#I was going to get mine this weekend but unfortunately I’m currently dying (< being a big huge baby about a mild cold)

[willowcrowned]

frankly I’m still furious that in western countries wearing a mask in public whenever you’re ill—regardless of the illness—didn’t come out of the pandemic

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What would happen if you were sent back and ended up in the orphanage with Tom Riddle—and say you also had magic?

Oh boy.

Well, there's a lot to question here. Judging by the... spirit of this ask, I presume I'm... pretty much reincarnated. I'm in the orphanage, I'm much younger than I am now and a child, I'm pre-Hogwarts age, and I retain my current knowledge.

For the purpose of this ask I suppose I also retain my current mental faculties. Despite being in the body of an eight-year-old, I'm not The Carnivorous Muffin at eight.

Welp, there's a lot to consider here.

First, I probably don't realize I'm in Harry Potter for quite some time and instead assume I've been reincarnated to some parallel universe. It's the 1930's, I'm in England in the depression, WWI has occurred and the vast majority of major historical events I know about seem to have happened in the right order, and this Earth is eerily similar to the Earth I left behind.

Strange that I appear to remember everything of my past life with my adult mental abilities, but alright universe, I guess that's how we're going to play this.

What I do know is that I'm dirt poor, presumably still a woman which does not bode well for my career prospects, and if I want any prospects in life period I'm going to have to fight tooth and nail for it. It'd be great if I got adopted to help with this, and might be nice to have people in my life who love me, but there's a lot of orphans in the world and a lot of orphans who are much less weird than I am.

The orphanage is the orphanage and not great, Mrs. Cole is overworked, the orphanage is chronically understaffed, and the kids are running wild beating the shit out of each other.

Being a girl, I probably don't have to worry about getting the shit kicked out of me quite as much, but I still probably try to keep my head down and don't aggravate the particularly beefy looking orphans.

Yes, there's some very angry gremlin named Tom Riddle around who will shove you down the stairs in retribution, but that's just a weird coincidence. And then supernatural shit starts happening. Billy's rabbit hangs itself, people get injuries when Tom is nowhere near them, and I start wondering if this is really the Tom Riddle.

I'm in Wool's Orphanage, my matron is Mrs. Cole, Tom Riddle is running around lighting things on fire. It's possible, though it could all be a strange coincidence.

Now, how things go from here depends on how controlled my own magic is. Since accidental magic typically does manifest at least once or twice, it probably does manifest for me for.. something. If Tom Riddle's there to witness it then...

Well, I imagine he's very offended. Here he was, special, different, better than everyone else, and then some girl in the orphanage (who dares to get very good grades on her assignments in school) has it too.

And I just stand there, smiling, going "Tee hee".

He probably confronts me to prove that he's better at it than I am, and he probably is unless the universe hates both him and me, but having someone else with the Shining around probably prompts him to take me as his protégé (in part so he can show off and in part because he's genuinely excited to be able to share this super cool talent).

I am now apprentice to eight-year-old Tom Riddle. Whoop de doo.

Well, I don't remember this part of Harry Potter, so now I'm probably confused as to where I am again. Regardless, I try to advise Tom on how to tone it down and not, say, traumatize Amy and Dennis for life and antagonize all the other orphans forever. He probably doesn't take me seriously. What do I know, I can't even light that patch of grass on fire?

Hanging around Tom Riddle gets me a reputation to, given the difference in genders, probably a fairly nasty one at that. When Dumbledore arrives he's undoubtedly told hot gossip about how eleven-year-old Tom and I have had sex in a ritual to summon Satan. Dumbledore takes this seriously.

Dumbledore probably meets us both at the same time and it's a disaster. I tried my best to prep Tom without revealing I'm a prophet, Tom first doesn't believe there might not be others, then doesn't believe they would be antagonist/anything but amazed by how awesome he is.

Well, Dumbledore lights his wardrobe on fire while I sit there. Dying inside. Dumbledore probably also does something to me too, to teach me some kind of lesson about something.

I imagine he temporarily disfigures me/makes me appear very ugly, then sticks a mirror to the wall, that way I realize that looks aren’t everything/being a whore is wrong. Tom, still traumatized over the wardrobe, is no help and my magic’s probably not controlled enough to do a thing about it.

I spend a day looking like a pig, Tom and I are given just enough money to buy new wands and second hand/barely functioning everything else and given the world’s worst directions to Diagon Alley. Thanks, Albus.

Well, months pass, we get our wands, Tom gets excited for Hogwarts and I... start seriously considering the future. WWII is coming, the Blitz is coming, Tom and I live in east London and must be able to evacuate during the bombing of London (which went on well past the Blitz to the end of the war). I also start considering my future in the wizarding world. Do I now actually have career prospects?

Probably not because I’m muggle born and a woman. My best bet is doing very well in useful subjects and finding employment with the goblins, I can’t imagine they have the same hang ups as the wizarding world.

Tom wants to go to Slytherin, of course, I tell him this is a bad idea. “Gee Tom,” I say, “Not sure how I know this but I have this feeling that Slytherin is filled with people who loathe our very existence and will shank us. Why don’t we pick Ravenclaw or Gryffindor instead?”

No one shanks Tom Riddle! Tom says. Tom is still eleven and while he admits that sometimes I may, in retrospect, have been right about certain things that doesn’t mean he wants to go to the house known for hard work. That’s code word for everyone there being a moron and having no other redeeming features than tenacity. As for the other two, Ravenclaws sound like smug, elitist, nerds and Gryffindors like dumb jocks.

Better to be known for ambition, cunning, and actually being competent.

Well, there’s no talking him out of this one, and goddamn it we’re all each other has.

I’m the closest thing Tom Riddle has ever had to a friend in all these years and in the orphanage the only one who could hold a decent conversation with him. And while it’s not my moral obligation to keep Tom from becoming a domestic terrorist, and there’s no guarantee I even can, dumping him for one of the other houses and drifting apart won’t help.

Not to mention that, after all these years, I’m undoubtedly lonely, I’m in this foreign land, and he’s now the closest thing to a friend I have.

Looks like I’m going to Slytherin, YOOOOOLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO! I shout as a battle cry as tears run down my face. I may have to convince the hat to put me in Slytherin, but like all human beings I am a mixture of many qualities. I’m not cunning in the least, mind games exhaust me unutterably, but I’m full of ambition. 

This confirms every bad opinion Dumbledore had regarding me and Tom.

For the next several months, Tom probably beats the shit out of dormmates who steal his things/harass him. He beats up mine too because feminism (TM) means that he should treat all people equally when guilty of the same crime. I... am not sure I can win that fight so I just resign myself to having to adopt some of Tom’s tactics to make sure I’m not shoved in lockers, have tampons thrown at me, or pig’s blood dumped on me at the prom.

Once again, everyone thinks Tom Riddle and I are dating. I don’t even know if they’re wrong at this point.

Well, being in class with eleven year olds who seem to have had little to no prior education, Tom and I are undoubtedly blazing through class. I imagine I’m bored out of my mind (the Hogwarts curriculum sounds unbelievably boring) and Tom is... well, probably devouring the library but probably also bored. I decide to try and see if I can find some real history texts on this world (there are probably none, the wizarding world seems to only have two historians and both... have a different approach to history than current modern thought as I know it) and discover what magic even is. That shit is fascinating: wingardium leviosa is not.

Dumbledore likely gives neither me nor Tom points in class, I think the house cup is stupid, so I really don’t care. I have no interest in playing quidditch, neither does Tom, so that doesn’t happen.

The second world war starts up, Tom, me, and the muggle borns are the only ones who give a flying fuck. I work harder on figuring out how to get lodging during the Blitz/the bombing of London. Unfortunately, Mrs. Cole hates me too for being the Bride of Satan, so that’s a no go. Third year, 1939, I probably write her in earnest anyway telling her to PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, send Tom and I instructions for the summer/where the orphans are staying/how they’ve been dispersed to the countryside. As a back up plan, I try desperately to shmooze shopkeepers in Hogsmeade during every Hogsmeade weekend to get myself and Tom part time jobs and lodging over the summer. As a back up back up plan, I spend my time badgering Tom to become very good at survivalist wandless magic and if the Lord has pity on me gain some ability in it myself.

Hopefully, either Mrs. Cole or one of the Hogsmeade shop owners take pity on us. If not, then Tom and I are going extreme camping. Given Mrs. Cole (and the brain damage brought on by Dumbledore erasing memories left and right) and the likelihood of Hogsmeade shop owners just not getting it, Tom and I probably go extreme camping.

(Tom, meanwhile, asks Dippet and Dumbledore if we can stay in Hogwarts over the summer. He’s told no exceptions. London’s being bombed, you say? No exceptions. Toodles. Tom is never the same.)

Me, Tom Riddle, a tent we made ourselves, several rabbits we had to catch and skin ourselves, and the pitiful fire that we can keep going through pure will alone because if we try to use real people spells then we’ll get arrested. It has the benefit of making Tom feel very manly and impressive, catching his own food, but both of us are well aware that this sucks.

But hey, we aren’t dead.

Well, I’m sure Tom doesn’t appreciate that and this is where I imagine he seriously starts talking about violent revolution. I imagine much of my time is spent discussing the merits of not violently overthrowing our ant overlords. I imagine a thirteen-year-old Tom isn’t impressed by my pacifism, but he’s not married to Voldemort yet (probably).

Then I imagine the horcrux thing comes up and... Well, I will argue hard against it. Humans die, it is a truth of the universe, and simply something we have to accept. Horcruxes are not a measure against that, they can be destroyed, given infinite time they will be, and the sacrifice they require is too high: human life as well as the very essence of who you are.

What is a soul? I’m not sure, we never really learn in HP canon, but whatever it is, it is in some way the essence of yourself. If you take half of it and throw it somewhere else, you will cease to be you, someone or something else is walking around in your body while the other half of you exists in endless agony.

If you must chase immortality, create a philosopher’s stone (as I darkly wonder why it was that couldn’t be replicated and what Flamel had to do to make it in the first place). On second thought, maybe we should search for the Holy Grail.

Whether I can talk Tom out of this or not is... unclear. I’m going to say that I can, in part because I imagine he’ll want to show the chamber off to me, tell me when he realizes he’s Heir of Slytherin, and in doing so I can prevent the basilisk incident from occurring. Without that, there’s no dead Myrtle, which means no first victim. That summer, when he goes to the Gaunts, I’ll go with him and convince him that it’s not worth it. He can just turn around and leave these people alone, I hopefully can talk him down. Which means no second victim.

I start writing Flamel to see if Tom or I can get an apprenticeship (Dumbledore probably beats us to the chase and poisons him against us, but it’s worth a shot).

Then, should all go well, I can convince Tom to find employment with the goblins rather than shady antique dealers on the bad side of town. Hopefully, I can convince him to never become Voldemort, and instead we travel the world together looking for the origins of magic or something.

Dumbledore goes around taking people’s memories of us in preparation for when Tom becomes a dark lord and I his lady of the night darkness.

TL;DR Apparently my life would become an SI/Tom Riddle fic. So, thanks anon.

[purplesurveys]

1268

The last person you kissed treat you right? Nah.

Would you be shocked if the last person you had feelings for texted you? I’m not interested in anyone; haven’t been in a while.

Is this upcoming year going to be a good one for you? Ugh, I dunno...I feel like 2021 was already such a peak. It’s scary to place high expectations for the next year because it’d obviously be a bummer if it ends up sucking. I can only hope it would be even just as halfway decent as this year.

What if you had a baby with the last person you texted? Biological impossibility aside, it would cause such a stir in the office, I presume. It would also be a big mistake, considering I don’t feel anything towards her and so I’m just not sure how large my commitment would be to the new life being formed.

Who knows your biggest secrets? Well most of them are with Gabie, unfortunately. Thankfully she forgets easily so I hope she doesn’t remember most of them anymore.

Do you care if people hate you for no reason? I care in the sense that I would find it laughable.

Are you in a good mood? Um I think I’m just neutral today. I recklessly took three cups of coffee yesterday and I’m still recovering from what feels like the world’s worst hangover, but I also like that it’s the weekend...idk, there are many elements that are either good or bad that make up my mood today, so I think overall I’m just meh hahaha.

Were you single on your last birthday? Yes.

Does it bother you when people respond with one word texts? Not really, unless it’s meant to be a response that warrants more than one word.

Have you ever ran from your own parents? I had plans to run away before, but until now I can’t actually tell if my feelings then were genuine or if it had just been an angsty puberty lashing-out thing.

Are you afraid of clowns? No. Is there someone you are dying to see? Any of my friends.

Do you have any hickeys on you? No, it’s been a while.

You just won $100,000, what’s the first thing you would buy? A new phone because the LCD on mine is B U S T E D as fuck.

Are you currently looking forward to anything? Getting my next paycheck lol. I allotted most of my last salary for other people – three birthdays (Angela’s, my mom’s, my sister’s – why are there so many Virgos?!?! Hahaha) and chipping in to help my dad for an unexpected plumbing issue that came up at home – so nearly none of it was left for me. Fortunately the rest of the month will be far calmer so I don’t intend on touching my next pay lmao. Is your hair long enough to put in a ponytail? Yes. I always want it to be long enough to be tied in a ponytail.

