Here are some photos along the driveway now that we have most of it cleaned up from storm damage from the last big storm. It was a pleasant warm (74F in the shade) type of day with lots of sun, some clouds and a light breeze. Rain squalls from the next storm inbound started hitting us this evening.

It was a nice sunny day today with increasing clouds late in the afternoon and a light breeze and temperatures in the low to mid 70s F. Another weather system is moving in so we started getting heavy rain squalls in the very late afternoon. The calm before the next storm.

Donald Trump threatens to end a civilization forever tonight. Go vote for Shawn Harris in GA 14th please.

War crimes are morally and legally wrong. But they also don’t win wars or get us beyond politics. Insofar as there is a logic to this it is to provoke the Iranians and then act shocked and go for a coup domestically. See my essay "The Next Coup Attempt" snyder.substack.com/p/the-next-c...

We are finally getting the worst of the downed trees and branches and assorted debris from the back to back storms cleaned up and chipped through the chipper/shredder. The forest looks much more open now. Wind gusts up to 75 mph and nearly 3 feet of rain fell in 3 days. Another storm is on the way.

So while continuing to cut up downed trees and branches from the March storm, we found this little baby Jackson's Three Horned Chameleon among the debris so we released him/her into the forest so he would have cover from predators. This is the smallest one that we've found.

And this is what two of the cats had to say about it...lol.

An upcoming Montana ballot referendum would deny corporations the power to spend in state and federal elections. If it passes in deep red Montana, it could pass anywhere. State by state, this could effectively nullify Citizens United. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1fPbGHe3xE

Weekend Update #179: Russian Losses In March And UAVs, A Shocking Statistic open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

I've come to the conclusion that there are about 35%-40% of the population of this country that will never "get it" no matter how bad it gets. This was a known issue for decades but the frogs just keep sitting in the water as it starts to simmer. The same is with climate change.

The tRUMP antichrist has spoken!

So the density of the Monstera thicket with the Pinanga coronata palms growing through it is growing really well. It is slowly screening out the neighbor which is the intent. If good fences make good neighbors, good screens in addition are even better.

Our car is charged during the daytime off of solar panels. When it is sunny, we produce a huge surplus which just causes the system to curtail so it costs nothing essentially. Why Are Americans Still Stuck Paying for Oil Wars When EVs Cost Less to Drive? open.substack.com/pub/thomhart...

Why would the Europeans buy weapons from the US after this (frankly before this was questionable). tRUMP doesn't need to officially withdraw from NATO. He can just avoid honoring commitments as commander in chief. The sooner that Europeans snap out of it and build their own weapons the better.

Will Trump "Withdraw" From NATO? open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

We are spending an estimated $1B per day on the war on Iran. Now Trump and Co want an extra $200B from Congress to fund the war. But healthcare? Cut. Food stamps? Cut. Education? Cut. Cancer research? Cut. Environmental protections? Cut. And of course, taxes on the rich? Cut. It's obscene.

I think it's about time to Release The Epstein Files.

30 minutes of mostly good news for Ukraine+mostly bad news for fascist Russia. You've got to love the Ukrainians! They made direct drone+expertise security deals w/Gulf States+others w/o consulting the corrupt tRUMP crime family first who wanted to steal their tech and sell it for profit.

tRUMP destroys everything he touches. Now that he has broken the middle east/straits of Hormuz and the world economy, he wants to just walk away and leave the mess for everyone else to clean up. It's almost as if he works for Putin and is trying to destroy the US at the same time he loots it.

Ever notice how the most evil and corrupt people in the world always have connections to Russia?

Remember what Joe Kent said when he resigned? It is entirely possible that Robinson intended to shoot Kirk but missed but someone else didn't that day THE BULLET DOESN’T FIT. THE SHERIFF JUST QUIT. AND CHARLIE KIRK'S "ASSASSIN" TYLER ROBINSON IS STILL FACING DEATH. open.substack.com/pub/deanblun...

And cheaper energy also makes a country more competitive at the same time in manufacturing as defunding the psychopathic billionaire oppressor fossil fuel class. Nothing to import like petroleum for energy so "they" can't turn off the lights by closing choke points like the straits of Hormuz.

