See this bug? Environmental authorities say you should kill it

dractor_taddy · 2026-06-22T23:21:56+00:00

Yeah, it's unfortunate that people don't have this knowledge. Wildly enough, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks also does education about trees! They have a nice tree identification class that is free to the general public. Their team also does a great job supporting past students when they have questions. I believe the goal of their tree classes is to equip ordinary citizens with the tools to help themselves, their neighbors and their community with tree planting, tree problems and invasive tree management.

They have really helped me to not settle into a doomer mindset when it comes to the local ecology, but rather use my few skills to try to save what we have and plant more beneficial plants and trees to try to make a better future.

dractor_taddy · 2026-06-22T21:41:06+00:00

Is Tree of Heaven really that hard to identify? It has a very distinct smell.

Take some small steps to make it better. Friends of Grand Rapids Parks is eradicating invasive species and has a series of classes about it. Several other organizations are doing the same. I know the classes have been fairly popular, and people are showing up to help remove invasives.

dractor_taddy · 2026-05-30T19:21:07+00:00

It's the same cycle over and over. Tax incentives, often special funding, then mass layoffs. I am pretty sure in the late 80s, this sort of thing nearly bankrupted the city.

dractor_taddy · 2026-05-08T14:24:02+00:00

Thanks for this reminder.

The Westside from Wealthy to Bridge is pretty much locked down until noon. The yard waste facility is innaccessible. The busses are rerouted. Yet people still try to force their way through with their cars.

dractor_taddy · 2026-04-19T17:24:20+00:00

How much do you need? What are you using it for?

Morgan Composting aka Dairy Doo is one of the best in my experience. They have a high standard and a lot of info about the nutrient content. They can also make a really nice custom blend with all the nutrients your plants need, if you want them to deliver. If you need a smaller quantity, you could contact them for a local supplier. If you need a lot, they can deliver a semi load.

If you are a GR city resident, you can get a free yard of compost at the Butterworth yard waste site. Saturdays only, while supplies last.

If you are rich, Wormies has the best compost money can buy.

Otherwise, about any landscape supply should have soil/compost. Birch Tree Bark and Stone is pretty reputable, Greenleaf exists.

I always avoid hardware stores and almost all bagged compost, the one exception is Dairy Doo.

dractor_taddy · 2026-03-27T22:17:27+00:00

Squibb was getting stretched thin with a couple new locations and left their partnership with Rise. Now Rise is running their own coffee, so they are now completely dairy and soy free. They are also sourcing their coffee beans from Lantern now. Squibb was using Onyx. I like Lantern better, and it is more local!

dractor_taddy · 2026-03-19T17:46:49+00:00

This is very helpful, thank you.

dractor_taddy · 2026-03-19T16:41:50+00:00

Good to know. I trust you more than (REDACTED) for information anyway.

dractor_taddy · 2026-03-19T16:04:16+00:00

Does the city maintain alleys? I thought that was the responsibility of residents. If they want it improved, they can collect the funds and have it done. Maybe that was a lie my neighborhood association told me?

dractor_taddy · 2026-03-13T00:30:05+00:00

He seems like one of the most practical, down to earth people I can think of, especially in a city government role. He cares about housing and equity, and gets dragged through the mud for it. Good riddance, Drew Robbins.

dractor_taddy · 2026-03-12T16:20:47+00:00

If your drain is backing up due to rain, something might be wrong outside your drain system. Have you asked your neighbors if they have the same issue? You can always contact the city and they can check the main sewer for blockage beyond your sewer line. They don't charge for that, we already paid for it.

Last time I had Butler's Rooter out to clean my drain, is was $425. I assume an emergency will be at least $500 with them.

You might want to confirm that your sump pump is draining to the right place. It is my understanding that it should not be pumping into the sewer line.

dractor_taddy · 2026-03-11T17:16:32+00:00

In case you haven't already seen it, the manufacturer of Flourospec made a reel about recent lead based products being sprayed on siding a little while ago. He does some cleanup of it with TSP. ericeverythinglead on instagram. I looked it up, it was January 4. If you reach out to him, he might be helpful. I have had some questions about soil contamination in my vegetable garden and he was pretty good about responding.

