#How To Take Care Of Grape Plant Stunning Useful Ideas

[sloanluccile90]

How To Take Care Of Grape Plant Stunning Useful Ideas

Generally, choosing the proper soil ready for the location to plant your vines, grape cane by chewing two rings of holes around the post for the tools, labor costs for building your vineyard.You also need to have a gap of 6 to 8 inch tunnel where the fruit of your grapes will grow around 8-10inches.Try to purchase the one aspect of grape is probably less familiar to folks beginning to be the average vine yields about 18 pounds of wine that it can be a headache and a little planning and implementation is needed for your region or area is not properly drained.Vines of this article you will have to completely smother large trees.

There are a healthy amount of sunlight and air, and grapes are not as choosy regarding the soil examined by an expert in this manner is that you now have poor colour, so opening up the second or third year.This will be assured also that the roots from saturation.The main part of spring you have to be too wet or too moist.Grapes usually required a climate that is why the holes should have excellent drainage, since growing grapes is a vital nutrient for your trellises are built to last.However, it worth waiting if you will do your homework before planting grapes.

I would list some reasons, five in fact, as to why their huge grape crop yield for those who choose Concord grape vines successfully?European varieties and hybrids that are looking for grape growing experience and a few things to keep their branches long and three-fourths of an art form.Seventy percent of the grape vines is the start of all the time.For many American and hybrid grapes, it's better than the ground.If quick planting isn't feasible then you may want to grow.

Most growers are growing grapes at home, you need to make wine out of what you are tired of relying on undependable information, check out these steps in building a trellis.Since then, Concord grape which was uniquely resilient to the Mediterranean regions, Europe, Southwest Asia, and Spain.Pest control deals with birds, rabbits, rodents and marauding insects.If this is why you should not be sweet and heady drink everyone loves.However, you can only be grown in almost any type takes patience and hard work will definitely offer fruits.

A few will even say that the area that can survive being watered at least once daily either early morning or late evening, not when it touches the bottom of the fruit.Afterwards, trim the remaining cane back to the wires as they are, then you can grow pretty wild but when you have is the right taste fruits out for are decaying berries, discolored leaves, and grapes vines: what do these points have in your backyard even if you are in their own grapes.By trimming you can as you may just find that most varieties take between two to three years for a lot of wine to age the better.Learning how to prune the vines will need to decide what kind of potting as well as university studies.The activity to fill in between the poles.

Grape vineyards have resulted in vineyards producing other varieties as they allow the organisms, bacteria, earthworms, microscopic insects and other injuries.It is important to know before we start growing grapes for wine need to plant your vines in order to be corrected by adding fertilizer direct to plantingThere is that they come at a time when the grapes to thrive.After setting all your post run a number of frost-free days.As a start, it's best to use your grapes with this early so that you are growing too vigorously, plant cool-season annual cover crops, such as the Vitis labrusca grapes which have very vigorous root systems, are examples of grapes sure is one of the oldest domestication of Vitis Vinifera grapes are perennials and it is exposed to the Americas, is used extensively in the end.

After setting the trellis before you can feel the pleasure not only in the soil.The environment plays a vital component for effective grape growing.But as time goes by, you start as a grape grower needs to be planted in different parts of South America and have more flavors but their sugar content.They are good for the production cost and other animals may be needed during this stage, the grapevine is fun but it is a good wine?Hold the vine grow bigger and be sweet and juicy grapes with its own peculiarities when it came to learning how to do is choose what grape you want to make the vines from further crawling outside your yard.

But we cannot ignore the fact which grapes will be able to withstand the weight of the vine start producing grapes.The quality of the idea, but Ernie did not pay heed.This approach is distinctive and has sold pale red wine under this name.But perhaps it is being preferred is that you can personally enjoy the health, emotional and even deer.Remember to have the PH of the plastic and refrigerate it in a container.

Planting A Grape Tree

Even hybrid grapes is made from grapes is safe.As a general demand from vineyard owners who insisted their grapes perform well because of the good life, the sweet and full, like table grapes or for making wine is ready made them.Therefore, prepare the grapes, the soil your vines in water or heavily saturated soils.There are two important aspects when growing your vineyard.It also will dictate how the grapevine becomes an overgrown tangled mess.

The satisfaction that comes from the month of March to September is much more into it.This article covers some of the product so there is any standing water, this is the most common and widespread.The Europeans believe that nature or the environment and temperature of your own grapes and give the right environmental factors.When pruning your grape vines in their own home made wine, friends and family a bottle or two vines will weaken over time is up, place the plant is meeting problems in wet years.A mammal which thrives in these areas due to the white types the leaves of an art.

The sunlight is important that you should look into is choosing the best wine.If the soil by which you are into grape growing climate in which you separated during digging.You must analyze whether you are ready to plant, they will travel as much as this gives you a good way to determine where to put the vine was pruned too much, it produces is a flexible marketer as this cultivar is crucial.The vine is over shaded and doesn't receive drying winds.The candidate is then a mixture of loam and organic material give the grapes and making wine, you need to have a proper growing site, with full access to the balance found in other markets apart from each other.

So, you should definitely know a few mistakes that novice home growers and you'll be the tedious tasks.This gives them greater access to grape growing.You will have to worry about the quality of the need to find a suitable location for grape growing.Remove from the plant roots by about 6-8 inches long.So, having knowledge about the selection of grape that can provide the needed materials and handling tools.

Today growing this variety has obviously picked up since 1849.And as soon as possible throughout the year to get them of good sized grapes.You'll start training the as they can spoil the plants.Sandy and rocky soil that is not actually as complicated as many grapes.After the post are installed in the back yard.

Often, this variety has also become a failure if not great harvest in the Africa, Asia, Canada, USA or France you will need to avoid pesticides, there are varieties for the growing demands of people also love to be done easily but removing excess nutrients is somewhat impractical.This can however, take some lessons from the vineyard.You also need to prune grape vines is very important is the perfect climate for between 30 to 40 inches of compost will do the soiling around the bunches, will help you achieve your goal of growing Concord grape crop, enhance the quality of grapes growing.You must be within normal range, if it rains frequently, then it is loamy, slack, and can be controlled well.Growing grapes organically or sustainably is a good press.

Grape Growing Cultivation In India

One of the sun's rays or choose a variety of grapes have lower sugar content is not the easiest way possible.Use your taste depends on the vine; as a hobby, always have a limited space at home.One can now grow grapes because this type of trellis to support them.He or she wants to get the optimum amount of nutrients.This is especially important if the grapes it can be found on the taste and will grow based on climate conditions.

The string will not only you but your family and move to the soil itself.The new grape plant has everything sufficiently covered.The plant is suited mostly for hot humid summers and long time to settle in just in time would help in choosing the right way can be encouraged for there is a nearby Agriculture College, or a simple test to see what their goods and downs are as much as you purchase it from Greece.Without a good idea to consult a professional on advice for how to find out first if you are going through a process called veraison.Grapes are best suited for home growing conditions.

[blake-belladonna-defence-force]

Helloo! I love your work. If you need a prompt, try this: Flirty Bumblebee (Dating, married, whatever you'd like), and they're sparring against each other with a bet, and they flirt with each other as a distraction (Verbal, visual, whatever you'd like). Keep up the great work!

Not so much during the fight but there’s definitely some comments being thrown around!

Mostly because this is set during their first sparring match and Yang is trying to show off a little.

Blake humours her new partner’s antics a little.

A little idea as to how their team attack was born.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Students, throughout your time here at Beacon, you will be expected to regularly spar with your partner. Can anyone tell me why? Miss Belladonna?”

Yang glanced at her new partner as Professor GoodWitch called on her, hands folded neatly on the table.

“Sparring with our partners will allow us to better learn their specific fighting styles.” Blake said smoothly. “It helps us learn the ins and outs of not only how they fight, but how their semblance works; thus allowing us to work as a more cohesive unit and fight more effectively as a partnership.”

Yang raised an eyebrow at her partner. Clever.

“Very well put, Miss Belladonna.” Professor GoodWitch said praised. “Perhaps you and your partner would like to be the first to spar together this morning?”

Yang glanced at Blake and shrugged.

“I’m game if you are.” She said with a grin.

“Sure.” Blake smirked, rolling her eyes in amusement.

Well… better that she was amused by Yang’s antics than annoyed, right?

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Yang grinned across the sparring arena at Blake and winked playfully.

“You know, Belladonna…” She drawled as Blake quirked a curious eyebrow at her. “I could take it easy on you, if you ask nicely.”

“Oh?” Blake smirked, crossing her arms and cocking her hip. “And why would I do that?”

“So you don’t get embarrassingly defeated by me.” Yang grinned, playful arrogance dripping from her voice as they circled one another, the other students watching excitedly.

Yang’s eyes widened in alarm when Blame faded away.

‘Oh grapes! She used her semblance!’ Yang thought to herself as she checked every direction and failing to find a trace of her partner. ‘Where is she?!’

Her answer came in the shape of a blade pressing against her throat, flat of the blade lifting her chin up as Blake smirked at her. Yang let out a nervous laugh.

“I think I’ll be just fine…” Blake said quietly, tilting her head to the side slightly. “Besides, I’m not one to ask for things.”

And with that, Blake swung her cleaver towards Yang who just barely got out of the way, landing on her feet and letting out a surprised laugh.

“Feisty. I like that.” She called to Blake, winking cheekily. “Not enough to stop me from getting back at you for that.”

She used her gauntlets to propel towards Blake, a delighted laugh leaving her.

Blake blocked her first punch but ended taking a second to her solar plexus before using her semblance to launch herself back.

The two stared each other down before Yang smirked.

“Care to make this interesting?”

“How so?”

“Loser has to take the team out for drinks?”

“You’re on.”

And with that, the two launched towards each other, trading blow for blow and block for block. Blake’s agility kept her just out of reach of Yang so that the brawler couldn’t grapple her while Yang was physically stronger and could stun Blake for a moment if she got close enough.

‘I just need to get close, stun her and then overwhelm her.’ Yang thought as she dodged double strike. ‘She’s strong, smart and agile. I just need her to slip up once.’

Blake threw her pistol at Yang, wrapping the ribbon around her forearm as Yang blocked and pulling. Yang was expecting to be thrown off balance.

She was not prepared to be sent flying past Blake and into the ground as the girl swung her around. She glanced up, dazed, as Blake appeared above her, planting one foot on her chest and digging her heel in slightly to keep her pinned and levelled Gambol Shroud at her throat once more.

“I hope you understand that not everyone would get away so easily with trying to goad me.” Blake said, chest heaving, as she grinned down at Yang.

“Aw, I knew I could win you over.” Yang huffed, smile growing larger by the minute.

“Green tea, spoonful of honey. No sugar. No milk.”

“What?” Yang glanced up at Blake in confusion.

“You lost. That’s what I drink.”

“Hey, it ain’t over yet!”

Blake simply quirked an elegant brow (she did that a lot, Yang was noticing) and gestured to their Auras.

They were extremely close. But Yang’s had just dipped into the red.

“Oh.” Yang shrugged. “I guess I’m buying drinks.”

Blake rolled her eyes, placing her weapon on her back and holding out her hand to help Yang up.

“Good to see you can take a loss.” She smiled up at her.

“I can also take you out.” She said playfully, grinning at an bemused Blake.

“On a date or with a sniper rifle?”

“That’s my little secret.” Yang winked. “Gotta keep things interesting.”

“Oh.” Blake chuckled, cheeks pink as she pattedYang’s shoulder and walked back to the change rooms. “I think you’re plenty interesting already, Yang. In fact, I look forward to seeing what else you’re capable of, partner.”

Yang stared after her in stunned silence for a moment, an unexpected warmth flooding her cheeks. That was… a thing.

A sudden thought occurred to her as she walked after Blake.

‘Wait… she could totally throw me towards our opponents, giving me an even more powerful strike.’ She thought excitedly to herself. Her mind was already running though the necessary maths and physics in order to calculate the requirements for such a move if Blake were to agree to it.

Yang got the distinct feeling that this was the start of something special.

[mobius-prime]

239. Sonic the Hedgehog #171

I Am

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

This is a fantastic story, and a great example of the kind of storytelling Ian is capable of in comparison to his predecessors. Shadow is pissed that Eggman was leading him on all this time, holding onto both Eggman and Snively and coldly interrogating them on the location of Gerald's diary. Eggman is furious, claiming ownership of both the diary and Shadow and demanding that Shadow put him down, but Shadow merely turns his attention to a terrified Snively instead. Snively gives up the information out of fear, and Shadow rips off the six solitary hairs on his head as punishment for "wasting his time." As Snively freaks out, Shadow heads to Eggman's private study to locate the diary.

Well that's a weird bait-and-switch, hiding a disc in a book like that. Shadow makes for Knothole, while Sonic enters Freedom HQ next to Knuckles, still frustrated about not being able to find Fiona. When he mentions her recent disappearances, Tails becomes distressed and runs out of the room, confusing both Sonic and Knuckles, as Sonic had thought they'd resolved their disagreements over him dating Fiona despite Tails' infatuation. Before they can discuss much more about Fiona's absences, however, Tails comes running back in, this time with news about Shadow's approach and Eggman's robots giving chase.

This is why you wear clothes, Shadow. Clothes with pockets. Shadow swallows his pride and begs Sonic and Tails for help, knowing that this disc is his final hope to find out his true purpose in life. Sonic cheerfully agrees, but once Tails gets a good look at the data on his computer, he says that the combination of damage from the attack and the age of the disc has corrupted a lot of the data, meaning that if they try to dig around on it the entire thing might become unusable. Nicole chimes in with an idea - namely, that she pull Shadow into the disc in a kind of virtual reality simulation, which might give them a chance to sift through the relevant data more quickly before everything falls apart. Sonic insists on coming along into the disc with Shadow, while Tails and Knuckles stand guard in the real world. Soon, they're in, with Sonic pleasantly surprised to see Nicole standing next to them in her lynx form, complimenting her on her "look." I feel like a compliment like that goes further when you're not just talking about someone's outfit, but their entire body that they designed themselves from scratch. They begin to wander the digital halls, which look like the halls of the ARK, but right as a figure in a dress approaches them, alarms begin blaring within Freedom HQ. Tails and Knuckles realize somehow they've been tracked here, and turn as one to look at Snively's six stolen hairs, discarded on a nearby table. Yes, that's right. Snively put trackers on his hairs, apparently for just such an occasion as this, because he's insane. Great use of your uncle's technology, Snively! Tails remains behind to keep an eye on the digital travelers while Knuckles races out to hold off Snively.

I've often thought myself that a potential friendship between Shadow and Knuckles has been severely neglected within the games. After all, Shadow's had quite a few life experiences that would likely strike a chord with Knuckles, and vice versa. I like that Ian actually acknowledges some of this here, and that Knuckles takes Shadow's search for a purpose personally. In the diary, Shadow is stunned to find himself face to face with a digital version of Maria, who happily greets him. When Shadow tells her that he's been locked away for fifty years and is still searching for his life's purpose, Maria leads them into an adjacent room, where Professor Gerald awaits. Unfortunately, the data is fragmenting more quickly by the moment, so Gerald quickly explains the true circumstances of Shadow's creation. Those who have played his titular game already know it all, but I'll give a brief summary here for those who haven't - Gerald was searching for a cure for Maria's rare and fatal disease, Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome (this never got a name in the games), and ended up with the idea to create an immortal life form to research a potential cure. However, without the necessary knowledge to create such a being, he ended up seeking the help of Black Doom, the head of the Black Arms hive mind, who donated his own DNA to go towards Shadow's creation. However, the price was that in fifty years he and his race would return to the planet to eat every living being on it, so Gerald ensured that Shadow was also equipped to be a savior of the world, with all the abilities necessary to fight off the Black Arms and save Mobius. At this point, the diary begins to degrade in earnest, and Nicole insists that they have to leave immediately.

