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little-cereal-draws · 1 year ago

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A ramble abt Dr. Blitzmeyer's clothes (pt 3)

Hello, I'm back on my bullshit >:) as if I was ever off

There is no point that I'm trying to make with this, I've just been staring at pictures of her for so long I thought of this

These are all different outfits but I'm grouping them together. This is concept art by Aidan Sugano from the art book. These were for the idea where Blitzmeyer worked at the Silver Society, a secret organization of scientists and other magical creatures who were against the Institute. In this idea, she also had a bunch of tattoos that glowed when she used magic. I think this idea is sick as fuck. Literally the coolest thing in the world. But in terms of her clothes, it's very asymmetrical and mimics a lot of Nimona's motifs. The hems in the clothes are on the organic grid that Nimona uses instead of the rigid, geometric grid of the Institute (they talk abt this earlier in the art book) and because her bottom half, whether it's a skirt or pants, is so baggy, it gives her that pear shape that Nimona has. She literally has the same highlights on her goggles as Nimona has in her eyes. They are using her clothes to characterize her as someone against the Institute, someone who has magical qualities, someone on Nimona's side. (Side note that's not abt clothes: Blitzmeyer also uses the organic S-curves that Nimona does instead of the Institute's geometric shapes - Ballister's a rectangle, Ambrosius' a triangle, and the Director's a diamond.)

In the second, third, and fifth sketches here, she's wearing harem pants. I think that these are too baggy for her experiments and would be a safety hazard so she probably wouldn't wear them to the lab; she takes her work too seriously for that. The designs on the fabric of the first two sketches reminded me of the patterns in African and Japanese textiles. (The first image below is a Zulu pattern from South Africa and the second image is from a Japanese kimono.) The pattern on the pants in the third sketch reminded me for the geometric patterns in Islamic art (third image below). The sash on the right in the fifth sketch, reminds me of ancient petroglyphs. (Forth image below, from the United States; it's so old, I couldn't find a specific culture to go with it.)

Drawn by Minkyu Lee. These are probably the most comic accurate outfits in the art book. Out of the two of them, I prefer the one on the right because the one on the left's hair reminds me of ice cream lol

Drawn by Minkyu Lee. I think besides the tattoo idea, these are my favorites. It still incorporates the punk-ness that would associate her with Nimona as well as staying true to the eccentric but smart nature of her comic character. I think these designs also do a good job of making something new but still being based in her comic outfit. Her lab coat here has the same collar and baggy sleeves as her casual outfit in the comic as well as the same black undershirt. The one on the right is a bit baggy for lab work but the one on the left is good. But I think the most important thing about this design is the goggles. The other designs have been missing it, I think bc it's hard to make her expressive that way, but it works so well here. It's an integral part of her comic design and you can't really have her character without them. I would love if they went with this design because I think it has everything it needs to read as her while still being new. Also I love how her hair looks here.

Drawn by Minkyu Lee. This one seems evil, cunning, and not science-y at all. It's giving Lady McBeth vibes lol

part one part two

#ok i'll stop my ramblings now #i just love her #nimona #nimona meta #nimona concept art #nimona art book #meredith blitzmeyer #dr. blitzmeyer

