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ourkarlanicoleuniverse · 4 years ago

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Sweet Nothing (MHA Staff AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 5

Warnings: None swf, slight fluff.

Author’s note: Literally couldn’t come up for a good Pro Hero name for Mai’s ex colleague so I’m giving credit to my friend @thatgirlwithcamera for coming up with Gemini with ease. As the story progresses you’ll see how it fits perfectly for that character.

The doctor explained all of Aizawa's injuries to me as he was still asleep. Turned aside from the broken limbs, his right arm was also missing a few layers of skin and muscle was exposed, luckily it wasn't infected. We still have yet to see if his erasure quirk was intact, Aizawa had to be awake to check his quirk but that wasn't happening any time soon.

Nezu felt it was best to close the school down for a week to give the staff and students time to recuperate after the attack. During that week I have been just going between my place and the hospital and emailing parents of Class 1-A. Currently though, I was sitting in the love seat they had in the room with my laptop watching Netflix and checking emails.

A few emails caught my eye.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Hi Sweetheart,

I know we haven't spoken since the drama revolving around the court case. I just heard about the attack at UA. Now, I am not planning on telling you that you should come to I-Island and lay low here. I just want to let you know I'm not mad anymore and wanted to see if you're okay. Te quiero, mi Sión

Love,

Mami

Great. My mom. I guess she changed her mind about me moving to I-Island and making it come off as her own idea. I'll reply later and blame it on the time zones.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Hiya teach!

How's Japan treating you? I'm only emailing you because my cousin told me about what happened at UA. I hope you're okay and so are the students. Everyone here in the U.S. miss you. Oh! Also I need to know the address to your new place to send you the invitation to Aaron and my wedding. So please let me know soon! Love you, miss you, and hope all is well on your end.

Marga

I quickly typed up a reply giving her my new address and telling her how we're all fine aside from Thirteen and Aizawa being injured. She's probably going to freak out to hear about her favorite underground hero being injured. I gave her a brief sentence or two explaining how I'll tell her more in detail about everything if we ever get to video chat. After replying I went back to my Netflix binge with my eyes switching between the screen and Aizawa's sleeping form every now and then.

"What are you watching?" I jumped in my seat slightly and almost dropped my laptop as the mummy beside me grunted. "Why do you react so dramatically?"

I stood up to help Aizawa move and sit up, I glared at him and grabbed the hospital bed remote to change his position. "Well, I'm sorry, I didn't expect my colleague who was asleep for four days to just speak out of nowhere." Even though his face was bandaged up, I could still sense his signature annoyed expression. I just copied the expression with my right hand on my hip holding the bed remote.

"You're so immature." He sighed and looked down. "Why are you here?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess Nezu didn't tell you about making me your emergency contact since we're partners at the school." I rubbed the back of my neck. "The doctors and nurse think I'm your fiance though, because Nezu wanted to make sure that they didn't try to kick me out." Aizawa simply hummed in response. "I've been here since you came in. All the students wouldn't stop blowing up my email asking about you." I gave a soft chuckle. "They're incredibly worried but relieved that you're alive." It was hard to meet his eyes. I felt vulnerable where I stood despite not being the one in a full body cast. I hugged myself tighter into my cardigan, "I'm going to call a nurse in to let them know you're awake." Another hum was left in the air.

The doctor and nurses told me that I needed to leave the room while they examined Aizawa, despite Aizawa surprisingly refusing me to leave. So, I took the opportunity to go down to the cafeteria to grab a bite and maybe bring something for Aizawa. I decided I would text the group chat between Aizawa, Lily, Iris, Mic, and Midnight to let them know he was awake.

Me: He lived bitches

Mic 🎧🎤: HE'S ALIVE

Iris 👓: Oscar the Grouch has risen? 🧟‍♂️

Iris 👓: Glad to hear he's awake. 💜🖤

Midnight 🌙🥀: Did you tell him that the hospital thinks you're engaged? 😏

Lily 🥧: Wait, who's engaged?

Iris 👓: Aizawa and Mai

Lily 🥧: Since when?