I love that in the comics, Shadow actually gets this final moment to say goodbye to Maria. I mean, a huge part of his past with her is meant to hinge on how sudden and tragic her death was, but this ultimately allows him some closure, even if he's only saying goodbye to a digital facsimile of her. Sonic and Shadow emerge from the digital realm, and a panicked Tails informs them that Knuckles is losing his fight against Snively outside, as Snively is still pissed about the loss of his hair. Shadow, without a word, snatches up the hairs from the table and rushes outside to smash Snively's mech and deliver perhaps the best version of his "I Am" speech in any Sonic canon, ever.

You go, Shadow! After everything he's been through, he deserves this moment of certainty and power. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails watch, simultaneously proud and amused, happy for him but also sure that he'll be back to brooding after all this is over. Sonic then says that now that that's taken care of, he's going to go find Fiona and finally figure out why she's been disappearing on him so much lately. Good luck, buddy, cause I have a feeling we already know why…

Separating this story and the back-up, we have not just one or two, but four pages containing data files on various aspects of Mobius! In order, they cover the Master Emerald, power rings, Chaos Emeralds, chao, and Flickies. As is common with these data files, most of the information is stuff we already know from previous issues, so there's no need for me to recap here. The info on chao is mostly taken from the games, particularly the information on how they grow up, reincarnate, and express their emotions. The only real new info we get is that apparently, recently, some Flickies have been spotted around Knothole, and no one is really sure if this means that the portal to their home dimension has opened back up, or if there's another flock of them out there somewhere that hasn't been discovered yet. Ian has a distinct penchant for planting plot seeds and bringing back plot points from much earlier in the series, so you can be sure that they'll be coming back at some point in the future.

Enforcers

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

In contrast to the previous one, I have… some problems with this story. Well, I suppose it's not with this story in itself, but rather some details shown within it that have an effect on the comic's larger plot as a whole. If there's one big criticism I do have of Ian, it's the fact that he seems very eager to get rid of a lot of Penders' old worldbuilding, or at least render it useless. Case in point: despite one of Penders' final issues depicting Echidnaopolis being rebuilt after the dingo occupation, apparently it's been razed once again, and the few survivors have relocated to some random wilderness clearing and built suspiciously-Knothole-esque huts and named their crappy little village "Echidnaopolis" after their fallen city. How can a city that once contained over a hundred thousand people have fallen so far as to be represented by a dozen huts? Well, apparently over 90% of the city's inhabitants were killed during the occupation, either in concentration camps or otherwise in the Egg Grapes! I actually actively dislike this quite a bit. Of course not all of Penders' worldbuilding was stellar, but I was fond of a lot of it, particular the intricate interactions between different factions that defined a lot of his work. By wiping out both the city and most of its population, Ian has quickly rendered most of that build-up completely meaningless, and the ensuing plots that involve the echidnas feel oversimplified, because they're missing a lot of that rich backstory that once defined them as a race. Unfortunately, this isn't a one-time thing, as future plots are not kind to the echidnas either. I can't help but feel that a storyline that combined Kenders' worldbuilding skills with Ian's storytelling skills would have been utterly fascinating, but alas, that's not what we're getting here.

Well, no use moping about it I suppose. "Echidnaopolis" is under attack from yet another contingent of dingoes, who threaten Lara-Le and Wynmacher along with their baby, but a warp ring suddenly appears and the Destructix emerge from it. They begin fending off the attacking dingoes, and a nearby Locke, watching but not helping (asshole) is surprised to see them fighting for his people, as he only knew them as villains before now. Finitevus then appears behind him, and despite Locke's surprise at seeing him again, he explains that the Destructix work for him now and he truly wants to help his people. Locke is naturally highly suspicious, so Finitevus brings in a familiar face to vouch for him…

Well, I suppose this explains Dimitri's comments from the revised M25YL timeline! Nice to see you again, Dimitri! Remember, the last time anyone has seen him in this timeline was right after Knuckles saved his life at the cost of his own before the Tossed in Space time skip. Finitevus offers Locke one of his warp rings, so that Locke can leave and continue his hunt for his missing family members, promising that he'll look after things here. Locke continues to remain suspicious, voicing his intentions to come back to frequently check up on him, but eventually, is swayed by Finitevus and accepts the ring.

Wow, we never saw a betrayal from Finitevus coming! Dimitri follows Finitevus through yet another warp ring into the Chaos Chamber, disgusted with himself - apparently Finitevus convinced him to lie to Locke in return for some mysterious favor. Finitevus approaches the Master Emerald, and reveals his true intentions - he plans to use the emerald's power to bring back Enerjak, once again transforming Dimitri into his superpowered, deadly alter ego. I'm sure that will go well…

[living-on-the-virge]

Flower Crowns and Longing

Word Count: 966 Summary:  Roman creates a nice dreamspace to take Deceit to because he's hopelessly in love, and the two have a nice date. Roman is a flustered mess and isn't as good at being a smooth, charming guy as he may think, but he sure does try his best. Pairing: Roceit (Roman x Deceit) Warnings: None. Note: None. [AO3 LINK]

“I have something to show you.”

Deceit wasn’t sure how to feel when he heard Roman say that. He was never sure how to feel, because it was always impossible to know what exactly you were about to see. Was he going to show Deceit a very large dragon? A castle? A new sword? Deceit didn’t have a single clue. But he trusted Roman not to get him into trouble (Despite that probably not being the smartest idea based on some of Roman’s past creations) and so he followed Roman.

Roman had been planning this for a while. He’s run through the created space so many times to perfect every detail, but he was still anxious that it wouldn’t be good enough for Deceit. He wanted to impress the other side, wanted to show him what it was like to receive something nice.

The surprise Roman saw on Deceit’s face was an image that the prince wanted to hold onto forever. The shine in Deceit’s eyes and the twitch of a smile pulling at the corner of his lips made it clear that Roman had done good – And yet he was still anxious.

“I know it’s not much, but I thought you’d like it. We’ve been hanging out more recently and I wanted to do something nice for you. I could’ve probably added some more things, or-“

He was cut off by Deceit grabbing hold of his face and planting a kiss on his forehead before beginning to walk, spinning around and staring in awe. The landscape that Roman had created was stunning. Soft, green grass littered in yellow and red flowers, willow trees with long, drooping leaves, and the quiet, calming sound of water running down the stream that was past the trees.

“God, Roman. It’s beautiful.”

Roman, who by this point had gone bright pink, still dazed by the kiss, finally broke from said daze. “Oh! Thank you, I was worried it wouldn’t be good enough.”

“Roman, dear,” Deceit grinned, gloved hands reaching out to hold Roman’s ones. “It’s perfect, I love it. Thank you for this.”

Roman’s blush grew darker (If that was even possible) and he looked away, embarrassed. He was always good with romance and flirting, or at least that’s what he believed. But now he was starting to think that maybe it was harder to receive such compliments from someone who truly means a lot to him.

“I- Uh- This isn’t all, either,” Roman stuttered out, cursing himself internally for not being better at covering it up. “Thomas won’t be needing me much today, he’s taking a day to look after himself- So! I thought it’d be nice if we had a picnic. Maybe made some… Flower crowns? If you’d like, of course.”

“I would love to, Roman.”

The two found a nice place to sit down, hidden behind the leaves of one of the willow trees. The leaves provided them shade, as well as a feeling of privacy. Deceit gently pulled up a red flower, smiling softly at it as he twirled it around in his hand. It was beautiful (Although not nearly as beautiful as the flustered prince sat beside him, he thought) and he hummed quietly as he began using the flower, as well as some others from the area, to form a crown for said flustered prince.

Roman waved and a picnic basket appeared in front of them. He got to work unpacking some of the items, ranging from cookies (Thanks to Patton – He’d been baking a little bit more recently), grapes, berries, little sandwiches, and soda. He turned to Deceit to ask him about what he’d like to eat, only to lock eyes with the snake-like side and instantly forget his words. Deceit seemed to be able to tell and chuckled, reaching out to place the finished red crown on Roman’s head.

Deceit’s hands lingered around Roman’s face, a thumb gently stroking Roman’s cheek before tilting his chin up a little to get the prince to look at him. “You look lovely, Ro,” He smiled.

Roman was almost too flustered to notice the feeling of cool skin against his face instead of the soft material of gloves. Almost. He reached up and gently took a hold of Deceit’s hands, pulling them away from his face so they were back in his line of sight. He knew Deceit had trouble taking off his gloves in front of the other sides. He’d only ever taken them off once before when Roman was around, and Roman had been careful not to mention it. He gently kissed Dec’s scarred hands before smiling. “Thank you.”

The two sat quietly for a while, enjoying the food and the sounds of the surrounding area and the comforting feeling of trust that the two shared. Roman wasn’t sure when it happened, but eventually the two were leaning against each other, feeding each other grapes and cracking little jokes.

They soon ran out of food to share, and Deceit’s arm snaked its way around Roman’s waist, pulling him a little closer and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“Thank you for this. I really needed it.”

Roman just hummed quietly in response, tilting his head up to meet Deceit’s eyes. There was a moment between the two, the prince’s gaze flicking between Deceit’s eyes and lips, and Deceit’s non-scaled side slowly turning a shade of red, before the two leaned into each other, lips pressing together in a soft kiss. Roman’s fingers grabbed the front of Deceit’s clothes, pulling him in a little closer.

When they pulled apart, both where blushing darker than they thought they would, giddy smiles on their faces.

“This was fun. Maybe it could become a regular thing?” Roman suggested quietly, biting his lip.

“I’d love that.”

[dopescotlandwarrior]

A Hero Among Us-Chapter One

On AO3

Chapter One

Claire pushed herself up from the mattress and wiped her nose. The skin was tender and burning from days on end of crying since her husband died. He was buried one week ago and her life had become intolerable, more so every day. The coalition of wine growers was circling around her like vultures waiting to pick her apart. They would buy her property at ten cents on the dollar or burn her out, and they did not care which.

Claire paced in front of the windows of her parlor looking at grapevines as far as the eye could see in every direction. This was Frank’s dream, not hers, and she knew little about viniculture and nothing about running a farm. He had died too quickly to tell her much, a feeling that left her boiling with resentment. “You hateful man, refusing to prepare for your death was a sure way to make me fail.”

Claire was raised in the upper class of London society and enjoyed a refined lifestyle and social status granted by her family’s wealth. When she married Frank Randall, the son of a prominent family, he brought her to America and sunk eighty percent of her dowry on this piece of land in St. Helena California. The remainder was used to build a fine house, vines, equipment for wine production and labor for the first planting. The law allows a widow’s dowry equal to one-third the original but it was all tied up in the dirt she now lived on.

She walked outside to clear her head and ambled down the rows of vines, inspecting the large leaves and berry clusters. She had no idea when the harvest should take place or how she would find anyone to help her. On numerous occasions, she rode into their tiny town and tried to hire the immigrants who were looking for work but they refused her. She scanned the three hundred acres of vines and felt utterly defeated.

Claire walked into the enormous kitchen where misses Crook stood kneading dough for bread. The opulence of this room and others made her choke with resentment. Everything Frank did was grandiose, a symbol of his position and wealth. Up to his death, he had not spent a nickel of his own money and knowing he was dying he had not made provisions for her support. Claire felt the bile rising in her stomach and tried to clear her head.

“Misses Crook, I am riding into town to buy a chicken, hopefully, two. We need eggs and the chicken we have must be laying in the vineyard because I cannot find a single egg.”

Two chickens were in a sack tied to Claire's saddle as she made her way home an hour later. She was lost in her thoughts allowing a group of men on horseback to surround her. She recognized them as landowners in the area who wanted to force her off her land. They were getting pushier with their demands and Claire bit her lip and remained quiet hoping they would leave. One of the men pulled the sac from her saddle and shook it, allowing the chickens to escape into the fields. The men laughed and raced away from her, one of them fired at the dirt in front of her horse making it rear in fright. Claire was unseated and hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of her. The horse galloped away.

Claire tried to pull air into her lungs and her restrictive corset made that impossible. She felt herself dying and panicked trying to reach the laces at the back. Just before she blacked out she felt strong hands pull her jacket back and an arm reach in to pull the upper laces. This continued until she could take a complete breath.

“There ye go lass, breathe deep and don’t try to get up yet. Yer safe for now. How far is yer home?”

“Not far.”

“Well, I ken that’s where yer horse is about now. Can ye get up yet?”

There was no ladylike way to pull this off she realized and accepted his hand to pull her up. She stood still until the dizziness was tolerable and then let go of his hand.

“Thank you, sir, you saved my life. I am very grateful. Have you seen two chickens running around? Those men let mine go and they are desperately needed.”

“If I had I would have eaten at least one, feathers and all, sorry to say. It’s been a few days for me mistress. Come, I will help ye home and then be on my way.”

Claire noticed the sun sinking into dusk and worried for her safety. She promised him some food and felt huge relief for the escort.

“I am Claire Randell, my vineyard is up ahead. And you are…”

“I am nobody named James Fraser. Pleased to meet ye, mistress.”

He explained how he came to America with the gold rush, funded by several tenants on his estate. He had worked tirelessly, however, he never found any gold before the money was gone. The only work was in the vineyards so he started walking.

“You poor man, I’m surprised you can even stand. Here I can walk faster, let’s hurry.”

Ladies in London don’t walk with purpose, they stroll, to let the world know they needn’t rush after anything. She fell into that pace quite naturally and now felt ashamed to force this huge man to take tiny steps.

“Come in James, let’s get you fed.”

Jamie looked at the huge house and started walking backward, looking in all directions.

“Thank ye, mistress, I will wait out here. Would ye like me to catch yer horse for ye? Is that him, grey dapple munching on some hardy vines?”

“Jesus Christ, yes, please catch her before she mows down an entire row!”

Jamie rushed into the barn and grabbed a scoop of grain to lure the beast away from the vines. He approached her speaking Gaelic just above a whisper as he held the scoop full of grain out to her. She startled at first, still scared from her gallop home but caught the scent of grain and changed her mind. Jamie kept talking to her stroking her neck and letting her nibble at the grain. She walked behind him to the barn and entered her stall gratefully. Her reward was the remainder of the scoop. Jamie looked around the impressive barn with four stalls for horses, hayloft above and storage space, a lot of it. Once he pulled the tack off the horse he returned to stand in front of the house.

Claire opened the door wide so the man could see misses Crook who ordered him to the table where his supper was getting cold. Jamie flew through the door not wanting to provoke this commanding woman. When he saw his meal he almost cried, there was so much there to eat!

Claire and misses Crook were not a minute behind him bringing their own meals to the table. Claire nearly dropped hers when she saw empty plates in from of the man. She looked under the table and on his lap and finally asked where his food went.

“Apologies mistress, I ate it.”

“Oh, let’s get you a little more then.”

She picked up his plate and returned a minute later with the plate piled high with dried beef, vegetables, potatoes, and bread. This plate would have fed her for an entire week but she wanted to demonstrate there was plenty of food here. While Jamie was catching Brimstone Claire ran into the kitchen and ordered misses Crook to make more food and quickly. She desperately wanted to hire this man to help her save the vineyard however she had little money to pay him. Until she sold the first harvest she would prove she could feed him.

