#Georgia Trees Service

[wctimber]

The expansion of its operations by WC Timber & Tree Service is a reaffirmation to improve the beauty and healthiness of the urban landscape within Calhoun, Georgia Trees Service. WC Timber & Tree Service is dedicated to maintaining high standards in their tree care services that go beyond what clients expect; 

[wandering-jana]

Live oak and Spanish moss.

Fort Frederica, Georgia

Jan. 2024

[youmightbewonderinghowigothere]

Thoughts on Belonging: A Culture of Place by Bell Hooks and returning to Appalachia as a trans queer Appalachian.

Listening to Belonging: A Culture of Place by Bell Hooks for the first time. You know what’s interesting? I’m from Appalachia. Grew up in North Georgia my whole life. I moved to Austin, TX for three years. It was there someone asked if I had read Bell Hooks. I had heard of her, but only as much as “she’s an incredible black writer”. It wasn’t until I worked at a bookstore that someone told me she Appalachian. They only knew because I talked about being Appalachian so much that they started to notice books in the store about Appalachia.

Let me stress that listening to this book, which was published in 2009, and learning more about Bell Hooks, this fact was far from a secret in her writings. It is the very fabric of her being and the soil of her soul. I’m so so sad to know that even today myself and others aren’t told she’s Black Appalachian as one of the first defining characteristics of this woman. Now, it’s more common. It’s weird because since Hurricane Helene, it feels like everyone is talking about and romanticizing Appalachia. There was a small slow burn of an interest thanks to Ethel Cain bringing attention to the rural south. The hurricane happened and Them magazine did some feature articles on queer artists in the region.

It’s just, weird. I’m mad, happy, and sad. Even living in Austin, TX of all places, I struggled as Bell Hooks describes, trying to tell people about Appalachia. Countering their assumptions. Even my ex had many assumptions. Lots of reactions were “Wow that must’ve been hard.”, “I’m sorry, it’s scary out there.”, “I would never travel to the rural south, especially the south east”, “I want to visit your friends and family, but driving through the south scares me”. I understand where people are coming from, but listening to this book it’s like, “Yeah, what am I and all these people who have lived and thrived there? Chopped liver?” Like damn.

I moved back because I missed the mountains so much. People asked me “Why leave Austin? You have friends now, a good job, you pick up gigs.” I would say “I miss trees. I miss greenery. I miss the mountains and seasons. I miss the woods.” Friends would suggest I just go on a hike or get more plants, is it worth it to leave what you’ve built here? I thought so. I broke up with my ex. Moved back to the mountains thanks to friends who I call my family here.

The grief I felt away from the region, the terrain, was the most difficult to explain to others. People could understand missing friends and family, but not a lot of people understood the deep deep longing I felt for this region on an ecological level. I could be on a hike in TX, be around trees and grass, do my best to familiarize myself with the landscape. I respected it deeply. Appreciated what others appreciated. But it wasn’t the mountains. People would be shocked when I described the area I grew up. They thought everything was like, creepy desolate woods? I took it for granted growing up. We wandered in the woods growing up and every summer played in creeks, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls right in our backyards.

It’s not easy. I’m starting from zero again in a career and monetary sense, but it’s worth it. It’s cold, I sleep a long time, I’m adjusting still. I panic about work at times, but also I can look outside. Be outside. It calms me down. How Bell Hooks talks about leaving Kentucky and living in all these great places, achieving all these things, and yet, she ended up back in Kentucky. She could not run. I feel the same entirely.

Thank you for listening to some thoughts and feelings on this. Bell Hooks can be found on Spotify and other streaming services. Libby as well if you have a library card and would also like to read or listen.

[democracyunderground]

President Barack Obama

"For decades, you could walk into Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia on some Sunday mornings and see hundreds of tourists from around the world crammed into the pews. And standing in front of them, asking with a wink if there were any visitors that morning, would be President Jimmy Carter – preparing to teach Sunday school, just like he had done for most of his adult life.

Some who came to hear him speak were undoubtedly there because of what President Carter accomplished in his four years in the White House – the Camp David Accords he brokered that reshaped the Middle East; the work he did to diversify the federal judiciary, including nominating a pioneering women’s rights activist and lawyer named Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the federal bench; the environmental reforms he put in place, becoming one of the first leaders in the world to recognize the problem of climate change.

Others were likely there because of what President Carter accomplished in the longest, and most impactful, post-presidency in American history – monitoring more than 100 elections around the world; helping virtually eliminate Guinea worm disease, an infection that had haunted Africa for centuries; becoming the only former president to earn a Nobel Peace Prize; and building or repairing thousands of homes in more than a dozen countries with his beloved Rosalynn as part of Habitat for Humanity.

But I’m willing to bet that many people in that church on Sunday morning were there, at least in part, because of something more fundamental: President Carter’s decency.

Elected in the shadow of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth. And he did – advocating for the public good, consequences be damned. He believed some things were more important than reelection – things like integrity, respect, and compassion. Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed anything, that we are all created in God’s image.

Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. In his Nobel acceptance speech, President Carter said, “God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.” He made that choice again and again over the course of his 100 years, and the world is better for it.

Maranatha Baptist Church will be a little quieter on Sundays, but President Carter will never be far away – buried alongside Rosalynn next to a willow tree down the road, his memory calling all of us to heed our better angels. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man."

[the-dixon-effect]

Sticks and Stones

A/N: dear fic writers, consider this a public service announcement. DO NOT schedule a week of fic writing that coincides with a camping trip, it is hell!!!!

era: season 3-4, prison era

summary: Y/N suffers from chronic pain in her feet, but hates to feel vulnerable around others so constantly overworks herself. perhaps a certain archer could be the right kind of medicine... | requested from this ask by @justalexheree :) guys i really did my research for this one so i hope you enjoy ^.^

pairing: Daryl Dixon x f!reader

words: 1.4k

warnings: mentions of chronic foot pain ig?? lil' time jump

It must be late by now, you thought. You were hesitant to look up to check the position of the sun for fear of getting distracted. You were crouched down, working out in the allotment around the front of the prison. The farm was a brilliant idea, you decided, despite the high amount of labour that was necessary to feed the residents of the prison-turned-camp. God knows you needed the food. Perhaps if the members of your community were aware of your condition, you wouldn't be forced to work out here all day, practically sweating your skin off in the Georgia sun. It didn't matter anyway, 'cause you couldn't let that happen.