Midnight 🌙🥀 Since Nezu made them their emergency contacts and told the hospital they're engaged. 😂😂😂

Midnight🌙🥀: I can hear the wedding bells ringing

Mic 🎧🎤: More like a gothic organ playing 😂

Me: This is why I don't talk to you guys 😒

Iris 👓: What's the couple name? 🤔

Iris 👓: Shai? Aizontoya... ew no.. Maizawa? Zionhead?

Lily 🥧: I like Shai. It's cute and simple just like the lovely couple.

Me: I'm going to kill you all. 😑

Me: You know Aizawa is in this chat too, right? 🙄

Midnight 🌙🥀: Yes and we don't care 😈 MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Lily 🥧: You guys would have cute babies.

Mic 🎧🎤: They'll be cute because of M&M not Shota.

Me: I'm muting this chat now.

Lily 🥧: We're only messing around 😂

Me: I'll give you guys more info later, now behave children.

Iris 👓: Okay, mama montoya!

Lily 🥧: Love you mama!

Midnight🌙🥀: Make sure you tell daddy we said hi!

Midnight🌙🥀: emphasis on the "daddy" part 😏

Mic 🎧🎤: Kayama please don't sexualize my parents. I just got them back together after fifteen years. You're going to make me not want them 🤢

Lily 🥧: Did someone say daddy kink? I'm here for the mommy kink

Lily 🥧: God I almost barfed typing that

Me: YOU ALL NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP.... BYE.

Mic 🎧🎤: HEEEEEYYYYY WHAT ABOUT ME

My phone kept buzzing. And I'm almost positive Aizawa's phone was going berserk in my purse too. I shook my head and let out a sigh. I grabbed a burger for myself and some fries with a water bottle and then I grabbed an apple sauce packet for Aizawa mainly because I highly doubt he can physically chew on anything right now and well, the man already lives off them. I walked back to his room, hopefully, I'm allowed to come in now, and with my food. None of the staff told me not too when I passed by so I figured it was okay. The door was closed so I looked through the window to see if Aizawa was still with the doctor and the nurses. All I saw was a sad mummy man using MY laptop.

I opened the door with the tray of food in my hand, "Why are you using my laptop?"

"I wanted to check my email." His voice was muffled. He leaned forward to the screen trying to see.

"You can't even type. How did you... never mind. Next time ask to use my laptop, please?" I walked up to him and placed the packet in front of him. "If you feel like your up for it, I'm willing to share my fries." He pushed my laptop to the side and grabbed the packet, struggled a little to open it. I set my food down next to my laptop and opened to the packet for him. At a small glance, I noticed that my laptop was opened on my email. Specifically, the email I got from my mom. "Checking your emails huh?" I raised my eyebrow at him and held myself back from smacking his head.

"As you can see I was struggling a bit to use the laptop in my current condition." He said while sucking on his applesauce.

"But you managed to open my emails?"

"It was an accident. Nice to know your mom is the same as ever." He grumbled.

"You haven't gotten any emails. Most of the staff just sent me anything they needed you to look at since they knew I was with you." I stuffed a fry into my mouth. "So, what did the doc tell you?"

"That I'm surprisingly healthy." He said staring at my fries. And then he tried to scoot over. "You can sit if you want."

I smiled a little and sat next to him, "You want a fry." I waved a fry in front of his mouth and he solemnly leaned forward and let me feed it to him. "Did he tell you about your quirk?"

He leant onto my shoulder, and I was feeling nothing but flames erupt within my body, "Yeah, but I'm not worried. The most that could happen is that I can't use it for as long as I used to." I fed him another fry. "So your mom wants you to move to I-Island after one villain attack?"

I took a bite out of my burger, "Nope, we're not switching to me." I grabbed my laptop and set it on both of our legs switching from my emails to Netflix to find something to watch. "Technically, I wanted to move to I-Island since my mom and my Uncle Dave were there and well I could've had a low profile there like I do here. But my mom and I weren't exactly on the best terms so she told me not to come." I was met with silence, "And then Nezu called me and asked me if I wanted to come back. Funny how that mouse always comes to pick up the slack." I sadly smiled.