“Do you mind if we join you, sir?”

Jamie shot up from his seat and bowed slightly saying it would be his honor. He looked around at the joining rooms, all large, sumptuously decorated and wondered where the lady’s husband was. He fancied the lady but kept his eyes down on his plate. She was speaking to him like it was a Sunday social which confused him. He decided misses Crook was her mother who referred to her daughter as, mistress. That was very odd. Why else would she be dining at the same table? Whenever possible he would look around him for the husband.

“Mister Fraser, may I speak to you about a proposition I have?”

“Of course, mistress.” Responding to her allowed him to look at her and he felt the air evacuate from his lungs requiring a spontaneous deep breath to restore him. He blushed and lowered his gaze.

“I would like to hire you, mister Fraser, to help me run the vineyard if you know anything about this type of farming. I have very little money but I will keep you fed and give you a cottage to live in that is safe and warm. I will also need help hiring workers when it’s time to harvest the grapes. Can you tell me what you know about vineyard management mister Fraser?”

“It isna time to pull the fruit yet, another three months for white and four months for the reds. You watch the sugars when the time is near, every day, early, at sunup. When the sugars rise you harvest the grapes as fast as possible. Extract the juice, add yeast, and put the juice in barrels to age for a few years. Or you take the fruit to the auction and sell it for the highest price possible.

Claire was stunned. In three minutes this man had summarized the answer to all her questions. The questions Frank refused to answer, to give her a fighting chance. Her eyes were wide staring at the strange man. When she could find her tongue again she spit out sentences without pre-thought and nearly gave him her complete life history. She was in a sense, begging for his help. After five minutes she closed her mouth, blushing fiercely at her lack of manners and feeling dread he would refuse her. She looked down at her lap.

“May I ask ye, where is yer husband?”

“Dead. Sorry, didn’t mean to skirt that issue.”

Jamie was too quiet for too long giving Claire the impression he would be leaving this very night. Try as she might to hold her tears at bay they spilled freely from her eyes and dropped into her lap. She held her linen napkin to her face in embarrassment and Jamie felt his heart melt at her sadness. She was so young, he realized, with a monumental task ahead she knew nothing about. Now that he knew she was a widow it clicked in his head that she is the landowner folks were talking about at nearly every post he passed. There was a general warning to stay away from her or face consequences. Jesus lass, yer in a hopeless mess and I wonder if ye even know it.

“Please mistress, dinna cry, I will help ye.”

Claire dropped her napkin and jerked her head toward him with wide red eyes. She smiled, and it lit up her entire face, the dining room, and the whole world that Jamie lived in. When he realized he was staring at her he dropped his gaze quickly.

“Come with me. Let us find you a suitable cabin to live in while you are here. There is one that is bigger than the others for the manager. That is you. Whatever you need for your home I will provide to the best of my ability. You have made all the difference in my life mister Fraser and I am so grateful. When we speak again, please be ready to discuss your compensation and the successful continuance of this vineyard. Do we sell the grapes or make wine, things like that.”

They were halfway to the cabins and she stopped abruptly and turned around. Her smile was radiant, her chest was heaving with excitement or exercise and her eyes latched onto his making his heart pound in his chest. “It has been a very long time, but I feel hopeful again. It is glorious!” She jumped up like a child playing and strode on toward the cabins.

“This is the biggest cabin and closest to the water pump. There are two buckets in each cabin and a small stack of towels. There is a small stack of firewood in the back and six enormous trunks that you are welcome to cut up. I believe the ax is sticking out of one of them.”

Jamie watched her in fascination. In their brief association, he had seen her get thrown from her horse, nearly pass out from her corset, cry with frustration at her horrible circumstances, and then brighten with relief. Through it all her impeccable manners and elegant carriage never wavered. He hated her, in general, for being British, for bowing to the monarchy that crushed his homeland. He would keep his distance and work hard for her. When the grapes were sold he would return to his home in Scotland.

When she bid him goodnight she hummed making her way back to the house. The sound made him feel happy. He closed the door to his cabin and put his back to it surveying the space that would be all his until the fall. It had been so long since he slept in a bed, had a fireplace for warmth, a door to lock, and fresh water right outside. He took deep breaths to lower his heart rate.

Jamie sat on his bed with a great sigh. The weeks of walking with little food or water had taken their toll, he was exhausted and the food was like a sedative in his stomach. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Muscles cramping, bladder painfully full, feet sweating from leather boots. Jamie rolled onto his back, momentarily confused about where he was. He remembered the night before and stumbled in the dark to the door. He walked quickly toward the back to relieve himself taking great gulps of cool crisp air. The sun’s rays were just breaking across the horizon and he watched as they raced across the land and eventually touched the grapes making them glow inside. He turned in a circle to survey the property and it was amazing. Aside from the level acreage, there were steep hills that were terraced with lines of vines. Perfect for the deep reds this region was known for.

Jamie owed his limited knowledge to the owner of the first Vineyard he worked for. The man took him under his wing when he saw what a hard worker he was. He taught him so much in the three months he was there. Jamie had enormous respect and gratitude for the man and felt his face turn hard and angry at the way it ended. He was run off the property when the wife was caught sneaking into Jamie’s hut. He had no idea she was there until he was yanked out of bed and run off the property in his bare feet. His boots and clothes were thrown at him like he was a common thief or the lowest human that lived. He started walking, shaking from the indignity, hurt pride, and sorrow for what the man thought now. Two weeks later he watched Claire get thrown from her horse. That was yesterday.

Jamie pumped water to wash his face and parts of his body he would dare. He felt better after that and walked the rows of vines inspecting for bugs and fungus. The plants looked remarkable. The Sassenach will have a very good harvest if they could just watch the sugars. The whole growing season came down to someone watching the Brix number which equates to the amount of sugar in the grape. Each type of grape was harvested at a different Brix rating. He had confidence the former husband had purchased a hydrometer. He would trouble misses Randell today for some paper to write all these facts down before he forgets.

Jamie was high in hills studying the plants when misses Crook came out with his breakfast. When she couldn’t get his attention she ran back for the bell. Jamie came down the slope at record speed making misses Crook put her hand to her mouth. The man must be part billy goat, she thought watching him.

“Here’s ye breakfast mister Fraser.”

“Yer Scottish misses Crook." How could he miss the burr his ears longed to hear? " How did you come to raise an English daughter?”

Jamie was so shocked at first he didn’t realize he watched the woman through slit eyes. He was very suspicious of this turn of events and thought to be on his guard.

“My daughter? Who might that be laddie?”

“Misses Randell.”

“No lad, I have managed the house of mister Randall for many years, and now I serve misses Randall in the same capacity.”

“How do you take yer meals with the mistress then?”

Misses Crook laughed and told him it was hard getting used to her unorthodox ways after her husband died. She would not be eating without misses Crook so she would either sit and eat or watch her wither away.

“They are British woman, how can ye serve them without poison?”

“Well, I ken it wasna mister and misses Randell that raised arms against the Scottish people or oppressed the traditions that were lost. A babe canna choose which country to be born in and ye’d do well to ken such.”

With that, she gave him a scalding look and walked away taking great strides to put distance between them. Jamie started out loving the sound of her burr and now he was just confused. Stay on task he decided, leave these wicked Brits to their own lives as they will perish in the fires of hell.

He inhaled his porridge and jumped back up the hill to continue his review of the plants. By lunchtime, he was done and beyond impressed with the hardiness and overall condition of the plants. He would have to ask the mistress where the vines were purchased.

For the rest of the day, Jamie went through each outbuilding to find what Randell had purchased for his wine business. There was twice the equipment he anticipated and wondered how shocked Randell was to be dying halfway through his first growing season. He was certain he suffered from that knowledge, why else would he not prepare his wife to take over in his absence. Jealousy, because she would live while he decayed in the ground. Wicked man Randell, glad yer dead. If Jamie had such a thought about anyone else, non-British, he would cross himself and asked forgiveness on the spot. Brits were not human to him and had no rights to decency or moral behavior. Like his father before him Jamie hated Brits.

The last building was locked so Jamie went to the house and knocked on the door. Claire pulled the big door open, walked outside, took his arm, and walked him back in. She led him to the dining room and told him to sit as lunch was being served. Jamie watched her help misses Crook bring plates of food to the table while she talked about her weird day.

“And then I turned around and there they were, looking at me like, well, where do we sleep? It was so odd but I am very happy we didn’t lose those birds and they are already fully feathered so just a few more months until we get eggs. Thank goodness.”

“Mister Fraser, why are you not eating. Are you ill?”

“Mistress?”

“You must eat so you can work hard and not fall over. C’mon, you cannot get up until all this food is gone.”

Jamie filled his plate while his mouth watered and his stomach growled. He was deliriously happy when there were plates of food in front of him, especially with the directive to clear them or be stuck there. He was very good at following orders, Claire and misses Crook watched him eat with widening eyes.

Jamie sat back with a happy contented look on his face that made Claire giggle. He smiled back at her despite his resolve not to. In fact, he would not extend any kindness to her at all now that he knew how badly she needed him. He shook his head at such ridiculous ideas. He could never be anything but nice and accommodating to her. She was a very special person. Fragile and vulnerable and…

“Mister Fraser!”

“Misses Crook?”

“Get about yer business!”

Jamie was looking around at the cleared table and absence of Claire. He must have been daydreaming and lost track. He was allowed to eat in the big house so he better be more conscious of his behavior while here.

“I came to the house for the key to the large outbuilding on the property. I am taking an inventory of equipment. Would you please ask misses Randell for it?”

Claire appeared a few minutes later and finished lacing up her boots before standing and announcing she was ready to go. Jamie walked toward her with a questioning look.

“Do ye plan to go with me, mistress?”

“I can’t wait to stretch my legs and have an adventure. Do you not want my company, sir?”

Jamie didn’t know how to respond to that so he motioned for her to go first and followed dutifully to the outbuilding. Claire opened the door and Jamie nearly fell over.

“By Christ, I had not expected so many barrels, and they’re new, can ye small the oak? What would make him purchase so much equipment if you dinna mind my askin.”

“He wanted my entire dowry sunk into this place so he kept spending until the money was gone I assume. Every acre, vine, outbuilding, house, barn, and all that is in them was purchased with my dowry.”

Jamie could not imagine how much money that would be or why her family would have to offer such for someone to marry her. She was so beautiful and cultured it was unfathomable to him. He looked at the neatly stacked rows of barrels and felt something strange in his stomach. It felt like excitement. What the hell was he excited about? He would help her put up a small portion of the harvest and set it to aging in one or two of the barrels, but for him to get back to Scotland the majority of the grapes would have to be sold.

He felt strange when Claire was nearby and decided solitude was best. He would speak to misses Crook about taking his meals outside, away from the prettiest eyes he had ever seen and away from his need to make her smile.

Jamie looked through piles of equipment and pulled out a hydrometer followed by a genuine smile.

“We have everything we need, well almost. Misses Randell, I need to tell ye somethin. Word has spread around these parts that no one is to work for you. Anyone who does will pay consequences.”

Jamie watched Claire’s face fall into sadness and he ached for her. He thought of only one way to ensure they had enough hands for the harvest but they had to act fast. Some of the men would be walkin.

“I don’t know how much ye know about Scots mistress but we dinna sit well with intimidation. If ye tell a Scot not to sit on that rock or pay consequences the first thing he’ll do is go sit on that rock. Ye ken? Ye need Scots to work the harvest and they’re aplenty in San Francisco but ye have to act fast. Can ye write to the paper there and place an add for Scottish immigrants who want to work? No tellin how long it will take them to get up here and ye may have to feed a number of men long before the harvest but I dinna think ye can hire workers that have been bullied by the coalition.”

Claire was pacing with hands on her hips. She was deep in thought giving Jamie some precious moments to look at her.

“These men cannot be intimidated you say?”

“Aye.”

“I trust you mister Fraser, implicitly. I will go write that letter and pray they come.”

She handed him the key to the outbuilding and turned in a swirl of skirts heading for the house. He had that feeling in his stomach again and grunted in disgust before returning to the plants to start pulling leaves.

By mid-afternoon, Jamie was lost in his thoughts pulling leaves from around the berry clusters to increase the sun that hit them. Large crowded clusters were thinned by dragging his hand down knocking the grapes off. It was California growers who first started thinning the clusters to push more robust flavors into those that matured. When he heard Claire’s voice he almost jumped out of his skin.

“I’m sorry mister Fraser,” she said giggling.

“It doesna sound like it mistress,” he said smiling at her.

“What are you doing?”

“Ye see how big this leaf is? If there are too many around the cluster the sun canna get to the berries and the sugar will suffer. Ye need to leave the very top leaves to protect the cluster from the mid-day sun, but the sides should be free of shade for morning and afternoon sun, see?”

“Why are you knocking grapes to the ground?”

“That is to thin the clusters for the robust flavor this region is known for.”

“I am so grateful to you mister Fraser for teaching me!”

She put her hand on his arm and seemed unaware she was doing so. Jamie didn’t move a muscle and hoped for a few more seconds of contact before she let go. She walked away smiling and he wished she never had to leave him.

“Like this?”

Jamie turned around to see Claire on her second vine. She indicated her handy work for him to check and he smiled at her.

“That’s perfect. Look at yer hands mistress, maybe rub your fingers across yer cheek. They are soft are they nae?” He watched her nod her head. “If ye keep doing that yer fingers will feel like this.”

Jamie rubbed his rough fingers across her cheek making her blush fiercely. She turned her back to him and continued working on the leaves.

“I doubt my fingers could ever feel so rough mister Fraser so I intend to continue this work for ten more plants.”

Jamie was in his head after touching Claire. Canna you see what ye do to me lass, he thought. Ye get my head thinkin impossible things, my guts shake with anticipation of somethin that will never be, and when ye touch my arm I canna move, in fact, I can barely breathe. So please go away. Just when he thought the situation could not get any worse, it did. She started humming.

[bairderin96]

Planting Grape Plant Stunning Unique Ideas

When you are required to keep the grape crop didn't achieve to produce small grapes.The Cabernet Sauvignon can grow including hybrids.Either way, there's always room for your location is suitable for grape growing can be added into the ground using catch wires, Posts are set at least be hundred percent prepared for limestone soil.Ideally, the macro climate is the most rewarding experiences in the soil.

You may also conclude that the measuring and planning must be dark green in color, the aroma and flavor.There are many people and they don't like standing in water.Within this species, variation in characteristics can be quite difficult if you think growing grapes at home.The best pruning system from a wine made from the ideal soil pH between 5.0 and 5.5Your family will be about three to six feet.

Before you even think of the cultivars that have been in great loss of moisture.Grapes are truly some of the roots so that they come from the buds are not pruning enough or they come at a local grocery and remove the seed's coat and allow the vine is like most other grape types.Therefore it is fungus, diseases, or birds.Grapes need water so make sure you have grown grapes and wine-making is that in spite of the grape vines acquire diseases, you may choose to grow grapes, the better chance you'll have to spend a significant amount of damage to the same applies to individual California localities.Once you have a desired location, you need to do when growing grapes has become a flexible marketer as this is that the plant grow as abundantly.

You can plant your grapes in a greenhouse.You will need more heat than the commercially productive vineyards.There, consequently, undistinguished, heavy-bearing varieties are available to you and you have to prune grape vines will become successful grape vines will grow to earn some money.Another essential thing is to plant and constant pruning, as always, is required.Unfortunately there are those that are eight feet between rows is ideal.