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lizzy-tudor · 2 years ago

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La Peregrina, A Queen Among Jewels Pear-shaped and weighing in at a magnificent 223.8 grains of 55.95 carats, Phillip II of Spain's wedding gift surpassed every fantasy his bride, the newly crowned Mary I of England, could have imagined. Baptized La Peregrina (an expression from the groom's native language meaning "female wanderer"), the brilliant pearl was delivered directly to the queen, its priceless value reflecting the inestimable importance that a marriage treaty between England and Spain represented at the time. Found on the coast of Panama in 1513 by an African slave, the pearl went down in history as a fine adornment much appreciated by royalty. In her well-known official portrait of 1554, Mary is depicted adorned with her wedding present, dangling from a bejeweled brooch on her chest. Queen Margaret, wife of Phillip III of Spain, wore it during celebrations of a peace treaty with the English in 1605. Two of the wives of Phillip IV of Portugal and Spain also had the privilege of wearing it — but the jewel would still pilgrimage through Europe and the world, and would end up not just under the possession of princesses and queens, but of other distinguished personalities. After the end of the 16th and 17th centuries, La Peregrina would be mentioned in the annals of history again only in 1813, when Joseph, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, filched it along with a significant part of the Spanish Crown Jewels, in his flight from Spain back to France. After the fall of Napoleon in 1815, the pearl's new owner moved to the United States, where he would eventually die and leave it to his nephew, Charles Louis, the future Napoleon III. During his own exile, this time in England, the descendant of the Emperor of the French sold it to the second Duke of Abercorn, and it was actually during this period that the family heirloom received its infamous name. The pearl would remain in the Abercorn family for a century, being briefly lost by falling from its setting twice — first, disappearing between the cushions of a sofa in Windsor Castle; then, during a ball at Buckingham Palace. Fortunately, La Peregrina was found and returned to her owners in both occasions. In 1913 the jewel was cleaned and polished, and as a result, lost approximately 203 grams. Yet it still remains today the largest symmetrical pearl of its shape, and in 1969, after being auctioned at Sotheby's, it once again became a husband's gift to his wife. Richard Burton bought it for $37,000 for his wife, the iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor. Interestingly enough, Taylor decided to adorn her gift with a completely new design, one inspired by none other than the regal portrait of Mary I. Other smaller pearls, emeralds and rubies completed the piece, centering around the glorious Peregrina, now displayed as a Tudor styled choker.

#tudor history #tudor queens #tudor dynasty #history #culture #tudor era #mary i of england #mary tudor #elizabeth taylor #tudorqueens #history facts #queen mary i

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goodstuffhappenedtoday · 2 years ago

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A Pie Shop on Chicago’s South Side Serves More Than Dessert

With her first brick-and-mortar bakery, Justice of the Pies, the pastry chef Maya-Camille Broussard focuses on creativity — and inclusivity for people with disabilities.

By Kayla Stewart

The South Side of Chicago brims with inimitable African American culture and history, and the pastry chef Maya-Camille Broussard is adding her brand of sweetness to the place where she was born and raised. In June, Ms. Broussard opened the first brick-and-mortar store of her longtime delivery and wholesale pie business, Justice of the Pies. The shop, in a former dentist’s office in Avalon Park, one of the South Side’s many historic, predominantly African American neighborhoods, serves Ms. Broussard’s inventive pies and pastries, such as her calling cards — a blue cheese praline pear pie and a strawberry basil Key lime pie — along with unorthodox items like her salted caramel peach pie and a deep-dish chilaquiles quiche.

Ms. Broussard, who lost 75 percent of her hearing in a childhood accident, may be the industry’s most prominent hard-of-hearing Black pastry chef. She has gained a following for her pies through social media, pop-ups and appearances on the Netflix competition show “Bake Squad.” “I realized that being a member of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community actually gave me a superpower,” she said, “and that superpower includes a heightened sense of smell and taste.” Ms. Broussard chose her bakery’s location in hopes of encouraging other chefs and entrepreneurs to join her. “I want to force people who don’t look like me to come to the South Side if they want my pies,” she said. “I want to force people to come to a neighborhood that deserves private investment, a neighborhood that has a blighted corridor, a neighborhood that has empty storefronts.” Zella Palmer, an author and professor at Dillard University in New Orleans who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, said neighborhoods like Avalon Park deserve more inventive Black-owned businesses. “There’s a huge pride in the community to see this gleaming pie shop,” she said. “This is a pie shop that looks like it could be in Brooklyn, or on Magazine Street in New Orleans, but it’s here.”

