I think an important thing to understand when talking about plant populations is to understand how they compete against each other. all kind of understand how animals compete because its dramatic with claws, fangs, speed and eating. They also compete more subtle with birthing rates, eating all the food faster than others but they are behaviors we can see. Each animal has it own ecological niche which they thrive

Since plants cannot move (mostly true) they compete against animals and other plants in other ways. They use chemicals to poison others, alter the soil for their own needs or attempt to shade out other plants. They also compete in a different timescale than animals. They may only grow for a few months of the year before anything else grows or have a super short reproductive cycle and flower multiple times per year or play the long game and invest into woody structure to grow taller and live longer than other plants. These are their own niches which include everything about temperature (both highs, lows, days at certain temperatures etc.), soil conditions, nearby plants, animals to help or hurt them and timeframes. These are plant’s niches. This means a plant community is never static. It is driven by a process called Ecological Succession

The things about garden and yards is that we don’t have a stable or natural ecosystem which means they are more unstable. We artificially keep it in a early stage of succession with mowing, fertilizers and pulling of weeds. This leaves plenty of open niches for things like bamboo to exploit. That is why pulling or poisoning of weeds just keep coming back since nothing is there to stop it from filling that niche again. So something like bamboo is almost impossible to remove without something else to outcompetes it in its niche. If we did nothing the bamboo would likely take over most of the grass and garden but eventually (in timeframes of years or decades) something else would eventually take it over or others would fill in around it. Usually plants growing creates additional niches alongside it. The succession would take over and alter the ecosystem.

This means that for something like bamboo we should attempt to control it in our garden setting with rhimozone barriers so it doesn’t run wild. Having things like native perennials or other perennials around it should outcompete any newer sprouts can help as well. Moreover, if you have weeds in your garden they will always be there unless you have something else already there. Any bare soil is just open ground for volunteer plants (a.k.a weeds) to take over to fill the empty niche. So to remove something you might not want you need to both pull it and have something else to replace it.

I watched Supernatural one or two seasons too long. The first five were great all around and then it got weird.

Exactly. Don’t use any roses that are treated. I like Mountain Rose Herbs

I am pretty sure your best bet to get something that is roses scented but is non-toxic would be creating a tincture vegetable glycerin with roses. Take dried rose pedals and let them sit in the sun for 4-6 weeks immersed in vegetable glycerin which should impart roses smells and other rose components into the vegetable glycerin. I haven’t done it myself but it is suppose to do some extractions of the compounds.

You will be extracting the essential oils and all other compounds from the rose pedals into the glycerin but in lower concentrations than a pure essential oil. (Also depending on the essential oil will have a broader range of compounds depending on how they made it)

Everyone has a different criteria to “win” in this game called life. People just assume that everyone is playing the same game with the same rules so start judging people on these criteria. People usually set it up so they are “winning” and others are “losing”. So play your own game and judge yourself by your own criteria. If you feel you are doing good (which I think you are) stay the path. Don’t listen to what others think of you.

Want to see something sad look at the divorce rate for women who are diagnosed with cancer. Its so common that most doctors and support groups talk about it after the diagnosis. So I am not surprised but still disgusted.

Here is my favorite technique:

“First treat a woman like a person, then a princess, then a Greek goddess, then a person again.” -Shawn (Psych)

Treating some like a person first is really the most important thing. Everything else is optional but people like to be treated special for a while before being a person again.

He is definitely not an appealing to conservative candidate except for being white and not super young (He is 60).

But look at what Minnesota did under his governorship was all simple none flashy midwestern progressive values. Free school lunches, trans refuge status, abortions rights into law (as well as a supreme court case), funding for schools and legal weed. He is a progressive just not very flashy about it.

I love Tim Walz as the anti-Trump. He has lots of experience as well as a great example of a true public servant. He isn’t rich and relies on the decades of public service he complete for his livelihood. As both a veteran and former public educator he can talk about how the cuts to the VA and Education departments are hurting everyone with some personal authority. Minnesota under his leadership got some massive progressive wins and minimized losses in 2024. Most importantly he looks like a Trump voter which apparently is needed for those people. Republicans are going full white male identity politics and he fits the bill.

There are some objective methods to measure sexual attraction for men where you attach electrodes that measure blood flow to the penis. With these tools there have been studies that have shown those who are homophobic show more attraction to men. The same thing is found for those with transphobes as well. Just like who you like without shame.