I write about #cleanenergy by day, everything else on evenings & weekends. Semicolon lover; will fight for the Oxford comma. A real Flower Child, my name for the generation some call Jones. More at flowerchild.substack.com. NO CRYPTO OR RANDOM DMs.https://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3ml4tt3ysvk27After a crazy roller coaster of a week, we spent the weekend packing up Mom’s apartment to move her to a smaller unit in a memory care facility. That meant downsizing, which meant the orange mushroom lamp had to go. What did that mean for me? https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/the-lost-week05 May 2026 18:45 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4tt3ysvk27https://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mkl26jxwh22aIt’s the First Noble Truth of Buddhism: the truth of suffering. We all suffer. But let’s face it: some people suffer more than others. What does this mean for writing personal essays or memoirs? And why am I asking? More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/can-i-write-if-i-havent-suffered28 Apr 2026 16:50 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkl26jxwh22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mjzcf3ptq22fI never thought I'd do that — and I'm not just referring to the story slam I participated in last weekend. For my story and more, see this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/i-never-thought-id-do-that21 Apr 2026 15:29 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjzcf3ptq22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mjhslnwl222xWho wants to enter their “golden years” during a climate emergency, a severe economic downturn, and the collapse of democracy? Why did this have to happen now? A better question is, Why did this have to happen at all? More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/no-good-age-to-be-in-this-age14 Apr 2026 16:31 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjhslnwl222xhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3miw7vt2rjk2kThese days, you hear a lot about content creators. They’re all over the internet. Now, you may tell me otherwise, but I’m telling you: When I write a Flower Child post, I AM NOT CREATING CONTENT. I am writing. More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/i-am-not-a-content-creator07 Apr 2026 16:42 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3miw7vt2rjk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3miel5kiibs2cThe patriarchy is not sparking joy. So I'm Marie Kondoing it. Following her KonMari method, I’ll release each unwanted item in the patriarchy while expressing gratitude for ways it may have served some people. More here: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/marie-kondoing-the-patriarchy31 Mar 2026 16:15 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3miel5kiibs2chttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mics4xidcs2kPlease join me Saturday, April 18, when I'll be participating in an online story slam at 2pm PT, 5pm ET. Theme is Death & Taxes. Nothing’s sure but death, taxes, and the fact that this story slam will be phenomenal! Learn more and get tickets here: https://www.whambamthankyouslam.com/p/death-and-taxes-is-it-april-already30 Mar 2026 23:15 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mics4xidcs2khttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mhszbjkzbk2tIn the mid-2030s, will it be hard to find a gas station? Some climate researchers think so — at least in places like California, where EV adoption is high. Okay, so it may not happen that fast — but it will happen. More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/the-last-gas-station24 Mar 2026 16:40 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhszbjkzbk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mhbfjm7ojs2qI'm sure if I were a parent, I'd feel pressure to parent in the style of the times. That’s exactly why we need to make it easier for parents to raise free-range children. More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/where-the-free-range-children-are17 Mar 2026 16:31 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhbfjm7ojs2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mgq5oqdvoc2rMost kids used to get to school and back on their own, whether on foot, bikes, or school or city buses. But as of 2022, only 11% of American children walked or rode their bikes to and from school. What happened? See this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/where-have-all-the-free-range-children10 Mar 2026 19:56 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgq5oqdvoc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mg6gumtkl224“Did parents in the ‘80s really allow their kids to roam freely, or is that just a portrayal seen in movies?” Have I got news for you. Yes, they did. I was a “free-range child,” when they were just called "children." More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/i-was-a-free-range-child03 Mar 2026 18:52 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg6gumtkl224https://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mfue2xc65k26This seems like a really good idea. 🤪 https://www.utilitydive.com/news/house-bills-doe-appliance-efficiency-program/813179/27 Feb 2026 18:35 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfue2xc65k26https://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mfmp5ob5p22tThis one will go fast — you may already be too late. But if not, this beauty in Palo Alto, California could be yours — for just $3,200,000. A bargain at a mere $2,195 per square foot! For more, see this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/have-i-got-a-deal-for-you24 Feb 2026 17:32 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfmp5ob5p22thttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mf33e52chk2hWhat do the stories of the Epstein files and Gisèle Pelicot tell us about our society? And what can we do to keep these stories from repeating? For my thoughts, see this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/facing-the-dark-underbelly17 Feb 2026 17:23 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf33e52chk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mejoadt6ls2oIt started innocently enough. Like so many others, in early 2022 I was