Is love worth fighting for? Yeah, I still believe so. The last time I did, it was just for the wrong person.

Is there anyone you wish you could be spending time with right now? I want to be with Angela, Reena, and Hans so we can watch the entire Memories of 2020 together :( I’ve been watching it by myself so far (I was the only one in our group who bought a copy lol) and it’s just not as big of a blast.

Will this Friday be a good one? I’m not sure yet but I know for a fact I’ll still be relieved since it will be a Friday...

Could you picture yourself getting married and having kids? Yeah but the image gets blurrier as the days go by.

What is your current mood? Dizzy from my coffee overconsumption; annoyed because I have OT work to do today; calm thanks to the cold and cloudy weather.

Did the last person you kissed name start with a J, C, B, I, R, S, Q, L or A? No.

Who last poked you on Facebook? Is that still a feature? I genuinely have no clue but I also don’t know if anyone ever did poke me. I was extremely introverted back then and wouldn’t have been a target for poking.

Is it harder to be rejected or to reject someone else? Be rejected.

What did you fall asleep thinking about last night? I went to bed with the biggest headache in the history of headaches and with a nagging desire to try throwing up from the three cups of coffee I took, so I was actually feeling extremely worried as I was trying to turn in hahaha. I had the worst scenarios in my head.

Who is someone who puts up with you no matter what? Angela. I actually just thanked her for it yesterday, since I was feeling emotional with the one-year mark of my breakup coming up.

Last person to call you? A delivery rider asking for directions to my house, as always.

Ever been told “it’s not you, it’s me?” Yes.

Do you like to take walks? The need comes up rarely.

Were you happy when you woke up today? Not really. I was just nauseous.

When was the last time you cried? Last night. I was in the middle of a weekend work meeting over Zoom and...idk, a bunch of emotions dropped down on me all over a sudden as I was reflecting on the breakup. I could hardly concentrate on the meeting and I’m pretty sure I was on the brink of a panic attack, but thankfully both my cam and mic were turned off. I just let myself cry. I was feeling every emotion at once, I think is what happened.

Can you honestly say you’re okay right now? Yes.

What are you planning on doing after this? I wanna look for another survey to take.

Will tomorrow be better than today? No, because tomorrow will be Monday, and I’m never excited about that.

Is there a girl you would do anything for? Sure.

Is there a boy you would do anything for? Sure.

Who IM'ed you on Facebook last? Reena.

What were you doing at 4 a.m.? I was wrapping up my Rhythm Hive session and also feeling the increasing discomfort of my migraine.

Have you ever liked someone who treated you badly? It was way beyond like.

Are you a jealous person? Hmm, sometimes. I feel envy more often than jealousy, though.

Are you someone who hates to read? Hahaha yeah, unfortunately I’ve turned into such a person. I wonder where my love of reading went. :(

When was the last time you went in the car past midnight? February when I went to a bar with friends and we wrapped up way later than I thought we would.

What was the last thing you ate? That would be breakfast; and earlier my mom prepared fried rice with omelette, eggplant salad with salted egg, luncheon meat, and dried fish.

Who was the last person to text you? Kata.

How is your hair? Funny you brought this up...I was playing with my hair while we were streaming mass awhile ago, and I plucked my first-ever white strand of hair :( Needless to say I’m freaking out and feeling existential about it lmao.

Could things possibly get any better? I definitely read that with Chandler Bing’s voice in my head lol. < Hahaha now I did, too! Anyway, yeah, maybe a little.

How important are looks to you? It’s up there.

Is your hair longer than your shoulders? No, it sits exactly on my shoulders.

Who would you like your next “fling” to be with? I’m not looking for flings.

Were your last two kisses with the same person? Yeah, but those last two kisses were well over a year ago.

Will you be in a relationship in the next couple months? Nope.

Do you have trust issues? Now I do.

Do you have alcohol in your house? Yeah I still have several bottles of soju and beer left in the fridge. My parents also have a couple of bottles of white wine but I would never touch that lol. I believe we also still have that bottle of JD somewhere in the pantry.

You’re locked in a room with the person you last kissed. Any problems? None on my end, only because I stopped caring forever ago.

Have you ever kissed someone who smokes? Yep.

If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed haunted house, would you? Sure, that might even end up being fun. Do you think you can last in a relationship for five months? I lasted nearly 15 times longer than that, if my mental math is correct.

Did you ever kiss someone with a tattoo? No.

Think back to October, were you with someone? Not anymore, but October 2020 had been a major grieving month.

[blacktribbles]

Peaches 🍑 &

Anime Dreams ⭐️

I don’t think many people dream of growing up and living in the same city their entire life. Not being able to see different things outside their own world and limiting their world view. Unfortunately it happens, maybe far too often to count. I hoped and prayed that would never happen to me; as I got older and began to travel a bit more I began to realize how much I love the area I’m in, how much I love the Greater Philadelphia area. However, I promised myself that there are a few cities in the US that I MUST travel to and get a feel for, for when I eventually do leave the area that raised me (inevitable due to future career wants). One of those cities was Atlanta Georgia, and what better reason to go to the state where the players play, and people ride out like everyday, than to go to Momocon and celebrate a special birthday with some friends.

The crew that was riding with me were My homie Mike (aka the Wizard Tribble), his girlfriend Gabe (Director, Producer, and 1 half of the horror podcast “The Ghouls Next Door) and my girlfriend Kat (Producer and the other half of “The Ghouls Next Door). We flew in early Friday morning and hit the ground running when we landed in Atlanta. Things moved quickly in the airport. It was wide open, thoroughly organized with no real confusion, which I was not used to from the Philadelphia airport where pigeons would just sit and claim their spot to a seat right beside you in the airport. There was also this air of safety that honestly rubbed my Philadelphian grit in an odd way but I was very appreciative it was noticed. First time in a new city, the first thing anyone wants is some confirmation of safety.

Once we stepped outside, leaving the comfort of the ATL airport that safeguarded us with AC, we were blessed by the loving and excessive sun. Back home in PA the weather consistently flip flops, unsure of what season it wants to be throughout the day let alone the week. Here in Georgia though, in the city of Atlanta, it was bright and sunny all day and week long with a high of 95 and low of about 63 at night. It felt wonderful knowing that there was going to be a steady weather condition to prepare for. The sun was kissing my skin, invoking the power of my melanin–while burning some of my friends. They enjoyed it all the same luckily.

We arrived early to ATL, early enough to call a ride to the nearby diner to get some good southern breakfast in our systems. From the airport to the diner it felt like we were being taken on a small ATL tour. Passing by us was beautiful scenery, birds chirping, healthy, luscious green trees–adding a perfect amount of nature to the populated urban jungle. The letters GT were everywhere for Georgia Tech. A university that seemed to just keep expanding its territory wherever we roamed. The architecture of the city was sleek, not overly futuristic but reminiscent of Philly. It was modern with some buildings taking a design chance on aesthetics; adding in solar panels, wide open glass roof structures, inverted and curved buildings, the chances taken weren’t over the top and did just enough to stand out. Definitely caught my eye.

We finally arrived at a diner close to where we stayed—Silver Skillet Diner, a place that has hosted the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, and Dave Chappelle to name a few. It’s here that my friends and I are able to take Atlanta in more and notice that yep, this may not be Texas but things sure are thiccer (Yes with 2 C’s) down here in the south. We ordered our meals, with everyone of us making sure to get a bowl of grits–mine as a side to my chicken and waffles. Which, were so crispy yet tender. Only made better by the soft waffles and the sticky sweet syrup to combo it all together perfectly. We finish up and pay our bill. Finally we head to our Airbnb.

We get there and are blown away at the place. Nice balcony, modern furniture with a TV in every room, kitchen is dope and has a beautiful island for us to eat at and lean on. The bathrooms are HUGE and the bedrooms are perfectly fitted for 2. To top it off we had access to a summer lounge area that led to a nice pool and fitness center. Place was so good we had to take a instagram video of it. We were in prime location. Downtown Atlanta, right next to the expressway, walking distance from markets and other restaurants, clothing chains and if we didn’t want to walk we could scooter around wherever we wanted to. Yes, I said scooter around. Not like kick push scooter but motorized. Rideshare companies like Lyft & Uber have motorized scooters you can take by going through the same process as you would by ordering a driver except it’s cheaper and you scan a QRcode to activate the scooter. When you’re finished using it, you hop off, pay and just leave it. Drivers come around later in the day and pick up said scooters and recharge them for later use. It was the strangest but coolest thing to see. Definitely had too much fun bending coroners whipping the scooters like I was in rocket power.

After unpacking and taking more IG photos of our Airbnb, it was time to hit the scene and check out the hype around Momocon. What started out as just a “pick up my badge and go” operation turned into a full storm of fun and adventure. When we arrived at Momocon we took it like any other convention and didn’t pay it much attention, the jaded-ness of being a frequent convention goer showing. That is until we got our badges. We got them, so finally we had access to everything the convention had to offer. We rushed the escalators and slid down the rails to do so again until we reached the convention floor. The choices laid out before were the vendors alley, or the gaming hall. We chose the gaming hall for day one.

A concert of echoing laser sounds, dance taps, sirens, alarms, and winning shouts filled the floor and us with it, enveloped in its energy joined the fray. Game after game we played. Putting our bid to even win some the next day. New friends were made, cosplays were stellar, and I got to chill with one of my favorite Pokémon–Blastoise.

We caught wind of a very rare concert happening that night. One my close friend and I have been dying to see. It was the Bytes & Beats Nujabes Tribute concert featuring the NPC Collective, Richie Branson, Asheru, And our favorites–Substantial and Shing02. If you know anything about great anime then you know about Samurai Champloo. An anime that still stylistically, artistically, and musically, holds up and stands the test of time. Those who watched Samurai Champloo leave with a spirit of hypeness and angsty rebellion. That is if they’re the Mugen type. Those like myself who align more like Jin, feel the counter balance energy of flow. The subtle and instinctual vibrations of being in one's element–just riding the current. One of the biggest things to enjoy about Samurai Champloo is its music. Samurai Champloo had a lot of its music crafted by a Japanese DJ named Nujabes. In my eyes, Nujabes is a god among DJ’s. Shoot, a whole generation of young adults and older can thank him for all the music that inspired if not created the genre of chill-hop & lo-fi.

It was the type of music that could soothe the savage beast, could bring you to this place of perfect concentration like you took the limitless pill. The Beats Nujabes crafted was the type of music that makes you think of the perfect weekend drive by sunset cruising the city blocks or mountain roads or the plains of the countryside–windows down with your one arm doing the free flowing roller coaster motion. That feel good–I’m alive vibe. Then topped with the lyrical stylings of artists like Substantial and Shing02, enhanced everything passed the stratosphere and takes the listener to this otherworldly plain of profound worldly views and humbleness. Even with the uptempo joints it felt like every artist that blessed the track, and Nujabes blessing the beat, it just spoke humble confidence. In short, Nujabes was that dude!

Nujabes collaborated with many artists, but the two that he collaborated with and stood out the most were Substantial and Shing02. He worked on joint albums with both (that are historic for chill-hop culture and must listens) but it was with Shing02 specifically that the two together blessed anime fans worldwide as they collaborated on the intro theme song to Samurai Champloo–Battle Cry. A song so enigmatic that just the utterance of its name begins to make my head bop in rhythmic hip hop fashion. Needless to say, we were going to that damn concert!

It was Friday night, we were in Atlanta, we were looking fly, it’s our first time ever at Momocon and quite possibly our first and only time at this Nujabes tribute concert. We were gonna make sure we had a great fucking time. We did everything possible to make sure we got up close and personal to the stage. I may have stuff-armed a person or two….We made sure to take in all the ambience and to not miss a single beat nor lyric felt or heard. We expected greatness and would be damned if we didn’t have a chance to bear witness to it up close and personal.

The concert began and we were taken to a land of hip hop joy, geek excellence, and a dream fulfilled. The concert started at 11pm and didn’t end till about 3am. For those who waited and held out to the very end like my friends and I were treated to a very special rendition of Battle Cry. A new version with verses from every artist that graced the stage prior, and instrumental solos. This shit was absolutely BONKERS and I LOVED every single moment of it. I’ll add, it was made even better that after the show, the artists came out and interacted with the fans. A humble group of men for sure.

Friday was a blockbuster hit in our books. What happened on Saturday though put everything over the top.

Saturday was special. It was Kat’s birthday and all of us were doing our first ever group cosplay. We decided a while back that we’d do the teen titans in casual attire. This was based off the popular artwork of Gabriel Picolo. So, for me that meant I got to embody a character that I along with many others believe I emulate–Cyborg. I dawned the cybernetic blue and steel grey and white face paint, put on a DC Comics Cyborg shirt to rep him even harder, and topped it off with a colorful playstation jacket. Your man was looking fresh out here. To round out our cast of titans was Kat as Raven, Mike as Robin/Nightwing and Gabe as Starfire. Our rule was if we see a Beast Boy, we adopt him for a family photo; and sure enough we did.

