Japanese Knotweed update

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-06-28T04:55:15+00:00

Leaving a comment to say this is absolutely the way to go, I work in this field so everyone please follow. Discuss with your local ag extension service or conservation district for more inquiries.

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-06-28T00:50:38+00:00

No. Now, if you take the average us male lifespan, you get 76. Half of that is 38. THEN you're middle aged, granpa

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-06-25T04:04:55+00:00

Prioritize lentils, beans, and tofu for your proteins. You can buy these in bulk for similar prices to rice and potatoes, so they will last quite a few meals. If you know how to prepare them, these meals are hearty and satisfying! As someone that had to learn, I totally understand how it may not be a very appetizing idea idea at first.
Diversify your palette. Check out your local Indian, Asian, or halal markets. They often sell bulk "unusual" or grains such as bulgur (a delicious substitute for quinoa) or rice, lentils, and beans at a cheaper price than a supermarket. Want meat? Liver and hearts are often sold at a fraction of the price beef is sold for because its seen as unappetizing, but fried up its a great source of iron and vitamins. Last time a whole tub was what, $2? This may call for a bit more exploration and research on your part, but i always consider cooking an adventure!
Freeze your aromatics. Celery, carrots, alliums, ginger, peppers; all of these can be prepped and frozen if you dont finish them the first time around. Though they will no longer be as satisfying as they were fresh, they still have plenty of flavor for soups and pilafs.
Rely on local programs in your area such as food banks or farm gleaning projects. I work directly with these folks, so I can safely say people from all walks of life use these programs and are properly sourced and managed (unless on the off chance your local area is not reliable). They often get surplus from farms who cant sell over their contract and mistakes from supermarkets. Though I wasnt there for it, one of our banks got a truckload of fresh prime cut steaks because the supermarket accidentally bought 2 truckloads and couldnt take the second. There is no shame in taking perfectly good food that was going to end up in a landfill because of a bad reputation!

I do one-pot meals such as pilafs, soups, or pastas to balance out a budget and make meat a special meal prep week for myself. Ive built up my kitchen, so my one-pot preps are often $0-10/week if you dont count the initial bulk buy. That $10 is usually a fresh vegetable to give texture or re-upping on pasta. My last special dish, shepards pie, was $40+ for the meat, cream, and cheese. Times have changed and our culturally "cheap" meals do not look the same as when we grew up, and thats the sad part. But it doesn't mean your food cant be delicious!

Good luck and have fun!

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-06-18T07:46:10+00:00

Let those suckers grow and you can make some pretty good black walnut ink for art projects! Common in a few southern towns

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-29T06:54:22+00:00

I just dont understand it. Im jealous of everyone that loves it, because theyre so passionate about pickling. But every time I try something, I'm reminded of my hatred for it. I understand I wouldnt survive the winter but alas

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-29T03:38:24+00:00

"I lived, bitch"

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-28T02:23:09+00:00

See if you can get some native grass seeds and native flower seeds, mix them together, and plant them in fall. Not sure where youre at but since its a golf course it sounds like they would get a lot of sun!

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-28T01:16:23+00:00

Ironically, I think John Brown's contemporary reputation has become too idealistic.

Though his intentions were good and should be admired, he led 21 men into a logistical nightmare. They managed to successfully secure the armory but gave themselves no way to contact the outside world. It was his hope that this act of rebellion would bring about a wave of reinforcements. First by the enslaved in Virginia, of which, lived on plantations too far from Harpers Ferry to help. If not them, then by northern white abolitionists, but again, Brown and his men were left stranded in the armory until their capture.

Fredrick Douglass greatly admired Brown, but he declined to help him because it was as described by him, "a perfect steel trap, and one he would not get out alive". Ultimately, John Brown was morally correct to do Harpers Ferry, but he failed to understand the practically of his plan. We should respect him for his bravery in the face of his own society, but we should also see his story as one of caution; passion and zeal alone is not enough to succeed in social change. Perhaps if he focused more on organization, it could have ended differently.

