#dwarf prairie rose

[the-habitat-ring]

The (Real) Stardew Valley Farm Update 2024

I’m wrapping up my third year trying to grow everything from Stardew Valley in our yard, with substitutions as needed, preferably with Midwest USA native plants.

I’m continuing to battle the invasive plants (why won’t the honeysuckle and thistles stop?????), beg for truckloads of woodchips (Google decided our address isn’t real anymore), and deal with a body and brain that makes going outside impossible sometimes (the past two years have been rough medically). But despite all of that I still managed to make a ton of progress!

Here’s how things stand as of now. If you’re looking back at previous posts you might notice some differences, but that’s mainly because things I planted died (drought + medical crises don’t bode well for newly established plants). I’ve also added the additional crops from the new update.

2021

Amaranth - Native white amaranth

Grape - Native riverbank grapes (so many grapes). I’m hopefully going to successfully propagate some cuttings from the neighbor’s green cultivated variety

Dandelion - Obviously

Maple Tree - Native silver, red, and sugar maples

Pine Tree - Douglas fir

Apple Tree - Three old apple trees of different varieties in very rough shape. I’ve been working to prune them up and two are looking a lot better. I’d love an Enterprise apple tree at some point

Coffee Bean - Chicory (a naturalized plant commonly used as a coffee substitute)

Salmonberry - Native black raspberries since salmonberries aren’t from around here, although I really want to add raspberries of various colors in the future

Starfruit - Native wood sorrel

Cave Carrot - Queen Ann’s Lace, AKA wild carrot

2022

Kale

Rhubarb

Strawberry - Both cultivated and native

Tulip

Radish

Tomato

Eggplant

Fairy Rose - Native prairie rose

Cranberries - Native cranberry viburnum

Orange Tree -Native persimmons, which produce orange fruit

Daffodil

Spring Onion - Native nodding onions

Spice Berry - Native spicebushes

Wild Plum - Native plums

Crocus

Cherry Tree - Native black cherries and nonnative bush cherries

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

Sweet Gem Berry - Native Juneberry (Downy Serviceberry)

2023

Garlic - Native wild garlic

Blueberries - I planted three varieties and only one survived. Don’t shortcut your bed preparation, friends

Wild Horseradish - Not wild, but contained with my mint

Hops - Teamaker hops which is good for tea since we’re not alcohol fans

2024

Blue Jazz - Native Ozark Bluestar

Beets

Apricot Tree - Native passionflower vine, also known as wild apricot

Sunflower - Both native and non-native sunflowers

Pumpkin

Cactus Fruit - Native prickly pear cactus

Melon - Cantaloupe

Oak Tree - Native dwarf chinquapin oak, which took me forever to get

Hot Pepper

Palm Tree/coconut - Native palm sedge

Poppy - Native purple poppy mallow, after other native poppies failed. I still want to grow bread seed poppies, though

Corn - Tried some gorgeous colored corn and popcorn that didn’t grow great but they did grow!

Green bean

Hazelnut - They’re supposed to be easy to grow but they do not like me. Third time’s the charm, right?

Carrot

Summer squash

Powder melon - I decided to do honeydew melon because it’s kinda powdery and I don’t really have any other ideas

Planned for 2025 and beyond

Potato

Pineapple - White strawberries (pineberries)

Winter Root - Hopniss, a native root vegetable

Red Cabbage

Artichoke - Native Jerusalem artichokes

Yam

Bok Choy

Leek

Fiddlehead Fern - Ferns do not like me

Blackberry

Crystal Fruit - Probably honey berries, which produce fruit earlier than anything else

Ancient Fruit - Native Aronia berries. They’re blue(ish) and have lots of antioxidants so you live to be ancient

Tea Leaves - Native New Jersey Tea bush. The previous ones were murdered by rabbits

Mango Tree - I thought one of our pawpaws was a variety called mango but I was wrong

Ginger - I want to try growing native wild ginger again

Rice - Native rough-leaved rice grass

Wheat - I have some gorgeous ornamental blue wheat seeds

Summer Spangle - Possibly native prairie lily? I was unsuccessful growing it from seed this year but maybe in the future

Parsnip - I can’t get them to germinate to save my life but one day I will be successful

Sweat pea

Holly - Native winterberry holly

Mushrooms - I'm just gonna ignore varieties and try some plugs or similar

Peach - Vine peach. It’s a melon, and more doable than a tree

Mahogany Tree - I think I’ll resort to mahogany nasturtiums

Broccoli

Pomegranate Tree - I could try Russian pomegranates?

Taro Root - I would have to plant it in pots

Snow Yam - Not actually a yam but maybe native sweet potato vine?

Qi Fruit - Very creepy, not sure what to do with this

Over halfway there! If anyone has suggestions for plants please let me know because I’m still stuck on a few and very open to alternatives.

In other news, I’m making Stardew Valley Fair displays with cross stitch patches for each of the items I’ve added that year. I’ll have to post pics of those at some point.

[obsessivevoidkitten]

These are all the things I want to grow and have the seeds for this year, though some things are missing from this list. I still need more soil, most of the produce goes to the senior center so if anyone wants to throw me 3 dollars for a bag of dirt it goes to a good cause, I also save seeds and distribute them to neighbors and some of the people at the senior center. This blog is my only income source as I am an unpaid live-in aide for an elderly woman. No pressure though. Also if anyone just wants to put gardening discussions in my inbox I am totally up for that!

Supernova sunchokes

Red pontiac potatoes, kennebec potatoes, lehigh potatoes, purple viking potatoes, red norland potatoes, also sweet potatoes

Brown sugar tomatoes, amish paste tomatoes, orange hat tomatoes, yellow stuffer tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, bosque blue bumblebee tomatoes, bonny best tomatoes, orange icicle tomatoes, sart roloise tomatoes, sweetheart cherry tomatoes, honeycomb tomatoes, barry's crazy cherry tomatoes, kentucky beefsteak tomatoes, and of course PRAIRIE FIRE TOMATOES

Corbaci peppers, ajvarski peppers, sugar rush peach peppers, albino bullnose peppers, binquinho peppers, lemon spice jalapeno peppers

Armenian yard long cucumbers, sumter cucumbers, bushcrop cucumbers, spacemaster 80 cucumbers, green apple cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, dragon's egg cucumbers, poona kheera cucumbers, pick a bushel cucumbers

Rosita eggplants, listda de gandia eggplants, shikou eggplants, casper eggplants

White soul alpine strawberries, seascape strawberries

Strawberry spinach, malabar spinach, thousand head kale, scarlet kale, blooming kale, orach, slobolt lettuce, merlot lettuce, bronze lettuce, buttercrunch lettuce, bibb lettuce, aqua large leaf watercress, swiss chard five color silverbeet

Moonshine sweet corn, glass gem corn, fiesta corn, Incredible R/M sweet corn

Great northern beans, dwarf taylor horticulture beans, jade II beans

Red burgundy okra, jing orange okra

Autumn buckskin pumpkins, long island cheese pumpkins, flat white boer pumpkins, seminole pumpkins, rouge vif d' etampes pumpkins

Gumball mix radishes, china rose radishes, de 18 jours radishes, golden helios radishes, purple plum radishes, diana hybrid radishes, pink dawn radishes

Chocolate cherry sunflowers, autumn beauty sunflowers, evening sunflowers, russian mammoth sunflowers, florenza sunflowers, lemon queen sunflowers

Peach melba nasturtiums, whirlybird nasturtiums, orchid flame nasturtiums, tip top alaska salmon nasturtiums, tip top rose nasturtiums

Gill's golden pippin squash, honeynut squash, candy roaster squash, delicata squash, early prolific straightneck squash

Jolly jester marigolds, mexican mint marigolds, safari scarlet marigolds, orange flame marigolds, colossus bicolor red gold marigolds

Purple coneflowers, black eyed susans, moss roses, coleus pinto mix

Double tall mix strawflowers, copper red strawflowers, king size orange strawflowers

Pampas plume celosias, eternity mix celosias

Desert king watermelons, lemon drop watermelons, royal golden watermelons, tigger melons, kajari melons, golden crispy melons, golden jenny melons

Purple dragon carrots, melbec carrots, uzbek gold carrots, koral carrots

[hlahlahlahlahly]

It's prairie plant glamour shot season.

It's also "dream about what new plants to add in the fall" season. I have a lot to fill this year between a big gap in three middle of the garden here, and a bunch of cleared honeysuckle in either side of the house.

Right now the (long version) of the list is

New England Asters

Northern Sea oats

Wild Geranium

Columbine

Ostrich Fern

Dwarf Crested Iris

Carolina Rose and/or Meadow

[baronmagikcarp]

I'm been trying to create my own TTRPG for awhile now. Basically, I wanted a D&D-style game without all the pain-in-the-ass mechanics that come with D&D. I liked the engine that ran the old R. Talsorian Cyberpunk 2020 game (it's D10 based for most of it) and I was really familiar with it so that was the basis.

Now, I wanted magic in the game but I really, really don't like the whole, "Half of this book is going to be nothing but set magic spells of various varieties." It kind of seemed to turn magic into something that isn't, well, magic. I wanted something different, something the player could customize. Basically, they'd craft their own spells.

This is when I figured out really damn fast there's probably a really good reason that D&D does magic the way it does. Trying to come up with some kind of system that was freeform but still adhered to the R. Tal CP2020 system I was trying to use was not easy to say the least. I kind of figured two broad categories, Ritual & Individual. Ritual was stuff you'd do with a group, the basic giant circle with chanting people, and Individual was a one person sort of thing.

Anyway, without getting into what I'd done, I've been taking another run at it and I was thinking of the whole categories like earth, wind, fire, and water for ways to help craft a spell. Then I was thinking of my dwarfs I'd created.

I wanted something different and I'd done a story years ago with a dwarf society that really didn't have much to do with mining. They were a people who roamed prairies and steppes as nomads. They were excellent archers and horsepeople and did lots of trading. They left large cairns out on the plains carved with runes that pretty much on one knows except a few select dwarfs. They were wayfindering tools in both a physical sense, in that you could navigate from them, but also the metaphysical sense in that some of them had started as burial mounds and were markers to the next world.

Now, I'm sitting here thinking, dwarfs would probably have something different other than the normal element based stuff. Then I thought, they're excellent navigators. They have to be, moving across vast open grasslands is a great way to get turned around. Thus, they have a magic system that is based on their cardinal directions of east, west, north, and south with east and west on the top and bottom of the compass rose and north and south on the sides. I freely admit I stole the east on the top from the Hobbit.

That's when it occurred to me that, what with me setting up these ancient cairns and having them covered in metaphysical language, that dwarfs, not elves, where probably the first magic users and other people were either taught or figured it out from them. The elemental stuff is a more recent creation.

All that being said, this is great background but I still haven't figured out just how I want that magic system to work.

[sagescented]

Note To Self: Oklahoma Milkweeds

Asclepias Quadrifolia (Four-Leaf Milkweed)

Asclepias Macrotis (Long hood Milkweed)

Asclepias Pumila (Plains Milkweed)

Asclepias Incarnata (Rose / Marsh / Swamp Milkweed)

Asclepias Oenotheroides (Sidecluster Milkweed)

Asclepias Viridiflora (Short Green Milkweed)

Asclepias Engelmanniana (Engelmann's Milkweed)

Asclepias Verticillata (Whorled Milkweed)

Asclepias Syriaca (Common Milkweed)

Asclepias Sullivantii (Prairie Milkweed)

Asclepias Variegata (White Milkweed)

Asclepias Subverticillata (Horsetail Milkweed)

Asclepias Involucrata (Dwarf Milkweed)

Asclepias Uncialis (Wheel Milkweed)

Asclepias Tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)

Asclepias Stenophylla (Narrow-leaf Milkweed)

Asclepias Hirtella (Tall Green Milkweed)

Asclepias Purpurascens (Purple Milkweed)

Asclepias Latifolia (Broad-Leaf Milkweed)

Asclepias Amplexicaulis (Sand Milkweed)

Asclepias Amplexicaulis (Clasping milkweed)

Asclepias Asperula (Spider Milkweed)

Asclepias Viridis (Green Milkweed)

Asclepias Obovata (Pineland Milkweed)

Asclepias Speciosa (Showy Milkweed)

[delicatelysublimeforester]

The Species: R. Acicularlis Lindl., R. arkansana, R. woodsii

How can we determine which of the roses are which in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional Park forest communities?

Part 4

What is taxonomy? Part 1 | Rosids Part 2 | genus Rosa Part 3  

Distinguishing between the three Saskatchewan wild roses to determine the species

Making observations of the plant structure, the leaf structure, and the flower structure.

How to describe the species; learning botanical terms.