We bursted into Momocon towards the backend of a DC vs Marvel Photoshoot. We got a couple pictures taken there then dispersed to get our own in front of the Momocon banner. That’s when it began to happen. It started off quietly by a singular person, then it built into a loud murmur from everyone I see, then it finally erupts into a loud “DOPE COSPLAY CYBORG” from groups of people. Wherever we went I was getting noticed, our team and group cosplay was getting noticed. I don’t think we ever knew it would become such a big deal. I know I didn’t at the time until it was pointed out to me that, every teen titans cosplay done by a group is ALWAYS lacking a Cyborg; everyone but ours. It was a moment that really struck home for me. It began to make more sense as the day progressed. Little kids were coming up to me saying “BOOYAH!” and singing the teen titans theme song. People loved us, they wanted our pictures, put us in videos, stopped what they were doing just to chat with us. It was major. It without a shadow of a doubt drove home the message to me that representation matters. I know some out there will say it’s not super important but after Momocon, after seeing little black boys and girls smile with joy and sing teen titans with me, after they get excited by the utterance of the word booyah by another black character, that families start showing me off to their kid cosplayers and other adult cosplayers of color pause everything because they NEED to take a photo with you...you just can’t ignore how important that is. To be able to see yourself as a hero. To see oneself as greater than for once, when most of–if not all of society says you can only fit into these certain boxes. To see someone else that looks like you in a positive light; that’s all it takes to break a negative cycle, that’s all it takes to create another hero. For a small moment in time, I was inspiring to those around me; and I hope that the sliver of inspiration that I sparked stays ignited in those I met. I know it surely will with me.

But I digress.

Beyond the massive success of our group cosplay, beyond the elation and fun had for Kat’s birthday, the icing on the cake was being able to meet a famous cosplayer by the name of KieraPlease. This was after an intense dance dance revolution session in which I sat and recorded video and got exhausted looking at everyone else go. It was pure happenstance, which resulted into pure happiness when we finally met. I don’t get starstruck often but I must say, words failed me for our brief interaction. I saw her, saw my friends, and shot my shot at a possible chat and photo opportunity for us all. I took the shot and it went in (KOBE!!). After the picture she hugged us all and had a nice conversation with the Ghouls (Kat & Gabe) which I’m sure made their day if the hug didn’t already. It’s great to note that as a team, we have this cosplay thing down well. When a pro says you got it, you freaking got it! More so, it was better to finally meet someone your used to seeing on a cellphone or laptop screen. A living breathing tangible person, who quite honestly is living her best life fully and truly can be looked at as a symbol of positivity; a role model even. Just like that, day two was in the books.

So, I think I brought you along far enough on my experience in ATL. Detailing 2 key days. Now let me change things up on you a bit and give you my overall thoughts of Atlanta and Momocon as a whole.

Atlanta itself is a hotbed of culture. On the weekend we went, that weekend alone had a bevy of major events happening all weekend long. There was Momocon, Caribbean festival and parade, a food festival, and Stone Mountain fireworks and light show to name a few. As one of our lyft drivers said, ATL is a hotbed of culture because it is made up of a lot of different cultures and people from around the US. Atlanta has its own swagger but it is the culmination of others that has shaped the way it is today. Atlanta is a Transplant City. Many people are moving to Atlanta because of the opportunities that present itself. From music, TV, movies, overall entertainment and broadcasting, the warm weather, the great food, the architecture, the various modes of transportation (ONE TIME FOR THE SCOOTERS), the cheaper housing, and generally you get more out of your earned dollar; why people move there makes sense. And like all major cities Atlanta has its issues, shoot the state of Georgia alone is a bit problematic depending on where you slide politically. But my time spent there will be one for the history books. It’s definitely a place worth traveling to again. Next time I go, I’ll be sure to do more exploring. I didn’t get a chance to travel the halls of Cartoon Network (IF ANYONE ONE IN THE HR DEPARTMENT IS READING THIS, HIRE ME PLEASE) so that’s reason enough for me to go back. That and I didn’t get to try some of Hattie B’s Nashville hot chicken or the slutty vegan sandwich. There’s always next time though.

As for Momocon….IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE! Momocon has that extra something. That nudge to taking it up one more notch to make it great. No, it is not as big as DragonCon and maybe it won’t get the same recognition or acclaim but Momocon is a phenomenal con. Momocon brought me back to 2014, when I first started going to conventions. My first one at the time was Otakon and to this day I don’t think any other con will hold as special of a spot in my heart as Otakon. But Momocon, Momocon was dangerously close to taking that spot. Which lets me know and hopefully you, the reader, now that it’s just that damn good! The crowd size of the convention is comparable to say the Greater Philadelphia comic con. Meaning there’s a large crowd and over a thousand things to do but you never have to fear about missing out on something. You can and will get to everything you want if you have patience. The event staff from security to the PR and press team were absolutely amazing. All were easy to talk to and informative, helpful and never overbearing. What truly made Momocon as great as it is in my eyes, is that it at its core it remained an anime and gaming convention. It wasn’t a comic convention with anime sections, it was an anime and gaming convention that accepted comic lovers just as much as it did its anime and gaming fans. Anime and gaming is my bread and butter, it’s what got me into this geeky, blerd, pop-culture world I exist in currently. Momocon stayed true to that core value. The sheer fact they had Substantial and Shing02 performing live in concert said more than enough for me. Momocon you are in fact, a real one.

Atlanta….I’ll be back in the future. Whether that be for work or pleasure, or hell maybe to be a transplant myself and live there. All this kid from the burbs of Philly has to say left is…

Peace up, A-Town down.

Much love,

– Isaiah Luck aka Broku

Assistant Producer

Black Tribbles

[benjamingarden]

This Month On The Farm: July 2020

July's weather was full-on summer complete with heat, humidity, and lots o' sunshine.  And surprisingly, a lack of mosquitoes.  Hooray for that!  We did receive some rain and when we did, oh boy was it a lot.

Tents - Not Just For Camping

As you can see in the photo above, we decided to make use of a couple of our extra craft show tents and set them up on the upper and lower decks.  On the upper deck it's wide open, used just for rain cover and shade (Ollie is afraid of the netting walls so we left them off).  On the lower deck we used the netting walls and put our outdoor table and chairs inside so we can enjoy eating or sitting outside without bugs attacking.  Ollie, as noted, is afraid of the walls but if he's sitting in his tower with me by his side, he deals with it ok.

gutters and rain barrel installed!

Barrels Of Rain

Woo hoo!  Jay was able to get the gutters installed on the outbuildings and the rain barrels are up and working.  This has been on our "someday" list for years.  Years!  We've been able to successfully use the barrels to water the garden through most of the month, only needing to resort to our well water a couple of times.

Harvesting

As I've mentioned (probably too many times), our garden is mostly shaded.  We receive morning sun over about 70% of it and afternoon sun for a few hours over it all, and it's fully shaded the remainder of the day.  And so, our harvesting starts late.  Then, of course, we had the infamous whistle pig debacle that set us back a bit but we are now enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Green beans are coming in by the bushel.  I know that many people don't enjoy frozen green beans but we do, so I grow enough to enjoy fresh weekly as well as enough to put up in the freezer for winter and springtime eating.  I planted 3 types this year: Blue Lake, Red Noodle, and Calima Bush Beans.  The Red Noodle are still small and green but this is the first year we've planted them so, fingers crossed, they are delicious.

We finally have tomatoes!!!  Well, we finally have ripe tomatoes!  We have a ton, I mean TON, of green tomatoes amidst the 25 plants so we will definitely have plenty for fresh eating as well as for oven-drying to freeze for sauce during the winter.

We are also harvesting onions, cabbage, kale, swiss chard, mixed greens, arugula, microgreens, peppers (jalapeno, ancho, and bell), summer squash, zucchini, the last of the peas, beets, blueberries, blackberries, herbs and radish.

our sweet potato hill

Sadly, our pear and asian pear trees did not do well this year.  I've ordered new "partners" for them (and the paw paw tree) so our hope is we will be swimming in their fruits in a couple of years!  And our whistle pig took out all of our summer broccoli and cauliflower so we won't be harvesting either of those until fall.

At the start of the season I would grab a big bowl from the cupboard and Ollie and I would head to the garden to harvest whatever was ready.  One day, as my bowl was so full the veggies were spilling out of it, Jay looked at me and said "you need a bucket or a basket or something".  I said "I know.  Someone I follow on Instagram just posted a picture of her harvest basket that her husband made.  It was nice - metal mesh and wood sides and handle.  You're too busy though, so maybe next year."  I didn't give it another thought.

Later in the week Jay comes out of his shop holding the PERFECT harvest basket.  He had made it in between other projects he was working on.  Such a sweet gift! 

So now, Ollie and I take our harvest basket with us to the garden on our daily check-in.

looking up one of our mammoth sunflowers

the 2 mammoth sunflowers that survived the whistle pig feast are on the left

Homestead Projects

We have a list of projects that we are hoping to accomplish before fall.  We've managed to check off some of the easier projects, but not so much the larger projects.  Here's what we're chipping away at:

paint the dining room (done)

stain the back deck (done)

paint the living room

fix columns and lay new flooring on one of the two front porches (second porch will be done next year)

paint 2 sides of the house (same color, just refreshing it - the other 2 sides will be done next year)

install fence around the garden (temporarily done - permanent fencing will be done next spring)

build and install a new outdoor pole light in the front yard

build a small nesting box area/water station for garden (so when the chickens are tasked with the garden fall clean-up, they have a place to lay eggs)

chop and stack wood for the woodstove in the shop (done although we may chop a bit more)

install gutters on the outbuildings and hook-up rain barrels (done)

create a raised bed hoop house for one of our garden beds so we can grow greens through late fall/early winter (done for now - we purchased/found the items needed to make this in fall)

Animals

We are not going to add any more animals to the homestead for now and that includes chickens.  The current flock will get smaller, gradually, as the inevitable happens.  We had one pass away this week, she was one of the older girls, and we fully anticipate a few more passing this year from old age.  It certainly doesn't get any easier to deal with death, but at least we have developed a bit of a plan now, of keeping them safe and comfortable during the process.  We also know more about signs, because with chickens, they usually mask illness.  This helps us so we can watch closer and try to make sure they are protected.  

Death is one of the parts of having animals that is so difficult.  Unfortunately, as birds become sick and/or begin the dying process, some of the others can become very cannibalistic.  It's not a pretty sight.  So once we see that one of the girls isn't feeling well, we are able to remove them, but not totally, from the flock.  They are social creatures, so full removal seems to make them stressed and upset.  Instead, we make sure they are separated by a fence allowing them to still feel a part of the flock without getting incessantly pecked at and stepped on.  And no, we don't let them suffer.  If there's any sign of that, and we've done all we can do to make them well, we step in.  

Our overall plan is to get out of the egg-selling business and keep a very small flock (6-8 girls).  With a flock of 24 girls, it will take some time for the flock to naturally reduce (we're down from the 32 we had last year), so we won't be bringing in any chicks until we have less then 8 girls.

zucchini chocolate chip muffins

What Do You Do With All Of That Zucchini?

Isn't this the question you ask yourself every single year?  I always think I have a plan to keep up with it but I struggle by August.  I give it a heck of an effort though.  Here's what we've been doing with our zucchini:

slicing it lengthwise and grilling it (alternatively, you could broil or bake it).  We both love it.  Jay sprinkles a bit of parmesan on his and I like mine plain.  It's sooooo juicy and delicious.

cutting it into chunks and sautéing it with onions and corn.  I add a bit of butter to Jay's and mine is plain.  We just love the combination.

stuffing it.  As noted in this weekending post (at the bottom), I always enjoy coming up with new stuffing ideas.  The key is to bake, boil, or grill the scooped out zucchini halves before you fill and bake them so they are nice and soft once finished.

making our very favorite chocolate zucchini cake. Even my husband who isn't the world's biggest chocolate fan LOVES both versions.  The original version is here.  The healthier/reduced oil and sugar version is here.

making Kate's recipe for healthier zucchini bread.

making zucchini and chocolate chip muffins.  They are ah-mazing!  I just realized I've never shared the recipe here.  I'll try to get that on the blog!

making zucchini noodles with homemade pesto.  Soooo good!

adding zucchini to grilled kebabs.  (everything gets marinated in italian dressing first)

adding zucchini to soups such as minestrone.

making zucchini cobbler.  (tastes just like apple cobbler)

making veggie stew.  I use zucchini and whatever fresh veg is in the garden to make stew as the temps begin to drop in the fall.

I'm not a big fan of eating it raw (there's a weirdness to it) or as zucchini "fries", so those didn't make the list.  We've made zucchini pickles in the past but we aren't huge pickle eaters so I haven't been making them.  

I'd love to hear your family's favorite ways to eat zucchini!