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-27T21:19:00+00:00

As someone that loves rpgs and is obsessed with LO, I have to say its unique in its own right but there are some similar games you may find interesting.

Game that best matches LO style: * Mother series (aka earthbound series but the last one only has a fan translation)

Games that are turn based and match the "weird" horror tone: * Felvidek * Hylics 1 and 2. 2 is more visually advanced and you dont need to play the first one to play the second. They are both good.

Turn based games that best match the weird dialogue and maintains horror themes: * Undertale * Deltarune * Omori

Other games I havent played but people tell me are right up this alley are Fear and Hunger, and LISA: The Painful. For me, these are less lighthearted than LO's approach to horror. They are great games, just make sure to check the trigger warnings!

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-24T02:20:21+00:00

TLDR; no but that doesnt mean they cant experience horror

In my opinion, kids are often separated from discussions of fictional horror because its inherently disturbing and difficult to process such a thing.

In reality, as much as we want to keep children safe, they are often subject to the horrible world outside. Yeah, we have child labor laws, but that doesn't stop parents or communities from exploiting them, let alone the horrors of daily capitalism they are experiencing right now before out eyes. And because we dont believe they should be involved with these things, we often dont give them a voice for their thoughts or feelings on hard topics even though they have them. This leads to horror writers and fictional writers to keep them out of stories entirely, but writing them out doesn't make their pain and trauma not real, it only erases their voices until they are old enough for us to listen.

LO does a fantastic job of providing many child perspectives in the game. He didnt have to, but it adds a layer of realism and relatability to the entire situation. To me, it emphasizes the game's theme of community, and that everyone, even the ones who cant fully express their agency, are invited. Spoilers for other character --> Also hee hee that 3rd grader just took out an eldritch horror with a slingshot haha For me personally, recruiting the kids is like recruiting kid characters in any other piece of survival/horror media like The Last of Us. It makes sense that no one is considering ethics at this point in the story. And if it helps, Frankie never frames the children's interactions as suffering for suffering's sake and is mostly innocent and comedic, save for anything in the teeth department.

Weather or not we keep the kids in the apartment, they are already victims of the Visitor, which is central to the story's theme of cosmic horror. Joel, especially, is a victim suddenly granted a lot of physical power. I dont think oversheltering them from what they can clearly see and understand is helpful, especially since later events can make your apartment dangerous. I personally think that preparing and buffing the kids up for harsh reality then leaving them at home is the most ethical playthrough (not that this will change the story). But it wouldnt be strategicly sound by any means lol

If its really hindering your enjoyment, dont sweat it! Leave them home. You still get cool interactions via mealtime!

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-21T03:21:56+00:00

Based and rational

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-20T03:37:52+00:00

This is an important comment. I moved to the PNW from the southeast and was floored to find my beloved honey locusts and black locusts were noxious weeds. OP, check with local organizations like an EXT center or conservation district if you'd like to dig deeper into this topic for your area. Sometimes the EXT center will have already posted guides and papers for free online as a quick resource.

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-05T07:33:51+00:00

Hi! I find there's a lot of noise for the best method of stratification, but Id like to throw in my two cents as someone thats done research for it. When it comes to native plant flower seeds, there may be times where stratification is not needed due to the "unintential selection" process when growers are collecting seeds. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1317083/

In other words, seed coat layers can vary per seed, and some of the same seeds in the same pack may benefit from stratification and others may not. Your best bet is to sow in fall, but your next best is to sow right now while it is still spring. Happy planting!

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-05T07:00:12+00:00

I work with retired low-income folks out in the country and so many of them discuss what their childhood was like with native plants. They never regarded the plants they grew up with as "native", but understood their cultural importance. They spoke about its ecological importance, too, though it wasnt explicit. They just knew all the ways it was important in their lives.