Rose in the Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Native Rose Bush blooming in June

Native Rose Bush blooming in June

Bumblebee on rose

Wood’s Rose, or Common Wild Rose (Rosa woodsii) may also form thickets of clones from rhizomatous roots.  The rose shrubbery may grow as high as 30 to 240 centimeters (1 to 8 feet high.)  These thickets of rose bushes provide nesting sites for birds, as well as thermal and feeding cover for deer and other small mammals.  The flowers may be either solitary or corymbose.  Blooms are short-pedicelled AKA the stalk of an individual flower is short.

Flowers are usually a deep pink about 5 cm (2 inches) across. Flowers can be set on rose bush in clusters of one to five at the end of a branch less commonly are they seen solitary.  The inflorescence is distinctly saucer shape, and the petals are not flat across.

The sepals provide a covering around the rose bud during the formation period before the inflorescence blooms.  The sepals are lanceolate, which is a botanical term meaning shaped like a lance or a spear head.  Looking closely, the sepals can be located under the rose bloom, supporting the petals, and the sepals will be broad in the lower half close to the stem, and tapering to a point near the tip similar to a lance or a spear. Tomentose is another apt botanical description for the sepals meaning that they are densely covered with short matted downy filaments or hairs, they are rather fuzzy looking.  The Wood’s Rose sepals are persistent on the fruit (rose hip), and each rose hip may have 15 – 35 seeds.  Persistent in botanical terminology means that the sepals do not fall off, and will still be seen on the rose hip in the winter months.

The leaflets are single-toothed with a shape described as obovate to ovate to elliptic.  Often the leaflets are cuneate or narrowed at the base and may feature straight sides converging at base, producing a ‘wedge shape’, cuneate is from the Latin root cuneus ‘wedge’ + -ate.   An obovate shape would describe the leaflet as shaped like a tear-drop where the tip of the tear drop attaches to the stem near the base.  An ovate leaflet shape is an egg-shaped oval, where the point tapers, and the widest portion of the leaflet is nearest the base.  Whereas an elliptic shape refers to the leaflet being oval without a point, or a very rounded and subdued point.  There are usually 5 to 7 leaflets making up one leaf, and may be as many as 11.  The upper surface of the leaf is shiny.  Stipules are prominent and united at the base of the leaf giving rise to the term adnate stipule.  Adnate means joined or united by having grown together.  A pair of stipules (straw, stalk) are little outgrowths on either side of the base of the leafstalk. Each leaflet has a very short or no stalk at all stalk (sessile).  Sessility from sessilis meaning “sitting” or in botany “resting on the surface” having no stalk

Oddly pinnate leaf – imparipinnate Courtesy Maksim CC x 1.2

Leaf shape or morphology OBOVATE Courtesy Maksim CC x 1.2

Leaf shape or morphology OVALE Courtesy Maksim CC x 1.2

Leaf shape or morphology ELLIPTIC Courtesy Maksim CC x 1.2

Figure 1 Rose Leaf showing alternate odd-pinnate leaflets.  Leaflet shapes.  Draw the leaflet shape of the roses seen in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Prickles on a Wood Rose stem may be straight or curved, however generally have a curve.  Infrastipular spines are commonly present, and the stems are prickly.  Infrastipular means below (infra) the stipules (stipular), so the spines are commonly seen below ‘the small appendage at the base of the petiole of a leaf’ (stipule). The Common Wild Rose (Wood Rose) only has a few scattered thorns, in comparison to the Prickly Wild Rose which is covered with many small weak bristles.  The Wood Rose thorns feature are broad and flattened at their base.

The stem of this rose shrub is reddish brown to gray.

The Wood Rose has a distinct style featuring calyx-lobes entire.  Entire meaning not divided and featuring a smooth margin, not lobed or toothed.

The orange-red to bright red or blue-purple fruit is fleshy, globose or globose-ovoid 5-12 mm (.2 – .5 inches) wide, Glabrous (hairless and smooth) and sometimes glaucous (dull bluish-green, gray).  As many as 15 to 35 nutlets (achenes) may be found within the rose hip, and the nutlets are 3-4 mm (0.1-0.16 inches) long.

Rosa arkansana, the prairie rose, dwarf prairie rose or wild prairie rose (Rosa arkansana) is also a rose bush of Saskatchewan which will reach heights of 30-60 centimeters (1 – 2 feet) tall.  The flowers are unique as they are pink and may be streaked with a deeper pink.  The blooms are 3 to 7 cm (1.25 to 2.5 inches) in diameter. There may be as many as 5 or more flowers, or solitary flowers on the terminal end of the stems.  The inflorescences are corymbs which are a flat-topped or convex cluster of flowers derived from Latin corymbus, bunch of flowers, from Greek korumbos, head where the outermost flowers open first.  The petals on the inflorescence have a top wavy edge, with a central peaked notch at the top.

The sepals are rounded at the base with a smooth outer surface.

Droughty conditions or freezing may cause the plants above the surface to totally die back each year.  The roots are very hardy, and will grow deep into the soil, reaching as far as 2.4 -3.7 meters (8 – 12 feet) down in the soil.  Asexual regeneration takes place from roots sprouting from the root crown.

The rose hip is almost globular, and starts out as a deep red colour.  The sepals persist on the fruit.  Seeds produced need a dormancy period featuring successive cold and warm moist periods, and may not germinate until the second year.

This rose bush sports many dense reddish thorns.

The leaves are also pinnately compound, and may contain as many as nine to eleven leaflets. The upper side of the leaves are smooth dark green in contrast to the lighter green hairy undersides.  The hairy undersides can be called puberulent from the Latin puber, (downy, adult) + -ulent, from ulentus (abounding in). The leaves can be 8 to 10 centimeters (3-4 inches) in length with leaflets 2 – 3 cm (.75 – 1.25 inches) long.  The leaflets bear 2 wing-like stipules at the base of the stem, and may have a few glands at the tip edges.  The leaflets are fringed on the margin with hairs and so can be described by the botany word ciliate from the Latin root cilium: an eye lash.  The leaflets have either a very short leaf stem, or none at all.

As this is a short growing rose bush, it prefers the open grasslands, however will be found in the parklands.  The prairie rose thrives on the extreme continental climate which alternates between severe winters and very warm or hot summers.  It was noted that the Prairie Rose thrived during the most extreme years of drought experienced during the “dirty thirties.”

Prickly Rose (Rosa Acicularlis Lindl.)  Acicularis has a Latin root meaning small pin or needle.  The prickly rose is just that, densely prickled with straight weak thorns or bristles. The prickly rose defence of thorns prevent over-grazing by the animals in the vicinity.   Prickly Rose will have no infrastipular spikes.

Each solitary flower is located at the axis of a short thin pedicel (stalk or stem).  When there are more than one flower, they are featured in a corymb.  At 4 – 7 cm (1.6 – 3 inches) across, the flower is fairly large.  Look for blossoms at the very end of May through out June.

The calyx-lobes (referred to on the flower as sepals) are erect on the fruit.  Erect in botanical terms mean upright, more or less perpendicular to the point of attachment.   The calyx lobes are lanceolate and acuminate.  Acuminate is another way of saying “coming to a point” from the Latin acuminatus, past participle of acuminare (“to sharpen to a point”). The stipules are mainly broad. The fruit or rose hip can be ovoid or pear-shaped with a length of 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) The rosehips is a bright red when ripe, and can be seen orange-red across the prairies.

The leaves are pinnately divided, and the leaflets are often twice toothed or double toothed.  The leaves have conspicuous winged stipules with outward turning teeth born at the base of the leaf. The winged stipules may also be termed auricle having a small ear-like projection, from Latin auricula ‘external part of the ear’, diminutive of auris ‘ear’.  Leaflets may number 5 to 9, and are often glabrous or resinous so are often sticky.  The leaves are pubescent on the undersides which also means the leaflets are covered with short, soft hairs.  Glandular-hairy petioles and rachises would imply that the leafstalk (petiole) which joins the leaflet to the stem and the main axis or shaft (rachis) bearing the leaflets have hairs upon them mounted with glands producing secretions on the surface of a plant. The leaflets are obtuse (blunt or rounded) at the apex and rounded at the base.  Leaflets are oval or oval-lanceolate. The leaves are hairy on the underside of the leaflets. Each dark green leaflet is on average 3-4 cm (0.1-0.16 inches) long.

Thorns are straight, needle like and unequal.

The shrub may be formed as clones from rhizomatous roots, or from achenes born in rose hips.  The shrub of the Prickly rose will reach a height of 0.9 to 1.2 meters (3-4 feet) at full maturity, and a rose thicket has rhizomatous roots which may create a single clone as large as 10-20 square meters (12-24 yards square) in size.  However, rhizome roots of the rose sprout after a fire, or other types of disturbance.

Draw the entire leaf, and the smaller leaflet shape of the roses seen in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional Park.

Which leaflet morphology is the closest to the rose seen in the afforestation area?

How many leaflets does the entire leaf contain?

What is the size in length of the leaflets?

Is the underside of the leaf the same color as the top?

Does the afforestation area leaflet have a long or short leaf stem (petiole) or is it sessile? Sessility from sessilis meaning “sitting” or in botany “resting on the surface” having no stalk

What color is the leaf backbone or the ‘rachis’?

Are there hairs on the leaflets? on the rachis?

Does the leaf have a stipule where the petiole attaches the rachis to the peduncle? leafstalk (petiole) joins the leaflet to the stem, the main leaf axis or shaft (rachis), the woody rose stem of the plant (peduncle).

Can you find the stipules?  These are the little straw like outgrowths on either side of the base of the leafstalk (petiole)?

Is the stipule winged or adnate (joined together)?

Are there thorns or bristles below the stipules?  These would be the infrastipular spikes.

For directions as to how to drive to “George Genereux” Urban Regional Park

For directions on how to drive to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

For more information:

Blairmore Sector Plan Report; planning for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area,  George Genereux Urban Regional Park and West Swale and areas around them inside of Saskatoon city limits

P4G Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth The P4G consists of the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, the Town of Osler and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park; planning for areas around the afforestation area and West Swale outside of Saskatoon city limits

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′ Addresses: Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063 Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Facebook: South West OLRA

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

You Tube Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

You Tube George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Should you wish to help protect / enhance the afforestation areas, please contact the City of Saskatoon, Corporate Revenue Division, 222 3rd Ave N, Saskatoon, SK S7K 0J5…to support the afforestation area with your donation please state that your donation should go towards  the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, or the George Genereux Urban Regional Park, or both afforestation areas located in the Blairmore Sector. Please and thank you!  Your donation is greatly appreciated.

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ***

  “St. Barbe’s unique capacity to pass on his enthusiasm to others. . . Many foresters all over the world found their vocations as a result of hearing ‘The Man of the Trees’ speak. I certainly did, but his impact has been much wider than that. Through his global lecture tours, St. Barbe has made millions of people aware of the importance of trees and forests to our planet.” Allan Grainger

“The science of forestry arose from the recognition of a universal need. It embodies the spirit of service to mankind in attempting to provide a means of supplying forever a necessity of life and, in addition, ministering to man’s aesthetic tastes and recreational interests. Besides, the spiritual side of human nature needs the refreshing inspiration which comes from trees and woodlands. If a nation saves its trees, the trees will save the nation. And nations as well as tribes may be brought together in this great movement, based on the ideal of beautifying the world by the cultivation of one of God’s loveliest creatures – the tree.” ~ Richard St. Barbe Baker.

Rose Species The Species: R. Acicularlis Lindl., R. arkansana, R. woodsii How can we determine which of the roses are which in the Richard St.

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

Smoothie Ideas

Unasked for, but liked by some! If I had access to all of these (and under responsible circumstances) and a good amount of space to work with as well as room in a freezer, and a good blender/food processor, this is what I would do. All plant parts in equal amounts. Plus plain yogurt and silky tofu for texture. And honey, tulip tree nectar, and syrups of sugar maple, boxelder maple, red maple, black maple, silver maple, mountain maple, swamp maple, yellow birch, sweet birch, water birch, paper birch, gray birch, bog birch, butternut, black walnut, American sycamore, basswood, silver linden, green alder, mountain alder, American elm, slippery elm, and rock elm for added sweetness.