Several of the shop’s counters are 32 inches high, meeting the height standards of the American Disabilities Act and making them accessible for wheelchair users. Each section of the shop has a different floor tile texture, which helps patrons with limited sight who use a walking cane navigate the store. “How can I be an ambassador for people living with disabilities and have a space that isn’t accessible?” she said. Signs in the shop carry Braille inscriptions, and language is designed to be inclusive, too. (In the bathroom, there are “personal hygiene products” rather than “feminine hygiene products.”) A service door that has a bell and a flashlight allows Ms. Broussard to remain aware of important deliveries.

more at the gift link

#bakery #chicago #food #dessert #good stuff #disability #disability pride

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kratosh · 7 days ago

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african milf ass pear😋✨

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chaletnz · 2 months ago

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Bogotá Food Tour

I headed out to Mundano cafe for a flat white and some blogging then I waited about 20 minutes for the bus to meet the tour even though they were supposed to come every 2 minutes… Luckily it was a short ride and I still arrived early and was the first one to meet up with the guide Juliana. Gradually the rest of the tour group arrived; Melissa from Australia and her partner Bernardo from Spain, a couple Sean and Ethan from Boston, a South African couple Dale and Kerrie, and a solo guy from Texas, Derek. Our first stop was a bit of an ice breaker, we all played this Colombian arcade game Bolirana, where you throw the balls and try to get them in the mouth of the frog. Melissa won and then we walked down the street to try some chicha made by a local woman. Her house had a huge mural of her painted on the outside and Juliana told us how this lady had been making chicha since she was 10 years old (now 84). Her grandma had lived to be 110 years old - credited to the chicha! I was starving by our first food stop at the market which was a plate of ajiaco soup, with rice, fried plantain, and a huge avocado. We each split one plate between two of us, it was a delicious soup with chicken, corn, and potato - I could’ve eaten a whole portion by myself! At the market we visited a fruit stall and picked out all the fruits we wanted to try later. Then we walked to Jacinta’s where we each took a stool as she prepared each of us a plate of lechona - shredded pork with rice, crispy pig skin and a plain arepa with a chipotle sauce. It was greasy and delicious too! Right next door we tried a couple of pandebono breads, one with cheese and one with bocadillo (guava jam) served with a cup of this delicious drink that looked like milk but tasted like vanilla ice cream. I think it was avena Colombiana - a creamy drink made from oats. Soooo good! We also got to try some arequipe filled with figs, the Colombian dulce de leche, which of course I already love. We walked to Independence Park to a giant rock where we all gathered around as Juliana pulled out her cutting board and knife and sliced up each of the fruits that we’d picked out earlier. There was dragonfruit, lulo, tomate de arboles, passionfruit, grenadillo, and a weird looking pear. Our last food stop was at a fancier place we tried a cup of hot chocolate that we were meant to melt a piece of cheese in and then fish it out and eat it. A bit weird, didn’t really like that... The main course was some huge tamales wrapped in banana leaves filled with rice, corn, chicken, carrots, chickpeas, and curry powder. We had 3 to share between the group and we all helped ourselves to the fillings. The chicken was bone in, but Juliana said that the bones will be very soft as it has been cooking for 8 hours so Kerrie, Sean, and Ethan all ate a bone. Our digestif was a cup of Colombian coffee at a small cafe; honey process beans prepared as a pourover with a v60. The barista made one massive pourover and we each had a small cup for ourselves. We then visited a bar in La Candelaria for a blackberry flavoured beer brewed locally and our final destination was one more cafe for a cup of coca tea. Juliana seemed in a rush to get away but we were all having such a blast and getting on so well that we wanted to stay for a bit and chat with each other. The group were so much fun, the South African couple and the gay guys were all hilarious, I don’t think I’ve ever had such a great tour group that clicked so well. I’d even say it was the most enjoyable afternoon on my entire trip as it really just felt like I was hanging out trying some new foods with a bunch of friends. It was the perfect ending to an excellent few days in Bogotá. My expectations for the city had been very low with most research leading me to believe I could skip Bogotá and spend all my time in Medellín however I was much more impressed with Bogotá overall with the exception of Medellin’s Comuna 13. I spent my evening shopping for some souvenirs with the last of my cash and then packing up ready for my early flight to Panama City tomorrow.

#Colombia #Bogotá

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princesssarisa · 2 months ago

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I wonder… What are the Pink Ladies (from Grease) like?

I'm talking about their hairs (👩), their eyes (👀), their bodies and some colors of their skins

By the way Happy New Year! 😘

Happy New Year to you too!

How the Pink Ladies look in the stage musical depends on the production, but for the two filmed versions we can give more concrete descriptions of them.

