#seed germination dates

[kirkgarden]

December Seed Germination Guide: Tropical and Cold Climates

With the new moon on December 1st, tropical countries can sow seeds for crops like tomatoes, peppers, and leafy greens early in the cycle. Later in the month, root crops such as carrots and radishes thrive. Warm temperatures and consistent sunlight ensure rapid germination and growth.

In colder climates, frost-resistant crops like kale, spinach, and winter onions can be started indoors or in greenhouses. Herbs like parsley and chives also grow well indoors. Use grow lights and heating trays to support germination.

The lunar cycle boosts vitality, making December an excellent time to plan and plant for success in both tropical and cold environments.

https://youtu.be/fzEQdgDK2nw?si=jg2izBwEseQHyjxY

[reasonsforhope]

"During an archaeological dig in a desert area north of Jerusalem 40 years ago, a seed was discovered which was determined to be in pristine condition but had obviously seen many a year.

Now, despite falling from its parent 1,000 years ago, it has grown into a mature tree, and botanists examining it believe it may be an extinct species that was used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years—even receiving a nod in the Bible.

Neither Israeli botanists, nor Dr. Sarah Sallon, a physician who founded the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, could determine what species it was from simply from the seed covering. So they did what nature intended—they planted it.

Using a well-documented technique that saw 2,000-year-old date palm fruit pits germinate, Dr. Sallon soaked the seed in hormones, liquid fertilizer, and water, and then planted it in a pot of sterile seed; then waited.

Despite its genetic code being exposed to environmental stressors for over 1,000 years, the seed sprouted after 5 weeks. The shoot was protected by a caplike feature called an operculum. As the shoot grew, the operculum was shed—leaving something for the team to radiocarbon date. It narrowed down the age of the almost 10-centuries-old seed to between the years 993 an 1202.

Fast forward 14 years and the plant has become a 10-foot-tall tree. Dr. Sallon shared images of the tree, its bark, and its leaves with botanists around the world. One expert suggested it belonged to the genus Commiphora, found across the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Africa. A genetic analysis subsequently revealed this was the case, but a perfect match was lacking.

Pictured: The tree, now 14 years old.

Dr. Sallon and her team thought it was an extinct species known from history as Judean Balsam, but the best way to confirm that suspicion would be to have some aromatic traces similar to the resins of the myrrh tree to which it is related. However, no such fragrant compounds were detected.

Instead, the chemical analysis of the leaves identified a group of phytochemicals known as guggulterols which have been observed in a related species called Commiphora wightii that’s known to possess certain cancer-fighting properties in its resin.

A medicinal balm, the origin of which is not known, is mentioned in multiple historical texts including the Bible as ‘tsori,’ and rather than the fragrant Judean Balsam, it’s this tsori that Dr. Sallon and her team believe they have found.

They must wait until the tree, now 14 years old, produces flower or fruit to know for sure if it’s an extinct species, and if so, how to perhaps keep it alive.

Dr. Louise Colville, senior research leader in seed and stress biology at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London who wasn’t involved in the research, told CNN that it was a major accomplishment to grow a seed that old and possibly lead to a resurrection of this Biblical botanical.

“What’s surprising in this story is it was just a single seed and to be able to have one chance for that to germinate is extremely lucky,” she said.

“Working in a seed bank, seeing the potential for that extreme longevity gives us hope that banking and storing seeds that some at least will survive for very long periods of time.”"

-via Good News Network, October 8, 2024

--

Note: This is such a good demonstration of why seed banks are so important!! They give us such real and massive hope for deextinction and the revival of endangered species.

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Microbiotheria

(Source)

Once representative of a vast diversity of marsupials as they slowly migrated from South America, to Antarctica, and finally to Australia, today the order Microbiotheria has one remaining living species: Dromiciops gliroides, known as the “Monito del Monte” or “Colocolo Opossum,” which is native only to Argentina and Chile.