Canada Day smoothie

honey: summer

American chestnut

American ginseng

aster petals: fringed blue heart-leaved New England panicled smooth

avens roots: purple prairie smok white yellow

bayberry fruits and leaves: northern sweet gale

beebalm flowers: horsemint scarlet wild bergamot

blackberries and raspberries: Allegheny blackberry American red raspberry arctic raspberry black raspberry blue raspberry Canadian blackberry cloudberry common dewberry dewberry glandstem blackberry leafy-bracted blackberry loganberry Pennsylvania blackberry purple-flowering raspberry salmonberry setose blackberry sphagnum dewberry swamp dewberry thimbleberry trailing raspberry

bluebells: tall Virginia

blueberries and cranberries: bog bilberry common blueberry deerberry highbush blueberry hillside blueberry large cranberry lingonberry lowbush blueberry small cranberry

Canada buffaloberry

Canada ginger root

Canada yew berry

cattail hearts: broadleaf narrowleaf

cherries and plums: American plum Canada plum black cherry chokecherry pin cherry sand cherry

chokeberries: black red

columbine flowers: Canada smallflower

common hop

common yarrow flower and leaf

cow parsnip stalk

cranesbill flowers: herb robert wild geranium

crowberry

cucumber tree flower

currants and gooseberries: American blackcurrant American gooseberry Canadian gooseberry golden currant northern blackcurrant northern redcurrant prickly gooseberry skunk currant

dogwood fruits:

blue-fruited bunchberry flowering gray red osier

eastern hemlock tip

eastern white cedar tip

elderberries: American red common

false Solomon’s seal berries: Canada mayflower false Solomon’s seal starry false Solomon’s seal

fireweed

fleshy dandelion flower

forget-me-not flowers: largeseed smallflower spring

goldenrod flowers: Canada gray prairie sticky

goldenseal

greenbrier berries: blue ridge carrionflower bristly common Illinois smooth carrionflower upright carrionflower

groundcherries: clammy common Virginia

hackberries: dwarf hackberry hackberry

haws: cockspur fireberry dotted downy

hazelnuts: American beaked

hickory nuts: bitternut pignut shagbark shellbark

honey locust pod pulp

honeysuckle fruits and flowers: black twinberry Canadian fly haskap mountain fly

hyssops: anise purple giant

Jack-in-the-pulpit berry

juniper berries: common creeping eastern

Kentucky coffee tree pod pulp

kinnikinnick berry

lily flowers: Canada Michigan wood

linden flowers: basswood silver

maple blossoms and seeds: black boxelder mountain red silver sugar swamp

mayapple

milkweed pods and flowers: butterflyweed common fourleaf green comet oval leaf poke prairie purple redring swamp tall green whorled

mints: Canada peppermint wild

mountain woodsorrel flower, leaf, and fruit

Oregon grapes: creeping Oregon grape

partridgeberry

pawpaw fruit

pine tips and young cones: eastern white jack pitch ponderosa red

pokeweed berry juice

prickly cucumber juice

prickly pears: fragile devil’s tongue

ramps flower

red mulberry

redbud flower

riverbank grape

robin runaway flower

rose mallow flowers: Halberd-leaf swamp

rose petals and hips: climbing wild pasture prairie prickly wild shining smooth swamp Virginia woods’

roughfruit fairybells berry

sarsaparillas: American spikenard bristly wild

sassafras

serviceberries: Allegheny Bartram juneberry Canadian downy inland low shadbush pigeonberry roundleaf saskatoon

silverberry

snowberries: coralberry snowberry western

spicebush

spruce tips and young cones: black red white

stinging nettle top

strawberries: Virginia woodland

sumac berries: fragrant shining smooth staghorn

sunflower petals, tubers, and seeds: cheerful giant narrowleaf Nuttall’s pale-leaf stiff sunchoke woodland

sweet crabapple fruit and blossom

sweetfern leaves

sweetgrass

tamarack tip

twisted stalk berries: rose twisted stalk watermelonberry

unicorn root

viburnum berries: arrowwood highbush cranberry mapleleaf nannyberry snowball tree squashberry witch’s hobble-bush witherod

violets: arrowleaf bird’s foot Canada crow-foot downy yellow early blue Labrador long-spurred marsh marsh blue New England blue northern bog northern woodland small white sweet white wood

Virginia creeper berry pulp

walnuts: black butternut

wild savoury and wild basil leaves

wild yam

wintergreens: American creeping snowberry

witch-hazel

[marunalu]

Disney Movies List

Ok first of all I want to make clear that english is not my first language. I therefore apologize in advance for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Please don't be too strict with me =D

I recently bought Disney+ and I plan now to watch and review every movie, Disney has ever produced or participated in it. And I tell you, this will be a hell of a trip, because my list now contains no fewer than 701 movies. That means if I watch at least one movie every day, it will take me about 2 years to see all of them. And since I will most likely not watch a movie every day, I will definitely need at least twice as long....

For the films on my list, which I marked with a cross at the end, it means that I have seen them already. However, since I last saw most of these movies in my childhood or teenage years (so at least 15 years ago), it will be interesting for me to rewatch them after such a long time. I have probably already forgotten most of the plots.

I also plan to watch them in chronological order and rank them. The movies that I don't find on Disney+ I will watch somewhere else.

Here is the list: (The films follow the chronological order in which they were published. However, it is quite possible that I accidentally swapped a few. But I think most of it is accurate).

1930:

Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons (X)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (X)

1940:

Pinocchio (X)

Fantasia (X)

The Reluctant Dragon ( )

Dumbo (X)

Bambi (X)

Saludos Amigos ( )

Victory Through Air Power ( )

The Three Caballores ( )

Make Mine Music ( )

Song of the South ( )

Fun and Fancy Free (X)

Melody Time ( )

Seal Island ( )

So Dear to my Heart ( )

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (X)

1950:

Cinderella (X)

Treasure Island ( )

In Beaver Valley ( )

Alice in Wonderland (X)

Nature's Half Acre ( )

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men ( )

The Olympic Elk ( )

Water Birds ( )

Peter Pan (X)

The Sword and the Rose ( )

The Living Desert (X)

Bear Country ( )

The Alaskan Eskimo ( )

Prowlers of the Everglades ( )

Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue ( )

The Vanishing Prairie ( )

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ( )

Siam ( )

Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier ( )

Lady and the Tramp (X)

The African Lion ( )

The Littlest Outlaw ( )

Men Against The Arctic ( )

The Great Locomotive Chase ( )

Davy Crockett and the River Pirates ( )

Secrets of Life ( )

Westward Ho the Wagons! ( )

Johnny Tremain ( )

Perri ( )

Old Yeller ( )

Navajo Adventure ( )

The Light in the Forest ( )

Tonka ( )

Grand Canyon ( )

Sleeping Beauty (X)

The Shaggy Dog ( )

Darby O'Gill and the Little People ( )

Zorro the Avenger ( )

Third Man on the Mountain ( )

Mysteries of the Deep ( )

1960:

Toby Tyler: Or, ten Weeks with a Circus ( )

Kidnapped ( )

Pollyanna ( )

The Sign of Zorro ( )

Jungle Cat ( )

Ten Who Dared ( )

Swiss Family Robinson ( )

Island of the Sea ( )

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (X)

The Absent-Minded Professsor ( )

Parent Trap ( )

Nikki, Wild Dog of the North ( )

Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog ( )

Babes in Toyland ( )

Wonders of the Water Worlds ( )

Moon Pilot ( )

Bon Voyage! ( )

Big Red ( )

Almost Angels ( )

The Legend of Lobo ( )

In Search of the Castaways ( )

The Prince and the Pauper ( )

Son of Flubber ( )

Miracle of the White Stallions ( )

Savage Sam ( )

Summer Magic ( )

The Incredible Journey ( )

The Sword in the Stone (X)

A Tiger Walks ( )

The Misadventures of Merlin Jones ( )

The Three Lives of Thomasina ( )

The Moon-Spinners ( )

Mary Poppins ( )

Emil and the Detectives ( )

Those Calloways ( )

The Monkey's Uncle ( )

That Darn Cat! ( )

The Ugly Dachshund ( )

Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. ( )

The Fighting Prince of Donegal ( )

Follow Me, Boys! ( )

Monkeys, Go Home! ( )

The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin ( )

The Gnome-Mobile ( )

The Jungle Book (X)

Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar ( )

The Happiest Millionaire ( )

Blackbeard's Ghost ( )

The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band ( )

Never a Dull Moment ( )

The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit ( )

Guns in the Heather ( )

The Love Bug ( )

Smith! ( )

Rascal ( )

The Computer Whore Tennis Shoes ( )

My Dog, the Thief ( )

Ride a Northbound Horse ( )

1970:

King of the Grizzlies ( )

The Boatniks ( )

The Wild Country ( )

Smoke ( )

The Aristocats (X)

The Barefoot Executive ( )

Scandalous John ( )

The Million-Dollar-Duck ( )

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (X)

The Biscuit Eater ( )

Now You See Him, Now You Don't ( )

Napoleon and Samantha ( )

Run, Cougar, run ( )

Snowball Express ( )

Chandar, the Black Leopard of Ceylon ( )

The World's Greatest Athlete ( )

Charley and the Angel ( )

One Little Indian ( )

Robin Hood (X)

Mustang! ( )

Superdad ( )

Herbie Rides Again ( )

The Bears and I ( )

The Castaway Cowboy ( )

The Island at the Top of the World ( )

The Strongest Man in the World ( )

Escape to Witch Mountain ( )

The Apple Dumpling Gang ( )

One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing ( )

The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures ( )

Ride a Wild Pony ( )

The Boy Who Talked to Badgers ( )

No Deposit, No Return ( )

Treasure of Matecumbe ( )

Gus ( )

The Shaggy D.A. ( )

Freaky Friyday ( )

The Littlest Horse Thieves ( )

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (X)

A Tale of Two Critters ( )

The Rescuers (X)

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo ( )

Pete's Dragon ( )

Candleshoe ( )

Return form Witch Mountain ( )

The Cat from Outer Space ( )

Hot Lead and Cold Feet ( )

Child of Glass ( )

The North Avenue Irregulars ( )

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again ( )

Unidentified Flying Oddball ( )

The Black Hole ( )

The Muppet Movie ( )

The London Connection ( )

1980:

Midnight Madness ( )

The Watcher in the Woods ( )

Herbie Goes Bananas ( )

The Last Flight of Noah's Ark ( )

Popeye ( )

The Devil and Max Devlin ( )

Amy ( )

Dragonslayer ( )

The Fox and the Hound (X)

Condorman ( )

The Great Muppet Caper ( )

Night Crossing ( )

Tron ( )

Tex ( )

Trenchcoat ( )

Something Wicked This Way Comes ( )

Tiger Town ( )

Never Cry Wolf ( )

Love Leads the Way (X)

Where the Toys Come From ( )

Return to Oz ( )

The Black Cauldron (X)

The Journey of Natty Gann ( )

One Magic Christmas ( )

Teen Academy ( )

The Great Mouse Detective (X)

Flight of the Navigator ( )

Disneys Fluppy Dogs ( )

The Parent Trap ( )

The Christmas Star ( )

Benji the Hunted ( )

Return of the Shaggy Dog ( )

Mr. Boogedy ( )

Return to Snowy River ( )

Oliver & Company (X)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ( )

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (X)

Cheetah ( )

The Little Mermaid (X)

Bride of Boogedy ( )

1990:

DuckTales: The Movie – Treasure of the Lost Lamp ( )

The Rescuers Down Under (X)

White Fang (X)

Shipwrecked ( )

Wild Hearts Can't be Broken ( )

The Rocketeer ( )

Beauty and the Beast (X)

Newsies ( )

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid ( )

The Mighty Ducks ( )

Aladdin (X)

The Muppet Christmas Carol ( )

Day-O ( )

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (X)

A Far Off Place ( )

The Adventures of Huck Finn ( )

Hocus Pocus ( )

Cool Runnings ( )

The Nightmare Before Christmas ( )

The Three Musketeers ( )

Iron Will ( )

Blank Check ( )

D2: The Mighty Ducks ( )

White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf ( )

The Lion King (X)

Angels in the Outfield ( )

Squanto: A Warrior's Tale ( )

The Santa Clause (X)

The Jungle Book (X)

The Return of Jafar (X)

Heavyweights ( )

Man of the House ( )

Tall Tale ( )

A Goofy Movie ( )

Pocahontas (X)

Operation Dumbo Drop ( )

A Kid in King Arthur's Court ( )

The Big Green ( )

Frank and Ollie ( )

Toy Story (X)

Tom and Huck ( )

Gargoyles – The Movie ( )

Muppet Treasure Island ( )

Homeward Bound: Lost in San Francisco (X)

James and the Giant Peach ( )

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (X)

First Kid ( )

D3 The Mighty Ducks ( )

101 Dalmatians (X)

Aladdin and the King of Thieves (X)

Wish Upon a Star ( )

Susie Q ( )

The Darn Cat ( )

Jungle 2 Jungle (X)

George of the Jungle (X)

Air Bud (X)

RocketMan ( )

Flubber (X)

Mr. Magoo ( )

Tower of Terror ( )

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas ( )

Under Wraps ( )

Northern Lights ( )

Angels in the Endzone ( )

Mighty Ducks the Movie: The First Faceoff ( )

Pooh's Great Adventure: The Search for Christoper Robin ( )

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves ( )

The Love Bug ( )

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella ( )

Oliver Twist ( )

Meet the Deedles ( )

Mulan (X)

