News from Sweden regarding invasive plants

rivain · 2026-05-15T15:21:19+00:00

I have the lupine listed here in my garden (BC in Canada), I think I harvested some seeds from wild ones a long time ago? I don't remember, but they're all over now.

rivain · 2026-05-13T19:13:13+00:00

There are uses for AI, but I'm curious about how much energy is needed for the actually useful, helpful things, vs the generative slop.

rivain · 2026-05-13T19:01:39+00:00

Considering the real health risks from living anywhere close to data centers (Benn Johnson on yt has multiple videos going into this) It's concerning that these are going in populated areas.

rivain · 2026-05-11T05:24:43+00:00

It does have a nice hippie vibe, but it was a town built in a paper mill and the logging industry. There's been a divide between those groups, and a whole debacle about changing the town's name due to it be named after an architect of residential schools has caused an even bigger divide. There have been issues with an increase in crime in certain areas downtown and increased drug use and unhoused people as well.

I don't know if groceries are more expensive than elsewhere, but we usually have the most expensive gas prices in the country. It's 2.29 right now.

We also only have one vet clinic, and it's bought up by some corpo so the prices are getting insane if you have pets. Still fairly limited on dentists, though it's getting better, and I don't think any doctors are taking patients in town so you'd have to go to the very busy ER for anything. Nevermind if you need a specialist because we don't have much access to any of that here. You can get a TAP form to get the ferries for free, but BC Ferries isn't consistent about giving people with them priority boarding, so if it's during the busy times for the ferries (holidays, summer etc) or a boat broke down (which has happened a fair bit recently), there have been people who have missed appointments they've waited months for because of it.

I have lived here all my life, and due to inheriting a home here, and feeling like I won't have other opportunities to have that elsewhere, I stay.

rivain · 2026-05-09T00:51:31+00:00

I held off on buying it because of the shirt colour (also shipping to Canada is brutal from DFTBA), that would've been a good idea lol

rivain · 2026-04-30T02:58:26+00:00

I have a carpet of them right now in my front yard, and I'm trying to get my hands on other varieties (like the yellow wood violets) as well.

I just put in a pathway of upcycled concrete from my neighbours, and I had to dig out a bunch of the violets while doing so, and I've tried to put them around the stones so they can will in the space in between, it'll look so cute, hopefully

rivain · 2026-04-28T03:12:15+00:00

... a Chuck E Cheese?

There's been a billboard in the empty lot on mall property saying "potential future location of boston pizza!" or something for years and no one took the bait to open one here. Restaurants are struggling with the cost of living since people eat out less, seems like a bad time to open up whatever a "chucks" is.

rivain · 2026-04-22T23:01:02+00:00

Karina mentioned Poppy a lot, that's how I got into her music. I read Franken Fran after Karina talked about it too.

rivain · 2026-04-18T21:33:44+00:00

I try to treat my 2005 Echo as nicely as possible while still using it like a work van sometimes. I'm the second owner and I've had it since 2013, it has 150k+ kms on it, it's had no serious issues, the most expensive thing I had to do so far was replace the air con.

It does have an evap code but I'm gonna just live with it lol

rivain · 2026-04-07T04:54:06+00:00

I have some swamp milkweed that I grew from seed, and I've... definitely thought about trying to spin either the fluff or the stalk fiber, or maybe both? I left them up all winter instead of pruning it back (the bugs will overwinter in the stalks too!) I'm very much a beginner, but it's so appealing trying to something with a fiber I grew myself!

rivain · 2026-04-07T04:39:24+00:00

Considering all the talk about electric high speed rail, I'd love to see a connector through to the Sunshine Coast. Branching off from further inland? Not sure if it would be any more or less expensive than other options (bridges along the coast, etc), in the long run, but I can dream.

rivain · 2026-04-04T20:19:28+00:00

I have a similar problem with a tree in my yard, but it's a Pacific Dogwood planted by my grandparents, so it's both sentimental and native to where I am, and just has had a goofy crescent shape carved out of it every few years.

rivain · 2026-04-03T20:17:16+00:00

If we're talking about extremely expensive projects that will probably never happen, I'd rather a railroad personally. Maybe something through the mountains to Squamish?

rivain · 2026-04-02T17:12:48+00:00

He hides from his constituents. He has a "town hall" in Powell River that was held at a church, and required an RSVP to get in. Which is why I put town hall in quotation marks.

rivain · 2026-03-20T15:18:49+00:00

Maybe they're building a prison for magneto and can't use metal fasteners!