So here you were, digging up soil and planting seeds 'til the sun disappeared behind the trees. It was somewhat enjoyable, you convinced yourself, of course you had your thoughts and daydreams to entertain yourself, and back in your old life you would have never found yourself spending so much time outdoors. Even so, a mundane office job might have arguably been a little better for your body. You constantly found yourself having to distract yourself from the persistent ache in your feet, maybe some company would do you good, you thought.

"Hey, we're all eatin' inside, ya can prolly finish up now," you heard the familiar voice of the crossbow-wielding man from several metres away. You knew you needed to stop, but there was still work to be done. If only there was enough food in the first place, then maybe you would let yourself resign to the dining area. Save it for those who needed it, you thought.

"Alright, I'll be inside in a second," That was a lie. It's not like the rest of the group would notice your absence, you figured. You better just stay out here a little longer, making sure the crops were tended to until it was dark. Then maybe you'd get some rest. For now, you didn't need to eat. Truthfully, your feet were killing you and it felt like you could keel over at any second. Get over yourself, you said, over and over in your mind, these people need feeding.

You remembered the look the archer gave you when he called you inside, observing how you were the only person left out in the field. You turned to check if he had left and, to your surprise, he was still stood watching, hands buried in his pockets as he looked straight ahead and met your eyes.

"C'mon," he shouted across the distance between the two of you. You couldn't really say no to him, except he left you wondering why he was so eager for you to join him. You put down your equipment and split from whatever idle job you had yourself occupied with. Something you did appreciate about the humble farmer's life was the reasonable tan you had acquired, which was on display in your little denim shorts as you jogged up to meet him. A part of you wished Daryl would notice.

"Ya' alrigh'? Yer limpin'," he asked, meanwhile you were contemplating on the fact that this might be the most words you'd ever heard the archer speak, to your face anyway. Your lack of association with the man didn't stop you from admiring from afar, though.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Been a long day."

"I bet," he replied, walking side-by-side with you up to the building entrance. You thought it was sweet how he paid attention to you and noticed something like that. Maybe one day you'd open up about your condition, when it felt right.

3 MONTHS LATER

You looked around the room, searching for Daryl's eyes. Today, more than ever, you needed to be with him. After months of breaking down his thick walls, it was safe to say that he'd become one of the most important people in your life. Your feet were hurting like hell today, and the only thing that would make you feel better right now was his presence.

He'd been out on a solo run, which you'd begged Rick to let you join him, ultimately to your disappointment. So you spent your day as you always did, out in the pasture, tending to the crops. After a while you headed back inside in hopes of finding Daryl, perched at one of the rusty tables, waiting for you. To your dismay, you couldn't find him anywhere.

You approached Rick with a worried look shaping your features, "Where's Daryl? Is he back yet?" you asked, your voice laced with concern. "Nah, he's not back yet," sensing your anxiety, he placed a gentle hand on your shoulder and spoke, "Y/N, he's gonna be fine. Anyway, he's scheduled to be back in... about an hour."

So you waited. And waited. It felt like the longest 60 minutes of your life, busying yourself in your cell by reading a book that Carol recommended, not absorbing a single word. By the time you decided that there was nothing else you could do to distract yourself, you headed downstairs and made idle chatter with one of the prison newcomers, Karen.

"I hear your boyfriend Daryl's coming back from a run today," she said.

"Oh, no, he's not my boyfriend," you said with a slight giggle.

"Oh, right! Gosh, it's just that you two are so close, I just figured- you know what, nevermind, ignore me," she said with a chuckle.

You smiled and looked at the floor, and tried to silence your anxious thoughts about whether something might have happened to him, if he's hurt, or anything. At this, the double-doors swung open and in walked the man you'd been waiting for for the last 48 hours. You approached him, suppressing the relief and excitement you felt just from seeing him walk through those doors. His eyes lit up at your welcoming smile, and maybe, just maybe, he would be inclined to embrace you right here if the prison foyer wasn't so crowded.

For now, he had other things on his mind that he needed to clear with you. Just like you, he spent the last 48 hours worrying more about your safety than he did his own. He regretted not being able to stay with you, or at least bring you along with him. He was the only person who knew about your condition and how badly you were affected by it, which meant he felt an immense responsibility to take care of you and offer you acts of service. Not to mention, you were also the only person who Daryl felt totally comfortable around, comfortable enough to share some of his childhood trauma and emotion with. You liked to think the two of you had a special bond, but despite your healthy friendship, you couldn't help wanting more. Either way, all he wanted right now was to be with you and to not have to deal with anyone else in this damn place.

Maggie shot you a mischievous look from across the room as you tugged on the archer's sleeve. You rolled you eyes at her following Daryl up the steel staircase and entered his cell. You sat down next to him on the mattress and he copied you by rolling his head back against the cool brick wall. You sighed in contentment, still in somewhat pain in your feet.

"So, how'd it go?" you asked, turning to face him.

"Was fine. Are ya' alrigh'?" you noticed how he changed the subject, sensing his concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just a little relentless, you know," you felt a little guilt for immediately beginning to talk about yourself, even when you knew you needed his comfort. His closeness was good enough for you.

"Mm, I know. Ya' gotta stop overworkin' yerself, ya know," he drawled. His pretty eyes were staring deeply at you now.

"Uh-huh. It's just, it's kind of relentless, you know. Like nothing I do makes it better. There's no distraction that works," it felt undeniably good to talk to someone about it, someone who understands. Someone who doesn't subject you to the same stereotypes or think that you're making it up. He wrapped an arm around you and you instinctively rested your head in the crook of his neck. He smelled delicious, like the outdoors, mixed with the distinct notes of Marlboro cigarettes and stormy weather. This was a pretty good distraction, you thought.

"Hey, I'll always make a run into some pharmacy to get ya yer meds, or anythin' like tha'," he spoke softly with his lips resting on the top of your head, occasionally brushing against your silky hair. "Jus' tell me what ya' need." It was this. You needed this.

“I just need you.”

[ncdweller]

Helene Reflections

Cell service

I don’t think anyone knows how this is strung together. Our neighbors lost service hours before we did. We have T-Mobile, but almost everyone here uses Verizon.