"Why were you guys fighting?" Aizawa's voice was muffled but oozed concern.

"Didn't you read the email?" I chuckled and looked over to him.

"So it had something to do with the case against Gemini?"

I nodded and bit my cheek. "She didn't think I should've done anything about him. That I should've stayed quiet. But you know how she is. My whole life, she's been paranoid that with my quirk people would try and hurt me or use me. And you know, since I clearly made a name for myself and moved past all my transgressions. She didn't want me to be a victim again."

"She still shouldn't have shut you out." Aizawa stated a matter of factly.

"Yeah, well, she did." I put on a movie and leant against the pillows on the bed while Aizawa did the same. It was a peaceful silence between us while the movie played quietly. I put on a simple comedy to lighten up the mood and keep us entertained, "I used Oboro's quirk."

"What for?" he shifted slightly.

"I had to hide Midoriya and All Might from the villains while Snipe shot at them." I folded my arms, "They saw my face though, so I guess using the quirk did have a setback."

"You did what you could in the moment. I'm sure they won't even remember you after that. Just actually wear your glasses and maybe they won't recognize you." I heard humor in his voice.

"Ah yes, the famous glasses disguise." I waved my hands in a rainbow motion earning a small chuckle from the both of us.

"The doctor said that Recovery Girl can come in and pretty much help me heal faster so I can get back to work sooner."

"I wouldn't suggest going back so soon. You have to give yourself a chance to actually heal. You trying to teach students is mentally and physically draining." Ah, yes, Mai. Please lecture the 30 year old man like he's a child.

"The school isn't even open right now. I'll be fine by next week." He went back to his monotoned gruffy voice.

"As your fake fiance, I have to say no to you going back to work. Just have Midnight or Mic take your place." Boy I am so glad that I can't see Aizawa's face with those bandages. I do however see the glowing red and floating hair from his quirk. "Oh, look, your quirk works!" I smiled brightly to show I wasn't intimidated even though I was. "Fine, maybe Midnight or Mic shouldn't take over for you. I have a better option."

He turned off his quirk and gave a stern and cold voice, "Who?"

I pointed to myself all proud, "Me!"

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?" I puffed my cheeks into a small pout.

"You said you couldn't teach."

"I said I couldn't use my quirk to teach. I can just act like you. 'Today you will pick your hero names while I nap.'" I tried my best Aizawa impression. Needless to say he was not amused.

"I hate you."

"Awe, but baby, we're engaged." I smirked.

"No, we're not." He groaned.

"Oh no, sweetheart, did the blow to your handsomely stupid head make you forget your undying love for me?" I put a hand to my heart and pretended to be heartbroken and then I went to hold him gently while fake sobbing, "It's okay, love, I'll do my best to have you fall back in love with me."

"Please get off of me." I didn't. "You're insufferable."

"Why must you be so mean to me, Shota baby." I let out a few more sobs before finally letting him go. "You think I was annoying, you should see the group chat. Apparently we're parents to our friends now."

Aizawa responded with another groan and a brief, "I hate the people I surround myself with." I simply gave him another hug which he tried his best to wriggle out of, but eventually just gave in. "You're annoying."

"Shut up and let's go back to watching the movie, butthead." I said while stroking his hair.

——————————————————————

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Tag list:

@inumorph @thatgirlwithcamera @mel-sanch

Don’t be afraid to ask me to be put on the tag list. Thank you for enjoying! 😊💜

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bffhreprise · 3 years ago

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Best Friend For Hire Reprise, Entry 376

I did my best not to sigh as I saw our opponents—my dad’s team from his company—arrive at the field, ready to play ball. I felt guilty for not warning him. He loved his baseball games, especially because his team was good by normal standards at this level. He just had no clue what my workplace was like when he invited us.

When he caught sight of James, he called out “James! I hope you don’t mind playing against my team first. Bit of a tradition to test out the new blood.” He grinned as he held his hand out to shake James’, still confident as ever.