First the classic 1978 film:

Rizzo is fairly short (5'3'') and slender yet buxom, with an hourglass figure. She has a short, squarish face with round cheeks, peach skin, green eyes, and short, curly, dark brown hair.

Frenchy is the tallest of the girls (5'4 1/2''), and slim, with a "rectangular" figure. She has a long "heart shaped" face, sandy peach skin, and deep brown eyes. Her short hair, which she styles in fluffy curls, is naturally black (as evidenced by her eyebrows), but she dyes it red... or occasionally blonde, or in one accidental case, pink.

Marty is of medium height (5'4'') and slender, with a slight hourglass figure. She has a squarish face, peach skin, brown eyes, and thick, chin-length, light brown hair styled in loose curls.

Jan is also of medium height and has the most pear-shaped figure of the girls, though she loses weight over the course of the film. She has a squarish face, peach skin, blue-gray eyes, and wavy, shoulder length, dark brown hair.

Then there's Grease Live! from 2016:

Rizzo is shorter than in the '78 film (just 5'1'') and more slender, though she still has an hourglass figure. She has golden tan skin and brown eyes, and though she still has short, dark brown hair, it's more wavy than curly.

Frenchy is also short (5'2'') and slender, with a "rectangular" figure. She has a shorter, rounder face than '78 Frenchy, with blue eyes, though still with dusty peach skin. Her hair is naturally dark brown, but again, she dyes it red (or sometimes blonde, or pink) and styles it in a short, loose-curled Marilyn Monroe-style 'do.

Marty is tall (5'6'') and slender, with an hourglass figure, and is given a "race lift" to be African-American in this version. Her skin is a warm light brown, and she has a square face, deep brown eyes, and dark brown hair that, again, she wears in fluffy chin-length curls.

Jan is fairly short (5'3'') and the most heavyset of the girls, with a full hourglass figure. She has a squarish face with soft round cheeks, dusty peach skin, brown eyes, and wavy, shoulder length, dark brown hair that's slightly thinner than '78 Jan's.

#grease #the pink ladies #betty rizzo #stockard channing #vanessa hudgens #frenchy #didi conn #carly rae jepsen #marty #dinah manoff #keke palmer #jan #jamie donnelley #kether donohue #1978 #2016 #appearance

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kingarthurflourofficial · 1 month ago

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Pity for Poor Africans

I own I am shocked at the purchase of slaves,

And fear those who buy them and sell them are knaves;

What I hear of their hardships, their tortures, and groans

Is almost enough to draw pity from stones.

I pity them greatly, but I must be mum,

For how could we do without sugar and rum?

Especially sugar, so needful we see;

What, give up our desserts, our coffee, and tea?

Besides, if we do, the French, Dutch, and Danes,

Will heartily thank us, no doubt, for our pains:

If we do not buy the poor creatures, they will:

And tortures and groans will be multiplied still.

If foreigners likewise would give up the trade,

Much more in behalf of your wish might be said;

But, while they got riches by purchasing blacks,

Pray tell me why we may not also go snacks?

Your scruples and arguments bring to my mind

A story so pat, you may think it is coined,

On purpose to answer you, out of my mint;

But I can assure you I saw it in print.

A youngster at school, more sedate than the rest,

Had once his integrity put to the test;

His comrades had plotted an orchard to rob,

And asked him to go and assist in the job.

He was shocked, sir, like you, and answered—'Oh, no

What! rob our good neighbour? I pray you don’t go!

Besides the man’s poor, his orchard’s his bread;

Then think of his children, for they must be fed.’

‘You speak very fine, and you look very grave,

But apples we want, and apples we’ll have;

If you will go with us, you shall have a share,

If not, you shall have neither apple nor pear.’

They spoke, and Tom pondered—'I see they will go:

Poor man! what a pity to injure him so!

Poor man! I would save him his fruit if I could,

But staying behind will do him no good.

‘If the matter depended alone upon me,

His apples might hang till they dropped from the tree;

But since they will take them, I think I’ll go too:

He will lose none by me, though I get a few.’

