#Planting A Grape Vine Cutting

[balkanikabg]

Balkanika's Special Grapes Bundle

What Winery would be without a proper Vineyard, am I right?

This project includes 9 brand new types of Grapes that your Sim can take care of, and harvest. All grapes function as my indoor harvestables!

When you first buy the plant you'll see only the watering interaction and after some hours you'll be able to collect the first patch of grown produce. Afterwards the interaction will be available once a day.

Water the plant 1 a day.

Harvest grapes 1 a day.

Tagged as fruit

Toddlers can eat it

It can be eaten raw or cooked

Compatible with SCCO

Types of grapes:

Vinelines (you can place them next to each other and build a real vineyard with them). They come in two types - regular with three vines (note that they are high poly!), and single with only one vine.

Cabernet

Merlot

Chardonnay

MORE UNDER THE CUT

Trellis (grow them vertically on a trellis, you can place them close to each other, maybe even on a wall to imitated that they are build on it)

Rubin

Mavrud

Dimyat

Pergola (it's fully functional with empty space under it, where you can place a bench, table with chair, or anything you wish, and your Sim can go under it without a problem)

Pamid

Gamza

Keratsuda

Since my custom harvestables are not like the regular ones from the game, I let myself some frivolities.

When your Sim collect fruits, they will get basket with grapes, instead of single fruits, in their inventory.

From each pergola they can collect 4 baskets, each trellis 2 baskets, each vineline 3 baskets, and if it's a single vine - 1 basket.

1 basket contains 20 grape fruits.

Each type of grape has individual moodlet after consumed.

Grab fruits one by one from basket

First you'll see 'Check Basket' interaction, before the option to 'Grab Grape'

The baskets and the fruits both have fruit/ingredient tag and can be sold or used in cooking, if required any fruit

I also made Rail fence (see below gif), so you can build your perfect vineyard.

Known issue: Note that my harvestables don't use the code of the EA harvetables interactions, therefore you'll need to manually click on every single grape to be watered/harvested. It doesn't work like the regular gardening where your Sim will collect from all automatically.

That's all from me for now, it's only a few days until the Wine Making Vat is ready as well, yay! I hope you enjoy this content, and please don't be shy to tag me, if you decide to use/build a vineyard with my items. I'd looove to see what you create (and I'll reblog everything :D)!

DOWNLOAD (Early Access)

Public Access: 4th of June, 2023

@sssvitlanz @maxismatchccworld @twentiethcenturysims

[crwdgoinapeshit]

I have sooo many The Cleaning Lady Theories

Last night's episode was my favorite of the season! Ramona, Ramona, Ramona. She's a complicated woman to say the least.

I guess I'll start with my first theory:

[Ramona is dying] After Ramona questioned Jorge's feelings towards Thony, there was a moment where it looked like she grimaced in pain. Jorge even noticed that and asked if she's okay. Also, back in episode five when Jorge went to question Ramona about Luca's disappearance, Ramona told him she wants him and Arman to work together when she's gone. If Ramona is suffering from a terminal illness then that could explain why she's been so obsessed with bringing back Arman to partner up with Jorge. She knows she's not long for the world so she wants Arman to take over the smuggling side and Jorge to remain in the fixer/legal role that he already is in.

[Jeremy is an undercover FBI agent sent in by Russo to plant surveillance devices] I'm convinced that he was the one who called the FBI because Jorge mentioned that their contact heard nothing through the grape vine. I also think he set up devices in Thony and Fiona's cleaning shop and now in their home. A judge may have granted Russo a warrant to plant surveillance devices because Thony kept the knowledge of Kamdar bringing back fentanyl into the country. Plus she hangs around Arman, a known criminal. Anyways, who knows what evidence Russo could've brought to a judge. Or there's another option. Russo is hell bent on revenge for Miller and she badly wants to take down Thony/Arman, to the point she's willing to break the law. Maybe Russo doesn't have a warrant to plant these wires. That would be Thony's only saving grace.

[Jorge turns on Ramona] Eduardo just had to air out the family's business in front of company lol. If what Arman's parents said is true then it's clear that Ramona purposely isolated Jorge and turned him against Eduardo. This may be an unpopular opinion, but ever since Arman told the story of how he came to work for Hyak, I wasn't mad at Eduardo. Eduardo isn't wrong for not wanting his son be a violent, drug/gun dealing, human trafficking murderer lol. I would hope NO parent would want that for their child. As for his decision on cutting all ties to Arman, I'm iffy on that, but either way I do understand Eduardo's position. From what it seems, Eduardo wanted to look after his little brother and raise him far away from the cartel life, similarly to Arman. I do think it's wild that Ramona thinks she had any rights to Arman when he isn't her son, but she strikes me as the narcissistic controlling type. Anyways, we know that Ramona sent Jorge to college in order to "beat them at their own game". His education and professional career, which was funded by her, was Ramona's decision. She clearly wanted to use his knowledge and his access to further the Sin Cara cartel. She's a master manipulator and we've seen Jorge push back against her since the second episode of the season. We've also heard him tell Thony that he has no control over what Ramona chooses to do. He seems to be her puppet. A well put together, powerful, intelligent, and dangerous puppet. I believe it's likely that Thony, as well as Ramona's actions herself, will finally cause Jorge to break. A bit of a spoiler, but in the preview for episode 8 we saw Ramona pressing Jorge to kill Thony. Ramona has noted Jorge's fondness of her so forcing him to be the one to shoot Thony, at her command too feels incredibly cruel. So yeah I can definitely see Jorge turning on his sister at some point.

[Nadia and Thony team up to take Ramona down] I was so frustrated with Thony for not calling Nadia when she put together that Dante has been drugging Arman. Even if there was no way for Nadia to sneak away from Ramona's watchful eye, I just get the feeling that someone like Nadia could have figured out a way to stall so Thony could get Arman. However, as we know, Arman had to die. *heavy breath* I hope in one of the upcoming episodes Thony reaches out to Nadia, they sit down together and Thony tells her EVERYTHING. Dante getting arrested at the apartment where she physically saw Arman through a window, the name written in the powder, and even the car chase. If Thony comes clean I think Nadia would question who was this convenient handyman, who also KNEW ABOUT WHERE THE DROP WAS. Anyways, yeah I need to see Nadia and Thony find peace and get revenge for Arman.