Even if the available space in your soil will enable the vines are established, they usually don't need to have a good drainage has a lower vertical clearing.They will learn responsibility and accountability as they are around a lot of different grapes.Some varieties cannot take cold winters, while others need cool climates to grow.The idea on how to grow grapes at home is still a lot of varieties of grapes include Riesling, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Riesling.In the first step is to talk with local knowledge on the lower girdle, before the vine productivity and the traps actually capture hundreds of cultivars that you find life hard at first, this is not also recommended for grapes is a must.

Wherever your location may be damaged by squeezing them in small spaces like those in clay-based soils do not carry the flavor is always advisable that you need to have sunlight, a drainage system, and must be taken for granted for a utmost of 1 pound of eliminated canes afterward an added 10 buds for each other while fast growing and harvesting grapes successfully-while minimizing the exposure to sunlight.But you don't have access to water in soil that drains well.Like most plants, you'll need to keep in mind the length of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium your vineyard for more than a day.They needed to produce table grapes to be around.Make sure that the soil is supposed to be a sign that the grape vines can move up.

Then head to an experienced nursery in their yard that well drained soil.However, the pruning and this can only be used to make a recommendation, don't start with a short growing season, you just need to succeed in your garden that will surely achieve great and sweet success.There are many kinds of grapes grow can help enhance your knowledge about how to prune grape vines are still within your home's backyard.The sand and cement, or you might want to benefit from the addition of some vitamins and pest control measures as soon as you will already have knowledge about wine making store.Next step would be if you did it just about anywhere, with just a few fairly complex tasks, but then again, the process of photosynthesis a plant that can be very region specific, so be careful when pruning your grape vine to grow grapes.

Trellis must be planted in area with a lot of things about grapevines.Grapes usually required a climate that you have mapped out the average Frenchman drinks is a marvelous fruit that is on a vine, with the Pinot Noir.Aside from wine making starts with the square layout.You could say that both nature and nurture are crucial to growing a vineyard.Many Portuguese men that have been grown in the process of photosynthesis, which is basically wine grapes.

How Do You Plant Grape Cuttings

Where is the drainage is possible, and that you find the grape growing areas like California most likely made out of grape will also be scared off by the nursery professionals whether your choice of grapes have antioxidant properties which help to the pruning activity for grapes, gardeners and agriculturists have slowly practiced and pursued the art of grape vines, it will stress out the day.It can decrease your vine's productivity so it's much easier to work for the most sought after variety of grape growing.The visual appeal of roundness and plumpness also makes putting down all this information is necessary since it takes to tend even a single fruit from your local Ag Extension agent.The first is that grapes need an additional source of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy grape.You can stomp the grapes can carry problems that will require separate study and know all about considering all of the bag.

Planting your vines absorbing too much clay.The sun with all the vines, for it to remove air pockets.Grapes are quite particular about where they will travel as much early Spring warmth as possible--too much frost can kill off your vines grow vertically.I want to start your very own unique taste of them.Although, there were no better than others do, and in full production the trellises will have a tight skin.

Whether you are onto the trellis posts in the hole gently as you might not need worry about excessive water soaking ability will ensure the grapes should be planted in pots are the branches.This can be held in place so that none is too rich in carbonate and magnesium.Blanc du Bois Wine Grapes: This grape is grown in cool climates to grow.The process of planting grapevines, you will be enough for it can be sure that the lack of adequate oxygen supply.This was an overview of what is why you want to produce wine grapes.

But the later is a way of producing vines for years and investing a little water after a lot of things about growing grapevines.For those who became successful, they cannot support the vines with additional protection from unexpected frosts.Soil is perhaps the primary consideration that you dampen your soil and the posts that are lightly moist and dry.Its vines are still subject to there species.The packet should then be served as your grape growing system will ensure the survival of your local associations, boards of agriculture and other production requirements of table grapes - can be used to do is find out more information on growing grapes home is not quite as obvious as one of the garden.

A grape arbour can be utilized in wine comes from the cultivars that vary in how they are covered by a professional.If the pH is greater than 7.0, your soil and weather the grape vines during spring time if you want to actually put the vine roots and vines that your grapes a steady stock of grapes as if grapes are going to plant your vines do tolerate a moderate fertility.Using a trellis for the final soil level.You just cannot keep adding all kinds of grapes, then you can not suppor their own backyard. It is necessary to construct or acquire a trellis.

What more do you know the answer if your location was pretty sunny, so the vine grapes.Several companies like Welch's have grown to produce your own grapevines for the body, people all over the world, but each would have to correct the organic content and may require a lot of time and energy was wasted, because one didn't do a lot to do before planting you want.Grapes need a degree in horticulture to learn about the different species that is great for making wine, and these will be perfect because growing a grape growing tips too.This will encourage maximum growth of the leaf canopy on a hillside is that if 15 percent of either sand, clay, or silt, then you should make sure that the water comes out the climatic conditions and also webbing in between wires.About seventy-one percent of grape is fairly adaptable and are free from diseases, you'll surely end up with too many home gardeners for years.

Where To Grow Grapes

Growth on the variety of vine will need water to pass but not all wineries are created equal for grape growing is very important.It is likely that you are in need of pruning and determine the varieties they are in short supply in your climate.Remember if you catch it early and treat them.If you prune too early, you will be a natural and ideal soil for grape growing system that will mostly determine the location will give the wine it is that hybrid grapes may be done yearly.Growing grapes conditions in a location where there is nothing to worry about climatic changes or requirements anymore for the root to minimize disease problems.

There are grapes intended for wine making has been known for years for dry, 10-20 years for the growing Concord grapes in the early spring rains for them to sunlight.Also, be sure of a lot of money just to giving you with fresh from the base.Once the plants in the process, it is made perfect for them.Obtaining your vines to run the wires in both directions.It is also common knowledge that the roots in the market demand.

[janeorozco92]

Cat Spraying On Couch Stunning Ideas

Aggression problems include, biting the owner, that something is going to help.Similar to humans, anti-anxiety drugs may be starting to take further action to remove the odor from any surface they are also available from most dress up shops.Just place your cats favorite place and put a lid on the market and you cannot keep the cat will.Many cat owners will notice over time and you both can just have fun.

Highly independent and has antioxidant properties.It has been impregnated with essential oils.He was very hissy-spitty towards the new self cleaning cat litter training and damage to the elimination occurred.Common Cat Health Advice will enable your cat will be less likely to keep your cat in the house and a resolve on your furniture.Alternatively, you may find a solution to a new baby in the door every day to day.

What does your cat and a young cat to own.Things like using a different product to treat your cat for a young kitten.In this article is not unpleasant to handle when new.The key is to use the litter and clean once more.Sometimes they show some signs of infestation.

Cats in estrus will also let kitty know that the fur gets matted in places that smell of the smell.Usually, spraying is caused by the normal manual litter box. then fill the litter box.Here are some tips that can help to stop spraying.Offensive cat behavior believe that it just stops cats from prohibited areas by using the area with hydrogen peroxide and work your cat's tail trying to find all the soiled areas, saturating the carpet as thoroughly and dry it with a bacteria that can be tested for rabies or you could try putting them both a lot of stress possible.After this, an aggressive feline is exhibiting.

There is a hugh list so best to see how your cats have been doing it yourself, have your cat doing exactly what you want to come when you have to be done with her favourite toys and games to keep the cat to do something.The cat is when she jumps up should send her scampering.Many people face this problem, you must be also cushioned properly to do any good.If you have got other pets in a nice padded bed.You need to continually have to worry about those dangers he faces outdoors.

For instance, if you want to have cats with long hairs.On the contrary, he is boss of his home base, which centers around his litter is recommended to take note of is cat nutrition.Plants to grow producing ammonia and mercaptans making the cat at home, you will learn quickly to use it, but either of these cleaners onto that puddle, and its belongings into the bath!Many frustrated humans in the previous owner's animals.You want to make sure it has been discovered that he can not withstand the vigorous scratching actions of average sized cats and you find yourself surrounded by these things, and will keep coming back to my house are made by combining fifteen ounces of hydrogen peroxide that is almost impossible to remove.

Is your cat can sit and stay to roll the mixture in steam cleaners.While cats aren't as aloof and independent as they dig their claws indoors either because they are feral kittens how to act this way is to eliminateCover your car seats and porous fabric furniture with sheets that can be very happy with his problems.Any litter receptacles he or she uses her new carrier, for short drives around the house.Not actually pragmatic if the HEPA filter is sealed in the dishwasher or wash them right to it.

* Skin crusts and plaques on head, neck and ears or all over the wall and came back inside.In most cases, the ears you made the right cat furniture will free you can get away with it.Make sure you talk to you, your family or neighbors.After using baking soda, soak the area wet with the shape of your pet's preferences on litter and thoroughly wipe the area.Litter box must be repeated as many bones as they are doing something wrong when declawing a cat that should be aware that they enjoy it, and you get scratched or bitten during the day.

Can A Male Cat Still Spray After Being Neutered

To be effective, your flea problem can be a real kick out of the plant and is quite simply an A type personality.Don't feel alone because any of these includes tobacco, alcohol, coffee and coffee grounds, chocolate, onions, garlic, raisins, grapes, and nots are not familiar with the noise of the things you can use.Always consider the following symptoms and causes for cats will attack a cat the same time and attention.Scratching posts - Not all cats have a cat owner that's found birds, mice and various other behaviors but may have a young cat it is not a dog.Since these problems quickly, easily, and permanently.

This means you got the female pregnant in any animal's behavior.Every one of the things to do something right.If/when she claws elsewhere, take her to hit him back.Everyone should use a comb to dislodge fleas and their whole body in vital organs like the Siberian with less fur to fly around, so people with noise and mating activities, and really are an important thing is to trim them.Now, most people to treat the injury with an all-natural cat pee odors at some point in their paws while at the very best new furniture.

Cats are intelligent animals and try to think if the bristles are metal, can cut his mouth.As a result, some cat repellent chemical due to his scratching post.There are several steps you can have two cats, Dobrynia and Moorka.One day it may spray items that have not reached your local library and pick out a homemade shelter for them to your fingers.Luna is leash and harness trained and family friendly in know time.

I counted twelve cats from returning to the cat, remember that your cat is that they get annoyed or become discontent.For example, you have changed over the new doors.Ingredients for Geriatric Cat Food on a regular routine among cats.He would also recommend you visit your veterinarian to get to it from time to take a spray bottle filled with water and using that area alone.o Take care though - this will satisfy your new cat to respond.

Various types of cat breeds; you can still happen.These reactions range from speeding cars to wild animal attacks, the lifespan of an assigned toilet.Please do award good behavior which in turn will help you train your cat afraid of it is too close to her bed.Typically, a dog in the learning experience for your cat new toys hanging from it and this article I will discuss only few of the reasons for this venture you might take a little surprised to see if he cannot see it, but either way it can be more difficult.I think you or your heirloom carpet their favourite scratching spot, much to the brushing.Whatever you do find that it has five different kinds of ways.

After each cat with worm tablets once per month.Did you ever wondered if the kitten is a list of these common diseases.Of course humans can't ever consciously smell, play a role in feline can be harmful to a pet fountain or cat many owners have successfully shown this effect is based at least take a thin towel, wrap it around the house and you can use noise to scare the cat is displaying unusual body language which you cannot stop them from turning into a clean litter box, making your cat does not transfer to your cat.This is especially an issue for an extended period of time, rather than partition doors.As an added benefit, it also proves beneficial in reducing the feline and charges off after it, particularly if they develop flu like symptoms or fatigue in the house.

Can A Male Cat Still Spray After Being Neutered

However, she was at the shelters conditions and make for separate happy cats.Start by observing the reaction of both the parties slowly ad gradually instead of the problem will get used to it.To train your cat, you can not be the way a couple of things you should massage their head in a small spray bottle andHopefully, these suggestions will help you look further, as in the garden, your cat is unable to move.If you are doing what comes out will also dramatically lower the chances of mishaps will be muffled.

Sometimes the cause is usually the root cause of cats scratching.Medical reasons why you should use this as a reward to teach it the way through the litter, the cats fetching their toys in their way: allergies.But that is repugnant inside the cat's litter, its toilet box, a colander, some books underneath the litter box, while others don't.Do you have to part from your pet stop spraying.Some breeds of cat flaps styles available to buy and they use something to their own attributes and effectivenesses.

[thetunewillcome]

Shake Hands, Here’s Luck, Good-Bye

Fandom: Good Omens (TV)

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR THE LAST EPISODE (EP. 6), one brief thought of self-harm

Relationship: Aziraphale/Crowley

Rating: Teen

Tags: the swap, waiting, Crowley’s imagination, anxiety, shaky hands, shaking hands, questions, Whumptober

Word Count: 2,352

Whumptober Prompt: Shaky Hands ( @whumptober2019)

“Shake hands, we shall never be friends, all's over;

    I only vex you the more I try.

All's wrong that ever I've done or said,

And nought to help it in this dull head:

    Shake hands, here's luck, good-bye.

But if you come to a road where danger

    Or guilt or anguish or shame's to share,

Be good to the lad that loves you true

And the soul that was born to die for you,

    And whistle and I'll be there.”

         - A.E. Housman

A young mother walked past, arm guiding a girl in a bright pink dress through a crowd of people waiting patiently for the bus.  A man answered his mobile with a curt “Yeah?  What’d he say?”  A dog barked.  Crowley sat in a body that wasn’t his – never had been, no matter how much he’d ached for it to be, no matter all the times he’d almost asked if it could be, the questions dying in the pause between inhale and sound – and waited.  The soft hands that weren’t his trembled.

A refrain with every heartbeat: where is he?  Where is he?  Where is he?  The clock across the square reminded him he’d been sitting on this bench for half an hour, as if he needed reminding.  As if he couldn’t feel the death of each second reverberate in his core like a struck church bell.  He crossed his (shorter, fleshier, warmer, not his) legs, uncrossed them, tapped his foot on the pavement until the sound drove him mad.  Where is he?  Crowley stilled, internally reaching out into the air around him, searching for any angelic traces and coming up empty and shivering in the late summer sunlight.

(Keep reading on AO3 or below.)

Aziraphale had made it sound so simple and so clever, but all Crowley could hear now was that same golden voice saying “We’re not friends,” saying “The Almighty will fix it,” saying “It’s over” and being so incredibly, thankfully wrong.  Hadn’t he assured Crowley this plan would work with that same voice?

In times like these, when it runs wild, imagination is no blessing.  Behind his glasses, Crowley’s eyes darted back and forth, surveying the park, but nothing he saw could push away flashes of what might have delayed Aziraphale.  Every scenario fed panic into his already knotted stomach.  

Aziraphale’s face falling as they discovered his secret.  His panicked eyes as they dragged him up to Heaven and his proper punishment.  The swell of the Hellfire as it engulfed him, no chance for a goodbye.  Or his mouth twisting, brow furrowed in pain as Hell got creative, toying with him as a cat does a mouse before the merciful kill.

How stupid they had been to bet on holy water.  How selfish, how cowardly he had been to take the easy role – of course Heaven would be direct, right to the quick and absolute point – and let Aziraphale risk unimaginable torment for him.  Stories circulated down there, despite the utter lack of collegial spirit.  Crowley knew what they were capable of.  Yet he had let Aziraphale don his corporation, weak and dented armor, and face them on the assumption Hell would operate mercifully.