His scruples thus silenced, Tom felt more at ease,

And went with his comrades the apples to seize;

He blamed and protested, but joined in the plan;

He shared in the plunder, but pitied the man.

-- William Cowper, 1826

thinking about this poem from 1826 + the modern day constant consumption of products made with slave/child labor = grappling with it!

#poetry #no ethical consumption under late stage capitalism tru!#but surely there is mitigation and at the LEAST not buying from companies like amazon / temu /shein #i try not to feel superior to people who use amazon all the time but: i do

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iloveschiaparelli · 10 months ago

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This might come out a little bit late because my wrist is KILLING me but it's time for new garden update!!

I am, in fact, looking for advice for Spider Plant, African Violet, and random thing attached to my plants. This is a long post but if you are knowledgeable in any of those and would be willing to skip down to the section about those problems I would super appreciate it <3

First of all the spider plant is STILL flowering and making many new babies. I'm thinking about starting a plant section of my art business (which is usually inactive but I've been thinking of booting up again) so this is great news.

The two babies I propogated recently are doing well, for the most part. I didn't propogate them at the same time, so they are at different stages of progress. The first one went into a head-shaped pot with pebbles at the bottom for extra drainage and has found its home at the foot of my bed so that I can feel like I have some form of life in here besides Rookie sneaking in to take naps on my pillow or in my clean laundry when I'm not looking. The bedroom baby seems to have taken root, actually, judging by the fact that just now I pulled gently at it from the base and it didn't budge an inch from the soil, whereas when I first potted it it was looser than a 1900s social pariah (feminine). The leaves are also seeming to stand up straighter.

The second one however is just in a plastic container with no special drainage. The only reason I propogated it at all is because I was sitting watching My Hero Academia with my roommate and one of our friends when I looked Slightly to the right and had The Urge to Repot. I tried so hard to resist, I really did. I fought The Urge for at least 30 mins before finally, in the middle of an episode, i just stood up, went out on the balcony at 10.30 at night and propogated it without warning.

I'm pretty sure the only words I offered as explanation in the moment were "The plant was calling." I looked like a madman shoveling dirt into a cup in the middle of the night when previously I had shown zero indication that I would be leaving the couch until bedtime.

It's doing alright, the soil seems overly wet but that is probably because the plant is new enough that it hasn't yet developed the roots to drink up. I just need to give it time while I find a proper pot for it. I think I have one in my bedroom actually, I just need to paint it.

On the OTHER hand, the main spider plant is also turning brown at the ends which is kind of concerning. I don't know if it's the stem from the baby I just took off, drawing nutrients away (see blurry photo of long stem turning brown and dying) or if it's some kind of consequence of me accidentally overwatering her last week because I thought a water stake was a good idea (I'm never using water stakes again). If anyone has any insight on that, i would be thrilled to hear it. It's indoors so unless some nasty bug has gotten in, it's unlikely to be bug eating it.

One thing that I DO know bugs are eating is my BASIL!!!!!! I don't know if you guys are familiar with spotted lanternflies, but they're super invasive here in the US and in my state are actually considered "Under Quarantine" which means that affected counties/cities are kept track of and, if you live in one, you need a permit & training course on finding and eliminating spotted lanternflies before you can sell any kind of organic matter outside of the quarantine area. They eat grapevines like mad which is threatening to VA's economy (they're all big wine people)

Their main source of food is Tree of Heaven, which coincidentally is ALSO an invasive species from Asia. Including kudzu, bamboo and asian pear trees this is 4 plants and 1 HORRIBLE little bug that are wreaking havoc on Virginia's ecosystem because of being DELIBERATELY!!! introduced as an ornamental (Decorative!) plant. (bug hitched a ride) Unbelievable.

Anyway they also like to eat basil and I have my basil outside so that it can get a sufficient amount of sun to keep from wilting all the time, so guess what I find every time I go outside! This little PECKERHEAD (or his brothers) just hanging out on my basil sitting perfectly still just like I'm his dad and I just walked into the room and he's trying to pretend he wasn't just on his phone. Anyway today I went to get some leaves for cooking and like half of them were just absolutely emacerated with brown/black spots and holes because the lanternfly nymphs have been nibbling on them. Varmints.

