Joan🇨🇦

Day 3 Favourite Weddings — while Oak Alley and the Horton home symbolic weddings may be my favourite, let’s be real it’s hard not to love all their incredibly romantic weddings/vow renewals. #15DayBopeChallenge #BringBackBope #Bope #Days

Today, on the International Day of Indigenous Trees, it’s worth remembering a hard truth: plastic waste never truly disappears. We toss it in bins, dumps, or roadside ditches and it leaves our sight, but not our environment. Every bottle, sachet, and wrapper we’ve discarded since the 1950s is still here in some form: as macro litter, microplastics in soil, or nanoplastics in water. How plastic lingers in the landscape - It breaks, but doesn’t biodegrade: Sunlight and heat shatter plastics into microplastics that mix with soil. Studies in agricultural land show microplastics can persist for hundreds of years. - It travels: Rain washes fragments into rivers and farms. Wind carries light plastics into forests where indigenous trees like _Milicia excelsa_ (Mvule), _Prunus africana_, and shea trees are trying to regenerate. - It accumulates: Uganda generates over 600 tonnes of plastic waste daily, and less than 10% is recycled. The rest clogs drains, farmland, and forest floors. Why indigenous trees suffer 1. Root stress and stunted growth: Layers of plastic in topsoil block water infiltration and air flow. Seedlings of slow growing indigenous species fail to establish roots when plastic sheets create a physical barrier. 2. Soil productivity drops: Microplastics alter soil structure, reduce microbial activity, and bind nutrients. Research shows they can cut soil fertility and water retention, leading to weaker trees and lower crop yields on the same land. 3. Chemical leaching: Additives in plastics seep into soil. Phthalates and heavy metals can be toxic to mycorrhizal fungi that indigenous trees depend on for nutrient uptake. The ripple effect on biodiversity and food security Indigenous trees aren’t just timber. They are food, medicine, and habitat. Mvule supports pollinators. Shea trees provide nuts for millions of households. Fig trees feed birds and bats that disperse seeds for other plants. When plastics suppress these trees, we lose: - Biodiversity: Fewer native trees mean fewer birds, insects, and animals that depend on them. Forest ecosystems simplify and become less resilient. - Food security: Many communities rely on indigenous fruit trees during dry seasons. Declining soil health also hits staple crops like maize, beans, and cassava grown nearby. - Climate resilience: Indigenous trees store more carbon and withstand local droughts better than exotics. Losing them weakens our buffer against climate shocks. Throwing it “away” is a myth. There is no “away.” The plastic we dump today will be in the soil our grandchildren farm and the forests they inherit. On this International Day of Indigenous Trees, the connection is clear: protecting native trees means rethinking plastic at the source. Refuse single use where you can, support community cleanups, and push for better waste collection so plastics don’t end up mulching our forests. Our indigenous trees have stood for centuries. Let’s not suffocate them with waste that lasts even longer. @ACCESS_UG @19jokersmoker96 @aacjinaction @ahengst @akintomiwa18833 @alexatweme @AllisonJEdwards @AmbassadorEve @AndreaTEdwards @andrew_mug69931 @AtomicTruths_7 @ArmstrongOngera @Arch_Twik @annette_kezaabu @annette_kezaabu @ANMLDFR @AniShahver14395 @AngelaWalkr @AndrewStanden3 @AndrewEmor_ @EarthKeeper22 @enerlgoodluck @birdemergency @ECOWARRIORSS @SR_Netherlands @SRTurtleIsland @SRNordic @SrFinland @SRNorway @SciRebDenmark @Thegalrkn

@nina08654960 @TYiouroukis @kristianalfonso @peterreckell Thank you Nina ❤️🫶

@chargebat @TYiouroukis @kristianalfonso @peterreckell This is amazing Joan, another beautiful video. ❤️👏👏

Happy anniversary, @kristianalfonso It feels like just yesterday we were captivated by your stunning looks and incredible talent on screen. That moment is when we fell head over heels for you. Whether it was drama, romance, comedy (or angst), you shone in every genre. And let’s not forget your playful side and all those romantic dances. Thank you Kristian, for all the amazing memories and joy you’ve brought us as the iconic Hope Williams Brady. I’m hoping there are many more to come. Here’s just a few of my favourite moments. #KristianAlfonso #HopeBrady #HappyAnniversary #43years

@Nina85169826 @kristianalfonso @peterreckell Thank you my friend 🫶❤️

@chargebat @kristianalfonso @peterreckell This is absolutely beautiful Joan. Loved it, great job. I hope Kristian and Peter return to Days. ❤️❤️👏

@kellymoneymaker Congratulations Kelly! That’s awesome news.

