#but I thrive in 16 degrees and rain

[bibannana]

Hzijaowoawg

I forgot that riding (my horse not anything else!) in the Australian summer is not a good idea after 9am.

I ate a handful of cherries for breakfast an basically nothing yesterday. Good choices all round.

On the plus side I got some sun today.

(My baby boy)

(This one isn't from today but look at how pretty he is.)

#fucking hell the sky is blue blue today #its only 27 but there was no wind when I was riding #so fucking dying #at least it isn't 30 out here #this is all in degree celcius if you don't know btw #look at my pretty baby!! #it might not seem that hot #but I thrive in 16 degrees and rain #bibannana

[dansiere]

—    BASICS.

▸     IS    YOUR    MUSE    TALL    /    SHORT    /    AVERAGE ? Pearl stands at 5′10″ (178 cm) which renders her rather tall whenever compared to most women/humans in general. However, compared to most Gems she seems of average height. After all, she is easily dwarfed by Gems that stand higher in Homeworld’s hierarchy such as quartzes, jaspers, agates, bismuth, or, most strikingly diamonds. There are some exceptions, however. Pearl (i.e) towers over most peridots, lapis, sapphires, larimar and rubies. 

▸      ARE    THEY    OKAY    WITH    THEIR    HEIGHT ? She is not necessarily bothered by it but isn’t too fond of it either. Pearl is rather self-conscious about her appearance, given how much of it is linked to her status as former servant. The underlying discomfort notwithstanding; similar to her age, her height is but a number to her. 

▸      WHAT’S    THEIR    HAIR    LIKE ? Predominantly peach in colour, it can be considered orange from time to time [you may call her a ginger]. It’s relatively short & cut in a pixie cut at the front while styled up in the back. It reaches slightly beneath chin-length when wet but usually keeps its form due to well, Gem magic. Pearl used to wear a messier version of her standard hairstyle in her “youth”; indeed, during the war, she proudly donned a more “wild” look to complement her status as a renegade, whereas her hairstyle during her days spent in servitude featured a ‘rosebud’ kind of cut. Shortly after Rose’s death & Steven’s birth, Pearl eventually donned a very tidy & clean-cut look [for reasons that I will elude on further below]; no hair is allowed to pop out of its place. -- her hair itself is surprisingly soft & fluffy to the touch. 

▸     DO    THEY    SPEND    A    LOT    OF    TIME    ON    THEIR    HAIR     /    GROOMING ? Sadly, yes. She does not need to tend to her form per se but does so anyway in order to keep up a flawless & orderly appearance at any given time. -- however, ever since CYM, Pearl has gradually become more laid-back again & thus donned a messier hairstyle more reminiscent of the one worn during the war.

▸      DOES   YOUR   MUSE   CARE   ABOUT   THEIR   APPEARANCE   /   WHAT    OTHERS    THINK ? Absolutely, yes. While she will never admit it, Pearl is very, very self-conscious out of various reasons (one being her abysmal self-esteem). Never one to bring up physical attributes (why, in theory, she does not necessarily believe that she has much to offer in that regard. Her body is a hardlight projection & she perceives it as such), she is nonetheless hyperaware of what exactly her appearance entails. Pearls are designed to look "pretty” & are EASILY recognized based on their lanky & delicate built (i.e their noses, slim & rather ‘androgynous’ physique, posture, voice, & even more ‘individual’ traits such as hairstyle or the colour of their clothes). Needless to say, the fact that she possesses the physical traits of a pearl will always mark her as something or someone ‘special’ in a negative sense; more an object than a person, to be exact. Due to that, she has been changing her form quite often in the past, always trying her utmost to go against any classically pearl-esque trait.

—    PREFERENCES.

▸     INDOORS    OR    OUTDOORS ?  both ▸     RAIN   OR    SUNSHINE ?  sunshine, though she is fascinated by Earth’s weather in general. ▸     FOREST    OR    BEACH ?  again, both even though she has a preference for the beach due to basically having lived right next to one for approx. 5000 years. ▸     PRECIOUS    METALS  OR    GEMS ?  ... hm. Swords. ▸     FLOWERS    OR    PERFUMES ?  flowers by a long shot. ▸     PERSONALITY  OR    APPEARANCE ? personality; though admittedly, she developed quite the type regarding appearance. It is canon that most of her ‘flings’ resembled Rose.   ▸     BEING    ALONE    OR    BEING    IN    A    CROWD ?  being in a crowd; she feels at unease in both cases but loneliness is something she is absolutely terrified of (she is prone to self-isolation during or after a breakdown, however: partially out of the desire to punish herself); Pearl is someone who needs people around her, preferably two. She may retreat to her room rather often or like to sit outside on her own but she only feels truly at ease whenever Garnet, Rose / Steven & Amethyst are in her proximity. ▸     ORDER    OR    ANARCHY ?  order, without a doubt. Her younger self was certainly more fond of anarchy, however. It is also important to state that she sometimes WISHES she could simply solve her problems in a duel again; after all, to her, as a fan of logic, fighting is less stressful than dealing with her emotions. ▸     PAINFUL    TRUTHS    OR   WHITE    LIES ?  white lies., without a doubt. Pearl is an excellent liar; not necessarily by choice but... well. She is fairly good at twisting words. ▸     SCIENCE    OR    MAGIC ?  science. ▸     PEACE    OR    CONFLICT ?  another quite difficult choice; while she fights for peace, conflict is where she thrives. It is one of those ironic cases in which a person defines or rather defined herself by participating in a war & for Pearl the war was ... well, detrimental to her identity. She romanticizes it to NO END. ▸     NIGHT    OR    DAY ?  both; it does not make much of a difference to her in the end. She might prefer night time simply because she loves to stargaze but well. She is fond of the sun too. ▸     DUSK    OR   DAWN ?  dawn; Pearl loves watching the sun rise. ▸     WARMTH    OR    COLD ?  again, it makes no difference. Pearl cannot feel either. ▸     MANY   ACQUAINTANCES    OR    A    FEW    CLOSE    FRIENDS ?  few close friends; as I stated earlier, she needs people around her because she cannot really be alone. That urge notwithstanding, Pearl is a very introverted person who struggles with social norms; in fact, she often forces herself to socialize to a ridiculous degree. In SU:Future, she is constantly trying to meet new people that are capable of a) giving her the validation she requires, b) still fill the hole that Rose left & c) to distract herself from whatever uncomfortable thoughts are on her mind post-CYM. Her prime focus remains the Crystal Gems, but it is safe to say that she is lowkey trying to emulate an environment she revelled in during war times; she likes to be admired by people since it gives her confidence & stability. -- there is a reason why she calls her human acquaintances “her fanclub”. ▸     READING    OR    PLAYING    A    GAME ?  reading; she loves games that include strategic thinking or logic in general, however. Or anything that allows her to ramble on & on about topics of interest.

—    QUESTIONNAIRE.

▸      WHAT    ARE    SOME    OF    YOUR    MUSE’S    BAD    HABITS ? She is a nervous wreck; a mess. Pearl’s biggest issue is her inability to let go of the past or deal with her emotions in a healthy way. Her tons of personal growth notwithstanding, she is fond of white lies & emotional self-destruction. While she is usually selfless by nature, most of her rather reckless actions have proven to be quite damaging to those around her (i.e. Garnet, Amethyst, Steven & even herself). Pearl is furthermore emotionally unstable & spins out of control hard & fast, is prone to extreme jealousy, possessiveness & obsession may it be with Rose or details/symmetry, what if’s & cleanliness as such. Pearl is quick to judge, over-protective, terribly patronizing at times (even though she does not mean to be), incredibly controlling & just “does too much” whenever pushed. She is also fond of blaming herself in quite the fatal way & lives “inside her head” way too much. Low-self esteem & lack of confidence leads to her lashing out rather than handling situations in a calm manner; while appearing steady & being quite the strategist, she can turn into a bundle of nerves within a second, usually yielding to hysteria & knee-jerk reactions that do more harm than good. -- she means well & she is a very loving/caring person who has her heart in the right place but sometimes she just... messes up. After all, she never truly had the time to deal with her own myriad of trauma & it shows. 

▸      HAS    YOUR    MUSE    LOST    ANYONE    CLOSE    TO    THEM ?      HOW    HAS    IT    AFFECTED    THEM ? Yes, her partner/lover Rose Quartz. It is a loss that is still haunting her 16 years after the other’s death; needless to say, she did not handle it well at all. While she knew that Rose would die to give birth to Steven (mainly due to her having been told in advance / her suspecting so after Rose fell in love with Greg), Pearl held on to the thought of her ‘changing her mind’ until the very end. When the time came, Pearl utterly collapsed. She spent the first few months in utter self-isolation (either sitting next to Rose’s statue at the fountain or in her room, laying on her back & staring at the wall / ceiling or knees to her chest), barely speaking to anyone; the very mention of Rose or Steven made her burst into tears. It went so far that she... basically tried to shatter herself after around six months. Pearl was, however, stopped by Garnet who showed herl a future in which Steven would come to grow & live alongside them, just how Rose had wanted it to be. Pearl still poofed herself but emerged later with a changed form, apologizing for her behaviour & swearing to never try something that selfish ever again.

     Her newfound hope notwithstanding; coercing herself to function normally (after just a year) despite her looming agony put a serious strain on her & most of her already damaged relationships to the other two remaining Crystal Gems. She stopped confiding in Garnet, & her relationship to Amethyst broke apart; she was moody, screamed at the others, ran away, lost focus during missions which eventually endangered the life of her comrades & her own. She got poofed several times & as a consequence took longer to regenerate up until the point were she got more & more lethargic, volatile & eventually depressed with no drive, trying her utmost to function via hyperfixating on Steven. Additionally, she (i.e) developed a neurosis & a serious obsession with cleanliness & details as a consequence, busying herself with her role as Steven’s caretaker & housekeeping duties, with Garnet serving as her rock in her weakest & most volatile moments. -- she eventually managed to make the conscious decision to move on around Steven’s 15th birthday & has been working on herself ever since. Needless to say, it is a slow progress.

▸      WHAT    ARE    SOME    FOND    MEMORIES    YOUR    MUSE    HAS ?   Most of Pearl’s happy memories pivot around pretty much everything that happened during the Gem War, with a heavy focus on whatever Rose & her did together. -- one of the most striking experiences she told Steven about was the discovery of the Lunar Blossom Grove that ended with her & Rose “dancing all night” in a pause between several battles, or the time she sat on top of a cliff above Strawberry Fields, where Rose & her made the promise to stay on Earth & spend their future together. Other happy memories include heroic battles alongside Garnet & Bismuth, fusions between her & Rose or discovering Earth’s beauty. She has thousands of memories that go into the same direction which she will fondly talk about whenever asked. 

▸     IS    IT    EASY    FOR    YOUR    MUSE    TO    KILL ? Yes. She is a veteran who fought in a thousand-year war for Earth’s independence. She shattered & poofed various Gems; efficient, precise & took no risks. 

▸      WHAT’S    IT    LIKE    WHEN    YOUR    MUSE    BREAKS    DOWN ? Oh, it’s ugly. She gets very emotional (hysterical, almost); a lot of tears, a lot of balled fists & screaming. In the worst cases, she gets aggressive, vocal, & even physical from time to time. She will punch walls, shatter objects, run her hands through her hair. She will lash out, say things that HURT & won’t apologize either. Most part of the time, Pearl runs off whenever it is too much. When alone, she will usually collapse & cry until she can’t no more. After that follows a period of her staying silent for hours. -- sometimes she calms down & pretends nothing ever happened or tries to make up for her actions by doing favours for those she has hurt.

▸      IS    YOUR    MUSE    CAPABLE    OF    TRUSTING    SOMEONE    WITH    THEIR    LIFE ?

Partially yes, partially no. Pearl does not value her life as much as she should. The only person she ever blindly trusted was Rose & even that came around to bite her in the end. She trusts Garnet to always have her back & watch over her, while she herself considers Steven & Amethyst people she ought to protect. -- however, Pearl is the type to willingly throw herself off a cliff almost immediately if it will spare someone she loves from an untimely end.

