no more tricks

As much as Derrick Jensen tells me hope is the wrong way to go about things, I still find myself hoping.

As centrist as I know Obama is, as much as I know about his pro-Israel stance, as convinced as I am that he's going to attack Pakistan, I still get swept up in this emotional current, this excitement that something could be different. That a black person (albeit, still a straight, rich, christian, man) with a non anglicized name could be president of the U.S. That he might remember all the little people, improve health care, extend care to the environment, and generally be less of a capitalist scuz. I hope. And I plan to push him, with your help. I prefer to dismantle our government from the bottom, but could still use someone a little less evil on top.

Happy halloween, and happy end to our scary regime! Here's hoping.

eat me?

You have to forgive my current obsession with food. As the cold sets in, I AM obsessed with cold and heat, the dwindling light, with packing away fresh foods, with how to close the hatches enough to get to the other side.

By my eyes have wandered, too. Around the corner from home there's an old maple with about 5 square feet of huge, beautiful mushrooms growing. I'm convinced they are oyster mushrooms, and they make me salivate.

I'm still relatively new to wild edibles, having bit of dandelion here, some purslane there, and gobs of berries in the summers. I'm well aware that mushrooms are a different beast, though, and that regardless of how many pictures I compare, I shouldn't dive in without some experienced advice. But sources say that there are no poisonous mushrooms that look like oysters....

I can hear them (and a recipe of Wildman Steve Brill's) calling my name.

my roots

In an effort to plant more perennial edibles, I planted sunchokes this past spring. I'd only tasted these rich and nutty roots a year or so ago, but am a super lazy gardener, so they had a lot of appeal. Nice bright flowers on tall plants (they are in the sunflower family), tasty and prolific root veggies that can stay in the ground through winter, and plants that come back year after year on their own. What more can a gal (who can't be bothered to turn her compost) ask for?

Edible roots are exciting plants for gardeners: all that magic going on underground, hidden from the eye.

I'm leaving a lot of the sunchokes in the ground to harvest them when they're super sweet in the spring. But I pulled a few of these beauties to add to my Korean style radish pickle ferments. Yum. I'm as proud as a mother cat with a new litter of kittens.

If you're not familiar with sunchokes, here's the full 411.

tool talk - p style

I guess transmen know all about this, but I didn't know. There are tools that allow women to urinate standing up without depantsing and without making a mess. They are useful if, well, you want to use a urinal, or a filthy toilet without getting close to it. Or in situations where you're not comfortable or safe taking down your pants and squatting. Or if you physically can't take down your pants and squat.

People mention liking them for car trips and outdoorsy times. I can think of quite a few situations it could prove useful. And I can now officially attest to the easy use of the P Style, which is available at my local feminist bookstore, and maybe yours too. (There's also the WhizBiz from Australia, which looks like a long funnel, if you're more into that.)

If I post a picture of "abovegroundpool" written in the snow, you'll know what happened.

free the new jersey 4

Butch gals, trannies, nelly boys, and everyone who believes queers should not be bashed and imprisoned when they fight for their lives:
Solidarity neckties are on sale now! All proceeds will go the NJ4 legal support fund. Wear yours proudly.

Read all about the case here.

queers bash back

I had a long blog entry written about self-defense, about armed resistance, about organized armed resistance, the IRA, the PLO, the Shining Path. And others who aren't considered "terrorists" anymore, who are now called "freedom fighters" and recognized as relevant in liberation struggles, like armed resistors of apartheid. It depends on who you ask, and their distance or investment. I initially intended to post the piece with some IRA prisoner art from the seventies.

I've lost that piece of writing, but wish I had it to post today. Today I read about the two men (one disabled) murdered in their home in Indianapolis after suffering months of harassment for daring to be gay men. And I also read about the forming of new groups of trannies and other queers called Bash Back around the U.S. (Not an armed group, for the record, but invoking the right of fighting back.)

Self defense is not considered an option in queer bashing cases (see the New Jersey 4). Some people who actually hear about the cases (even with the lack of reportage) are sickened by it. Many others are more sickened by us, inferring that we deserve to be hurt, to be murdered. It is why I think I understand the need for armed resistance. Why I can't judge. Why I won't call people terrorists who appropriate some of the government's (or other attacker's) tactics when fighting back.

merit badge - hospitality

abovegroundpool's most recent merit badge goes to The Common Ground Restaurant in Brattleboro, VT. It's gonna sound crazy to you that we're awarding a restaurant with an activist award, but that's only until you hear that the fresh, organic, vegetarian food at this worker-run spot is free.

That's not a typo.

Common Ground was opened in 1971 with serve-yourself soup and salad for a few cents, displays of original artwork, and performances. It's struggled a few times, set low, flexible prices on food at times, even closed it's doors a couple of times, but mostly it persists, with tasty tempeh dishes and a donation jar. I couldn't believe it when I first heard about it (free? are you sure?), but have made it a regular stop when I'm tooling around the Northeast.

I love Common Ground for reasons similar to why I love Food Not Bombs: They believe there is enough for everyone, that everyone deserves nourishment, and they don't use handing you a plate of food as an excuse to preach. They've made sharing and trust work for 37 years. Bless 'em!

See other merit badge winners here.

remember

remember sakia gunn, originally uploaded by abovegroundpool.

See more from the murdered queers set at the aboveground pool activist archive.

renata hill back on trial

Free the New Jersey 4

zero dollars

As seen on Wall Street.

harvest

Because the weather is turning, I've harvested what are possibly the world's tiniest watermelons. One of these puppies had grown out of the yard and developed in the street. Miniscule melons on unruly vines, but so tasty!

You may or may not think of growing or preserving food as radical. To some it might seem downright Martha Stewart like. Either way, it feels good to put the abundance of fresh produce from the season into good and prolonged use. My friends probably really want touch phones as gifts, and instead are getting jars of fruit and veggies! One friend, at least, will appreciate it, since spicy mango* spears will give her a taste of home.

*No, these mangoes were not grown locally. They are from a primarily Indian neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens, a whole different kind of "local."

kid hating

"I understand there are a lot of bad parents out there whose children do not ever see limits imposed on their behavior and they run wild in the streets, drenched in the blood of the infidels and burning the villages in their wake, waving sticky hands in the air and drooling from their sticky mouths, spilling every cup in sight."

My friend Josh over at Vegan Metal Bike Dad Punk Blog has been opining about kids and bigots, in short, that if you say you "hate kids" that you are very definitely a bigot. Not cool, not cutting edge, not well-informed-about-overpopulation, and not more of an adult yourself.

I appreciate it when people know they won't make a good parent, or a good babysitter, even, but of course that's very different than hating kids. VMBDP's examples of people snubbing his daughter at public gatherings, etc. are outrageous, but somehow believable, since I've heard this sentiment expressed too. Try out these responses to a child's presence instead:

• "That tantrum voice is hard on the ears, small fry."
• "I hate that I don't fit on and therefore can't borrow your bicycle/tricycle."
• "You're awfully short and my neck doesn't bend right anymore, so can I sit and you stand while we converse?"
• "Thanks for coming to the demo."

After dealing with your discomfort with those that are different than you (your issue!), know that kids are important to all our struggles. They are deserving of your respect. Go get 'em with your sticky hands, Ruby!