The Parent Trap (X)

Air Bud: Golden Receiver ( )

I'll Be Home for Christmas ( )

A Bug's Life (X)

Mighty Joe Young ( )

You Lucky Dog ( )

Halloweentown ( )

Brink! ( )

Whoopi – A Knight in Camelot (X)

The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit ( )

Pocahontas 2: Journey to a New World ( )

The Lion King 2: Simbas Pride (X)

Belle's Magical World ( )

Armageddon ( )

Don't Look Under the Bed (X)

Genius ( )

The Thirteenth Year ( )

Johnny Tsunami ( )

Can of Worms ( )

Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century ( )

Horse Sense ( )

Smart House ( )

My Favorite Martian ( )

Doug – The 1. Movie ( )

Endurance ( )

Tarzan (X)

Inspector Gadget ( )

The Straight Story ( )

Toy Story 2 (X)

H.E. – Double Hockey Sticks ( )

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas ( )

Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving ( )    

Annie ( )

2000:

Fantasia 2000 ( )

The Ultimative Christmas Present ( )

Phantom of the Megaplex ( )

Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire ( )

The Other Me ( )

Quints ( )

Ready to Run ( )

Stepsister from Planet Weird ( )

Miracle in Lane 2 ( )

Rip Girls ( )

Alley Cats Strike ( )

The Color of Friendship ( )

Up, Up and Away ( )

Angels in the Infield ( )

Air Bud 3 ( )

Mail to the Chief ( )

Geppetto ( )

The Tigger Movie ( )

Dinosaur (X)

Disney's The Kid ( )

Remember the Titans ( )

102 Dalmatians (X)

The Emperor's New Groove (X)

An Extremly Goofy Movie ( )

Whispers: An Elephant Tale ( )

The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea (X)

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command ( )

Life-Size ( )

The Miracle Worker ( )

Bounce ( )

Jett Jackson: The Movie ( )

The Other Side of Heaven ( )

`Twas the Night ( )

Halloweentown 2: Kalabar's Revenge ( )

The Poof Point ( )

Jumping Ship ( )

Jennie ( )

Hounded ( )

Luck of the Irish ( )

Zenon: The Zequel ( )

Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse ( )

Motocrossed ( )

Recess: School's Out ( )

Lady and the Tramp 2 – Scamp's Adventure (X)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (X)

The Princess Diaries ( )

Max Keebles Big Move ( )

Monsters, Inc (X)

Princess of Thieves ( )

Air Bud 4 ( )

The Scream Team ( )

A Ring of Endless Light ( )

Gotta Kick It Up! ( )

Get a Clue ( )

Tru>> confessions ( )

Cadet Kelly ( )

Double Teamed ( )

Snow Dogs (X)

Return to Neverland (X)

The Rookie ( )

Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True (X)

Lilo & Stitch (X)

The Country Bears ( )

Tuck Everlasting ( )

The Santa Clause 2 ( )

Treasure Planet (X)

Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year ( )

The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2 ( )

Tarzan & Jane ( )

Mickey's House of Villains ( )

Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time ( )

Air Bud 5 ( )

Full Court Miracle ( )

The Cheetah Girls ( )

Eddies Million Dollar Cook-Off ( )

The Even Stevens Movie ( )

Right on Track ( )

You Wish! ( )

101 Dalmatians 2: Patch's London Adventure ( )

The Jungle Book 2 (X)

Inspector Gadget 2 ( )

Piglet's Big Movie ( )

Ghosts of the Abyss ( )

Holes ( )

Atlantis: Milo's Return (X)

The Lizzie McGuire Movie ( )

Finding Nemo (X)

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (X)

Freaky Friday ( )

Brother Bear (X)

George of the Jungle 2 ( )

The Haunted Mansion (X)

The Young Black Stallion ( )

Stitch! The Movie ( )

Recess ( )

Recess: All Growed Down ( )

Going to the Mat ( )

Pixel Perfect ( )

Zenon Z3 ( )

Halloweentown High ( )

Tiger Cruise ( )

Stuck in the Suburbs ( )

Teacher's Pet ( )

Miracle ( )

March of the Penguins ( )

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen ( )

Ghost in the Shell 2 – Innocence ( )

Home on the Range (X)

Sacred Planet ( )

Springtime with Roo ( )

Around the World in 80 Days (X)

America's Heart and Soul ( )

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement ( )

Mulan 2 (X)

The Incredibles (X)

Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (X)

The Lion King 1½ (X)

National Treasure ( )

Mickey, Donald and Goofy: The Three Musketeers (X)

Aliens of the Deep ( )

The Three Musketeers ( )

Kronk's New Groove ( )

Once Upon a Mattress ( )

Kim Possible Movie – So the Drama ( )

Go Figure ( )

Life is Ruff ( )

The Proud Family Movie ( )

Twitches ( )

Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (X)

Pooh's Heffalump Movie ( )

The Pacifier ( )

Ice Princess ( )

Herbie: Fully Loaded ( )

Sky High ( )

Valiant ( )

The Greatest Game Ever Played ( )

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie ( )

Now You See It ( )

Buffalo Dreams ( )

Chicken Little ( )

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (X)

Tarzan 2 (X)

The Muppet's Wizard of Oz ( )

Air Buddies ( )

Read It and Weep ( )

Wendy Wu – Homecoming Warrior ( )

Cow Belles ( )

The Cheetah Girls 2 ( )

Return to Halloweentown ( )

High School Musical ( )

Brother Bear 2 ( )

Glory Road ( )

Roving Mars ( )

Bambi 2 (X)

Eight Below (X)

The Shaggy Dog ( )

The Wild ( )

Cars ( )

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (X)

Leroy & Stitch ( )

Invincible ( )

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ( )

Bridge to Terabithia ( )

Johnny Kapahala – Back on Board ( )

Jump In! ( )

Meet the Robinsons ( )

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ( )

Ratatouille ( )

Underdog ( )

The Pixar Story ( )

The Game Plan ( )

Le Premier Cri ( )

Enchanted ( )

The Fox and the Hound 2 (X)

The Secret of the Magic Gourd ( )

Pooh's Super Sleuth Christmas Movie ( )

Twitches Too ( )

High School Musical 2 ( )

Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time (X)

National Treasure: Book of Secrets ( )

Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert ( )

Snow Buddies ( )

The Cheetah Girls 3: One World ( )

The Little Mermaid – Ariel's Beginning (X)

Tinkerbell (X)

Camp Rock ( )

Minutemen ( )

College Road Trip ( )

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian ( )

Dasavathaaram ( )

WALL-E ( )

Beverly Hills Chihuahu ( )

Morning Light ( )

High School Musical 3: Senior Year ( )

Bolt (X)

Bedtime Stories ( )

Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience ( )

Iron Man ( )

Race to Witch Mountain ( )

Hannah Montana: The Movie ( )

Earth ( )

The Incredible Hulk ( )

Trail of the Panda ( )

Up ( )

Lilly the Witch: The Dragon and the Magic Book ( )

G-Force ( )

Walt & El Grupo ( )

The Book of Masters ( )

Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie ( )

Santa Buddies Here Comes Santa Paws ( )

Disney's A Christmas Carol ( )

Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure (X)

Old Dogs ( )

Princess Protection Program ( )

The Princess and the Frog ( )

Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too ( )

Hatching Pete ( )

Dadnapped ( )

Space Buddies ( )

2010:

Alice in Wonderland (X)

Waking Sleeping Beauty ( )

Oceans ( )

Santa Paws ( )

Avalon High ( )

Den Brother ( )

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam ( )

Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue (X)

StarStruck ( )

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ( )

Toy Story 3 ( )

You Again ( )

The Sorcerer's Apprentice ( )

The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos ( )

Secretariat ( )

Do Dooni Chaar ( )

Tangled ( )

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story ( )

Tron: Legacy ( )

Iron Man 2 ( )

Geek Charming ( )

Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas! ( )

Phineas & Ferb – The Movie ( )

Spooky Buddies ( )

Anaganaga O Dheerudu ( )

The Suite Life Movie ( )

Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure ( )

Lemonade Mouth ( )

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 ( )

Thor ( )

Lilly the Witch: The Journey to Mandolan ( )

Mars Needs Moms ( )

Zokkomon ( )

African Cats ( )

Prom ( )

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ( )

Cars 2 ( )

Winnie the Pooh ( )

Pixie Hollow Games (X)

The Muppets ( )

Girl vs. Monster ( )

Santa Paws 2 ( )

Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess ( )

Radio Rebel ( )

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 ( )

Treasure Buddies ( )

FRenemies ( )

John Carter ( )

Chimpanzee ( )

Arjun: The Warrior Prince ( )

Brave ( )

The Odd Life of Timothy Green ( )

Frankenweenie ( )

Let It Shine ( )

Secret of the Wings (X)

The Advengers ( )

Wreck-It Ralph ( )

Teen Beach Movie ( )

Super Buddies

Oz the Great and Powerful ( )

Wings of Life ( )

Monsters University ( )

The Lone Ranger ( )

Planes ( )

Frozen ( )

Saving Mr. Banks ( )

Iron Man 3 ( )

Thor: The Dark World ( )

How to Build a Better Boy ( )

Zapped ( )

Cloud 9 ( )

The Pirate Fairy (X)

Muppets Most Wanted ( )

Bears ( )

Million Dollar Arm ( )

Maleficent ( )

Planes: Fire & Rescue ( )

Khoobsurat ( )

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day ()

Captain America: The Winter Soldier ( )

Guardians of the Galaxy ( )

Big Hero 6 (X)

Into the Woods ( )

McFarland USA ( )

Cinderella ( )

Monkey Kingdom ( )

Tomorrowland ( )

Inside Out ( )

ABCD 2 ( )

Ant-Man ( )

The Good Dinosaur ( )

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (X)

Teen Beach 2 ( )

Tinkerbell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (X)

Bad Hair Day ( )

Descendants ( )

Avengers: Age of Ultron ( )

The Finest Hours ( )

Zootopia (X)

The Jungle Book ( )

Tini: The Movie ( )

Alice Through the Looking Glass ( )

Finding Dory ( )

BFG ( )

Pete's Dragon ( )

Queen of Katwe ( )

Moana (X)

Captain America: Civil War ( )

Doctor Strange ( )

Rogue One. A Star Wars Story (X)

Growing Up Wild ( )

Dangal ( )

 L'Empereur – March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step ( )

Beauty and the Beast ( )

Born in China ( )

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales ( )

Cars 3 ( )

Ghost of the Mountains ( )

Jagga Jasoos ( )

Coco ( )

Lillys Bewitched Christmas ( )

Descendants 2 ( )

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ( )

Spider Man: Homecoming ( )

Thor: Ragnarok ( )

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (X)

Expedition China ( )

A Wrinkle in Time ( )

The Incredibles 2 ( )

Christoper Robin ( )

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ( )

Ralph Breaks the Internet ( )

Mary Poppins Returns ( )

Zombies ( )

Black Panther ( )

Avengers: Infinity War ( )

Solo: A Star Wars Story ( )

Ant-Man and the Wasp ( )

Dumbo ( )

Penguins ( )

Aladdin ( )

Toy Stor 4 ( )

The Lion King ( )

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil ( )

Lady and the Tramp ( )

Noelle ( )

Frozen 2 ( )

Descendants 3 ( )

Captain Marvel ( )

Avengers: End Game ( )

Spider-Man: Far From Home ( )

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ( )

One Day at Disney ( )

Togo ( )

2020:

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made ( )

Onward ( )

Stargirl ( )

Dolphin Reef ( )

Elephant ( )

Artemis Fowl ( )

Hamilton ( )

Mulan ( )

The One and Only Ivan ( )

The Beatles: Get Back ( )

Soul ( )

Secret Society of Second-Born Royals ( )

Magic Camp ( )

Howard ( )

Urgh! Wish me luck, that I survive this....

[everydisneymovie]

THE LIST

Post #2

3/1/2020

Let’s get this out of the way: Every theatrically released Disney movie. A [X] near a movie means I have already seen it, but I will still be re-watching it for this project.

A [(number)] near a movie means it has been watched and reviewed so far.

Some movies were added to fit the rules, such as the High school musical movies and the March of the Penguins Movie.