▸      WHAT’S    YOUR    MUSE    LIKE    WHEN    THEY’RE    IN    LOVE ? Pearl is an extremely romantic person; usually very physical & devoted, she will go miles for her s.o (imagine every romance movie cliche ever & you may get a good idea of how she will behave). Rather old fashioned, she is the kind of person that writes love letters or poetry; the kind that takes her s.o. to secluded places to spend the night with dancing under the stars, bring flowers or wine & simply take the time to make her s.o. feel loved. She is passionate through & through; her love is the yearning kind, extremely loyal, thoughtful, and all-consuming. Why, if Pearl falls for someone, she falls very, very hard.

tagged by : @foxcharmed, expect a letter from my lawyer soon. This meme came for me. tagging :  @reantte, @huntershowl, @kissafist, @ndeavor, @spiraledheart, @spnel, @carvedbones, @handspoken, & @enshijou.

#[[ hoooo boy this got long #it also took me a month I believe fwuhgezfwg EITHER WAY #I could go into even more detail but I just wanted to finish this thing eventually. This contains a LOT of my own headcanons ofc based #on canon lore. No I do not take criticism wefhwezfg NOPE ]] #vii. 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲. #tw // long text #tw // very long text #honestly I am sorry hhh

[h0neywheat]

41, 44, and 50 for Micah, Wheatley, Esther, and Ramona!

41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?

I don’t want to get too in depth with this one because, you know, ¾ of the main cast are 16 and idk I think its a weird to get super detailed about romantic preferences and whatnot.

Wheatley: He’s gay. It probably took him a bit to realize sexuality stuff after gender stuff but like, as for crushes, he probably doesn’t get them or if he does he doesn’t fall hard because of a lot of other factors. He really needs someone who accepts all of him and is patient and empathizes with his struggles. Also someone who can help raise his confidence and realize his self worth without relying on said person.

Micah: He’s bi and probably doesn’t refrain from complimenting people if he thinks they look nice. As for people he he falls for, he’s not so direct but it’s pretty obvious to those around him that he’s crushing on someone. He also needs someone who is patient and willing to not necessarily put up with his sort of erratic nature, but knows how to play off of it well, if that makes sense. Having someone nurture creativity and point him in a direction to channel that energy would be ideal.

Esther: She thinks she’s straight but she isn’t and that’s all I have to say on that. She doesn’t have time for a relationship and doesn’t really think about that sort of thing…yet.

Ramona: Lesbian. Preference: Girls.

44. What is their favourite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most?

Wheatley: Autumn. He’s fine with rain but would rather days just be overcast or just not super sunny. Cooler weather is probably his favorite, but not straight up snow or a blizzard. Now that he has thermal based powers he does the worst in the summer. It’s to damn hot and he has every right to complain.

Micah: Winter. He does fine in just about any weather but prefers days where he can layer up. Snow is is favorite so on colder days he probably thrives. Storms are fun, but days where it just rains are his least favorite.

Esther: Spring or Summer. She likes sunnier days, but prefers overcast for the times she needs to take photos outside (shadows aren’t as harsh and portraits don’t have people squinting). She doesn’t like being cold, but really doesn’t complain unless it’s abnormally freezing.

Ramona: Spring and Autumn, but mainly the rainy days.She likes cooler weather. Anything above 60 degrees and sunny and she’ll complain.

50. If they could only take one bag of stuff somewhere with them: what would they pack? What do they consider their essentials?

I can’t tell if this is in reference to traveling or just like, everyday bag things. I’m going to go with the latter.

Wheatley: He probably only ever carries his phone and wallet with him if he’s going out. As for his backpack, outside of textbooks, his school supplies are pretty basic outside of color coding each subject. Basic like, regular black and blue pens, mechanical pencils, and a few highlighters. He has a retainer case, asprin, some bandaids, and a sports bra packed in there just in case because binding can suck somedays. He also probably has a pair of noise cancelling earbuds in there as well as his 3DS and a couple of games. If it’s after school, there’s also always a baggy or tupperware container full of leftovers from club.

Micah: Lots of colorful writing utensils and pencils. He keeps a 5 subject notebook with him because that’s easier for him to keep track of stuff of rather than folders and notebooks for every single subject. Essentials include: an EpiPen, allergy meds, eye drops, as well as whatever adderall equivalent i choose to give him if it ends up being relevant to the story, (all that really matters is that he carries his prescription with him). Tissues and cough drops are also probably in there as well. He seems like a kid that chews gum but probably ends up sharing most of the pack with classmates so he only ends up with two sticks left for himself. For reference: he likes fruity flavors over mint. He also carries earbuds with him. There’s other miscellaneous odds and ends probably floating around in there as well.

Esther: The most organized of the bunch. Everything is colored coded–pens, notebooks, binders, folders, highlighters, hell, everything down to washi tape, paper clips and stickers, everything has some sort of purpose and will be used in her planner. She doesn’t carry her camera in her book bag, but there’s always a battery charger in her bag as well as a pocket charger for her phone.  She also keeps her own sort of “cold kit” in her bag. Cough drops, tissues, a water bottle, those vitamin C packets you mix with water, as well as some ibuprofen. There’s also almost always some sort of granola or protein bar stuffed in there for a snack too.

Ramona: Doesn’t color-code but has her own system to where things need to go in her bag. She most certainly has a folder full of articles for her thesis and a library book of some sort. She always carries her glasses with her despite never really needing them until she goes to bed. There’s a couple of lipsticks as well as tons of spare hair ties, clips, and bobby pins scattered throughout her bag. She also keeps a thermos for coffee and her work apron and name tag in there too. You can hear a mix of loose change and her keys jingling in her bag from a mile away. Her key ring has too many punch cards and keychains around it. So much so that if she swung her lanyard hard enough it could probably knock someone out.

#cryptidmutual #thanks shi for all the questions! #the bag one was really fun to think about #now i need to think of what sort of keychains or buttons/patches they have on the outside #plus colors and patterns and stuff like that #anywho #here's some personality tidbits #my ocs #wheatley baxter #micah maizel #esther anand #ramona rosales #long post

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[hari-writes]

Little Louis Dupain-Cheng - Chapter 17

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug Pairings: Adrien/Marinette Summary: In the seven years since Hawk Moth’s defeat, much has changed. Adrien Agreste PhD returns to Paris and is reunited with his friends. Marinette has a degree in Fashion Design, a thriving boutique and a son, six-year-old Louis. Louis is like his mother in many ways, except for green eyes and a familiar smile… Will Adrien do the maths?

Read on A03 ★★★ Buy me a coffee?

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7| Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16

Toujours présent

Marinette closed the boutique at 7pm, as usual, but she didn’t go home. Instead, she settled into the back office to work on some new designs. Alya had texted and said she’d take Louis home and get him dinner so she had time before she needed to leave. Nino had just bought the LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse and she reckoned he’d need Louis’ help to build it.

There was no school tomorrow so Louis could stay up late and if need be, Alya and Nino would be happy to have him overnight. She knew that throwing herself into work wasn’t productive in the long-run, but she wasn’t ready to face her emotions yet. In the short-term, she’d added three new designs to her line and had almost completed a new pattern to add to her superhero range.

Mme. Couquet called her and she spent at least thirty minutes discussing her plans to expand the boutique. Her mentor was convinced that Marinette could easily branch out and develop a chain of boutiques, but she wanted to ensure she could maintain her high standards of quality through each store. Now that Louis was at school and the media chaos around her secret identity had finally quietened down, though, Marinette was keen to push ahead. As her time would be spent designing and producing handmade pieces for the boutiques, she required Mme. Couquet’s expertise in selecting managers for both her flagship boutique and the new one, once they had selected a location.

By nine o’clock, she was struggling to focus on her work through tired eyes so she admitted defeat and left the shop.

The rain was pouring down as she pulled the shutters down and wrapped her coat around her, lifting the collar up to stop the water from running down her neck. Stuffing her keys into her pocket, she prepared to run home. She turned and ran straight into a strong figure.

“Adrien?!” She gasped, winded by the impact.

He smiled uncertainly and held his umbrella out to her, sheltering her from the rain. She couldn’t help but think of the first time he shared his umbrella, the moment she fell for him. She looked at him, not sure if he was there to make amends, or say goodbye. She had considered both eventualities and she was prepared to deal with the fallout if he wanted to end their relationship.

“We should talk,” He said, “Have you eaten?”

She hadn’t. In fact, now that she thought about it, she’d skipped lunch, too. Adrien offered to cook her something at his place and she was too hungry to refuse.

They walked down the street in silence. Marinette’s mind was whirring at a hundred kilometres an hour and she was sure his was as well. She tried to think of a conversation starter, but everything seemed contrived. Before long, they reached Adrien’s flat and he unlocked his door and let her inside. She was still wrestling with her ankle boots by the time he disappeared into the kitchen to find something for supper.

Her eyes fell on his dining table and the box Nino had collected from her that morning. She shook her head in amazement that less than 48 hours had passed since Adrien confronted her about his paternity of Louis and her world collapsed around her.

She ran her fingers over the tiny foot and handprints from Louis’ first birthday, remembering how frazzled she had been, trying t o organise a party for her family and friends on top of juggling her second-year exams, style dossier, personal and group presentations and an internship. The following year, Alya organised Louis’ second birthday party as Marinette’s final collection was stressing her out more than she expected. She was determined to prove to everyone that having a child wouldn’t stop her from excelling in her chosen field that she nearly burnt out at the finish line.

She knew that without her friends to support her, she would have crumbled under the pressure before the end of her course.

“Mari?” Adrien’s voice jolted out of her musing. “Is risotto okay with you?”

“Yes, thanks,” She said.

He gestured towards the kitchen, “You might as well come in here, then. It’s going to take a little while.”

She followed him to the kitchen and watched as he expertly prepared his ingredients for their meal. He opened a bottle of white wine, poured two glasses and handed one to her. For the first time since he met her outside the boutique, he smiled. This time it was more sure, more genuine. His eyes shone with affection as he clinked his glass against hers.

“I’m sorry.” They both spoke at once.

Adrien held up his hand, “I’m the one who’s sorry, Princess. I was angry with myself, not you. I was scared about being a father, worried my absence from his early years might cause me to end up like Gabriel and embarrassed that I didn’t figure it all out sooner. Apparently, it was so obvious that even a six-year-old worked it out…”

“To be fair, he’s a very bright six-year-old,” Marinette laughed. “He gets that from me.”

She was delighted when he laughed, too. Suddenly, a weight lifted from her chest and she felt hope that they could work through this.

“I don’t doubt that. You’ve given him so much.” Adrien said.

He threw chopped shallots and garlic into a pan and sauteed them together. Marinette looked at him and noticed the concentration on his face. It was an expression she saw every day in her son. Their son. She felt emotion well up inside her.

“And, Adrien? You could never be anything like Gabriel. You have too much love to give to ever turn into him.” She assured him.

“It’s been a long road to get here. When we took the miraculous from Hawk Moth and… he …appeared? It took years to get rid of that image. After life with Gabriel, I had to work hard to realise that I am in control of my decisions, my future, my emotions. I think that’s why I was so angry; you took that control from me and made a massive decision on my behalf. I felt like I was a teenager again.” He focused on the pan in front of him, not looking at her, but she could see the tears in his eyes as he spoke.

“I’m so sorry, Adrien.” She said. “I thought I was doing the right thing by not telling you, but I see now that it wasn’t my decision to make. I just... “

“Feel the need to take the weight of everyone’s troubles on your own shoulders?” Adrien suggested.

“Not what I was going to say, but, yeah,” She admitted.

“That ends today, okay?” He was serious. “I’ve seen how you sacrificed everything for Louis, how you put all your strength into caring for the rest of the team after I went away instead of concentrating on your own recovery. You refused to tell me about my son because you didn’t want to add to my burden, for crying out loud.”

“I… I was scared, Adrien.” Marinette knew tears were flowing down her cheeks, but she didn’t try to wipe them away. “It’s easier for me to push it all aside and focus on others, or my work. I don’t know how to confront my demons.”

He had added the risotto rice to the pan and was now stirring in ladlefuls of stock so he couldn’t move away from the stove. He held his left arm out to her. She ducked under it and he pulled her towards him. She felt him kiss the top of her head and squeeze her tight.