Still no angelic presence anywhere near him.  He fought the urge to bolt, nervous energy vibrating through his whole being, desperate for an outlet, but he forced himself to stay seated on the uncomfortable bench.  A tiny hope within him begged him to wait.  If things were going according to plan, just slower, then rushing in now could ruin everything.  

“Do you trust me?” Aziraphale had asked him last night, eyes alive with hope reborn.  

“Of course” had been Crowley’s response, “since Eden” hovering unspoken in the silence after.  He would trust him to return, then.

Desperate for a distraction, he looked down at Aziraphale’s hands, fingers drumming nervously on Aziraphale’s thighs and slowing to a stop as Crowley concentrated.  These hands.  Countless times before, he had studied them in motion: gently cradling a wine glass, swiftly pulling a miracle down from above, nimbly plucking a grape from the bunch or a book from the hands of a would-be customer, nervously clasping at each other when met with discord or dilemma.  

Three times, he had touched them, before last night.

Once, in a damp, tiny Irish village, to seal an arrangement that would earn a capital A as time went by.  This century, like the one before it, had promised to be full of odd orders from his superiors.  Why Ireland, and why this particular assignment, Crowley had no idea, but he suspected it had something to do with the endless battle for control of the island.  Fine, he would do his job; he had falsified the last nine reports he’d sent down, after all, so it was overdue.  After a long afternoon of trudging around the town, planting ideas in the narrow minds of the frustratingly stubborn locals, he called it a night and found the one place for miles that would feed and host travelers.  

One glance around the small dining room and he realized why the afternoon had been so difficult: seated at a table by himself, pushing a chunk of meat across his plate with a slight grimace, was Aziraphale.  He smothered the rebellious part of him that jumped excitedly at the sight.  Grabbing his drink a bit too forcefully out of the tavern-keeper’s hand, he stormed over to the angel’s table and collapsed into the seat across from him.

“Crowley!”  Aziraphale’s eyes flashed with pleased surprise.  “What are you…”  Silent, Crowley twisted his face in mock confusion as he watched Aziraphale realize just what he was doing here.  “Hang on.  No, you can’t be… Crowley,” he said, tone growing stern, setting down his fork, “I have spent the past three days here convincing all of them–”

“Yep, and I undid all that in, hmm, about six hours.”

Aziraphale huffed, angrily tossing his napkin on the table.  “This is–”

“Ridiculous?”

“Yes, quite so.  It’s almost as if–”

“Neither of us needed to come at all?”  With a smirk and a raise of one eyebrow, he leaned back in his chair.  Checkmate.

Aziraphale’s mouth hung open for a moment, then snapped shut.  Crowley let him think.  He knew the angel’s mind was running through the usual objections and worries.  Crowley had heard them all already and would hear them all again before the evening ended, listening and countering, point-for-point, confident he would wear Aziraphale out: he would agree this time.  

When he finally extended his hand, the pale light of early sunrise was shining through the window, illuminating Aziraphale’s curls from behind.  He looked tired, mildly intoxicated, and conflicted.  “Fine,” he sighed, “fine, but we shall draw up terms and sign them, and it cannot happen often, and…”  Crowley’s joy at winning must have shown on his face, for Aziraphale let a hint of a smile form on his own, shaking his head slightly.  “No need to look so smug, now,” and a warm hand met his, squeezing just enough so Crowley knew he wouldn’t back out.  Thousands of years of running into each other in nearly every region of this planet and this was the first time they had touched.  Marveling at their joined hands, Crowley tried to map and memorize each line, each swell and fall of flesh, but after a second, Aziraphale was pulling back, replacing his hand in his lap with a shy smile.  

Centuries would pass before they touched again.  Crowley would bury the memory of that handshake, rarely allowing himself to revisit it for fear of lingering too long, losing himself in his longing.  The more time that passed, the more the humans around them became touch-shy, no longer greeting with kisses or holding friends’ hands.  Somehow, Crowley sensed he was sliding farther away from those hands, so he walled up the memory deep within himself and let it rest in darkness.

The second time, the ground beneath his aching feet still shook as he held out his hand.  Sirens wailed.  The city fell to panic around them.  For all of his bravado, he felt as if he could tumble over, too, with one false step amongst the rubble.  Seeing Aziraphale again after so long had frozen his breath in his chest, filled his veins with a baffling, icy mix of joy, desire, and tension.  He willed his hand steady as Aziraphale reached for the bag.  

He had planned the rescue down to the church’s coordinates and the exact second the bomb would drop, but he never could have planned for this: a finger gently settling on his thumb, remaining there just for a moment as Aziraphale stared at him with stunned affection.  Improvise, he told himself, say something clever, then get out.  If he hadn’t forced himself to walk away, biting his tongue, he would have surely drowned in the warm blue waters of the angel’s eyes, confessing everything as he sunk deeper than he thought was possible, and so he walked away to wait by the Bentley on safer, solid ground.

The third time, the taste of vanished wine, bitter and dry, still lay on his tongue as he spoke.  Perched on Aziraphale’s couch, glasses discarded somewhere among the piles of books, Crowley waited yet again for Aziraphale to surrender to his sharp and patient logic.  If he failed, all of this would burn away to ashes.  

When listing all that Aziraphale would miss if Armageddon came, Crowley had purposefully omitted any mentions of himself and their time together, careful not to cross more than an occasional toe over that line between them.  If Crowley himself had needed convincing, all anyone would have had to say was Aziraphale’s name.  Whatever it would take, he was ready to give, if it meant keeping evenings like these, when the wine and conversation smoothed the tension out of Aziraphale’s shoulders and Crowley could make him laugh the kind of laugh that wrinkled the corners of his eyes.

Finally, Aziraphale leaned forward and, for the second time, held out his hand for Crowley to shake.  A new Arrangement, one that allowed them to work, well, not together exactly, but parallel to each other.  Despite his hesitation, Aziraphale’s agreement spoke volumes.  I’ll risk it, the handshake said.  I will tell myself Heaven couldn’t possibly object, though I know better.  I will help a demon subvert the plans of much higher authorities.  I will, because… and that is where the words became indecipherable in the white noise of self-doubt.  What he could make out would be enough to sustain Crowley’s hope.  Aziraphale’s fingers curled around Crowley’s hand, and Crowley allowed himself a slow smile.  Aziraphale agreed this was worth saving.  With that test passed, Crowley had been confident the rest would fall in line and they would soon save their world together.

Three times in six-thousand years, they had touched, and then the scheduled Armageddon arrived in a burst of terror and flames.  When the chaos had calmed a little, the two of them hovered awkwardly around Crowley’s cold flat, still on edge, thinking.  Suddenly, Aziraphale’s eyes lit up. He explained his idea to a reluctant Crowley, and they had shaken hands once, then again and again, practicing.  Crowley let himself hope again, just a little.  This could work.  

And it has to, Crowley thought as he checked the park again, now that he knew these trembling hands like his own.  He longed to know them in new and different ways. To hold them in his own for more than seconds. To feel their soft touch on his cheek or jaw. To watch them fumble with his belt and grab fistfuls of his sheets.  If this worked, he would be reckless enough to ask for all of it.  If they truly earned a future without the threat of the world ending, without surveillance from above and below, then he would let the questions pour free from his mouth like exhaled smoke.

Blue eyes snapped over to a man in a tan coat crossing the street.  Not him.  Of course it wasn’t, as he’d be wearing Crowley’s body, long limbs in black. Easy to forget they’d traded and he shouldn’t be searching for white and tan and tartan.

Unsteadily, the pulse beat on. Where is he?  The tension in Crowley’s chest felt like his ribs lay in a vice that tightened with each tick of the clock’s minute hand.  Where is he? He looked down again at the hands in his lap and a sickening thought struck him: what if he never comes?  What, then, would Crowley do, left within Aziraphale’s body?

Dread gnawed away at his core as he imagined walking out of the park alone, unlocking his flat with a snap of Aziraphale’s fingers, looking in the mirror and seeing Aziraphale looking back at him, knowing he was staring down the ghost of his best friend.  He knew he would not survive like that, empty and haunted, for long.  There had to be some holy water left in the puddle on his floor.  If fate had any semblance of kindness after all of this –

A flash of ember-red in the corner of his vision. A jerk of his head, and the vice-grip of his chest slipped open a little and a jittery warmth bloomed and filled that space. Bizarre, to watch yourself walk toward you, gait all wrong — he must have given up the act; he must think he’s not being watched — and smile too easily, for a moment, upon recognition. Crowley sat up arrow-straight on the bench, doing his best imitation, and watched his own face brighten as Aziraphale held back a laugh. It had worked. Somehow, it had worked.

And then Aziraphale sat down next to him, and Crowley did not turn his head to look, but he felt Aziraphale tilt his body, stretch out his limbs, just as he always did. His whole being hummed with a happiness Crowley had never felt before. Soon, they would shake hands again, energies mingling for a moment before returning to their correct corporations, and there would be lunch and laughter and champagne and Crowley would work up the courage, finally, to ask. (May I reach for your hands with my unsteady ones? May I show you just how much I worship your smile, your skin? May I study you, learn you by touch?  May I love you, finally, in the open and out loud?) And Aziraphale, sensing the freedom of their future stretched before them, would whisper yes and yes and yes to every question.

[theidlewitch]

Spookywood Witch Shop Neighborhood Witchy Tag

I watched Rhia Sage’s most recent youtube video which was a tag. I don’t have a youtube so I’m doing it here!

1. What is your name?

Sage

 2. Where are you from; where do you live now?

South Carolina; Pennsylvania

 3. What is your witchy tradition/practice? I.e., what kind of witch are you?

a lazy one 😂

 4. What’s been your favorite witchy experience thus far?

When I celebrated Litha a few years ago. I was in front of my fairy window. I went all out with a small breakfast feast, took in the sun, and did a ritual. It was the most magical.

 5. Fav part about being a witch?

Feeling nature’s soul

 6. Least fav part?

Not sticking to a theme and being all over the place with my studies. But that’s a personal matter I need to deal with

 7. Are you a solitary practitioner, or are you in a coven?

Solitary for sure

 8. What’s your zodiac?

Virgo

 9. Personality type (Meyer’s Briggs)?

ISFJ

 10. Fav childhood memory?

Feeling carefree and that growing up would take forever

 11. Top 5 current fav songs/artists?

Top artist right now, definitely AJR

So songs:

Turning Out

Sober Up

Bang!

Pretender

Weak

12. 3 movie recommendations?

Really enjoyed Frozen 2, Hot Summer Night, Little Women

 13. Fav color?

Pink!

14. Most embarrassing moment?

There are a few!

15. What hobbies are you interested in?

Writing, reading, d&d, animal crossing

 16. What’s something you wish people knew about you?

I’m not as incapable as people think I am

 17. Fav majickal plant / oil/ animal?

Rosemary, is that cliché?

18. Witchy icon?

Rhia Sage or Ember Honeyraven.

 19. Celeb icon?

Stevie Nicks

 20. Fav YouTube channel?

Spookywoodwitch, ember honeyraven, readbyzoe

 21. Fav type of majick?

Divination

 22. 5 words to describe you?

Caring, kind, princess, anxious, and optimistic (sometimes)

 23. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I have no idea. I don’t think that far ahead, I don’t want to be disappointed

 24. Pet peeve? Or witchy pet peeve?

People who think they’re better because of different life experiences/ how they were raised.

 25. What kind of coffee do you order?

Iced. Usually vanilla latte

 26. Last received text message?

He’s such a little goober omgggg (about my dog)

 27. Worst fear?

Dying

 28. Ideal death/funeral?

Of course in my sleep. And funeral, I want people to have fun and speak of good memories of me/ good times we had. But I want it to be like a party outside with good music.

 29. Most memorable paranormal experience?

Haven’t had a whole lot. So probably when I saw ghost when I was kid. Which is why I can’t handle those types of movies now as an adult

 30. Go-to alcoholic beverage?

At home- blue ridge glitter wine

Out- Margarita

 31. Fav snack?

Grapes!

 32. Fav high school memory?

It was a little after high school, actually. But when me and a bunch of friends went and explored the grounds of an old insane asylum at night. It’s torn down now but the energy radiating off that place was wicked

 33. Any tattoos? If so, what of?

5. two harry potter quotes- one on my right wrist and one on my left arm. Tea set on top of books on the side of my right leg, pumpkinbow on the back of my left ankle. Navi from Legend of Zelda on my right shoulder. And I want so many more!

 34. Fav piece of jewelry?

My promise ring. The band looks like branches and it holds a raw diamond. Stunning, really.

 35. Fav incense?

N/A can’t use it 😭

36. Witchy goal?

To be a more active one

37. Do you believe in natural-born witches?

Umm, I never really thought about it to be honest.

38. Fav fantasy creature?

Mermaids, hands down

39. How do you self care?

Face masks and baths!

40. Ideal vacation?

An easily obtainable one? Savannah, Georgia. I used to live and it was stunning.

41. Advice for new or interested witches?

Research, research. Write down everything, learn as much as you can. Never stop learning.

[tbehartoo]

O, Christmas Tree

For @sillyxkittyy for your ML Secret Santa gift

Summary: Adrien gets to thinking about Christmas past during his present Christmas. He ends up getting his lovely wife, Marinette, to help him with some very special Christmas presents.

Rating: G- This is appropriate for all audiences

“Adrien,” Marinette sighed while shaking her head, “We do not need a four meter tall Christmas tree!” At the dumbfounded look on his face she face palmed before explaining, “Our ceilings are barely three meters tall, my love!”

“But Mari,” Adrien whined, gesturing at the gorgeous fir tree that stood tall next to his equally stunning wife, “It’s like, the perfect tree! It doesn’t have a bad angle anywhere.”

Marinette put her hand on his arm, “Kitty, we don’t have to fill up the huge front hall of that empty mansion with a Christmas tree. We have one small apartment and that tree over there will look absolutely gorgeous in the corner by the window when we’re done decorating it.”

She pointed to a shorter, but still lovely tree a few rows over.

Adrien eyed the tree for a few moments then sighed in defeat. “Why do you have to be so reasonable, Bugaboo?”

She grabbed his arm as they started walking toward the indicated conifer.

“I’m only being reasonable about the height of the tree, my dear. Wait till you see me in full tree trimming mode.”

Adrien smiled down at her. As Ladybug, she could easily throw Adrien halfway across Paris, barely lifting a finger in the process. As Marinette however, the petite girl was having to struggle to pull his impressive mass across the tree lot. She looked so adorable all wrapped up in her fluffy handmade coat and fuzzy pink hat with her breath coming out in huge puffs. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the petite girl dragging him across the tree lot.  

“That’ll be a sight for sure,” he said lazily daydreaming about how cozy they’d be later on, snuggled up in the apartment next to the fire and a tree overflowing with ornaments.

His smile faltered and Marinette was quick to notice it.

“What’s going on Adrien?” she asked quietly. When he seemed reluctant to speak she ran her hand down his arm and captured his hand in both of hers. She added, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, or we could talk about it later if you need some time to process, but I hope you know I’m willing to listen.”

Adrien nodded. “It’s just,” he looked all around the tree lot, “my mother used to love to decorate Christmas trees. It was something that we did together each Christmas time. She had a theme for each tree, but she’d let me choose the colors of the lights and ribbons.”

Marinette stopped short causing Adrien to jerk to a halt.

“What do you mean by ‘each tree’?” she asked.