I couldn’t make anything out from where I was sitting, but I could imagine my dad boasting and teasing as James smiled and calmly ribbed him back. There was no doubt in my mind that we would be winning by a large margin. I had numerous friends here that could single-handedly field and pitch without letting our opponents touch a plate. This was grossly unfair, but I wasn’t going to argue with James. There was no way to win that argument, especially when we really would be getting good practice at pretending we’re normal.

After the two finished exchanging pleasantries, James made his way back over to our dugout, still smiling. When we gathered up to listen at his beckoning, he said, “Grayson’s in for a surprise. Just remember not to be too extreme. We’re here to practice being exceptional in a more human capacity.”

“I dunno, James. I’m feeling rather super today.” teased Jarod, the only one here who actually was fully human. Even he had inhuman physical abilities in our uniforms, which added to my guilt.

My whole team was wearing a variation on our company’s enhancement suits, granting us strength, speed, heightened awareness, protection, and probably a dozen things I wasn’t even aware of with how things normally went at Best Friend For Hire. The suits were obviously a cheat, but they were the main reason James even wanted us here. Our goal for today was to act like extremely athletic humans instead of the fey, demon, or Slayer descendants present. Well, I supposed Raine was also part werecat, which didn’t really make her more human.

“No cheating. Got it?” asked James, looking at the triplets, after dramatically rolling his eyes at Jarod’s joke.

Achille and Heloise nodded, but Babette asked “Aren’t our uniforms cheating?”

“No, since we’ll be wearing something similar all the time. As I said, this is practice.” he insisted. “Oh, Iris…” he stated after spotting me. “Your father is going to show you what he’s got. I warned him that you might get a homerun right off, but he laughed.”

I sighed and said, “Homerun. Got it.” I couldn’t help shaking my head as I muttered “My poor dad.”

James gave me an amused smile before saying, “Everyone, remember the miss order. We’re not here to hit every single swing. I’m certain he can’t pitch quite like Raine.” The reminder was probably for Noelle, who couldn’t hope to remember anyway. Hopefully, Aaliyah would remind her to miss just before she went up to bat.

“Aren’t you excited!?” asked Dani when James strolled off, literally bouncing next to me on the bench.

I shrugged. I did love sports, but I couldn’t go into a game with absolute certainty that I’d win and still feel excited. Unlike a normal game, none of us would be trying our best here. The whole point was not to do anywhere near our best.

“But baseball! I’ve read so much of the… umm… Oh, don’t tell me. I know the world, really. Uh… History!” she exclaimed, finally getting it. She waited a moment for me to nod, making certain she was right. “I also watched footage of games. Aren’t sports cute!? You get all these people excited to watch others playing a game together! I should go to a game sometime. I want to feel their excitement!”

Dani just didn’t seem the same without cobalt blue hair or amethyst eyes. Her skin was white instead of pink. Weird. She really did look like James and Alma’s biological daughter this way, but this still felt wrong.

“Normally, there aren’t people like us on the field, making things more fair.” I pointed out.

Dani shook her head, grinning. “That’s not true! There are a number of therianthrope players, and Mila told me there are probably some of fey descent as well!” she exclaimed, forever ruining the fairness of all sports in my mind.

I stared at her dumbly for several seconds, trying to come up with an argument, but Mila wouldn’t be wrong. “Do you know which players?” I asked.

She nodded enthusiastically and started listing names till I stopped her.

“That’s…” I started, trying to decide whether or not I really wanted to know this. “I guess I should have known, but wow. That’s so unfair.” I insisted, deciding to ask Mila about some of my favorite players in different sports later.

Suddenly hugging me from behind, Kayla said, “Don’t worry, Iris! Things have always been this way, so nothing’s changed!”

I reached around to tickle her, pulling her onto my lap when she released me. “Fine, but knowing still changes things in my mind. My mind was quite happy thinking that hard work and good strategy had still pulled off most wins.”

“Therianthropes do work hard! Pretending to be human isn’t easy, Iris!” insisted Dani. “We’re just stuck holding back today. The therianthropes have to spend countless hours each week being as normal as possible, knowing their friends might turn on them if they knew the truth. Imagine the stress!” exclaimed Dani, staring off into the sky as the struggle surely played out in her mind.