Oliver, my garden/kitchen/preserving/everything helper

Preserving, Or, What We'll Be Eating This Winter

Since our garden is now in full swing, the preserving process has finally begun!  

Green beans - as noted above, they are being put up in the freezer weekly.

Peppers - so far we've only collected enough jalapeno's to preserve, so those have been made into pickled jalapeno rings.

Relish - our cucumbers are struggling this year.  I've never had an issue with cukes, so I'm not sure what's happening.  So we purchased some cucumbers from the farmer's market and, along with our bell peppers and onions we'll can enough relish for my husband to enjoy with his occasional hot dog lunch.

Zucchini - I did freeze some grated zucchini (portioned into 2 cup servings) that I can add to muffins, quick breads, etc.

Onions - we are drying quite a few and then I'll chop and freeze the remainder.

How do you figure out how much veggies to preserve?  This is a question I receive a lot.  For us, this is how I plan it.  We typically rotate the same dishes all winter long so I can usually predict how often during the week we'll eat veggies such as green beans, broccoli, winter squash, tomato sauce, etc.  I then times that by how many weeks we'll need preserved food and that's how I calculate it.  So, as an example, I plan on serving green beans twice a week for 28 weeks which means I will need to freeze 56 bags of green beans (bagged in single-serving sizes).  

It gets a bit more difficult with carrots, corn, onions, canned chopped tomatoes, and peppers because I use them on their own as well as in many different dishes.  Over time, through trial and error, I've made it so I can get pretty close.  For the frozen veggies, I flash-freeze them and then store them in large, gallon-size bags, so I can just take out what I need when I'm cooking.

That's July around the homestead!

This Month On The Farm: July 2020 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 13 - ARI - 9-2-2

Is this a trap game? I’ll admit I’m not familiar with the concept. Arizona has been on the edge of competitive since… always? Yeah they had that conference final appearance but we’re all kinda conditioned to think they’re bad. It’s the teams that you think you should beat but have a high likelihood to surprise you that constitute trap games, right? The Yotes had a rough start but have managed to off the likes of Nashville and the Rangers to arrive in Buffalo 6 and 4. Like the Buffalo Sabres everyone is still wondering if they might actually be good. Another thing these two teams have in common is a man named Phil Housley. After bouncing around a little bit following his firing from the Sabres Head Coach position in the Spring he finds himself the assistant Coach of the Arizona Coyotes. They are certainly trying to recapture his coaching talent from his time with the Nashville Predators where he benefited a lot from a stacked defense. When Lance Lysowski, the last good hockey writer at the Buffalo News, asked Housley if he would make any changes to his time as Sabres bench boss he responded: “Those are things I’ll keep to myself”. If there’s anything Phil Housley is good at its dodging the meat of a question, eh? All kidding aside that is the best possible answer to that question. What is he going to do, activate all the suburban hockey dads and roast one of the talented player’s compete level? I think it’s safe to say he’s done with Buffalo and really doesn’t want to be pressed into any talk about it. I put the feelers for what Sabres fans feel about Phil Housley on twitter. In the most unsurprising chain of events since missing the playoffs most of y’all responded with “tHe DaY hE gOt FiReD!” There were a couple interesting responses I’ll throw in at the end of this postgame. For now let’s dive into the Sabres Episode XIII: the Return of Housley!

The Sabres came out crisp as the Autumn air in the first period. They outshot and out-chanced a Yotes side that was up to the task. Arizona made the first mistake however when Lawson Crouse got called for tripping Evan Rodrigues. The powerplay has been a canary-in-the-coal-mine for the Sabres in the early going this season. If it’s firing bangers in the first period you can tell it will be a good game for us. The games the PP wasn’t exactly spinning well were the not so pretty games a la New York, LA, Detroit and Anaheim. Mind you they won half those games. I had hardly vocalized this thought when Jack Eichel gets kicked out of the faceoff circle and proceeds to score immediately thereafter with that classic slapper. It’s Eichel’s 23rd birthday and evidently he had not scored on his birthday yet in his career on this team. There it is, Happy Birthday, bud. The game evened up a bit down the gut of the period while the Sabres still got the prettier chances. It would be another pretty goal from the increasingly nice Marcus Johansson Jeff Skinner duo. They shut down some quality O-zone time for the Yotes and went off on the rush down ice. Skinner gave the puck to Johansson who didn’t skate too far before returning it to Skinner to tap it in. They did a little crisscross in the middle there and it was just so pretty. They were out to 2-0 lead, but again the Coyotes were not missing their chances either. In spite of being boxed out over and over again by Jack Eichel and Jake McCabe, old friend Phil Kessel got his looks. Victor Hinostroza seemed to be breathing down Hutton’s neck whenever he was in the zone. This Arizona side has allowed the fewest goals in the league so far, you have to be careful with them when they do get their chances. Before the first ended Carter Hutton let in a Conor Garland tight-angle shot that was less than stellar. It was hard to see how it went in from most angles but one at ice-level showed a big 3-hole. It was 2-1 through 20 minutes of play.

The home team came out hot in the second period as well. There was a push of play in the first ten minutes where the Sabres hemmed Arizona in their zone for 1:40 continuous minutes! It got uproarious cheering from the home crowd and to be frank it sent a shiver up my spine. You watch that kind of multi-minute dominance and you almost don’t recognize the squad in front of you. They were winning quick puck battles and nailing very tight passes. They looked like they were on a powerplay, but they were roasting wolf meat 5 on 5 in that stretch! Its that kind of peak “play connected” competitiveness and actualization of real skill that makes me believe this hot start is for real. In that glorious stretch I felt this squad was really and truly back from the darkness. I think they’re for real and I feel more confident than I ever have after that stretch. Unfortunately there is somehow always a reason to be a disappointed Sabres fan and we found it as Buffalo was not rewarded for the frightfully good first half of the period. Arizona pushed back, reclaimed the edge in shots and eventually got a fluke equalizer off Hutton’s ass. It was tied at 2 going into the third period and I’d like to share Rob Ray’s joy in saying this was the most fun Sabres game yet this season but I just can’t. The third period was vintage Sabres. When I use that phrase I’m referring to the 2010s Sabres. They had no lead but decided to more or less retreat into a defensive shell. They had let the expected goals darling of this young NHL season back into the game and in the third they let them take over. Every player wearing Blue and Gold on that sheet of ice saw their corsi percentage implode and had it not been for Carter Hutton standing on his head at times there would have been no loser point as solace. Evan Rodrigues started the game out hungry. By the third period he disappeared. Jake McCabe and Rasmus Ristolainen simultaneously decided to forget two respective lifetimes of hockey training and could not pass a puck without a turnover for the life of them. Now one might say the Sabres began playing for overtime. One word answer there pals: unacceptable. Regulation wins are the currency of dynasties and I don’t care how good the Sabres have looked in extra hockey so far this season. Stop with that garbage.

Arizona earned their overtime point having shelled Buffalo with shots at a 2-1 rate in the third. In overtime they registered the only official shot on goal. Apart from an Olofsson ringer of the crossbar this was the worst overtime period I’ve seen from this new Sabres squad. As with the regulation portion of the night if Victor Hinostroza or Phil Kessel converted any of their chances this would be a darker story. At one point even Hutton caught the turtle bug and turned over the puck in the corner almost gifting the Yotes an overtime winner. It was a jaw dropping overtime in more bad ways than good ones. It went to the shootout and all it took was Nick Schmaltz outmaneuvering Hutton to sink one to seal the visitor’s victory. This one ended 3-2 Coyotes and looked like a microcosm of the Sabres play through its now completed first month of the season: gloriously fun and evidently more cohesive as a team but very much still bearing the toothless mistrust of themselves and propensity to fail to complete games. They end October 9-2-2 and I think that record is very telling. They’ll will have to sit on this surrender until Friday when they travel to Washington to take on the Capitals. I think the last third period plus of this game earned them every little bit of the nagging sensation this outcome will weigh on them in those intermittent days.

So back to the Housley memories: he got some applause when the video tribute came on the jumbotron and I don’t necessarily hate that. BUT, and this is a big but, most of us Sabres fans simply will not remember him fondly, at least for his coaching tenure. One @alexa_mallare replied with her photo of the Fire Housley sign her and her family made and put up in the 300 level for a few glorious minutes at Fan Appreciation Night last season. According to her Rasmus Ristolainen caught sight of it during warmups and got a chuckle out of it. Alexa says the team staff held Housley in the tunnel while they were forced to take it down. Heroes! Heroes, I tell you! Those last few months of the season were so catatonic someone had to show signs of life and it ended up having to be us fans. @depressedbflos replied with the Rob Ray quotes that got dug up and promptly reburied before the Housley firing. Evidently Ray was not treated right as a rookie by Housley during their playing careers and Ray still holds it against him. The quotes were from a 2003 Buffalo News piece that someone rediscovered as Housley dug his own grave that Spring. I think that was the moment that I personally realized he was done. When you’re so reviled by the fanbase you got signs going up, 15-year-old quotes coming out AND the team is losing at a record clip its over. Unfortunately Housleyisms like throwing Sobotka out there in the dying minutes of a 2-2 tie aren’t lost on Ralph Krueger. However I think we can all agree this new guy is a whole lot better at… well… everything? Everything right?

The one guy who replied a positive gif of the former coach made sure to qualify afterward that he did not endorse the coaching acumen of Housley. What a crazy time we lived through, eh? This has been the roast of Phil Housley. Thank you for coming, please like, comment and share this blog on your way out. Should we be concerned about this current team? Eh, yes in certain places. Do I think they’ll win at this clip in November: no. Do I think they’ll win more games than they lose: yes. I really feel as though 9-2-2 is something to believe in. This club is really something new. I believe it and you should too. They’ve got two games left this weekend and then it’s off to Sweden. I choose to believe, and risk being hurt. I suggest you do too. What fun would this be if we all played it safe?

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. Happy Halloween everyone.

[dreadhaus-literature]

{A/N} Back to Basics.

Somewhere along the way last year, I lost my ambition and desire to be an author.

Which is ironic, considering 2019 was the year that I aspired to write more and be more productive and as I covered in my end of 2019 posts, for a while I did that. But it fell apart, and rather than fight, as I have been for a few years now, to keep things moving, I gave up. I lost the will to fight to keep things and I just let it all go.

I can tell I’ve let things go because I don’t fantasize about things like I used to. I think that’s partly why things have been so hard for me to deal with lately. I’ve let FL go and I’m no longer losing myself in fantasy so it’s just reality all the time, now.

Some things I still have. I went back to fandoms and have just been using those to cope in small bursts, when things get really bad--or when my mind wanders and I’m daydreaming, because that’s kind of...all the time, for me. I’m by myself a lot, and I’m single, so I’ve got to supplement that with fictional people. It’s something I’ve done since I was a kid, and it’s still serving me. I don’t think I’ll ever lose that, even if everything else around me were to happen to fall apart. That’s just who I am as a person and to be honest I wouldn’t want to change or lose that.

But some things are different. I’ve let go of some aspects of FL and the Family, and a lot of that wasn’t my conscious choice. Looking back, I just did it without thinking, because 2019 was a year of ups and downs and when things failed, again, I was too tired to pick them back up or try. I was really disappointed writing didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, and that was on me. I could have kept going and I didn’t.

I’m going to try and make 2020 different. I’m trying to make it better.

Something I didn’t anticipate fading with FL was my desire to be an author. I should have, but I didn’t realize that if I let go of imagining, fantasizing, playing pretend...that the voices would stop talking to me. That I would stop imagining wonderful places to escape to when reality got to be too loud, and by the time Halloween rolled around and I wanted to write, I found I couldn’t. The will to write, especially for Family-centric stuff, was replaced with the pessimistic question of “Why? What’s the point?”

And that question has haunted me ever since...if you’ll excuse the Halloween/horror pun, there.

It feels pointless to write. I didn’t anticipate that if 2019 failed to be the year writing came back, that FL came back, that I would give up. I was so optimistic at the beginning that I didn’t consider the let-down of another year passing by with more of the same and when it did fall apart, when writing stopped and FL ground to a halt again I just threw my hands up and said fuck it. There is no point, and I gave up.

And slowly, everything faded and I lost it all.

For me, personally, it was jarring to wake up a few months ago and not imagine someone with me, not wake up in a fantasy life. All the sudden I was waking up Ashley, alone in bed, going to a job I don’t particularly like, my head empty and just...shades of gray, where before I had sprinklings of FL. I used to imagine going to work and doing things in FL but when I gave up, that went with it, and so did everyone else.

But I don’t know who I am if I’m not that person. If I’m not Dot, if I’m not the daydreamer, the writer who is constantly making up scenarios in my head because I have an overactive imagination.

I have never felt so lost.

I’m admitting here, for the first time, that I gave up, so that I can now get back up. I tried it for a while, thought I’d just shrug and find something else to focus on since FL and writing was gone but there isn’t anything else. What, am I gonna stare at the TV and color for the rest of my life?

I am a writer. That is who I am.

And so now that I’ve let everything go, and I’m standing here with my hands empty, it’s time to start over. It’s time to get back to basics.