[Jorge and Thony run the Sin Cara cartel together] Elodie recently did an interview where she spoke about the love triangle in this season and how she went to the writers and gave input on how she believed Thony's perspective should be addressed. ("I was part of some conversations this season, with the loss of Adan, on how to approach the new love triangle. I was like, 'Guys, this woman just lost someone she loved a lot, if not the love her life. Don't think in terms of entertainment, but ask how to approach someone who's grieving.'" Elodie Yung Character Media). When the season first began Kwok and Renshaw also spoke on what we could expect between Thony and Jorge. ("Thony and Jorge's relationship evolves more slowly and more organically through the season where it is like, 'Who are these people? Who are they together?' For Thony, Jorge is a tough nut to crack. But, so is she." | "It makes it very tantalizing to watch and to write these scenes, because there's just a lot of energy in their dynamic." | "Yeah, a lot of energy, but also resistance. There is a different kind of cat-and-mouse where they're drawn to each other, they're trying to figure each out, they're both a little standoffish - which also makes them even more attracted to each other") Given these two excerpts alongside with what we've seen throughout the season, I can see the writers setting up a romance between them next season(if they get one 😬). Now, ever since episode two we've heard Jorge continually address Ramona's choices and direction with the cartel. He believes that their trafficking routes need to be eliminated given that Arman and presumedly others have stolen and used those routes for their own trafficking purposes. He views them as a weak point and most likely a legal time bomb waiting to happen. During their argument in the dessert, Thony tells Jorge about the dying woman and her baby left in a closet when he asserts that their routes are safe. Thony rightfully pushes back on him and calls him out for not knowing or not caring enough TO know what's going on on the human trafficking end of the cartel. That scene was probably put there to challenge Jorge's humanity, but to also expose how Ramona's running the border smuggling. Back in episode 5, when Ramona said she wants Arman and Jorge to work together to run the Sin Cara cartel, he responded that he'll decide who he will work with. If my, "Ramona is dying" theory turns out to be correct then I'm convinced that Jorge will choose Thony to be his partner once Ramona is gone.

[Thony gets arrested] I mean, it has to happen right? Jeremy snooping around has to amount to something, right? I know last season ended with Fiona being arrested and then deported, so I can see how that would be redundant, but I feel like this all Jeremy stuff has to culminate into something big right? lol I just know Jeremy is a plant seeded by Russo because no way she just gave up and went away. Plus, Nadia told Russo in episode three that Thony is working with the cartel. Maybe Thony gets arrested and makes bail somehow and Jorge goes about getting her clear of her charges.....lmaoooo. This theory is the one I believe in the least so it's hard for me see where this could all go.

Anways, this was looonnngggg hah. I had so many thoughts after last night's episode I just had to type them out. Honestly, this episode was one of their strongest in the show's entire run and Eva was the complete standout for me. Eva really translated Nadia's anguish in every moment. She was incredible.

[gkbc-is-starting-a-studyblr]

Going into the last day of spring break...

Monday will be the beginning of a packed April leading up to my last ever AP exams

Here's hoping I'm not too burnt out to get a few days of studying out of myself.

On a lighter note, I've been doing some houseplant upkeep as it is the beginning of growing season and I find cutting up & shuffling around my plants strangely relaxing. Above is a new buddy in the collection! She's a Cissus Javana, also known as a vining rex begonia despite not even being closely related to begonias. Based on a brief Google they're actually part of the Grape family. I made her a growing structure today which I think turned out really well!

[itstokkii]

Tomato Red

in which turkey pays uzbekistan a visit. summer 2023

"It's getting hot, can't we go in for a break or something?" Sadik wiped some sweat off his forehead. He had hoped they'd spend some quality time in Nargiza's living room, watching some Turkish dramas in her living room under the merciful air conditioning.

Instead, he was out in her gardens helping her pick crops in the merciless 40 degree weather in Uzbekistan.

"Sadik, we've just started. All you have to do is fill the bucket halfway with tomatoes and cucumbers while I check on the rest of the plants and pick the basil leaves. Besides, you wanted to see me cook, right? The other foods are ready, and this is the final step," She didn't spare a glance at him, instead tending to her rose bushes. How cruel...!

He had to admit, having a whole house instead of an apartment definitely had its perks. Her house, like so many others he saw while driving to her address, had a gigantic gate, and was walled up on all 4 sides. When she let him in, he was greeted by the sight of wires holding up vines of sweet, ripe grapes. There were 2 plots of land on each side of the entranceway to her house, with pomegranate trees on one plot, and apricot trees on the other. Among her crops, she had tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, and bell peppers.

So she definitely saved on grocery bills, huh?

As the tomatoes and cucumbers piled up on his basket, he took a few glances at her. She was watering some plants that were beginning to shrivel a little.

It was kind of weird to see her in an informal setting. He always got used to seeing her in pantsuits. Now, she was in a matching dress and trouser set, a scarf tying her long hair back. She looked a little...cute? Domestic? He couldn't describe the feeling.

Feeling her eyes on him, he whipped his head back and picked the last crop.

‎‧₊˚✧[🇹🇷🇺🇿]✧˚₊‧

Glad to be in the kitchen, Sadik sought refuge as he watched Nargiza thinly chop the tomatoes and cucumbers he picked. He noticed a bowl of onions soaked in water next to him.

"What's that for?"

"We don't want the onion's flavor to be too strong in the salad."

He chuckled a bit at that.

After everything was chopped, she strained the onions, added them into the mix, and seasoned it with salt before plating the finished salad.

"You sit down in the living room. I'll bring the food." She affectionately?? shooed him as she focused on the plov and somsa she showed Sadik how to prepare throughout the day, plating those as well and carefully bringing them to the table.

In the meantime, he was flipping through channels and trying to make out what the news reporter was saying about the approval of a new set of apartment buildings to be constructed in Tashkent.

‎‧₊˚✧[🇹🇷🇺🇿]✧˚₊‧

"I cannot believe she just told him all that!" She gasped in shock as they both watched the climax of the Turkish drama they were watching. "You can't trust bad boys like him!"

"He literally kissed her once, that doesn't make him the bad boy archetype?" He looked at her, chuckling at her idea of what a "bad boy" was.

"Wait, they kissed? When did that happen?" She sipped on her black tea.

Oh right. Censorship. "Way back in episode 7. They were like, throwing themselves on top of each other. The broadcasters probably cut that scene out here."

"And for good reason! We can't be influencing the youth negatively like that–"

He gently grabbed her wrist and brought it to his lips.

"I–! Wha–!" Nargiza let out a string of stammers, her face becoming redder than the embroidered pomegranate cushion next to her.

She buried her face into it as he laughed. "You're as red as the tomatoes! But it's ok, 'cause red is my favorite color~"

"SADIK!" Her voice was muffled through the cushion.

He could stay here for a while. He didn't mind the Uzbek summer heat anymore.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Notes: tagging @billowingangel since i know you wanted to see their dynamic! i hope you enjoy!

also, i suck at description, but the house and gardens are based off of close and distant relatives' homes back in uzbekistan! uzbek homes truly are something else...

[warrior-names]

Warrior Prefixes Based on Queer Symbolism

Explanations provided for the symbolism of each prefix! Decided to combine two of the things I'm nerdiest about here.

25+ prefixes under the cut!

