hope is resistance!

[sonoran-hopepunk]

Hi everyone!

Ive made this blog to help me be happier and healthier, and to also help others and the world around me. Come chat with me!! Ask questions, too! Just know im not an expert at anything. Im just a guy trying to do his best!

he/him

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About me:

Im an artist, life-long student, activist, nerd, and work at a library. Im also almost done completing the KonMari Method!! And im about to try the Blue Zones lifestyle!

How i came to hopepunk:

The weight of the world and my community work has created compounded burnout over the years, and i am finally at a point where i need to turn my life around to be healthier. I am so happy that i discovered the term "hopepunk" a few days ago, because it exactly describes the outlook i strive for!!!

This blog is a combination of hope, self-help, zines, inspiration, food, wildlife, spirituality, crafting, solarpunk, and gardening, in order to help me live my best life :)

You may think this blog is more "solarpunk" than "hopepunk"; it basically is. But, since ive lived in, loved, and advocated for the Sonoran desert my entire life, i dont connect with many of the "solarpunk" aesthetics/solutions. A lot is made for non-desert environments. So i find myself more closely connected to "hopepunk" than "solarpunk", but i basically believe and strive for both, along with community building. To me, they are inexplicabley intertwined.

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My skillshare things:

- sonoran wildlife + gardening knowledge

- theater and other art (especially disability, queer, subversive, interactive, and devised theater)

- consent-forward practices

- konmari method (while having ocd and level 2 hoarding)

- library

- first-gen college experience

- religious/spiritual journey (while having ocd)

- queer/trans journey (while having ocd)

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Thanks for visiting my blog, and i hope you find some joy, love, or help through it!! And please come chat, i love learning and connecting :)

[thelostcanyon]

Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), Tucson Mountains, Arizona.

[hope-for-the-planet]

New Solar Tech Makes Desalinating Seawater Cheaper Than Producing Bottled Water

Engineering teams around the world have been attempting to develop new methods of seawater desalination.

Scientists in China have developed a more efficient form of solar desalination that uses 47.4% less energy than alternatives. After the first year of testing, the scientists believe that at scale it would be able to desalinate water more cheaply than producing bottled water.

The goal is now to scale the technology for use in coastal areas and islands experiencing water insecurity.

[tranthony]

grout white shark

[thelostcanyon]

The great massif of the Superstiton Mountains rises abruptly from the desert flats near Apache Junction, Pinal County, Arizona.

[hope-for-the-planet]

Global mangrove forests rebound, offering hopeful sign for climate and coastal resilience

A new study from Tulane University researchers has found that after decades of loss from deforestation and coastal development, mangroves ar

Mangrove forests used to be considered one of the world's most threatened ecosystems. However, recent analysis of satellite data shows that mangrove forests are no longer in decline and in fact the global coverage of mangrove forests has been increasing over the last 16 years due to restoration and natural habitat expansion.

The health of mangrove ecosystems is particularly relevant in the era of climate change, since they place a crucial role in protecting coastlines from storms and erosion in addition to storing carbon.

[sonoran-hopepunk]

Sometimes bad days dont get better right away, but its nice to notice when things turn good after a bad day. I had a terrible day and night last night; i woke feeling the same, but there was rain outside, i hadnt died in the night, and my bird was so sweet this morning. There's not always a fast "cure" for bad days, but i love the world when it offers some good things for me when i feel down <3

[theseventhcrow55]

i get so emotional every time i think about fanfic culture. it's just so beautiful that people are writing and anonymously posting these thousand-word stories about characters we all love and not even getting any money or public fame from it. it's literally just for the love of the game.

shout out to everyone who participates in fanfic culture, be it reading or writing fanfics. you are contributing to such a lovely thing <3

[thepeacefulgarden]

[onionsandvoid]

I have to ask!! What's some of your favorite wildlife in Nevada?!!

@sonoran-hopepunk

Desert marigolds, our quails!!!! Lamb’s ear- I adore how the rocks look near Hoover dam and how the flowers just bust right through it’s beautiful. I love creosote so much it’s obsessive. Yarrow flowers too. Everything- way more than anything I could just list out here hehe.

[sonoran-hopepunk]

YESSS!!! I love quail so much 😭😭😭💕💕💕. Also i had to google lambs ear and yarrow-- AND THEYRE BOTH SO PRETTY!!!! And omg creosote is my FAVORITE!!! I am also super obsessed with it!!!! :D

[growingwildgardens]

Ive been spending most of my energy and non-raining outdoor time the last 3 weeks sifting my massive compost pile and spreading it throughout the garden.

Ive finally run out and am most of the way through remaking the pile, so I decided to slow down and actually appreciate how much the garden has exploded in that time

Rhodie and a huge wash of wallflowers on the bench inside my berry circle garden

Celery, spinach, garlic and fava beans

Collards gone to seed and Egyptian walking onions

My perennial flowers planted last year, among several varieties of potato coming up. Planted snap peas but they were defoliated immediately, I'll try some more soon

Celery, garlic, Fava, wallflowers and calendula with blooming strawberries behind them

A whole wall of various kale types, all gone to flower and seed for the early pollinators. Lots of this winter crop will be cleared for seed and space soon, but its gorgeous and bright and so many early greens options rn

Turnip gone to flower, curly parsley, more fava - I planted them everywhere to have a nice network of their nitrogen-fixating root nodules all around and for rich composting. More garlic and kale, some blackberries I need to reign in behind them

Those raspberries and salmonberries that were just trimmed sticks a month or two ago are full of leaves now, and Im already getting Artichokes in

Really proud of how the cumulative effort Ive put in can produce such a vibrant and colorful garden even in the earliest parts of spring, despite things like my taking weeks and weeks to distribute and catch up with the compost

[sonoran-hopepunk]

Some photos of flowers and bugs ive taken recently :>

[oh-he-grows]

why are there SO MANY bees on my table

they invite new drinking buddies over every day

[toddycats]

My hope for whoever is reading this is that your life starts making sense and coming together. I hope the good days are right around the corner for you.