I’ve never really had a plan, I’ve just had a lot of feelings and ideas and I just ran around with them, like a kid painting on walls. So now that I’m starting over, that I’m trying to stand on my own and realize a dream, I’m over-whelmed and when that happens...I have a bad habit of giving up. But that’s what got me here in the first place and I’m unhappy here. So why should I stay here?

Best place to start is the beginning, right?

Writing is near impossible right now because my emotions are all over the place about it, so that’s not the solution, right now. I’m not ready to dive into writing, so I gotta go back even further and that brought me to character creation.

I’ve never been one of those authors who has a million OC’s. Anyone who has known me should know that, I’m a quantity type person. I had a smaller Harem, I play the Sims conservatively (family-wise), I tend to create solely what I need at that given time and I focus on that. My Sim playing is actually a super great indicator for how I create--I don’t create a million families, but the families I do create, I invest in long-term.

I only have a handful of OC’s, but they’re OC’s that have reappeared in my writing for decades.

But I genuinely feel like I’m starting over. I don’t know what to write about, I don’t know who to write about, and I can’t write about a what if I don’t have a who. So I’m going to be focusing on character creation for a while.

What does that mean? ...Your guess is almost as good as mine.

What it doesn’t mean is that I’m scrapping any of my current OC’s. My Family and the Triquetra are still here and around, they’re not going anywhere--but I don’t see a point in working on them, either. A few years ago I was all pumped to do so, but I don’t see a point in working on the Family anymore, it never seems to go anywhere or mean anything, it constantly starts and stops and I’m discovering part of the problem with my inspiration dying is that I feel like I’m breathing life into these bodies sitting dead in the water. If something changes there, awesome, I’d love to do something with them if the time ever comes.

But any new OC’s will of course be around and integrated into the Family, that’s just...how it goes. I know I don’t mention my OCs much, like the Dastardens or, haha, Gladwyn (who I am still incredibly proud of, tbh) but it just doesn’t seem...idk, pertinent? I’m not a very forceful person, not one of those “look at what I made/did” types. Unfortunately for Monica, she’s gonna have to openly admit to wanting to see any of them before I’ll believe she wants to. ( 〃．．) Otherwise I won’t believe there’s interest there and they’ll stay quiet.

MY NAME IS DOT AND I DO NOT BELIEVE IN MYSELF. (ง ˙o˙)ว

I just wanted to sort of...clear the air about some things, I guess. My head has been so full this past week or two, trying to make sense of how I feel about writing and what I want from life. Talking about this, I can still feel I’m excited about what I could still create, what I could offer, but I think I’ve just let myself get too tied up in FL and it’s constant start and stop. I don’t function well in that environment and since I rely on FL 24/7, I need to get it back to being that for me. I let it die but I shouldn’t have, and I need to get it back. Even if getting “it” back just means doing something else creative until life sorts itself out for me and Monica. I know where I’m coming from and what I want, but I’m only half of FL and the Family. I can only control myself and that’s what I’m doing, here.

I’m working on figuring out what sort of weekly writing schedule I want to do. I’m still going to keep up the weekly collection I started with Monica, I think that’s important, but I’m going to be doing some other stuff, too. I’m not sure what that’ll look like yet, but you’ll see that post going up hopefully by the end of the weekend. We’re already moving into the middle of January so time’s a-wastin’!

As I always say, anything I get up to, feel free to join in and participate, but regardless...I’m not giving up this year.

If there’s hope, optimism, a belief that anything is going to get better, I know part of that has to come from me making it that way. I spent my 20′s starting and stopping, giving up on myself and letting others influence that about me, too, but 30 has to be different, or this struggle has all been for nothing.

I gave up but I’m not ready to quit. Not yet.

[willreadforbooze]

Hello fellow boozie readers!

If you haven’t heard about #Booziebookathon, it’s our week long readathon we host every year! It starts on July 27th and runs to Aug 3rd. Check out all the details here!

Sam’s Update:

I got so much reading done this week and I’m v v happy about it. I participated in #24in48 and it was joyous. It’s also Medieval-a-thon!!! Check my TBR here.

What Sam finished this week:

Medieval-a-thon Breastplate: The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi: Listening on audio, and I’d forgotten that Will Wheaton narrates it. I am not very far, but I already love it.

Medieval-a-thon Daggers: Eclipse the Skies by Maura Milan: I’ve been dying for this since Ignite the Stars and I am v v excited. We were selected to be a part of the blog tour for this by Caffeine Tours so I gotta gets my reading innnn.

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig: What a pleasant surprise this book was. A debut novel retelling with a murder mystery twist. I’m going to be thinking about this one for a long time.

What Sam’s reading now:

Recursion by Blake Crouch: I adored Dark Matter and Ginny and Parker both adored this one so I picked it up on audio. About half way through and loving it, I need to know how it ends.

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad: Buddy reading with Ginny and Liz and also for book club. It’s taken an interesting turn but I don’t want to say too much here, because we still have to discuss as a group.

Ginny’s Update:

Hi there. I’m sitting at home with Sam and Parker watching Princess and the Frog and it is quietly delightful. This was a pretty good weekend full of being a lazy piece of shit. I’m not going to tell you how many hours of skyrim I played this week (but it was definitely double digits) and got plenty of reading in. It was a relaxing weekend.

Currently Reading

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad: I’m reading this for a book club so it might be on here for a bit. So far, there’s a magic system that features godlike people. Our main character is an orphan in the main town who knows the place like the back of her hand. I’m excited to see where it goes.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah: This has been on my tbr for a long time and finally came up at the library. Trevor talks about growing up in South Africa where his very existence was illegal. He grew up in an nontraditional home with a mother who kicks some serious ass. I’m looking forward to reading more.

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown: Gonna be honest, I don’t remember much from the original series but I used a random number general and this is what came up. I’m like two pages in so I’m mostly just confused.

Finished

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi: This was a fun read. I think the book suffers from a few things; there’s a lot of telling rather than showing, I didn’t connect with some of the characters the way I thought I should, and the action could be really hard to follow. That being said, the magic system was interesting, I liked the alternative history, and the way this book handled personality types etc. 3.5/5

Beyond the Empire by K.B. Wagers: My review for the first book just came out (see it here!). There’s definitely going to be a review for this. Wanna be thorough

Witchmark by C.L. Polk: Lots of magic this week for me. Our main character has assumed a false identity to hide his magic and practice medicine. He’s approached by a man on his deathbed pleading for our main character to solve a mystery. This book ended up being sweet and surprisingly dark. Also this book has pretty good representation. The main character is in love with another man (and I’m pretty sure the sequel is going to be wlw) 4/5

The Telling Room by Michael Paterniti: I read this for one of my book clubs. It’s a writer’s research into one of the most sought after cheeses in his college town. He finds the creator a man named Ambrosio and learns a wild story. Unfortunately this book focused more on the author’s trips to Spain than it did that actual cheese. I found this book to be pretty damn frustrating. 2/5

Urban Legendz by Nick Bruno: This is one of the books Sam picked up for me at ALA. It’s a middle grade graphic novel about a kid who moves to New York with his dad and brother after his mom passes. In addition to struggling with the move, he also has to deal with some urban legends that are terrorizing his neighborhood. Super cute, and perfect for a middle schooler. 4/5

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi: Man do I love John Scalzi. This book takes place on another planet where a corporation has set down camp to strip-mine the entire planet. One of the surveyors happens upon a huge seam of precious minerals which is going to make him rich. And then immediately comes upon a species of catlike creatures. His biologist friend thinks they might be sentient which would cause his company to get shut down. This book has amazing humor, a main character that happily claims to be a jackass, and reminds me of John Grisham (you know, if John Grisham hadn’t turned out to be a bit of a horrible person). I’m hoping to make a review about this.

  Minda’s Update:

Minda is out of the country on her one last hurrah before baby comes! We’ll get an update next week.

Linz’s Update:

Linz has been doing all of the wonderful planning for Booziebookathon. Our TBRs come out later today!

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Melinda, Linz, and Ginny

Weekly Wrap-Up: July 15-21, 2019 #willreadforbooze Hello fellow boozie readers! If you haven't heard about #Booziebookathon, it's our week long readathon we host every year!

[azanycollectormilkshakeworl-blog]

Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

"Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

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Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

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Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

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I got a fine for no car insurance in CA, what will possibly happen to me? I'm fearing the worst...although there should be no excuse for it I didn't have the money at the time.""

$600 Fine For Expired Car Insurance? BC Canada?

Today I got a $600 fine for a week expired car insurance and my car got taken away to an impound . Is that the right price for British Columbia, Canada?? Because I've heard that its supposed to be 100-200 first time, 300-400 second time, 500-600 third time? This is the first time I've ever had a ticket because of expired car insurance so why is it so dam expensive? Can I get some of my money back at least? Seriously $600 is way too much""

How can they justify the cost of car insurance?

Hi I want to know how are car insurance company's able to justify the extra costs for men over women, I've just had to pay 2620.18 for my insurance (the cheapest i could get) and have just checked to see how much i would be paying if i was female and the same company was charging only 1693.19 and the new cheapest is now 1549.89. I can honestly not see how they are allowed to charge me an extra 926.99 purely because I'm a guy. I'm sure there would be an uproar and complaints if company's started charging more for people of different ethnic origins so can they get away with this?""

How should I insure a car? Or should I?

Hello Everyone, I'm 17 years old and have just recently gotten my license (G2). I would love to have a car of my own as it would make my life so much easier due to my strange schedule in school. I have banked enough money to buy a nice car but am still drawing a blank when it comes to insurance. What im really wondering is whats the cheapest/best way for me to insure a car. My mom and dad have both cars insured under there names but they are in use. If I was to buy my own car would I be able to insure it under their name? or under my dad's private business? I can't afford to pay 9k a year in insurance atm but would really love to have my own car sooner rather than later. If you could let me know the best way to get around the monumental cost I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance, Geoff""

""Im 17 i hve a 1.4 citroen saxo west coast, nd te lowst insurance ive found is 2300! cn an1 suggest a company?""

ive tried all the compairson sites and they are really expensive, can anyone suggest a cheaper insurance company? i love my car and dont want to sell it!""

""If you can't afford car insurance, then you can't legally drive. If you can't legally drive, you can't...?""

If you can't afford car insurance, then you can't legally drive. If you can't legally drive, you can't get to your job. If you can't get to your job, you lose your income. How is this fair????""

Who gives the cheapest car insurance for a nissan skyline import?

Who gives the cheapest car insurance for a nissan skyline import?

New Drivers: How much do you pay in Car Insurance a month?

I know this is a more personal question so I will just ask for a RANGE; like for example, $400-$500.""

How does paying higher health insurance premiums and having to help pay the trillion dollar cost of Obamacare?

Make health care more affordable ? Is affordable now code for higher priced?

How much will my car insurance go up if I'm a minor and got into a wreck?

I have State Farm insurance in Texas, how much do you think my rates will go up if I hit somebody, and I'm a minor who's driven for a year? **The man who I hit MIGHT need his bumper replaced, and it was my first accident.""

Car insurance for a 15 soon to be 16 year old?

so i am looking at getting my first car and so i need to be thinking about car insurance and my grade point average is like 2 something. i have american family. any ideas what their rates would be.??

Will my speeding Ticket affect my insurance rates?

I live in Iowa, I am 17 years old, and I just got a speeding ticket from a state trooper for going 84mph in a 65 zone. I am insured with State Farm and have no history of any accedents or tickets. Right now I am recieving the good students discount and the safe driver discount and I was woundering if this would affect my insurance rates on a 1996 Mercedes-Benz black with aproximately 210,000 miles. Thanks""

Can I use my parents car insurance?

As a 17 year old, could I get car insurance under my mom's name? I can't pay $200+ a month for car insurance as a first time driver under my own name. So could I just get my mom to sign to it so I would only pay her rate at like $100 a month?""

Need a quick answer on car insurance?

My first question is, if your car is hit and the other insurance company admits fault - aren't they supposed to come meet YOU to assess damages? Secondly, is an insurance company allowed to deny you whats owed after already admitting fault and after already getting an estimate from a body shop? How do I prevent them from low balling me?""

How much should a family budget for insurance?

disability,life,homeowners,car,umbrella""

Colorado Springs Court Fee For Proving You Have Auto Insurance Now?

I was going to base to pick up my fiance and I just moved to Co Springs. Forgot my insurance cards in my apartment. Couldn't prove it had it, so the MP's took my license and are sending me to court to get it back by proving I have insurance. Do I have to pay a ticket or court processing fee? They told me I just have to show up, show them I have the card then leave?""

How online auto insurance works?

Registering a new car,not a transfer of insurance. I am planning on purchasing GEICO insurance but am not sure how process works. After reviewing registration steps it states the local agent has to sign and stamp RMV-1 form. How will that work if my insurance provider is online? Do they send an agent or do I drive out to closest office? Is the process longer with an online insurance?""

What kind of Insurance should we have when doing a Re Fi Loan?