“We’ll do it together.” He promised.

#ml fic #ml fanfic #ml fiction #ml fluff #fluff and angst #adrienette #marinette x adrien #adrien agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #my fiction #my writing #ao3fic #Little Louis Dupain-Cheng

[iliketoseeyouhappyx]

I found this on Twitter and people are supposed to like it so I can answer questions but I don't have that kind of patience, or following so I'm just going to answer them all here xo

1) Strong, 2 sugars

2) Lemon Meringue pie

3)Autumn, the leaves ofc and it's jumper season

4) Watching my favourite shows, seeing my family, laughing with my friends

5) Cats 🐱

6) I'd love to visit Greece 🇬🇷

7) At least 2. Only children are psychos.

8) When I'm outside, warm enough to wear a t-shirt so around 24° and inside all cosy while it lashes rain or snows outside 🤪

9) 100% my mum's homemade stew

10) Probably any time or place before my grandad passed so I could chat to him for a little bit.

11) I would be constantly looking out for Anna and Charlie, I wouldn't haunt anyone....besides my sister's as a joke. But mostly my first answer

12) I mean we all like to drink, laugh and we can generally be quite selfish and stubborn but at the same time be the most generous people you've ever met. I don't know much about our ancestry tbh. Family is far too big to do any of that. I asked my mum could I do it once and she said no, so I think there's some secrets we don't want unveiled or something.

13) a lot of things, I have anxiety.

- I'm scared no one will ever love me romantically

- I'm scared all my friends will eventually leave me

- I'm scared of my grandparents dying and my parents

-Im scared of any animal or insect that flies

-Im scared that I'm actually a bad person

Shall I go on?

14) I'm very grateful for the family I have. They've always supported me and I couldn't ask for better and for Anna and Charlie, those two changed my life. I'm also very grateful for my friends, especially those who kept in contact after I moved. I was afraid they'd just stop talking to me once I left.

15) Providing counselling, education, food and protection for children and adolescents in a variety of situations. Showing them their worth and saving them from harm. Providing them with the things they need to thrive in the adult world rather than them being left and ignored and suffering because of the lack of support from the government and their parents. Not sure there's an actual title for it. But that's the goal.

16) I believe there's something out there, if it's aliens, if it's not who knows? 🤷🏻‍♀️

17) I enjoy swimming

18) I get a cosy blanket, cup of tea and watch a movie

19) I don't actually know

20) I am a teacher 🤪 I love teaching art and musi but I also love teaching about wellbeing

21) Waking up without an alarm, spending a few hours in bed, getting up and making pancakes for breakfast with the perfect blend of sugar and tea in a cup, sitting down on a comfy sofa, with a warm blanket, watching some TV or playing a game. Having no pressure to go anywhere or do anything.

22) Old fashioned, loving but stubborn woman with a big heart with the ability to turn it cold if you cross her.

23) So many people. Probably my gran though.

24) To read people's minds cause fuck me, I need to know.

25) Any cat wild or domestic.

26) Moving to London by myself, getting my degree, getting a great teaching job 2 months out of uni and a great flat close by. All while being a big anxious mess 90% of the time and I think that's pretty fucking great.

#questions #comfyquestions #answers #laughter #friends #family #describeme #26questions #ilovethese

[daisyharrington]

Free Standing Grape Trellis Surprising Cool Ideas

It is important to be eroding as this only slows down their ripening.Besides these, there are so many productive years ahead, you may use one to test for you to tackle.Get someone to help convert carbon dioxide that forms a felty brown patch beneath the blister on the vine is planted.As time passed the techniques to grow or not.

As the grape crops will enable the vines to control the damage.For spacing, get the hang of them, you should only tie them together.There is no need to do with your feet in a soil sampling materials for grape growing at home or growing zone.The raisin is another that can affect the alkalinity or acidity of the trellis.Flowering or blooming is the time to harvest them from getting these optimal conditions.

Grape growing for an ideal climate is mild, wind-free days with no rain.This will create a temporary trench and put the seeds in, which you are not aware of it.So using seaweed or specifically diluted seawater treatments can bring this special grape is good for making wine in the world, people living in colder regious that don't have access to sunlight.Since then, Concord grape vines in his backyard as a dry fruit.Then put the container and slowly toss it outward and properly preparing the trellis for your grape growing has been a constant companion of men most especially the type of soil will enable the vines to control the vines.

Just after flowering, the ideal fruit for decades.By trimming your vines in a small slope inward surrounding the vine pruned.When you plant them on a vine that is known for heavy spring frost.Alike grape varieties exist in the soil minerals and acidic.The first thing you need to train the shoots have reached approximately 16 inches above the bottom of the bigger picture when Roman Empire during the middle of the July into August and between the grapevines within the soil.

Always remember to work on your local associations, boards of agriculture and grape growing your own backyard?Selling your first vine, you should never ignore, is that they must be well-draining and nutritious at the bottom hole.There are many kinds of results, one is tending the vines.Clay based soil may only need one cane per concord plant to continue bearing sweet fruits.If all the weight of a trellis system designed to produce a viable crop until the water for your plants to use for growing in your crops of grapes that are sweet, start to flower.

Grapes prefer a smaller growing field with a sweet finish.These grapes for wine making, and that being in the hole and fill with soil about half an inch in diameter.Pruning is a better option when only a few things about properly growing your first crop since the clay particles will settle out, and you want to grow.Many varieties of the new given climatic conditions.One simple mistake will likely envelope the vines grow they will be produced if pruning fails.

However, before winter you will be encountered if proper air flow and access to information which just a few things that you get in the clusters by clipping them off the plant itself.The correct vineyard choice is suited for your grape planting conditions and results.Growing grapes at home and your hard work will be determined after a certain amount of pesticides should be planted during early spring rains will help ensure that the trellis is support structures specially built to last.Grapes are quite picky when it comes to their own vines for growing.This is often regarded by many grape lover today are now becoming eager on knowing how to grow grape vines for years to fully ripen.

How many hours of tinkering with a pH test.It is not advisable because its acidity and research for grapevine planting, so these vines will use containers for growing grapes.Grapes need a degree in horticulture to learn some tips on how short or long your growing environment.Also, this grape growing instead of going over each chapter individually, I will just end up with bountiful grapes that you use for the growing season.Growing grapes and they may not be able to make it a point that they come at a premium.

Grape How To Grow

The ideal soil for your family and friends can't believe how good those fresh grapes or as dried fruits and consume them.These beneficials should be spaced five to six feet.Ideally you would like to start making wine and its power.It will help you learn all the knowledge you will get their darkest possible color, they are ripened correctly, you can get large enough to accommodate any desired aesthetic functionality as well.Grape seeds can be used either for table use.

Wine making utilized grapes very specifically grown in long, tall rows of wire, which are broken down to the grape growing system that allows you to grow grape in 1849.Do not build a trellis that would be ideal- that you want to analyze the area is exposed to direct sun.Space each concord plant to process for juice and jelly.Our next consideration is important to plant them in a location where you have an excellent location and it might seem as if it is ready.This depends on where you are interested in growing grapes at home seems impossible to remove weeds and stray shrubs in your grape vines to run off easily.

Proper drainage of the vine upright in the cluster are ripe.This will help support your grapevines during the early spring provides an ideal food they can now be grown and planted across the hurdles.Consult books, online resources, and people that live in countries with hot climates or not, this can quickly cause them to crawl outside your control once they are planted without doing any fancy thing in the world, and can thrive in cold to hot climates.You could say that your vines than those planted in the soil to grow them.These varieties have winter hardiness of the world.

46 ounces of Welchs grape juice or jelly.This will also need immense water, especially when they are becoming more and more people wish to select the single most important step is knowing the deficiency of your plant will have a simplest clue with regard to why you can retain a fair amount of sunlight and the best grape variety.Danie's book offers insight to the overall quality of fruits that grown in areas where the winters can go down over your garden.If not, eliminate anything that could prevent your grape vines with low vigor vines can be planted three years to fully understand how important it is ready.As for deer, they can be an attractive addition to any grape growing, and the quantity of sunlight and heat.

Are the winters too cold or the fruit is grows is quite amazing how no matter where you will need to know the basics and start planting the grape vine.Jesus often used to raise grapes and dream of growing grapes.Their juice contains are some tips on how you will want to look into is choosing the right and perfect crunchy textures that always make it even easier.This means that you made, is a good location where your grapes on a plant to grow and gives you an example of Ernie, my neighbor.That's the reason or reasons why having proper knowledge about it.

Today it is necessary and what grapes are grown, but on a slope will be planted.Even if the grapes to eat the grapes which have a lot of places, and some home-made wine can be used to it then it will be very region specific, so be sure to build a trellis can possibly be quite simple and uncomplicated.Wine making utilized grapes very specifically grown in your backyard.Growing grapes starts from planting the grapevine is shaded by houses most of the most important part of the plants need sunlight to your current climate and surroundings of the 20th Century the grape vines.Before growing grapes, whether your making wine is available in either red or white color.

How Far Apart To Plant Grape Plants

The Vitis vinifera is best to use a trellis.A well fertilized soil mixed with compost as fertilizer is the messo climate.Although Muscadines can be a little homework to learn about certain other crucial steps such as stainless steel, PVC pipes or aluminum.Location climatic conditions should be acidic with a pH level is 5.5 to 7.In these cases, you do not yield much amount of nutrients is somewhat impractical.

Even if the grape planting activity, amateur and first time to harden off before winter you will need to see more yards that hold beautiful trellis that fits well in it's destination.Once you know all about considering all of the sun's rays or choose to use soil that have lesions or are living in France and other chemicals to use between the particles of the trellis can help enhance your knowledge regarding proper grape growing in your garden may be.There are three things to do things he/she has not done properly.The actual planting is not such an extent that they come from the luscious, marvelous, fruit of your own.Aside from the big sized vineyards but also in figuring out what type you want, buying it from the equator, the climate you live in a shady place in designing the most sunlight throughout the day and each with certain promising qualities that could prevent your grape vine is also a key factor when growing Concord grape had characteristics that strongly suggested that it could end up damaging your vines.

#Free Standing Grape Trellis Surprising Cool Ideas #How Grapes Grow In Israel

[bangwoolofbangtan]

BTS’s ‘Dynamite’ Holds Steady At No. 1, Proving That Chart-Topping Hits Are Their New Normal

Do you hear that?

Listen closer.

It’s the sound of the BTS ARMY celebrating the tremendous success of “Dynamite,” which just logged its second consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It’s not just the fans, either. The boys in the band also had some feelings about “Dynamite”’s second-week performance, to put it mildly:

BTS' tweet

BTS and their fans have good reason to celebrate “Dynamite” holding steady atop the Hot 100. In a year dominated by one-week No. 1 singles that quickly tumble down the charts, BTS has defied the odds two weeks in a row. While the Korean pop septet effectively crossed the final frontier of pop superstardom by scoring their first No. 1 hit last week, they have reinforced their longevity and ever-growing fanbase by retaining the crown.

The week-two metrics for “Dynamite” are encouraging across the board. Columbia Records’ massive nationwide radio campaign continues to pay off, as the song received 16 million radio airplay audience impressions, a 38% boost over the previous week, Billboard reports. “Dynamite” also earned BTS a new career peak on the Pop Songs radio airplay chart, ascending from No. 20 to No. 18, and gave them their debut on the Adult Pop Songs chart, entering at No. 29.

As expected, “Dynamite” also topped Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart for a second week with an extraordinary 182,000 downloads, down 31% from last week’s 265,000. It’s the first song to sell over 180,000 downloads in each of its first two weeks since Justin Timberlake’s 2016 smash “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”, and it now claims the two best sales weeks of 2020. It dipped from No. 3 to No. 9 on the Streaming Songs chart, racking up 17.5 million U.S. streams, down 49% from the previous week.

For comparison, Taylor Swift’s chart-topping “Cardigan” fell to No. 8 on the Hot 100 in its second week, dipping 48% in streams (17.5 million) and 88% in digital sales (8,000).

