Andy

Thinking about how my mom would sometimes have to use powdered milk and would make syrup out of brown sugar just so we could have pancakes for breakfast. We hated those breakfasts. Now I realize that she was doing the best she could with very little and I know it hurt her.

The only reason I miss Facebook is nothing else has all the niche groups. So many of my hobbies and interests have FB groups and no other way to interact. Reddit is sort of close but it’s also sort of a cesspool.

That’s very cool!

A yellow and orange Gazania flower blooming from in between a crack in the road. The cement on the left is light grey and that on the right is black.

There’s a metaphor here somewhere. #photography #urbanphotography

A graphic of four book covers: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune, A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr, Semiosid by Sue Burke, and The Lightning Struck Heart by TJ Klune.

Been reading a lot more this year. How do I rank books now? If it was so good that I didn’t think about current events while reading it’s at least a 4. #booksky

With proper shading, air handlers, and lots of water you could do it. I decided against a tropical greenhouse when I looked into it due to the water usage. I’m building a cactus house instead.

This looks like Big Apple gourd which are not edible, they are for decorating only. They can be toxic. The edible variety is very small, Granny Smith green all over, and soft. If the shell was very hard that’s also an indication it’s the decorative one.

For the first time I sat on my very own patio and just admired my garden. There was a cool breeze, traffic sounds were minimal, no crazy HOA person bothered me. The world is on fire and I’m anxious and worried most of the time but for a few minutes I relaxed.

A picture of a red and yellow striped Stapelia grandiflora flower hanging over a terra cotta pot. The edges of the petals have fuzzy white hairs.

A white and red striped Huernia sp. flower in a Terra cotta pot.

Red and yellow spotted Orbea variegata flower hanging down from a Terra cotta pot.

Stinky season in the garden. #stapeliads #succulents #gardening #carrionflower

Tylecodon buchholzianus?

That is gorgeous! I have the baby pink one but I’d love one this color.

I have taught whole classes about and perform tarantula anesthesia and medicine! It’s so cool that more people are doing it.

I showed Maya Rudolph how to give injections to her dog.

I love that fabric.

A collage of 7 book covers that were read in June 2025.

I used to read constantly as a kid. We went to the library multiple times a month and I stocked up. Smart phones, work, school, and the state of the world took a toll and I stopped for a long time. Trying to get back to it. Anyone looking for a reading buddy? #books #storygraph #reading

Amazing! I need to step up my macro game.

Financial. The cost of the plants themselves and also my need for help with planning, landscaping, preparing the space, etc.

A Cholla growing behind a piece of petrified wood

A very spiny Cylindropuntia whipplei

A black and white landscape image in the painted desert

A landscape image in the petrified forest of Arizona

Visited Arizona for the first time.

A gray pigeon with red eyes and iridescent green band at the base of its neck with a white stripe at the top perched in a pine tree.

I think Band-tailed pigeons are so pretty. #birds

A clump of low growing cactus with white spines and yellow flowers.

A close up of the yellow cactus flowers.

Cylindropuntia whipplei in its native habitat.

A red flower with yellow anthers growing out of a bulb in a terra cotta pot.

My Zephryanthes formossisima is blooming. #gardening

I make multiple trips to Yosemite every year specifically because of this. I miss NE forests so much.

This makes me feel a little better but I still don’t understand why they’d say generative AI if that’s not what they actually meant. We’ll see how it goes. I’m more of an actions vs words kinda guy.

It’s all just so much all the time.

If their user base drops off maybe they’d change their minds. Unfortunately I think it is unlikely to happen. I’m so tired of AI enshittification of everything.

I don’t think most people have questions or need clarity. We don’t want you to partner with Google and we don’t want generative AI.

Really disappointed to hear about your Google partnership. I’ve been a user since 2017 but will be deleting my account if this goes through. You will be making identifications less accurate and not helping to protect the environment you allegedly are interested in helping.

I’ve been using it since 2017. So many hours photographing and logging. Is there even an alternative?

I’ve been saying for years that there are less insects than there used to be. Mostly people say “that’s great!” and it makes me sad. I try to have some hope but it feels like we are far beyond the point of no return.

Pots of cacti on a wooden fence with a lattice work top.

Decided to mount my epiphytic cacti on the fence to buy a little more room on the benches. #cacti