I am looking over the paper work and one form mentions that we have options at time of closing for different types of insurance. We have Home Owners Insurance/ I noticed disability and mortgage and Life help please

Can daughter get Health Insurance if she has pre-existing such as asthma?

My 18 year old daughter who graduated in May, has moved to a nearby town and is working at Applebees. She wants to get certified as personal fitness trainer, and so she will be dropped off of my insurance, since this is not a full time student program. She was 18 in June, and lives in Texas. She is going to soon have to be dropped of of my health insurance. I do not think that Applebees provides any insurance for hourly employees. She also has asthma, although not real bad, but this is a pre-existing conditions. Will she be able to get any kind of affordable health insurance, or is she just going to have to be one of the millions who can't have health insurance?""

Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

How much is a ticket for not having car insurance in California?

Freeway Insurance just called me and told me that my insurance was not paid last month and that it got cancelled. I could swear that I did pay and my bank overview says I did pay. This is the second time they call me to tell me that. I think those ****** bastard just want money. So I'm just wondering how much a ticket cost because I'm gathering money to open another policy but with another Insurance company.

Can i cancel my car insurance immediately? cancel same day and not pay for the following month?

The reason is i sold the car and the insurance guy said the car is still in the system (1st of the month), so i would have to pay still. he said if i canceled on the 15th it could have been canceled sooner and i wouldn't have to pay. i just think it's odd since i don't even have the car anymore. not sure if this makes sense? thanks""

Cheap car insurance for 20 year old?

im new to this im 20 getting my license in ont canada and need insurance i am very cheap will be buying a car 500-700$ and want the cheapest insurance possable il fix my own car if its possible i just want to be legal cause insurance is ridiculous ty everyone

Cheap motorcycle insurance?

anybody noe of some cheap motorcycle insurance im only 17 and im planning on getting a 250cc dis coming summer and i cant spend 300 or more a month thats to much pls help.

What is a auto insurance quote?

What is a auto insurance quote?

How can i get car insurance that i can afford?

im 17 and have just learned to drive and in all fairness i am insulted by the car insurance quotes i have received . in order for me to get my moneys worth out of the insurance quotes i have received i would have to rite my car off 13 times ! can anyone help me get my insurance down , or have any advice on a company who will insure me without me having to sell my organs !""

How much is insurance for a moped for a 17 year old?

I wanna get a moped and im17 years old, can someone tell me the procedure of getting a moped,do i go for a test, and how much will insurance cost for a 50cc ped, thanks in advance""

I was in a car wreck how much should i ask for from insurance company?

i had to go to the hospital for whiplash very painfull also missed over a week of work they are paying for the repairs top my car but what about me .........i was sitting at a red light and this chick crashed in to me from behind

Tour guide car insurance?

I am thinking of setting up a new business where I would offer car tours of the Cotswolds, I was wondering if there was any special car insurance (or/and other insurance/licenses) that I would need? I have Nissan x-trail 04 number plate. I have been on comparison websites, put in my occupation as travel and tourism then tour guide and it comes up with lots of quotes, but when I ring them to confirm that they are actually covering the correct things they say that they don't cover it. So does anyone please have any specific things that I will need in order to be fully/properly covered? Note: Everyone tour I do is pre-booked, I can not be 'hailed' on the street to do a tour, so I am not a taxi.""

Can I cancel my car insurance at any time?

I've been with Zurich car insurance for 1 year and 10months, insured on my mums car as named driver. The time has come to get myself a car on my own insurance. We pay the current insurance monthly. There are two months left on the current policy, is there normally any cancellation fee's? If so, ruffly how much should I be looking at? Also.. Would I have any NCB as I was named driver on the policy? Thanks.""

Should parents buy life insurance policies for their young children?

What do you think? Give good reasoning for your argument...THANKS!!!

Life insurance and payout?

I want to get life insurance in the amount of 250000 for my daughter. If I pass away I am concerned how the money will be spent. How can I make sure the money goes to a college education and perhaps buying a home for her. I have no family so I cant ask anybody to take care of this if I pass away. Thanks. I live in California.

Car insurance for Civic and Lancer?

How much would you guys think car insurace would cost per year for a 16 year old for a 95-00 Honda Civic EX or SI and a 02-05 Mitsubishi Lancer ES??? thanks

How much is car insurance for a jeep wrangler?

i am 18 and have a clean driving record

My company was bought out - Can I get unemployment? What about my health insurance?

I need some advice. I am an assistant manager at a small call center where I have worked for around 5 years (3 of them full-time). It was just announced to me and the manager (the only 2 full-time employees), that we have been bought by another call center that is not located in our town. The manager is relocating and has been offered a full-time job at their main office (with what I am assuming is a decent raise) about 4 hours away. I am being offered a possible part-time job at a lesser position some 3 hours away - there is no garantee. Well, I have kids so there's no way I'm doing that for a measly part-time position with no benefits. I will be without a job as of May 31st. Our part-time workers will be finding out about the closure on May 1st. For those employees that would like to stay through until the end, they will be offered a monetary bonus or compensation. I doubt it's more than a few hundred dollars. If I cannot find another full time job by then, would I most likely be eligible for unemployment? If I take the bonus money at the end, does that mean I wouldn't qualify? What kinds of questions should I be asking before this happens? I have health insurance for the first time in my life - when does that usually end?""

Does anyone know a very cheap insurance group to go through if i am 17 and have an mg zr?

i have an mg zr trophy plus 1.4 and am wondering if anyone knows cheap insurance company that can make my life easier

Best/cheapest car w/ durability and power?

I'm going to buy a car in the near future, but I'm just having some trouble finding a good one. Here is a list of what I'm looking for: -0-60 in less than 7 seconds -Over 20 MPG -Easy to work with -A few aftermarket parts -Manual -CHEAP INSURANCE!!! Optional: -Not a convertible -RWD preferred. -DURABLE Thanks for your replies!""

What does your credit paying history got to do with paying higher/lower car insurance rates?

What does your credit paying history got to do with paying higher/lower car insurance rates?

""What is the cheapest insurance for an 18 yr old college student, who lives away from home?""

What is the cheapest insurance for an 18 yr old college student, who lives away from home?""

Why is car insurance so high?

I am just at a loss as a new driver. Passed my test recently and just cannot find affordable car insurance it's madness. The cheapest quotes that I am getting are 4000 and I think it's disgusting. And its annoying because they add all this criteria which just shouldn't matter. The system is ageist as well as sexist as young male, new driver just seems to be impossible to get insured for. I only have an old Renault Clio P reg and I paid a very small amount for it and I'm just disgusted at the cost of it. I wanted to know if theres anything that can be done about it? I find it annoying as you can't change your age or your postcode or all this stuff that doesn't matter. I've got home insurance that I pay waaaay less for a month is madness.""

What is the cheapest insurance?

i have a vauxhall corsa 1.0 litre im 17 and just passed and insurance quotes ive tried is 4000+pound a year anyone know any cheap insurance's thanks!!!!!

Do you need insurance for permit in ca?

I am going to get my provisional driver license in california. Do i need to get it before i take the drive test? aM i covered under parents policy? How long do i have to have my insurance before im eligible to get my driver license?

How to get car insurance on a Toyota Yaris 1 litre?

It's quite an old car, I estimate about 20 years. Still works well though. How can I get insurance through Direct line? How much would it cost? greenxfox x x x""

Do i still pay the monthly payment (car insurance) after a accident?

I got into an accident on 12/ 15. since then i havnt drove my car bc its not fix or its just waiting for it to be junked. and my monthly payment goes out on about the last week of each month. (my payment goes electronically from my bank ) so on 12/29 they took the monthly payment of december. and then in jan 28, it took another payment even though i wasnt driving the car. my insurance expires this coming march. so do i continue to pay till march even though the car is not used?""

How and why do the British put with with ridiculous auto insurance rates?

I've heard of times where it costs more to insure the car than what the value of the car is worth. How did this happen and why do people let it continue?

Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

Charleston West Virginia Cheap car insurance quotes zip 25362

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pregnant-insurance-willie-snyder/"

[chelsorz07]

i was gonna stop buuut

I’m still not emotionally equipped to deal with the Supernatural finale so I’m gonna continue to distract myself with Riverdale, Cole Sprouse interviews on Youtube, and these stupid ass surveys.

2010/2018

Are you ready for this? probably not but i'm a procrastinator. I’m never ready for anything. What do you think about Love? it's hard. I try not to think about it because I’m already so depressed I can’t move from my spot in this chair and if I take even just a moment to ponder why I’m so miserable I’ll probably just melt right into it. Who has your heart? david. I don’t think it exists. Are you wearing a necklace, who got it for you, wheres it from? i don't normally wear necklaces. I don’t wear jewelry except for my rings. Are you tall for your age, or short? taller than average but not tall. Yeah that. What are you about to do? bathe. Keep listening to Cole’s beautiful voice. Tell me about the person you like? i wouldn't know where to begin. I’d rather not. Do you like the smell of coconuts? no. Not really. I like woodsy scents more than fruity. And I hate florals. Expecting something to change in the next month? stuff changes all the time. I’m hoping we find a house. Tell me the truth,ever kissed your boyfriends/girlfriends best friend? no, unlike all his other girlfriends. I don’t even think he has one anymore. What are you looking forward to? my birthday. Moving home. Did you get anything off your chest today? i did a few days ago. I’ve avoided talking to anyone for the most part. How many rings do you usually wear? none. Three. Do you have a bestfriend of the opposite sex? a couple. I do. Can you sleep without blankets covering you? no. I cannot. What did you wear to bed last night? basketball shorts and a tshirt. Pajama pants and a t-shirt. What do you do in you spare time? pretty much this. Watch tv and feel sorry for myself. What were you doing at 10:00 this morning? hanging with maranda. Watching tv and feeling sorry for myself. What time do you think you're going to bed tonight? like 8pm. i'm exhausted. and i'd go to bed now if i didn't have to bowl tongiht. Well it’s already 3am and I’m nowhere near tired so. Which is funny because I have to be up at 9:00. How do you feel about the person who texted you last? i love him. He’s my best friend. Anything irritating you right now? pretty much always. Not really. I’m just being a Debbie Downer. Did the person that hurt you most apologize? yeah actually. idk how sincere it was though. or if he's just really bad at communicating. He did but I still don’t think he meant it, and I haven’t trusted him since. Yaknow, even though we’re married. Do you want to get married? maybe someday. i don't want kids though. at least not my own. I am. Would you ever get your lip pierced? yeah. Still thinking about it. Where would you like to live in the future? nashville. anywhere down south works but that's my first choice. georgia's a close second. I just want to go home. But if I didn’t miss Bradford so much I’d still choose Nashville. It’s fucking amazing. Would you be able to date someone who doesn't make you laugh? no. Never. What college do you plan on going to? uh...none. i want to get my cosmetology license buuuut i don't have the money for school. Oh my god WHY did I ever consider cosmetology? I wanted to go to Penn Tech for construction but obviously that’s never happening. Do you have good vision? it's not terrible. It’s much worse than the last time I took this. My old glasses are just prescription readers but I definitely need new ones. Did you speak to your father today? yep. No it’s been a couple days. What do you usually do right when you wake up? go back to sleep. Pee and smoke. Are you too shy to kiss the person you like? sometimes. he doesn't really give out the vibe that he wants to be kissed. kinda sad after being together for a year if you ask me, but oh well. No. Can a girl love sex and not be a whore? i love sex and i'm not a whore. i've only been with one person. so yeah. I mean yeah.  Hate the last person you kissed? sometimes. i love him more than anything though. Same answer. Are you someone who hates to read? used to love it. now it bores the shit out of me. I don’t read books anymore. Just fanfiction.   If you could change your eye color what would you change it to? i wouldn't. Never would. Do you think age matters in relationships? to an extent. Not between two consenting adults. Name of your first cat? steven. Steven was my first cat but he was a family pet. Marshall is the first cat I got living on my own so he’s all mine. And he fucking knows it. That’s my baby. Would you rather be at the beach or lake? lake. Lake for sure. I’ve never been to the beach and have no interest in it. What would you do if you found out the person you liked had a girlfriend/ boyfriend? i AM his girlfriend. I’m his wife sooo...I’d probably be pissed but not surprised. Do you feel like you have life figured out? nobody does. I wouldn’t even want to try. Ever dropped a cell phone? i throw it more than i drop it. Now I drop it more than I throw it. Who last hugged you? randa. Dave. Ever had a pet fish? no. Nope. Do you want your tongue pierced? no. Negative. Gross. Anything happen to you within the past month that made you really happy? kind of. Not happy but slightly hopeful. There’s a house back home that I’ve loved for like ten years and it just went on the market so we’re going to look at it in about a week and a half. Last time you spoke to the person you have feelings for? in person, 2 nights ago. he just texted me a few minutes ago though. Texted him earlier. Haven’t seen him in person in over a week. Have you ever kissed 2 people at once? no. Nope. Was your last kiss drunk? no but it was severely hung over lol I don’t get drunk anymore. What are you listening to at the moment? nothing. i should be showering. Riverdale theories on Youtube. Your best friend has sex with your ex, what happens? haha...she's not retarded. she wouldn't do that. My best friend IS my ex. Do you think you will be married by the time you are 25? probably not. I got married a month before I turned 26. Whats the first thing you did when you opened your eyes today? shut off my alarm and went back to sleep. Took a piss like I do every day. Do you believe exes can be friends? sometimes. it just so happens that my exes are all crazy so we don't speak. You betcha. Have you ever kissed someone whose name started with a q? no. I don’t even know anyone whose name starts with a q. Where is the last person you kissed at right now? i would imagine he's on his way to work. Working. In Texas. Yes, at this hour. He’s on nights so like 4pm to 6am. Last person you held hands with in the past 24 hour? randa while she was walking. I haven’t even seen a human being in the past 24 hours. Would you go on a road trip with your friends? i've been dying to. I think I was just in love with the idea. Because now the thought of a road trip terrifies me. I hate traffic. Would you shave your entire body (including your head)? no. I don’t shave. Except my vagina when I have the opportunity to get laid. Which is rare because I only see my husband one week out of the month. And even then he doesn’t bother with me. Did you sleep alone last night? unfortunately. I sleep alone almost every night. Have you ever kissed just a friend? yeah. Sure. Did you have any unread text messages when you woke up today? no. Well “today” I woke up at 2:30 in the morning yesterday. But yeah I did. Do you think people talk about you behind your back? i know they do. i don't give a shit cuz i probably talk about them too. Don’t care. Is it possible to be single and happy? yes. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been happy, single or in a relationship. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? not remotely true. Nope. Did you stand on your tippy-toes when you had your last kiss? i don't think i had the strength to. No. Who was the last person to call you? wes. My doctor’s office. Think back to this time last year, were you happy? i was getting there. No. Do you smoke weed everyday? nope. I haven’t smoked weed in years. Have you broken the law in the past 5 days? probably. Don’t think so. Do you have siblings over the age of 21? yep. My sister is pushing 40. lol Have you kissed someone with braces? no. I have not. Did your last kiss take place on a bed? no - my entry way/mudroom thing. Living room. What was bad about today? ha. Nothing really. This is just my permanent state of being. What's been your biggest shock this year? nothing shocks me anymore. I can’t think of anything. Currently wanting any piercings or tattoos? several. Oh hell yes. Can you call the last person you kissed without it being awkward? not really cuz we both hate talking on the phone. i mean it's not awkward just out of character. No. Phone conversations are always awkward, no matter who they’re with. Who was the last person you had sleepover with? i mean i stay at dave's on the weekends but it's not really sleepovers...it's just staying there. I’m almost 30. I don’t have sleepovers. Do you like family get-togethers? well i don't like my family. so no. Complete opposite of my previous answer. I miss my family so much and only get to see them a few times a year.   Do you hate the last person who called you? nope. I don’t have an opinion one way or the other. If you are being extremely quiet, what does that mean? could mean anything. I don’t feel like talking. Did anyone watch you the last time you kissed someone? no. The cats. Do you like to spend time with people? occasionally. Very rarely. Do you want a relationship right now? i'm in one and yes i want it. Obviously. Where did you last fall asleep other than a bed? couch. I mostly sleep on the couch. Have you ever been called heartless? usually. Not in a while.