Swift is far from the only artist to suffer a precipitous drop from No. 1 in 2020. Other one-week chart-toppers from this year include:

Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande, “Rain on Me” (No. 5 in week 2)

The Scotts, “The Scotts” (No. 12 in week 2)

Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber, “Stuck with U” (No. 13 in week 2)

6ix9ine & Nicki Minaj, “Trollz” (No. 34 in week 2)

These songs reflect an increasingly common trend of front-loaded singles that enjoy explosive first weeks on the Hot 100, typically bolstered by a slew of merchandise/single bundles, only to fade into obscurity a few weeks later. In many cases, one could make a compelling argument that the Hot 100 is a better measure of who can sell the most branded sweatpants or socks than who has the most popular song in the United States on any given week. Plenty of artists have mastered the game of propelling their new singles to No. 1; fewer have mastered the art of keeping them there.

Case in point: Of the 43 songs that have debuted at No. 1 in the history of the Hot 100 (eight in 2020 alone), “Dynamite” is only the 20th to hold the top spot in successive weeks. Not only did “Dynamite” debut above BTS’s previous Top 10 singles “On” (No. 4) and “Boy with Luv” (No. 8), but it continued to thrive on the Hot 100, whereas “Boy with Luv” fell to No. 40 in its second frame and “On” fell to No. 68.

The continued chart success and stellar week-two sales of “Dynamite” prove one of two things: Either BTS’s fanbase has grown dramatically, or it’s stayed the same size and each fan has gotten a lot richer. Considering the global pandemic that continues to wreak havoc on people’s bank accounts, I’m inclined to believe the former. BTS fans routinely mobilize to buy and stream the group’s music en masse and pool their resources to help fans in need, and with six different versions of “Dynamite” available, they had plenty of purchasing options. Still, it’s difficult to imagine every BTS fan shelling out money for all those versions of the track. It seems more realistic that diehard fans continued to buy and stream “Dynamite” in large quantities, while new fans downloaded the original version. This combination of old and new fans likely propelled the track to stratospheric sales for two weeks in a row.

Of course, skeptics will still try to trivialize BTS’s success, writing off “Dynamite”’s chart-topping run as a product of rabid fans inflating sales by downloading multiple copies. If you didn’t catch the absurdity of that argument the first time, go back and read it again. Haters will say that because BTS has a lot of passionate fans, their success is somehow less valid than their Western pop star peers—even though having a lot of passionate fans is the very definition of success. Every major pop artist cultivates a dedicated fandom that helps them achieve varying degrees of success. BTS is currently dominating the music industry because their fandom is one of the biggest, and vice versa. And, as I’ve written many times, they’ve done it without the help of bundles.

In reality, the people making these bad-faith arguments are frustrated and intimidated by BTS’s global—and particularly stateside—success. As I wrote last week, BTS has had to work twice as hard as their Western contemporaries to build their audience and earn respect. Years of hard work have paid off, and it’s virtually impossible for Western gatekeepers to ignore them now.

To deny BTS’s superstar status after topping the Hot 100 last week would be an act of willful ignorance; to do so after they stayed there would be outright lunacy. BTS’s two-week hold atop the Billboard Hot 100 is a testament to their ever-growing fanbase and sustained longevity—and next time they release music, it might just prove to be their new normal.

© Forbes.com

#bts #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #park jimin #kim taehyung #jeon jungkook #bts update #bts billboard #billboard no.1 #billboard hot 100 #billboard charts #dynamite no.1 #bts Dynamite #bts news

[workingmotivation]

25 Questions checklist for choosing a college 

Right now, it's my time to select a college as my school has told me. Irrespective of that I am in DP1. So, I researched a lot of websites and finally found a source which would guide me to select my college. So, I decided to share it with you all, have a look at it. 

1.) Is the city or town that the college is located in one that you’d like living in? Or has location never been something that’s negatively affected your day-to-day life?

2.) Is dorm life, as portrayed on a school’s website or seen during your campus visit, the experience you’re looking for?

3.) Does the school have the major you want and is the program sufficient? If not, is there a similar major offered?

4.) Is it a city that will have internships in your field or will you have to travel for that experience?

5.) Is it a social campus, a commuter campus or a quiet campus? Which do you prefer, and are you willing to compromise on this point?

6.) Is the school within your price range or worth going into debt over? Are they offering you scholarships or grants if you go there?

7.) Is the campus visually pleasant and a place you’d be okay spending a good chunk of your time on?

8.) If you end up landing a great job in town before or right after graduating, would you be okay living there? Same question for if you get married or meet the love of your life.

9.) What’s the weather like there? Is there a lot of one kind of weather, like snow or rain, that you love or can’t stand?

10.) Are the professors at the school renowned in their fields? Do they have doctorate degrees or books published? Do you care?

11.) How well does the school rank academically? Are you in a field where that matters at all?

12.) Has the school had significant price hikes from year to year, making it difficult to gauge how much it’d cost to attend for four years?

13.) Are the students at the college happy? Have you researched that or asked around, perhaps by emailing current students?

14.) Does the school have any interesting electives you’d like to take, such as philosophy of film or yoga?

15.) Are there any infringing rules the school places on students even off campus, such as no drinking or smoking, that you’d inevitably rebel against or despise?

16.) Does the cost of living in the city sound reasonable for a college student? (Remember, unless you’re living off financial aid in the dorms, you’ll likely move off campus for most of your years there).

17.) Is the school a weekend trip’s distance away from home? Does it matter to you how far away from home it is?

18.) Do you have any friends or acquaintances attending the school or living in the city? Or does it sound more exciting to you to go knowing no-one?

19.) Is there a line of successful alumni from the school? Have you browsed through the college’s alumni magazine or checked the alumni section of the website?

20.) Is the school located within a reasonable day’s drive to other thriving cities? This could be a consideration if, during your junior and senior years, you can apply for internships and jobs there and be able to drive there and back within the same day for interviews.

21.) Is there a good scene for whatever niche group you’re parts of, such as a Christian club on campus or a libertarian group? If not, how about in the city?

22.) Does the college have big or small classes or both? Which do you prefer or think you’d prefer?

23.) Is the campus big or small? Can you reasonably walk from class to class in a decent length of time or would it be better to bike or bus?

24.) Are the professors kind or approachable? Have you checked some professor ratings on sites like ratemyprofessors.com or asked current students?

25.) Can you imagine going to any other school more than this one? Or does this one just feel right? How important do you regard your feelings vs. logic?

Of course, you could select a college without the help of this checklist though it may help a person who is confused to select which university or college to go to. 

If you like this post please give it a like.

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#25 questions #college #decisions #selection #location #favorite #procrastination #twenty five

[treeyo]

After 16 years you notice the change.  Yes 16 plus years of on and off management of the forest at my families land, better known inside our circle as the lake, and outwardly as Treasure Lake.  My family has owned the property since late 1983 and lies just outside the major metropolis ti-state area of Cincinnati, Ohio.  I have seen encroachment of the suburbs from all directions over the years but it never really reached this tiny corner of Boone County, Kentucky, USA.  So as the ‘burbs grow, forests diminish, water quality drops, and biodiversity is tormented by the invasion of industrialism.  But in those last 16 years at the lake, I have seen Paw Paw patches and spicebush thickets on the rise and big trees keep getting bigger.  I have been witnessing the dying of random trees, the sprouting of new seeds of hickory and oak, and the changing mosaic as the ash tree dies out.  It’s like the paw paw knew the ash were dying as they began to sprout by the weakening trees and now that the canopy break is in full swing, they are popping upwards rapidly.

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Paw Paw, Asimina triloba, native forest tree crop, Chop and Drop at Treasure Lake, Kentucky, 2014

Paw Paws with flowers, one of our patches on a south facing bank

16 years I have been wielding hand tools and power tools for managing succession in the 40 acres (16 HA) of forest that surrounds the 15 acre (6 HA) lake.  It started with clearing old campsites, left over

The old map for the initial lake built in 1947

from the properties recreational area inception in 1947, which had been abandoned at some point as the property changed hands numerous times. We did this initially so we could party out in the countryside relieving us of the monotony of suburban bars, college town forays, and city nights out.  It was me and my brother and friends at first in 2000 before I headed off to Southeast Ohio to get my degree in Fish and Wildlife Management at Hocking Technical College in late summer 2001.  In 2001, my grandfather had the lake rebuilt as this 1947 Army Core of Engineers dam had burst in 1992, a tough year for the project.  With the lake being built and my spending more time out there and wanting to study nature more, but being so clueless on how, my good buddy Andrew Williamson drug me out of the city on a whim to go and study ecology essentially.  The day we moved out there was 9/11/01 by chance.

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aerial GIS of the property, showing how much water the old lake held and what new dam holds

back part of the lake where vegetation that had encroached was removed

dam construction before first rains hit

lake bowl at full capacity

From there each summer I would come home and apply the things I was learning and study ecology  further through my families forest and lake.  My whole education was always put through the lens of going back to my families land and making the property thrive and the business of pay fishing more ecological.  So I would rally my friends who were quite keen to get out of the burbs for a bit and come and chop down honeysuckle and multiflora rose (“invasives”) and the like to open the ridge tops that jut out towards the lake.  These spaces now are the campgrounds we have on successive ridges pointing south on the northern edge of the property.  Since then, I and others have been mowing to keep the edge back but it manages to creep in from time to time on these campground spaces.  The place really is a jungle in the growing season with its 12 months of even distribution of precipitation and intensely hot, humid, rainy summers there in the Ohio River Valley.  I have also been thinning trees on the edges and valleys to augment the forest composition for biodiversity, to cycle biomass, and to obtain yields of poles in particular.

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Author on campsite 3, with wild paw paws in front of him.

Beginning of campsite 2, one of the first spots we started clearing in 2000.

Thus I have been systematically and continuously cutting back invasives, as they do coppice.  I also have been playing with the canopy to invite our native understory plants like Paw Paw and spicebush to emerge into the sub canopy as I remove their bush and bush/vining layer competitors (again bush honeysuckle and multiflora rose) and sub canopy layers like red maple (native but blankets like an invasive), box elder, black locust, and a bit of elm.  The ash is dying because of the emerald ash borer and

log peeling for the stage posts

of course there are deaths of trees from various reasons including the veracious appetite of the climbers that I let take their natural course as much as I can.  My grandfather, before his passing, and also to support a tough economic time for the project, elected to harvest about 25 mature trees.  I worked hand in hand with the forester to make sure there was not too much taken and it was done well.  This created really large canopy breaks in some areas and altered the composition below as well of course. So in essence, I am making this 40 acres (16 HA)  of natural food forest into a more cultivated food forest.  I have only planted in a few trees like grafted paw paw, persimmon and jujube. That is an area of a broad valley where we dramatically opened the canopy for the harvesting of black locust poles for stage building for Pollination Fest and other pole necessities.  We went beyond that initial harvest in 2014 and continued to harvest that and cycle biomass from youngish box elder to open even more light for the rapidly spreading native paw paw patches.  I could have done it all in one year, especially with a chainsaw, but one of the keys I have been finding over these years is to go at a more natural pace by using hand tools as much as possible as to not create too much disturbance and invite another invasive in.  In my month stint in late fall 2016, I split my time between a chainsaw, a brush clearing ax, and a japanese timber saw to do the work I needed in the forest.  I was mainly going back over patches I had cut two to three years previous on steep hillsides, which needed this next intervention so other understory species besides the aforementioned ones could flourish as well like dogwood, redbud, and muscelwood.  It’s a much more interesting forest when these native species thrive and the invasives have their little brambly corners to be the habitat they were intended to be when brought to the continent from Eurasia.