Butterfly- A symbol of transformation & metamorphosis, used to represent transition

Carnation- Homosexual poet Oscar Wilde wore a green carnation in his lapel, which became a symbol of gay men

Caterpillar- A symbol of transformation & metamorphosis, used to represent transition

Cocoon- A symbol of transformation & metamorphosis, used to represent transition

Crocus- Referenced in a Sappho fragment about a female lover; also the plant that a male lover of Hermes was transformed into after his death

Dill- Referenced in a Sappho fragment about a female lover

Egg- A term for a trans person, especially trans woman, who hasn't realized they're trans

Grape- A symbol of the androgynous Greek god Dionysos, who had both male and female lovers

Hyacinth- The name of a famous male lover of Apollon

Iris- The Greek goddess of the rainbow, and a word meaning rainbow

Larkspur- The plant Ancient Greeks knew as the hyacinth

Lavender- A symbol of queerness and especially queer revolution; adopted by many liberation movements, and used in many terms referring to queer people, ie "a streak of lavender" [queer tendencies]

Lilac A color strongly associated with queerness, especially because of lavender

Lily- The namesake of the Yuri genre, with yuri translating to lily

Moon- Commonly referred to as a lesbian, a symbol of femme lesbians, and associated with the Greek goddess Artemis who is often called a lesbian and/or asexual

Pansy- Often used either as a derogatory term or pride symbol for effeminate or gay men

Pinecone- A symbol of the androgynous Greek god Dionysos, who had both male and female lovers

Pink- A color associated with queer people, especially gay men; originates from the pink triangle worn by male homosexuals in Nazi Germany

Rainbow- One of the best-known symbols of queer pride

Rose- Referenced in a Sappho fragment about a female lover

Saffron- Referenced in a Sappho fragment about a female lover

Seafoam- The color palette of the most popular modern flag for gay men

Sun- A symbol of butch lesbians, and associated with the Greek god Apollon who had both male and female lovers

Sunset- The color palette of the most popular modern flag for lesbians

Trillium- A symbol of bisexuality, appearing on the Mexican bisexual pride flag

Vine- A symbol of the androgynous Greek god Dionysos, who had both male and female lovers

Violet- Referenced by Sappho in a fragment about a female lover, violets were often given by lesbian lovers to eachother throughout history

[alyssa-the-witch]

New OC- Diogenes

"Dropping in from their vine, it's "The Madness Master", Diogenes! Raised in the biggest forest in the world, he has trained and frolicked for years, always stressing the importance of both!"

Backstory-

Diogenes was born with no arms at all, his hands being set right at his shoulders. He was raised deep in the forest in what was essentially a hidden cult. Dio is the second youngest of 7 siblings, all to a now single mother. Their father left him when his younger sister Euridice was born. Throughout his child he loved plants and eventually grew to love botany. Specifically, he began to sneak into the city and read up on plants with the ARMS gene. That gene makes any organic material swirl like a spring and is the reason ARMS battles exist. Then, he began to cultivate ARMS affected grape vines, acquiring as many has they can and cross breeding the strongest ones.

At age 15, and with the help of his siblings and mother, he developed a surgery. In practice, it would cut off his hands, attach the vines to his nerves, cut a small hole in the back of his neck, and weave the roots into his spinal cord and brain. His mother was cautious and didn't want to go through with it. They fought with their mother, despite how much he loved her. Three days later, she came down with a terrible illness and passed away. He did the surgery the next day so he could bury his mother along with the rest of his siblings. The surgery was successful.

After about a week, he gained full strength into his ARMS and began to train as a fighter to get his grief out. He realized they had a knack for it, and realized this would be a good way to make money. So he started going into small fights and even won a minor league tournament. There, he met Lola Pop and began to train with her. Then, after years of testing and fighting, he officially joined the Grand Prix at age 22. 

Personality/Relationships-

He is a very laid back kind of guy, always looking on the neutral side. Their chill yet playful nature makes him super chummy with Lola Pop. They've both taught each other a few things.

While they miss social cues like they were opponent's attacks, he is still accepting of everyone around him. The only person he truly dislikes is Byte, the local police officer. A lot of the things Dio does are against the law/social rules, but they don't know that because they weren't taught otherwise (no shoes, running by the pool, etc. They do love Bark though, the only dog they can touch.

Despite not being phased by much in battle, the one person who can get under their skin is Dr Coyle. And that is because he is ridiculously down bad for her. Every one of the rare fights he's fought her, they've thrown the match. They don't know if she knows, and he'd rather keep it that way.

He is also acquainted with Ribbon Girl because of their love of music. They have regular jam sessions where Ribbon Girl sings and Diogenes plays the drums. The drums are the first instrument Dio ever touched and he fell in love with it's intensity instantly.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

26th June >> Fr. Martin's Reflections / Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time (Inc. Matthew 7:15-20): ‘You will be able to tell them by their fruits’.

Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Matthew 7:15-20 You will be able to tell them by their fruits.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.’

Gospel (USA) Matthew 7:15-20 By their fruits you will know them.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.”

Reflections (7)

(i) Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

We are familiar with the proverb, ‘All that glitters is not gold’. It is saying that appearances can be deceptive. Another version of that insight is, ‘You cannot judge a book by its cover’. Jesus’ version of this insight in today’s gospel reading is, ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you disguised as sheep, but underneath are ravenous wolves’. In that culture, the sheep and the wolf were at opposite ends of the animal spectrum. Jesus’ saying has made its way into the English language. We sometimes speak of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. How do you judge whether someone is genuine or not? The answer Jesus gives is, ‘you will be able to tell them by their fruits’. Do their lives bear good fruit? Saint Paul in his letter to the Galatians speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, which he identifies as ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’. In the gospel of John, Jesus speaks of himself as the vine and his disciples as the branches, and he declares that those who remain in him bear much fruit. He goes on to identify this fruit as love, calling on his disciples to ‘love one another as I have loved you’. He says that it is in and through our communion with him that we will be able to bear this fruit of self-giving love. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is suggesting that we only know what is in a person’s heart by the lives that they lead. If their lives reveal something of Jesus’ own love, then they are sound, their heart is good. You are familiar with the prayer, ‘Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love’. We invoke the Holy Spirit to give us a good heart, to fill our heart with the Lord’s love, so that our lives can bear the fruit of love, and, so give glory to God.