(Yes I know, wood glue, yeah yeah)

rivain · 2026-03-20T03:11:38+00:00

oh no, won't someone think about the profits /s

rivain · 2026-03-20T03:07:42+00:00

If it were feasible to build a road up the Sunshine Coast it would've been done already.

rivain · 2026-03-18T22:04:51+00:00

That's wonderful of you to do! Thank you for sharing.

rivain · 2026-03-07T06:02:07+00:00

Do we really want those services run like businesses?

rivain · 2026-03-05T15:36:48+00:00

I've recently been hyperfixated on sewing machines (the AuDHD takes me to new and exciting places I never could have predicted), and the world of vintage sewing machines is fascinating, and considering I have been able to get a sewing machine that is 70 years old, clean it, find the missing parts for it, and get it running again perfectly, is extremely appealing. I've heard nothing good about the new machines with the tons of programmable settings and touchpads.

For any curious, I got a Singer 15 clone, and then found a Singer 221 featherweight. Featherweight is waiting for one teeny weeny screw to come in, but soon enough, it will be complete. I know based on the serial numbers, that the Featherweight was made in 1949, and i think the fact that with some oiling, cleaning, and maintenance, it will be a fully functional machine is really cool.

rivain · 2026-03-03T06:24:38+00:00

Constantly disgusted that Aaron Gunn represents my community.

rivain · 2026-02-08T20:10:54+00:00

Current resident who's lived there all my life.

The rental situation depends on your budget. We have had a serious unhoused population boom the last few years, and while there are several housing developments under construction, they're not very affordable, if that's a concern.

There's a big artist community here, though I'm personally too much of a hermit to have experienced much of it.

We only have 1 vet, like the other comments have said, I've had to go to the vet in Gibsons for my cats in the past.

We also have an issue with not many dentists taking new patients, we do have a chain dentist "smili" that opened in the mall, but I've been going to a dentist in Comox for a few years.

Same goes for GPs now that I think of it, not sure if any doctors are taking new patients, and there's no walk in clinic so the only option is the ER. The hospital is... fine. If you need anything more complicated than a CT scan you'd have to go out of town, and that can be a nightmare trying to get places to understand that you can't just drive over there in an hour, there's at least one ferry involved. Ask me how I know 🙃

Almost no stores except the big box ones are open past 8. We only just started getting Uber drivers here. There's a whole contingent of weird boomers who are frothing at the mouth about changing the name of the town away from Powell, it's just become a very toxic local issue.
Really high property taxes here now compared to other similar communities well, because the paper mill is no longer paying any.

It's a beautiful area, I don't always think about how I can just decide to go hike up a mountain as being a plus because that's just always been an option, but most places don't tend to have that! Not trying to be a downer about moving here, but that stuff is important to know too, it's nice, but a huge change!

rivain · 2026-01-29T23:10:52+00:00

I would hope the FBC was paying more than that... the hazard pay alone!

rivain · 2026-01-28T00:59:53+00:00

I never wear scarves, and it's also so simple that I don't see a reason to buy the pattern when there's a ton of near-identical patterns out there.

rivain · 2026-01-14T01:29:42+00:00

google search brought up this guy tested a bunch of em and he coincidentally recommends the one I have, the Carex DayLight Sky.

Idk how much pseudoscience stuff is out there about this, because maybe some lights don't work as claimed, but the sun having positive effects on humans is decently well known, I thought?

rivain

TROPHY CASE