Let’s do this:

1930’s

Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons [11] Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs [30]

1940’s

Pinocchio [21] Fantasia [25] The Reluctant Dragon [16] Dumbo [27] Bambi [32] Saludos Amigos [19] Victory Through Air Power [20] The Three Caballeros [17] Make Mine Music [17] Song of the South [12] Fun and Fancy Free [14] Melody Time [14] So Dear to My Heart [21] The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad [22]

1950’s

Cinderella [16] Treasure Island Alice in Wonderland [X] The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men Peter Pan [X] The Sword and the Rose The Living Desert Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue The Vanishing Prairie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier Lady and the Tramp [X] The African Lion The Littlest Outlaw The Great Locomotive Chase Davy Crockett and the River Pirates Secrets of Life Westward Ho the Wagons! Johnny Tremain Perri Old Yeller [X] The Light in the Forest White Wilderness Tonka Sleeping Beauty [X] The Shaggy Dog  Darby O'Gill and the Little People Zorro the Avenger Third Man on the Mountain

1960’s

Toby Tyler [X] Kidnapped Pollyanna [X] The Sign of Zorro Jungle Cat Ten Who Dared Swiss Family Robinson [X] One Hundred and One Dalmatians [X] The Absent-Minded Professor The Parent Trap [X] Nikki, Wild Dog of the North Greyfriars Bobby Babes in Toyland Moon Pilot Bon Voyage! Big Red [X] Almost Angels The Legend of Lobo In Search of the Castaways Son of Flubber Miracle of the White Stallions Savage Sam Summer Magic The Incredible Journey The Sword in the Stone [X] A Tiger Walks The Misadventures of Merlin Jones The Three Lives of Thomasina The Moon-Spinners Mary Poppins Emil and the Detectives Those Calloways The Monkey's Uncle That Darn Cat! The Ugly Dachshund Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. The Fighting Prince of Donegal Follow Me, Boys! Monkeys, Go Home! The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin The Gnome-Mobile The Jungle Book [X] Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar The Happiest Millionaire Blackbeard's Ghost The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band Never a Dull Moment The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit The Love Bug Smith! Rascal The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes

1970’s

King of the Grizzlies The Boatniks The Wild Country The Aristocats [X] The Barefoot Executive Scandalous John The Million Dollar Duck Bedknobs and Broomsticks The Biscuit Eater Now You See Him, Now You Don't Napoleon and Samantha Run, Cougar, Run Snowball Express The World's Greatest Athlete Charley and the Angel One Little Indian Robin Hood [X] Superdad Herbie Rides Again The Bears and I The Castaway Cowboy The Island at the Top of the World The Strongest Man in the World Escape to Witch Mountain The Apple Dumpling Gang One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures Ride a Wild Pony No Deposit, No Return Treasure of Matecumbe Gus The Shaggy D.A. Freaky Friday The Littlest Horse Thieves The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh A Tale of Two Critters The Rescuers [X] Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo Pete's Dragon Candleshoe Return from Witch Mountain The Cat from Outer Space Hot Lead and Cold Feet The North Avenue Irregulars The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again Unidentified Flying Oddball The Black Hole The London Connection

1980’s

Midnight Madness The Watcher in the Woods Herbie Goes Bananas The Last Flight of Noah's Ark Popeye The Devil and Max Devlin Amy Dragonslayer The Fox and the Hound Condorman Night Crossing Tron Tex Trenchcoat Something Wicked This Way Comes Never Cry Wolf Return to Oz The Black Cauldron [X] The Journey of Natty Gann One Magic Christmas The Great Mouse Detective [X] Flight of the Navigator Benji the Hunted Return to Snowy River Oliver & Company [X] Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [X] Cheetah The Little Mermaid [X]

1990’s

DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp The Rescuers Down Under White Fang Shipwrecked Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken The Rocketeer [X] Beauty and the Beast [X] Newsies [X] Honey, I Blew Up the Kid The Mighty Ducks Aladdin [X] The Muppet Christmas Carol [X] Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey A Far Off Place The Adventures of Huck Finn Hocus Pocus Cool Runnings [X] The Three Musketeers Iron Will Blank Check [X] D2: The Mighty Ducks White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf The Lion King [X] Angels in the Outfield Squanto: A Warrior's Tale The Santa Clause [X] The Jungle Book Heavyweights [X] Man of the House Tall Tale A Goofy Movie Pocahontas Operation Dumbo Drop A Kid in King Arthur's Court The Big Green Frank and Ollie Toy Story [X] Tom and Huck Muppet Treasure Island [X] Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco James and the Giant Peach [X] The Hunchback of Notre Dame [X] First Kid D3: The Mighty Ducks 101 Dalmatians [X] That Darn Cat Jungle 2 Jungle Hercules [X] George of the Jungle [X] Air Bud [X] RocketMan Flubber [X] Mr. Magoo Meet the Deedles Mulan [X] The Parent Trap [X] Air Bud: Golden Receiver I'll Be Home for Christmas A Bug's Life [X] Mighty Joe Young My Favorite Martian Doug's 1st Movie [X] Endurance  Tarzan [X] Inspector Gadget [X] The Straight Story Toy Story 2 [X]

2000’s

Fantasia 2000 The Tigger Movie [X] Dinosaur [X] Disney's The Kid Remember the Titans 102 Dalmatians The Emperor's New Groove [X] Recess: School's Out [X] Atlantis: The Lost Empire [X] The Princess Diaries Max Keeble's Big Move Monsters, Inc. [X] Snow Dogs Return to Never Land The Rookie Lilo & Stitch [X] The Country Bears Tuck Everlasting The Santa Clause 2 [X] Treasure Planet [X] The Jungle Book 2  Piglet's Big Movie [X] Ghosts of the Abyss Holes [X] The Lizzie McGuire Movie Finding Nemo [X] Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl [X] Freaky Friday [X] Brother Bear The Haunted Mansion [X] The Young Black Stallion Teacher's Pet [X] Miracle Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence Home on the Range [X] Sacred Planet Around the World in 80 Days America's Heart and Soul The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement The Incredibles [X] National Treasure [X] Aliens of the Deep Pooh's Heffalump Movie [X] The Pacifier [X] Ice Princess Herbie: Fully Loaded [X] Sky High [X] Valiant [X] The Greatest Game Ever Played Chicken Little The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe [X] Glory Road Roving Mars Eight Below [X] The Shaggy Dog The Wild [X] Cars [X] Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest [X] Invincible The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D [X] The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause [X] Bridge to Terabithia Meet the Robinsons  [X] Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End [X] Ratatouille [X] Underdog [X] The Pixar Story The Game Plan Le Premier Cri Enchanted [X] National Treasure: Book of Secrets [X] Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert College Road Trip The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Dasavathaaram WALL-E [X] Beverly Hills Chihuahua Morning Light (High School Musical) [X] (High School Musical 2) [X] High School Musical 3: Senior Year Bolt [X] Bedtime Stories [X] Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience Race to Witch Mountain Hannah Montana: The Movie Earth Trail of the Panda Up [X] Lilly the Witch: The Dragon and the Magic Book G-Force [X] Walt & El Grupo The Book of Masters Disney's A Christmas Carol Old Dogs The Princess and the Frog [X]

2010’s

Alice in Wonderland [X] Waking Sleeping Beauty Oceans Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Toy Story 3 [X] The Sorcerer's Apprentice The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos Secretariat Do Dooni Chaar Tangled [X] The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story Tron: Legacy Anaganaga O Dheerudu Lilly the Witch: The Journey to Mandolan Mars Needs Moms Zokkomon African Cats Prom Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides [X] Cars 2 Winnie the Pooh The Muppets [X] John Carter Chimpanzee Arjun: The Warrior Prince Brave [X] The Odd Life of Timothy Green Frankenweenie Wreck-It Ralph [X] Oz the Great and Powerful Wings of Life Monsters University [X] The Lone Ranger [X] Planes Frozen [X] Saving Mr. Banks [X] Muppets Most Wanted [X] Bears Million Dollar Arm Maleficent Planes: Fire & Rescue Khoobsurat Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Big Hero 6 [X] Into the Woods [X] McFarland, USA Cinderella Monkey Kingdom Tomorrowland Inside Out [X] (ABCD) ABCD 2 The Good Dinosaur The Finest Hours Zootopia [X] The Jungle Book Tini: The Movie Alice Through the Looking Glass Finding Dory The BFG Pete's Dragon Queen of Katwe Moana [X] Growing Up Wild Dangal (March of the Penguins?) [X] L'Empereur - March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step Beauty and the Beast [X] Born in China Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Cars 3 Ghost of the Mountains Jagga Jasoos Coco [X] Expedition China A Wrinkle in Time Incredibles 2 [X] Christopher Robin The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Ralph Breaks the Internet Mary Poppins Returns Dumbo Penguins Aladdin Toy Story 4 [X] The Lion King Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Lady and the Tramp Noelle Frozen II One Day at Disney Togo

2020’s

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

There are about 431 movies on this list and I have seen about 124 of them, for a total of 28.7% of all Disney movies.

This should be a nightmare.

[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

[ice23hot]

To Bring Her Back

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Anne with an E (TV) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ruby Gillis/Moody Spurgeon McPherson Characters: Ruby Gillis, Moody Spurgeon McPherson Additional Tags: Aged-Up Character(s), Prenatal Depression, Hint of fluff and angst, i'm sorry this plot bunny bit me hard, Not book compliant, Fluff

Or read on Ao3 here

Moody Spurgeon groaned as the door creaked before him, exaggerating his entrance into the florist’s small shop. It seemed his painless visit had been thwarted as he saw the florist rush over to assist him, grinning from ear to ear.

“Ah, Mr. Spurgeon! So nice to see you out of that drafty church! How’s the missus fairing? Pretty little thing, I’ve always said…”

Moody’s smile was tight-lipped. “She’s well, Mr. Fairbanks, thank you for asking.” He began to fiddle with the hat in his hands. “She has been a little, erm, tired lately, so I thought -”

“Well, you certainly came to the right place!” interjected the eager florist as he gestured Moody towards the window display. “How about something nice and bright like these prairie roses to cheer her up?”

“She has always liked pink,” Moody replied, eyeing the perkiness of the prairie roses. He listened distractedly as the florist gushed over the quality of the flowers and produced a healthy bouquet from the display. Without much thought, he produced some coins and nodded to Mr. Fairbanks, who was clearly not ready to end such a riveting conversation, and uttered a brief apology and thanks in the same breath as he turned to leave the shop.

As he hastened away from the center of town, he looked down at the flowers in his fist and couldn’t help but smile a little. They truly did remind him of Ruby. Hopefully they truly did possess the healing powers Mr. Fairbanks had mentioned.

To say that Mrs. Ruby Spurgeon had been tired was an understatement. Since entering her sixth month of pregnancy, she had become rather withdrawn, devoid of any energy at all. While good-intentioned neighbors insisted that weariness was a common side-effect for any expecting woman, Moody couldn’t help but be concerned. She seemed almost sad, listless, so unlike the Ruby he knew. It wasn’t fair to assume her condition was normal, not if she felt so awful.

“I���m putting my faith in you, okay?” Moody murmured towards the petals. He immediately shook his head in disbelief that he was talking to flowers now. But he really would talk to plants all day if it meant Ruby would feel more like herself.

He soon approached their home, feeling a looming sense of dread as he took in the dark shutters. Maybe she was visiting a friend or running a quick errand?

He opened the front door slowly, peeking into the kitchen. A pie sat on the table, but there was no heat from the oven or wafting steam; the pie had been there a while.

“Ruby?” Moody called tentatively, afraid to wake her should she be sleeping. He wandered the downstairs, finding no other relics indicating the presence of his wife, and made his way upstairs to their quarters. He peeked into their bedroom and stifled a sigh of relief: Ruby dozed underneath a light blanket, her light curls sprawled unceremoniously over the pillow. Moody always found her so angelic, especially now that her face had rounded ever so slightly as her body prepared for the baby.

She stirred slightly upon his entrance, eyelashes fluttering in confusion.

“Moody?”

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said softly, taking a step back into the doorway. “I’m sorry, I’ll let you sleep -”

“I’m afraid I’ve slept most of the day,” Ruby sighed. She stretched and began to sit up. Moody hurried forward to help her sit back against her pillows, placing the bouquet on her lap as he did so.

“I got these for you today,” he said unnecessarily, suddenly as nervous as he was back when they were courting. He felt rather foolish for not grabbing a vase; what did he expect her to do with them? To his horror, he looked back up to see tears in his wife’s eyes as she fiddled with the flowers.

“Are you alright?” He kneeled next to his wife, taking her pale white hand, noticing as always how his own hand dwarfed hers. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I can take them away.”

Ruby hiccuped and shook her head, her curls falling across her shoulders.

“I’ve been a terrible wife!”

“I - What?”

“Don’t look at me like that, Moody, you know it’s true!”

“Ruby -”

“All I do is mope around and cry and I can’t even cook dinner or do anything useful without falling asleep, honestly, I don’t know h-how you put up with me!”

Moody was silent for a moment as he gently took the flowers and set them on the bedside table. He pulled out a handkerchief and leaned forward to dab lightly at her cheeks. His heart clenched as she turned to look away from him, taking the handkerchief for herself to dry her swollen eyes. He let her compose herself for a moment, her sobs downgrading to shaky breaths. She really was so beautiful. He hated having to reassure her, but he knew what a tough time she was going through. He now placed his hand on her stomach, near the spot where he most frequently felt their child kick, and rubbed his thumb on the fabric of her dress.