She did have a point.

“I’m so glad we have James. I’d hate not being able to use my magic ever.” added Kayla, hugging me again..

As we talked, time didn’t take a break. Before long, I was called to bat first and left staring down my dad. As per the miss order, I swung low on his first pitch, missing entirely. On the second, slightly worse pitch, I still managed to get the requested homerun, knocking the ball over the fence and trying not to feel embarrassed as I jogged the plates. Dad was still staring back over the fence when I hit home. I felt a little better when dad turned, smiled at me, and clapped a few times. At least he was taking it well.

We only scored five points by the time Brandon struck out as planned, moving us to the field. I was on second base, but I could still see the shock in the dugout when Raine pitched. None of Dad’s workers had ever played professional baseball, and Raine wasn’t imitating an amateur. As she easily struck out the first three batters, I did my best not to think about what would happen if she accidentally pitched too fast, but she had grown very consistent at pitching about one hundred miles per hour during our practice. She wouldn’t make a mistake.

Honestly, I was still trying to wrap my head around the idea that Raine had made a castle appear behind James’ manor by accident last week. Yes, she apparently didn’t realize she could do that, but… castle…

“You’re on-deck, Iris!” called James, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I nodded, grabbing my helmet and bat. Emma had made each of us personalized bats for this, which she had assured us met regulations perfectly. Mine was easily recognizable by the iris at the tip of the handle. When I was up to bat, I missed, fouled, and then missed two more, taking my turn to get out. Dad looked confused, and I couldn’t blame him. I could have hit any of those pitches.

Dad’s surprise only increased a few innings later when Aaliyah perfectly hit a grounder between his legs, getting her to first base after some exaggerated running. I had been at Best Friend For Hire long enough now to know Aaliyah could be extremely graceful when she wanted to be.

The game continued with Dad’s team only managing to graze a couple of Raine’s pitches by the time we won with forty-two runs. After shaking hands with the shocked players, we gathered up our stuff and made our way to the Intergalactic House of Awesome Sauce, where James was treating both teams.

The place was weird, and not just because the inside seemed a bit too big, probably some sort of optical illusion. First, Alma had to convince the twins and triplets that they were allowed inside. For some reason, they seemed to think something terrible would happen if they entered. Then we got inside and the lights were really dim, probably to show off the fantastic nebula that stretched across the ceiling, moving as if it were real. The stars even twinkled, and one of the twins pointed out what looked like a spaceship.

We were seated dead center in the place at two long tables that looked like they were made entirely of glowing, blue glass. I found out that James was an owner, which made sense for our seating, but I still felt like I was being stared at by some of the other tables.

The weirdest part was getting our food shortly after we were seated without ordering anything at all. We took a seat, and every single person was handed a dish they absolutely loved. I would have attributed that to James being James, but Jarod told me that was just how the business did things. No one ever ordered, they were simply given what they wanted, as if that was actually a simple thing to do.

I rarely went anywhere to eat and knew what I wanted, but this place gave me a thin-crust, pepperoni and olive pizza with a little cheddar sprinkled in with the mozzarella and just the right amount of some fancy cheese cooked into the crust. There was even a dash of garlic. How would anyone outside of my family know that I liked pepperoni and olive!? Even weirder, how did they know I like a bit of cheddar thrown in!? Listening to comments from both teams, I was quite certain every single person received something they loved without ordering. Every one of us had plenty of food. Even our drinks were all matched to our tastes! The restaurant was creepy, but their food was on par with Marco’s, which was a tremendous compliment.

When everyone was finished, Dad’s team started heading to the door first. “Great game, James.” he stated. “The meal was worth the loss, but don’t think you’ll beat us by as much next time.”

“Gave up on winning?” teased James.

Dad shrugged and said, “I don’t know what you’re feeding your employees, but Iris never hit a homerun in her life before joining your company. I know my daughter. She was holding back this game.”

I sunk into my chair, deciding I needed to be more careful.