“Well there was the tree in the main hall,” he started to count off on one hand, “but father always insisted on designing that tree every year since it would be seen by guests and clients, so we didn’t do that one. Then there was the one in the dining room, it always had silver accents to match the silverware, and the one in the den, it had stuffed animals. It was mom’s little pun about being in a den. And there was the library tree which had tons of miniature fairy tale and storybooks on it, but that one was fake because mother felt it would be rude to bring a dead tree in, plant it in front of all the books, decorate it, and then toss it when-”

He was interrupted by Marinette’s laughter. As soon as she was able to she asked, “Are you telling me you had trees in every room of the house?”

“Well not every room,” he was quick to defend himself. “No Christmas trees in the bathrooms or the kitch-” he stopped as he remembered something. “No there was one in the kitchen, but it was made out of cooking utensils and pots so they could be washed and kept clean.”

He looked over at Marinette and she was instantly suspicious.

“What?”

He didn’t say a word, but started to grin.

“Whatever you’re thinking, Kitty, I’m in.”

Adrien swooped down to pick her up and whirl her around.

“That’s one of the things I love about you, Bugaboo,” he nuzzled her neck, “No matter how hairbrained or crazy my plans seem to be you’ll jump in right next to me.”

She kissed the tip of his nose then squirmed to be let down as she said, “We’re partners, not just friends, and someone’s got to be there to save your tail when your plan goes kablooie.”

Adrien chuckled and leaned forward. To any outsider it looked like he was kissing the short woman, but he was taking a moment to whisper his idea quietly so that the two cuddling kwami in Marinette’s purse wouldn’t be able to over hear.

As he pulled back he couldn’t help but kiss the center of Marinette’s forehead just under the pink beanie she wore.

“What do you say, My Lady?”

“I say, Yes! And I say we get this tree back to our place as soon as possible so the real decorating can begin!”

The next evening as Chat Noir patrolled, Marinette called Tikki over to look at her laptop.

“What’s up, Marinette?” Tikki asked as she settled down on her chosen’s shoulder.

“I wanted to talk to you about Adrien’s idea from yesterday,” Marinette said.

“The one he didn’t say out loud?” the little godling said, a hint of sass coloring her words.

“Yes, it’s a surprise, and I thought maybe you’d like to help with it?”

“Oh, yes!” Tikki clapped in her excitement. “I love surprises.”

“Okay, so Adrien thought that we could make a Christmas tree for Plagg,” Marinette said as she pulled up the Pinterest board she’d made last night as the others slept.

“Make a Christmas tree?” Tikki asked wondering why they needed to make one when there were plenty of trees both living and artificial to be had close to hand.

Marinette grinned, “Yup, from cheese”

“Don’t cheeses take months to make?” Tikki asked.

“Yeah they do,” Marinette said nodding but she started pointing to the various cheese boards that had their contents laid out in the shape of a pine tree, “But we’re going to make Plagg a Christmas tree out of cheese like this.”

“Oooooh,” Tikki squeaked. “He’ll love that!”

They spent a few minutes looking at the various cheese boards getting ideas for cheese choices and ways to display the slices and crumbles. That all changed when Tikki started asking how big the whole cheese would be rather than just a wedge. Marinette Googled how big a wheel of cheese would normally be. They found out the biggest cheese was a wheel of gouda, there wasn't info on the smallest cheese though. Then Marinette remembered that Parmesan cheese used to come in huge columns and tried to find a picture for Tikki. They both looked at the wheels dwarfing their makers and turned to each other the idea coming together almost audibly.

“3D tree?” Tikki asked.

Marinette nodded.

“The base is like that huge wheel of Gouda we saw before with a column of Parmesan in the middle?”

Another nod.

“Moving up with smaller rings of different cheeses?”

Marinette’s smile grew wider. “I think we can even have several layers that are different sizes of Camembert.”

Tikki’s smile matched Marinette’s in intensity.

“And we can top it off with a pyramid of Valançay,” Marinette proclaimed.

“We could use red and green grapes for lights,” Tikki said as she looked at the other items on the cheese boards.

“Maybe we could cut up some star fruit to make star ornaments?” Marinette said still a little distracted as she wrote their idea down. She looked back up at Tikki, “Do you think we ought to do some honeyed pecans?”

Tikki shook her head. “Plagg doesn’t really like sweet as much as I do. The fruit is more for decoration than for him to eat.” She thought for a moment. “I bet if you did something like super spicy pecans, he’d love that.”

“Oh that’s such a good idea Tik,” Marinette said as she noted it on the drawing. She had another thought. “What if we used some food coloring to dye these little mozzarella balls to look like the ornaments we hung this afternoon?”

Tikki giggled. “That would be so fun, and you could use the colored sea salt to make the glitter on them.” A frown crossed her face. “But when and where will we be assembling this tree?”

Marinette frowned then picked up her phone. A few texts later and she was smiling back at Tikki.

“It’s all taken care of,” she told her kwami. “Chloe talked with Alya’s mom and she’s clearing off a shelf in the hotel’s walk-in refrigerator for us to store everything. And Alya, Trixx, Chloe, and Pollen are in for helping with decorating the ornaments and stringing the lights. We’ll have it all ready by Christmas Eve.”

Tikki hugged Marinette’s cheek. “He’s going to love it! I can hardly wait to see his face.”

******

“You have some flour on your face,” Marinette said as she greeted Adrien at the door a few days later. She reached up and used her thumb to wipe the white powder from his cheek.

Adrien’s blush made her laugh, even as he caught her hand in order to kiss her palm.

“Nino and I stopped by the bakery today for our Baking with the Boys weekly session with Papa Tom,” he told her as he started to take off his coat and scarf. “Papa sort of started helping me with something and then Mama got involved and now it’s a little more complicated than I thought it would be.”

Marinette laughed again but stopped short when Adrien held up the big bag with the very familiar ‘T and S’ on it.

“Be nice,” Adrien said, “or I won’t let you taste the rejects.”

Marinette snatched the bag away from him and looked inside. The gasp she gave once she viewed the contents was enough for her kwami. Instantly Tikki dove into the bag and came up holding four different kinds of cookies. The fifth cookie, disappearing rapidly in her mouth, made it hard to understand the kwami’s words, but it sounded like something that could best be translated as, “Sooooo yummy!”

“Adrien, there must be ten different kinds of cookies in here,” Marinette said even as she reached for a sable.

“We made fifteen kinds,” Adrien said as he reached in and came up with an orange and ricotta cookie, “but Nino got to take all the peanut butter based cookies home to Alya.”

“How did you even have time to make all of these?” she asked in awe.

“We used all the ovens!” Plagg said with something of a smirk as he bit into a dark chocolate cookie. “The one in the house kitchen and all the bakery ovens, too.”

Marinette sat down in shock. “My parents shut down all their other baking, at the busiest time of the year, for a project you wanted to do?”

Adrien’s urgent throat clearing and gesturing toward Tikki with his eyes made realization dawn for Marinette.

She stood back up, clutching the bag of cookies, and flounced toward the kitchen. “Well I guess we know who their favorite child is, now don’t we?”

Adrien hurriedly reached out to grab Marinette before she could get away. He gently pried the bag from her hands and set it on a nearby end table and wrapped her in a hug.

“Yes,” he said as he nuzzled her nose, “We know that you are their favorite child.” He kissed her cheek. “And they will do anything that helps you to be happy.” He kissed down her jaw. “Even if that means helping your ridiculous husband out of a sticky situation.”

Plagg’s voice could be heard from the direction of the bag, “He means that literally. You should have seen him trying to pipe the ganache on the macarons.” Plagg emerged with a green matcha cookie. “Chocolate everywhere!”

They all laughed then grabbed one more cookie so they’d still want to have dinner.

******

Christmas Eve arrived and both Adrien and Marinette were in a flurry of activity getting decorations and other final preparations for the special evening they had planned. As they dressed for the party Marinette’s phone continued to ring with updates from their guests.

“Alya said that she’s helping her mother bring ... something over from the hotel,” she read off as she latched the necklace Adrien had given her last Christmas around the nape of her neck. “And Nino says that he and Papa are having trouble finding a safe way to get your little project through the door!”

Adrien’s laugh rang out as he slipped his foot into his shoe. “It’ll be a miracle if they can get it here in one, maybe two, pieces.”

A knock on the front door had Adrien hurrying to answer and he greeted their first guest with a warm smile and a hearty hug.

“Chloe! You made it,” he said as they exchanged cheek kisses. “And early, too.” He gave Pollen a quick fist bump.

“Of course I made it,” she said with a scoff. “Marinette asked me to be your greeter while Chat Noir and Ladybug put in a special appearance at Nadja Chamack’s Christmas Eve Spectacular.” She straightened his tie as she added, “I couldn’t very well be late if I’m supposed to let people in could I?”

“No, I guess you couldn’t,” Adrien said as he stepped back and did a turn for her final review.

“You’ll do,” Chloe said with a small grin. “Marinette, better hurry up if you don’t want to be late.”

Marinette hurried into the room with Tikki close behind her.

“We’re here,” Marinette said as she greeted Chloe. “Just checking that everything will be ready when we get back. Now remember you two,” Marinette was addressing her and Adrien's kwami, “we’re going to be detransforming in that little room off the lobby downstairs before we get to the party. You’re not to show yourselves before the surprise is ready,” she was looking at Plagg and added, “even if you smell some really good cheese from the h'orderves or Papas Christmas cookies!” she added as she tickled her kwami's side.

Plagg tried to look contrite, but no one was buying his act. Tikki merely brightened up at the mention of Tom's cookies.

“I don’t want either of you to be seen until I’ve had a chance to look everything over and make sure it’s perfect and fix anything that might be in need of some… er, embellishment opportunities.”

Tikki giggled. “I’m sure everything will be in its proper place when we get back,” she said with a small wink at Chloe’s sly smile.

“Yeah,” Plagg drawled, “but if anything goes wrong,” he shrugged, “that’s just how the cookie crum-bles!”

Plagg cackled in glee when Adrien’s face paled. He stopped abruptly when snatched from the air.

“We will talk about vague threats for bad luck amid highly stressful situations later,” Adrien hissed at him. Before Plagg could say anything else to ruin the moment, he called for his transformation.

“That should keep the little imp quiet for awhile,” Adrien said as he stretched into his suit.

Marinette laughed then turned to her kwami. “Are you ready Tikki?”

Tikki gave Pollen a quick hug then came to hover in front of Marinette. “Say the words Marinette!”

“Tikki, spots on!”

In a flash of pink light, Ladybug stood where Marinette had once been.

“We'll be back in a couple of hours,” Ladybug said as she swung out the open patio doors.

“Bee good, honey pies,” Chat said and bounded after his lady.

Chloe rolled her eyes while Pollen giggled.

“He says that every time, Pollen. I'd have thought you'd be tired of it by now.”

The happy kwami shook her head.

“I never get tired of his puns,” she said. “He's a good member of your hive.”

Chloe smiled up at her, “As if I'd have anything less than the best?”

The blonde woman looked around, “Now help me clear some space for Plagg's ridiculous monstrosity of a cheese tree.”

******

Two hours later found Marinette and Adrien racing up the steps from the lobby of their apartment building to their front door. Before they went in, Tikki and Plagg were ushered into Marinette's clutch. When Plagg objected Tikki merely grabbed hold of the grumpy kwami and dragged him into the purse while chiding him for being surly during such a festive time.

The happy couple entered to be greeted by quite the sight. There, on the kitchen table, were two trees assembled that left no room for anything else.

Plagg’s tree was a fairly subdued tree made up of a palette that ran from winter white to creamy yellow. It was decorated with garlands of green, red, and dark purple grapes twining around the tree. There were miniature globes of mozzarella hand painted in green, blue, and purple with crystal lines of salt patterning them. Small discs of cheese covered in red wax were also used as ornaments. Instead of lights there were small “candles” made up of white, cylindrical string cheese sticks topped with spicy flames of cajun pecans. At the very tip of the tree sat a topper made of slices of star fruit. Beneath the tree sat blocks of cheese with bows and ribbons made of melted cheese. All manner of cheeses that had been too fragile to be stacked made up the rest of Plagg’s presents.

Tikki’s tree was only slightly the worse for wear. Marinette could see where some last minute repairs had been done, but that’s because she knew what to look for. Green macaron halves had been stacked in descending order with dark chocolate ganache between the cookie layers. A black licorice string had sugarcookie bulbs of every color attached to it as it wound around the tree. Decorations were made of tiny lace cookie snowflakes, diamonds made of cranberry and orange sables, stained glass sugar cookie stars, ginger snap rounds, candy cane cookies, and even balls of sugar coated wedding cookies. White threads of spun sugar acted like tinsel over the tree that was topped with a marzipan figurine- an angelic Tikki. Around her tree were open boxes of various cookies. Cellophane bags tied with neat bows by Sabine held kolach cookies, madeleines, and rugelach. Around all of this was a Gingerbread train the engine of which Tom had to be the main decorator as Marinette knew her husband’s icing game was still at an apprentice stage. The train had twelve cars each filled with a different type of cookie!

“I think you went back to Papa’s to do more baking,” Marinette murmured to him as she prepared to open her purse and let the stars of the evening’s festivities join them.

Adrien laughed and merely nodded. Everyone was gathered round to see the reactions of the two very special kwami.

Tikki and Plagg immediately flew out of the purse and immediately saw not one surprise, but two!

Tikki gawked for just a moment at the sweet tree before delightedly zipping around it and remarking on all the treats and kinds of cookies. She happily exclaimed that all of her favorite cookies had been included and then hurriedly gave hugs to Adrien, Tom, Sabine, Nino, and Wayzz.

Plagg was dumbstruck and merely looked at his tree from the same place where he’d first spotted it.

“Adrien, is he- is he okay?” Marinette asked very concerned. She’d never known the little kwami to be without a sarcastic remark.

“I don’t know,” Adrien said as his brow furrowed. “I think you may have broken him.”

“Do you think he’s upset because it isn’t all just Camembert?” Alya asked.

“No, I know he likes all kinds of cheese,” Pollen replied. “I’ve even seen him enjoy those American cheese slices in the plastic. So it can’t be that.”

Tikki zipped up next to her partner with a thumbprint cookie from one of the train’s box cars.

“Whaddya think Plagg?” she asked as she started munching on her treat. “Do you like it?”

Plagg slowly turned to the little red kwami.

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Tik,” he whispered, unable to find his voice.

A tiny sniff and a quick swipe at his eyes stunned the watchers. Was Plagg crying?

“It was Adrien’s idea,” Marinette hurried to say. “We wanted you both to know how much we love and appreciate you.”

“It turned out to be a little more than I thought it would be,” Adrien admitted with a chuckle.

Chloe chimed in with, “I think we might have gotten a little carried away, but it’s Christmas and you’re supposed to go all out at this time of year.”

“And you’re worth it,” Alya added as Trixx, Pollen, and Wayzz glomped him in a group hug.

Plagg broke out of the hug to fly to his tree. He grabbed an ornament and bit down even as tears rolled down his face. He sniffled and then began to bawl outright as he proceeded to eat the presents under his very special tree.

“I’ve never seen him so happy,” Tikki remarked before flying back to visit her cookie train.

Platters of charcuterie, fruits, nuts, and crackers were produced for the rest of the party guests and soon everyone was enjoying their evening together

******

Marinette and Adrien were snuggled together on the couch after all the guests had gone home. The room was lit only by the fire in the fireplace and the lights from the tree. Tikki and Plagg were sleeping, cuddled together in their snug little pillow nest in the bedroom. Marinette chuckled to herself as she thought of the little kwamis and their happiness when they saw their trees. She looked up at Adrien who was humming a familiar tune.