“Ruby, look at me.”

Ruby shook her head again, but he saw her angle slightly and eye his hand.

“I don’t want you to ever think you’re less than perfect to me.”

She looked at him now, her lip still quivering slightly. Moody smiled reassuringly.

“You make me laugh everyday. You’re smart and mouthy and kind. And, as you know, you look really beautiful when you cry.”

Ruby laughed a little at this and shrugged. “What can I say?”

There she is.

“And, to top it all off, you’re carrying our baby.” As if on cue, the baby under his hand gave a slight kick of acknowledgment. “I know it’s hard on you. I can’t even imagine. I just want you to know that I’m g-grateful for what you do for our family to grow.”

They were both silent for a moment as the baby kicked lazily between them.

“You know I love the baby, right?”

Moody looked at his wife, surprised at her outburst. Before he could respond, she continued in earnest.

“I don’t know why I feel so down all the time, I truly don’t, I love our baby so much it hurts, I just can’t seem to find the energy, Moody, and I’m sorry -”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” said Moody, “and you certainly don’t have to apologize for anything.” His poor, sweet wife. It broke his heart to know her concerns. Now if he could only keep her happy. He rubbed her stomach playfully. “This little lady certainly knows you love her.”

Her smile was breathtaking. “You think it’s a girl?”

“Oh, I know it’s a girl,” he laughed. “I can already tell she has an attitude.”

“She certainly has a mission, and that’s to keep me awake all night,” Ruby grumbled, but there was no real venom in her tone. Her eyes softened. “I love you.”

“I love you too, dear wife.” Moody leaned forward to kiss her reverently.

“I’m certainly glad I figured out how to get pregnant!”

Moody coughed and could feel his face flush as he thought back to their juvenile misunderstandings of biology. He cleared his throat, flushing again at the cheeky look from his wife. “It’s still light out. Could I convince you to sit out and get some sunshine?”

“Only if you play for me,” said Ruby as he helped her into a standing position.

Moody groaned, but Ruby was already going around the edge of the bed to where the case sat. “Aren’t you ever going to get tired of that old banjo?”

“Nope!” She lifted the case and pushed it into his arms. “You can play those three songs I like. And I can get down the stairs by myself, so don’t even try it.”

Moody grinned at his wife’s back as she left, feeling elated at her spike in energy. He would work at it every day if he had to, even if it meant she went back to bossing him around. She was worth it - their family was worth it - wholly and completely.

[cedar-glade]

Fox Glove Beardtongue 

Penstemon digitalis

Wet prairies, exposed seaps, and highway ditches right now are teaming with this super common but extremely important species of Beardtongue.This species blooms after dwarf field parsnip, golden alexanders, lyre leaf sage, a few Krigia spp., false indigo, sulfur quinfoil, and Indian Paint Brush; with the only other species filling in as a common prairie species blooming gap being a few flea banes, tickseed coreopsis, and this species here. It stays in bloom for quite a while as well, just long enough for Asclepias tuberosa and cream white indigo to bloom and set things back in track. Due to this lack of overall diversity in common species for a period of time, this species becomes very important as a prairie nectar source. In some areas of the United States this species is much less important if native roses and stiff st. john’s wort become involved as common species but, most areas lack any remnants and are just based on common seed species for reconstruction.  

[coyotebombsquad]

Bikepacking down the California Coast

Words and photos by C.J. Foster

Prologue:

Last April, I was transitioning between jobs and scored nearly two weeks off; enough time to throw together an adventure -- something that would offer a moment to reflect, reset, and prepare for the road ahead.

I set out for the California coast. I rented a car and drove to Crescent City (20 miles shy of Oregon). This is where I would begin my real journey -- pedaling home to San Francisco -- a grand total of 420 miles and 32K of elevation, after all was said and done.

Leaving behind the city, I began to feel a quiet peace settle upon me. It was the sense that a chapter had ended and a new one was beginning. There were big changes to ruminate on, something that journeying through forests helps coax along, but still I was eager, anxious, and nervous about taking on a solo trip of this magnitude.

Day 0 (SF to Crescent City -- 355mi + 100 bonus miles due to rerouting )

Heavy rain was in the forecast; just what California needed to replenish our depleted water table and reservoirs. More roads were washed out with each downpour, serving a deterrent for this bike packing trip. Despite poor conditions, I retrieved my rental car, picked up some last minute provisions, and impulsively purchased a quality point and shoot while on a lunch pitstop at In N Out -- this wouldn’t be a road trip without it.

I crossed my fingers that the rain wouldn’t be too bad or last too long.

While on the road, worst case scenarios played out in my mind and doubts churned in my head. Questions about my fitness levels, on-the-fly bike maintenance, and my safety all nagged at me. I have taken numerous solo trips before, but I was still greeted by familiar doubts. I warded off these old friends and pushed the accelerator, willing this trip into fruition.

A landslide had occurred the night before just North of Leggett, which closed highway 1 (just North of where 101 merged with 1). I thought I could outsmart the landslide and the CHP by taking a route that I found on my phone, but the locals and tow trucks dissuaded me. There were potholes that my rental car wouldn’t negotiate successfully. A CHP officer suggested that I drive back to highway 20 and cutover to highway 5 and back on highway 36 -- an extra 7-8 hours of driving to get around one landslide. I was highly motivated to find an alternate route and was successful! There are some windy gravel mountain roads that cut through Covolo to Zenia off highway 162. They were sketchy, pocked with potholes, and many blind corners had cattle hanging around them. Nearly 4 hours and 135 miles later, I was dropped back onto 101. Just in time for a wild downpour to obscure my visibility nearly entirely for the last two hours of my drive. As the wipers whipped away, there were a few moments that I questioned if I should abort the trip and go find a B&B somewhere to lounge around and take it easy. Where’s the adventure in that though?

I made it to Crescent City after numerous bursts of sketchy downpours and 11 hours of driving. At a cheap hotel, I took the last hot shower that I’d have in several days and drank an IPA to settle all my nerves from the drive.

Day 1 (Crescent City to Clam Beach) -- 75mi/4.2k ft

https://www.strava.com/activities/948298792

When you roll out of bed and see your bike next to you, you know it’s going to be a good day. The storm had ended (for now). I returned the car at the world’s tiniest commercial airport after running a few last minute errands (patch kit and lighter are crucial). A polite and professional looking middle aged woman in a knee high skirt helped check the car back in. As I went to check the mileage a man with a mangled undercarriage came driving back up with a dumbfounded expression -- the cowling of the car was dragging on the ground, making an infernal noise. The rental car woman casually walked back in to grab a pair of tin snips. When she returned, she squatted down and removed the offending piece, then informed the man that he was all set. What service!

From there, I was free, off on my two wheels, fully supported. The day was sunny, dry, and a bit windy, but still gorgeous. The road felt solid under my self-propelled vehicle; my legs marginally ready for the physical challenges ahead. The cliffs along the ocean fell away like they had been cleaved by the great Paul Bunyan himself. The ocean would be my comfort, my well of motivation for the next several hundred miles.

The miles of coastline stretched endlessly in front of me. I rolled along undulating roads that led to tiny coastal towns; nearly forgotten, yet timeless. The forest stood sentry over the towns, over the coast, and over me.  

Several hours of headwinds and roughly 40 miles in, I stopped in Klamath Falls to admire the 40 ft tall Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox. It dwarfed me and my bike. My hunger had built, so I indulged in a plate full of chili fries and a sandwich at a nearby cafe in False Klamath; got to love being a cyclist, you can eat anything and it’s all considered fuel for the next ride. I had been cruising at 13 MPH, slow and steady, and this would be pretty much the fixed speed that I’d be moving at most of the trip.

After lunch, there were a few decent climbs: one up to Prairie Creek Redwoods and another out towards the stunning Patricks Point. A few lagoons loomed in the distance, they distracted me well enough for about 10 miles as I rounded my way to the campground.

I landed in Clam Beach State Campground after deciding to press on passed Patricks Point (my original stopping point for the day). The tent was a small project, as it was my first time pitching this new 1p tent, which proved to be a trivial task. The hunger was driving me to skip the backpacking meal and opt for some pizza at a local joint in McKinleyville. The kids working did not care if I brown-bagged it while eating a few slices in their store -- likely not their first dirtbag cyclist. Four slices and a 22oz of IPA prepped me pretty well for passing out. There was a slow ambling pedal along the airport road that led me back to camp. A few small planes landed during the sunset and I soaked in how light everything felt, nothing was tugging at me or compelling me to do or be anywhere, I was exactly where I needed to be.

Day 2 - Clam Beach Campground to A.W. Way County Park (Mattole Road) -- 75mi/5k ft

https://www.strava.com/activities/949287569 https://www.strava.com/activities/950851373

The first light of the morning woke me and I felt rested. I wanted to get an early start on the morning since rain was in the forecast, but not until afternoon. I planned on covering a fair amount of ground before the rain came (hah). As I packed up, my camp neighbors warmly offered me a cup of coffee, they lived locally and told me they were getting ready for work -- made me reminisce about camping up at Hawk Camp back home during a work night. The kindness of strangers would be a recurring theme during my trip.

Breakfast was eaten on the bike; the convenience of a breakfast burrito and a chocolate milk on the road. It conjures up an image of a train engineer shoveling coal into his engine to keep it chugging along. The morning was beautiful, I mostly pedaled by coastal farmlands and a smattering of small towns. The headwinds were ever-present, but I felt strong nonetheless. I caught up to another cyclist in Eureka who looked like he was out bikepacking with his loaded panniers, I excitedly asked him where he was off to. He was commuting to work and wasn’t on much of a journey. I wouldn’t encounter another cyclist until my last days of riding.

The farm roads gracefully lead me to Ferndale (my halfway point for the day) where I loaded up on provisions. While visiting a grocery store, I absentmindedly left my sunglasses on a rack and left for a pastry and coffee (I retrieved them). A local who had been in the store had noticed me down the street and flatly observed “you didn’t make it very far” when he saw me in front of the bakery. I’ll call that small town humor.

The climb out of Ferndale was absolutely brutal. It felt like hitting a vertical wall and only the powers of levitation would be able to lift me up the ridgeline that I was attempting. I was desperate to move quickly, but humbled by the aggressive grade and the howling winds at the top of the climb. The threat of rain was no longer merely a threat, I donned my rain gear quickly and prayed that I’d stay dry and cool enough to finish out the next 30 miles. From Ferndale, I covered about 4.2k ft in 35 miles. Brutal with packs, brutal without them.

Needle like rain stung my face for over an hour, my amusement during this section quickly changed. A sketchy winding descent led into Capetown, where I lost one of my water bottles and I narrowly missed being crushed under a dump truck’s wheels. The trucker that was just a tad too comfortable with the roads and cyclists on them.

Following the descent into a cove, a local in a green Tacoma stopped ahead of me and dangled a construction high-visibility vest out of his truck window and stated “dude, you need this!” His name was Oliver, and again, strangers with endless kindness had been looking out for me with safety and hydration (Oliver gave me a water bottle to replace mine, it was even alkaline, for sensitive stomachs). My flickering flame was ablaze for the adventurous path again.

A few miles ahead there was the town of Petrolia with a little gem of a bar called White Rose. I saddled up at the bar to wait out the storm. A beer would revive my sense of humor and the locals were entertained by my very presence. Who bikepacks in the rain, they asked? A few randos contributed to a hot shower fund in their own amusement since AW Way Campground had a coin-op hot shower. The kindness of strangers also contributed another gift from Humboldt county too, a special little doobie hand rolled under the bar. Despite the fact that it had only been two days of pedaling, I felt the beginnings of loneliness assuaged by strangers. I was striving to stay open to any experience along this road.

The campsite was a few flat miles from The Rose (as the locals referred to it), I even turned down several ride offers, told them that this was my journey to power. The campground boasted 30 soggy sites, they were all empty, so I had my choice. The hot shower was restorative, a bit of magic for a renewal that I would need for tomorrow.

Day 3 (AW Way Campground to Wright Beach 76mi/10.3k ft via Usal Road)

https://www.strava.com/activities/950851391 https://www.strava.com/activities/951928834

There’s always an odd sense of waking up in a campground without anyone else around; it’s a bit eerie, but also deeply peaceful. Rested, I packed up and hit the road, noticing a new lovely creaking noise my bottom bracket had developed due to all of the rain.

The plan was to take Mattole Road and connect to Usal road despite most people informing me that Usal road was still closed, but I felt that I didn’t have much of a choice since the reroute due to all the highway road closures would climb up and over Garberville and add an extra 70-80 miles (I had no idea how much climbing it would add). The folks from the White Rose had informed me that the Bryceland Market would be a good place to stop for food and road intel.

