I (thankfully) found safe housing.

I also found extensive mold at my old place.

This move has devastated my baseline.

I haven’t written an article in months and I miss you all terribly!

The stress of having to throw out almost everything, combined with finding help for a move while bedbound, takes ALL my spoons.

I also had to throw out all my bedding including a blanket that belonged to my mom

I took it when she passed away over 20 years ago.

Kept it safe all this time and someone else’s negligence ruined it.

Gutted.

It was “just” a blanket…. But for me it was so much more.

Article coming eventually… and remember that housing is a basic human right!

No one should have to go through what I’ve just gone through.

#disability #ableism #housing #poverty #mold #chronicillness

When covid hit, I got a lot of bulk dry goods (flour, rice, beans, letils, etc.) before prices jacked. Sealed in totes, thank censored because while on the road, the downstairs resident flooded and black-molded the place. Which, if you want an example of brains just borking on heavy exposure: I had just enough brain to buy a truck, bleach the hell of out my totes, and get the hell out. Which took, I dunno, months - super-impaired brain did not have timeline, so this is based on garbled notes.

Somewhere in there, I also grabbed a couple instapots, one 1.5 gallon one for me-sized meal-weeks, and (I thought) one massive one for canning. Now, mold-brain after the purchase, remembered, “Oh, hell, instapots don’t come up to temp for canning.” So I hit the new place, eventually unloaded the big of-course-it’s-an-instapot to the place I’ve got an art-studio basement in, and hey, five years go by.

Hit the studio to transport some stuff, was planning on a large chili for a thing, and the 1.5 gallon instapot wasn’t gonna work. Grab the big one. Discover mold brain was so addled I’d managed to buy a proper electric canner – a nuwave – in big-big size. Very hand-staple-forehead, along with a lot of cussing, but. Just in time for the now-projected-August of food goods potentially running out in the states.

Cue the oh-gods, cutting it close, but at least can do the job now, rather than relying on dry goods alone. 25lbs of dried apricots to jam, maybe runs of dandelion greens, and come fall, an unspeakable quantity of berries, apples, etc. if we don’t drought out. Plus tomatoes, peppers, the works. Elderfolk out on the morrow to trawl through stores for bulk discounted meat.

Meanwhile, work at transfer station: Does not come with insurance, so I’m not going for that gig, but I’ll be putting in some hours to tide ‘em over until they’ve got their actual new employees in place. More time for canning!

As writing: Canner test, success!

How To Make Steel That Breathes

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://hackaday.com/2026/05/18/how-to-make-steel-that-breathes/

I think I’m officially giving up and admitting defeat with my moldy clothes. I’m losing my baseline so fast because my caregivers are spending all their time trying to salvage items that probably can’t be salvaged.

It’s almost my entire wardrobe.

The stress of thinking about how to replace it is also tough on my baseline… but I’ve got to tell myself mold is simply not worth the risk. Especially with severe MCAS.

This is another great example of the “crip tax”. If it weren’t for my disability, I wouldn’t need specific types of clothes. I would be able to soak and salvage them myself. I wouldn’t be restricted to only online shopping. I wouldn’t be on a fixed income.

This feels like a disaster, but it’s better than making myself sicker.

Let me know your best suggestions for affordable all cotton clothing (tshirts, zip up sweaters, sweat pants, socks)

#clothing #mold #mcas #disability #chronicillness #ableism #criptax

For #ThrowbackThursday, here's a cup of coffee from yesteryear...
I'm using the IT Director's office today and I guess he hasn't been in Valencia in a while, because his coffee cup is alive. (Like me, he usually works out of the Burbank office).
Life, uh, finds a way...

#LiveCulture #Mold #ThrowupThursday #Coffee #LifeFindsAWay