Dromiciops are small, nocturnal, and arboreal. They spend most of the day in a state of torpor, conserving their energy to only become active at night. Living mainly in trees, they use their partially prehensile tail to help them climb. Their tail is furred on top and naked on the underside, increasing friction when gripping onto bark. The base of their tails also function as fat storage during winter hibernation. As protection from the cold, particularly during periods of hibernation, they construct and live in spherical nests of water-resistant bamboo (Chusquea culeou) leaves. They line their nests with moss or grass, and place them in well-protected areas of their tree, such as underbrush, tree cavities, or fallen timber. The nests are sometimes covered with gray moss as a form of camouflage. Monitos del monte are omnivorous, with a diet consisting mainly of insects and fruit, with the mistletoe berry quintral (Tristerix corymbosus) being most favored.

Monitos del monte have a monogamous mating system. Before hibernation, females are generally larger than males, but not year round. They have well-formed, fur-lined pouches, and normally reproduce in the spring, once a year. They can have a litter size varying from one to five. However, they can feed a maximum of four offspring on four teats, so if there are five young, one will not survive. When the young are mature enough to leave the pouch, at approximately five months, they are nursed in a distinctive nest. They are then carried on the mother's back. The young remain with their mother after weaning, reaching sexual maturity after two years.

The fossil record for Microbiotherians is large and dates back to the Early Paleocene, with the oldest known Microbiotherian being Khasia cordillerensis of Bolivia. Fossils are known from South America, Western Antarctica, and northeastern Australia. But the monito del monte is the last of this lineage.

(source)

Propaganda under the cut:

When preparing for hibernation, Monitos del Monte can store enough fat to double their body size within one week!

The Monito del Monte has a mutualistic seed dispersal relationship with the mistletoe species Tristerix corymbosus. The marsupial eats the fruit of the plant, and germination takes place in its gut. It then poops out the seeds, planting them. The monito del monte is the only dispersal agent for this plant, and without it the plant would likely become extinct.

The tick species Ixodes neuquenensis can only be found on the Monito del Monte, and would also likely become extinct without it.

[strawberrysnoopy]

ACT ONE: The Photo Shoot, part one

prologue

summary of the series: for months, leon has been writhing in his bed dreaming of his friend's wife (you). he's been fighting the desperation for months until that one night you bring up a lingerie shoot you've done for a prestigious brand.

summary of this part: recalling the first time you and leon met, you've realized you've been poorly treated by your husband. leon is no different, in a toxic relationship with his wife, ada wong. as the seeds of resentment have begun to germinate, the desire for you grows like a brush fire nearby.

warnings: MENTIONS OF PUKE, BUT NOT ACTUAL PUKING, leon teaches you how to smoke (i don't wanna see no dumb stupid comments about "oh but leon hates smoking", well leon isn't disloyal but here we are), brief use of (adjective) girl (atta girl, good girl, silly girl), praise, mentions of misogyny (not from Leon ofc), awkward, tense ass convos, a fuckton of desc. and a little description, no sex (yet ;) ), cussing, descriptions of fucking, descriptions of masturbation, semi-public masturbation, almost caught masturbating, slight corruption kink (? if you squint), alcohol consumption, use of tobacco, smoking, implied sexual references, etc.

also a/n, writing this as of feb. 2nd, 2024: 60 notes?!!!!! i was writing this for my own personal pleasure but like...??!?! i got reblogged so many times?! im gagged, tysm you guys!!! making a playlist rn, so excited to release the soundtrack. if you see little random edits, i'm probably obsessing over the fic and trying to make it perfect lol/anticipate changes. i would also like to write I DO NOT CONDONE CHEATING! always communicate with your partner, discuss issues, etc. this fic is just a lil’ taboo type of fantasy, do NOT cheat on your partners.

The first time you met Leon was at a grocery store: two weeks before your husband would have any idea of his existence and one week before he had invited Leon and his wife, Ada, over for dinner. You were picking up a bottle of red wine for you and your husband under the guise of wanting something nice for date night. The reality would actually be you were buying it for yourself after your husband decides you're not worth his affections anymore, lazily mosey on over to the spare room, and pull out his phone to text other women. The wine would be something to drink to inebriate you while you watched a shitty re-run of a sitcom from the 90s. Maybe if you got lucky, Golden Girls was on.