Cell service was available in Georgia and Tennessee, so if you are close to those state lines, you had service.

My understanding is usually cell towers are connected with fiber to a network. I doubt that’s the case here because 1. Fiber is very rare here, and 2. These towers are usually on high mountain tops, but generally close to major highways.

I’m thinking they may use microwave links.

That would explain the disruption. Power outages are everywhere and if one tower is down, then the chain may be broken. There is no mesh network that I can tell, at least not out here.

Verizon and T-mobile have set up satellite linked trailers around Asheville, but you have to be close to them to use them. T-mobile says anyone can use their access, no matter which service you subscribe to. Verizon has not said that about their access.

Indeed, even here, we started getting the SOS status on our phones a day before T-mobile restored service here. That tells me either AT&T or Verizon had stay coming back online. But our phones kept switching from SOS to No Service, so it must have been a pretty distant tower.

We drove south on Saturday looking for a cell signal, and it was interesting seeing vehicles abruptly pull off the highway when they got a signal. We didn’t get a good signal until we got close to Clayton, GA, where my in-laws live, so we checked on them. They had trees down everywhere and no power. But they had cell service.

Conspiracy theororists at the local church claimed that Verizon turned off cellular service before Helene arrived.

Which brings me briefly to the rumor mill.

The most egregious one I’m aware of is someone walking to the fire station in Black Mountain and telling them that the dam was failing and everyone in its path needed to evacuate.

This was completely false, but they brought in FEMA engineers and local authorities to investigate. This tied up emergency resources that were needed elsewhere.

On the positive side, we have visited all of our immediate neighbors face to face. Social media is truly isolating.

[bloodstainedsaint]

of sweet teeth and indulgence (dick winters x reader)

summary: just home from the war, you and dick go on an ice cream date :)

word count: 1200+

warnings: domestic & post-war dick, who's also still shy despite an established relationship); fluff, fluff, and more fluff (+ mentions of war i guess but that's like in every fic); and mentions of nix bc he should be a warning in all winters fics lol

notes: inspired by this and this, happy christmas to anyone who celebrates 🎄 this is my present to you !!

“(Y/N), are you ready yet?” Dick called from downstairs. You were taking some time to doll yourself up, putting your hair in a trendy style, wearing makeup and accessories, donning a nice dress and heels — things that you haven't done for three years on account of your service in the war. While you wanted to dress up for Dick, this was also for you. You took a final look in the mirror and found someone you hadn't seen in years looking back.

“Coming, Dick!” you responded, almost losing your footing coming down the stairs due to your excitement (and the unfamiliarity of heels compared to the sturdy boots you'd become accustomed to).

Dick watched with wonder in his eyes and a smile upturning his lips; he thought you looked like an angel coming down from heaven.

Mistaking his expression as teasing at your expense, you lightly smacked his chest with your purse, a grin of your own gracing your face. “You could've helped me with my hair, you know.”

“No, you…” he started, his face turning the color of his hair as he cast his gaze off to the side, “...just look stunning.”

Heat rising to your cheeks, you decided it was your turn to soak in the other's appearance. It was much different than the fatigues and officer uniforms that you’d been admiring him in ever since you met him at Camp Toccoa, but you'd be lying if you said seeing him in a suit and tie didn't similarly drive you crazy.

You tenderly took his face in your hands and guided his eyes back to you, whispering, “You look handsome as well, Dick.” You brought him closer to give him a short, sweet kiss that made his heart stop beating in his chest.

He pulled away and gave you a quick peck on your forehead before offering you his arm. You gladly accepted it, and the two of you walked together to his car. His hand gently rested on your thigh as he drove, the radio playing swing music.

“Where are we going?” you asked as you took your eyes away from the window where you’d been watching trees pass by, their leaves falling to the ground in vibrant displays of red, orange, and yellow.

“Ice cream,” he said simply, a playful smile on his face and a quick glance to you.

You rolled your eyes with an incredulous look. “Yes, I know we’re getting ice cream. I was asking where.”

“Well, Nix recommended this one place. We’re going to see if Raritan’s ice cream is up to snuff.”

It really astounded you how much of a sweet tooth the man next to you had; even in autumn when the weather was chillier he couldn't turn ice cream down. You bet he could go for ice cream during a winter as harsh as Bastogne’s was, where his nose and ears had flushed cherry red and his face had become pale.

You smirked. “Of course. Because why would Nix ever lie to you?”

“Because he knows not to mess with me about ice cream.”

-

Dick helped you out of the car when you arrived and took your hand as the two of you walked inside. The interior popped out at you: checkered floor and a counter with a row of colorful stools across from the ice cream holders and soda fountains. Dick had said that the ice cream parlors (if one could call them that) were much more modest in the camps and forts he’d trained in prior to Georgia; in Europe, ice cream was hard to find at all — which was why his face lit up with joy at the selection of frozen treats.

Watching your lover, a usually private man, positively beam and hold your hand tighter in his as he led the two of you to the counter brought a smile to your face. He ordered one of his favorites: not plain vanilla, as one might think of someone like him, but cookies and cream, while you decided to go for a pumpkin pie flavor to match the autumn mood. Dick, being Dick, paid for both of them and took you outside to walk along a path shaded by grand trees on either side.

As you walked by his side, hand in hand, your conversations went wherever your mind took you. There was much to talk about now that the war was over and not occupying all of your time.

“How’s Lewis?” you said, having gotten to the ice cream cone.

“Doing better,” Dick said with a sigh, “though sometimes he still comes drunk or hungover to work. One time he showed up and asked if we were married yet.”

You raised your eyebrow. “Are you sure he wasn't sober? That seems like something he’d say sober.”

“Drunk as a skunk. But the promise I made then hasn't changed; we’re going to find a small, quiet corner of the world together and get married there.”

Imagining a ring adorning both his and your ring fingers someday, you squeezed his hand. “You’re a man of your word, Dick; I don't doubt you for a second.” You blissfully sighed and gazed at the sky, reminiscing about all of the stolen kisses and fleeting moments the two of you shared during the war. “We did so much sneaking around back then, but the whole of E Company knew anyway. D’ya think it was me helping with you shave during the Bulge that gave it away?”

He chuckled, a sound that only you and a few others had the pleasure of hearing often. “Nix will always remind us that he knew first and that he was the one who got us together. The sneaking around was just for us to look good around Sobel and everyone outside of Easy.”