[alittledangerx]

.

Sleeping Beauty

( ♔ ) • • • I. Main!AU

“The chill of the wind created little goose bumps along her tan skin as she shivered slightly, lying over the cool grass under her bare back. The lids of her eyelids fluttered as she felt the cool mist of the evening eyes hit her eyelashes. The blue dress she wearing did absolutely not one damn thing to fight against the cold as it clung to her skin. Raising one hand to her head she groaned in pain as the sharp needles pinched at her brain and took a deep breath, a low whimper passing her red lips. What happened? There was blood, and screams…an explosion of glass. Kai was… wait Kai? Where…Jo! Her eyes snapping open as she sat upright on the ground, her heart hammering hard in her chest.” ( READ )

( ♔ ) • • • II. Show!Elena

“Dear Diary: Today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable. My smile will say, “I’m fine, thank you. Yes, I feel much better.” I will no longer be the sad little girl that lost her parents. I will start fresh, be someone new. It’s the only way I’ll make it through.“ ( READ )

( ♔ ) • • • III. Book!Elena

“My brother,” he went on, “is a fool. He thinks that because you look like Katherine you’re weak and easily led like her. But he’s wrong. I could feel your anger from the other side of town. I can feel it now, a white light like the desert sun. You have strength, Elena, even as you are. But you could be so much stronger…” ( READ )

Current Storylines

( ♔ ) • • • I. Safe & Sound

Delightful Dia ( READ ) - “In order to protect Elena and Claudia from the forces out to get them, Damon Salvatore with the help of a witch in New Orleans sends the girls into a place where they will be safe…at least that is what he thinks. He had no idea he sent them literally into a battlefield and that the Hunger Games were about to begin. Follow Elena and Dia as they navigate through the world of Panem, with a slight twist.” 

( ♔ ) • • • II. The Black Pearl

Riptide ( READ ) - Elena's sleeping beauty spell sends her into a new dimension. A realm where fairy tales are real and not just in the minds of small little children.Slipping into a new body and new name, Elena Carina Jones is determined to reunite with her siblings and make her broken family whole. Even if they don't remember... and she is stuck with a certain drunkard Captain Jack that throttling would give result in the greatest joy of her life. Yet, as one adventure begins another continues. Bonnie found a loophole to the spell. As her two worlds collide slowly but surely, will the supernatural world reclaim the Gilbert Girl or will the daughter of a sea goddess and child of pirates, continue to sail out into the night.

( ♔ ) • • • III. Ring of Fire

Sempiternal ( READ ) - Elena and a small group of friends, including Anna to her dismay are going up to the Salvatore Cabin for a weekend of relation. However, due to traffic the others are going to be arriving late which leaves Anna and Elena in the cabin alone. Once it gets dark and no one else has arrived, they begin to believe that something isn't right. The intense foreboding feeling of something amiss and a chill running up their spines has the girls running to the phone to call for help. That's when they realize that the phone lines are down and that they've been locked inside. The façade of a relaxing cabin get away was dissolved and replaced with a cage for the two to be tortured in. Trapped in this Ring of Fire.

( ♔ ) • • • IIII. Shadow's Firefly

Blue Eyed Saviour ( Read ) - Summary Here

( ♔ ) • • • V. Flowers in the Attic

Lost Saviour ( Read ) - Summary Here

( ♔ ) • • • VI. The Purge

Kleine Hexe( Read ) - “THIS IS YOUR EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM ANNOUNCING THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE ANNUAL PURGE SANCTIONED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. — The rules are simple: weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the purge and commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Two girls find themselves unwilling on the night of the purge. How will they survive after 12 hours of complete and total hell…”

Elena is the daughter of Doctor Greyson Gilbert and older sister to Jeremy Gilbert. Her twin sister Katherine died in the purge the year before after being caught out after hours. At least that is what the family was led to believe.

REASON FOR PURGE: Elena and Jeremy were home alone when their house was attacked. Their father was stuck at the hospital because of a surgery complication, the house was boarded up with a state of the art security system. Only just after the purge began, the security was disabled by none other than Katherine, wanting to get rid of her perfect twin sister and slip into her place. Jeremy and Elena fought their way out and went on the run meeting up with Davina on the streets. Davina is the cousin of Matt, and she travels to Mystic Falls to see her cousin and ends up there during the time of crisis. Matt dies right in front of her, killed by Katherine. So during this time, Davina is on the prowl for Katherine to get revenge for Matt's death. Now, the three of them are on the streets fighting for survival against the purgers and their own blood.

Beatrice "Tris" Levinson

( ♔ ) • • • I. New World

Tris x Levi ( READ ) - Everyone believes that “Levi” as the rest of the world knows him has always been this strong man with a head on his shoulders. That is what he shows them. They don’t see the Eugene I see. The one who beat the crap out of the man who was also known as our sperm donor; to the point he would have killed him if the police didn’t step in because of Agatha, our step-b-itch. He lost control that day, all because he saw his little sister, beaten and bloody on the ground when he came home as a surprise from the military. He lost six months of his life… because of me. Why shouldn’t I risk mine in-order to get him out. Especially, when everyone around us is dying. He is the only family I have left. He promised Jude and I that he would always protect us. Jude is god knows where but me? Always works both ways, big brother. I am coming…

( ♔ ) • • • II. Synthetic World

Tris x Sinclair ( READ ) - words here

( ♔ ) • • • III. Third Time's a Charm

Tris x Jace ( READ ) - My life hasn’t been easy. After going through the unfortunate hell of living in a home that was supposed to be filled with happiness and light, but was all in all a purgatory… a girl deserved some fun right? A reprieve from the torment, and just be a normal 21 year old girl. Only to be quite honest… my luck sucks. One particularly bad weekend, a few friends of mine decided that I needed a break. It was my 21st birthday after all, so why not celebrate it with a bang. The bang being Las Vegas, and sneaking my ass out the house when Frederick was passed out from his alcoholic state and my step-bitch was away at a spa. What was supposed to be a weekend of fun (It was for all it lasted) led to waking up Sunday morning with a ring on my finger and a tall and dangerous man laying in my bed beside me with a marriage certificate nearby. What happens in Vegas my ass! Jace, reminded me of another man in my life that I hated with a passion now. He had the know it all ability, and cocky personality that Jude has… you can imagine how much I didn’t like that. We parted ways with a promise of his lawyer contacting me about the annulment. Only dear old dad answered the phone… leading to me being sent to the Emergency room, Eugene in Jail for almost killing our father after he came back from leave and saw our father pounding me with his fist. Oh and then six months after that the virus hit the world… so the divorce kinda wasn’t on my mind. Well until now… How was I supposed to know that the one-day I decided to volunteer and gather supplies… my past would quite literally run into me?

Concluded Storylines 

( ♔ ) • • • I. Bleeding Love - [4 responses left]

Delightful Dia ( READ ) - Dia is in the French Quarter believing that the others don’t want her in their life anymore after she ran away following the murder of Kol in Mystic Falls. They are in the midst of Hayley and Jackson’s marriage celebration. Elena, lost and confused after the death of yet another loved one, this time the one she was going to spend the rest of eternity with, decides to have her memories wiped by a certain nobleman after almost going through with Alaric erasing Damon. Neither girl knows that it was actually Niklaus, who was responsible for Dia’s disconnect from the Scooby Gang.

( ♔ ) • • • II. Guardian Blood

Poison and Wine ( READ ) - “Katherine and Elena have bonded after the events of the revelation of their true parentage. Elena now pregnant with Matt Honeycutt’s child, finds herself hiding out at Katherine’s home. With the Guardians seeking to continue the bloodline, will any of them remain safe? How does Katherine deal with the fact Elena’s water breakage happens all over her Prada shoes? ***Special Circumstance***

Closed Storylines

WHAT ARE CLOSED STORYLINES? Closed storylines are storylines that I have had over the years where the other writer and I have either stopped talking, the story concluded or the roleplay just died. After so long of being in this verse I realized that not many people are appreciative of the time they had regardless of the circumstances that some friendships have ended or when a person just leaves roleplay completely. You just discard the writing, delete or block the person and all the time & hard work you both put into the story vanishes into thin air. I want to change that.

Some of you may wonder why am I writing responses to people that aren't currently apart of my life. Or save my old writings that never went anywhere... but honestly? Why shouldn't I. To close one chapter in your life, you have to acknowledge and give respect to the past. That's what the history books say. Just because it ended, doesn't mean it was not real.

Therefore, whoever you are. Whatever our story was... In the end of one chapter of my life I learned to appreciate the memories I have had over the years in roleplay. To all my peers in this verse I want to thank you for writing these incredible storylines with me. However, long or short that period was. I hope that whoever is taking the time to read these stories, enjoy it as much as we had writing them.

( ♔ ) • • • I. London Schemes [typing my final response]

Will ( READ ) - AU/AH/Crossover - Who knew that stepping off the plane in London, England would be equivalent to stepping into a rabbit hole? 20 year old, Elena Gilbert was new to the towering walls and beauty of the campus known as Dodgson University. From what she knew, her parents died, and her younger brother was sent to an art school in Georgia, while Lena was in a mental institution because she believed she should have died with her parents. After recovering from the trauma, she was sent to live with her mother’s cousin in England and to study her doctorate program in the acclaimed university, under a new name, Lena Somers. Her fresh start. 

What she didn’t know was that in reality, her memories were wiped clean by Elijah Mikaelson after the love of her life, Damon Salvatore, was left on the other side with her best friend Bonnie Bennett. Although, she originally went to Alaric in the hopes that he would take her memories away, she realized that she couldn’t ask that of her love’s best friend and turned to the one person who could help her start over. Without vampires, the supernatural, the pain and grief, to go back before Stefan walked into her life… before she remembered that Damon met her first. Elijah, agreeing that it was in her best interest, sent her to England, to Judith Sommers, her mother’s cousin with false memories of treatments, and getting into this stable place in her life where she could become the person her parents always wished for. For a month she lived a happy and at ease in her life, but than Damon and Bonnie came back… with the cure and the gang once again reunited with Elena. 

