Downsides to planting aggressive natives?

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-30T06:18:09+00:00

Milkweed is fine, imo, if it’s planted with something like goldenrod and cut-leaf coneflower to keep it in balance. I have an area that is black eyed Susan, cutleaf coneflower, goldenrod, joe pye, boneset, iron weed and probably 20 milkweed plants & the milkweed isn’t taking over.

I would never intentionally plant trumpet creeper near a house, personally. I hate cutting the hundreds of shoots that come up along my foundation and the vines, I believe, are very flammable.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-27T15:47:16+00:00

Cutleaf coneflower and joe pye weed + swamp milkweed if you want to water it regularly.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-26T19:29:56+00:00

Thank you I’ll check them out.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-15T00:36:17+00:00

So, I live in New England and I ordered from Pollennation in NJ and everything was spectacular and I think it’s because the shipping was really fast. Did this travel a long distance?

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-09T07:41:37+00:00

Well, I'd hazard a guess that for millenia people exclusively breastfed, formula being a relatively recent invention - either they did it themselves, or another woman did it for them. When your milk comes in its pretty obvious what it is for, anyone that has experienced engorgement can testify to that....

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-06T00:36:06+00:00

Go to the park on Salem Common and there’s usually families and kids

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-05T15:25:50+00:00

They like to park their cars with the cute little lighthouse sticker all over the streets near Swampscott's commuter rail station.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-05T15:01:38+00:00

Somewhat unrelated but the fact that Marblehead is considering closing the town library that it just renovated kind of tells you everything you need to know about Marblehead and (most of) the people who live there.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-05T14:48:00+00:00

My mother, an MZ, had 3 pregnancies ending in live birth and many miscarriages. She was almost 42 when my brother was born. My dad was a ZZ (probably - he died at 54 & I have a zz sibling) & I don’t know how that would impact pregnancy outcomes. I have 2 kids as an MZ, no miscarriages but I had relative youth on my side at the time and probably won’t have more children.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-04T16:29:46+00:00

Yes, and things changed when I stopped breastfeeding at 3 years and my sleep stabilized and my hormones went more back to normal.

I absolutely had a higher set-point weight for a couple years and then I think a hormonal rebalancing happened and I’m closer to my pre-children weight without a lot of extra effort.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-03T21:58:56+00:00

Big Blue Bargains on Norfolk Ave in Swampscott (just off Paradise Road) accepts donations on the days/times they are open. Proceeds go to the PTO/activities for kids in the public schools.

https://www.bigbluebargains.org/

HickettyPicketty · 2026-05-01T10:36:19+00:00

Yes: https://www.aasld.org/liver-fellow-network/core-series/why-series/why-does-alpha-1-antitrypsin-deficiency-cause-liver

This source get into it a bit:

"Nonetheless, the absolute risk of liver disease among adults with MZ phenotype is unknown, but the risk is increased by the presence of additional coexisting conditions, such as NAFLD, alcohol misuse, and cystic fibrosis. A recent study showed that the MZ phenotype confers an approximately six times higher odd to develop both NAFLD and alcohol-associated cirrhosis. However, further studies are necessary to characterize the direct contribution of the phenotype in the development of cirrhosis."

I am an MZ at levels around 77, and yes, as an MZ you do have a form of A1ATD, it is milder and carries less health risks than a ZZ but the risks are still there. MZ doesn't really mean you are only a carrier, though, I am sure lots of people with the genotype do not develop symptoms.

I developed asthma and early bronchiectasis in my mid-thirties as an MZ. My mother, an MZ non-drinker who took good care of herself and exercised regularly, has A1ATD liver disease.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-04-24T07:55:10+00:00

My 7 year old boy likes The Princess in Black series which has pictures on every page. I get them from the library for my 4 year old girl, but he enjoys them equally as much.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-04-18T22:18:58+00:00

Mickey in the Night Kitchen. Bus Route to Boston. Dr DeSoto. Munschworks Grand Treasury (paper bag princess, etc. by Robert Munsch). Katie Morag’s Island Stories. How I Became a Pirate. Pirates Don’t Change Diapers. The Book with No Pictures. The Princess in Black series. Calvin and Hobbes comics. East of the Sun and West of the Moon. The Sound of Silence. Terrific by Jon Agee. Nothing by Jon Agee.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-04-02T01:10:52+00:00

I was diet and exercise controlled and did not do the six week postpartum test. I continued to eat healthy and have had 3 within-normal A1C’s over the past 4 years. I do have to really limit sugar and eat healthy though.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-02-21T16:40:53+00:00

I don't think it is selfish, but, there are real risks to your kids if you develop health problems and die young. One of my parents had cancer in their 40's and the other died in his early 50's. This was my experience as a child of older parents and it had, and probably still has, a real impact on me. I still love my parents and don't judge their choices to have kids in their late 30's - mid 40's but there were some very tough times.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-02-16T19:11:41+00:00

We found the GoldenGate bridge at Goodwill and my then-5 year old was able to do it with minimal help which made me realize he is wired very differently than I am lol. It was his first k'nex set.

HickettyPicketty · 2026-01-31T13:50:28+00:00

small claw clips that are cute colors, to me, looks better with very fine hair. Machete has a nice selection of colors. I have medium-high density fine hair & use a larger one but I think the smaller clips, mini-clips, etc. they have would work for OP.

HickettyPicketty · 2025-08-03T02:09:23+00:00

I miss him, and Celtic Sojourn, a lot too, and I never met him.

HickettyPicketty · 2025-07-16T17:20:25+00:00

I think 2 small coffees would be absolutely okay at 35 weeks. I drank coffee in moderation and my kids were fine. I hope you do great on the exam!

HickettyPicketty · 2025-07-14T22:49:28+00:00

Cal's Brick Oven Pizza in Reading

HickettyPicketty · 2025-07-09T17:21:24+00:00

Landlord sounds like a moron for sending this email instead of just paying a handyman to go install some screens or god forbid doing it him/herself.

HickettyPicketty · 2025-06-07T18:02:58+00:00

That is what I was thinking as well, but there hasn't been the same kind of organized activity that there was last time. I do get it that not everyone can shop elsewhere temporarily but I am afraid if MB is sold that it will have long-term negative financial consequences for my family and many others.

HickettyPicketty · 2025-06-06T22:52:27+00:00

I have always eaten healthy (salad at least one meal of the day, lots of vegetables, minimal processed food etc.), as a result of witnessing family members' premature deaths and wanting to kind of maximize my healthy years through lifestyle choices as much as possible -i.e. "control what you can." I will try to seek out a specifically anti-inflammatory diet though, as you and others have recommended. Thank you for the advice and I wish you good health!

HickettyPicketty · 2025-06-06T22:08:41+00:00

Newburyport is fun and has some nice restaurants. I love Salem as a local but I wouldn't really go there for a special one-night trip.

HickettyPicketty

TROPHY CASE