“Couldn't have him knowing that his XO was running around with a subordinate,” you said, bumping his shoulder. “If only he could see us now, going on an ice cream date and planning to get married. Might shock him more than your request to be court-martialed.”

Finished with his ice cream, he sighed and said, “I've missed this.”

You turned to him with a simper. “What, ice cream?”

He smiled as he shook his head. “No, walking with you like we did whenever we got the chance to get away.”

“We have all the time in the world now for that and anything you want to do.” You slowed your walk to a stop and fully faced him. “This is our reward.”

Your eyes caught something on his lip, so you leaned in to kiss him, which he gladly indulged you in. Barely pulling away, your lips ghosting his, you said, “You had some ice cream on your lip, Major.”

“You know, ice cream’s not the only thing I’ve missed.” He brought his hand to the back of your head and kissed you unabashedly, realizing and taking advantage of the fact that finally no one was watching. Giggling into the kiss, you tasted not only the sugar of the ice cream but also the bittersweetness from years of yearning for one another. You wrapped your arms around his neck and brought him closer, deepening the kiss, and all of the time lost during the war was made up in that one moment.

-

taglist: @mads-weasley, @ronsparky, @dcyllom, @malarkgirlypop, @joetoyesbrassknuckles101, @sweetxvanixlla

[rabbitcruiser]

National Take a Hike Day 

There’s a lot that could be said about Take a Hike Day, but it seems that this excerpt from Cheryl Strayed’s book, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail says it all just perfectly.

History of Take A Hike Day

Take a Hike Day was established by the American Hiking Society with the hope of encouraging individuals, groups of families and friends to get out into the wild and really get a taste of what it means to be away from it all again. Hiking is something that consistently helps to rebuild the human connection with nature, and also aids in maintaining healthy hearts and bodies as well.

Hiking should not be an affair that a person rushes through. However, it should also not be a journey that a person goes through idly with very little sense of purpose. Instead, a person should listen to their heart and body: when restlessness strikes head out for the distant hills, and when weariness sets inlet the body rest and take in the environment.

Take A Hike Day was created to remind everyone that humans are creatures of the wild as well as creatures of civilization, and sometimes it does that wild heart good to be taken home again and get out into the depths of nature.

National Take a Hike Day Timeline

1804 Lewis and Clark start on their famous expedition

Setting out from St. Louis, Lewis and Clark with a team of 40 make their way toward the Pacific Ocean in 18 months.

1901 Vice President Teddy Roosevelt hikes Mount Marcy

While there was no actual trail, the VP of the US takes a famous hike and by the time he gets down the mountain, he discovers that President William McKinley has died from a gunshot wound.

1916 National Parks are established in the US

Initiated by US President Woodrow Wilson, the US National Parks Service is created to protect natural places where people often hike. 

1921 Appalachian Trail is proposed

This trail is imagined from Georgia to Maine, passing through 14 different US states. It will take 16 years to complete the trail.

1938 REI is started in Seattle

This famous company that supplies hiking gear is organized as a consumer cooperative so people can become members and share.

How to Celebrate Take A Hike Day

The great thing is that the best suggestion for celebrating this day is contained right there in the name! Buzz off, get out, go away, take a hike! But that’s not all, other ideas for honoring and observing this day can be conjured up as well:

Take a Hike to a New Place

There are a million places to go on a hike, from your own backyard to the highest peaks in far-flung and exotic locations. When you hike, be sure to take note of the beautiful and magnificent surroundings, from the towering trees overhead to the secret and elusive critters that live in mountain streams and in distant glades. Hikes were made to commune with nature, and noticing it is the first step. Don’t be in a hurry!

Most people would be surprised at just what can be found by looking under the canopy of a tree, or with a quick glance under a bush. Take A Hike Day is the ideal opportunity to reconnect with the fundamentally important things in life: the fresh air, blue sky, and deep rich earth underfoot.

Learn Safety Tips for Hiking

While Take a Hike Day can certainly be loads of fun, it’s also important to use the brain and follow certain safety guidelines so that the hike ends in delight rather than a visit to the emergency room. This is especially important because getting away from it all also means getting away from easy access to medical care!

In addition to having the proper gear, such as boots and socks, consider these important tips for staying safe and comfortable during a hike:

Stay Hydrated

Hike with a Friend

Create an Itinerary

Prepare for weather

Bring a filled water bottle and sip on it throughout the hike. This is especially important on warmer days when dehydration is more likely.

Having a hiking buddy is ideal to be sure everything is okay. For a solo hike, make sure someone knows exactly where you’re headed and check in with them upon arrival.

Knowing where you are going is vital when hiking–and be sure to share it with someone outside the group, such as with the park ranger’s office. This helps in case someone gets lost or injured and a search party needs to be sent out.

Watch the weather forecast and take into consideration factors such as altitude, lightning, or rain. The heat of the sun is another important weather factor to be prepared for. Pack sun protection, rain gear, emergency shelter and a first aid kit.

Grab Some Friends for a Hike

Going on a short hike alone can be therapeutic and soothing. But when it comes to serious hiking, it’s best to have at least one buddy to journey with. Plus, the more the merrier! Choose a hiking buddy who moves at a similar pace, who appreciates nature in the same way, and who is able to either talk or be quiet as needed.

Don’t have a friend who likes to hike? Get connected with safe hiking groups by contacting the local park ranger for more information.

Join the American Hiking Society

Want to stay connected and keep apprised of the most important information regarding hiking? The American Hiking Society (AHS) might just be the place to go. Register on their website, join in with an affordable monthly membership, become a NextGen trail leader, participate as an ambassador, or get involved with a Volunteer Vacation. AHS offers plenty of opportunities to get hiking, as well as working to protect trails and advocate for hiking access.

National Take a Hike Day FAQs

What are “switchbacks” in hiking?

A switchback is a path that takes twists and turns over a mountain or a hill.

What to wear for hiking?

The most important piece of hiking gear to have are the right shoes, which can be hiking sandals, sneakers, or special hiking boots.

Can hiking build muscle?

Yes! Hiking is a cardiovascular activity that also works muscles like the glutes, abs, hamstrings, quads, calves and hips.

Where did hiking originate?

