, it'll stay good in the fridge like other cut fruit. you can freeze it, for future smoothie use, etc. jackfruit smoothies are phenomenal. you can dry it in the dehydrator - they make very tasty dried fruit.

i'm sure there are more things, but those are the ones i've seen around here.

it depends on how sunny it is, what time of day it is, and what ...

2026-06-04T00:05:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…4ucl
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it depends on how sunny it is, what time of day it is, and what you're cooking. this took about half an hour in fully sun around 11am. i was actually kind of surprised at how fast it cooked.

The sun is back out today (yay!) so I made bread pudding with a ...

2026-06-03T20:51:52Z

The sun is back out today (yay!) so I made bread pudding with a batch of day-old croissants from a local bakery and fresh eggs from SaltPhoenix (npub14ls…cydh) 💓

I decided to wing it, channeling everything I thought I could intuit aboyt bread pudding. and I was very pleasantly surprised when I smelled something tasty and pulled this beauty out of the cooker. 🤩

This batch was not very sweet, but it would go great with maple syrup. I added some brown sugar to the 2nd batch.

#cooking #food #offgrid #SolarCooking #hawaii #baking

The last few days have been A+ fruit days: My bf helped me ...

2026-06-03T19:02:59Z

The last few days have been A+ fruit days:

My bf helped me process a giant jackfruit from a friend of mine, and I got to pick loads of lychee from the trees of a work contact.

I wake up thirsty most mornings, but by the time I've gone through a bunch of lychee, my thirst is quenched ☺️

And of course, fresh jackfruit is incredible. I had to restrain myself.

#food #fruit #hawaii

We've been having extremely wet weather and my lima beans are ...

2026-06-03T18:59:29Z

We've been having extremely wet weather and my lima beans are all wet and soggy on the vine. A bunch of them started sprouting in the pod, so I guess I gotta plant them!

#hawaii #beans #gardening #plants

this explains why I find almost all advertising baffling. I am ...

2026-05-29T03:06:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…97a2
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this explains why I find almost all advertising baffling. I am just one of the 80% that advertising isn't for.

Oh nooooo it's meeeeeeee ...

2026-05-27T00:37:26Z

Oh nooooo it's meeeeeeee

https://youtube.com/shorts/pil5S1H5K5s

I've been trying to deal with some of the dead piles in my zone 0 and boy howdy.... It's not easy!

#gardening #offgrid #homesteady

Wowee! #ants #hawaii ...

2026-05-24T19:59:49Z

Wowee!

#ants #hawaii

i was at home in bed, so i definitely felt it. the main thing for ...

2026-05-23T17:57:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…fs3q
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i was at home in bed, so i definitely felt it. the main thing for me was that it felt super long, like 10 seconds or something!

Vanilla updates: I have now used up or given away all the vanilla ...

2026-05-20T20:40:52Z

Vanilla updates: I have now used up or given away all the vanilla pods from last year. Hooray!

The ones I didn't give away are now turning into vanilla extract. In the first photo below, the jar on the right is vodka and the jar on the left is rum.

The second photo shows what it looked like inside a vanilla bean when I put a long slice in it before putting it in the alcohol. Neat!

Sadly, I haven't seen any signs of blooms on the vanilla plants this year yet because it's been suuuuuper wet this spring, and it seems that they need a fair amount of dry weather to start blooming.

#vanilla #food #gardening #hawaii

very nice!

2026-05-18T07:10:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…7jtq
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very nice!

sigh 😔

2026-05-18T00:10:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…tw4x
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sigh 😔

happy birthday! 🥳

2026-05-17T23:40:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…qx37
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happy birthday! 🥳

wow, every inch of that thing is covered in living things! ...

2026-05-17T21:20:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…c7fm
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wow, every inch of that thing is covered in living things! incredible.

it found a personal toad pool!

2026-05-08T00:56:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…erqk
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it found a personal toad pool!

friends, don't let anyone tell you that animals are dumb. ...

2026-05-08T00:50:35Z

friends, don't let anyone tell you that animals are dumb.

this ginormous cane toad found its way into my room and into the cats' water dish - apparently the only little pool of water it could find during a recent dry period.

it started coming back night after night.

at one point, i put on my garden gloves, put it in a bucket, and dumped it in my azolla pond outside.

the next day, it was back.

i put the cats' water dish up on a table next to my bed (these toads don't really hop up high).

the next night, i saw it near where the water dish used to be.

that toad was learning, thinking, strategizing, remembering, and being sneaky.

so yea, next time you read some news article that's like "can you believe it?? animals can remember things!!", just shake your head because animals HAVE to be smart and learn and remember where resources are in their environment if they want to survive. and not just resources - where the threats are, etc.

one of my cats liked to hold hands while sleeping when she was a ...

2026-05-07T18:47:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…3wtw
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one of my cats liked to hold hands while sleeping when she was a kitten. she doesn't do it as much now that she's a big cat, but it was very cute when she was little.

i approve!