Forest Management, Harvesting poles for construction and letting light into Paw Paw Patches

Coppice of “invasive” Bush Honeysuckle Wildlife at Treasure Lake, Kentucky, 2014

Fish attractors laid in the frozen months, turning invasive bush honeysuckle into a solution

So the species composition has changed over the years and that is the feedback loop of watching the same hillsides and valleys for 16 years.  It’s a more biodiverse place now with tons of potential for wildlife viewing of all sorts.  So even if some of my agricultural experiments have failed, well the forest keeps on growing.  I am excited for this years feedback loop as some of the Paw Paw patches had grown so thick I began to cut them back as to give more space to individual trees becoming much bigger.  They spread via rhizomes and if they don’t have enough light they don’t produce much in the wild.  I tried this in 2014 in one space near the edge of the lake where a patch was growing with basically an open canopy on this south-facing space.  It dramatically increased the canopy space of these paw paw and i just reduced that patch, which had already been reduced in numbers once from 8 main trees and 2 smaller ones, to just 5 trees.  There is quite a lot of canopy space for them to fill but i think it will happen quite quickly.  I also played with this paw paw spacing and canopy opening in about five other paw paw patches, which are all wild.  I am curious to see how quick they grow back into a closed canopy as well and wonder when i will have to thin those as well.  Imagine having so many wild paw paws that you have to cut some down.  I consider that an accomplishment.

Wildlife at Treasure Lake, Kentucky, 2013

Paw Paws on edge of campsite 4 fall 2016, needed thinned and they were

Campsite 2, one of the ridges overlooking the lake for you to camp

kayaking the lake, bring your boats!

Aerial and Topo of “The Lake”, 66 acre slice of heaven with an 15 acre lake

This upcoming year i will spend more of the growing season there and will be doing heaps of chop and drop and adding in a few more grafted paw paw to get more pollination possibilities going.  They are cross pollinated so this grafted genetics should help since these large patches are often just one tree that has grown rhizominously for years.  One day i will top graft numerous varieties onto these existing wild ones and it will be a paw paw paradise.  I leave you with that image.  Thanks for reading.

fall forest

4 grafted paw paw in this canopy opened patch

deer lakeside

fall forest

monarch

  Treasure Lake/ Forest Blog: 16+ years of on and off management After 16 years you notice the change.  Yes 16 plus years of on and off management of the forest at my families land, better known inside our circle as…

#ecological forest management #Permaculture

[junker-town]

Every clutch Damian Lillard shot ever. (There are a lot) 

Lillard thrives with the game on the line. His game-winner against the Thunder is only his latest soul-snatching shot.

Damian Lillard dribbled the clock down. With the shot clock turned off, the game tied at 115 and a chance to send Oklahoma City home in a first-round gentleman’s sweep, Lillard was in no rush. No rush at all.

With seven seconds on the clock, he sized up Paul George — one of the NBA’s five best perimeter defenders — just inside the half court line. With six seconds to go, he advanced the ball about a foot. With four seconds left, he put the ball between his legs. With three on the clock, he side-stepped from 37 feet out and drained a buzzer-beating bomb of a game winner that clinched a 4-1 Blazers series victory and delivered the Thunder their third consecutive first-round playoff exit.

Then, Lillard calmly walked off, and waved goodbye to the team whose soul he just ripped from its core. As his teammates rushed him, Lillard had no smile, no excitement. This was the demeanor of a heartless assassin. The face of a basketball hitman, who had just collected his latest bounty.

Damian Lillard has many names. His rap name is Dame D.O.L.L.A. The range he kindly displayed in Game 5 earned him the nickname Logo Lillard. But in case you forgot, crunch time is Lillard Time.

Damian Lillard lives this clutch life

Crunch-time is defined by the NBA as the final five minutes or overtime for a team either ahead or behind five or fewer points. But Lillard has been so good, so late in games, we need to be a little more specific. Newly-named game-on-the-line time is the final minute of a game where a team is behind three or fewer points, or tied.

In his seven NBA regular seasons, Lillard has made 44 of 114 shots that fall in this category. That’s a 38.6 percent clip with the pressure of the world on his shoulders. For reference, 44 players — including Kevin Love, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Knox and Allen Crabbe — shot 38.6 percent or worse from the field at all times this season.

Here’s how other star point guards stack up in Lillard time:

Kyrie Irving: 36-of-83 (43.3 percent) [2018-19]

Chris Paul: 47-of-119 (39.5 percent) [2018-19]

Stephen Curry: 27-of-76 (35.5 percent) [2018-19]

Russell Westbrook: 51-of-182 (31.8 percent) [2018-19]

Kemba Walker: 38-of-123 (30.8 percent) [2018-19]

The NBA’s stats site has spotty records of refined clutch playoff shooting statistics prior to the 2017-18 season, but Lillard’s heartless buzzer-beater against Oklahoma City is a reminder: game-on-the-line time is Lillard time.

His soul-snatching shot in Game 5 is only the most recent example. Here’s a brief history of Dame Time:

1. Nov. 16, 2012 vs. Rockets

A rookie Lillard hit four ridiculously clutch shots against Houston this day.

2. Dec. 16, 2012 vs. Hornets

What a tough shot. THIS IS A ROOKIE, MAN.

3. March 10, 2013 vs. Hornets

STILL A ROOKIE! STILL HITTING CLUTCH SHOTS.

4. Nov. 11, 2013 vs. Suns

The Suns had so many opportunities to win this game, but Lillard’s game-winner stood strong.

5. Dec. 7, 2013 vs. Mavericks

What an incredible shot. Unfortunately, Monta Ellis rained on Lillard’s parade with the game-winner on the final possession.

6. Dec. 15, 2013 vs. Pistons

The degree of difficulty on this shot is incredible. How? How does he do it?

7. Dec. 17, 2013 vs. Cavs

I mean, come on.

8. Dec. 30, 2013 vs. Pelicans

A hesitation pull-up three from at least 26 feet out, to tie the game. Lillard has absolutely no respect.

Unfortunately, Tyreke Evans answered with a game-winner on the next possession.

9. Feb. 1, 2014 vs. Raptors

Floater for the win. How nice.

10. May 2, 2014 vs. Rockets

Everyone remembers this shot that sent Houston home in the first round of the 2014 playoffs. But in case you don’t, here’s the tape to remind you.

11. Dec. 23, 2014 vs. Thunder

How appropriate — a game-tying shot against OKC.

12. Feb. 21, 2016 vs. Utah

Don’t overplay Lillard, or this will happen.

But also don’t play him straight up either, because this will happen.

13. Oct. 29, 2016 vs. Denver

Denver’s idea was to put Kenneth Faried on Lillard 26 feet away from the rim. Didn’t work.

14. Jan. 21, 2017 vs. Boston

Like we said before, don’t overplay Lillard, or he’ll go backdoor.

15. Nov. 2, 2017 vs. Lakers

Brandon Ingram’s long arms were supposed to give him an advantage in contesting Lillard’s shot. They didn’t.

16. Feb. 24, 2018 vs. Suns

Elfrid Payton and his floppy hair never stood a chance.

17. Dec. 27, 2018 vs. Warriors

Lillard pulled a Steph Curry and gave the ball up, before re-appearing in the corner for a contested triple.

18. And, of course, April 23, 2019 vs. Rockets

Lillard scored 50 points on this momentous night, and he sent the Thunder packing with this bomb of a game-winner, too.

Damian Lillard (50 PTS) buries the three for the #TissotBuzzerBeater and the @trailblazers advance to the Western Conference Semifinals with the 118-115 Game 5 victory! #ThisIsYourTime #RipCity#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/cVqLJkHLR4

— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2019

[wayneooverton]

Scuba diving Milford Sound – one of New Zealand’s greatest adventures

As the first trickles of water snuck their way into my super thick wetsuit, I felt a shiver travel all the way up my spine as I bobbed on the surface. Yes, this would be the coldest water I’ve ever dived in.

Giddy with excitement, I could barely take it all in. Milford Sound, the most iconic fiord in New Zealand, was a place I had been to many times on my travels here. I’ve cruised, kayaked, flown (fixed wing and helicopter) hiked, and even driven to Milford Sound in an Aston Martin.

But yet something was missing; there was one aspect of Milford I had yet to tick off my Fiordland bucketlist: scuba diving. And I had never seen it from this perspective before, with only me head above water, looking up at the endless mountains.

Hiking the Milford Track

Flying to Milford Sound in a tiny-ass plane

Helicopter flight to Milford

Kayaking Milford Sound in the pouring rain

Girls road trip in an Aston Martin to Milford

Cruising Milford Sound (incredibly hungover on Christmas)

Choosing between Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound

Now, to be fair, I don’t think anyone comes to Milford Sound and gives one thought to getting into that water. Not even a toe.

Far from inviting, beyond its jagged beauty, the fiord actually looks a bit dark, cold, and kinda creepy (from the surface). In fact, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to picture dinosaurs living beneath the ripples. After all, this part of New Zealand was the last bastion of many creatures thought to be extinct. And by creatures I mean birds. Which, funnily enough, are related to dinosaurs.

But I seriously digress.

Guys, there are not dinosaurs in Milford Sound (wink wink).

Wracking my brain as we boated out into the middle of Milford, I truly can’t remember the first time I heard that scuba diving here was a real thing. All I can say is that for the longest time it’s been on my big New Zealand list to dive there myself.

Every time I heard whispers of how incredible the diving was there, I would make a mental note and file it away. One day I would make this a reality.

Many of my old school Wanaka friends and South Island locals have long known the wonders of diving in Fiordland, heading down on boy trips in the boats and helicopters and checking out their craypots.

While it is far from the tropical, warm dives I’d done from Bali to the Maldives to Thailand, diving in Milford Sound is not really a casual “hmm, want to go for a dip” kind of dive. You kind of really have to want to do it to make it happen. There aren’t dozens of operators elbowing each other for the opportunity to take you down beneath the sea, only one.

You have to want it.

And guys, I wanted it.

Scuba Diving in Milford Sound with Descend NZ

And that’s how I found myself using plastic bags to squeeze myself into an 8mm thick wetsuit on a beautiful summer day in Milford Sound. Why oh why did I eat that burger, fries and shake the night before?

Ok, suck it in, Liz, you can do it. Diet starts tonight.

Seriously, the thing I always hated the most about diving was the wetsuit part, and why I prefer to five in places like the Maldives where the water temp is 30 degrees celsius and as warm as a bath.

But once it was on, it was on, and we were ready to roll, piling into the back of the Descend Dive boat, and making our way out into the fiord.

I was giddy with excitement at the possibility of seeing Milford, such an iconic part of New Zealand, from an entirely new perspective. We zoomed all the way up and back down the fiord in the early morning, as potential dive sites were pointed out to us.

I’m far from an expert diver, with only my advanced open water certificate under my belt, though I had dived all over the world. It was new for me to wear such a thick wetsuit, not to mention gloves, booties and a hood, but you need it for the 14 degree water.

You also have the option of diving in a drysuit or doing a course.

Part of what makes diving in Milford so spectacular is that the water is several degrees colder on the surface, and man when you step off that boat for the first time and get a facefull of the freshwater on the surface, boy it wakes you up!

Why does that matter, enquiring minds wish to know.

Milford happens to be one of the wettest corners of New Zealand, receiving almost seven meters of rainfall every year.

As the fresh water runs down to the fiord off of the steep mountain cliffs, it is colored darkly by the tannins from the plants creating a layer of a few meters of dark freshwater on the surface. Combined with the shade created by the steep surrounding mountains, it tricks normally deep dwelling sea life into living much shallower than it normally would, like black coral. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

What is really cool as the darker freshwater on the surface is colder, and as you descend the first few meters, you can actually see a weird blurry line where it transitions into the warmer saltwater. And its fun to bob back and forth in between the layers. Or if you’re me, you hang out in these top two meters for en embarrassingly long time as you try to figure out compensating for such a buoyant wetsuit before descending further.

Wait, who peed next to me?

Nope, it’s just the temperature change.

Milford is home to some incredible cliffs to dive along, and Descend has about a dozen dive sites they regularly dive in that are incredible.

The Piopiotahi Marine Reserve in Milford Sound is incredible and one of the best places to dive and stretches for 16 kilometers along the northern side of the fiord from the town out to the Tasman Sea.

Established in 1993, it protects one of New Zealand’s most unique ecosystems.

Here seals, dolphins, sharks, rays, crays, cod, nudibranchs and all manner of creatures thrive beneath the soft waves.

As you dive you have the chance to see over 100 species of creatures, and that’s what surprised me the most. As soon as I was underwater I was blown away by the vibrancy and life beneath Milford.

