Looking for more info on Acapulco this morning. A seen a few terrible photos and video from daybreak. Nothing official. #HurricaneOtis #Acapulco #hamr #hamradio

Brutal scenes are starting to come out of Acapulco tonight. Horrifying how fast this storm brewed up. #HurricaneOtis #Acapulco

A short list of wild Edible and Medicinal Plants and Herbs growing in many areas of BC for wildcrafting. (Note: there are many other uses than what I have listed, don't use any of these if you are pregnant or nursing and research everything from a reputable source before using yourself) Plantain: Plantago Major and Plantago Lanceolata- fresh leaves for bee and wasp stings, salads. Soothing skin salve. Dandelion: Taraxacum Officinale (Asteraceae)- flowers for wine, roots for coffee-like beverage, leaves for salads and tonics Mullein: Verbascum- leaves and flowers for teas, coughs, bronchitis and sore chest Red Clover: Trifolium pratense- teas for coughs and colds, skin wash for psoriasis, flowers in salad Periwinkle: Vinca minor- astringent for bleeding, mouth wash for ulcers, sore throat, bleeding gums (unsafe to take internally- use with caution) Elderberry: Sambucus Caerulea (blue variety)- flowers for teas, berries for wine, mead, syrups and cough drops. Enhances immunity. Hawthorne: Crataegus monogyna (Rosaceae)- young leaves in salad. berries for elixir, brandy, syrups. Good for regulating heart rate. Horsetail: Equisetum- astringent for wound healing, also useful for scrubbing pots Wild Rose: Rosa acicularis- petals and rose hips for jelly, jam, incense Pine: Pinus- resin and leaves for incense, leaves for flavouring meat and tea Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii- leaves for flavouring whisky, and meat Western Red Cedar: Thuja plicata- bark and leaves for incense Mahonia (Oregon Grape): Mahonia aquifolium or the dwarf plant nervosa- many medicinal uses for the root, but I only use the berries for jelly and syrup. #wildcrafting #foraging #selfsustainability #wildmedicine #PlantKnowledge

Over and over we get these wake up calls to stop doing life the way we have always done it. Stop with the extravagant vacations, flying anywhere we want anytime we think of it, stop the environmental abuse of clear cutting because the government allows it, making too much, doing too much, using too much.. The Burning Man thing is just a tiny subplot in the big picture of where humans started a neat little thing, then let it grow out of all proportion and sense. Cutting a few trees to build your own home then cleat cutting a mountainside to pad your bank account. Using a water source for your community then being compelled to sell millions of litres to bottled water companies to make share holders rich. A huge city in the middle of the desert lit up all night so it shows from space. It would take days to list all the examples. The point is, it is long past time for humans to pull back and find ways to live with less energy. We don't need all this huge extravagance to live full and satisfying lives. We need to see our grandchildren thrive. We need nature to flourish. We need hope for the future. This is all within our grasp if we knock off the bullshit. It starts with each one of us to stop waiting for the next guy to live with less and set good examples. And preaching to the choir on here as you all seem to understand and agree. But I guess we need to keep spreading the knowledge, ways and means. #Prepping #GetPreppared #Rewild #Homesteading #LiveSimply

Some people are stuck at Burning Man contributing to an ecological disaster, while trying to survive a climate disaster they should have seen coming. Other people are at home harvesting their gardens and preserving food for a hard winter. Huh. #prepping #ClimateCrisis #ClimateDisaster #GetReal #Cranky

When I went out tonight to close the chicken house gate, the air smelled different than it has for so long- damp, earthy, fecund.. autumn-like. The sense of calm descends as the days move into September and the dark falls a bit quicker each evening. The grass and leaves are wet with dew in the mornings now. We've had rain in my area, enough to lessen the fire risk. It almost feels "normal". Of course it's not and the thoughts of coming summers are sinister and heavy. But for now, the land is peaceful here as we wait for what winter will bring. #Autumn #Homestead #September #TheWheelTurns

Blessings of the blue Perigee Moon. #BlueSuperMoon #MoonMagic #Goddess #witchystuff

The world might be going to hell but can tomatoes anyway. #gardening #GardeningMagic #LocalFood #Homesteading #SupportYourLocalFarmers

My garden is just on the verge of spewing pounds and pounds and pounds of cooking apples, pears and plums. It's almost sinister.. The kitchen is going to be canning chaos in a week or two. Love autumn.. #gardening #GardeningMagic #FoodPreservation #Harvest #homesteading #FoodSecurity

During this terrible fire season, I think what scares me most is being woken up in the middle of the night by either a phone alert to evac or a knock on the door as in tactical evacuation. I know how groggy I am, and how confused I feel if I was in a deep sleep then suddenly woken. The thought of having to do all the things to evac my pets, and myself in that situation is intimidating. So, when there is a strong threat of fire that is within, say 20 kilometres, I do a few things ahead of time: Write out a detailed list of what to do in what order and tape it to the inside of the door I would be leaving by. (I start the list with "put on glasses" because for sure I would forget until I am driving away) Put halters on the cats so they are easier to catch. (they are indoor so I can leave them on for a week or two at a time) Hitch the tent trailer up to the truck and leave it hitched. Load the truck with the carrier for the chickens with food and water for them. Have the emergency kits up to date in the vehicles. Have the evac kit and anything that is necessary close to the door. Have the roof sprinkler hose attached to the tap. Leave outside lights on during the most dangerous times. #ClimateDisaster #ClimateCrisis #Prepping #GetPrepared #Wildfire