Juniper Oliphant

I met my nesting partner through OK Cupid nearly 6 years ago, and primarily used OKC before that. Since then I've bopped around Tinder a bit, but the only other people I've actually dated in the last few years have come from in-person social circles. Maybe a date or two from a poly meetup over the years.  

As a demisexual person, OKC is more up my alley because I really need to know people and care for them before I'm sexually attracted to them. This being said, Tinder encourages the opposite of that, so its an interesting confidence booster but otherwise most of the folks I run into on there aren't on my wavelength.  I used Bumble for a minute when it came out but it was much more of a unicorn-hunter than anything else and that's not my jam. I know its old news but in-person things like meetups or venn-diagrammed-hobbies (insert jokes about poly people inviting you to board gaming nights here) tend to be best for me to make new connections.

Matthew Nistico wrote:"burner-adjacent"...?

in-network with the types of people who go to Burning Man, but I myself do not go to the thing.

Matthew Nistico wrote:

Juniper Oliphant wrote:I'm really surprised at how uncommon polyamory seems in the permaculture world.

But is it, really?  I'm curious that this is your observation.  Or were you judging simply by the traffic of posts on this thread?[...]

I'm really only judging on my extremely limited internet-social experiences, including a smattering of Discord, reddit, youtube, and the PDC I'm currently taking. Perhaps its just that we haven't discussed it, whereas in my other social circles its often something you discuss right away (queer, TTRPG, LARP, reenactment, burner-adjacent, & pagans). However, those are also environments where there is a highly cultivated bubble wherein people of marginalized identities are deliberately welcomed, and you are encouraged to be your "whole" self, unlike permaculture discussions which tend to steer extremely carefully clear of subjects like sexual orientation, race, gender identity, and relationship structures (ie, this is neither the place for people to discuss the nuances of FLDS polygamy nor LGBT+ rights). So maybe we've been here all along, and we just don't discuss it much.

Basically I was trying to say hello other poly folks, I haven't met any of you yet and I'm glad I'm not alone.

Tonya Hunte wrote:

C Mouse wrote:*squints* Are you me?

I jest, but from another bi-poly lady looking to build an intentional community, welcome to the group and good luck searching.

There are dozens of us, I tell you. DOZENS

We need a queer/bi-poly lady looking to build an intentional community zoom meetup. We exist!

My partner and I are polyamorous in spirit but not actively dating/searching at this time in our lives. I'm really surprised at how uncommon polyamory seems in the permaculture world. Granted, I haven't gone looking for social groups based on permaculture yet. I'm about to move to the Southern Tier NY area where we're buying 6 acres, so I will probably find the right groups of people up there and perhaps dating will feel right.

I love the permaculture "zones" for relationships, that's really sweet.

I'd recommend looking at your health needs and beginning your list there. For example, I have a mess of sub-clinical highly sensitive immune and inflammation issues, and clinical anxiety and OCD, so a lot of my herbal medicine focus is on components that are relaxing/soothing and anti-inflammatory. Some of my priorities for next year include chamomile, various mints, catnip, mullein, oregano, thyme, calendula, motherwort, meadowsweet, yarrow, basil tulsi, and stinging nettle. You might also experiment with things like ginger and turmeric, ginseng, ashwaganda, various fungi (cordyceps, lions mane), spruce tips, and willow, but depending on your region they may not be happy.

Yep, those are all things to consider. Most/all of them appear to not co-operate with the FoodSaver type of sealer. I don't know enough about the various kinds of sealers yet to understand precisely why one sort will work and another won't, but the "in-chamber" sort seem to be the most compatible with these kinds of bags, though one or two listed testing with vacuum sealers that have a hose. Most of them also noted that their freezer life expectancy is somewhere in the 1-2 year range I think, and largely they are not appropriate for Sous Vide-style cooking (heating meat in a vac sealed bag at long and low temps) due to deterioration. They also seem hit-or-miss with fully liquid foods, probably like broth and sauce and whatnot. I don't have the expertise to understand why yet.

In-chamber sealers are NOT CHEAP by any means.  But if its a setup that may last a family 10+ years, or for commercial use it might be worth it.

5. No marijuana or alcohol right before bed

Your mileage may vary on marijuana. It is a major part of my [state-licensed] treatment for anxiety disorder and OCD, and I have found that it helps quiet my mind for sleep in a really great way, and also relaxes my muscles such that a congenital back problem I have is manageable. It took me quite a while to figure out what sorts of strains do what and why, and how my body reacts to it. (I was not a marijuana user and had negative experiences with it until I started learning about it from a medical POV, a little over 1 year ago)

There are definitely various studies out there saying that ultimately it makes for a lower quality of sleep because it mucks with REM cycle length, and saying that ceasing it causes sleep disruption/withdrawal (but so does stopping literally any sleep aid?). But if the options are "8 hours of less than perfect sleep" or "little or no sleep due to racing thoughts or body pain," or even "8 hours of Klonipin-coma from which I awake exhausted," I'll keep taking a few tokes of marijuana before bed!

Sure thing, I hope it helps folks!

Its a hard place to find balance, as the extended shelf-life of goods frozen this way is really incredible and has a ton of value for an even remotely-frugal household. I haven't made any decisions yet on what setup I'm going to get but I'm pleased to have put all the resources I could find into one place

Does anybody have experiences they can speak to with the handful of compostable vacuum bags on the market now? (Mid-2021).

This site lists a few options.
- Grounded Packaging Co (country of origin unclear, though they have purchase sites for US, UK, NZ, AUS)
- Eco Bag (made in & ships from UK)
- Salt of the Earth Packaging (made in & ships from NZ)

Other products I've found online:
- Sustaina-Pouch (EU based)
- VestaEco (US based)
- Econic Packaging (only tested in "snorkel" sealers, NZ based)

Several of these list that they're tested for in-chamber vacuum sealers, which are more common at the commercial and industrial level of appliance (as opposed to "out of chamber", like the widely-available FoodSavers, or a "snorkel/nozzle attachment" which I am unfamiliar with entirely). I am in the market for a new vac sealer anyhow, as my little FoodSaver is over 10 years old and beginning to die. But since I have to buy a new appliance to even *try* some of these, I thought I'd ask around for input.

I'm starting to raise my own meat chickens, ducks, and rabbits in the next few years so I'd like to get a quality setup that has the ability to serve me if I want to sell/disburse meat and does not generate plastic waste.

Thanks yall