Spotted lanternflies are vulnerable to neem oil (So are brown marmorated stinkbugs btw), tea tree oil, and peppermint oil. I mean to purchase whichever one is harmless to my other plants to spray the lanternflies with to kill them. They're also wildly attracted to milkweed, but it's actually toxic to them, so management strategies for spotted lanternflies often suggest planting milkweed on your property so that they will drink the sap and then die.

I intend to, once I am not struggling to pay bills, purchase a native milkweed plant and stick it allll the way on the end of the balcony AWAY from my other plants in order to draw the lanternflies away and hopefully kill them.

I'm not looking forward to cleaning up the bodies. In fact, a couple minutes before taking the above photo I actually leaned over to take a pic of another one and got a dead one in my hair. I was mortified when I sat up and realized. I'm really, really, really going to hate it when they start reaching maturity, because mature spotted lanternflies are HUGE. They're like 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and fat-looking. I saw one smeared on the pavement last fall and wanted to throw up. I don't know if I have the strength to kill them myself, which is why I'm hoping neem oil spray and milkweed will kill them for me without having to deal with smashed moth remains,

Here are the life stages of spotted lanternfly, map of their invaded areas, and pictures of the Tree of Heaven for your information to kill/manage them <3

PEsTS aside, I have really good news! My wildflowers have all sprouted!!!!!!

Looking back, I wish I'd verified whether they were native or not. I hope I don't poison the landscape when they go to seed. Once they start flowering, I'll try to identify any invasive or harmful species and weed them out, I suppose.

They first started showing green on a day when i was feeling especially depressed about my recent breakup, so it was HUGE mood boost. It honestly felt like God was like "Yeah ya'll it's time to go green. Right now go go go go go!!"

Don't mind the plant water stakes, they're empty I just don't have a great place to put them right now. I intend to keep them only so I can use them when I go out of town for a few days at a time, so that I don't need to ask my roommates to water my basil daily, or whatever. The first two pictures I took when I first noticed the seedlings, and the third one is from today, along with most of the other photos.

One thing that I am concerned about is that I'm noticing these little banana-shaped things (pods? eggs? seeds?) that look like they've been clamped/clipped onto the leaves of many of the wildflower seedlings, especially the ones on the left end of the planter. They almost look like hairclips that have been shut onto the leaves? I'm really confused. They're pretty dry looking, and my friend James broke one apart and it just kinda disintegrated. (I was too wigged out to touch it) They can't have been there very long, a couple days before I noticed at least.

If anyone has ANY idea what these are, I'd really appreciate it. I'm worried that they're bug eggs. I really hate interacting with/looking at bugs, especially bug eggs, so I tried looking it up myself and had to stop because uhh... pictures of bug eggs. But they definitely don't look like part of the plant, especially since this planter is a mixture of different species and they're showing up on multiple types.

The beeblossom, which I've learned is also called a Whirling Butterflies or a Wand Flower much more commonly than it's called a beeblossom, is doing quite well! The leaves and stems have shifted completely from red to green, and it's showing signs that it might possibly flower for a second time. I really hope it does, the flowers last time only lasted a couple days and I don't remember if I got any good pictures but they were really pretty. I've repotted it into a neat woven-basket pot that I got at the local garden center (This garden center has a cat mascot! That lives at the store! I love him. He let me pet him.)

The lavender also went into a similar pot, to get it out of the rice pot that it was in before. Also at this garden center I found a catnip plant!!!! Rookie has been loving it whenever I give him a leaf, but surprisingly I don't think he's figured out the source plant because he doesn't go up to it and sniff it at all. I think he's more interested by the finches, cardinals, and robins that have (finally) found our birdfeeder. To give you an idea of how much the birds have been vibing, this feeder was full to the top only a week ago.

The Echinopsis babies are doing OK. Echinopsis generally do a terrible job of communicating how they are doing. They don't seem to be especially active in growing? Neither the babies nor the parent. I suspect know I repotted the parent into too-small of a pot, so I hope to remedy that at the next opportunity. Just.... large pots take up so much space!!! And they're much more expensive than small pots, especially since I'm so averse to plastic containers due to issues with overwatering plants in plastic containers.

