I watch them too. And there’s another similar channel of a single young (American, I think?) woman who’s doing the same thing. And again, the locals are very welcoming - I suspect this depends on whether the newcomers are making an effort to integrate, learn the language, etc.

I try to reserve judgement, mainly because I never wanted kids, so not having them was an easy choice for me. I can’t pretend to understand the biological drive to procreate, since I don’t feel it.

But yeah…I suspect a LOT of people who have kids (especially young kids) are very much burying their heads in the sand to avoid the reality. Especially as climate-related disasters start happening with increasing frequency. The horror of seeing collapse coming for their children will be devastating mentally - most people will lean hard into the cognitive dissonance to avoid facing it.

I don’t necessarily object to longer films, but my small-to-begin-with-and-now-middle-aged bladder sure does. Bring back intermissions!

Ahh phrenology, the most accurate of scientific methods for assessing not just gender, but criminality!

Dwarf Fortress, been playing it off and on for many years now. I happily bought the steam version when it came out!

Fantastic! I love the “milpa” method you reference (I’ve always heard it referred to as the three sisters method). Maybe add some onions in future? Chives, green onions and garlic all make for excellent companion plants for some of the stuff you’re growing. And I always make space for herbs, especially perennials.

Excellent log, my dog gives it four out of four paws straight up on the air. Because he’s lying on his back like a dead cockroach under my desk right now.

Toronto has a lot of homeslessness, but I don’t think Ive ever seen a homeless guy using a ruler as a splint on a leg bent the wrong way in Toronto. I don’t want to live in a place that does that to people.

This is a big part of why I don’t think I could ever live in the states. What a cruel place to live.

There is a real threat of harm to various minority groups living in red states. Hell, there’s a real threat of harm to women who can fall pregnant living in red states. I’d certainly not want to live there if my accidentally falling pregnant (which would likely be ectopic in my case) would result in a very high chance of my death.

A nice risotto - it takes a bit of time, but the basic recipe is super simple. Get a pot of about 5 or so cups of stock (chicken veggie, whatever) simmering on the stove. In a big pan, sauté a diced onion with olive oil, add a bit of minced garlic, then toss in about a cup and a half of arborio rice (or another short grain rice) and get it all coated in the oil. You can add half a cup of white wine now if you like, or just slowly start adding in a stock, one ladleful at a time. Keep stirring, don’t walk away! This takes some time, but as the stock gets absorbed the rice releases its starch and gets super creamy. Taste test to know when it’s done. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with some parmesan cheese grated over the top (ideally from an actual block of parm, which would likely be the most expensive part of this dish).

You can add various veggies in - I like adding mushrooms or blanched asparagus. It’s great as a side dish, but also works as a main.

In 1812 Madison was mad, he was the president you know. Well he thought he'd tell the british where they ought to go. He thought he'd invade canada, he thought that he was tough.

Instead we went to Washington and burned down all his stuff!

You’ve already gotten advice on preserving, but what about sharing/donating the bounty?

Some cities have public portals where you can post the location of your fruit tree and indicate people can help themselves. There’s also this webpage. And failing that, you could reach out to a local foodbank - they may be able to have volunteers come collect the fruit?