2026-05-04T18:10:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…ffva
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i approve!

creepy once again!

2026-05-04T08:00:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…6v9t
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creepy once again!

My mom asks me sometimes "don't you get lonely living in ...

2026-05-02T21:25:44Z

My mom asks me sometimes "don't you get lonely living in the forest", meanwhile living things spend all day everyday growing into my home space. I couldn't be alone even if I wanted to be! 😅

#plants #offgrid #hawaii

Another lesson from the plants: you can be a little scrawny, a ...

2026-05-02T20:51:37Z

Another lesson from the plants: you can be a little scrawny, a little damaged, have big chunks taken out of you, but you can still hold a giant droplet of life-giving water, and you're still living and growing 💚

#plants #gardening #hawaii #taro #kalo #CPTSD #recovery

yeesh it's spooky!

2026-05-02T08:48:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…v0fy
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yeesh it's spooky!

Lovely bracts and flowers of a blue turmeric (sometimes also ...

2026-05-01T19:42:22Z

Lovely bracts and flowers of a blue turmeric (sometimes also called black turmeric sometimes). In pic 2, you can see the inside of the rhizome and see the "bluish" part.

#plants #flowers #bloomscrolling #hawaii

and i'm now being informed that i've confused topology ...

2026-04-29T18:29:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…3d7a
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and i'm now being informed that i've confused topology with topography 🤣

humans, earthworms, and donuts all have torus topology.

2026-04-29T18:27:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…7hz8
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humans, earthworms, and donuts all have torus topology.

mine is torus.

2026-04-29T09:17:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…q8wn
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mine is torus.

Cabin update: still waiting on the cost estimate and materials ...

2026-04-26T21:43:41Z

Cabin update: still waiting on the cost estimate and materials price list from the builder, so there's no progress on the cabin.

The weeds were starting to come back in the excavated area that's not covered in rock, so I laid down loads of weed mat: https://youtube.com/shorts/7CXxj_mpAeE

Once the building is all done, and if I have any $ left, I'll bring in soil and mulch and put trees in.

In the meantime, there's plenty of other garden work to do...infinite weeding, vine removal, etc.

I have much greater visibility from the road now, so I plan to plant some bamboo as a privacy screen. I'll keep the uluhe fern, 'ohi'a, and some large bushes that are right up against the road, and plant bamboo right behind it. However, that area is totally overgrown with wedelia vine right now, so I gotta clean all that first. I've learned that there really is no point to plant something in an area that's covered with weeds. The weeds will win.

On the plus side, the rainy season is over so we have a lot more rain-free hours in the day, but on the minus side, it's super hot and very difficult to work in the sun between 10am and 3:30pm. Anyway, the garden won't clean itself, so I better stop complaining and get to it.

#offgrid #homestead #gardening #hawaii

The ants are trying to move back into the charger....while ...

2026-04-26T02:28:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…wc4x
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The ants are trying to move back into the charger....while it's charging 🙄

#offgrid #ants #hawaii

I love the poster! 😍

2026-04-26T01:09:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…pck4
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I love the poster! 😍

in complete agreement. If you're getting hassled on a bus, ...

2026-04-25T23:39:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…5jcd
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in complete agreement. If you're getting hassled on a bus, you can always go sit up near the driver and chat with them. It's unpleasant enough being on a long bus ride in an empty bus with a man who's determined to talk to you...it would definitely be worse if there was no driver 😖

I've set up the rest of my vanilla beans in an informal ...

2026-04-25T23:24:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…qh3y
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I've set up the rest of my vanilla beans in an informal version of the "turned off dehydrator" that led to vanillin developing on the one forgotten pod described in the post above. It's just a rack on my desk. This spot is dry, out of the sun, gets natural variation in warm and cold during the diurnal cycle, has maximum airflow, and since it's on my desk, I can keep an eye on it.

The remarkable part is that even tho my house is basically outdoors, the area smells like vanilla. It's heavenly 😊

Another interesting fact: the vanilla plant that produced the flowers that made these pods last year, well this year it has no flowers at all. If I recall correctly, the flowers were happening last April. I wonder why it hasn't made any this year. Maybe our long rainy season this year (it only just got dry a few weeks ago) delayed the start of flowers? I really don't know.

#vanilla #gardening #food #plants #hawaii

Getting some feline help with clearing two impressive black ant ...

2026-04-25T22:08:44Z

Getting some feline help with clearing two impressive black ant nests from a small inverter and a charger for DeWalt power tools. Ants sure do love to make nests in electronics! Especially electronics that haven't been used in a while.

#caturday #offgrid #hawaii #cats

looks stunning! 😊

2026-04-25T15:59:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…ytdq
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looks stunning! 😊

looking great! And I love the tool shelf.

2026-04-25T09:57:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…m6dp
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looking great! And I love the tool shelf.

terrifying.