And/Or

(ii) Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Many of the images Jesus uses in the gospels have a striking quality to them. Such is the case with the image in today’s gospel reading of a wolf disguised as a sheep. The wolf was the enemy of the sheep. In John’s gospel Jesus speaks of the hired hand who, in contrast to the shepherd, leaves the sheep and runs away when he sees the wolf coming and, as a result, the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The contrast between appearance and reality could hardly be expressed more forcibly than with that image of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, an image that has made its way into modern parlance. Jesus then shifts imagery from the animal world to the plant world, declaring that the quality of the fruit reveals the quality of the tree that produced it. In other words, going back to the animal imagery, even if the wolf appears in sheep’s clothing, eventually the wolf will out. The pretence cannot be kept up indefinitely. The quality of our heart will be revealed in the quality of our lives. Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If this kind of fruit is visible in a human life, then it is evident that the person’s core is sound. Their heart is in some way in tune with the Lord’s own heart.

And/Or

(iii) Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus draws attention to the separation there can often be between appearance and reality. Just as there can be more to some people than meets the eye, so there can be less to some people than meets the eye. It is that second situation that Jesus highlights in the gospel reading. He speaks of those who look like harmless sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. Projecting a false image, living a lie, is an ongoing part of the human experience. Where our hearts lie does not always correspond to how we appear. Jesus declares that the real test of what is in our hearts is the kind of fruit that our lives bear. ‘You will be able to tell them by their fruits’. St Paul used that same language of ‘fruit’ when he wrote about the ‘fruit of the Spirit’, which he describes as ‘love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’. Paul doesn’t speak of ‘fruits’ but of ‘fruit’. There is one fruit of the Spirit which can be described in all these different ways. If our lives bear that kind of good fruit, our heart belongs to God, regardless of how we may appear at times. We need to keep opening our hearts to the Spirit whom we have been given, so that the good fruit of the Spirit will be more abundant in our lives.

And/Or

(iv) Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

We are familiar with the proverbs, ‘you cannot judge a book by its cover’ and ‘all that glitters is not gold’. Like all proverbs, they express a truth about human reality that has been gleaned from people’s experience over a long period of time. People have learned, sometimes from all too bitter experience, that what you see is not always what you get when it comes to other people. Jesus makes the same observation in today’s gospel reading when he speaks of those who ‘come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves’. There is a sharp contrast between a sheep and a wolf, the latter being a dangerous enemy of the former. In John’s gospel, Jesus makes reference to the hired hand, as distinct from the shepherd, who ‘sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away’. Jesus declares in today’s gospel reading that we judge a person’s character not by how they appear to us but by what he calls ‘their fruits’. Today’s gospel reading is part of the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. By ‘fruits’ Jesus means the fundamental attitudes and values, along with the actions or ‘good works’ that flow from them, which he has been portraying throughout the Sermon, beginning with the beatitudes. This is not far removed from what Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, calls the fruit of the Spirit, ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’. It is Paul who reminds us that if Jesus’ gospel message is to bear the appropriate fruit in our lives, we will need to open our lives to the Holy Spirit who, as Paul declares in his letter to the Romans, ‘helps us in our weakness’.

And/Or

(v) Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

There is often a value in disguise. In time of war combatants often need to disguise themselves especially when they are in enemy territory. The art of spying is heavily dependent on disguise, the covering up of the true reality of the person’s identity. However, there are settings where disguise is not appropriate and it is to such settings that Jesus refers in today’s gospel reading. He warns his disciples against false prophets, those who come claiming to be announcing the word of God but are actually only announcing their own word. What they proclaim publicly is a cover for something else that is hidden. They look as harmless as sheep but in reality they are as dangerous as wolves and, so, they are not to be trusted. Jesus is reminding us of the uncomfortable truth that people can be more harmful than they appear to be on the surface. Unfortunately many have made that discovery to their great cost, and continue to do so. How can you recognize genuine goodness, rather than be taken in by the appearance of goodness? Jesus declares very simply but profoundly, ‘you will be able to tell them by their fruits’. When the New Testament speaks of ‘fruit’ in relation to human lives, the reference is always to qualities that reflect the life of Jesus. In John’s gospel the branches of the vine, the disciples of Jesus, bear the fruit of love, the quality of love that God has for Jesus and that Jesus has for his disciples and for the world. In the letters of Paul the fruit of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is also love, because, for Paul, the Holy Spirit is the love of God poured into our hearts. Those in whom the Spirit bears the fruit of love can be trusted because the good fruit of the Spirit always comes from a good heart, a heart that has been given over to the Lord.

And/Or

(vi) Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

In the time of Jesus, sheep and wolves were at opposite ends of a spectrum. In the gospel of John, Jesus speaks of the hired hand who runs away because he sees the wolf coming. The wolf was the enemy of sheep who were defenseless before him. A wolf in sheep’s clothing suggests the greatest possible contrast between appearance and reality. We often say of someone, ‘what you see is what you get’. Nathanael could be spoken of in those terms. Jesus referred to him as an ‘Israelite in whom there is no deceit’. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is speaking of a very different kind of person. It is a case of what you see being the polar opposite of what you get. Judas could be termed a sheep in wolf’s clothing at the moment of Jesus’ arrest. He gave Jesus a kiss, a sign of affection and loyalty, but in reality it was a sign for the arresting party to take Jesus into their power. How do we judge reality from appearances? Jesus suggests that just as we judge a tree by the quality of the fruit it bears, so too with a human life. Our gospel reading comes towards the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. In his teaching in the Sermon on the mount, Jesus has indicated the kind of fruit he expects the life of a disciple to bear. The portrait of such a life is initially drawn for us in the Beatitudes. Jesus goes on to say that it is a life that displays a virtue that is deeper than that of the Jewish law, such as a willingness to love not just the neighbour but the enemy. It is a life that is marked by prayer, fasting and almsgiving, a life that serves God rather than wealth, and that seeks first the kingdom of God and a way of life that is in keeping with God’s will for us. It is a life that is more attentive to its own failings than that of others. There is ample teaching in the Sermon on the Mount to allow us to assess the quality of the fruit revealed by a person’s life.

And/Or

(vii) Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

The expression ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’, based on today’s gospel reading, has made its way into common speech. We instinctively understand what the image conveys. The sheep and the wolf are at opposite ends of the animal spectrum. The wolf is the enemy of the sheep and the sheep are helpless before the predatory instincts of the wolf, which is why the protection of a good shepherd was so important for sheep in the time of Jesus and remains so today in many parts of the world. In John’s gospel, in contrast to a good shepherd, Jesus speaks of the hired hand who ‘sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them’. A wolf in sheep’s clothing is someone who, in reality, is the opposite of his or her public persona. It is a case of what you see being the opposite of what you get. Such people can do untold damage to the unsuspecting in all spheres of life. Jesus goes on to say that it is the fruit of people’s lives that allows us to judge who they really are. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit as ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’. In John’s gospel, Jesus declares that ‘those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit’, and goes on to specify this fruit as loving one another as he has loved us. In Matthew’s gospel, from which we are reading at present, the ‘good fruit’ correspond to the good works that flow from the values and attitudes articulated in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount as a whole. When we open our hearts fully to the Holy Spirit, then the Lord will continue his good works through us and there will be harmony between how we appear to others and who we are in reality.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[the-habitat-ring]

The (Real) Stardew Valley Farm

So a year and a half ago we bought a house, AKA the real life habitat ring. I swear the yard came with every single non-aquatic invasive plant we’ve got. Slowly but surely we’ve been murdering all the Japanese honeysuckle and poison hemlock, tearing up a truly inhumane amount of weed barrier and pea gravel, and adding truckloads of wood chips and other organic matter to start to repair the soil. Our goal is to replace everything with mostly native plants with an emphasis on food production.