He was only browsing, stumbling upon the liquor section and staying to look if there would be anything worthwhile. And there was. It was you. He knew he had to think of something witty, something cool people say, before you left and thought he was some creep staring at you because he saw a smidgen of your breasts in a magazine. "You're a famous model, right?" He asked. Oh, how stupid he felt. He was a chronic overthinker: thinking of every last terrible scenario, a trait he picked up after becoming an agent. This had certainly felt like one of the worst options he picked, especially with how you would-- You interrupted him. "Yeah, that's me." The subtle sweetness, the slight rasp in your voice was better than anything any street drug could offer with the amount of dopamine flooding into his brain: overloading every neuron, synapse, dendrite, and cell membrane in his body.

But for whatever reason, he stretched his hand outwards and lazily grinned towards you. "I'm Leon." "Nice to meet you. Well, I'd say my name but y'know..." He nodded in an awkward agreement before you could even finish your sentence, but not daring to go as far to interrupt you. He felt as if he already started off the conversation with a cumbersome beginning. "Right, right. So, that's your real name? I see a lot of models use stage names n' stuff like that." He adjusts his weight from one foot to the other, switching the hand holding his grocery basket from his right to his left. He felt so...awkward around you. Maybe it was the fact you were a famous model, or maybe it was the fact you were just so calm. The joke causes a soft chuckle to leave your lips and the mere look of a fleeting moment of bliss to cross over your features makes his knees turn into gelatin. Those nerves solidify into stone when the overwhelming sense of guilt hits him like a tidal wave but allows it to wash over him for the sake of continuing the conversation.

"Yeah, just my regular name. I'm not that creative outside of modeling. Usually the photographers do the thinking and the creative processes for me." He chuckled, shaking his head and barely moving himself a little closer. Leon wanted to sink in that gentle, warm, and soft presence you carried around with you. Your aura felt comforting: like a hug after a tough day: it had felt so much more different than his wife. True, Ada could be affectionate but that's usually only after something good has happened to her or Leon was her last resort of attention. He really hated how much he would act like an obedient dog, awaiting her arrival home, coming back to her after she's treated him like dirt. You? You felt so goddamn altruistic and considerate. And he's only known you for three minutes.

You notice he's gone silent and you're silently hoping he thought you were cool. Cool. Like a teenager trying to fit in. You silently cringe at yourself until he smiles at you, almost like he's signaling you to continue the conversation. You can't think of any conversation starters. And you're a model for gods sake. You're usually so outgoing and social with other people but now it's like a cat came by and stole your voice box. Thankfully, he takes over that portion for you. "Buying wine?" He knew it was dry as all hell but he wanted to steer the conversation away from him being a fan of your modeling gigs. No, he just wanted to talk to you and discover what you were like behind the camera. (Okay, and maybe he wanted to see if you'd flirt with him.) "Yup. But I'm just buying wine for..." You paused, about to say 'for me and my husband' but your throat becomes dry whenever you feel like you're about to announce it to him. "...Myself."

He smiles. He likes that you're awkward in real life. The fact made you feel more real, like you weren't just some sexy model with expensive tastes and a bratty attitude. You were a person like anyone else.

"Right. Me too, just uh...just browsing." You nod, fidgeting anxiously with the sleeves of the coat you decided to toss on last minute before leaving the house.