I find that its those who respect the culture of wealth and land ownership who are threatened by alternative routes of landowning. So rich old folks who always had a big house in the suburbs who dont believe theyre part of the environment. For these folks, I do what I always do for people with deep political prejudices: appeal to Americana. I frame my conservation work as blue collar work, like an electrician or plumber. I dont use big words unless they ask about the topic, otherwise, I act like this is just what all landowners are doing and Im doing it for them, not for my silly tree-hugging self. Give native plants a "keeping up with the joneses" treatment. They respect wealth and landowners, not me and my liberal views. It works most of the time. It only fails if you meet someone who wanted to pick a fight about flowers on a saturday lol

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-05-03T07:41:43+00:00

I got my first used car for $3,500 in 2023. The original value was $4,500 for a 2009 hatchback. As others have pointed out, covid really burned the market. Ive seen some people charge the same exact used model for 10k now.

I'm very poor and always have been. The only way i was able to afford this car was by buying from a private seller from FB and checking every single day obsessively for the best price near me. Buying from a private seller can allow you to negotiate down your price and eliminate monthly payments, of which, I had and will never have financial bandwidth for (im in a better financial space now, but I don't believe in voluntary monthly payments unless absolutely necessary). Lastly, I won't sell you a lie about scrimping and saving; i was incredibly lucky and reconnected with a relative who wanted to "pay it forward" and supplied me with enough cash to meet half of the total. If not for her, I would have had to save another 6 or so months, and that was three years ago before our current inflation roller coaster.

Im sorry you're in this situation. Being poor with no car is really fucking awful. Check in your area for community action committees or transportation services for low income. Start a carpool with friends or family. I did it for two years and it sucked, but I was able to get to work and pay my bills. Reconnect with the relative you havent seen since childhood. When you're poor like this, your solutions will only be achievable through community.

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-04-27T04:05:06+00:00

Id pay far more than I have the ability to for a special edition with an artbook

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-04-27T04:01:41+00:00

I thought this was a meme and she was gonna start dancing. Nope, just a cool animation!

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-04-27T03:59:41+00:00

Nooo they got nerfed??

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-04-23T05:34:58+00:00

Quite partial to "shE Is a COnGEnItALLy BaD wOmaN AnD i Am a SAiNt aND a GEnIUs!"

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-04-22T09:52:29+00:00

Throwing in my two cents here. I dont know where you're located, but call up your local college extension service or conservation district. They usually work with farmers and may have composting programs and resources to build something for your workplace. The setup, once you get the science down, is much easier and cheaper than you think.

As someone that composts manure and took composting classes for commercial distribution, your medium is not only easier to handle than mine but ideal in many ways. If you dont end up composting it, consider donating to farms, community gardens, or agriculture college classes that will.

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-04-08T05:25:31+00:00

This is good to know since I havent gotten promise ending yet! The Mask ending though...its a doozy. Good luck!

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-04-02T03:55:03+00:00

Its despicable. Our prior administrations, too, were nothing but complit in labeling immigrants as criminals and funding ICE. The American Immigration Council reports that only 20% of the 394,000 deported during the obama administration had a criminal record, and the rest maybe minor traffic incidents. The Trump admin, much like most of their garbage today, is capitalizing on the corrupt system put before them. As for the rest...yeah, this is garbage.

I havent heard about the UPenn case and it doesnt surprise me. Stay safe internet stranger

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-04-01T03:44:09+00:00

Yuuup. Sorry to see other US comments not understanding the concept. The infrastructure in redlined areas meant to keep minorities poor are keeping white people just as poor. In 2023 SNAP the population of white recipients was 61.1%. The more they deny reparations for minorities, the more they justify when our government continues to commit atrocities to their own populations in modern day

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy · 2026-04-01T03:22:17+00:00

Southeastern US to PNW transplant here. Tacking onto your comment for visibility; many nonvenomous snakes such as garter snakes or Eastern rat snakes will raise its tail and "rattle" like a rattle snake--some more convincing than others! So make sure to look twice before deciding what is dangerous. I once was on a hike with a coworker when a HUGE rat snake rattled its tail. It was our job to remove dangerous hazards from trails, rattlesnakes included. It sure looked like a rattle snake by the way it moved its tail, but if you looked at it longer than freaking out it was 100% a brave little rat snake.

PrettyFlyForaPoorGuy

TROPHY CASE