The Echinopsis babies haven't been drinking as much as I'd like, but they HAVE been drinking, which is a sign that the roots are functioning just fine. They were each able to take a root or two from the parent when I propogated them about a month ago, so it's good to know that they're doing alright down under the soil. I'm thinking about selling each of them for $35, with the hand-painted pot, but I hate to part with them. I get so emotionally attached.

The Thyme, on the other hand, has shown ZERO signs of growth and it's been 12 days. I know they have a long germination time but between their complete silence and the fact that I planted them in the wrong soil (I should have used sandy loam but it's just Miracle Gro) and the soil has been wetter than a jellyfish since I planted, AND they're just from a dollar tree Herb Rocket, I'm starting to become suspicious that they're duds. I'll keep watering and watching them until after I hit the 28 days, but I'm definitely not feeling great about the thyme.

The herb rocket was supposed to be planted as just one roll, also, but because I was using a long container I took some scissors and just cut the rolled up seed tape in half lengthwise before rerolling and planting. The directions were also ambiguous as to whether I was supposed to leave the top of the rolls visible, level with the soil, or to cover them up with the 1/4 inch soil that I've begun to notice is typical of planting instructions.

The left roll you can see is a little bit messed up, because the other day in a fit of disappointment I pulled it out of the dirt and unrolled it to check for anything, ANYTHING, ANY!!! SIGNS OF GROWTH! I found nothing. But that, not before, is the point when I googled the germination time of thyme, then I felt like an idiot and did my best to stuff it back into the soaking wet soil.

God help me with this plant.

My roommate pulled out a little mushroom decoration (she loves mushrooms) for the garden, initially intended to go in the wildflower planter. It was there for about an hour before I took it out, because I didn't want it to kill any of the wildflower growth. Instead I put it between the two thyme rockets. Hopefully, when (if?) the thyme actually starts growing, it will look like there's a little mushroom home nestled between the two shrubs.

Another plant whose performance I am currently dissatisfied with is the African Violet. It's wilting again. At this point it's like, "What am I doing wrong now?" What makes it even worse is that this is the only plant that was given to me as like a, "nurture this plant as a metaphor for nurturing your spirit!" so it's even more depressing that I'm having difficulty keeping it alive. I feel like this plant's survival is tied to my success as a human being (Not really, but that's the vibe).

The leaves are just totally limp. Not really mushy, but I could see them getting that way if it weren't for the fact that they usually just dry up and wither away first. The soil is very wet, which I don't understand because I've been doing my best not to overwater it and it's been a week since it's last douse. The leaves have lost their yellow tinge from overwatering, but only on the topside. The bottomside of the leaves still look brownish, as if they're dried up (except that they arent) If there are any African Violet experts in the crowd, I would LOVE for you to lend me any advice you can give me from the picture <3 I love you.

I've been pruning off dead sections and kept it indoors with a stable temperature in a spot where it gets plenty of indirect light, so I don't understand what the issue is. I'm beginning to blame plastic containers for all of my problems due to all of my Problem Plants being in plastic. (Spider Plant momma, new baby Spider Plant, African Violet, Thyme, Basil in the early months, Beeblossom, probably the catnip soon too).

I desperately want to move all my plastic planted plants to ceramic/terracotta or woven containers, but the issue is just that plastic is the cheapest material for planters, and since I've been upsizing, I genuinely do not have the budget for terracotta right now. Maybe in 2 months, but by then the Basil & Echinopsis will already have had their growth stifled, the Thyme will be drowned, and the African Violet will be well and truly dead.

I wasn't able to get any good pictures of the snake plants in this lighting, but they are doing alright also. Their roots haven't quite put down in the new soil, but I think they're kind of growing anyways??? I dunno.

Finally, here is a photo of the Potted Plant Empire as it is today, excepting the indoor plants and the wildflower planter being cut off:

That little pot at the end is my roommate's rosemary, and the orange glass pot is her lavender. Mine is in the woven basket next to it.

I feel like that guy in the recent Drive Time app advertisement. "I FEEL STRONGG!!!"

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