The conversation went on to end when you eventually realized you would be home late. Although you thought that worrying your husband a little would be the thing that reignited the spark in your marriage, you knew that punctuality was a habit you'd like to upkeep. That, and you also knew if you talked to this handsome stranger for longer, you'd cheat on your husband. That night, Leon had fallen asleep to the thought of you for the first time. Soft little visions of pressing his lips against yours, caressing your cheek softly and whispering sweet nothings into your ear, etc, etc, cheesy lovey dovey bullshit. So much more different than the truly filthy thoughts he had about you nowadays. You're torn from your conversation with your friends when you make eye contact with him. You can practically feel his eyes travel from the hair at the highest point on your head to the very last bit of your black, leathery heels with perfect pretty pearls embellished on the pump. For a moment, you feel like you're trapped in some type of horny labyrinth while you stare longingly at him.

He's ripped out of his own longing by the feeling of your husband's hand slapping his back. Ada sat beside Leon with her arm protectively wrapped around his bicep. You felt as if the gesture were a signal to everyone at the party that Leon belonged to her. He was under her control, nobody else's. Or maybe the protective message was for her husband, as if he was an unruly friend to her husband. And you could agree with that. You fell in love with your husband because he was wild and care-free but after the diamond ring was slipped onto your ring finger, you realized he was also carefree in the sense that hurt you: talking to other women behind your back, and leaving for days at a time only to come back inebriated. But you stood by his side, no matter what. You hated how you felt like a doormat but you didn't know what else to do besides stay married and play the role of an oblivious wife while your husband fucks other women in various positions. In a way, you and Leon sat in the same loveless boat. Who knew when that same boat would be shaking from the violence of the both of you fucking, clothing pulled out and to the side instead of being fully taken off. Your thoughts become interrupted by an unmistakably handsome voice.

"Hey."

You feel a hand being placed upon your lower back except it's so much more different than your husband's. The palms were rough, callouses inside the nooks and crannies, and pulsing veins make you all dizzy if you thought about it for too long. His voice was dampened with some undertone of lust, his fingers prodding into the skin of your sides. He's always been a little too handsy for a man that's supposed to happily married. But you always figured touch was how he communicates: touch. But he's never touchy with your husband. Or any of your friends. And he missed you? Sure, your're friends due to the fact your husband was friends with Leon. (Even though you met him first, but I digress.) The simple phrase had your mind reeling, cheeks flushed red due to the hidden intimacy of it all. His wife shoots him a look and his hand immediately retreats back to his side, fighting the urge to palm the engorged erection struggling against the seam of his boxers. "Haven't seen you in so long, hm? Thought you disappeared on me for a minute." He's holding his facade of being totally and irrevocably in love with Ada up and steady. Like he had no feelings for you other than being friends.

"Of course not." You murmur, feeling a hearty chuckle reverberate from his chest. He takes his index finger and his thumb and gently swiping it against your chin.

"Atta girl." And of course, with how hoarse his voice is, your panties are instantly puddled with a thick pool of arousal. You hate his stupid, thick, sexy, and deep voice. You especially hate his voice whenever you imagine him degrading and praising you whenever your husband was away and you just happened to have your hand down your underwear, playing with your clit to ease the throbbing impulses you felt for Leon. He gives your back a single pat before moving back to stand beside his wife. You really hate that you feel jealousy flare like wildfire within you, but you brush it off.

Everyone would eventually be drawn to the several dining tables that were arranged in a group and had golden candlesticks and smooth white tablecloths on top. Once you are seated, you observe that Leon appears to be striving extra hard to guarantee his place beside you. He looks right at you for a brief moment. And only then can you see, just a hint of thirst sprouting in his eyes, before he glances away from you and gives Ada a quick smile while patting her thigh.

It's only a few minutes before Leon decides to break the awkward silence.

"How's that modeling gig going?" You nod, gulping down way too much champagne.

"Good, been going good. Have to admit it gets a little boring posing in front of the camera after a while but can't bite the hand that pays you, right?" You joke, and the table laughs with some sense of jealousy. "Nice to hear. What was your latest shoot?" He asked, leaning forward in a sudden rush of intrigue. Then those words pass your lips. Words he had never anticipated, even in his wildest guess (oddly.)

"A lingerie shoot. For Chanel." The table goes quiet. And everyone, including your dumb-ass husband, look at you. Someone (Ada) clears their throat in the dining room, hinting at you to elaborate and it's almost like you suddenly developed to ability to hear from light years away.