Raising a Ghost reached 400K!!!! Thank you sooooo much!💙💙💙 #gratitude #blues-rock #Alaska

@TYiouroukis @kristianalfonso @peterreckell Thanks a bunch, my friend 🫶❤️ It’s always a breeze when Kristian’s the focus.

@chargebat @kristianalfonso @peterreckell Another Joan home run beauty

@adccmc7365 @kristianalfonso @peterreckell Thank you Carla🫶💕

@chargebat @kristianalfonso @peterreckell Joan this this is absolutely wonderful ❤️

@BourdoPeggy @kristianalfonso @DOOLONCHAIN Keri, your voice is stunning. Beautiful song for the gorgeous Kristian Alfonso. 💕

@kristianalfonso -"Sometimes the path chooses you- what began as a leap into acting became a lifetime of Hope. Someone who touched our heats for generations, and will never be forgotten." -Thank you Keri! @DOOLONCHAIN for the beautiful song for Kristian. This is video 2. @DaysPeacock #Hope @sappstick

@GallFAM4 I love those biscuits ❤️😋

The one thing standing between us and starvation on US flights

Please join me in celebrating @kristianalfonso and wishing her a very Happy Anniversary! Can you believe it has been more than four decades since Kristian Alfonso first graced our screens on Days of Our Lives? Through the years, she has inspired generations of fans with grace, strength, and heart, creating a legacy that will never be forgotten. Her portrayal of Hope Brady is truly iconic—timeless, powerful, and deeply loved. Beyond the character, Kristian herself shines as a remarkable woman whose talent, kindness, and presence continue to leave a lasting mark. Thank you for the memories, the inspiration, and the magic you’ve shared with us all. Happy Anniversary, Fancy Face! 💫 #KristianAlfonso #DaysOfOurLives #HopeBrady #HopeWilliams #BeyondSalem #ClassicSoaps #GoldenAgeOfSoaps #ClassicTV #PeacockTV #42Years

@andrewmalea @GallFAM4 That’s horrible!

@GallFAM4 Good God. Just this past week, my friend’s 20 year old went in to get her nose fixed and she died on the table.

Last flight my seat mate was a nice woman. Maybe very early 30s. I was helping her get her stuff because she couldn’t bend down. Had gone to Miami to have plastic surgery. To get hips. I have never heard of this being a thing. Not hip replacement. Cosmetic surgery to get hips/curves because she says she was too narrow. I’ve heard it all.

@trisha_g223 Trish, you said it beautifully.

I have learned through experience that it's the ones who look like they have it most put together that are often the ones battling the hardest. 💔 And sometimes behind the most beautiful of smiles lies the deepest of pain. Please look out for one another.. We are all we have 🫶❤️

So true, Marilyn! Kristian is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. She was stunning in 1983 and remains so in 2026. We’re incredibly lucky to have had her portray Hope Williams Brady for so many years. Hopefully, she and Peter will return and create more cherished memories for us.

@chargebat @kristianalfonso @peterreckell Gorgeous, Joan - you had great material to work with - she is beyond beautiful!!!

@DOOLONCHAIN @DaysPeacock @PanCAN I love the song. I downloaded it from Apple Music. It is a beautiful tribute to Drake. Congratulations!

I have just been informed that “Nowhere” (Streams for Drake) is now live on to iHeart Radio!! So thank you everyone!!!! iheart.com/artist/keri-ha… @DaysPeacock @PanCAN

Every once in a while, I like to watch this video clip of Joe Biden comforting a grieving Parkland family to remind myself what compassionate leadership looks like. This is the stuff I truly miss.

Thank you @Pontifex for the moral clarity so many leaders need….

The very first moments of Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope in St John's, Newfoundland 46 years ago this morning. The Marathon of Hope has raised over $1 billion for cancer research so far. credit: Terry Fox Foundation 🇨🇦

Terry Fox, a Canadian icon and an amazing human being.

@evangelia69 You are a very lucky lady! You get to celebrate both Italian and Greek traditions.

Kalo Pascha and Christos Anesti. Happy Easter in Greek! In my home being Italian & Greek we celebrate both.🤪So this weekend we’ve prepared all the Greek/Cypriot traditions which I adore. Happy Easter to all my Greek and Orthodox friends!