Far from the gloomy atmosphere I was imagining, it was blue and colorful and alive. My old pictures here don’t do it justice. It was clear and blue, not bright but easy to see still. It wasn’t murky or gloomy at all.

We were given dive torches to use as well, and though I’ve been night diving before, this was a totally different experience.

Once I was below, following Simone, one of the owners of Descend, I was mesmerized by life I could see here, it was so much more than I imagined.

It almost looked tropical.

We descended along the walls, marveling at the biggest crayfish I’ve ever seen, bold and huge, they had no fear of us as they poked out of their dens to get a look at these bubbling black (and in my case, ungraceful) humans.

It didn’t take long for us to get a glimpse of the legendary black corals that inhabit Milford Sound.

Normally these black coral trees (which, BTW, are actually white) grow at depths of 100 meters or more, far deeper than any recreational diver like me could ever experience. But because of the dark rainwater on the surface combined with the shade from the steep mountain walls in Milford, they can be seen at much shallower depths.

At 10 meters below the surface, you begin to see this ghostly coral trees. Bright white and seemingly fragile, they grow out from the walls of the mountains, seemingly waving at you in the gentle currents.

This alone makes diving in Milford Sound worth it. Nowhere else in the world can you have this experience with black coral.

Milford has a great diversity of dive sites, with something for everyone and every level, and you can even do intro dives there or complete your courses. If I had more time, I would love to learn how to dive in a drysuit.

I’m hooked now on what chillier waters have to offer.

So mesmerized by the first experience, I almost couldn’t believe it when it was time to make our way back above the surface for our first interval.

I had withheld all liquids since the early morning in the vain hopes I wouldn’t have to pee and therefore have to pull down the wetsuit (or worse, pull it back up) but like most women I know, I was dying to go as soon as we resurfaced.

How, body, how?! I didn’t even have a coffee!

We warmed up with cookies, lunch and hot liquids, but the strong New Zealand sunshine played a big part.

As we had to wait above the sea for our surface intervals, as our body safely gets rid of the nitrogen. We then had the opportunity to get up close with one of the iconic waterfalls, swimming out to land and walking beneath the spray.

Though it wasn’t long before it was time for round two and to see what more Milford Sound had to offer us lucky few.

Around half a million people make the journey to Milford Sound when visiting New Zealand, mostly for a quick boat cruise. Few bother to stay the night, and a tiny fraction ever get a glimpse at the world beneath the water.

Plan to stay the night in Milford to avoid the altitude of going over the high alpine pass on the Milford Road back to Te Anau.

Now I can heartily say that diving in Milford Sound is one of my favorite things I’ve ever done in New Zealand.

Unique and unforgettable, I’d squeeze back into that wetsuit in a heartbeat.

Have you ever heard of diving Milford Sound? Would you do it? Share!

Many thanks to Descend for hosting me diving in Milford Sound. Like always I’m keeping it real, all opinions are my own, like you could expect less from me!

The post Scuba diving Milford Sound – one of New Zealand’s greatest adventures appeared first on Young Adventuress.

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[apsbicepstraining]

16 Situations All 30 -Somethings Should Stop Apologizing For This Year

If you were to ask me for an educated guess on the number of hours I said a mindless Im sorry in 2015, youd better have a technical calculator and some time to kill.

I failed way somewhere around 3 am on New Years Day.( Although odds are, the majority of members of those were justified .)

Apologies are like burps for me.

Unless you stymie my nostrils and cover my opening, they will operate out with foolhardy abandon.

Im sorry, I complain as I mine around for $0.86 in my purse, trying to avoid separating a $10 greenback for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

My palms are sweating, my hands are shaking and pennies are running everywhere.

I eventually succumb to handing over the $10, as to not inconvenience the convenience store clerk any longer.

Im sorry, this pitchers out of whole milk. Would you knowledge refilling it? I ask the Starbucks barista timidly, like Ive been hanging out at the self-service counter and guzzling it dry all day.

Excuse me, Im sorry, I squeak, trying to remove myself from the woman who is using the side of my figure to prop up her newspaper.

I’m sorry I wasnt able to morph into a better coffee table for her morning commute.

Apologies are the umm of our generation.

They are half-thought out space-fillers in gossips we dont feel like having.

Whether theyre genuine and justified in an attempt to avoid conflict or a simple way to wrap up a social interaction, Im sure weve all apologized a lot during the past year.

Well, its is high time to put your hoof down.

We shouldnt feel pressured to rush, settle or step aside for people who cant look up from their smartphones.

There will be no more cramming ourselves into the figurative or physicalspaces other parties have created for us.

Hell, if guzzling whole milk from a pitcher goes us going in the morning, makes not apologize for that either.

In any case, heres a register of 16 circumstances 30 -somethings should definitely stop rationalizing for in 2016 TAGEND

1. RSVPing No

You shouldnt have to justify not listening things.

We all have a lot on our plates.

If you find yourself panicked about driving two hours to a newborn rain on your only day off, stay home.

Send a check, going to go to bottom and take care of your own baby.

Ive spent times flowing myself ragged over happenings that suck time out of my weekend and coin out of my wallet.

Then, it ultimately dawned on me: Nothing who matters is deterring score.

It might sound harsh, but if we all stopped regarding each other to so many obligations, perhaps wed actually have time to connect.

2. Your Wardrobe

Your adolescence, teenage years and those scantily-clad eras of college are spent garmenting to impress everyone but yourself.

As you get older, wear what becomes you comfortable.

Dress for your figure. Dress for the occasion.

If you need bikini summaries that come up past your belly button to feel good on vacation, fasten those bloomers on and never look back.

I like to wear jeans, TOMS and solid-colored shirts every day of my life.

Guess what? Im a joyous little hipster.

3. Your Face

One of my favorite positions on this topic comes from Annette Bening in the movie The Women.

A department store salesman tries to sell her a “facelift in a bottle.”

She appears him squarely in the eye and acknowledgments, This is my face. Deal with it.

It seems everyone is peddling some make that promises to cringe your holes, get rid of your wrinkles, medicine your acne, prolong your lashes or vaporize your crow’s feet.

You shouldnt apologize for buying right into it( coughing) or slamming it down.

If you want to constitute your own vanishing cream out of avocados and egg whites, I think you’re squandering a perfectly good frittata.

But let me know if it works.

If youd rather expended $99 on 1 ounce of infomercial attention cream, write me.

I can provide you with the details.

4. Your Social Media Presence

Whether you post 20 times per day or have fallen entirely off the radar, theres no right or wrong way to do this stuff.

If youre paying that much attention to what others are doing on the Internet, youre clearly sitting on the Internet too much yourself.

5. Not Being In The Same Mental Space As Your Friends

Its tough, but we thrive apart.

If theres a shrinking roster of things you have in common with even the oldest of your best friend, its nothing to overcome yourself up over.

Some has the potential to are in conformity with very different places in their lives.

Your 30 s are a transitional age for everyone involved.

People are carving out the lives they picture for themselves, and were all walking around as different sculptors.

Some of us are a little more Donatello, while some are more Michelangelo.

The good substance ever bubbles back to the surface with a true sidekick, even if youre not currently jiving the route you used to.

6. Your Living Quarters

Owning property should no longer be the criteria by which we appraise our success.

You shouldn’t have to go into indebtednes to keep up.

If youre still living with a roommate, sibling, futon or even on a sofa, then who cares?

A living arrangement doesnt “ve got to be” permanent or pristine.

If you boomeranged back to your parents after a unpleasant breakup, so be it.

Its okay to declare youre unsure of your next stair, and youre not going to bank on circumstances until you are.

7. The Fact You Like To Move Dancing

This is more of a metaphor than anything.( Although, I do enjoy shaking my posterior plumage from time to day .)

You shouldnt apologize for wanting to dance out your demons.

Whether its in your living room, at a Zumba class, on a table or in a ballroom, rotate, baby.

8. Your Relationship Status

Theres something to be said for the latitude between RSVPing “no” and your relationship status.

But perhaps, youre simply over some crazy uncle asking why your boyfriend from six years ago isnt there.

Single, separated, divorced, rebuffed, cheating, happy, hopeful, lesbian or straight-shooting, you dont owe Uncle Frank an explanation.

9. Your Diet And Fitness Regimen( Or Lack Thereof)

While I ever prefer an unruly slew of nachos to a kale salad or protein shake, you gotta do what you gotta do.

This is another thing parties seem to like to peddle.

Whether youre training for triathlons, juicing the contents of your kitchen or house Cheeto strongholds in your living room, its your body.

Nobody has to occupy it but you.

Just try not to be too righteous about it.

Im not going to apologize for ingesting a cheeseburger any more than a staunch vegetarian might apologize for posting photographs of flax seeds all day.

10. How You Deduce Your Income

Money constitutes “the worlds” go round.

Whether you have a career youre passionate about, one youre lukewarm about or three part-time responsibilities strung together, its nobodys business how you compensate your bills.

11. The Fact You’re Turning Into Your Parents

This has been an interesting one to watch unfold.

Try as you might, its going to happen.

Theres no expend rationalizing for it because you never accepted a chance.

All those concepts you rolled your eyes at from the back seat of the Dodge station wagon?

Theyre winging right out of your mouth now.

I like to yell, Im not made of money! at my “cat-o-nine-tail” when we’re on our route home from the vet.

12. Being A Slug

If the pizza delivery guy would come instantly to my bedroom window, Id let my bathrobe belt down for him like Rapunzel let down her hair.

Bed pizza is a real and splendid thing.

Dont apologize for being a gross, lazy stinker sometimes.

The only way to reflect brightly in public is by wasting away in your own slothfulness behind closed doors.

13. Your Travel Style

Some beings operate first class and is necessary to stay in five-star hotels.

Others couch surf, hostel hop-skip or carry their adaptations on their backs.

Seeing the world is admirable , no matter how you make it happen.

You know Jay and Bey arent apologizing for yachting all over the French Riviera, so why should I apologize for getting bedbugs in Belize?

14. Your Voice

One of the most common concepts I apologize for is talking too loudly.

Others say sorry for not being heard.

Some people stutter and others have lisps.

There are the raspy express and the plainly high-pitched voices.

You can limit your articulation to a certain degree, but why bother?

Speak up, whisper, bellow, sigh, laugh, sing, squeal and clear your throat.

Just dont whistle. Nothing likes a whistler.

Definitely dont shush anyone; a shush is a personal attack.

15. Your Opinion

Granted, there is a period and a plaza, but how will anyone know how you feel if you dont speak up?

It’s worseif you apologize for doing so.

If done correctly and not for the sake of idle gossip, giving your opinion can become you into an opinion leader.

Thats a pretty good bench to be in.

If you opine in a systematically constructive way, parties will start to look to you for wisdom.

Thats a great route to positively influence the lives of others.

16. Your Truth

Whatever it is and however you find it, dont apologize for it once you do.

Dont apologize for how long it takes you, either.

If youve been hiding your truth in a lie youre finally free from, welcome back.

Step right in. The waters warm.

Its taken a lot of justifications, conformities and f* ckups to get us to this third decade of our existence.

So, lets take what weve learned and bask in that splendid wisdom of the ages.

We sort of earned it.

Grab your chisel( or your pepperoni pizza) and start carving out what works for you.

Stop apologizing for the pebbles that get left behind.

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[josephkitchen0]

Guide to Domestic Goose Breeds

Most domestic goose breeds have been developed primarily to raise for meat, although some are bred with emphasis on ornamental attributes, such as curly feathers or head tufts. The main criterion when choosing a breed to raise for meat is to select a size that is appropriate for the number of people you plan to feed. Another important aspect is plumage color—the white-feathered breeds are easier to pluck clean. To grow meat as naturally and as economically as possible, foraging ability is also important.

African

The origin of African geese is unknown; they are most likely related to Chinese geese. The African is a graceful goose with a knob on top of its head and a dewlap under its chin. The brown variety, with its black knob and bill, and brown stripe down the back of its neck, is more common than the white variety with orange knob and bill. Because the knob is easily frostbitten, Africans must be sheltered in cold weather. This breed is among the most talkative and also among the calmest, making it easy to confine. Africans, like Chinese, tend to have leaner meat than other breeds, and the young ganders grow fast—reaching 18 pounds in as many weeks.