introduced to Wordle and started playing it every day. But it turns out Wordle is a gateway drug. For more, check out this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/hello-my-name-is-rosana10 Feb 2026 19:13 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mejoadt6ls2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mdxuf76q4s2zIn our neighborhood, to report a pothole we use an app available in many cities across the nation, SeeClickFix. When SeeClickFix works, it’s great. But I found there's a dark side to it. For more, see this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/wtf-seeclickfix03 Feb 2026 17:15 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdxuf76q4s2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mdjqbr537c26You know times are crazy when I agree with the NRA. Read this week's Flower Child to learn why: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/wait-i-agree-with-the-nra29 Jan 2026 02:24 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdjqbr537c26https://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mcusvt6t5k2gWhile I felt weird this week writing about anything other than fascists taking over our country, I’m told writing is an act of resistance. And fascism tends to be rigid, ceremonial, and highly structured — what you could call formal. https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/lets-get-casual20 Jan 2026 18:45 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcusvt6t5k2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mcczkhm6g22iWe all want to be happy, don’t we? Of course we do. Yet pursuing happiness can be counterproductive. Maybe instead of pursuing happiness, we should pursue the feeling of being alive. More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/feeling-alive13 Jan 2026 16:56 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcczkhm6g22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mbs6vgt42k2qEverything in our culture tells us we should specialize. Avoid being a generalist, a dilettante, a jack of all trades and master of none. But the world is so full of a number of things! More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/a-number-of-things07 Jan 2026 00:17 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbs6vgt42k2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mb7zfjngds2e2025 gave us a lot to talk about. Rather than recap all the important stuff as the year draws to a close, today I’d like to turn your attention to something you might not consider so important: fonts. But they're more important than you might think! https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/whats-in-a-font30 Dec 2025 18:50 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mb7zfjngds2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3mao7tzskss2zHera has always been depicted as the jealous wife of Zeus. It wasn’t till I arrived on the Greek island of Samos, birthplace of Hera according to local tradition, that I heard a different story. More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/the-hidden-lives-of-goddesses23 Dec 2025 16:58 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mao7tzskss2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3ma4odnpww22cWhen we write about our parents, we’re writing about ourselves. The more I think about my father, who died a year ago, the more I excavate about myself. More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/my-father-my-self-ef416 Dec 2025 17:29 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma4odnpww22chttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3m7l7kjytxs2oThese days, I don’t work 40-hour weeks — although I’m not retired! Yet the recent four-day Thanksgiving weekend was still such a welcome break. Will it still feel this way when I'm retired? I don't know. More in my latest Flower Child post: flowerchild.substack.com/p/holiday-time https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/holiday-time09 Dec 2025 18:50 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7l7kjytxs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3m6zh422lwc22Last week, I wrote about how much harder life feels in the U.S. than when I was growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s. The same week, Michael W. Green wrote a viral article challenging the poverty line. My take in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/modern-home-economics02 Dec 2025 17:17 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6zh422lwc22https://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3m6iadvfg2s25Life is easy and convenient in the U.S. compared to many other countries. Yet people are living with much greater unease. As the ease keeps getting easier, the unease keeps getting uneasier. More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/ease-and-unease25 Nov 2025 21:01 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6iadvfg2s25https://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3m5wke4z6ak2zFifty-five years ago (!), when I was nine, fourth grade was getting off to an amazing start. My eyes were being opened and my brain was shaken up. It was the first time I remember having an awakening in my life. More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/when-i-was-nine18 Nov 2025 20:12 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5wke4z6ak2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3m5epiqggv22nNothing can make you feel old faster than not understanding kids today. Take six-seven. Or 6-7. Or 67 — but always pronounced six-seven, never sixty-seven. No one knows what it means — even the kids But does that matter? https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/six-seven-is-not-a-word11 Nov 2025 17:56 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5epiqggv22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/theeflowerchild.bsky.social/post/3m4szsmiioc2wOn this Election Day, policy is on my mind. It may not be the sexiest subject, but it deeply affects our lives at every level. That's true, of course, for #cleanenergy, the area I work in. More in this week's Flower Child: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/policy-is-everything04 Nov 2025 17:12 +0000at://did:plc:nv5jwgmqkz24372ccbl22hr2/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4szsmiioc2w