RUBIO: “Imagine if Iran spent billions on its people instead of weapons... They’d have a much different country.”🤔😕 Unreal. @marcorubio Do you even hear yourselves? Your shameless hypocrisy is killing us

They all have found another easy "money for nothing" financial scheme to bilk this country of more money by all getting advance notice (insider trading) of tRUMP's "peace talks" signal to buy low and sell high. This gives needed financial relief to the corrupt billionaire oppressor Epstein class.

"The cost of killing every Russian is less than $1,000 dollars now." 60 Minutes in America ran a great segment about Ukraine's drone advances. Check it out! youtu.be/jgT8URb0HO8

What war in the Middle East means for the world's clean energy transition www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Hurray for Ukraine. Burn the Russian export terminals to the ground! Slava Ukraine!

Maybe you should have purchased a solar panel system with battery back up for your home and maybe you should have bought an electric car or at least a hybrid. This would at least provide some buffer against the fossil fuel insanity. open.substack.com/pub/noahpini...

Let's hope so. The world would be much better off without Russia! youtu.be/Mnb11xIow50?...

The best part of the #NoKings rallies all over the world was seeing so many people peacefully coming together in solidarity of freedom! 💙✌️☮️ Let’s keep this passion, spirit and energy going and show up to #Vote in the midterms and in 2028! Thank you to all #BlueCrew & #BreakfastCrew Resisters!🦋💙🦋

So I had to stake the Jamaica Allspice trees that got seriously blown over and bent by the wind in the recent storm. This along with some pruning and striping of leaves from pruned off branches which we dried in the dehydrator to use similar to how you use Bay leaves. This is the first batch.

Talking with David Roberts open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

Boots On The Ground Is The Plan open.substack.com/pub/narativ/...

More good news for Ukraine. Funny how good news for Ukraine is rarely reported in the US media. Funny also how ever little thing in favor for Russia in the was does get reported. youtu.be/mJFZ3DFgKPc?...

Shared 👇 comment: 🤨 Once again, “When it was my turn to fight, I-RAN. #OperationEpicFailure Trump has told aides he has finished playing the Iran game now, and someone else can clean it up. This was always the danger. That impulse, the official said, has become more pronounced in recent days.

So the two Cordyline australis were planted in the two large blue ceramic pots by the front steps of our vacation rental but got too large so we transplanted them into the ground and replaced them with young pigmy date palms.

Like I said, the markets are pure BS and a manipulated insider trading scam. So more money for nothing. I wonder when the whole scheme just collapses from gutting it out with pure greed and corruption? Treason in the Futures Markets open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

The vireya is in bloom following the back side of the storm and a return to normal Trade Winds pattern.

Even more rain...LOL.

More rain in Paradise...LOL.

A Complete List of the President's Positive Qualities:

So another weather system is moving through the island. This reminds me of the old joke, what's the definition of a tropical depression? Putting your life savings down for a one week vacation in Tahiti and it rains for a week straight...LOL.

I've always thought that the stock market, etc. were complete BS and were fundamentally a billionaires' game of stock manipulation and insider trading. So yeah, I absolutely agree with Texas Paul on this. Just another example of a thoroughly corrupt system that has no bearing on common reality.

So Josh trimmed the bottom of the tall clumps of bamboo and cut them back quite a bit to significantly reduce top growth. Then he and his helper dug out the root ball of the clump that tipped and reset it. Not it is staked into position for the next couple of years.

This Hong Kong Orchid Tree partially blew over into the plumbago shrubs so it also had to be reset but digging out+pulling it up w/ the truck and rope with come along. The 2nd photo shows it afterwards with staking on the right side of the photo. So cleanup+resetting trees continues post storm.

This Hong Kong Orchid Tree broke and tipped in the storm. I removed the broke portion and then removed a significant amount of top growth to reduce weight and windage. We used my truck and a come along with rope to reset it along with digging up some soil around it. It now needs long term staking.

Even in the forest, the tops of some of the native tree ferns snapped off in the storm. This one has already been dealt with. You can see the top laying horizontally across the middle of the photo.