James smiled and nodded in agreement with my Dad. “She’s probably in the best shape of her life. You have to realize that our athletics program has to be top notch, so we can be hired to help wherever needed. I hope you’ll let us know if you or your company ever have need of a best friend. I assure you that we’re equally skilled outside of athletics.”

“Yes. Yes, I will.” replied Dad with a smile. Looking over at me, he asked “Want a ride home?”

“I left my car at work, so I’ll see you later.” I told him.

He nodded, shook James’ hand again, and headed out.

James then looked at me and said, “Iris, you should invite your family over for dinner sometime. I feel your father should get a better look at who he invited to his league. Besides, he has to see that you weren’t overstating Marco’s cooking.”

I nodded, not even surprised. All of my family had gifts, so James probably felt comfortable sharing his company’s secret with them. Thinking of what my family was in for, I said, “My brothers are going to go nuts.”

James shrugged and smiled, probably looking forward to it.

#Best Friend For Hire Reprise #Best #Friend #For #Hire #Reprise #Jovial Times #Jovial #Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story

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bethestaryouareradio · 6 years ago

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FireScaping

“Some say the world will end in fire.” Robert Frost

A running crown fire came rolling down the hillside toward our Lake County mountain cabin, moving faster than any human could run. All exits were blocked. Trees vaporized. Sixteen civilians trapped in the valley were being gathered in the meadow around our house. This acre of lush green grass would be the safety zone, everyone’s last hope of survival. Ninety firefighters had been spread out along the roads, trails, and hillsides in the fire’s path. Their orders were to stay put until the fire was upon them, then to light a backfire and escape to our meadow.

The energy released was a hundred times that of a normal forest fire, with an explosive force nearing the intensity of a small atomic bomb. Everyone prayed. My sister and her husband said their goodbyes. Death seemed seconds away. Besides being a farmer, our Dad had been Captain of our volunteer fire department for forty-six years. Dad built the safety zone. “Daddy,” my sister prayed, “please don’t let us die like this.”

Then, almost imperceptibly, the roar began to diminish. The fire continued to rage for fourteen days in nearby canyons, ultimately burning over eighty-two thousand acres. At the time, it was the second-worst firestorm in United States history, the subject of national training videos for firefighters and showcased on an episode of the TV series, 20/20.

I chronicled this epic true story in my book, Be the Star You Are!® 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference. The chapter is appropriately titled The Gift of Survival. (First Editions available from http://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store).

When a town called Paradise is transformed into burning hell incinerating everything in its path within twenty-four hours and becoming the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California and United States history, it is prudent for Lamorindans to make fire safety a priority.

A few months ago an Orinda resident reached out to me asking if I would write an article on how to landscape with fire prevention in mind. Melanie and Ken Light had contacted Orinda Fire Chief Dave Winnacker to find out how to become a Fire Wise neighborhood. Being fire wise is dependent on everyone in a neighborhood being diligent about keeping their property fire safe because fires do not honor property lines. If one home’s landscape is pristine and the neighbor next door has overgrown bushes, brush, or low hanging trees, all of the properties become indefensible.

Lamorinda is rural, wooded, and has minimal escape routes. Many of the plants and trees growing throughout our area are highly flammable including pines, cypress, cedar, fir, bamboo, acacia, juniper, Pampas grass, rosemary, ivy, arborvitae, miscanthus, and eucalyptus. Heat moves up and many homes are on hills. Fire speed and severity is stronger on slopes where vegetation management is crucial.

Just as there is no such thing as a deer-proof plant, a fire-proof plant is a myth. Under the right conditions, every plant will burn. Referring to a plant as “fire safe” means that it tends not to be a significant fuel source by itself. Some plants chemical compositions resist heat and combustion. It is critical to keep plants around our homes well maintained and pruned as a fire protection tool. The closer plants are to the house, the more care is needed.

Firescaping is simply a landscape design that reduces house and property vulnerability to wildfire. While enhancing the beauty of the property, we surround the house with plants that are less likely to ignite and create a defensible space.

