Margaret Kramar Ⓥ
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margaretkramar.bsky.social
Margaret Kramar Ⓥ
@margaretkramar.bsky.social
250 followers 320 following 130 posts
Author, Environmentalist, Organic Farmer, and Rabble-Rouser! I publish a free blog each week and will share it with you. #LFK
Website: https://www.plainsspeaking.com/blog
Substack: https://margaretkramar.substack.com
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margaretkramar.bsky.social
I have long been a vegan but only recently have I found the courage to speak out about it to others.

#Vegan #AnimalRights #VeganFood #peta #CrueltyFree

www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/looking...
Looking through the Overton Window — Plains Speaking
Some of the women who had been smiling because they knew me on a superficial basis were not smiling anymore.  I was not reaching them, but in a few minutes, how is it possible to educate people a...
www.plainsspeaking.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:12 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
I celebrate Dia de los Muertos, a holiday of joyous reunion, and not anguish and pain.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/togethe...
Together Again — Plains Speaking
Grief is an unwanted relative who announces that he is coming for a prolonged visit.  We dread having to drop everything else to entertain him during his stay.  Once he arrives, we will sit ...
www.plainsspeaking.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:47 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
Even if you are skeptical or dismissive, this Tarot card reader will cause you to reconsider.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/how-do-...

#HappyHalloween #tarot
How Do They Work? — Plains Speaking
“As a Tarot reader, I get to peek behind the curtain of the architecture of the universe to see how all of these synchronicities relate for this particular person, and how that might be life-changing ...
www.plainsspeaking.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:47 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
In this blog I'm not only confronting that little girl who was me in her first grade class, but also examining that scenario through the lens of race.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/the-way...
The Way We Were — Plains Speaking
But then as the first few weeks of school wore on, a very strange thing happened.  I couldn’t tell who was Black anymore.
www.plainsspeaking.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:24 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
Wildlife rehabilitators spend countless hours, not to mention sweat and tears, caring for the tiniest and most vulnerable among us.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/i-loved...

#nature #wildlife #animals #animalrescue
I Loved the Rat — Plains Speaking
“Be mindful that we share this Earth with a multitude of other living beings, each with a purpose.  We are all connected.”
www.plainsspeaking.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:26 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
We keep forgetting that we always have choices.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/his-oth...

#cycling
#ClimateCrisis #Climate #Environment #ClimateChange
His Other Car Is a Bike — Plains Speaking
Why can’t we have a commuter train that goes from Kansas City to Lawrence and Topeka?
www.plainsspeaking.com
October 8, 2025 at 7:45 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
We live by the narratives that we have constructed for ourselves, and if we want to change our lives, we need to rewrite them.

www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/planet-b

#Vegan #animalrights #VeganFood #peta #crueltyfree
Planet B — Plains Speaking
“We are not going to solve these problems from within the system that we already have.  Instead, some people will need to peel off and figure out a different economic system.  We must be the...
www.plainsspeaking.com
September 24, 2025 at 7:11 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
For a moment I didn't know whether I was in Lawrence in 2025, or had been transported back to the year 10.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/everyth...

#philosophy #carbonneutral
Everything in Common — Plains Speaking
“So about how many people live here?” I asked, glancing around.  She and I were the only ones in the kitchen, and the house was quiet.          &nbsp...
www.plainsspeaking.com
September 17, 2025 at 7:48 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
Creating our own realities. We can at least try.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/dialogu...
Dialogue with an Avatar — Plains Speaking
My eyes widened.  “So you just went on the road for three and a half years with your cat.  How did that turn out?”
www.plainsspeaking.com
September 10, 2025 at 7:32 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
Of course parents worry about what could happen to their children, but it's gone too far.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/strange...

#ChildSafety
Stranger Danger — Plains Speaking
It’s also comforting to know that every visitor to the Kansas State Fair this September will be a potential pedophile, child molester, rapist or murderer.
www.plainsspeaking.com
September 3, 2025 at 7:34 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
Before last week, I thought that oak mites, along with various other disasters, somehow did not apply to me. Trump's creeping authoritarianism can be compared to parasitic oak mites. The antidote is to flush them away with the clean water of resisting in any and every possible way.
#authoritarianism
Yikes! Mites! — Plains Speaking
This plague is destroying the lives of many people, as we collectively inhale the pestilence with every breath.
www.plainsspeaking.com
August 27, 2025 at 7:19 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
How we will use ordinary spaces will determine our futures.

www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/how-we-...