Hiking has been around since ancient times and started simply out of the need people had to travel, so they went on foot.

Do hiking poles help?

Trekking poles take the stress off of the joints, help maintain balance and pace, and even help keep wild animals at bay.

Source

[tragidean]

on the house [12.8k] (ao3)

“I’m from Reno,” Benjamin—Benji, as his name tag reads with the last four letters scratched out and replaced with an I—says, his smile so infectious that Dean can’t help but try to hide his. “Grew up in the casinos, actually. Never won much, though. I mean, if I did, I wouldn't be in this town.”

This town, Dean thinks, isn’t even on the map. Just some crossroads joint in southeast Georgia, surrounded by cotton fields and chicken houses, with the scent of pulp mills and freshly fallen trees lingering in the air. Years ago, apparently, someone built a bar in the middle of nowhere, conveniently located next to a motel and a Dollar General with not much else around. This late in the year, most of the cotton fields have been picked over, some stray bits still hanging on the stalks, awaiting the plow. A bitter cold awaits outside.

But inside, Dean sits at the bar, talking to a twenty-something brunette, his hazel-green eyes hidden behind glasses and his hair swept in every direction, like someone under the bar fucked his hair with their hands. At some point, he busted his lower lip, a clean scar sliced through the middle. Despite the late November chill, he wears a bright yellow Polo shirt with his collar popped high, and bland khakis that probably go just above his knee. Frat boys. “What made you come out here?”

Benji shrugs and finishes washing the glass in his hand, setting it beneath the bar. Someone at the pool table racks up the balls; a group of camo-dressed men in the corner laugh about something that happened earlier this morning. Dean makes sure to keep his voice low, keeps his lines hard, just in case someone might suspect. “Girlfriend’s family’s from out here, so I kinda went with her.” Straight, then—just his luck. “She works for the park service. Hey,” he throws in a wink, “you ever wanna get free admission, hit me up.”

“I’ll do that,” Dean lies with a smile. Not that he wouldn't want to, but touring parks has never been on his agenda, unless there was a monster involved. Most of his hunts take place at night—how am I supposed to enjoy nature in the dark? “Anyway,” he reaches for his wallet, his luck apparently run dry with Benji. Sam and Castiel are waiting back at the motel, and all Dean wanted was one drink and to replace the smell of rot in his nose with something more palatable. His back still aches, not that he plans on letting Castiel know that the ghoul threw him into a headstone. “I gotta get going.”

“Wait, before you go.” Benji darts across his small workstation and comes back with a shot glass, the liquid inside a deep red and garnished with the world’s smallest celery slice. “I’m kinda known around here for making my own drinks—” Dean highly doubts that, but lets Benji go on “—and I’m working on something new. Tell me if you like it?”

Dean eyes the glass and the liquid, glitter flakes swirling in the mixture that looks less like anything drinkable and more like he poured Kool-Aid into melted chocolate. It smells nice, though, like roses and not like half-rotted corpses left out behind a mortuary experiencing legal troubles. “This free?”

“On the house,” Benji smiles. He adjusts his collar, his eyes gleaming, anticipatory. “Just wanna see if I can put it on the menu.”

Where this menu is, Dean hasn’t seen, but decides to follow his gut rather than his better judgment. “Bottoms up,” he says with a wink, and downs the shot in one swallow. Only, the taste hits him just as his throat begins to work, and a sudden panic sweeps through him, his blood going cold. Oh my god. He coughs into the sleeve of his sweatshirt, fighting back a gag. “Dude, needs more Mary and less—”

Blood. Copper floods his taste buds, soaking into his every sense. His blood pressure spikes—Benji’s grin falters, his eyes gone wide, breath quick. “What did you do,” Dean demands, swallowing down what could be bile, or his liver.

“I didn’t—” Benji straight up lies, his back already to the exit and his feet to the floor. “You weren’t supposed to—”

His collar falls—now the split lip makes sense, and the slowly-healing bite mark to his throat. “You son of a bitch,” Dean hisses and launches over the three-foot-tall bar, just as Benji makes a break for it through the backroom door. Benji shrieks and bangs his way around shelves, knocking spare glasses and bottles to the floor, all for Dean to stomp across. The world begins to spin, his footsteps growing weaker, less structured and more aimless. Benji makes it out the back door—Dean follows him, and cowers at the sun hanging overhead, a splitting, unescapable headache pounding behind his eyes.

“You little,” Dean starts, but falls to his knees, just as Benji hops into a busted Honda Civic and peels out of the parking lot. The LayZee Inn’s sign looms high in the white-blue sky, a beacon, calling him home. Except, he collapses onto his face before he can even make it to his feet, the cold asphalt doing nothing for his head.

Son of a bitch, he thinks, right before the world grows black. Not again.

continue reading on ao3

[thegentlemansresurgence]

Thank you for those who have reached out, wondering if I’m safe after hurricane Helene. I’m good. Family is good. Some sustained more damage than others but we’re good.

Power came on yesterday but no tv or internet. Cell service gets really strained once everyone else wakes up so I don’t know the extent of the damage in Florida or Georgia but I’m close enough to North Carolina and Tennessee that thru word of mouth, it’s really bad up above us. Chimney Rock is gone.

I hope you’re safe. I hope your family and friends are safe as well.

Say a prayer for those lineman and others who left their homes to help get us back up and running. Pray for those who are struggling and those that have lost have lost friends, family, homes, businesses in this. God be a shield and a comforter as we move forward.

Off to go cut some trees down. Be safe and big hugs!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

I asked chatgbt to make an image of Florida running out of homeowners insurance and flooded by a hurricane.

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 27, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 28, 2024

Last night, at about 11:10 local time, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida, where the state’s panhandle curves down toward the peninsula. It was classified as a Category 4 storm when it hit, bringing winds of 140 miles per hour (225 km per hour). The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane wind scale, developed in 1971 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson, divides storms according to sustained wind intensity in an attempt to explain storms on a scale similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes. 

The Saffir-Simpson scale defines a Category 4 hurricane as one that brings catastrophic damage. According to the National Weather Service, which was established in 1870 to give notice of “the approach and force of storms,” and is now part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a Category 4 hurricane has winds of 134–156 miles (209–251 km) per hour. “Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.” 