Characteristics of Highly Flammable Flora ϖ Dry and dead leaves, twigs, branches ϖ Abundant, dense foliage ϖ Needles ϖ Low moisture foliage ϖ Peeling, loose bark ϖ Gummy sap ϖ Leathery or aromatic leaves ϖ High resin, terpene, or oil content ϖ High, uncut or dry grasses

Characteristics of Fire-Resistant Flora ϖ Hardy, slow growing plants that don’t produce litter or thatch ϖ Native plants that are drought tolerant with internal high water content. Generally, California natives are more tolerant of deer and fire. (see Nature’s Natives: April 17, 2019, https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1304/Digging-Deep-with-Cynthia-Brian-for-April-Natures-Natives.html) ϖ Trees with thick bark that restrict the growth of invasive shrub species and hardwood trees such as walnut, cherry, maple, and poplar are less flammable. Deciduous trees and shrubs are generally more fire resistant because they have a higher moisture content when in leaf, lower fuel volume when dormant, and usually do not contain flammable oils. ϖ Supple, moist leaves with little to no sap or resin residue. ϖ Low growing ground covers. ϖ Bulbs.

How to Create a Fire-Resistant Landscape: ϖ Include fire-resistant features such as pavers, bricks, pavement, gravel, rocks, mulch, dry creek beds, fountains, ponds, pools, and lawns. Water features including ponds, streams, and pools can be helpful fuel breaks. ϖ Select high moisture plants that grow close to the ground with a low sap and resin content. (See an included list of plants, shrubs, and trees) ϖ Maintain all plants and lawns. Clover, groundcovers, and grasses that are kept low and green through irrigation are excellent alternatives. Mow, prune, water, and space appropriately. ϖ Leave space between plants. ϖ Minimize the inclusion of evergreen trees within thirty feet of structures. Clear debris and understory. Have clearance of all trees within twenty feet of chimneys. ϖ Remove invasive species or swaths of flammable plants including ivy, rosemary, broom, and juniper. ϖ Moist mulch, rocks, or gravel can be used for firescaping. (Bark and leaf mulch can ignite unless sufficiently wet. Usage not recommended near structures.) ϖ When planting trees, identify the tree size at maturity. ϖ Prune trees carefully to remove the possibility of fire laddering. ϖ Arrange plantings in clusters and islands, with those near structure being smaller. ϖ Consider the combustibility of decorative features such as gazebos, fences, sheds, porches, and junk areas. Keep appropriate clearance to reduce the threat of burning embers. ϖ Bare ground is not recommended due to soil erosion.

General Rules of Fire Safety HEED the checklist from our local fire departments to create a defensible space around your home. To reiterate fire district recommendations: ϖ Prevent embers from igniting your home by clearing leaves, needles, and debris from gutters, eaves, porches, and decks. ϖ Mow grasses and weeds. ϖ Keep your garden watered. ϖ Prune tree limbs to keep the lowest branches 6-10 feet from the ground. ϖ Reduce “fire fuel laddering” by not allowing bushes or trees to touch one another. ϖ Keep combustible materials 15-30 feet away from structures. ϖ Maintain your property and be alert for any fire danger. For further safety tips visit http://www.mofd.org/fire-prevention/abatement

Through proper plant selection, placement, and maintenance, we are able to diminish the possibility of ignition, lower fire intensity, and reduce the spread, helping our homes to survive the blaze. A fire-resistant landscape reduces the risk to our homes while enabling firefighters a place to defend our structures.

Helpful Websites: National Fire Protection Association: https://www.nfpa.org

Moraga Orinda Fire District: http://www.mofd.org

Fire Safe Marin (We are not in Marin, but this is a great resource): http://www.firesafemarin.org

Pacific Northwest Fire Resistant Plants: http://www.firefree.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Fire-Resistant-Plants.pdf

University of California Cooperative Extension: https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Prepare/Landscaping/Plant_choice/

Las Pilitas Nursery (although this nursery is in Santa Margarita it has the best website that gives burn times for various plants. Plus it also has deer resistant information as well.)https://www.laspilitas.com/easy/deerfire.htm

Alerts for Your Specific Area: http://www.nixle.com

Sample Listing of Plants that are Fire-Resistant (I reiterate, NO PLANT is fire-proof. Maintenance, pruning, watering, spacing, location are all extremely important elements for fire safety.)