Leon, who had just finally got his goddamn boner under control feels his cock twitch back to life, fully hard instead of a semi this time. And correct him if he's wrong, but he starts to feel pre-cum smearing his dress pants. He's thankful he chose the black slacks instead of his lighter colored ones otherwise this would be downright humiliating.

"Sorry, um...I did an intimates photo-shoot for Chanel a few weeks ago for their new line of clothing." That seems to help lighten the mood a lot more because everyone goes back to their conversation with their respective friends, the embarrassing "confession" from you immediately leaving their minds. "The theme was Overtime. Like, staying later in the office with my shirt unbuttoned and stuff. Nothing that interesting."

The table simultaneously nodded, Leon going as far to excuse himself for a cigarette.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go have a smoke." Leon scoots out from his seat, heading towards the upstairs balcony to take care of business. Asshole, leaving me with his mean ass wife.

You decide to join him outside.

The air had finally gotten too tense, felt too judgmental for your taste. Scampering outside, you're met with the sight of Leon smoking a cigarette outside. That's odd: you've usually pegged him to be the straight-laced, no-nonsense type of man yet here he was, smoking a cigarette while leaning against the balustrade of their friend's top floor home. At the sound of the balcony door opening, he turns his head to see what you're doing out here. His eyes scan you, almost like he would while he's in combat but it's more or less to get another glimpse of the outfit you were wearing tonight. Okay, and maybe he wanted to commit the sight of you to memory.

"You alright?" He asked, trying his best to look straight forward when you step closer and cross your arms over the balustrade.

"M'fine, just needed a minute of fresh air, I think." When you sit beside Leon, there's a few things you notice. The first was his outfit. A white button-up that usually would be covered by his black suit jacket, though he left it behind on his chair in the dining room. There's also mentioning his blacks slacks, fitting his muscular thighs a bit tight but loose enough so they're comfortable. Then there's the dress shoes, ones he wore at his wedding due to how overly formal they looked. Maybe he wanted to get some more use out of them? Who knows.

"What about you? Why are you out here?" You decided to be the one to take the reigns since the air outside had become incredibly awkward as well. "Same. Thought I'd take a minute of fresh air, you know?" The second thing you notice about Leon is how much he calms you. More importantly, how much you never noticed that you were anxious when you were around others. He had this aura of relaxing or maybe you were just buzzed, who knows that either? Maybe it's the cigarette, speaking of...

"I haven't smoked since college. Cigarettes, I mean. Don't think I even know how to do it anymore." The confession makes his head tilt to the side, now taking more of an interest in the conversation than before. He grinned wolfishly, taking your chin in one of his thick and strong hands and pulling your head forward. For a second, you could almost be dumb enough to think he'd be moving in for a kiss. Of course not. You'd never be that lucky. "Open f'me, sweetheart." And like an obedient puppy, you opened your mouth just enough so your pretty pink-shaded lips could be parted. He placed the cigarette on your lip, the moisture making the filter stay in your mouth alongside his index and middle finger holding it up, thumb brushing your chin. Little hazes of grey smoke dance along your tongue without even taking a sip of the smoke yet, your lips trembling with a lustful agony. "Now close your mouth..." He whispered, his damp and hot and horny breath hitting your ear like an affectionate declaration of love. "And inhale."

You close your lips around the cigarette, faintly tasting the flavor of him where he had sucked on the cigarette. You got notes of citrus, rum or some expensive, top-shelf label of whiskey he used to help quell the pain he experienced on grueling missions, tobacco, and maybe even the slightest hint of his wife's lipstick. Chanel's Rogue Allure, if you had to guess correctly. "...Now hold it..."

You held it. "Silly girl." He whispered, pulling the cigarette away from your lips while you slowly exhaled the rest of the smoke you've been holding in your mouth and then some. You can't tell if it's because of the alcohol, Leon's presence, or your mere anxiety but you begin to feel dizzy. Thankfully Leon seems to swoop in with his questions to keep your head in the game. Bless him.