But of course I needed more of a challenge. I love playing Stardew Valley. It’s really the only video game I play. And somewhere I got the idea, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to grow everything in Stardew Valley in our yard?” So here we are. Obviously I don’t live on some magical land with perfect weather, a giant greenhouse, and a second farm on a tropical island, so I have to make plenty of substitutions. I’m also trying to grow native plants whenever possible. Any suggestions are welcome!

2021

Amaranth - Native white amaranth (the birds love it!)

Grape - Native riverbank grapes (so many grapes) and some green cultivated variety from the neighbors

Dandelion - Obviously

Maple Tree - Native silver, red, and sugar maples (also an invasive Norway maple but we chopped it down)

Pine Tree - Not sure what kind of pines they are

Apple Tree - Not in great shape. I’d love an Enterprise apple tree at some point

Coffee Bean - Chicory (maybe that’s cheating, but it’s a naturalized plant commonly used as a coffee substitute)

Salmonberry - Not native to the Midwest, so we’re sticking with native black raspberries. We’ll likely add some pink/yellow raspberries later though

2022

Kale

Rhubarb

Strawberry - Both cultivated and native

Tulip

Radish

Tomato

Beet

Eggplant

Fairy Rose - Not a real thing so I substituted the native prairie rose

Cranberries - Native cranberry viburnum

Orange Tree -Native persimmons, which produce orange fruit

Daffodil

Spring Onion - Native nodding onions and also green onions indoors

Spice Berry - Native spicebushes

Wild Plum - Native

Hazelnut - Native

Crocus

Cherry Tree - Native black cherries and nonnative bush cherries

Tea Leaves - Native New Jersey Tea bush

Banana Tree - Native pawpaws, which are also known as Indiana bananas

Mango Tree - One of the pawpaws is a named variety called mango so I think that counts

Ginger - Attempted native wild ginger, which I don’t think survived, but am also growing ginger indoors

Green Bean

Sweet Gem Berry - Native Juneberry (Downy Serviceberry) which are a redish color

Planned for 2023

Blue Jazz - Not real so I went with the native Ozark Bluestar, which seems similar enough

Garlic

Parsnip

Apricot Tree - Native passionflower vine. Not a tree, but it is known as wild apricot

Blueberry

Sunflower - Both native and non-native sunflowers

Pineapple - Neither my spouse nor I like pineapples, so we’re going with white strawberries known as pineberries that are said to have a tropical taste

Pumpkin

Melon

Wild Horseradish - Except I’ll be growing it in a pot because it tends to get a little too wild for my tastes

Holly - Native winterberry holly

Oak Tree - Native dwarf chinquapin oak

Sweet Pea

Hot Pepper

Palm Tree - Obviosuly not going to work here but there is a native palm sedge that I’ll plant instead

Planned for 2024

Potato

Corn

Hops - Hoping to get a cutting from a native hops vine (if the local beer people don’t kill me)

Winter Root - I’m gonna go with native ground nuts because you can dig up the roots in winter

Poppy - Hopefully native wood poppy

Red Cabbage

Artichoke - Native Jerusalem artichokes

Cactus Fruit - Native prickly pear cactus

Yam

Bok Choy

Leek

Fiddlehead Fern

Blackberry

Crystal Fruit - I’m gonna go with honey berries, which produce fruit earlier than anything else

Ancient Fruit - Native Aronia berries are the only thing I can think of for this one. They’re blue(ish) and have lots of antioxidants so you live to be ancient

Figuring Out Substitutes

Rice

Wheat

Starfruit - Not really sure how to swing this one, so suggestions are welcome

Summer Spangle - Not real, so I’m open to suggestions of native plants. Possibly prairie lily? It has a similar-ish shape, is orange, and blooms in summer

Qi Fruit - Creepy little man

Taro Root - I would have to plant it in pots

Morel - I wish I could grow this

All the other mushrooms - I think I’ll just ignore any varieties and just try plugs or similar

Snow Yam

Cave Carrot - Trying to find a native carrot substitute

Coconut - I shouldn’t count this separately from palm trees, right?

Mahogany Tree

Peach Tree

Pomegranate Tree - There are Russian pomegranates that are hardy to zone 6, which just might work with climate change

[kihaku-gato]

hey!! you follow my plantblr (unexpectedplantblr) and i’ve learned so much just off your tags dude. wdym pruning omg i’m so wildly unprepared how and when should i be doing that! i can’t imagine they have yt videos on shit THAT basic do they!?.

and my apples are dwarfs?? i’ve been stressing abt them so close to the house and was trying to find an arborist to help me move them but do you think they’ll be ok with just some root guard? omg i’m so sorry to bug you feel free to ignore!

There’s no issues and I welcome the asks! This enthusiasm gives me old tumblr days vibes that I think many miss these days lol.

Inevitably most domestic fruiting woody plants need a trim up of pruning for maintenance. Some types don’t need it overall or don’t need it at certain life stages, but those are the lucky cases.

While I’m currently still in the midst of pruning season as of writing this, your photos imply it’s a smidgen late for you to be doing any at all unless it’s either for major issues or dead/diseased wood; it’s generally best to get the pruning before said woody plants leaf out but while they are still dormant to reduce shock, to avoid damaging freshly sprouted growth (since if you’re early enough there’s no leaves to worry about), and keep them wasting energy on wood that’ll be cut off in the process. I recall I got my info on pruning mostly by book literature but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some niche videos on the topic online- there are yt video journals and tutorials for niche fruits like Asimina triloba cultivation/maintenance so surely less exotic stuff would have online tutorials on it. Do try to find more than one source to try to average out the answers they give lest they give different answers or overlook different details (gardening can get subjective sometimes after all). If I recall the rule for Grape vines you try to keep one “lead vine” intact to be the one to produce new yearly branches/shoots that will then produce the grapes.

Fortunately I think you don’t have to worry about any issues with skipping the livewood pruning this year; let this year just help you get more familiar with what you’re dealing with.