Hurricane Helene hit with a 15-foot (4.6 meter) storm surge and left a path of destruction across Florida before moving up into Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky with torrential rain, flash floods, high winds, and tornadoes. A record level of more than eleven inches of rain fell in Atlanta, Georgia. At least 45 people have died in the path of the storm, and more than 4.5 million homes and businesses across ten states are without power. The roads in western North Carolina are closed. Moody’s Analytics said it expects the storm to leave $15 to $26 billion in property damage.

Officials from NOAA, the scientific and regulatory agency that forecasts weather and monitors conditions in the oceans and skies, predict that record-warm ocean temperatures this year will produce more storms than usual. NOAA hurricane scientist Jeff Masters noted that Helene’s landfall “gives the U.S. a record eight Cat 4 or Cat 5 Atlantic hurricane landfalls in the past eight years (2017–2024), seven of them being continental U.S. landfalls. That’s as many Cat 4 and 5 landfalls as occurred in the prior 57 years.”

President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina before Helene made landfall. Tennessee governor Bill Lee, a Republican, did not ask for such a declaration until this evening, instead proclaiming September 27 a “voluntary Day of Prayer and Fasting.” Observers pointed out that with people stuck on a hospital roof in the midst of catastrophic flooding in his state, maybe an emergency declaration would be more on point. 

After a state or a tribal government asks for federal help, an emergency declaration enables the federal government to provide funds to supplement local and state emergency efforts, as well as to deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help save lives, protect property, and protect health and safety. Before Helene made landfall, the federal government placed personnel and resources across the region, ready to help with search and rescue, restore power, and provide food and water and emergency generators. 

The federal government sent 1,500 federal personnel to the region, as well as about 8,000 members of the U.S. Coast Guard and teams from the Army Corps of Engineers to provide emergency power. It provided two health and medical task forces to help local hospitals and critical care facilities, and sent in more than 2.7 million meals, 1.6 million liters of water, 50,000 tarps, 10,000 cots, 20,000 blankets, 70,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and 40,000 gallons of gasoline to provide supplies for those hit by the catastrophe. 

FEMA was created in 1979 after the National Governors Association asked President Jimmy Carter to centralize federal emergency management functions. That centralization recognized the need for coordination as people across the country responded to a disaster in any one part of it. When a devastating fire ripped through Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the day after Christmas in 1802, Congress agreed to send aid to the town, but volunteers organized by local and state governments and funded by wealthy community members provided most of the response and recovery efforts for the many disasters of the 1800s. 

When a deadly hurricane wiped out Galveston, Texas, in 1900, killing at least 6,000 residents and destroying most of the city’s buildings, the inept machine government proved unable to manage the donations pouring in from across the country to help survivors. Six years later, when an earthquake badly damaged San Francisco and ensuing fires from broken gas lines engulfed the city in flames, the interim fire chief—who took over when the fire chief was gravely injured—called in federal troops to patrol the streets and guard buildings. More than 4,000 Army troops also fed, sheltered, and clothed displaced city residents. 

When the Mississippi River flooded in 1927, sending up to 30 feet (9 meters) of  water across ten states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, killing about 500 people and displacing hundreds of thousands more, President Calvin Coolidge appointed Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover to coordinate the federal disaster response and pull together the many private-sector interests eager to help out under federal organization. This marked the first time the federal government took charge after a disaster. 

In 1950, Congress authorized federal response to disasters when it passed the Federal Disaster Assistance Program. In response to the many disasters of the 1960s—the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, Hurricane Betsy in 1965, and Hurricane Camille in 1969—the Department of Housing and Urban Development established a way to provide housing for disaster survivors. Congress provided guaranteed flood insurance to homeowners, and in 1970 it also authorized federal loans and federal funding for those affected by disasters. 

When he signed the Disaster Relief Act of 1970, Republican president Richard Nixon said: “I am pleased with this bill which responds to a vital need of the American people. The bill demonstrates that the Federal Government in cooperation with State and local authorities is capable of providing compassionate assistance to the innocent victims of natural disasters.”

Four years later, Congress established the process for a presidential disaster declaration. By then, more than 100 different federal departments and agencies had a role in responding to disasters, and the attempts of state, tribal, and local governments to interface with them created confusion. So the National Governors Association asked President Carter to streamline the process. In Executive Order 12127 he brought order to the system with the creation of FEMA.

In 2003, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S., the George W. Bush administration brought FEMA into its newly-created Department of Homeland Security, along with 21 other agencies, wrapping natural disasters together with terrorist attacks as matters of national security. After 2005’s Hurricane Katrina required the largest disaster response in U.S. history, FEMA’s inadequate response prompted a 2006 reform act that distinguished responding to natural disasters from responding to terrorist attacks. In 2018, another reform focused on funding for disaster mitigation before the crisis hits.  

The federal government’s efficient organization of responses to natural disasters illustrates that as citizens of a republic, we are part of a larger community that responds to our needs in times of crisis.

But that system is currently under attack. Project 2025, a playbook for the next Republican administration, authored by allies of the right-wing Heritage Foundation and closely associated with Republican presidential candidate Trump and vice presidential candidate Ohio senator J.D. Vance, calls for slashing FEMA’s budget and returning disaster responses to states and localities. 

Project 2025 also calls for dismantling the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and either eliminating its functions, sending them to other agencies, privatizing them, or putting them under the control of states and territories. It complains that NOAA, whose duties include issuing hurricane warnings, is “one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity.” 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[wctimber]

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[notwiselybuttoowell]

President Joe Biden is expected to permanently ban future offshore oil and gas development in parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in a way that could be especially difficult for the incoming Trump administration to undo.

Biden’s planned executive order will invoke the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, a law that gives presidents broad authority to withdraw federal waters from future oil and gas leasing and development, according to an administration source familiar with the plans.

The law does not give presidents explicit authority to revoke the action and place federal waters back into development, meaning President-elect Donald Trump would have to get Congress to change it before he could reverse Biden’s move.

As Biden’s presidency draws to a close, environmental and climate groups have advocated for him to withdraw areas off the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as other parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans – giving the areas permanent protections from future drilling. The move would guard against future oil spills and adding more planet-warming pollution from fossil fuels to the atmosphere.

“We hope it will be part of a very vast area,” Oceana campaign director Joseph Gordon told CNN, adding Biden’s actions “would extend and make permanent those protections.”