Still groggy with sleep encrusted eyes, I rounded a bend, and from the shoulder of the road a blur of black streaked ahead and veered into the center of the road and turned around to face me. It was a bull, of sizable proportions! He pawed at the ground as if to feign a charge. This frightened me, but I took comfort in the fact he didn’t have horns, nor did he have testicles (minor thing noted when he ran ahead of me), but I was leery of this 1500lb bulldozer and hoping he wasn’t too aggressive. I stopped about 50 yards away from him, facing him down like it was a standoff (it felt like a David and Goliath faceoff). I first yelled at him, then rang my bell, tossed small rocks in his direction to get him to move out of the road. He wasn’t budging. Then I thought to channel my inner cowboy spirit, and boldly rode towards him, yelling at the top of my lungs “GO ON, GEEEIIT!!”. This magically compelled him to turnaround and he trotted in the direction that I was rolling in. My inner childhood cowboy was giddy and terrified all at the same time. Such power I yielded. The bull veered off the side of the road before we got to a cattle catcher and I was free from my escort/keeper. I pedaled off to safety, and continued binging on serial killer podcasts, such a odd choice for a sojourn on desolate mountain roads.

Honeydew was a good restocking point where I pounded yogurt like it was water. They had a map of the area and informed me that Usal road was still closed, but I should check in with the BLM office in King’s Range. Just outside of Honeydew, there is a massive climb that aggressively stretches up to King Peak. It humbled me. I stopped several times to give my knees a break and to lube my chain. At one mini pitstop, a local named Grant stopped to check in on me, and I informed him that I was ok, and instead of speeding off to his day, he casually chatted with me for a few minutes. I inquired about Usal road, but he didn’t know much about its current state. The next several hours were a virtual elevator of careening ridgelines, towering forests, washed out roads, and serial killer podcasts.

Dropping into Thorn Junction, I crossed paths with Grant again, he was hauling a load in his truck, and chatted with me briefly and offered up an apple juice. I was thankful for the offer, and took him up on it. Each drop was refreshing, the kindness of strangers continued.

The BLM office was down the road another mile. There was one woman with a colleague there, they both heavily advised me not to take Usal, not that it was a fool's errand, but pretty close, saying that I needed a mountain bike or something beefier than my cross bike (on semi slick 32s). They weren’t exactly too far off, but I decided Usal was my best option, considering my current location and what I could physically tolerate (at this point I was 40 miles in and nearly 5k ft climbing).

There was a awkwardly situated cafe in a lumberyard called Caffe Dolce. Their pastries and sandwiches were exceptional. Both the fuel and the rest were a much needed respite. I was surprised at how busy the cafe was. There was a constant stream of people coming out to pick up a sandwich, I surmised that they were all potentially pickers at some of the farms in Humboldt county. I overheard an Aussie gal talk about going back to the farm.

Back on the bike, there was a smell of dank herbal piney resins wafting at me, I was definitely in Humboldt county. To punctuate that point, I was nearly at Usal road, pedaling along fern laden roadways, when a women walking along the road was most certainly on a different plane than I was. She stated everything is beautiful and asked me for a hug, which I complied and listened to her delve into hyper connected beauty and how we’re all one. I was grasping for an understanding of what all she was conveying to me. I pointed her the way that she should continue walking, and hoped that somebody would return her to wherever she had come from. Bizarre.

Usal’s beginning was a formidable muddy clay-like road, deeply rutted and pocked. The mouth of the whale that would swallow me up and eventually spit me out some ~30 miles and 4k ft climbing later onto highway 1. I ignored the closed gate and passed by. There were rollers that climbed and descended into expansive groves, with each descent typically requiring me to dodge pond-like flooded sections of the road. At least 3 cars were abandoned, a Honda Civic had no chance, the two trucks, despite having 4 wheel drive, succumbed to the relentless muck.

I pushed on. I was grinding away at 6-7MPH for the next 6 hours. I had to dig deep and find humor in the pain and to not let all the beauty wane. My nerves were starting to wear and my body was feeling tired of endlessly riding the brakes and carefully choosing my line, which was even harder with a load. The risk was high since both ends of Usal road were closed and I didn’t have any phone reception. A single mechanical issue could ruin the trip, a fall was a different story… actually, I laid the bike down on one slick descent and took a tumble. I was incredibly thankful -- no mechanicals or injuries.

After a few more hours of rocking out (fittingly enough to If These Trees Could Talk) and noting the descending sun, worry began to set in. I wondered if I’d ever get through this seemingly endless road. My strength was waning, but mentally, I was committed to getting through this. After rounding one of the innumerable bends, Usal beach revealed all its glory, just in time for the sunset. This helped to steady my nerves, as I knew there should be a camp nearby. Indeed there was a camp at Usal Beach, but I was pumped and ready to bid this road farewell, so I cranked on into the night. I climbed another 2k feet and rode another 16 miles in the dark. Thankfully, I had my headlight that was charged, but unfortunately, my taillight died on me. There were just a few cars that passed me (it was 9pm on a Thur night with a highway closed just North of me, hence why I decided to commit to Usal route).

Haggard and nearly broken, I arrived at Westport-Union Campground. I had been on my bike for nearly 15 hours that day. The campsite was on a bluff, the chill winds were refreshing, and helped to cool my nerves. What a day.

Day 4 Westport-Union Landing to Russian Gulch (28mi/1.5k ft)

https://www.strava.com/activities/951928593 https://www.strava.com/activities/953575322

There’s a smile that creeps across your face knowing that you accomplished something that most people wouldn’t dare to attempt, it’s not like I rode a 24 hour endurance race, but it still something to take some level of pride in the accomplishment. As the sun crept up and the ocean sang it’s morning chorus, I couldn’t help but reflect on the tough day; my body was spent. Thankfully, there was a short road to a recovery day, as I was meeting the rest of the Coyote Bomb Squad in Russian Gulch for two chill nights of camping.

I pedaled through Westport, a quirky little coastal town (more like a hamlet), with a tiny cemetery situated on the bluffs and some funky whale mosaic fountain. I savored my breakfast sandwich from a small market run by sweet earthy ladies and then slowly rolled towards Fort Bragg. Coming into Fort Bragg, I stopped in the local coffee shop before hitting the local bike shop, Fort Bragg Cyclery, and chatted with the owner, Mark. Later, I picked up some Teknu since I had managed to hit some poison oak on Usal road. After scarfing on the best pizza in town, Piaci Pizza, and sharing a surprise beer with Mark (bike shop owner), I cruised off to the campsite to meet up with my friends.

Several days on the road riding solo can be a great time for self-reflection and really stoke the fires of your inner hobo, but there are those moments when you’re inundated with gratitude for good friends and their adventurous spirits. I was happy I didn’t have to ride any further and more importantly, elated to be around the warmth of friends and the warmth of my first campfire of the trip. The sunset on the bluffs was of epic proportions.

Day 5 Russian Gulch Exploring, Canoeing, and Hardcore Chilling

Nothing is sweeter than sleeping in and waking up to the smell of hot buttermilk blueberry pancakes cooked on cast iron. Resting, chowing, and some mellow canoeing was on the agenda for the day. We gawked at the ultra-marathoners running through our camp; a funky route, and oddly enough, the canoeing location was the finish line.

Catch a Canoe and Bicycle Too was a quirky shop filled with collectors bikes suspended in the rafters, a series of beautifully crafted “toy” rockets, which looked like they could deliver at least a marmot to outer space, all run and owned by an idiosyncratic shopkeeper. He seemed half-wizard, half rocket scientist, and likely was the most intriguing person that I had encountered while on the trip. His knowledge of photography and rockets was astounding, and he ran a bike shop and a canoe rental business too. And these weren’t just any canoes, these were real works of functional art, just like one would imagine with a beautifully crafted bike, these were easily the most beautiful water-worthy canoes I had ever seen, not to mention the fastest; replete with outriggers for stability. I can’t recommend this experience enough; anyone can manage to enjoy a languid paddle up a gentle river in one of these. On the river, there’s a calm that’s induced that coaxes one to slow down to drink in all the fresh air and sights. Even a handful of seals with pups laid around without a care in the world. A few hours worth of this and it’s like hitting reset on your body. Just mellow; nowhere to be, but right where you are.

The remainder of the day was just chilling with friends, scarfing yet another burrito, and roaming around the bluffs followed by an epic paella cooked by the birthday boy himself, Youngblade.

Day 6 Russian Gulch to Bodega Bay (102mi/6.5k ft)

https://www.strava.com/activities/955648904

These are the types of days that most riders dream about: a good deal of rest, a pancake breakfast, and an epic tailwind that would leave most vikings envious. Despite the fact that the option to hop in a car was there, I opted to pedal the remaining miles back home in 2 days. This might have been one of my favorite days of riding. The hills were fast rolling, each corner plunged down toward the ocean and climbed back up along a coastal bluff. The farmlands added to the serene and bucolic views that elicited a smile. Such a beautiful coastline, such a simple life that calls you to standstill, reflect on a slower pace of nature and the simplicity of it.

Each descent propelled me closer to home and I began to squirm a little thinking about joining the fray again. I pushed on.

Point Arena is a small town that boasts having one of the oldest lighthouses on the coast. It’s a cute and quaint little pitstop close enough for a number of motorcycle riders to reach it from the Bay. A weird sight: hippy/coastal/biker community. California is filled with contradictory juxtapositions, but that’s one of the reasons I love this state. After a solid lunch, I caught up to a crew of riders bikepacking, the only legit riders I had seen! The trio were Canadians heading down from, well, Canada and going down to LA. I was impressed with the amount of beer they were loaded with and sad to turn them down to join them. I had hoped to finally exchange some road stories with fellow riders. There was a brief stop at Salt Point with them, but I felt great from that luscious tailwind, even after 75 miles, and decided to push on to Bodega Bay, about 30 miles down the road.

I rolled into Bodega Bay around 6pm and treated myself to a quality glass of wine and a massive fillet of halibut. So perfect, so nourishing. The campsite at the dunes was a windy one, and made it challenging to sleep despite wearing earplugs. No wonder it’s a favorite spot of windsurfers. Some peculiar dreams crept in that night. Maybe the corporate lifestyle or the dread of the routine that was right around the corner.

Day 7 (Bodega Bay to Larkspur to SF 65mi/3k ft)

https://www.strava.com/activities/956749405

The morning dew hung tightly to everything in sight, it limited my vision, and would eventually morph into a full rain. Undeterred, I knew a hot bath and a cold beer was at the end of my road, but first, I needed a solid breakfast. Estero Cafe delivered. Seated just outside of Marshall, it’s a quaint little organic farm to table type of place, but felt more like a cafe that you might encounter in anytown USA with the local sheriff stopping in and a few regulars just picking up their morning joe. The mist had built up to a sprinkle after I finished my last bite, so it would be a drizzly ride home. Another 60 miles of meandering through dairy farmlands and verdant hills. A  host of classic porsches from the 50s zipped along the same roads, they respected me and I certainly marveled at their classic contours.

Fairfax is always a favorite destination of mine, as many bikers can attest. There is a shared love for bikes in this upper-crust hippy town (seemingly contradictory). Gestalt was on my mind, after collecting rain in my shoes for the last 50 miles, I was ready for a beer and a sausage. Both were savored. I felt lonely and wanted to share my journey with someone like I had done the previous year after a longer tour, but nobody extended me the pleasantries. A tired and weariness settled in from the week of riding, yet there was a lingering satisfaction from knowing what I had accomplished.

I opted to take the ferry back to save a few miles and to soak up the bay and the bridge from a different perspective. The quiet Monday afternoon in the city made it feel like a distant stranger, as the streets were quiet. The city towered over the mouse in a familiar concrete cornfield. It felt good to be home; an appropriate way to close out one chapter and start a new one. The cycle continues, as does the adventure, it always will.

[roguelioness]

First Drabbles

I was tagged by the always-wonderful @galadrieljones to post some of the first drabbles that I ever wrote. Like gala, a lot of my very first fandom related writings are in notebooks that are now long lost, so I’ll stick to the fandom I currently write for - Dragon Age.

Tagging @long-liv-prairies, @kagetsukai, @shannaraisles, @rawrzimon, @wickedwitchofthewilds, @ladydracarysao3, @ma-sulevin, @thevikingwoman, @buttsonthebeach, @empresstress13, @kaoruyogi, @idrelle-miocovani, @ladynorbert and everyone who reads this!

The first few ficlets I haven’t ever posted anywhere. Many of them are small bits of scenes and dialogue from ideas I had, but they tapered out. Either I lost interest, or lost inspiration, or just never got around to working more on them.