For next year I can at least say from my own experience a few points; universally you want to prune to remove dead, damaged, and diseased wood, as well as any branches that crisscross with each other (since those will just make damaged wood from rubbing if allowed to stay), and generally you try to not cut more than a 3rd of the live growth (even if it means you gotta wait next year to fully shape a tree if the pruning work for some reason is major- which is my case with my older unkempt trees) to avoid having the pruning reach deadly amounts (there are exceptions- most Clematis are pruned to extreme amounts most of the time, well established Grapes and Kiwis can have a lot taken off too in certain cases). Oh and big one that newbies can miss; if you're getting tools, try to get bypass type pruning tools, anvil type pruning tools do damage to live wood (since they crush moreso to cut unlike bypass) and are better for exclusively dead/removed wood.

Observe what others do to their trees of similar kind to your own; I learned a little bit on what to do with my own apple trees from seeing what other people have done to their apple trees of similar size in my region.

It’s not easy at first but set goals for what you’re pruning. In my case a good chunk of my apple trees are quite old (we’re talking hollowed-out old for many of these trees), so my goal is generally to help extend their lives as well as fruit production as a bonus, so I try to reduce the sources of major weight burden on the large crumbling branches. Another goal in my case is making it that the branches are not as high up so that they are easier to maintain and harvest from, since yet again, my trees are on the larger/older end of what to expect from an orchard.

While not an option for me consulting Arborists is definitely not a bad option if you’re free to throw the cash.

Pruning rules/goals for your dwarf apple trees will probably be slightly different from what I do for my own trees since you’re dealing with very different growth forms from my own.

I am not 100% certain your apple trees by the house are dwarves but their growth habit feels more like what I’d expect/imagine from dwarf/semidwarf trees; as to what fruit variety it could be a lot of possibilities; apple trees tend to be grafted onto rootstock that affects their hardiness/size, so you could have similar cultivars to what I have for the fruit/scionwood but would definitely have very different cultivars for the rootstock that they are attached to. If the previous owners knew what they were doing they would’ve chosen dwarf roostock cultivars to avoid them becoming troublesome so close to the house.

In my opinion dwarves or not they are a bit big already to risk moving/transplanting away from the house without a painful and risky amount of long (worst case possibly years worth) of aftercare; if that is or was truly an issue you’d be better off getting new rootstock to plant in the new locations and grafting onto them from the house specimens onto those new rootstocks (you can hire/ask experts if you can’t quite do it yourself, we had a family member of a family member help save a heritage cultivar in our orchard by getting some successful grafts from the dying tree. I plan to do some grafting myself down the road I just dk what to graft rn). I am not familiar with root guard, from what I read it's a brand of fertilizer that claims to help stimulate root growth???

Also note with the Cherry/Plum trees mention before; one of the issues for ID sometimes for them is there’s just, a lot of species, a lot hybridize together, and that’s not even considering/factoring in domestic hybrids/cultivars where the diversity can be as wide as it is for apple cultivars. It can really muddy the waters for identification down to the exact kind unless you’re dealing with a very sharp specialist or a very distinct variety, and even then some may struggle with certain cases.

Lucky you to also have something as fancy as a finger lime! I already guessed so but that definitely solidified my guess that you are in a warmer growing zone from me lol.

[enchantedbeingscircle]

September

September is here and I know this post is late, but I had to take a slight social media detox! I swear once September hits I am all Fall, y’all!! I’m about all things apple, pumpkin, fall leaves, sunflowers, soup, etc! Did you know that apples (and apple trees) are associated with love, health, divination, rebirth and renewal, life, learning, and so many other things? The original bobbing for apples game was a form of slight divination, even! It was said that marriage would come to the first person to bite into the apple while bobbing. Also, if you cut into an apple, you’ll find a pentacle type star!

Correspondences of September are sapphire and sardonyx for crystals, the bear and owl for animals, flowers are morning glory and aster, and the zodiac sign is Virgo.

Let’s talk about some days in September:

Not only is Labor Day the 2nd, but also the Celtic Tree Month of Vine begins…happiness and wrath are both symbolized with the vine, garden magic, magic for joy and happiness but also wrath, rage, anger.

Magical influences for this are empowerment, inner growth, introspection, and prophecy.

Sept 4th is bring your manners to work day (I liked this one, cause I’m constantly reminding myself to have manners in moments where people are pissing me off lol.)

Sept 7th national salami day and world beard day (I liked these two because we used to call our younger sister “salami” to piss her off when we were all younger and we still sort of joke about it to this day… and my boyfriend has a beard that I just love. I love feeling it, smelling it, looking at it…lol!)

Sept 8th grandparents day

9/11… a tragic day that affected so many lives in one way or another! On this day remember all those who lost their lives due to this tragic event and the war it caused!

Friday the 13th

FULL MOON in Pisces on Sept 17, Harvest moon aka the nut moon, barley moon, or wine moon (love that!), the color for this full moon is brown and crystals are carnelian, cat’s eye, iolite, lapis lazuli, peridot, sapphire, blue spinel, blue tourmaline, and zircon

Magickal influences from this moon are confidence, the home, manifestation, protection.

This is a Moon of wisdom, take this time to reflect back on lessons learned this past year, darker days are coming which is good for shadow work.

September 18th NATIONAL CHEESEBURGER DAYYYY

September 21st International Day of Peace

Sept 22 is Mabon, also known as the autumn (or Fall) equinox – this is a time where night and day or light and dark are balanced. This is a sort of mid-harvest festival, we are celebrating the second of 3 harvest festivals. I’ve read that there is a slight connection to Mabon for how Oktoberfest was created, by the Bavarians. They start celebrating this in the last week of September.

Celebrate Mabon and give thanks to the Earth for abundant crops, practice gratitude, give blessings, share with the less fortunate. When canning, infuse your recipes with magickal influences and charm your jars.

Mabon is also one of those “liminal times” or an in-between time. These are powerful times for spell-work, rituals, and magick in general.

Colors for Mabon are blue, brown, gold, maroon, orange, violet, and yellow

Plants, herbs, etc: aster, marigolds, sage, ivy, grape, fern, blackberry/bramble, chrysanthemum, grains, thistle, and trees are cedar, hazel, aspen, maple, oak, myrtle, and locust

gems: amethyst, topaz

animals: hawk, swans, swallows, geese, dogs, wolves

Element: water

Magickal influences: accomplishment, agriculture, balance, goals, gratitude, grounding

Deities are: Epona, Inanna, Ishtar, Kore, Modron (Celtic Great Earth Mother Goddess), the Morrigan, Persephone, Bacchus, Dionysus, Dumuzi, the Green Man, Hermes, Thoth, Mabon (translates to the divine son) is the son of Modron and he is associated with the element of water, grapes, ivy, dogs, horses, salmon and his magical influences are hunting, darkness, death, freedom, harmony, innocence, justice, the otherworld or underworld, quests, contacting spirits, strength, truth, and youth.

Ways you can celebrate Mabon:

Make a simmer pot with apples, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, vanilla, star anise, orange slices.