"Why'd you need a minute, huh?"

For a minute there, you didn't know how to respond. Looking down at the leathery pumps you chose for the evening, you begin to wonder why you even chose them instead of answering his question. But you answered him. Eventually.

"I'm just tired. This whole night just seems a bit…” You gesture to the party in the background. “Fake. I don’t want to be here."

He hummed in agreement, but it felt like more of a signal for you to keep going. "I'm also just terrible at making conversation. Especially when it's awkward and silent."

His eyes flicker down to the pumps he'd already stared at tonight, not finding an interest in them anymore than your own body. He tucked his lip between his teeth, pulling the pink flesh away from his mouth before he spoke up again. "You're not that bad, you know? I think you're pretty good. How about this?" He pauses. Then a beat passes.

"Tell me something true. Tell me something you wouldn't brag to anyone about." He moved his cigarette to rest on the balustrade instead of the space between his fingers. "Something that's yours...and only yours."

You look at Leon with wide eyes, mouth agape as you struggle to answer his question. Your eyes rake down his face from the space between his eyebrows to his parted, pink lips: just a little chapped from the cold chill of the night air. You wanted to kiss him. All of those times you've had him over for dinner, all of those times you've spent with your hand down your panties while your husband was away on "business": dreaming of his best friend, Leon, and god, all of those times you thought about throwing caution to the wind and leaning in to press your lips against his: the sum of all of those moments had you quivering for more.

But you'd never cheat. You have a reputation. You have a husband that gifted you the pretty diamond ring on your finger. But how did it always feel so...impossible? Like you couldn't live another day if you weren't able to fuck Leon like a rabid dog in heat. But he was staring at you, almost as if his eyes were laser beams and searing holes into your skin: you had to answer.

"I don't know what I could tell you that's only mine." You chew on your lip. "Huh. How about..."

How about the fact I wanna kiss you? I wish it was you I was in bed with rather than my stupid, cheating husband? The fact you are so much hotter than him?

"I hate being a trophy." And that brings the biggest grin on Leon's face. A massive shit-eating grin. Leon had gone stir crazy. He wanted to peel your entire being open, see all of the nooks and crannies of your soul and devour it whole. But now wasn't the time to scare you away: even if he wanted to fuck you, you were still a friend to him. So he calmed down. "I can't say that's too surprising. I mean, who would? Being able to be pretty and have money being tossed at you is nice until you want something deeper. Then it seems like one of the only things that are scarce in your life."

You nod, letting out a breath of consolation. "That's exactly how I feel. Like my only purpose is to sit still, look pretty, serve my husband, and be a hole when he needs it."

His eyes become downcast, looking down at the garden on the ground level of the restaurant. "I get what you mean." The moment was interrupted by a waiter peeking out on the two of you: head poked outside of the door that lead to the outside area. He pulls his hand away from your soft skin and back to his side, sighing wistfully that tonight wouldn't be the night he gets to act on his desires for you. Damn it all to hell.

"You should head back. I'll be back, yeah?" You nod and within a few seconds, you've returned to your spot at the dinner table. He sighs, hand slipping down to palm at his erection. Fuck. Can't go back like this.

Just resist. You're just another woman. You have a husband, He thinks to himself, I'm married to a lovely woman. I am a faithful husband. The silent mantra he practices on himself works about as well as a band-aid on a bullet hole. Resist. God, but you looked so pretty tonight. That cute jewelry set you wore with your little black dress? Hot. The smoothness of your skin?

Resist.

But he can't stop picturing you on your knees in front of him, sucking on his cock. The sounds your perfect, wet mouth would make. How he'd ease himself down your throat. How you'd whine.

Resist.

Or how about when he could be fucking his cock into your tight, wet, and warm cunt? The tip of his dick kissing your cervix? Or what about the positions he could force your body into? Like having his arm around your throat, bicep curling into your mouth to muffle your moans from his wife hearing? Or how one of his hands would be gripping your hips while he needily plowed into your pussy, while you begged him to let up. Resist.