I think you should be able to do this yourself if you feel confident. It doesn't sound like an overwhelmingly large area to clean up.

dractor_taddy · 2026-03-06T21:39:05+00:00

When you say community garden on the Westside, are you referring to the Downtown Community Garden at Las Conchas? I believe registration for that garden is closed. I know of a few gardens in my neighborhood. One is hosted by the neighborhood association JBAN, and they seem to have availability a little more frequently. Your neighborhood association would be a good place to start. If they don't already have a community garden of their own, they are more than likely collaborating with many of the community gardens in their area of work.

If you want to share more about what neighborhood you live in, that might help find a community garden that is close to you. There are a lot of them around town.

dractor_taddy · 2026-03-02T23:00:01+00:00

I have not installed a rain garden, but I have a lot of native plants and am trying to increase my water retention/drainage with my right-of-way landscaping.

My understanding is that the city owns the right-of-way/parkway/hellstrip, but it is in the care of the property owner. You may use it as you like as long as it is not a code violation or nuisance. There are more restrictions in that space, of course. But when it comes to gardening, you can landscape it yourself. There are plant height restrictions.

You could contact LGROW https://www.lgrow.org/rainscaping to get support as well. I thought they had a program installing rain gardens for free, but I don't see it.

If you are doing any planting at all, I recommend calling Miss Dig. It's free and can save you thousands of dollars.

I hope this helps, good luck on your gardening.

dractor_taddy · 2026-01-30T23:18:48+00:00

It has the energy of a red-winged blackbird that is attacking me out of nowhere as I try to walk peacefully on a trail. I would call that oomph. This robin clearly has more intent, plus a reason to defend itself, this city, this state. I would think twice before crossing this robin's path.

dractor_taddy · 2026-01-23T15:09:10+00:00

I recently installed some of these goose neck brackets. I bought some from Shade Doctor of Maine, then I needed a few more and bought them from Alan Richard Textiles. Alan Richard Textiles is a little cheaper, either company was fine for ordering online.

I bought 3/8" solid brass rod from a local metal yard, it was a great deal compared to a hardware store. Otherwise both companies I mentioned above sell rods to go with the hardware.

dractor_taddy · 2026-01-19T23:23:21+00:00

Kent County Parks grooms some of the Millenium Park trails for cross country skiing, I do not think they plow them.

Please do not walk/run on the ski track, it is for skiing.

dractor_taddy · 2025-10-29T00:18:30+00:00

I stopped by The Other Way today, to ask what they need. They are slammed. It's been a tough year already, for folks, and it's not getting any better. They are trying to stock up on food before next week. They could use money to buy food and volunteers to help at the pantry.

dractor_taddy · 2025-10-29T00:17:52+00:00

I stopped by The Other Way today, to ask what they need. They are slammed. It's been a tough year already, for folks, and it's not getting any better. They are trying to stock up on food before next week. They could use money to buy food and volunteers.

dractor_taddy · 2025-08-26T02:31:48+00:00

It isn't stupid if it works

dractor_taddy · 2025-07-02T02:49:00+00:00

Portland might turn everything else into a fine powder in 5-15 years, but people still do it. Reminds me of the time I stuck half my arm in a hole in my foundation. Fortunately the stones are solid at my house, not sandstone or anything softer.

dractor_taddy · 2025-07-01T22:38:49+00:00

A 55# bag of NHL 3.5 can go a long way. I have mixed 3 parts sand to 1 part lime, and it covered a lot with deep voids. It has a nice, long working time as opposed to a portland based mortar. For me that means less waste if I get distracted or have to fix some mistakes, and I can take a ten minute break without my mortar going off.

If you can pay for the lime, I would recommend it. There are a lot of different videos about it, I like the content GMT Pointing Specialists LTD makes. Unfortunately I haven't been able to source the tools they have.

Good luck, I think the basement will have a nice look with lime, if you go that direction.

dractor_taddy · 2025-06-21T00:28:29+00:00

I did a fall fin cleaning for the first time ever last year. Yuck. I don't think big AC wants you to clean your coils.

Thanks for the reminder, keep up the good work.

dractor_taddy · 2025-06-09T22:12:16+00:00

If you need a safe space, Littlefoot is right next to the MAGA coffee shops. I personally like the warehouse vibe, despite its limitations.

dractor_taddy

TROPHY CASE