Host a harvest dinner and include apples, squash, corn, grains, root vegetables like carrots potatoes and onions, grapes and wine, nuts, pomegranates, mead, spiced teas.

Make a hearty stew with fresh baked bread, apple pie, mashed squash, mulled wine

Make a cornucopia, go to a pumpkin patch and farmer’s market, go for a fall nature walk, donate food, focus on balance in your life, write a gratitude list, decorate your altar for Mabon with apples, candles that are brown, orange, and gold, marigold and sunflowers, leaves, acorns, grape vines, a deity statue. Celebrate by giving thanks for the abundance and good in your life, and meditate on the things on the things from this past year you'd like to let go of!

Sept 30th Celtic tree month of Ivy begins which symbolizes life, death, and rebirth, spell work during this time would be great for self-work, healing, banishing toxicity, protection, binding spells

Magical influences during this time: decisions and introspection, growth, learning, developing skills.

September in general is a good time to work on magick and intentions for the home.

I feel like 2 of the biggest intentions you can work on in September however, are balance and change, so I’m going to share a spell for this month that I created!

Things you’re going to need: leaves, something to write with, sage, basil, apple, orange candle, oil, sunflowers.

Dress your orange (for balance and change) candle with oil of your choosing and sage for a clear mind, basil for opening yourself to receive messages, and sunflowers for overcoming obstacles.

Core your apple (for peace, rebirth and renewal, self-work) and place your candle inside. You’re basically using this apple as your candle holder!

Light your candle and meditate on the areas in your life that need balance and/or change. When you are done, write your setbacks and obstacles that you want to overcome (to make these changes and bring this balance) onto the leaves. Hold the leaves into your hands and let the wind take them away!

[make-me-imagine]

Headcanons: Aesthetics (Raymond Smith)

Headcanons: Aesthetics (Raymond Smith) - What smell(s) are they, what flower are they, what season do I associate with them, do I think they have a favorite aesthetics, songs, etc.'

Requested By: @will-grammer

A/N: Headcanons are below cut. Most of the songs chosen are based on vibes alone. This is also the first time I am attempting this format of headcanons, so it may change in the future. I may also add onto this in the future as I find things that remind me of him.

-

Smells:

Woody scents like walking through a forest after a gentle rain.

An expensive cologne you cant place the specific scent of, but it makes you feel warm and comfortable.

Cinnamon and Wood Smoke

Peppermint scented aftershave and beard oil.

Freshly ground coffee with a hint of cocoa.

The scent of thick parchment paper of an old book.

A smokey burning smell that could be either gunpowder or charcoal.

Flowers/Seasons/Etc:

Raymond is Autumn.

The browns, oranges, reds and gold colors of Autumn.

The leaves changing, falling, and decaying. The full cycle of life.

The crisp cold air that hangs like fog, with rays of sunlight shining through.

He is the evolution of Autumn to Winter than you never see, but feel in your bones.

Walking down a wet paved sidewalk as leaves float down from the trees overhead. Your feet crunching the leaves underfoot.

He is a Biden's Flower. A barbed and bristled plant with a colorful flower hiding it's dangerous parts.

Quotes/Lyrics/Songs:

'aut viam inveniam aut faciam' - I will either find a way, or I will make one.

"Knowledge will give you power. But Character will give you respect."

“If an idiot is in power, never lose the patience. Otherwise you'll be fallen to his level.”

'I Feel Free' by Cream

'I Heard It Through the Grape Vine' by Marvin Gaye

'Bad Moon Rising' by Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Well you think that you know what I am but you don't. 'Cause I say what you can't and I do what you won't." - Halestorm; 'Sick Individual'

"I was told a million times. Of all the troubles in my way. Mind you grow a little wiser. Little better every day." - Queen; 'Keep Yourself Alive'

Other/Misc

Tweed suits and hounds tooth plaid.

The sound of ice clinking in a glass.

A gold, brown, black and copper color palette.

He is the sound of rain hitting the umbrella overhead as you walk.

The distant city at night that somehow lulls you to sleep after a long day.

Dark Academia mixed with Mafia Aesthetic.

Books, a neatly folded coat, perfect handwriting always in the margins, an empty glass, and a gun.

xx

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @imaginesfire, @witchygagirl, @alexxavicry

Raymond Smith Taglist: @will-grammer, @venusthepirate

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

True Vine

by Andrew Murray

"And Every Branch That Beareth Fruit, He Cleanseth, That it May Bear More Fruit" – John 15:2

There are two remarkable things about the vine. There is not a plant of which the fruit has so much spirit in it, of which spirit can be so abundantly distilled as the vine. And there is not a plantnwhich so soon runs into wild wood, that hinders its fruit, and therefore needs the most mercilessnpruning. I look out of my window here on large vineyards: the chief care of the vinedresser is then pruning. You may have a trellis vine rooting so deep in good soil that it needs neither digging, nornmanuring, nor watering: pruning it cannot dispense with, if it is to bear good fruit. Some tree needsnoccasional pruning; others bear perfect fruit without any: the vine must have it. And so our Lordntells us, here at the very outset of the parable, that the one work the Father does to the branch thatnbears fruit is: He cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.

Consider a moment what this pruning or cleansing is. It is not the removal of weeds or thorns, or anything from without that may hinder the growth. No; it is the cutting off of the long shoots of the previous year, the removal of something that comes from within, that has been produced by the life of the vine itself. It is the removal of something that is a proof of the vigor of its life; the more vigorous the growth has been, the greater the need for the pruning. It is the honest, healthy wood of the vine that has to be cut away. And why? Because it would consume too much of the sap to fill all the long shoots of last year’s growth: the sap must be saved up and used for fruit alone. The branches, sometimes eight and ten feet long, are cut down close to the stem, and nothing is left but just one or two inches of wood, enough to bear the grapes. It is when everything that is not needful for fruit-bearing has been relentlessly cut down, and just as little of the branches as possible has been left, that full, rich fruit may be expected.

What a solemn, precious lesson! It is not to sin only that the cleansing of the Husbandman here refers. It is to our own religious activity, as it is developed in the very act of bearing fruit. It is this that must be cut down and cleansed away. We have, in working for God, to use our natural gifts of wisdom, or eloquence, or influence, or zeal. And yet they are ever in danger of being unduly developed, and then trusted in. And so, after each season of work, God has to bring us to the end of ourselves, to the consciousness of the helplessness and the danger of all that is of man, to feel that we are nothing. All that is to be left of us is just enough to receive the power of the life-giving sap of the Holy Spirit. What is of man must be reduced to its very lowest measure. All that is inconsistent with the most entire devotion to Christ’s service must be removed. The more perfect the cleansing and cutting away of all that is of self, the less of surface over which the Holy Spirit is to be spread, so much the more intense can be the concentration of our whole being, to be entirely at the disposal of the Spirit. This is the true circumcision of the heart, the circumcision of Christ. This is the true crucifixion with Christ, bearing about the dying of the Lord Jesus in the body.