[pikaole]

Tag yourself and learn about your bees🐝

I drew 100 bees, but there are over 20000 species of bees! Some bees are moving leaves, scraping plant hair, or sticking out their tongues. Some male bees have hairy faces and unusually shaped legs. There are also baby bees that have just hatched from their petal nests.

Search for your favorite bees to find photos and information!

[sonoran-hopepunk]

THIS IS SO COOL!!!

I think i would be an ashy mining bee!

Apparently their stingers are too small to penetrate human skin!

[agayworthfightingfor]

On Dentists

So I can’t brush my teeth. Like, it’s the worst kind of hell. I went to the dentist for a cleaning today and I told the hygienist this, and she was wonderfully helpful.

There are some incredibly soft toothbrushes available- namely, post-surgical brushes. Running them under hot water makes them even softer.

She told me that you don’t really need to use toothpaste- it’s mostly marketing. The foam gets to me, so that is really reassuring.

She gave me two particularly soft brushes and some xylitol gum. Trident is a market brand of xylitol gum, which helps with your teeth and can make your breath smell better.

The whole purpose of brushing is to disrupt plaque buildup. You don’t need to brush twice a day, every day with toothpaste if you brush correctly- little circles, focusing on near the gums (where most plaque builds up). So if you’re having a bad sensory day and can’t brush at all, it’s not the end of the world.

Hell, you don’t even need a toothbrush if even the post-surgical ones are too harsh. Going over your teeth with the same motions using a washcloth is enough.

She wants to find a fluoride rinse that has a taste I can stand (peppermint is the only mint I can stand) but she’s not particularly worried about it.

I go to Dr. Barr in Chicago. If you can get to the State St. Macy’s, his office is nearby. He’s very kind and patient and really understanding of my needs as an autistic person. The hygienist, I don’t know her name, announced everything she was going to do before she did it, and stopped frequently to see how I was doing.

This is really the only positive dentist I’ve ever had- past dentists have been too rough and not bothered to help find ways I can actually brush.

Basically this is a glowing recommendation for Dr. Barr’s office if you’re autistic, afraid of dentists, or have sensory needs. This is a recommendation even if you don’t have any of those things.

[huhnerkopf]

Im actually crying i feel like this post was reblogged for me oh my god oh my god oh my lord thank you

[lascapigliata]

You can also dilute your mouthwash and use it to swish around if it burns. My dentist does this so consider it dentally approved

[spoonie-living]

If you were feeling guilty about your brushing habits, either due to sensory issues, pain, allergies, executive dysfunction, or just plain fatigue, here’s what you need to know about what is and isn’t necessary if your dental care!

[charismat1c-megafauna]

Post-covid, I got really horrible shit going on with my gag reflex where for some reason the mint flavor of toothpaste (and only toothpaste) would make me gag so hard that I’d throw up. Then I found a kids toothpaste that’s like strawberry flavored or something, but it has the proper adult amount of flouride, so it works for me and I don’t gag much anymore. Here’s an article with some options if you’re like me lol

Best Non-Mint Toothpaste For Adults — Dr. Gemma Wheeler

Dr. Gemma Wheeler lists best non-mint toothpaste options for adults. The list includes those that are truly non mint, without oils or aromas

Also for the people who can’t stand foam, the ingredient you’re looking to avoid is called SLS.

[bisexualbaker]

I share this frequently, but I had a very difficult time making myself floss because I hated the way that standard floss digs into my fingers when I use it. I switched to floss picks, and boom: A hated activity instantly became entirely neutral. Much easier to convince myself to do! If you have the same problem with standard floss, this might be worth a try.

Also, my most recent trip to the dentist, I was told that xylitol is a very effective treatment for dry mouth! And also that dry mouth is bad for your teeth, because it can disrupt the PH balance in your mouth, making your teeth more susceptible to cavities. While you want to be very careful to keep any xylitol products away from dogs in particular and probably pets in general, if you have dry mouth, you can try checking for products with xylitol in them.

[bisexualbaker]

Of note: My brother endorses the OraNusre brand of flavorless toothpaste; he says it “tastes like toothbrush”. My mom, meanwhile, is a fan of the Hello brand, which comes in different fruity and sweet flavors. Both of these are listed at the non-mint toothpaste link above.

If you prefer a toothpaste or a mouthwash for dry mouth, I use Biotène; it’s not cheap, but brushing once a day with it, a tube of Biotène toothpaste lasts me around four to five months. As far as I’m aware, it’s only in mint flavor.

[sonoran-hopepunk]

Super cool info!!

As for mouthwash, i use Closys Ultra Sensitive-- its chlorine based, so its great for sensitive mouths. Plus, its flavorless, but it comes with a little bottle of peppermint oil so you can add flavoring to ur exact likeness!

[jmillz888]

Walked a favorite trail.

Found a heart-shaped rock!

Added it to the heart-shaped rock collection on the hike :)