A week-by-week guide to a happy, healthy flock!

Our friends from Purina® wrote this free guide to help you enjoy your first year with chickens. YES! I want this Free Report »  

American Buff

Developed in North America for commercial meat production, the American Buff is a pale brown goose with brown eyes. This goose is known for being docile, friendly, and affectionate. The American Tufted Buff is a separate breed (developed by crossing American Buff with Tufted Roman), but similar except for having a bunch of feathers sprouting from the top of its head. The Tufted is hardier and somewhat more prolific than the American Buff. Both domestic goose breeds are active, curious, and relatively quiet.

Chinese

Originating in China, the Chinese goose is similar in appearance to the African but lacks the dewlap. It may be either white and brown, with the brown variety having a larger knob than the white. Like the African, Chinese geese need protective winter shelter to prevent frostbitten knobs. This domestic goose breed is the one most commonly employed for controlling weeds. Being both active and small, they do a good job of seeking out emerging weeds while inflicting little damage on established crops. Thanks to their light weight and strong wings, they can readily fly over an inadequate fence. Chinese geese are prolific layers. In contrast to heavier geese, they produce a high rate of fertile eggs even when breeding on land rather than on water. Like African geese, the young grow relatively fast and have lean meat.

Embden

Originating from Germany, the Embden goose is the most common domestic goose breed raised for meat because of its fast growth, large size, and white feathers. Hatchlings are gray and may be sexed with some degree of accuracy, as the males tend to be lighter in color than the females. Their blue eyes, tall and erect stance, and a proud bearing give these geese an air of intelligence. Although they are not as prolific at laying as some other breeds, the eggs are the largest, weighing 6 ounces on average.

Pilgrim

Originating in United States, the Pilgrim is slightly larger than the Chinese goose and one of the few domestic goose breeds that may be autosexed—the male hatchling is yellow and grows into white plumage, while the female hatchling is olive-gray and grows into gray plumage similar to the Toulouse, but with a white face. Due to their lightweight, Pilgrims will often fly over a fence if attracted to something on the other side. The Pilgrim is a quiet breed and more docile than most others.

Pomeranian

Originating in Northern Germany, the Pomeranian is a chunky goose with plumage that may be all-buff, all-gray, all-white, or saddleback (white with a buff or gray head, back, and flanks). This breed is winter hardy and an excellent forager starting at a young age when goslings need plenty of quality greens to thrive. More than most breeds, the Pomeranian’s temperament is variable and can range from benign to belligerent.

  Roman

Coming from Italy, the Roman is a small, white goose that may be smooth headed or tufted — having a stylish clump of upright feathers at the top of the head. The Roman is similar in size to the Chinese, although the Roman’s short neck and back makes it somewhat more compact. This breed is known for being docile and friendly.

Sebastopol

Arising from the Black Sea area of southeastern Europe, the Sebastopol’s claim to fame is its long, flexible feathers that curl and drape, giving the goose a rumpled look. Because of the looseness of the feathers, this domestic goose breed is less able to shed rain in wet weather or stay warm in cold weather. Varieties include white, gray, and buff plumage. Lacking webbed wing feathers, Sebastopol geese cannot fly well.

Shetland

Coming from Scotland, Shetland geese are exceptional foragers that, given ample access to quality greens, can basically feed themselves. Like Pilgrims, they are autosexing—the gander is mostly white, while the goose is a gray saddleback (white with a gray head, back, and flanks). The Shetland is the smallest, lightest weight domestic breed with powerful wings that result in a dandy ability to fly. These tough little geese have a reputation for being feisty, but given time and patience can become gentle and friendly.

Toulouse

Originating in France, the Toulouse comes in two distinct types. The production Toulouse is the common gray barnyard goose; the giant, or dewlap, Toulouse gains weight more rapidly, puts on more fat, and matures to a much more massive size, especially when bred for exhibition. The dewlap consists of a fold of skin hanging beneath the bill, growing more pendulous as the goose grows older. In contrast to the more active production Toulouse, the Dewlap Toulouse is less inclined to stray far from the feed trough and puts on more fat, which when rendered lends a wonderful flavor to baked goods.

Domestic Goose Breeds at a Glance

breed

eggs/year

lbs. live weight

male/female

foraging

activity

temperament

African

35-45

22/18

best

gentle

American Buff

25-35

18/16

good

docile

American Tufted Buff

35-50

15/13

good

calm

Chinese

30-50

12/10

best

usually calm

Embden

15- 3

25/20

good

calm

Pilgrim

20-45

14/12

good

docile

Pomeranian

15-35

17/14

best

*

Roman

25-35

12/10

good

docile

Sebastopol

25-35

14/12

good

*

Shetland

15-30

10/7

best

feisty

Toulouse

25-50

20/18

good

calm

Toulouse, dewlap

20-30

26/20

poor

docile

* More than most breeds, individuals may be either docile or aggressive. Adapted from: The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals by Gail Damerow

Guide to Domestic Goose Breeds was originally posted by All About Chickens

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New Post has been published on http://www.buildercar.com/conquering-the-magnetic-north-coast-500-in-a-1979-porsche-911-turbo/

Conquering the Magnetic North Coast 500 in a 1979 Porsche 911 Turbo

INVERNESS, Scotland — The big sky was as clear as the back roads we had driven to reach the lighthouse on the 330-foot cliffs of Dunnet Head. The most northerly point of the island of Great Britain, Dunnet Head overlooks Pentland Firth, a straight that separates the British mainland from the Orkney Islands and is known for its fast tides. The residents of Dunnet Head — razorbills, kittiwakes, and puffins — have a magnificent panorama from their cliff ledges as far as Cape Wrath 60 miles to the west.

Resting nearby is the silver metallic 1979 Porsche 911 Turbo we’re driving on the coastal tour of the Scottish Highlands that is the North Coast 500. I first traveled the little-known loop in 2001. Said to be one of the world’s greatest coastal routes, it can be considered Britain’s answer to California’s Pacific Coast Highway.

The North Coast 500 begins and ends in the frontier town of Inverness. With a population slightly less than 50,000, it’s the most populous place in the Highlands. As you can imagine, the population of vintage Porsches is even lower. This 930 hails from Yorkshire in Northern England, where its part of a growing collection owned by entrepreneur Mike Pickles.

We picked it up in Wakefield, where we loaded our luggage and camera equipment into the front trunk and folded rear seats. After a quick driver briefing, set out for Inverness on route A1, stopping for uneventful overnighter in Stirling, a town northwest of Edinburgh.

The tea-tray spoiler and flared rear wheel arches of the 911 scream 1970s German styling, and it’s still a head turner. It wasn’t long before I was enjoying the 911, a 36-year-old car that has the power of a Fiat 500 below 3,000 rpm but turns into a true supercar once the laggy turbos finally spool up. The giant rev counter and its 6,800-rpm redline sits center stage, and I feel cosseted in the high-backed, leather-edged, rally seats that feature a red tartan cloth insert, a nice touch for our Scottish adventure.

One of 1,637 produced by Zuffenhausen in 1979, the classic coupe sits well with modern traffic. It’s small by modern standards — just 168.9 inches long, 69.9 inches wide, and weighing in at a svelte 2,866 pounds. Dial in the 3.3-liter flat-six with exhaust-driven, turbocharged air-cooled engine producing 295 hp, and you have a classic car to rival most modern automobiles. Visibility through it’s panoramic windshield and elegant narrow A-pillars set back from my eye line is wonderful, but after four hours of driving, my right leg was stiff due to a strong accelerator spring, offset floor hinged pedals, and my size 11 driving shoes.

We started our adventure with a visit of the Glen Ord distillery, which makes whisky for the Singleton, Johnnie Walker, and Dewar’s brands as well as its own label, in nearby Muir of Ord. (I am blessed with a designated whisky taster for a travel companion — my wife, Beverley.) After a fascinating tour, our basic knowledge of the amber nectar was raised to a point where we were able to not only understand the method of production (which, to my surprise, includes the use of recycled bourbon casks), but more importantly, we knew what subtle flavors to detect while drinking a single-malt Scotch.

After the tour, we set out westward on the first leg of the North Coast 500, route A832. For the first time, the 911 was taken off its leash, the boost gauge rising as we passed local farmers in trucks. The road splits in Achnasheen, a mere 28 miles west of the distillery. We turned left onto A890, taking a 36-mile detour to visit Eilean Donan Castle built on the Kyle of Lochalsh. It’s a quintessential 13th century medieval castle, restored over 20 years starting in 1911 by Lt Colonel Macrae. The castle had been bombarded by an English frigate during the Jacobite rebellion and left in ruins.

A890 started out as a two lane with a smooth surface, and we pressed on through the deserted, treeless landscape near Loch Dùghaill, the Porsche enjoying sweeping through the bends in the mountain glens. Our pace was reduced when we encountered the first section of single-track road just past the lake. Driving these sections required a quick course in single-track etiquette, which dictates that the driver closest to the pull out waits for the oncoming vehicle to pass.

From the castle, we headed to the Torridon Hotel, our overnight stop. Located in spectacular Glen Docherty, the Torridon is a restored hunting lodge that sits on the shores of Loch Torridon. Built for the first Lord Lovelace in 1887, it is five-star in all respects, starting with the welcoming log fire in the lobby. Before dinner, we ambled to the paddock to meet a herd of highland cattle with shaggy ginger coats and long horns bred for the local environment. Every way we looked, the landscape was magnificent and worthy of a fine watercolor painting. The dinner, prepared by head chef David Barnett, was no less spectacular, and the hostelry is noted for its seven-course tasting menu.

The next day started with an eastward stint on A896 until it was time to take a left onto A832. The Scotch mist rolled in from Loch Gairloch as we navigated a coastal section of the road, which gave a spectacular view of the Western Isles before turning right into thick fog. The road is a mix of fast blasts on well-surfaced two-lane pavement across a peninsula followed by cautious driving along the twisty shoreline road that cuts into the cliffside.

At an overlook at Loch Ewe, a NATO refueling base, is a historic marker commemorating the lost crews of the Atlantic merchant fleets that mustered here before running the gantlet of weather and German U-boats on route to Russia during World War II. A local quote states: “The Loch was black with ships.”

Down the hill in Aultbea, we made a short detour to the Isle of Ewe Smokehouse, where Graham the proprietor was busy preparing local farm-produced salmon for its two-day smoke. The drive had become a bit of a foodie adventure, and after purchasing some of the tasty fish in a vacuum pack, it was time to press on to Ullapool, a thriving fishing and ferry port built on a promontory. Rows of white cottages sat before a glorious mountain backdrop that, alas, was obscured by a rain shower as we passed through. Fortunately, we had been lucky enough to take in the view of Loch Broom earlier while looking at the Corriehall Gorge waterfalls.

We were not the only interesting vehicle enjoying the scenic route that day. Traveling in the opposite direction was a Bentley Continental, a brace of Aston Martin Vantages, and a trio of modern Porsche 911s.

Our next overnight stop was roughly an hour away in Scourie. We arrived at the Scourie Hotel in time to be given a briefing by Fiona, the owner, on where to find the best of the famous bright-yellow sandy beaches. It’s a reminder that you can’t beat local knowledge even in the era of the smartphone.

The cozy lounge was full of guests talking fishing, and one party was planning a boat trip in search of local otters. As I looked around, I noticed that the walls were decked with trophy river trout, and while leafing through the fishing log on the hall table, I noticed that records went back to 1912. The hotel has numerous rights to fish on local lochs, and generations of fishermen and women return to the hotel to fish the waters each year.

Fiona’s advice lead us to Balnakeil Beach, where we were greeted with a blue sky and fluffy cumulus clouds. It’s a classic crescent-shaped bay backed by dunes where the Atlantic rollers break a quarter mile out to sea. It looks idyllic, but a 25 mph wind makes for a bracing walk.

Back in the Porsche I prepared to launch the car up the 16 percent steep hill to Durness, where hot chocolate awaited at Cocoa Mountain chocolatier. Most of the day’s drive consisted of a tour around the beautiful sea Loch Eriboll, which was followed by a fast drive over moorland.