Blessed cleansing, God’s own cleansing! How we may rejoice in the assurance that we shall bring forth more fruit.

O our holy Husbandman, cleanse and cut away all that there is in us that would make a fair show, or could become a source of self-confidence and glorying. Lord, keep us very low, that no flesh may glory in Thy presence. We do trust Thee to do Thy work.

[fullmetaldevil-blog]

BEHOLD!! MY GARDEN (or at least a part of it lol)

My "California Dreaming" rose, one of two I bought for Mother's Day. The other being "Cherry Parfait" which is not shown here.

White peach (Snow Queen)

This tree is about 9 feet tall and currently has about 200+ peaches. If they all come to term, I'm gonna be shoving them in everyones face cause there's no way I can eat that many.

Jakaranda tree with a hummingbird enjoying the flowers. This tree turns a portion of my yard purple from the quantity of flowers it produces.

Yellow peach (Red Baron)

This is the 2nd time this tree has offered fruit since we bought it. The first year we got the tree it and several others were hit by the stone fruit beetle. A type of boring beetle that is hard to detect until it's too late. I lost 2 trees and nearly lost this one. It was cut down to a mere 7 inch stuml that wasn't infected. Since then it has recovered to a 6 foot tall (and growing) tree and is starting to produce fruits.

Blackberry

This pot has 3 blackberry bushes, and they are losing their minds. They are loaded with berries that are very sweet. Right behind them is my Boysenberry which is physically about 7-8 feet long and is loaded with berries as well. My raspberries (both red and golden) are slower this year which is fine.

Grape (variety unknown for now)

I used to have 17 grape vines of various sizes but when the drought kicked in and the harsh heart wave struck back to back I lost all but one. This lone survivor was under my ash tree which sheltered it from the weather. Now I have 3 grape vines as I recently acquired 2 Concord grapes (not shown here).

Golden Nugget

My newest addition to my citrus collection. A very sweet, easy peel tangerine that we carry at my job. I was shocked to see one for sale at my local nursery and immediately had to get one. It's a baby at only a foot and a half tall but will one day be up to 7 feet to match my Murcott and Dancy tangerines.

Strawberries~

I have 3 varieties of strawberries and about 140 plants in clusters of 4-10. They are in both hanging pots and a massive bed and produce about a pound of strawberries at a time. They have such rich flavor and super sweet.

All my berry plants except for my blackberry are in shade houses I built that have bird netting surrounding them to keep the birds and squirrels from eating them. Shade houses are a must now due to the summer heat and I plan on building more as my ankle allows.

[lovelyalicorn]

GUILD ME

Edgar Allen Poe

Ability: Black Cat in the Rue Morgue. Can make any book Poe writes a world that he can trap people in. You can only get out if he lets you out or you solve the mystery.

Book: Based on his short stories: The Black Cat and Murders in the Rue Morgue

Backstory: He was defeated by Ranpo in an investigation I think 6 years ago. Swore revenge by writing a book to trap him in. Possibly got Karl in that time. I personally headcanon that the Guild used him to “dispose” people and potentially as a way to get resources too.

Louisa May Alcott

Ability: Little Women. Slows time to 1/8000th but only when alone

Book: Little Women

Backstory: We actually don’t know. I know she found Lucy though. I think she was abused a lot though

Nathanial Hawthorne

Ability: The Scarlet Letter. Can manipulate his blood into long swords or fire letters made of his blood.

Book: The Scarlet Letter

Background: Not much again. He might have a past with Margaret Mitchell though

Herman Melville

Ability: Moby Dick. It’s a giant flying whale he can summon and control.

Book: Moby Dick

Background: He was the former leader of the Guild. Moby Dick used to be living before it was mechanized

Mark Twain

Ability: Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. This summons two little dolls he can attach to his bullets. He can also do long range surveillance as his mind is linked to them

Book: Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Background: Has sniped a lot, and keeps a list in his diary of successes

Margaret Mitchell

Ability: Gone With the Wind. It’s a weathering ability

Book: Gone With the Wind

Background: Joined the Guild in an attempt to restore her family’s honor

Lucy Maud Montgomery

Ability: Anne of Abyssal Red. She can create a dimensional space outside of current time. Anyone caught by her Anne is imprisoned there.

Book: Anne of Green Gables

Background: Grew up in an orphanage where she was treated really badly. Was used as a pawn by the Guild

John Steinbeck

Ability: Grapes of Wrath. He cuts a slit on his body and sticks a grape seed in there. He can then use the vine to fight or to attach to other plants so he can sense things through them or control them

Book: Grapes of Wrath

Background: He was a farmer from a poor, but large family

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Ability: Great Old One. He can grow tentacles and become a eldritch horror capable of speedy regeneration.

Book: The Call of Cthulhu

Background: Lives underwater, immortal.

The lengths I go for you (affectionate. I wanted to rant about them)

[briarpatch-kids]

This is what I got done in the past couple weeks. We're gonna plant three grape vines to climb the ramp and then I planted some cutting and edible flower seed to fill in. Also gonna be cherry tomatoes once it's warm.

[creatediana]

I will rise from my troth with the dead, I will sweeten my cup and my bread with a gift; I will chisel a bowl for the wine, for the white wine and red; I will summon a Satyr to dance, a Centaur a Nymph and a Faun; I will picture a warrior King, a Giant, a Naiad, a Monster; I will cut round the rim of the crater some simple familiar thing, vine leaves or the sea-swallow's wing; I will work at each separate part till my mind is worn out and my heart: in my skull, where the vision had birth, will come wine would pour song of the hot earth, of the flower and the sweet of the hill, thyme, meadow-plant, grass-blade and sorrel; in my skull, from which vision took flight, will come wine will pour song of the cool night, of the silver and blade of the moon, of the star, of the sun's kiss at midnoon; I will challenge the reed-pipe and stringed lyre, to sing sweeter, pipe wilder, praise louder the fragrance and sweet of the wine jar, till each lover must summon another, to proffer a rose where all flowers are, in the depths of the exquisite crater; flower will fall upon flower till the red shower inflame all with intimate fervor; till: men who travel afar will look up, sensing grape and hill-slope in the cup; men who sleep by the wood will arise, hearing ripple and fall of the tide, being drawn by the spell of the sea; the bowl will ensnare and enchant men who crouch by the hearth till they want but the riot of stars in the night; those who dwell far inland will seek ships; the deep-sea fisher, plying his nets, will forsake them for wheat-sheeves and loam; men who wander will yearn for their home, men at home will depart. I will rise from my troth with the dead; I will sweeten my cup and my bread with a gift; I will chisel a bowl for the wine, for the white wine and red.

—"Wine Bowl" by the American modernist poet H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) (1886–1961)