My first ever drabble was for a half-elven Inquisitor, Callista Trevelyan. She was the daughter of Ostwick noble Bann Trevelyan and his elven maid Ashalle; when Callista was five years old, she looked too much like her father for anyone to doubt she was Bann Trevelyan’s child, so he reluctantly brought her up with his other children. She was never accepted, and it was actually a relief for her to wind up in Ostwick’s Circle. Her story was meant to be a love triangle with Cullen and Solas, which is why I stopped writing - I couldn’t find an ending that would be happy for all three of them. *shrugs* Maybe someday I will, who knows.

In the meantime, here’s a snippet from what I had written for her (below the cut):

She rose much before the first faint threads of dawn had meandered across the sky, as was her habit. It was the only time she to do the things she wanted to do. Slowly unwinding her limbs from the tangled sheets she crossed the room to enter the private alcove in the corner that served as her water closet. She filled the large bathtub with water - one of the few luxuries she’d asked for - and with a slow, tired wave of her hand heated it up. She stepped out of the thin, but surprisingly warm nightgown she wore, and neatly put them into the basket that served to hold her soiled garments. She slid into the water with a soft sigh, and tried to relax.

Relax. Not something that came easily with the title Inquisitor.

She reached for the elegantly designed bottle that held her cleansing fluid, something she’d created herself, meant to cleanse and soothe her skin. She smiled wryly, she was a woman after all, prone to all the womanly vanities.

She rose out of the water and dried herself with the towel placed nearby. She enjoyed this ritual she had in the mornings at Skyhold; they calmed her, calmed her thoughts and worries if only for a little while. Pouring the oil richly scented with amber and orange blossom she worked it into her limbs slowly, massaging it into the parts of her that ached. Dressing herself in a rich royal blue tunic and breeches of a warm brown she walked out of her room and down the stairs to the main hall.

She paused in front of the throne. She inevitably did. It was the most prominent piece of furniture in the room, after all. It was imposing and commanding, and for the thousandth time, she wondered the turn of events that lead to it being hers.

Her mouth twisted up into a mocking smile. Callista Trevelyan, head of the Inquisition, respected by Ferelden and Orlais. What would Sedrick and Paulette say if they saw her now? Her thoughts went to her mother as she chewed on her lip worriedly. Leliana had been unable to find anything of Ashalle. Her hands clenched into fists unconsciously. The last she’d heard of her mother was that she’d been sent away. By Paulette, no doubt. That snivelling little druffalo shit was always jealous of the mother-daughter bond she had with Ashalle. She took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders. Leliana was on it. She’d handle it, and if anyone could track her mother down, it was the Nightingale.

Letting out a small sigh, she shook her head to get rid of the melancholy thoughts and found her way to the kitchen for the two honey cakes she always had to help with the bitter tasting elfroot-and-spindleweed concoction she had each morning. She was trying to get the others into it as well, but no one save Vivienne was willing to brave the taste. Picking up the trough of hot pear cider and two mugs, she walked up onto the battlements. Here, she offered the night guards a warm drink. Which she was sure they welcomed, but more importantly it gave her the chance to talk to them, to get to know some of the people she was defending, the people who put all their faith into her. Being around them gave her the strength and the courage to face the day, with all its trials and tribulations.

Cullen found her on the battlements of the right tower laughing with the guards, and a warm glow enveloped him. He knew she did this for herself, but she would never know how much it meant to the soldiers. They knew she cared about them, and all her small kindnesses only strengthened their loyalty to her.

He approached her, his face grim. “Inquisitor,” he spoke. She turned to face him, the smile on her lips disappearing as she saw his expression. He hated that, hated knowing that the news he had would cause her grief. “Might I talk to you? In my office, perhaps?” She tilted her head in acknowledgement, and lead the way to his office. He followed, closing the door behind them as she turned around to face him. He handed her a scroll. “The people we lost at Haven. I’m sorry.”

She took the scroll from him, reading through it, and looked up with a face writ with raw grief. “I should have done more, Cullen. I should have save more of them. I failed Flissa, and Minaeve, and all the rest. Corypheus came for me, and how many died for that?” She absently rubbed her hand across her eyes to wipe away  unshed tears.

“Inquisi - Callista, it wasn’t your fault. How could you have known? None of us knew who he was at the time. None of us knew what he’d do. You saved so many of us. And so many of your friends, too.” He did something completely out of character and wrapped his arms around her, his head resting on top of hers. “You nearly died, offering up your life to save the rest. Callista, you did all you could. It is not your fault. “

She leaned into him, taking a deep breath, then pulled away to look up at him with a shaky smile. “Thank you, Cullen. I needed that.”

He let go and took a step back, giving her a comforting smile. “I only speak the truth.”

Her smile grew less shaky. She sighed, and rolled up the scroll. “I should talk to Josephine about setting up a memorial to Haven, with the names of all we lost. It… it’ll help with everyone’s grief.”

He nodded. “I’ll convene the war council later today.” She smiled and placed a gentle hand on his cheek.. “I’ll see you at breakfast, Commander.”

He watched her leave, feeling overwhelmed with the range of emotions coursing through him. She is a mage, he told himself. Surely, he needed to be wary, after Kirkwall, after all he’d seen…

Then he saw her laugh with the scout outside his office, and the sound, clear, rich and warm, drove all thought out of his mind, save one.

Maker help me. I’m in love with her.

Solas walked into the communal dining room, his eyes immediately seeking the Inquisitor. Not that he’d ever admit it. She had caught his interest from the minute she walked out of the Fade, the sole survivor of the explosion at the Conclave. He’d felt some guilt over all the lives lost, but at the time, they were all just shemlen to him. Undeserving of the land they stood on, akin to weeds. But now… now, the waters were murkier. Being around them, day after day, their lives, loves and desires so like the Elves of old… he reined in his train of thought, gave up on the Inquisitor, and sat at the table next to the Varric.

“Morning, Chuckles,” the dwarf quipped “what’s got your nug? You seem irritated and the day hasn’t even started.”

“Good morning, Child of the Stone. I trust you slept well?”

Varric snorted. “I have a name you can use, Chuckles. Or at least come up with a better nickname.”

Solas grinned “Since you don’t seem to want to use mine, I thought it improper to use yours.”

Varric muttered something indecipherable beneath his breath and stuffed some bread into his mouth.

The noise in the dining hall fell in intensity, and Solas knew that the Inquisitor had arrived. He knew, from memory, she’d be weaving around the tables, stopping here and there to talk to the men and women who gave their lives to the Inquisition’s cause. It was well known that the Inquisitor treated everyone with kindness, and while some of the traditionalists scoffed at it, the majority admired that their leader felt like one of them. He could admire that. He did admire that…

He looked up as she walked over to their table, rising slightly as she sat down. “Solas,” she laughed “how many times have I told you not to rise and interrupt your meal? We’re friends, you and I, and shall stand on no such formality.” Was it just his imagination, or did she emphasize “friends”?

He looked at her, hating the stiff smile on his face. “But of course, Inquisitor.”

She sighed, and turned towards Dorian, who was seated next to Iron Bull. She grinned mischeviously, and Solas felt something twist inside him. “Dorian, I stopped by your quarters last night to borrow a book, and didn’t find you there! Are you well?”

Dorian turned slightly pink, and Iron Bull guffawed. “Nah, boss, our Tevinter mage here was busy last night.”

She grinned, cat-like and wide, and winked at him. “I can see bull riding most definitely suits you!”

The mage from Tevinter  turned red, and retorted “Well, at least some of us are capable of having fun, Inquisitor!”

She laughed and nudged him with her elbow, then leaned in close to his ear and whispered something, to which he smiled and nodded.

She is never that free and easy with me. Solas hated it, wanted to hate her for it.

Just then, one of Cullen’s messengers came by with a message for her. Solas frowned at the thought of Cullen, and wondered why.

He heard her quietly reply, please tell the Commander I will be there shortly, and Solas clenched his jaw for a brief moment before remembering his surroundings.

“Nothing serious I hope, Inquisitor?” he asked smoothly.

She replied distractedly “Hmmm? No, I don’t think so. It appears some of our people are missing in the Fallow Mire. Leliana will be giving me more details, but it looks like a party will be heading that way tomorrow.”

Iron Bull slammed his tankard on the table. “I’m ready anytime, boss!”

Solas inclined his head gracefully. “I hope you know that you can call on my services at any time, Inquisitor.”

She smiled, a serious look in her eyes. “Thank you. Iron Bull, I’ll let you know, but Solas I’d like you to join the party. I have a feeling we’ll need another mage.”

He nodded, and watched her walk away, enjoying the sway of her hips. Varric piped up, “She does have a nice behind, our Inquisitor”.

“Oh really?” Solas replied coolly, “I hadn’t noticed.” Giving a curt nod to the others at the table, he rose. “If you’ll excuse me, I must prepare for the journey.”

Varric put a hand on his arm, stopping him for a second. He spoke quietly, directing his words such that only Solas could hear them. “Callista’s good people, Solas. Don’t do anything reckless.”

Solas looked at Varric disdainfully. “Me? Do something with her? She’s not my type, Varric. She is not of my kind.” With that, he walked away.

Was it really so bad she wasn’t an elf?

[livingcorner]

Planting Your Native Garden

Published: March 22, 2017

Izabella Redlinski, Conservation Ecologist, Keller Science Action Center

You're reading: Planting Your Native Garden

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Before you start (literally) digging in, here’s how you can plan the layout of your native garden. 

Read more: Why do you need a Zen garden? – Times of India

If you’re gearing up to add native plants to your yard this spring, congratulations! You’ll make your space more beautiful, with the added bonus of being hospitable to butterflies and other pollinators like bees, beetles, and birds. 

Before you dig in, take a moment to plan the layout of the garden (even a small strip of land along a fence will make pollinators happy). Take the following into consideration:

Do you already have natural features in your garden (trees, rose bushes, other annual or perennial plants)? There’s no need to get rid of them; think about planting around the existing landscape in your yard.

How would you describe the area where you wish to plant? Is it sunny or part shade? Wet or dry? Determining this early on in the process will allow you to focus on the species you need. Take note of the moisture and sun exposure each species requires. In general, prairie plants tend to love full sun, savanna plants tolerate some shade, and woodland plants do best in part to full shade. 

Are you planting a large area in the middle of your front lawn or a modest spot along a fence or by the garage? This might influence what kinds of flowers you choose. For example, unless you are planting really large areas, do not plant species like prairie dock or compass plant, which can grow over six feet tall. They might visually dwarf the area you are working with. If you do want to create a screen, go for the tall giant ironweed, sneezeweed, and big bluestem. When planting in a circular arrangement, place shorter species on the outside so they’re visible in front of the taller species. 

Draw the plan on a sheet of paper. This can include the flower color, height, and time of blooming. A little planning goes a long way: by thinking ahead about some of these factors, you can plan for a garden that lasts throughout the growing season and brings new surprises. It also provides nectar sources for pollinators throughout the whole season.

Read more: Starting a new vegetable patch

Start slowly. Do a few species during the first year, and add more as time goes on. This will allow you to get a sense of where you have “blooming gaps” and understand the true conditions in your garden—it might appear wetter or drier than you previously thought, and the plants might help you determine that.

Cluster flowers and grasses. Groups of five or more individuals of the same species are more successful in attracting pollinators.

Consider certifying your native garden for wildlife, pollinators, or specifically monarchs. This simple sign tells passersby that you are doing something for the environment; it might be a great conversation starter and inspire your community to do likewise. This also puts your garden on a map, quite literally, making it easier for native habitat advocates to push environmentally-friendly legislature. 

Pick your native plants by going to local sales. If you need a few ideas, visit our Rice Foundation Native Gardens or check out our guide to monarch-friendly gardens.

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

source https://livingcorner.com.au/planting-your-native-garden/

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

TFW when a plant company informs you they sent you the wrong species of plant and it turns out to be a plant you not only wanted but actually can’t find available anywhere else and this company doesn’t even officially carry it. It’s a good feeling. If a company wants to accidentally send me more edible native plants I can’t find available anywhere, please feel free!

Would love me a thistle, clammy groundcherry, unicorn root, blue-scarlet pimpernel, spikenard, fairy spuds, green dragon, Mexican pricklypoppy, cuckoo flower, wild hyacinth, prairie brome, strawberry spinach, American ginseng, coralberry, creeping snowberry, crowberry, pipsissewa, arctic daisy, meadow garlic, wild basil, blue-bead, sweetfern, squirrel corn, wild yam, prickly cucumber, fringed willowherb, purple Joe Pye weed, black huckleberry, Halberd-leaf mallow, azure bluet, goldenseal, great St. John’s wort, beachhead iris, marsh pea, Canada lily, alpine flax, longtube twinflower, black twinberry, mountain woodsorrel, downy phlox, roughfruit fairybells, Lapland rosebay, Labrador tea, cloudberry, dwarf red blackberry, rose pink, greenbrier, twisted stalk, skunk cabbage, wild coffee, sessileleaf bellwort, jewelweed, and a witch’s hobblebush.