It has been raining here for days now. I'm at the point where I am deciding if I really have to go out, or take one road or another because of the risk of mud and rock slides, standing water hydroplaning risk, etc. This is one good reason why I always have supplies on hand, never run out of essentials, and make sure I'm prepared for weather events. The mountain passes have snow and many accidents every day, and going almost anywhere outside of my immediate area involves travelling over a mountain pass. The worst situation is a sudden drop in temperature on a wet road which turns to black ice, a common occurrence around here. Keep apprised of the weather trend, but also the radar maps, the direction of storm winds etc. because sometimes the weather models are wrong or slow to update. Be ready to adjust your plans and plan ahead. I'd rather err on the side of caution than end up in the ditch at dusk on a country road. #Beprepared #prepping #winteriscoming #countryliving

"In a world saturated with data, algorithms, and stories told by those in power, what does it take to truly unlearn the narratives that shape us? Chelsea Manning has lived at the fault lines of secrecy and truth, obedience and conscience, isolation and community. In this powerful keynote, she shares how her journey—from classified military intelligence to public whistleblowing to life as a network security advocate—has been defined not by what she learned, but by what she had the courage to unlearn. Through personal stories and hard-won insights, Chelsea explores how dismantling the myths we inherit—about safety, control, identity, and technology—can open space for new, more liberating forms of knowledge. She challenges us to re-imagine the internet as a place that serves people rather than power, where openness is a practice, not a slogan, and where creativity thrives alongside accountability. A World of New Learnings is both a cautionary tale and a call to action: an invitation to let go of the certainties that no longer serve us, to see clearly the systems we participate in, and to consciously build futures rooted in empathy, transparency, and collective care. --- Chelsea E. Manning is a technologist, data scientist, and security consultant based in Brooklyn, New York, known for her expertise in security and artificial intelligence. Manning works directly with journalists, activists, and civil society organizations on digital security projects and advocates for industry-wide adoption of ethical guardrails in machine learning, arguing for accountability standards akin to those in medicine and law as AI systems increasingly shape public life." On November 9th. https://www.youtube.com/live/BTrAzGu6Fu8 #ChelseaManning #keynote #MozillaFestival

Ryan Hall is covering this live on youtube right now. It just keeps getting worse and worse. #hurricaneMelissa

Look at the shape of this thing. I hope everyone in Jamaica is ready, prepped and stays safe. #hurricaneMelissa

The weather forecast here is "heavy rain with typhoon remnants". Very accurate. Rain and wind but on and off. I started the generator this morning, making sure it's running well. Cycled some older gas into my car and bought 3 gas cans of fresh gas for the winter. I guess I should pay attention to the snow blower fairly soon as well. Winter is rapidly approaching it seems. #prepping #GetPrepared #CountryLiving

Yesterday I pulled a folded tarp off my little trailer thinking I should spread it out and secure it for the season... a very unreasonably annoyed bee came flying out of the tarp and slammed me at high speed, butt first of course, right in the middle of my forehead. Now, since I've been a beekeeper, I've only been stung 3 times, each an escalating swelling situation which makes me jealously side eye beeks that go gloveless or even veil-less, the jerks. So, I staggered over to some scraggly dried out lawn, (we've had drought) and try to find a plantain leaf that isn't gross and bug chewed, while the pain in my forehead escalates. Eyes watering, I stuff a questionable leaf in my mouth to chew while running back to the house to find a mirror to check if the stinger is still there. It is. And a large chunk of bee still attached, rest in peace ya wee beeatch. Scrape it off and glob on the chewed green wad of leaf. Lessens the pain fairly quickly, but too much time had passed. I knew it. I glugged down some no-name benadryl that wasn't quite expired yet and hoped for the best. My nose hurt later. Like actually hurt, like I had run into the wall. It felt like someone lobbed a 2x4 at me, smack in the face. My cheeks felt bruised. But it LOOKED ok, just painfully tender and slightly swollen. Fast forward to day break this morning. I pried one eye open to a slit, stumbled to the loo and low and behold, walnuts had grown under each eye, and one in the centre of my forehead. Strangest thing tho, the intense pain was mostly gone but the swelling was a thing to behold. I crashed around in the kitchen making coffee, dropping things until it seemed to get better on account of my mostly upright stature. Then, by the afternoon, the swelling starting sinking to my jaw. It was like one of those Black Mirror episodes where your reflection in the mirror changes while you're looking. Later it was better, although my daughter said it looked like a botox job gone very wrong. I am almost ready for bed now, it still feels weird to squint but my face wouldn't scare a young child any more. I am, however, thankful that I didn't get stung in my mouth or on my throat. I could have been writing this with much less fondness to the wee girls, from a hospital bed. #beekeeping #beeks #homesteading #countrygirlinjury

I FINALLY got my electric fence repaired after a big storm in January that brought down a tree, caused power outages with brown outs and surges. I've been waiting for a new fencer controller to come in. Got it today, hooked up and running at 13,000 volts. My bees and chickens are safe again. It's the only truly functional way to keep beehives safe from bears and keep bears safe from people. It's a commitment for sure to keep it maintained. #homesteading #beekeeping #SmallFarm #CountryLiving