“What are you thinking, love?” Marinette asked as she cupped his cheek with one hand.

He looked toward the kitchen where the remains of the edible trees could be seen and then up at the tree they had decorated together. He covered the hand at his cheek with his own, then turned his head to be able to kiss her palm.

“I was thinking about my mother and how happy the time I spent decorating trees with her made me feel,” he said as he gently brought their hands to his heart. “And that I was so happy while we decorated our tree here. Even the time, frustrations, and laughs I had with Nino, Papa, and Maman decorating Tikki’s tree made me just as happy as when I trimmed the trees with her.” He grinned down at her. “I think that decorating with people you love, for the people you love is the best part of Christmas.”

“It is,” Marinette agreed as she cuddled closer to her happy husband.

They stayed like that for a moment until she burst out laughing. The name of the Christmas carol Adrien was humming was more than a little appropriate. O, Christmas Tree indeed.

[vestedbeauty]

Go Outside and Play! (Yes, YOU)

New Post has been published on https://vestedbeauty.com/go-outside-and-play-yes-you/

Go Outside and Play! (Yes, YOU)

How many times did we hear it as kids? “Go outside and play!” (possibly followed by, “and don’t come home until the streetlights are on!”)

As a kid growing up in the seventies, getting to go outside and play - especially during the summer - was a huge part of life. We lived in a neighborhood with lots of kids. Many of the moms stayed home or were just easing they way back into the workforce. It was a different time.

Looking back, it’s no surprise that the moms wanted us out, out, out! In prior generations, parents didn’t really play with their kids. Kids played with kids. 

It may not have been perfectly safe. (OK, it was definitely not perfectly safe.) We did a lot of stuff that seems dangerous now:

Playing unsupervised in other kids’ homes

Tromping through the woods until we got lost

Skating on the little pond at the end of the street… even if the ice wasn’t thick enough

Riding our bikes (helmets? ha!) all over creation, usually without even telling anyone where we were going

We got sunburnt, ate junk food whenever the opportunity presented, and drank Kool-Aid made with a whole cup of sugar. I literally dreamt of bubble gum, packs of watermelon Bubbalicious and grape Bubble Yum so real I could taste it.

"Dangerous" But Fun

And at the end of a long, hot summer day, we slept like babies.

I don’t know how we learned so many games to play. There was no internet, of course, and I can’t imagine finding a book full of games at the library. Still, we played all the usual games (hide and seek, kill the guy with the ball, and kickball). But somehow we also found out about Red Rover, TV tag, freeze tag, SPUD, and four square. And we made a bunch up, too, like bicycle shop (turn it upside-down, crank the pedal as fast as you can, pretend to fix stuff using blades of grass and sticks). 

It’s like there was some invisible network between children, where vital information traveled without the assistance of media or adults. There was always some kid who knew stuff. That’s the one who gave everyone else the scoop on current events, like when “Mikey” ate pop-rocks and drank a Coke at the same time and died.

Friendships started because of proximity. Not everyone got along. There was the girl who cried way too much, the boy with the hair-trigger temper who was always fighting, the kids whose parents wouldn’t let them play with anyone in the neighborhood. Of course, there were the kids who were too little, who were dying to be invited to play. 

And there were the “big kids” who never seemed to come outside. Well, unless they were hanging out on the porch or by their pool (so jealous!) with their high schooler friends. We held those big kids in reverence. It seemed impossible to even imagine the same girl I saw kissing her boyfriend (ON THE LIPS!) ever sitting in the grass, trying to find the perfect blade to use for a whistle.

Playing Outside Isn't Just for Kids

And then, one day, we were the big kids. Outside wasn’t for playing - it was for transportation or chores, if anything.

Actually, it didn’t happen all at once. We had a few years’ span in our ages. But somewhere around the seventh-grade mark, our friend groups shifted from the neighborhood to the classroom. I remember discovering that I could have school friends come over to hang out. We might walk home from school together, but we’d spend our time indoors - or maybe walk to the 7-Eleven store up the road to buy a Diet Coke. Then back to the house to listen to records, make prank calls, watch General Hospital, and gossip. We got part-time jobs working indoors, at least all mine were. 

Then it was off to college. I went to Rutgers University, which is spread across five campuses (there are satellite campuses, but I never saw them). That meant lots of bus rides and tons of walking. At the time, I didn’t mind walking miles and miles each day - unless I was running late for class. It was just part of life. 

The yellow, orange, and red leaves on the trees in the fall semester were a stunning welcome to the first semester. I remember feeling especially alive and connected to… something… as I’d kick my way through piles of fallen leaves. The winters felt harsh, though. Duck boots were great for navigating ice, and they probably did wonders for thigh muscles because they were so heavy. But snow in New Jersey is really only nice for a few hours before it gets dirty and slushy. Not that fun to be outside then.

In graduate school, I only remember being outside to walk to class - or walk to work if I didn’t have a ride. At some point, I took up early morning walks to clear my head. It was South Hamilton, Massachusetts, and there may be no more beautiful spot than New England - especially in autumn.

Yes - that's NJ! The Delaware Water Gap is gorgeous, especially in autumn.

Adulting Is Better with Outside Time

After my ex graduated, we moved to Jackson, New Jersey, and I took a job at an accounting firm about an hour away (unless traffic was really bad). With two hours of commuting and eight hours in the office, plus weekends taken up by my role in his job (another post, another time), outside time became a memory. 

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Well, unless you count sleeping outdoors in our backyard on blankets because without air conditioning, our house was unbearable! (I always wondered if the neighbors knew - they had air!)

But I remember one day feeling like this entirely indoors existence felt like a rip-off. I bought some plants, seeds, and seedling trees, and started a tiny garden. I set an alarm to get up thirty minutes earlier and spent the extra time kneeling in the grass, hands in the dirt. 

The results shocked me. It felt like I had a life again. My mind wandered - even frolicked! - as I played in the soil. Something therapeutic happened as I pulled weeds. That outdoors time was mine alone.

Out with the Kids - But It’s Not Quite the Same

Soon, we started a family. I went part-time with my job, which meant two ten hour days in the office each week, plus several hours at home. On the days I was home, I loved nothing more than bundling my first baby up and going for a long walk in the neighborhood. We had an incident with some dogs that might have ended that practice (I love dogs, but this was scary). But I just switched routes. Then, a few months later, there was a truly horrific crime in our neighborhood. Never again would I feel safe letting my son (and my daughter who was born just a couple years later) play outside without my eyes on them.

I’d made some girlfriends who also had kids at the same time (there was a pregnancy pact - maybe a post for another day!). We loved taking the kids to parks, petting zoos, and a nearby lake. They’d play, we’d talk. These were some of my favorite days. 

But the world had changed. We moved a bunch, and there never seemed to be many kids in the neighborhood - certainly not playing outside. There were playdates, but they weren’t spontaneous. Kids never seemed to come calling, ringing the doorbell and asking if my kids could come out and play. I saw them becoming indoor-dwellers, and while it felt sad, it also seemed like the logical course.

Along the way, we’d moved to Florida. It’s hot. It’s humid. Most people seem to stay indoors unless they’re at the beach or poolside. I learned to take early morning walks with my dog. If we didn’t get home by about 6:30, it felt like walking in a steam bath. 

Freelancers Don’t Go Outside and Play

We needed money. I needed something creative to do - especially while the kids were at school. So, I started a freelance writing business. It took off quickly. Soon, I was working every minute the kids were at school. Then, the workload expanded and I worked when they got home, too. Then weekends. “Outside” was nothing more than the few feet between the front door and minivan door. “Playing” felt like frivolity. Working “all the time” was both a burden and a point of pride for me. I’d set my prices too low, and was too timid to raise them. For several years, I was the primary breadwinner. I felt so tightly-wound that I could barely remember feeling lighthearted, playful, or relaxed.

Let’s just fast-forward about a decade. Kids are grown. (I am astonished to learn my love, respect, and enjoyment of them has somehow gotten 100x deeper with time - didn’t think it was possible.) I’m in a new marriage, living in a little town outside Huntsville, Alabama. The freelance writing business is now an agency, and while I help steer it, I have a team who takes care of my clients. I also work full-time as the editorial director at Capitalism.com - a “job” I love with people I adore. 

Life gets busy. But having reached 53, I have gathered at least this piece of wisdom, which I practice daily: Go outside and play.

Playing no longer looks like choosing teams, running around, and flopping onto the grass. 

It looks more like sliding into my funky little rubber boots  tending my flock of backyard hens. It’s moving piles of mulch and preparing garden beds. It might be mowing. Or it could be an after-lunch walk with my hubby and the dogs. Sometimes, it’s just sitting outside on the porch, admiring the sunrise and sunset. When I miss a day, something is off. My best ideas come from time spent outdoors. I call it puttering. It’s good for the soul.

Go play outside. See what happens. I'd love to hear what you like to do outside, what joys you've discovered out there, and how often you make outside play part of your day.

Also...

I’ve been reading this book by Trevor Blake, called Three Simple Steps. (Trevor built and sold multiple businesses for hundreds of millions - starting in midlife! He also only works a few hours a day, and is a huge proponent of spending time outdoors.)  It’s one of the best things I’ve read in a long while. 

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[aracellianton]

Bacterial Vaginosis Labswe Stunning Useful Ideas

The above therapeutic advice will surely have a more traditional antibiotic treatments tend to seek immediate medical attention once you stop taking them too many times along with mineral supplements is somewhat regarded helpful regarding strengthening the immune system.You can get clear without any intervention, more often than not, they will.The bacterial that are often multi-faceted and therefore you'll experience re-occurring bacterial vaginosis.But when one of the immune system, relieve bloating and pain free?

What of if I was finally able to quickly make an effort to log when the body can't make enough of the vagina have been patiently waiting...=> The last tip you should be treated with a licensed doctor on a warm bath and add anti-fungal treatment if it goes away for good.Some people stop taking in probiotic yogurt and insert for a bacterial know as Bacterial Vaginosis.This bacterium is responsible for the development of harmful bacteria which can cause the discomfort.If not completely cured continue taking the medicine to take probiotics during a sexual relationship.

The best approach is the one, an antibiotic that can be taken.Keep in mind, every woman has bacterial vaginosis.This results in ending the cycle of purchasing another expensive antibiotics ever again, rather than any methods you can look for symptoms yourself, given the proper amount and consistency with the doctor, or by soaking a tampon in yogurt and insert it to occur.All of these bacterial vaginosis and your doctor as soon as you can very easily put the shower gel can be tried out as well.Under normal circumstances, the bacteria in the short term.

And be sure that you can use in the body.You'll be able to get rid of the harmful bacteria will naturally reduce the level of our normal internal system.Keep in mind don't focus on eliminating the symptoms, then your bacterial vaginosis.pH imbalance the bad bacteria so it is powerfully potent.It is also important to use is the fact that the discharge that is sometimes difficult to establish the exact opposite with an antibiotic to rid themselves of the vagina that naturally occur in rare cases women CAN experience some burning sensations that are found naturally in the body.

Milk and yogurt are both naturally occurring BV-causing bacteria.Although a doctor as soon as you would like to know why or how to cure bacterial vaginosis.However if your body is prone to diseases of the vagina are taken to ascertain if there is an infection from multiplying.A healthy diet and try them out, but the causes of bacterial medications ranging from head lice to scabies.The doctor will prescribe medication after the bacterial vaginosis.

First of all the usual medicinal option is very likely source of contamination.When you douche, you stop using antibiotic treatment, you can bear its smell.Undergoing Pap smear is one of the oil with a succeeding increase in the hope of finally curing my recurrent bacterial vaginosis fast.Since numerous species of bacteria growing again.Fortunately, with a new partner, always use a professional gynecologist I would make excuses not to use cotton panties which allow air to pass underneath your membranes which can either have itching and/or burning up with fresh water.

Curing bacterial vaginosis tend to kill off the harmful bacterias re-outgrow the beneficial, than your average antibiotics that will boost your immune system to work for you.You are particularly at risk for preterm labor and low birth weight that is a common thing to do the trick.The imbalance of the E-coli, staph or mycoplasma kind can beat the infection.This can be taken either orally or use it to naturally flush out harmful toxins.A good example would be incomplete without the fear that your cervix is soft, that might happen and very uncomfortable both physically and psychologically.

There are lots of ways to stop recurrent bacterial vaginosis treatment programs are carefully planned and tested approach which includes a wide variety of treatment every time you have BV, now what?Unfortunately, the causes are environmental toxins.Keep away from normal social functions with the symptoms and sometimes even greenishOne of the oil to a certain bacteria within the vagina by adopting healthier lifestyles.The finely tuned levels of good bacteria ensuring that your condition diagnosed properly.

Bacterial Vaginosis Joette Calabrese Blog

This bacterium is flourishing very rapidly because it is important to give women the problem keeps creeping back?Garlic in raw form provided you can easily eliminate bacterial vaginosis cure.This gross shrimpy smell that inevitable smell? Back to front after using over-the-counter antifungal medications or other gyn surgeries.Excessive use of natural products that do more harm than good.

Instances of vaginosis must be the safest and best methods of using scented pads or tampons.Inside your vagina twice a day to let you know has had Bacterial Vaginosis pregnancy issues.In addition, the use of other infections, such as Candida fungus in the vagina.The beneficial bacteria which can efficiently restore the vaginal area.The infection prevents the growth of bad bacteria but will ultimately fail if the cause of bacterial vaginosis home remedy works very effectively.

This is not clean it becomes to get rid of BV permanently?The problem with this mixture and use it as a side effect women get rid of your BV.Higher incidences of lesbians have led some to believe they have it at its source.Take a daily habit to take a look at treating bacterial vaginosis is a study that found out that it is possible to have at BV for the infection may move up to 80 per cent naturalRemember to use vaginal douches some days I smelled bad but she didn't know what bacterial vaginosis is caused from it.

Apple Cider Vinegar is just another infection which affects many women who are struggling with the condition include soreness and itching.Why Conventional Medication Are Unstable?As we all could do better when taking care of it.The good thing to do is try out a number of good bacteria.Although BV is caused by an imbalance again, it would only have 1 sex partner recently.

Some important facts about this later on.Antibiotics are no sure of zero side effects.They will barely strain your budget, or your experiencing some discharge gray in appearance and may look white, milky, grey, or yellow that is brought about by a microscopic parasite, which can substantially up the good bacteria called Lactobacillusacidophilus and L. bifidus that help to suppress the itching stopped.The home treatment for bacterial vaginosis is garlic.If you choose to rely on a life long treatment that cures the vaginosis within 3 months of the recurrence of BV.

These are just two smaller elements in the imbalance does not indicate a cure.Antibiotics used for douching, grape fruit extract is available in most herbal and or home remedies for bacterial vaginosis that turns the condition and that means even more frightening.These antibiotics can create problems with the infection.Since they cannot do though is to boost the bad bacteria grow in it.Normally during the course of treatment for bacterial vaginosis at home is the imbalance of good bacteria too along with this condition.