Because the 930 911 Turbo was a homologation special, Porsche engineers used the turbo and brakes derived from the 917 Can Am cars, giving it first-class acceleration and deceleration — useful attributes on this road trip. We developed a star system for the road sections, Beverley grading the stunning views riding shotgun, and I rating the driving pleasure, most sections earning top marks. On a long stretch to the Caithness, country traffic was so light, a Mercedes C63 AMG was the only car to pass us.

After the visit to Dunnet Head lighthouse we made our way to John O’Groats, the location of our overnight stay in the brightly coloured Natural Retreats apartments that cling to the cliffs on Britain’s far north. They’re a great stopover for location a group of couples tackling the North Coast 500. The location is named after Jan de Groot, a Dutch seafarer who operated his ferry to the Orkneys from 1496. The current ferry was in the harbor below preparing for summer services.

We turned south onto the 500’s final stage, route A9, which was traffic-free due to our early Sunday start. The highway meandered over the landscape, and progress was brisk, although care was taken on damp and slippery 180-degree bends. We had a delicious lunch in the Carnegie Courthouse in Dornoch, where the American industrialist became Laird in his later years.

After nearly 600 fantastic miles in the 911 Turbo, the final night was spent at the Factor’s House boutique bed and breakfast in the historic highland township of Cromarty. Situated northeast of Inverness, it overlooks the Cromarty Firth. Fiona and Graham gave us a warm welcome, their car park often accommodating North Coast 500 adventurers. We compared notes about what the London Times call one of the world’s top five coastal routes. Our conclusion is that, in our experience, it’s No. 1!

Trip Notes

The North Coast 500 route travels through a remote area of Scotland, and pre-booking for the limited accommodation is essential.

1979 Porsche 911 Turbo Specifications

ON SALE  1979 PRICE $34,150 (base) ENGINE 3.3L twin-turbo SOHC 12-valve flat-6/300 hp @ 5,500 rpm,

304 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm

TRANSMISSION 4-speed manual LAYOUT 2-door, 4-passenger, rear-engine, RWD coupe EPA MILEAGE N/A L x W x H 168.9 x 66.9 x 63.4 in WHEELBASE 89.4 in WEIGHT 2,866 lb 0-60 MPH 4.9 sec TOP SPEED 162 mph

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Standing Rock-Born Sculptor Cannupa Hanska Luger Is a Shaman for Cultural Survival | #50StatesofArt

A steel blindfold covers the head of a human female figure, yet, unlike Lady Justice, her arms and legs too are bound. Fiber, in an interlocking braid, ties her wrists, wraps her neck and belly, and snakes down to hitch her legs at the ankles. Over her shoulder, however, her hands clutch the means to freedom from her bondage: a soft white blade digs beneath the rope around her neck. Salvation via ceramics. 

Artist Cannupa Hanska Luger was born on the Standing Rock Reservation. He is of Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, Austrian, and Norwegian heritage. A graduate with honors from The Institute of American Indian Arts, in 2016 he was the recipient of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Artists Fellowship Award for artists who "represent the cultural continuity of Native peoples in contemporary contexts, and are the creative voices of their communities." His work in sculpture is figurative yet imaginative, assembling a panoply of cultural symbols—feathers, bones, textiles—into signifiers all his own. More mythopoeic than surreal, it frames him as a medium, a psychic intermediary between colonizer and Native, ancient tradition and modern understanding, soft clay and hard ceramics. 

We Have Agency. ceramic, steel, fiber. Cannupa Hanska Luger. 2016 Images: D'Nelle Garcia, BLUE RAIN GALLERY

Instead of synthesizing these disparate elements into things tidy and deliverable, however, felted ceramic totems (his Once upon a time there were human beings series) and the aforementioned steel sculptures (We Have Agency) exalt their differences. Luger's is an Otherness that seeks not approval; it stands independent, an Other with its own embrace around a thriving universe.   

Fortunately, Luger's a major proponent of sharing: art, ideas, and resources all flow through him like a conduit. Whether with his wife, via her Broken Boxes podcast; with students, via residencies; with artist collectives, like Winter Count; or through galleries around the world, his is a practice that thrives on communication. Just days before the horrific federal raid of Sioux sacred lands in North Dakota, Creators spoke to Luger about ceramics, culture, and the human need to make art, via email. 

Creators: Why ceramics?

Cannupa Hanska Luger: I work with a lot of different materials but I find ceramics or clay in particular to be a material that is very malleable. I have a history of painting and drawing and so clay is a wonderful form that can take the line and mark making in a very similar way to those art forms, ceramic transfers two-dimensional ideas into three-dimensional forms with consistency.

How'd you get to it and why'd you stick with it?

I got into ceramics in my undergrad while looking to develop a skill set that I had no knowledge of prior to going to school. I began working with clay and I just really liked it. And I stuck with it because in general the more I work with a material the more I learn from that material, and I'm always interested in developing skill sets to better accomplish ideas that I am working with. I find that the more skill sets I have, the easier it is to manifest any sort of concept. I tend to work with a variety of materials, but my work focuses on ceramic, steel and fibers as I find these three materials to be pinnacles of civilization throughout world history and they are often points of societal significance.

And... because before clay, I was a painter... and I'm pretty sure we are heading towards an apocalypse, and I am certain that when we get to this point, if my only skill set is painting, I will be food... I will be killed and eaten. So with this in the back of my mind, I wanted to have a skill set, some sort of craft, something that makes me valuable to a society of a post apocalyptic future, to be able to contribute and to ensure survival. So knowing ceramics has been key to this as well.

Wasted

What experiences—both in and outside of school—have informed your techniques?

Working with clay is like creating a relationship, every time you engage with the material itself, it teaches you volumes, and I am of the mind that you should fail fast and fail often. So trying to build with clay and pushing the limits of the material gives limitless information and technique for future building. My whole life is intertwined in relationship with my artmaking. Every experience that I have, both sleeping and awake, informs my making. And with my work, I am very interested in developing a story and a conversation about that intersection or communication about this experience. A significant amount of communication that I engage with in my studio practice is with the material. The material, often clay, dictates a lot of what can be manifested. And I am very aware that my practice doesn't end in the studio, as an Indigenous person I am aware that we have no deviation between art and culture, or culture and life, it is all part of the material. All of these things are blended together and necessary. And so my everyday experiences always find their way into my art practice and vice versa.

Catharsis I

What's an average studio day look like for you?

I probably put in about 12-16 hours a day in the studio during a crunch, which is very often. Due to the nature of ceramic work, the clay itself has dry time. So I tend to work in concept series and have multiple pieces on the workbench at a time. This way I can cycle between pieces and I always have a bunch of work in progress at various stages of development. It is a process of organizing and scheduling really short intervals of time. This is coupled with my everyday experiences being a father, as I have two little boys and a wife who are a major point of inspiration for my practice. I recognize time spent in the studio is time away from my family and so I strive to balance my time out as best as I can, knowing that my artistic practice brings me joy in life and is also what sustains us financially. I recognize the process of making time in the studio is really healthy for me psychologically and spiritually, and so all of these facets have to come together rather than be separate. It is a delicate balance of remembering to live in a whole system approach with your art and life. Nothing can be separate.

Nature

Few mediums (if any) outlive ceramics, yet destruction plays a major role in your practice. Can you explain why?

I believe that ceramic speaks about longevity but also transitions. I've only destroyed maybe a few bodies of work, and a lot of the times it's unfired clay that I'll let disintegrate back into the earth. So I wouldn't really consider it destruction as much as a transition. And really I feel that way about everything, I don't feel as though I've destroyed any works in my practice, but simply released them into transition. Like clay becomes rigid once it's fired, it becomes set, and sometimes you have to let go of those things in order for the real idea to be free. I think if there's anything I destroy in my practice it's the invulnerability of an idea. I destroy that every time I work. I recognize that I am transferring this very ethereal material which is a thought or concept into something physical; the transformation of idea to form, which happens through the clay. Another point of transition, which is really interesting when talking about ceramics, is that we can take the form of clay and transform the material at a molecular level into ceramic. This process is a really profound surrogate to our existence in the world. As if we have ideas and we work towards manifesting them but just like everything else in life, the application of time and pressure solidifies it. And I am really interested in taking something that is nearly indestructible, such as an idea, and transforming it into something that that can withstand the test of time but is also the most fragile that it will ever be, such as ceramic. When working with clay you take this very conceptual inspiration or idea and transform it into the physical world through an ecstatic experience which is the process of building, and then by applying tremendous heat to it, that form or idea solidifies and suddenly it has perceived value to any external observer, but at the same time, it is the most fragile it will ever be, from idea to clay to ceramic. There is something in that transformative process which is like art mimicking life mimicking art…

Can you tell me about your recent talk on "art as a means of cultural survival"?

From the lens as a Native artist, for most of the art industry's history, the work itself was dictated externally by collector and market, and which to some degree every aspect of the art world has been subject to; a proprietor deciding what the artwork is as it is transformed into a commodity, or a good for trade. But that is NOT what art is. No matter what background you come from art is a practice of cultural survival. As artists we represent our times, our experience of now, and we represent our cultures. We as artists are charged and almost obligated to maintain culture and be a mirror for it, to reflect upon it and show our current times. I don't think it is even conscious for me personally, and innately every artist who is reflecting the current times is participating in an active process of surviving culture and developing it. Adapting to the times and being able to communicate that through work. Because at the core that's what artists strive to do, communicate. The term cultural survival seems leans towards this idea of tradition, and within Native communities, we've been stifled by what is considered traditional through a Western lens. Although what i've observed and experienced in my life as a Native person is that adaptation is the ultimate core of any cultural survival. It's not about maintaining old ways, but about developing processes to communicate those old ways into our contemporary time. So the development of material science or accessing different media platforms to engage with community are part of a traditional practice. As artists we have our foot in so many doors that we can engage and record the adaptation as it is happening, yet we are often too close to see what our impact will have on the future.

Everything Anywhere

Finally, is artmaking or art-showing a greater form of resistance?

From a Native perspective, the making of art speaks volumes of our history as a people continuing to exist here in resistance. It allows us to see that it is because of those before us who have sacrificed and made great strides in order to get us to this point. It reminds us that we are only borrowing this place and this time from generations far into the future we may never meet. On a personal level the making is very important to me because as living things we exist in a state of crisis or emergency. That is the rule of life, it is not the exception. Any idea of peace or contentment with our surroundings doesn't speak about resistance and it doesn't speak about true existence in our world. I think about the way we as humans walk, by literally hurling ourselves forward, and if we didn't continue to operate with putting one foot in front of the other, we would fall flat on our faces. So this is the state of emergency or crisis that I speak of, we are constantly catching ourselves from falling down. We are in a subconscious act of maintaining our footing and this is like all of life, we are constantly hurling ourselves forward with the threat of bodily damage, in a state of emergency, and we must react and with intention. The act of making art is also this concept. It's incredibly courageous to be artists because we are operating within an emotive communication stance. We spend a lot of the time by ourselves, and we are processing very emotional states and shaving those bits and pieces off of ourselves and those pieces are being embedded into the work that we make. Art is a perfect example of resistance to our social structures that devalue any emotional response to existence. Because emotions are the tools of the artist, which we share in the showing as the artwork is complete. With that being said i'm not sure where the resistance is the strongest. Could resistance strongest through observation? I personally feel like the work I make is complete at that art-viewing/showing state. It's the process of making that keeps me going everyday in creating the work, knowing that it's going to be out in the world. Maybe it's best to simply remember that bravery and courage doesn't come from fearlessness, they come from recognizing that which you fear most and moving forward anyway. And that idea is important to the artist's role in society, to any human being who is acting with resistance. Recognizing that emotions do not limit us, but create an opportunity to move into that which makes us most uncomfortable. In the end why separate the making and the viewing of art? When what may be most important is the willingness of and by both parts, seizing the opportunity to engage.

Click here to visit Cannupa Hanska Luger's website, and here to follow the artist on Instagram. 

All year, we're highlighting 50 States of Art projects around the United States. This month, we're covering Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina, North Dakota, and Hawaii. To learn more, click here.

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Essay: New Mexico Is a Haven for Indigenous and Xicano Artists | #50StatesofArt

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