Despite a friendly posture towards the oil and gas industry, Trump also moved to ban offshore drilling while president. After proposing a major expansion in offshore drilling early in his first term, Trump in 2020 extended a ban on future oil drilling in the Eastern Gulf and expanded it to include the Atlantic coasts of three states: Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

“Every president this century has recognized that some areas of the ocean are just too risky or too sensitive to drill,” Earthjustice vice president of litigation for lands, wildlife and oceans Drew Caputo said in a statement.

The White House declined to comment. Biden’s move was first reported by Bloomberg.

Energy analysts told CNN the move won’t make much of a difference in US oil production, which has set new records under Biden.

It’s “not particularly consequential for US exploration and production going forward,” said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service. Kloza noted there’s plenty of existing offshore rigs pumping oil in the Gulf of Mexico and added that offshore projects typically take 6-8 years to come online.

“I don’t see it as having any real impact on US supply, exports, imports,” Kloza said.

Still, the American Petroleum Institute blasted Biden’s decision, calling it a “misguided approach.”

“We look forward to working with the incoming administration to bring the benefits offshore oil and natural gas production provides to the United States through jobs, investment and domestic energy security,” API senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs Dustin Meyer said in a statement.

In a separate coming announcement, the Biden administration is also expected to declare two new national monuments in California in the coming week, a source familiar with the planning told CNN.

Biden will establish the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California near Joshua Tree National Park and the Sáttítla National Monument in Northern California, the source said. Native tribes have been actively pushing the administration to protect the land from energy development.

This ban has now gone ahead

[palms-upturned]

Settler colonialism destroys to replace. As Theodor Herzl, founding father of Zionism, observed in his allegorical manifesto/novel, “If I wish to substitute a new building for an old one, I must demolish before I construct.” In a kind of realization that took place half a century later, one-time deputy-mayor of West Jerusalem Meron Benvenisti recalled, “As a member of a pioneering youth movement, I myself ‘made the desert bloom’ by uprooting the ancient olive trees of al-Bassa to clear the ground for a banana grove, as required by the ‘planned farming’ principles of my kibbutz, Rosh Haniqra.”

(…)

Why should ostensibly sovereign nations, residing in territory solemnly guaranteed to them by treaties, decide that they are willing, after all, to surrender their ancestral homelands? More often than not (and nearly always up to the wars with the Plains Indians, which did not take place until after the civil war), the agency which reduced Indian peoples to this abjection was not some state instrumentality but irregular, greed-crazed invaders who had no intention of allowing the formalities of federal law to impede their access to the riches available in, under, and on Indian soil. If the government notionally held itself aloof from such disreputable proceedings, however, it was never far away. Consider, for instance, the complicity between bayonet-wielding troops and the “lawless rabble” in this account of events immediately preceding the eastern Cherokee's catastrophic “Trail of Tears,” one of many comparable 1830s removals whereby Indians from the South East were displaced west of the Mississippi to make way for the development of the slave-plantation economy in the Deep South:

“Families at dinner were startled by the sudden gleam of bayonets in the doorway and rose up to be driven with blows and oaths along the weary miles of trail that led to the stockade [where they were held prior to the removal itself.] Men were seized in their fields or going along the road, women were taken from their wheels and children from their play. In many cases, on turning for one last look as they crossed the ridge, they saw their homes in flames, fired by the lawless rabble that followed on the heels of the soldiers to loot and pillage. So keen were these outlaws on the scent that in some instances they were driving off the cattle and other stock of the Indians almost before the soldiers had fairly started their owners in the other direction. Systematic hunts were made by the same men for Indian graves, to rob them of the silver pendants and other valuables deposited with the dead. A Georgia volunteer, afterward a colonel in the Confederate service, said: ‘I fought through the civil war and have seen men shot to pieces and slaughtered by thousands, but the Cherokee removal was the cruelest work I ever knew.’”

Patrick Wolfe, “Settler colonialism and the elimination of the native” (emphasis mine)

[pcttrailsidereader]

Hurricane Helene and the Appalachian Trail

This is an excerpt from a recent NY Times article by Victor Mather. Although the PCT is not so vulnerable as the AT to the ravages of hurricanes, weather extremes can easily have an outsized impact on miles of the ribbon of trail that connects Mexico and Canada. This article serves as a grim reminder about just how fragile these National Scenic Trails are.

As the scope of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene comes into focus, an American landmark that dozens of towns benefit from is facing historic destruction: the Appalachian Trail.

The 2,200-mile trail along the East Coast and the Southeast attracts millions of hikers each year, and brings an economic boost to a host of towns along the route. But last week Hurricane Helene became the most destructive natural disaster the century-old trail had seen, uprooting trees, destroying bridges and washing away rock steps, making large portions impassable, according to the conservancy that manages it.

Damage from flooding, strong winds and tornadoes was present in many of the 14 states the route touches, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy said.

“The scope and scale is historic,” Sandi Marra, the conservancy president, said of the damage. Although it was not yet possible to T

The conservancy plans to assess the damage and prioritize the hardest-hit areas, Ms. Marra said, but the timeline for clearing and rebuilding the trail will not be quick.

“I cannot imagine it will be normal in 2025,” she said.

Some parts of the trail may need to be rerouted, forcing hikers onto roads, she said. Trailhead parking lots may have been washed away, and both small bridges for hikers and highway bridges used to get to the trail may be gone.

The conservancy’s website notes that many of the towns are also encouraging visitors not to come so they can prioritize recovery.

Throughout the region, the hurricane sent water and mud down from mountains. As a result of the deluge, some small towns have been virtually cut off from the outside world.

Some of the places where hikers stay, eat and form communities, can typically expect economic growth and a boost in tourism, the conservancy said.

“Nobody can hike the Appalachian Trail without these communities,” said Gary Sizer, who hiked the trail in 2014 and wrote the book “Where’s the Next Shelter?” about the trip. “The whole experience is a series of three-to-five day backpacking trips. You get to a town, you meet some people. Hikers form a community.”

The conservancy is advising hikers to stay off the trail in some areas. National forests through which the trail passes in North Carolina, Tennessee and southwest Virginia are closed.

Beyond the forests, the conservancy also urged hikers to postpone their trips through a southern stretch between Georgia and Rockfish Gap, Va. That’s more than 800 miles of the trail.