Bulbs (tulips, daffodils, iris, hyacinth, freesia, etc. Cut stalks to the ground when leaves are dry) California redbud Sage Penstemon Heather Fuchsia Columbine Thyme Poppy Wild strawberry Common yarrow French lavender Lilac Coreopsis Ajuga California lilac Society garlic Alliums Dianthus Yellow or Purple ice plant Creeping phlox Lamium Sedum Succulents Veronica Armeria Agapanthus Trumpet Vine Daylily Heuchera Hosta Red hot poker Lupine Delphinium Echinacea Lamb’s ear Yucca Roses Salvia Evening primrose Daphne Boxwood Rhododendron Spirea Dogwood Mock orange Azalea Current Viburnum Horse chestnut Liquid Amber Honey locust Crabapple Purple robe locust Fruit trees (varieties of cherry, plum, pear, peach, apricot) Black oak Hawthorne Birch Aspen Poplar Maple Manzanita (prune without dead wood) Walnut

Harry Houdini wrote, “Fire has always been and seemingly, will always remain, the most terrible of the elements.” Use your common sense. If you need additional help, consult a professional. Contact your fire department for a Fire Wise walk. Invite neighbors to a meeting. Come talk to me at the Be the Star You Are!® charity booth at the Moraga Community Faire on Saturday, May 11th from 11-3pm. Buy garden gifts for Mother’s Day. (Https:/www.BethestarYouAre.org/events)

Fires are in our future. Hopefully, we won’t require a green meadow safety zone for survival, yet we need to be prepared. Make firescaping an ongoing conversation.

In the meantime, get out to weed, water, prune, and maintain. Do what you can to be fire safe.

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing. Happy Mother’s Day! See photos and read more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1305/Digging-Deep-with-Cynthia-Brian-for-May-FireScaping.html

Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, raised in the vineyards of Napa County, is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are1® 501 c3. Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show and order her books at www.StarStyleRadio.com. Buy a copy of her new books, Growing with the Goddess Gardener and Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers at www.cynthiabrian.com/online-store. Hire Cynthia for projects, consults, and lectures. [email protected]

www.GoddessGardener.com

Donate to Fire Disaster Relief via Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 at www.BethestarYouAre.org

Keywords: #firescaping, #preventfires, #fire-safe plants, #landscaping, #gardening, #cynthia brian, #starstyle, #goddess Gardener, #growig with the goddess gardener, #lamorinda weekly

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goddessgardener · 6 years ago

Text

FireScaping

“Some say the world will end in fire.” Robert Frost

Helpful Websites: National Fire Protection Association: https://www.nfpa.org

Moraga Orinda Fire District: http://www.mofd.org

Fire Safe Marin (We are not in Marin, but this is a great resource): http://www.firesafemarin.org

Pacific Northwest Fire Resistant Plants: http://www.firefree.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Fire-Resistant-Plants.pdf

University of California Cooperative Extension: https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Prepare/Landscaping/Plant_choice/

Alerts for Your Specific Area: http://www.nixle.com

Sample Listing of Plants that are Fire-Resistant (I reiterate, NO PLANT is fire-proof. Maintenance, pruning, watering, spacing, location are all extremely important elements for fire safety.)

Fires are in our future. Hopefully, we won’t require a green meadow safety zone for survival, yet we need to be prepared. Make firescaping an ongoing conversation.

In the meantime, get out to weed, water, prune, and maintain. Do what you can to be fire safe.

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing. Happy Mother’s Day! See photos and read more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1305/Digging-Deep-with-Cynthia-Brian-for-May-FireScaping.html

www.GoddessGardener.com

Donate to Fire Disaster Relief via Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 at www.BethestarYouAre.org

Keywords: #firescaping, #preventfires, #fire-safe plants, #landscaping, #gardening, #cynthia brian, #starstyle, #goddess Gardener, #growig with the goddess gardener, #lamorinda weekly

0 notes