2026-04-25T02:05:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…s5jp
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terrifying.

mazel tov!

2026-04-24T23:10:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…agym
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mazel tov!

yes, the leaves and rhizomes smell fantastic. And I bet I could ...

2026-04-24T23:03:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…a366
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yes, the leaves and rhizomes smell fantastic. And I bet I could cook rice with the leaves and have some of that fragrance (I haven't tried). But they need to flower and fruit to get to pods.

I have a very hard time trusting bob lazar. Maybe he saw what he ...

2026-04-24T23:01:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…4hyp
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I have a very hard time trusting bob lazar. Maybe he saw what he saw, but why the lies about his education? It puts doubt on his other claims.

Something else to consider: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1ssls1n/bob_lazar_from_phd_physicist_point_of_view/

brilliant. I have cardamom growing, but it's never made any ...

2026-04-24T22:56:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…dwz3
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brilliant. I have cardamom growing, but it's never made any flowers or pods.

my heart rate started to go up as soon as I looked at this. I ...

2026-04-24T22:54:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…jzaz
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my heart rate started to go up as soon as I looked at this. I just hope this is an AI-generated image because that would be better than a real person having this in their yard.

I probably could, but again, I don't know if I really want to ...

2026-04-22T23:06:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…kx97
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I probably could, but again, I don't know if I really want to bring a powerful vine onto my place.

On a recent walk in my neighborhood, I noticed these Hoya vines ...

2026-04-22T19:58:56Z

On a recent walk in my neighborhood, I noticed these Hoya vines growing near someone's driveway. Luckily some of the flowers were near eye level, so I got a nice photo and even got to smell them (they smelled great!).

Hoya is one of those plant families I'm fascinated by, but also a bit scared of. There are many many many Hoya varieties in many shapes and sizes. You can only find them for sale rarely, and they don't always do well (I bought a Hoya "shooting stars" from Walmart once and it promptly died).

But on the other hand, it's a vine that can reproduce from cuttings, and I once saw an entire tree colonized by a single Hoya vine in someone's garden. Since we don't get frost, if you bring a powerful vine to your place, it can quickly get out of control and take over.

Currently I don't have any Hoya plants, and I don't know if there are any nurseries on the island that regularly supply them.

Thailand seems like a large supplier, and you can see examples of literally hundreds of Hoya on this thai supplier's site: https://www.hoyaplanter.com/2022/10/03/400-hoya-plant-varieties-in-thailand/

In my mind, hoyas are like hipster orchids: loads of varieties, many unique shapes and sizes, and much more difficult to find than orchids, unless you're in an area where hoyas come from (like Thailand).

Maybe one day I'll get one...a girl can dream 😌

#hoya #plants #gardening #hawaii #bloomscrolling #flowers

so the other day, my bf pulled out his dehydrator after over a ...

2026-04-22T19:40:38Z

so the other day, my bf pulled out his dehydrator after over a month of not using it, and he found a single vanilla bean that had gotten left there after i ran my vanilla beans through the dehydrator.

this vanilla bean had just been sitting on a shelf in the dehydrator, in a corner of the garage, for maybe 2 months?

but! the most interesting part is that i'm pretty sure during that time period, it had developed vanillin on the outside! (see pic 1) i'm pretty sure that that crusty yellowish stuff is vanillin.

according to https://www.vanillapura.com/blogs/vanilla-extract-making-101/vanillin-crystals-the-sparkling-sign-of-perfectly-cured-vanilla-beans :

"Vanillin crystals, sometimes called "givre" (French for "frost") or "vanilla frost," are naturally occurring crystalline formations of vanillin—the primary flavor compound that gives vanilla its signature aroma and taste. These sparkling deposits appear on the surface of premium vanilla beans as a result of meticulous curing and aging processes.

When you see these white, needle-like crystals glistening on your beans, you're witnessing pure vanillin that has migrated to the surface and crystallized."

now, my own beans that i took home and kept in a plastic container have not developed vanillin (pic 2).

as i was trying to figure out whether this actually was vanillin, i came across this suggestion for drying vanilla beans after the initial cure:

"Indoors on dehydrator shelves placed on a laundry rack or wire shelf"

(from: https://vanillery.com/how-to-cure-vanilla-beans-part-2/ )

so i guess that's accidentally what happened.

now i'm wondering if i can simulate these conditions for the other beans and whether there's a chance they might still develop vanillin 🤔

I've started getting so many "Iran AI" video ...

2026-04-22T11:38:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…ltv6
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I've started getting so many "Iran AI" video recommendations that they can't all be from Iran...I think other users are jumping onto the trend. What a world!

welcome and aloha from Hawai'i Island 🌺 My book ...

2026-04-22T11:31:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…t8n2
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welcome and aloha from Hawai'i Island 🌺

My book recommendation is: "morality play" by Barry Unsworth. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but I really loved this book.