“People will say they’re not officially closed, and that’s true,” Ms. Marra said of the network of trails. But the storm has made parts of the path “precarious and dangerous,” according to Janet Hensley, who follows and helps hikers from a van every year and is known to many of them as Miss Janet.

“On the trail, you may spend half of a day getting through a cluster of trees blocking the path,” Ms. Hensley said of the damage.

For any damage to the trail, there is greater concern about the nearby communities. Ms. Marra cited Damascus, Va.; Hot Springs, N.C., and Erwin, Tenn., as among the hardest-hit places near the trail.

“You have people who are literally struggling for water and food,” Ms. Marra said of the residents around the trail. She suggested hikers travel to places where they would not put pressure on services. “Why strain a system that is already broken?”

For decades, the Appalachian Trail has had a special hold on hikers, with many attempting, and the most intrepid succeeding, in traversing the whole thing.

“It’s a very diverse trail,” Mr. Sizer said, explaining its popularity. “In Georgia, it’s lush and humid with rolling hills, somewhat easy going. North Carolina, that’s your first experience above tree line. By the time you get up North, you’re literally climbing hand over hand, you’re not just hiking.”

Still, the trail and surrounding communities are normally a happy and welcoming environment for enthusiasts like Ms. Hensley. She has become a well-known sight on the trail for 15 years, driving her sticker-covered van with its large smiley face on the roof to bring water, food and replacement equipment to hikers. During a phone interview, she was interrupted for a selfie.

“When they see the van, it makes them happy,” she said.

But the smiles for hikers and the trail community are muted now. “It’s just heartbreaking,” she said.

[twopoppies]

I absolutely love all of your fic recommendations. Thank you so much for this. Do you know of any fics, especially lesser known, where H &/or L have blue collar jobs? Construction, assembly line, mechanic, farming, etc? Thank you for your service to the fandom! 💝

Hi, darling. Oh, that’s a fun question. I think I can pull something together for you.

Ever Since I Tried Your Way by flowercrownfemme / @lesbianiconharrystyles (E, 26K) I loved everything about this fic, from the setting to the characterizations to the slow way Harry discovers himself and how Louis supports everything about him. It’s just beautifully written and wonderfully moving. Rancher Louis / eventual rancher Harry

An Invincible Summer by Brooklyn_Babylon / @twopoppies (E, 45K) this one is mine, I hope you like it. Farmer Harry / Temporary farm hand /author Louis

Never content to stay in one place for long, a few months down south researching for his novel seemed like an idyllic, slow-paced summer to Louis. He wasn’t ready for the blistering heat, the backbreaking work of watermelon picking, or how stifling the attitudes in rural Georgia would feel. And he definitely hadn’t anticipated falling in love with the farmer’s son.

The summer of 1946 would turn out to be everything worth writing about.

our little corner of the world by brownheadedstranger (E, 30K) This fic reads like original fiction in the best sort of way. The whole fic makes you feel like you’re stuck in the hot, dusty little town along with the boys. It’s beautifully written – slow and wistful – and I really need to re-read it now that I think of it! Line cook Harry / diner worker Louis.

The Road Less Travelled by freetheankles / @anymerrylilthought​ (E, 98K) Also known as “the lumberjack fic”, this fic is an instant classic. The author makes widowed Louis’ pain and depression so real and so moving. The characters are three-dimensional and complex and the well written sexual tension is finally relieved with super hot smut. Link is to a download. Lumberjack Louis

So Darling, Just Say You’ll Stay Right By My Side by supernope (E, 28K) Another fic I read too long ago to recall details of, and my rather unhelpful notes read, “LOVE! Slow build up, but so sexy!” So…here’s to trusting old me. I’m not too worried, this author is pretty sure bet. Chief of police Louis. Deputy Harry.

Divine Intervention by Awriterwrites / @a-writerwrites (E, 6K) This fic is short, but super sexy and bittersweet. Something about the way Louis is so gentle in it just gets to me. Building inspector Harry

where the tide takes you, I will follow by @pinkcords (E, 40K) First of all, I’m so happy this author is writing again! Second, everything about this was just lovely. The slow, dreamy tone of their writing fit the setting and the way Harry and Louis fell into each other so, so well. I love how descriptive their writing is without being flowery or pointless. The smut scenes were toe-curlingly sexy, and gave us beautiful insight into both of the boys. I just wanted to live inside this fic. Fish shack worker Louis

may we all have a vision now and then by momentofclarity / @gaycousinlarry (M, 4K) This author is one of my favorite writers in this fandom and everything they do is infused with so much delicacy and tenderness. I literally cried through this fic because of how wounded Harry’s character feels. Read it and then treat yourself to their whole AO3 catalogue. Trucker Louis

it’s time to find your wings again by we_are_the_same / @why-let-your-voice-be-tamed (T, 12K) I just loved the fairytale quality of this story––not cute and cuddly, but dark and curious and intense–– more like a Grimm fairytale. So unique and so worth reading. Prison guard Louis

Naked & Proud by kiwikero (E, 19K) Farmer Harry runs an organic store. Lust at first sight. Summer love. All sorts of good stuff in this really well-written story.

O’ Christmas Tree by @justalittlelouislove (M, 15K) I love this author’s writing and this one is just 100% wonderful fluff that still managed to make me cry! It’s sweet and charming and one of the very few kid fics I actually enjoyed. Christmas tree farmer Harry.

Lambing Season by @helloamhere (E, 26K) This is beautiful little emotional fic and it’s one of my favorites. If you’ve ever wanted to leave your shitty work environment, escape to an idyllic countryside, and find love along the way, read this one. Farmer Louis.

Coup de Foudre by angelwarm (M, 15K) The characters (particularly Louis) are pretty OOC, but god this fic is gorgeous. After I read it I just sat there not knowing what to do with myself. It’s sad and hopeful and just gorgeously written. Diner Worker Harry

Wild and Unruly by 100percentsassy, gloria_andrews / @gloriaandrews (E, 124K) One of the OG classics in this fandom. If you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out. It’s just a great, original story. Plus, cowboy Harry, city boy Louis, bad guys to hate, nail biting drama, hot af sexual chemistry and smut, and a super satisfying ending. Rancher Harry.

————

You might also check my Military AU fic rec for jobs like soldiers, engineers etc.