@davidjakubiak
Fresh water is life. Renewable energy, fish (gar), fishes (gars, sturgeon, etc), native plants, garden, cook, two teen household, dog, indoor cat, baseball, too. Libraries bring hope. You have to eat to live.
Welcome to Team Pasquach.
This is a really important distiction. If this admistration takes their eyes off the ball here and these carp do make it into the Great Lakes, they will be solely responsible for that happening.
A prairie smoke plant slowly opens a bunch of leaves allowing them to peak out from last season’s leaf litter, a sign that spring will not be denied.
Good morning, prairie smoke! (Look, I’ve seen the 10 day forecast and know winter coats are coming back, but we have turned a corner, and there is no going back!)
Uh oh. I drive a Subaru. Maybe he got his Davids confused. In fairness there are many of us.
Tiny anise hyssop seedlings emerge in a repurposed gallon jug. Set out on 12/27/2025, they germinated on 3/8/2026.
When you winter sow native seeds, March can be a long month as you wait and wonder if everything will go right. This year, my anise hyssop was the first to pop. Many, many more jugs to go.
A tiny yellow crocus blooms above the straw of last year’s lawn, miniaturized by a honey locust tree’s seed pod.
The first crocus of 2026 has emerged outside of Chicago.
Any way, it’s an election year. So get out there and ask candidates about plants. We have the power!
Also think about the gardeners you know. I bet they also love to cook, and spend time reading. I bet they’ve thought about plant communities, which is basically the same as mixed-use development and building partnerships.
Gardening requires many traits we should look for in leaders, it takes patience, it takes vision, it takes understanding that failure is part of learning.
Like add questions to election questionnaires like: “Grasses, sedges or forbes? And why” and “You are starting a rain garden, what three plants you have to have, and why is Lobelia cardinalis at the top of your list?”
What if, and hear me out, we elected more plant people?
Sprouts of minty green spotted bee-balm burst through leaf litter of maple and oak leaves on a misty spring morning.
Welcome back, spotted bee balm!
Squash vine borers are the worst.
I actually think this one is more likely to be ignited in the Blackstone Valley between Worcester and Pawtucket, where the Dunks allegiance is unbreakable.
When I left work yesterday and crossed State Street on the walk signal, a dude driving a Waymo came about two inches from hitting me as he nearly pulling in the crosswalk. Just sharing in case anyone wants to know how its going so far.
Further, I dare you to try to label Ironweed without including "I am" on the stick. Just try.
In a similar vein, it is 100% impossible to plant ironweed without Black Sabbath playing in your head.
3/3 Don't even get me started on those capacity prices you pay! Even if a wind, solar or battery project doesn't get 100% capacity, it is adding capacity which is what the grid desperately needs - capacity for those high demand periods.
So if someone says electricty is high because of renewables...
2/3 So when extended cold and rising demand for gas from things like, oh, I don't know, data center natgas turbines, the price of natural gas goes up and naturally. electricity prices follow. Your bill may have renewable energy incentives, but that ain't where the spikes are coming from.
1/3 The latest anti-renewable argument as my ears hear it: "Adding all of these additional electrons to the grid are driving up electricity costs!"
See, typically electricity costs are driven by things like the cost on highest demand day of the year, and well, natural gas prices.
In fairness, with young kids, it's more like the same movie 16 times a week.
This spring when some kid is killed trying to replicate the apple-off-the head video, MLB is going to bear 100% of the responsibility. “Just because you can, doesn’t mean should” needs to make a big time comeback in 2026.
And giant televisions. I grew up watching on a 12” screen.
The Gen X urge to cool it now
You got to cool it now
Ooh, watch out
You're gonna lose control.
A solitary snowdrop blossom hangs above a leaf-litter strewn garden bed west of Chicago on February 21, 2026
The first flowers of 2026 are up in Chicago’s west burbs on February 21! This is a snowdrop (Galanthus). It’s not native to America, but I planted a few because everyone needs some hope this time a year, plus they offer any pollinators fooled by False Spring 1, 2 and 3 a snack.
I just listened to the radio broadcast of a baseball game and man that’s the stuff.
Nate MacKinnon has no time for OT.
Has anyone looked into whether the McCaskeys are invested in Atlas Arteria, and this all just about driving up use of the Skyway?
Seeing people get hauled out of data center public hearings is wild to me. I have attended public meetings for renewable energy projects across this nation, and when I tell you the number of places where speaking limits and decorum rules are 100% not enforced, you would probably not be surprised.
With all of winter sowing complete, it's time for veggie season to kick off. Peppers and eggplants are on the heated mat, tomatillos are in the garden window. Next weeken will be tomato time. Pics to follow (if germination is successful). Always so hopeful for a great garden this time of year.