#environment #climatechange #gardening
How We Use Spaces — Plains Speaking
That hasn’t stopped a wealthy developer from pursuing his plan to create “commercial and open space uses” in a large acreage adjacent to the Baker Wetlands, threatening this vital ecosystem with light...
www.plainsspeaking.com
August 20, 2025 at 3:49 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
Unless we are very lucky, most of us will have encountered traumatic incidents. This is how I overcame one of mine.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/i-got-b...
I Got Back on the Bike — Plains Speaking
“Please God, do not take me now.”
www.plainsspeaking.com
August 13, 2025 at 7:42 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
If its not already a part of your agenda, this Saturday consider changing your routine. You may be pleasantly surprised and pick up something besides groceries.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/the-far...
The Farmers’ Market — Plains Speaking
The list of practical reasons for supporting the farmers’ market is extensive, and I thought that if I interviewed other vendors, they would reiterate the same selling points. For the mos...
www.plainsspeaking.com
August 6, 2025 at 7:42 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
Where is everybody?
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/our-town
Our Town — Plains Speaking
So Brian would not be streaking that night because the invisible faces and voices of people from his hometown had followed him to Iowa City.  We can also assume that he would not be vandalizing p...
www.plainsspeaking.com
July 30, 2025 at 7:31 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
There are disadvantages to being female, but I want no part of this unwritten code that has victimized males.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/they-wo...
They Would Rather Drown — Plains Speaking
I then realized that I had no choice.  No choice at all.  As a tomboy who played mostly with boys, I knew the code, that it is better to risk injury or death than to ever be a coward.
www.plainsspeaking.com
July 23, 2025 at 7:57 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
You might consider this. More than just facilitating relaxation, there are proven benefits to our immune systems.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/moonful...
Moonful Forest Bathing — Plains Speaking
Trust the forest.  The guide such as me opens the door but the therapist is the forest.  We trust that the forest or nature will offer to you what you need for today.”
www.plainsspeaking.com
July 16, 2025 at 7:43 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
You might find yourself liking something you didn't think you would.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/cajoled
Cajoled — Plains Speaking
“We’re going about this all wrong,” I suddenly stated.  “Rather than allowing helping the environment to be cast in a negative light, we need to make it seem like the fun, trendy, sexy thing to do.  People need to be cajoled.”
www.plainsspeaking.com
July 9, 2025 at 6:22 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
A variety of patriots will be celebrating the Fourth of July.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/the-pat...
The Patriots — Plains Speaking
I turned around to encounter a woman wearing a black skirt with her hair in a bun.  I laughed at the slogan on her t-shirt: “The Only Good Orange Monarch is a Butterfly.”
www.plainsspeaking.com
July 2, 2025 at 7:21 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/about-f...
About Face — Plains Speaking
“I had a tech job.  I worked for several corporations and the last one was a startup.  I’m grateful for the experience, but want to focus my energy on something worthwhile.”
www.plainsspeaking.com
June 25, 2025 at 7:43 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
Try not to worry too much about all these awful people. Just be whatever they are not.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/who-own...
Who Owns the Land? — Plains Speaking
I never carried through, and in the meantime, have come to the realization that it may not be possible to convert that man with a simple message he may not even be able to comprehend.
www.plainsspeaking.com
June 18, 2025 at 8:16 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
It's so easy to get jaded, tired and cynical, that we forget that there really are people out there who are willing to do things like this.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/food-no...
Food Not Bombs — Plains Speaking
People appeared, walking down the road toward us, some barefoot, and some riding bicycles. 
www.plainsspeaking.com
June 11, 2025 at 7:50 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
In honor of PRIDE month I interviewed a trans person to learn more about them.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/playing...
Playing Around with Gender — Plains Speaking
“Queerness has always kind of made sense to me, like I would always argue against, ‘Boys can’t do that. Girls can’t do that.’  I see the word ‘queer’ as an ideology aligned with breaking binaries...
www.plainsspeaking.com
June 4, 2025 at 7:21 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
This is a story of regeneration and renewal about how Mother Nature always fights back. #LFK
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/f97f3q3...
It May Not Be Over — Plains Speaking
Instead of being greeted by emergent green leaves, the wildflowers were dying, wilting and browning, splayed to the ground.  An employee of the parks and recreation department had indiscriminatel...
www.plainsspeaking.com
May 29, 2025 at 7:37 PM
margaretkramar.bsky.social
You may not have considered how this may benefit you.
www.plainsspeaking.com/blog/get-gro...
Get Growing — Plains Speaking
I am grateful that I have always questioned why we do things the way we do, and sometimes summon the courage to act differently.  It may be argued that growing a garden is an act of defiance, a p...
www.plainsspeaking.com
May 21, 2025 at 8:21 PM