However, before they gave her the cure to transform her to a human once more, they saw how happy she was. Happier than she had ever been in Mystic Falls, and while Damon knew that he couldn’t live an eternity without her, at Jeremy’s insistence they agreed that Elijah would re-wipe Elena’s memories after she took the cure and give her 4 years of freedom from all the supernatural world. Once she started her life after college, her memories would be given to her once more and she would decide if she would blend her two lives together or pick one or the other… Damon promised to always watch out for her, and that he would take care of her loved ones till it was time. 

With the gang gone and Lena starting her first day of college,  no one expected that there would be hidden supernatural crime underground that ruled London, similar to the quarter. Or that a young blonde man, with blue eyes would cast his eyes upon that Somers girl and mistake her for the vampire vixen that was known as Rowan Lockheart…Being the hunter he is, what better way to destroy the enemy who’s family was responsible for the death of his brother. The woman he loved. What better way to erect vengeance, on the young blossom of the crime family? Only poor little Will Oakheart couldn’t be more wrong. 

( ♔ ) • • • II. Crazy in Blood 

Tapout ( READ ) - When Damon killed Aaron, instead of Enzo finding him, it's Elena. After a fight over Damon wanting to kill off Aaron's bloodline and knowing that Aaron would be next, Elena begged him not to, pleading for his life. Damon tells Elena that while he would do anything for her...this isn't one of them. As he was walking out the door, using the last piece she could to get him to stay, Elena tell's him that if he walks out that door she would be done with him. He kept walking, and Elena followed determined to save Aaron's life... unfortunately she was too late. While the two were in the middle of a fight Enzo shows up and he infects her. Damon begins to freaks out because he has been living with this virus, and he doesn't want Elena to suffer like he has. Leaving Mystic Falls, the two set out for New Orleans to find a cure... Only with a vampire nest near by what will the rippers do? And who will be caught in the crossfire... 

( ♔ ) • • • III. Hex Girls - [typing my final response]

Firewater ( READ ) - New to Mystic Falls, Aaron a necromancer begins to have blackouts that lead her to that little graveyard that no one goes to. At least from how it appears. The town itself is in a wreck and chaos is all over, why Aaron's parents brought her here to the hunky dunk town with a clocktower straight out of a creepy movie is beyond her imagination. Which brings her back to the graveyard, past the old mausoleum and deep in the middle, there is a girl writing in her diary. Aaron doesn't know anything about that tainted Gilbert Girl, only while there is chaos brewing all around the girl looks strangely at peace. Sad yet peaceful. Aaron goes up to Elena, not realizing she is an apparition... and begins talking to her. Elena not realizing that Aaron is real... thinks her mind is finally playing tricks on her. Because of bonnie's curse she can't go anywhere. They begin to bond of their tragic lives and past loves, slowly falling into a friendship that would truly be tested when Aaron has to kill the one person she truly loved and trusted in order to test her powers. But also to save her best friend from a trapped life.

( ♔ ) • • • IIII. Forsaken Truths

Black Kitten ( READ ) - When two doppelgängers discover that they are actually sisters who share the same mother and every single thing that they thought they knew about their life was false... what turmoil would that bring? How would Katherine and Elena reconcile the fact that despite being sworn enemies they were connected further through an unbreakable bond? 

Storyline was never kicked off. All we got through was the planning stage... but all that crap alone was brilliant! I will be putting a close to this sl with the writing of the scene created in the gifs. It seems right.

( ♔ ) • • • V. Fireball

Charlotte, NC ( READ ) - It started again. The nightmares that left her sleepless as the auburn haired-girl remembered her past; that put Zanesville, front and center of her mind. Throw into the melting pot the fact that her Mate, Angel, would never be hers… yet her heart clearly hasn’t accepted that. Charlotte did the one thing that would get her to calm down… Drink.

This was a piece of writing I did when I was apart of the rpg Cursed! Check them out, they are still around.

( ♔ ) • • • VI. Contained- [typing my final response]

Firewater ( READ ) - Words go here.

[benjamingarden]

This Month On The Farm: July 2020

July's weather was full-on summer complete with heat, humidity, and lots o' sunshine.  And surprisingly, a lack of mosquitoes.  Hooray for that!  We did receive some rain and when we did, oh boy was it a lot.

Tents - Not Just For Camping

As you can see in the photo above, we decided to make use of a couple of our extra craft show tents and set them up on the upper and lower decks.  On the upper deck it's wide open, used just for rain cover and shade (Ollie is afraid of the netting walls so we left them off).  On the lower deck we used the netting walls and put our outdoor table and chairs inside so we can enjoy eating or sitting outside without bugs attacking.  Ollie, as noted, is afraid of the walls but if he's sitting in his tower with me by his side, he deals with it ok.

gutters and rain barrel installed!

Barrels Of Rain

Woo hoo!  Jay was able to get the gutters installed on the outbuildings and the rain barrels are up and working.  This has been on our "someday" list for years.  Years!  We've been able to successfully use the barrels to water the garden through most of the month, only needing to resort to our well water a couple of times.

Harvesting

As I've mentioned (probably too many times), our garden is mostly shaded.  We receive morning sun over about 70% of it and afternoon sun for a few hours over it all, and it's fully shaded the remainder of the day.  And so, our harvesting starts late.  Then, of course, we had the infamous whistle pig debacle that set us back a bit but we are now enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Green beans are coming in by the bushel.  I know that many people don't enjoy frozen green beans but we do, so I grow enough to enjoy fresh weekly as well as enough to put up in the freezer for winter and springtime eating.  I planted 3 types this year: Blue Lake, Red Noodle, and Calima Bush Beans.  The Red Noodle are still small and green but this is the first year we've planted them so, fingers crossed, they are delicious.

We finally have tomatoes!!!  Well, we finally have ripe tomatoes!  We have a ton, I mean TON, of green tomatoes amidst the 25 plants so we will definitely have plenty for fresh eating as well as for oven-drying to freeze for sauce during the winter.

We are also harvesting onions, cabbage, kale, swiss chard, mixed greens, arugula, microgreens, peppers (jalapeno, ancho, and bell), summer squash, zucchini, the last of the peas, beets, blueberries, blackberries, herbs and radish.

our sweet potato hill

Sadly, our pear and asian pear trees did not do well this year.  I've ordered new "partners" for them (and the paw paw tree) so our hope is we will be swimming in their fruits in a couple of years!  And our whistle pig took out all of our summer broccoli and cauliflower so we won't be harvesting either of those until fall.

At the start of the season I would grab a big bowl from the cupboard and Ollie and I would head to the garden to harvest whatever was ready.  One day, as my bowl was so full the veggies were spilling out of it, Jay looked at me and said "you need a bucket or a basket or something".  I said "I know.  Someone I follow on Instagram just posted a picture of her harvest basket that her husband made.  It was nice - metal mesh and wood sides and handle.  You're too busy though, so maybe next year."  I didn't give it another thought.

Later in the week Jay comes out of his shop holding the PERFECT harvest basket.  He had made it in between other projects he was working on.  Such a sweet gift! 

So now, Ollie and I take our harvest basket with us to the garden on our daily check-in.

looking up one of our mammoth sunflowers

the 2 mammoth sunflowers that survived the whistle pig feast are on the left

Homestead Projects

We have a list of projects that we are hoping to accomplish before fall.  We've managed to check off some of the easier projects, but not so much the larger projects.  Here's what we're chipping away at:

paint the dining room (done)

stain the back deck (done)

paint the living room

fix columns and lay new flooring on one of the two front porches (second porch will be done next year)

paint 2 sides of the house (same color, just refreshing it - the other 2 sides will be done next year)

install fence around the garden (temporarily done - permanent fencing will be done next spring)

build and install a new outdoor pole light in the front yard

build a small nesting box area/water station for garden (so when the chickens are tasked with the garden fall clean-up, they have a place to lay eggs)

chop and stack wood for the woodstove in the shop (done although we may chop a bit more)

install gutters on the outbuildings and hook-up rain barrels (done)

create a raised bed hoop house for one of our garden beds so we can grow greens through late fall/early winter (done for now - we purchased/found the items needed to make this in fall)

Animals

We are not going to add any more animals to the homestead for now and that includes chickens.  The current flock will get smaller, gradually, as the inevitable happens.  We had one pass away this week, she was one of the older girls, and we fully anticipate a few more passing this year from old age.  It certainly doesn't get any easier to deal with death, but at least we have developed a bit of a plan now, of keeping them safe and comfortable during the process.  We also know more about signs, because with chickens, they usually mask illness.  This helps us so we can watch closer and try to make sure they are protected.  

Death is one of the parts of having animals that is so difficult.  Unfortunately, as birds become sick and/or begin the dying process, some of the others can become very cannibalistic.  It's not a pretty sight.  So once we see that one of the girls isn't feeling well, we are able to remove them, but not totally, from the flock.  They are social creatures, so full removal seems to make them stressed and upset.  Instead, we make sure they are separated by a fence allowing them to still feel a part of the flock without getting incessantly pecked at and stepped on.  And no, we don't let them suffer.  If there's any sign of that, and we've done all we can do to make them well, we step in.  

Our overall plan is to get out of the egg-selling business and keep a very small flock (6-8 girls).  With a flock of 24 girls, it will take some time for the flock to naturally reduce (we're down from the 32 we had last year), so we won't be bringing in any chicks until we have less then 8 girls.

zucchini chocolate chip muffins

What Do You Do With All Of That Zucchini?

Isn't this the question you ask yourself every single year?  I always think I have a plan to keep up with it but I struggle by August.  I give it a heck of an effort though.  Here's what we've been doing with our zucchini:

slicing it lengthwise and grilling it (alternatively, you could broil or bake it).  We both love it.  Jay sprinkles a bit of parmesan on his and I like mine plain.  It's sooooo juicy and delicious.

cutting it into chunks and sautéing it with onions and corn.  I add a bit of butter to Jay's and mine is plain.  We just love the combination.

stuffing it.  As noted in this weekending post (at the bottom), I always enjoy coming up with new stuffing ideas.  The key is to bake, boil, or grill the scooped out zucchini halves before you fill and bake them so they are nice and soft once finished.

making our very favorite chocolate zucchini cake. Even my husband who isn't the world's biggest chocolate fan LOVES both versions.  The original version is here.  The healthier/reduced oil and sugar version is here.

making Kate's recipe for healthier zucchini bread.

making zucchini and chocolate chip muffins.  They are ah-mazing!  I just realized I've never shared the recipe here.  I'll try to get that on the blog!

making zucchini noodles with homemade pesto.  Soooo good!

adding zucchini to grilled kebabs.  (everything gets marinated in italian dressing first)

adding zucchini to soups such as minestrone.

making zucchini cobbler.  (tastes just like apple cobbler)

making veggie stew.  I use zucchini and whatever fresh veg is in the garden to make stew as the temps begin to drop in the fall.

I'm not a big fan of eating it raw (there's a weirdness to it) or as zucchini "fries", so those didn't make the list.  We've made zucchini pickles in the past but we aren't huge pickle eaters so I haven't been making them.  

I'd love to hear your family's favorite ways to eat zucchini!

Oliver, my garden/kitchen/preserving/everything helper

Preserving, Or, What We'll Be Eating This Winter

Since our garden is now in full swing, the preserving process has finally begun!  

Green beans - as noted above, they are being put up in the freezer weekly.

Peppers - so far we've only collected enough jalapeno's to preserve, so those have been made into pickled jalapeno rings.

Relish - our cucumbers are struggling this year.  I've never had an issue with cukes, so I'm not sure what's happening.  So we purchased some cucumbers from the farmer's market and, along with our bell peppers and onions we'll can enough relish for my husband to enjoy with his occasional hot dog lunch.

Zucchini - I did freeze some grated zucchini (portioned into 2 cup servings) that I can add to muffins, quick breads, etc.

Onions - we are drying quite a few and then I'll chop and freeze the remainder.

How do you figure out how much veggies to preserve?  This is a question I receive a lot.  For us, this is how I plan it.  We typically rotate the same dishes all winter long so I can usually predict how often during the week we'll eat veggies such as green beans, broccoli, winter squash, tomato sauce, etc.  I then times that by how many weeks we'll need preserved food and that's how I calculate it.  So, as an example, I plan on serving green beans twice a week for 28 weeks which means I will need to freeze 56 bags of green beans (bagged in single-serving sizes).  

It gets a bit more difficult with carrots, corn, onions, canned chopped tomatoes, and peppers because I use them on their own as well as in many different dishes.  Over time, through trial and error, I've made it so I can get pretty close.  For the frozen veggies, I flash-freeze them and then store them in large, gallon-size bags, so I can just take out what I need when I'm cooking.

That's July around the homestead!

This Month On The Farm: July 2020 was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)