The helpers as we start to #seed the #backyard with micro #clover.

Gracie, the #Yorkie mix and one of her friends, Maggie, taking a break and wondering why we are tearing up their grassy playground.

#Appalachia is getting a new #cult as Christian Nationalists buy property in TN for their network sovereign theocratic city.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/04/christian-theobros-are-building-a-tech-utopia-in-appalachia/
#Tennessee

It's #Easter week in #Appalachia where we finish #planting the #garden, #baking Hot Cross Buns, and enjoying #Springtime.

Silo got his Easter gift a bit early this year.

If you're a US citizen, please sign this letter to your senators opposing Trump's "Fix our Forests" act. https://www.cascwild.org/oppose-the-so-called-fix-our-forests-act/

Here are the forests he wants to cut down: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cascadia/comments/1jvop3v/heres_all_the_forests_trump_plans_to_cut_down/

Hey y'all! Might as well #introducemyself on this server as well

I'm Isaflora

I grow stuff
I make things
I love deeply

My heart is in the mountains, hands in the soil, with my comrades, fighting for a future we have yet to see

I love to read, cook, and make herbal remedies for mutual aid!

I'm here to divest from big tech corps, learn more about FOSS, and connect with folks who dream & move towards our collective resilience.

Black agrarians to the front!

Hi Kolektiva! #introduction

I'm Isaflora

I grow stuff
I make things
I love deeply

My heart is in the mountains, hands in the soil, with my comrades, fighting for a future we have yet to see

I love to read, cook, and make herbal remedies for mutual aid!

I'm here to divest from big tech corps, learn more about FOSS, and connect with folks who dream & move towards our collective resilience.

Black agrarians to the front!
We need a black farmer emoji

"On February 15, 2025, a catastrophic flood ravaged McDowell County, West Virginia, and much of the state’s southern coalfields. At least three people were reported dead due to the flash flooding, with dozens more reported missing and more than 700 rescued. Damage to housing and infrastructure is expected to reach millions of dollars.

This latest flood follows similarly destructive bouts of flooding in the region in 2016, 2002, 2001 and 1977. While much of southern West Virginia is especially vulnerable to flooding due to the state’s topography along with the long-term ramifications of strip mining and timbering, McDowell County faces additional challenges. The county ranks first in the WV Social Vulnerability Index, a socio-economic resiliency indicator, revealing which communities are less likely to recover from a flood disaster quickly and fully. McDowell is the eighth poorest county in the country. Because 60% of the land is owned by corporations and insurance in flood zones is expensive, fewer than 3% of residential structures have flood insurance. This is one of the lowest flood insurance penetration rates in the state.

In press conferences since the flooding, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey has stressed that his administration is looking to help where they can, as well as warning that these recovery efforts can take time. He also said that his administration will conduct a thorough review of both the response and recovery efforts to find ways to improve if and when the next disaster strikes.

But West Virginia officials have a history of ignoring and underfunding protection plans, as well as many other needs in the state’s southern coalfields. And economic factors mixing with polycrises such as addiction, isolation, lack of potable water, and limited access to affordable and nutritious food has led to a pessimistic mindset which community leaders say it’s hard to break from.

“What this place needs is hope,” Alicia Vest of Matoaka Outreach says about her hometown of Matoaka, just over the county line in Mercer County. “[Growing up] it was so full of life, [but] as the coal mine shut down, life kind of stopped and it got stuck in a hole.”

In the weeks following the flood, Trump-appointed EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to eliminate 65% of the agency’s budget as well as plans to scale back or eliminate 31 previously enforced regulations including clean water protections for rivers and streams. Prior to announcing plans to dismantle FEMA just this week, Trump has issued executive orders calling for state and local governments to “play a more active and significant role in national resilience and preparedness.” While critics — both in West Virginia and across the country — have acknowledged the need for reform, many worry that this slash-and-burn approach may leave communities like McDowell, who cannot fund a full recovery on their own, even more vulnerable."

'Hell or High Water': Southern W. Va. Three Weeks After the Flood
https://youtu.be/Bt7ljhv90LQ

"On March 7-9 of this year, the neo-fascist American Freedom Party (AFP) held what it billed as its “National Convention” at a location that organizers kept secret from the public. Participants later said that it was in West Virginia without specifying where, however they did post photos from the conference online. A close examination of these images reveals that the conference took place at the Berkeley Springs Castle, which is owned by the people who ran the now-defunct white nationalist website VDARE."

A Fascist Gathering in West Virginia
https://alasbarricadas.noblogs.org/post/2025/03/31/a-fascist-gathering-in-west-virginia/

#Appalachian #Music #Short of the Week:

Dock Boggs, #Musician, #Songwriter, and #CoalMiner #Appalachia

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DiRjeNQtYjI

"There is well-earned anger and resentment in rural America. But the overwhelming spirit we uncovered this year from rural volunteer leaders was hunger. Hunger for support, hunger for camaraderie, hunger to not be so alone. We have real wisdom too, earned under the thumb of self-described constitutional sheriffs and neo-Nazi school board members. Part of what makes us worth your time and talent is that we are used to doing a lot with a little. We take big swings and tinker in our basements. Necessity is the mother of invention.

So often the people with the least are made to risk the most. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

What if we never had another conversation about rural America without rural Americans?"

From Rural America With Love: An Invitation to Bravery
https://convergencemag.com/articles/from-rural-america-with-love-an-invitation-to-bravery/

Public water in Mingo County, WV

Rural #Appalachia faces repeated "thousand-year floods" as #climatechange intensifies. A scholar explores why residents rebuild in flood-prone areas, highlighting a complex housing crisis exacerbated by land scarcity and economic inequality.
https://theconversation.com/why-people-rebuild-in-appalachias-flood-ravaged-areas-despite-the-risks-240429

"There are many myths and misconceptions about the Appalachian people, born of ignorance, Hollywood sensibilities, and sensationalism. The history of our people — proud, though often tragic — is obscured both by the passage of time and the cruel efforts of men.

This absence of history often leaves a void too quickly filled with misinformation, and that misinformation — at least to the average Appalachian — feels an awful lot like justification for neglect. Neglect from the barons of modern industry, who see in the Appalachian people a labor force unfit for work. Neglect from the parties of our country, who either choose to ignore us or exploit us as the situation calls for. Neglect from the very nation to which we belong.

We are more than aware of the stereotypes..."

Tapestry In The Mountains: Diversity, Hardships, and Heroes
https://medium.com/@kidether/tapestry-in-the-mountains-diversity-hardships-and-heroes-183b1e722921

#fall in #NorthCarolina

These were from a fantastic evening of short hikes to a couple of fire towers in #NantahalaNationalForest

I missed the peak colors at the high elevations by about a week, but the vibrant Oranges and Reds, especially in the valleys below, made for some fantastic shots!

Nikon D750
70-200 f/4 VR