November 29, 2024
Good Things Friday (301) and Link Love
1. This was a wild week with weather and family and holiday prep and I’m so grateful for having one of my favorite people show up for us.
November 22, 2024
Good Things Friday (300) and Link Love
Hope Walz Is Processing the 2024 Election Results in Real Time on TikTok
This is lovely: Tune Into Forests From Around The World
People we can help directly:
We’ve donated to all of these, but they still need help.
Blair lost her car, that also serves as her home, in a crash not long ago. She needs help to bridge the gap between now and when insurance will cover the damages for housing, car rental and medical costs.
Elijah Romero was diagnosed with metastatic cancer and needs funds to get home to his family so they can care for him in what time he has left.
The unhoused population in Taos, New Mexico is facing a cold winter with very few resources. We’ve been buying things off their wishlist as we can. Take a look?
November 15, 2024
Good Things Friday (299) and Link Love
Actions we can take: there are so many ways to support our community, offline and online. I’m better at the online stuff, this saves my limited physical resources for the most critical stuff only I can do.
I’ve long supported Larime’s GFM and recently commissioned a stunning pet portrait from him as a memorial piece for a loved one.
This struck me as a particularly important program. This country incarcerates so many people of color and that can completely derail a life. Therapy helps rebuild lives, people are not disposable: Darkness RISING’s REBUILD program connects formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted people of color with culturally competent therapists of color. We carefully vet therapists, arrange appointments, and fund up to 10 therapy sessions. REBUILD fosters healing, empowerment, and supports successful reintegration into society.
Celeste Pewter on Bsky (click to her post to see the script): 1. Here is the call script to ask our Dem Senators to appoint judges.
2. And a second script *specifically* for New Yorkers to use for Schumer.
November 8, 2024
Good Things Friday (298) and Link Love
1. We’re still trying to cure ballots before we run out of time to save the House, can you help?
Actions we can take: subscribe to independent journalism outlets not owned by billionaires and take away money from NYT, WaPo etc. The Guardian comes to mind, the Philly Inquirer refused to bend a knee, I’ve seen strong reporting out of Propublica now and again.
Caveat: I haven’t had time to dig deep on these yet so if you know of things wrong with them, please drop a line in the comments! Your thoughts are welcome in either direction. I’d bookmarked this list for future review.
I’m going to take a hard look at the budget to figure out how to balance our upcoming plans against the increased needs of vulnerable people. I’ve picked up two more Lakota families ahead of enough money coming in so if you’d like to help get a mom with a broken foot some shoes and clothes, and another elder a sewing machine for quilting, we could always use the help!
It sounds like there is a strong start at coalition building at worth fighting for.
How to survive the apocalypse (again)
November 1, 2024
Good Things Friday (297) and Link Love
1. I checked off so many boxes this weekend! Paid bills, submitted FSA claims, ordered supplies for two Lakota families, logged the tracking numbers for the coordinators, ordered some holiday gifts from Michael’s, wrapped (bagged) all the kid gifts we already have on hand, ordered a few extra shirts for myself because all this exercise seems to be making the sleeves of my new shirts from last July too tight. Annoying but rather than be annoyed getting dressed most mornings, I’ll get some looser shirts. Problem solved.
2. PiC did the prep he needed to try (again!) to sell the car. Here’s hoping that it gets snapped up quickly! The garage is too tight a fit and I keep collecting bruises from trying to navigate in there.
Helping folks in Taos, NM, from Aji and Wings on Bluesky: a local effort to provide life-sustaining supplies to unhoused folks with pets, organized by a woman I vouch for also. We have a record number of locals forced into houselessness, and winter temps will be here starting tomorrow night. The wishlist is here.
I struggled with picking, everything is a survival need! I ended up buying one of the ten packs (TEN!) of sleeping bags for now. I still have to balance our cash flow which isn’t quite holding steady and I’ve been giving a lot of cash to direct aid needs.
October 25, 2024
Good Things Friday (296) and Link Love
1. We voted!!!! The local races were the hardest for me to work through. Also resisting the impulse to put a big X through TFG’s name on the ballot.
2. It’s hard to explain what life is like for us with my chronic health stuff and how much harder it is to cope with hits like a feverish preschooler or a grade schooler running into trouble with their schoolwork or classmates on top of being beyond maxed out at work. I don’t often try to explain. So when a friend reacts with what might seem like over the top sympathy for a new hit landing squarely on my metaphorical jaw, it’s kind of nice that they understand.
October 18, 2024
Good Things Friday (295) and Link Love
1. I got to spend time with a long time friend for the first time in years. ❤️