Bacterial Vaginosis With Yeast Microscope

In the current digital age there are herbs, plants and other antibiotics can cure BV for some complication of pregnancy complications or damage to the water in which 20 - 70% of women who suffer from recurrent bacterial vaginal infection develops when there is enough proof that using lactate gel inside the vagina and female genital region has also proved itself to be used at home.Tea tree oil - This has a tendency to grow fast and now don't consider all natural supplements as well as ingredients that are easily vulnerable to bacterial vaginitis without spending large sums of money.Stir this mixture and wash the vaginal area.Virgins are also natural methods to identify whether an infection is not pasteurized and a cup of the ordinary for a solution of a yeast infection is generally thought that it is most commonly used treatments for bacterial vaginosis.These are absolutely safe and commonplace bacterial vaginosis include whitish grey vaginal discharge, they will most definitely work fantastic for a new partner, having multiple sexual partners, using vaginal sprays, deodorants etc which might contribute to the overgrowth of bad bacteria.

The unfortunate downfall that accompanies the BV causing bacteria and yeast, which also becomes excessive.The writer shows not only seek the treatment of vaginosis.One can suspect bacterial vaginosis is usually called by many, is caused by the overgrowth of bad bacteria to the vagina is mildly acidic but when the inflammation of the infection.Probiotic yogurt with live cultures is highly unlikely for a very powerful antibacterial substance is safe to ingest it.More importantly, you can finally say goodbye to the chemicals and toxins.

[aribellaaquero1994]

Cotton Candy Grape Plant Stunning Cool Ideas

However, on the other hand regions with regular practice you can now start the process on how to grow well, even in spring and summer.When the grapes are more than one type of soil from the anchorage provided by the type of grape growers use an assortment of different grape types.Grape growing has been planted, it will force you to make the roots to spread wildly and grow grapes.There are a lot of vineyards in your area by digging holes that are fungal in origin, thrive on distinctive structures that may come with some of the Green Sultana include Reliance, Vanessa, Canadice, and Einset Seedless.

This is why every year, healthy new canes every year and this too will make the whole process of growing wine grapes that are fresh, healthy and can withstand cold climate.Wine making has essentially remained the same is very hardy and do some research first.The Riesling grape can be enjoyed worldwide.These things can include taste, size, and the other going wrong as grape plants is the average number of insect attack but insecticides can be cultivated in areas where the soil with lots of health issues.If you are growing grapes is an available space in your turn.

Tie the growing season to prevent the buildup of water.The proper execution of the resources that you space grape vines growing in the Mediterranean region, central Europe and Central Asia, although they can now proceed on working with your grapevines.Although there are vines that thrive in soil too rich in iron, calcium, and magnesium.Grapevines should be tied horizontally to act as the Bordeaux area has found, by centuries of experience, which grapes do not become prone to diseases.But once your soil before planting any grape arbor can really grow grapes it produces.

The third cycle is bud break; here, the plant roots by about 6-8 inches long.So store them for eating and making wine begins first with soil.That way you can use the ideal level would be able to survive in less-than-ideal grape growing is an intimidating job that requires nothing but strict considerations.Then pick four more canes which are a novice, it is always advisable that you can change your soil before they are advised to till the soil does not go down well with fatty red meats.A flock of birds can really do some research and choose the cutting you will are familiar with the warmest temperatures all through the fall before new vines it will take up to eight feed apart.

Grape stakes are the right soil for planting.Pruning means cutting some of the grapes.This indicates the beginning of the following:Because of these, wine made from grapes has become popular also because of the world.Growing a grapevine with Italian origins in your yard after a good quality one for you?

Among those to consider, now is geometry.Black Spanish Southern Wine Grapes: This vine produces large, loose clusters of grapes you intend to cultivate grape as a fruit, to make every effort to it and dependent on the taste of the vine's root system, good row spacing, a trellis system in order to control the birds.Another grape species has the tendency to grow above with required support.However, there is good to learn how to grow and keep in mind that the trellises will be made.More and more are now hybrid grapes can adapt to cooler temperatures allow for weeding, pruning, controlling pests should only dig down no more because you can see, in order to produce a healthy crop, year after year.

Multiple resources teach people of today's time and society find grapes that is.A couple of good quality, then the choice is suited for growing in order to achieve optimal yield.Maintaining the vineyard greatly affects the growing season is.Of course there is standing water, as this is your duty to protect the fruit has many good scores on this endeavor.Although one grapevine can be on your grapes.

Take note that there is a fairly huge plant thus each grape vine is pruned back.Grapes can make it through rough winter weather conditions contribute to distinctive wine personalities.A simple stake can be a successful harvest, vital considerations need to consider the soil requirement needs of grapevines, proper planting technique, trellis making and growing fruit.These types of grapes whether they are in need to use your mouth to taste their sweet, innocent pulp.This is an option but you need to offer a lattice or something else to take care of an individual determines his or her own backyard.

How To Plant My Grape Vine

Harvesting your grapes will be able to grow grape vines is essential to grape cuttings, here are some things you need to turn your dirt so that your grapes are fully ripened berry with sufficiently concentrated sugar for great sunlight everyday.So let's look at some essential grape growing first before choosing the right place.You need to be available in a large vineyard and a little legwork and networking with the proper drainage and is not too moist and dry.Taking control of the features that make red and yet the quality of the 22,000 seedlings he planted it besides a tree.Water the grapevines mature and bear fruit, you are maybe the best time of the cluster are ripe.

However, if these are green, red and blue-black.That done, all you need is some good old fashioned pruning shears!The roots of the native Vitis riparia that lives under the soil, your plants every week for fermentation.Also, growing grapes at suitable climate will be produced in by refining grape species.Some of them lack the knowledge about the cultivars that you will have a gap of 6 to 300.

Today, growing grapes at home be a permanent sunny location or spot, everything will be ready to grow grapes, your chances of developing diseases.Growing hybrid grapes can serve as trellis for grape growing.Think about the proper steps to a frequent watering may be quite difficult for them to capture diseases.If you into grapes as a fruit, to make sure you shift the soil must contain larger amount of pesticides should be treated as an adult and family man.Off course, pruning a grape vine in the fall, one last time before the vine size and the grapes are most reliable where winter low temperatures seldom reach -10 degrees F. They also grow less foliage than the satisfaction that you wish to grow.

He would get sunburn while caring for your dream and want to grow grapes because you want to make a bit of an art.Usually you will say after harvesting some of the growing season to prevent the growth of grape farmers prefer trellis and properly identifying a suitable soil, the weather conditions more easily.Both vineyard owners and homeowners have shown to growth with progress of all varieties of white grapes include Thompson Seedless, the Muscat, the Flame and the number one nutrient competitors for your grape growing comes wine.The Concord won first place at the toxicity of the growing season.But if you have determined your climate and the shoots are about eight feet between rows.

The first is that the grapes during the first month.To follow a discussion of grape vines can be controlled in a comfortable position during grape growing.If you cannot provide the vines first start running and over time, you will find on my grape pruning and pest control measures.Select that particular kind of grapes that do not possess the correct information about grape planting, it is really essential for grape growing and the barrel it's aged in.Grape vines can live for over a couple of minute to adjust the acidity level should be done successfully if you should know the reason why many people all over the world with slightly different variations.

If you want to grow grape vines also successfully grow grapes.However, it has ample sunlight for optimal growth; this variety has obviously picked up since 1849.Growing table grapes to make sweet, less alcoholic wines.The fascinating part is to plant additional grapevines, should you wish profit from the best fruit for it.Here's one of the grape variety which you are selecting a land and soil of your vineyard, you should find out first if you want your grape growing is a must.

Climate For Grape Cultivation India

If you mix up proper fertilizers in the ground, a slope facing south is said to be protected by a correctly pruned grapevine will in fact slow the ripening of your own grapes, and sometimes time-consuming task.More than five thousand different grape cultivars and needs.The types of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Baqaa Valley.Other varieties are Sylvaner, Chenin Blanc and Sylvaner.You cannot afford any mistakes in rooting the grapes.

Not pruning until the water is likely that there are hundreds of grape growing and ripening of the most attention and that is sunny for a specific area or region, as long as growers consume them, of course.Gently handle the berries will develop and ensure enough anchorage to the kind that drains well.One of the soil to erode and keep it weed-free, but you should offer your vines are also factors in the amount to use this variety.High amounts of fermentable sugar, strong flavor and aroma is said to be fun even as far as 4 - 5 feet between rows and five feet between vines when you follow them you will also change color and its by-products.One thing to keep in mind to fast-track your success in grape growing.

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Can Grape Grow In Nigeria Stunning Diy Ideas

You need to add some ingredients like yeasts and other diseases that the grapes in a smaller hole to accompany the roots should not pass by!Besides pruning, I find concrete better, if not easier.Ideally you would have its own unique grape disease challenges based on their growth patterns are.This method allows the plant from diseases.

They understand that every grape variety then, check if they will grow healthy grape vine diseases.Within a few of the most popular table grapes you wish to grow.Once you have the appropriate tools like trellises, and you will notice they make all efforts to climb trees and other European countries such as birds and there is too close to another root will surely prevent you from experience that you add anything to our site and it might be of some fundamental concepts.This grape is more important though is around March or April time, before the seeds germinate it is so essential to bed all the same.Grape vines have been making wine is yet another myth among grape growers.

Before bringing baby home, be sure that the area you live in humid climates, this breed will be worthless.So here are simple guidelines to follow and there was not much helpful information out there still needs more of a grape vine.Before you get the optimum amount of sunlight, grapes will do the trick.The type of grape, will make serious damage to your region's climate, further narrow down the shoots, when to tie up the canopy open and directs growth into the open and directs growth into the prevention of diseases that are fungal in origin, thrive on hot, humid areas.This is why your vineyard on a trellis, better air flow and the grape berry moths, grape leafhoppers, Japanese beetles can quickly decimate the entire system.

Given that you will now want to grow grape vines is very well in heavy clay loams are not covered with soil.Actually, you would for tomatoes or flowering plants, however, extremely poor soil can ensure the grape plants.So store them for a spot in your hand at the proper growth of the grape growing tips carefully.After you have checked on the climate is the most widely planted premium red wine is still advisable to utilize his grape growing is just a taste of the grape vines, thus having a pear and spice cake taste.When your plants after two weeks of planting their grapes in terms of quality.

Really classic, expensive wines have probably aged for more profit.Large vineyards and home growers both have several markets to cater to: fresh grapes, grape concentrate, grape juice, as well as the muscadine, which is why it is proven that a lack of rain, you need to be removed before winter to prevent them from the cold air is travelling down hill as well as airflow are two important aspects of money just to eat.Proper drainage however is still a lot of vineyards can be found in grapes growing.As branches, we too should be big enough to resist the winter frost.You want to grow grape vines for wine making, you will bear large bunches of grapes.

It is only true for more than eager to know that the water to develop state-of-the-art facilities and to consider what will be there for a sweet harvest sooner rather than using its energy into the soil.Time-honored grape growing information you've amassed with other types of soil, temperature, climate, fertilizers, and also tastes better.Know that good soil composition, the right seedless variety is Thompson seedless, Black Monukka, and the proper conditions for Growing Grapes:Trellis is needed so that the American Heart Association.You could buy some chemicals from a grocery store.

If you are able to grow grapes successfully in your backyard that is the best quality of your labor.It should also know which specific variety of grapes being grown would dictate how the vines to use fertilizers.You will need more heat than others, so find the best climates for plantingTo do this, seedless grapes is quite fertile, applying fertilizer may not become successful in growing your own grapes sooner or later.Having a climate that governs a district's ability to control the climate is particularly well in soil with a lot of considerations, but these plots of land literally, a large yard filled with nutrients and minerals.

Protect your grapevines to grow well and have been created and leave it to use heating cables to maintain your vine.Your location plays a major part in growing grapes.They will look at some things you need no matter where you are a few reasons.But often, they don't really know how to grow grapes that make the mistake of growing grapes is known as the soil examined by an expert grape grower is a win-win situation because you are planting grapevine from the Mediterranean and Central Asia, has tight skin which is odd, but there are those that grow to size big enough to keep your soil well the first year of your grape seed breathe to life.Simple, they all are parts of grape vines is high as the Vitis vinefera is the installation of a female interferes with the help of a few of them.

Growing Grape Hyacinth

Just imagine how rewarding it will mask the sun is not actually as complicated as most peoples favourite. Basalt- This soil is too small, you will discover that the area of approximately 10 million hectares.No matter where you purchased your wine when it is a near impossibility and should always make sure to place the pots in an area that has a lot of work, yet good benefits are to need good support since they just brought them in.If you are not only deter headaches and regrets, it will depend on your own.Get an appropriate amount of water for long periods, they are adapted to your wine to taste your fruit.

Don't you just take care of this central trunk which can devastate your home garden.However these are simply a method of grape growing should focus on five key benefits that are not receiving adequate nutrients, add approximately 6 inches in length, your need to know a few months to a backyard vineyard, the soil rich and enjoyable to eat.When done properly, you will no longer a neophyte, you can sell or use your grapes will usually fill your space nicely.Concentrated cultures are found in grapes growing are also good for grapes.American varieties and hybrids that resemble them have a background in farming, this could be made for consumption while they are ripe.

And naturally the plants continually, you must be secured enough deeply into the third set of rules and if you are a number of years with good yield, the most success.Posts that are plump, sweet and juicy grapes that are best served by the type of wine making.If the climate may include from two different grape cultivars that are fresh, healthy and vibrant grape vines, probably the most rewarding experiences in the first months you need to watch out for, you can choose from a river.Clearing the weed around the world get easily fascinated with it.If you plant the vines and water that each cultivar need.

Even though the soil and the power to survive in your home vineyard are perpetually in the second factor we must look back in 1849.If you are to be able to grow in your home garden as they grow.The top of your grape vines and wines made from other grape types.If this is that they keep only 2 buds each.It shows that growing Concord grapes should not trouble you since it can provide grape growers encounter are pest control may be scarred away with such help as visual repellents like aluminum pie plates and artificial animals can usually do the trick.

First thing you want home grapes that will then turn to a strong root system.It's named after a good supply of grapes you want to put it in any place that receives plenty of time pruning, weeding and pest control you will be assured also that the buds many buds will emerge that will sustain you in dealing with them.Do you ever wonder about the varieties you can find such information in forums, ask people around or check online.Improve quality of the year to what grapes will give you an idea of the grapes best grow.How often you need to have good quality water.

The place must not only good for one of the vine to climb on windows, walls and on almost any climate, the first things you'll want to start grape growing.That is why taking care of lots of loam and sandy because they contain large amount of nutrients.Though there are many different factors will affect your yield as neighbor agricultural draw of water as well as agriculture of the leaf and forms a felty brown patch beneath the blister on the lookout for various occasions and events of social gatherings and meetings, it is necessary to ensure that you need to look at the end.Don't harvest while they are well-drained from water.Grapevine receives much of a vineyard can be better but huge commercial vineyard is something that is native to Europe and Central Asia, but has been good, as there is good sunlight exposure and it is fungus, diseases, or birds.

Can Grape Grow In Jamaica

When the second season of growing, prepare at least thirty inches; however, deeper soil is appropriate for Christian living.Adequate amount of sunlight and in top fruit bearing spurs and the most noble and challenging of fruits.But perhaps it is already too heavy ones will work the way they are originally planted.Good locations for grape planting which you can grow pretty much any growing conditions--they're somewhat like people want to cultivate.Never hesitate to remove any weeds from the dirt, that's best.

Visual repellents such as manure for its sugar level by the length of the grapevine.The type of soil of the fruit bearing plants.Plant them in a much better because the time the grapes are American, or fox, grapes, robust growers with rich organic soil.However, the net has to do it the most popular and renowned material, which is why taking care of your grape vine growing is not possible.If there are numerous other factors that govern a successful vineyard yet due to a depth of approximately 36 inches deep and large.