Resist.

Fuck it.

In the few moments after he's excused himself from you, he's already rushing to the upstairs bathroom of the restaurant: thanking the holy beings above for making it a single stall bathroom for his jerking pleasure. He hastily unbuckles his belt with one hand, other hand impulsively opening Twitter as a first resort to find some fashion fanatic post about the slutty lingerie photo-shoot you did for Chanel. Alas, you're still a bit of an undiscovered goddess in the modeling industry at the moment: so Google is his next best option. He pulls out his half-hard but hardening cock from his jeans before he can even find your photo-shoot and gives it a quick few pumps to ease the throbbing that's starting to build up in his loins. Eventually, he finds it. Thank fucking god because the creativity for his fantasies are beginning to run quite dry. And instantly he's grunting and groaning while he strokes his cock and scrolls through the multiple scandalous photos the photographers took of you.

"Fuck." He winces in pleasurable agony as he stares at quite possibly his favorite photo of you. The photo was in black and white: theme being "Overtime" like you mentioned. The white button up shirt was undone, revealing you had nothing on underneath, and allowed for the side of your perfect breasts to be revealed. If he squinted just a little harder, he could see your puffy nipples threatening to peek out of the shirt. He tried squinting a little harder to see your nipples a little easier. And oh my god. You have piercings?! He almost shot his entire load on the spot. God, he needed to fuck you. And hard. He groans as he feel himself get closer to orgasm. Closer, and closer, until--

"Leon?"

Fuck. It was you. God, of course you're so goddamn sweet, checking up on him to make sure he's okay. He didn't dare stop stroking himself off, especially not when he's got jerk-worthy material of you almost catching him. That's also not mentioning the soft intonations of your almost innocent voice right there. He's trying not to cum too quick, wanting to savor those images for as long as he could but he also realized his wife might start asking some questions and she wouldn't be on the other side of the door if she came upstairs. "F-fuck, yeah?" He responded after much too long of hearing your sweet voice. "Did you need something?" "Are you okay? I just got worried when you left. You've been gone for like..." You check your wristwatch: a classic and dainty Timex from the 80s with a blank band that wrapped around your wrist snugly.

"Fifteen minutes. Do you need water? Ibuprofen?" He shakes his head as if you could see him while he continues to jerk himself off, hand swirling in a sort of cranking motion as he tries to work his cock to orgasm. But his pre-cum isn't coming out fast enough, not as fast as the pumping motions his hand was doing right now, so he spits in his hand before bringing his palm back down to his cock and lathering his dick in spit. You believe him enough to think he might be getting ready to vomit.

"Nah, jus'...ngh, drank too much, I think." Please keep talking, He selfishly thinks to himself. "Oh, okay. Well, if you need anything, just text me?" He nodded, grunting out a thank you while he continues to dream of ruthlessly fucking you until you're embedded into his mattress. He wants you. He needs you. He feels himself get a little closer until he finally releases into his fist. His hot and sticky cum ran down his palm while the waves of post-orgasmic bliss and post-nut clarity simultaneously moved together as one. For a few minutes, he's panting like a rabid dog in heat until his breath eventually stills and he's able to walk downstairs and look his wife in the face while giving her the impression that he definitely didn't just masturbate to his best friend's wife. When he sits down at the table, the first person he makes eye contact with is you. You smile at him, mouthing a "you okay?" because, of course, you're still worried about him being sick. He nods with a grin peeled onto his face. Because he came to the sound of your voice. And you didn't have a fucking clue.

credits: snoopy divider by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more heart divider by @saradika-graphics

[kick-a-long]

An Israeli company may have brought back a thousand years extinct myrrh tree. They grew an ancient seed and they are still trying to figure out what tree it is.

Pretty neat. So that’s the date palm and a myrrh tree.

[tomorrowsgardennc]

market update // january 4th

market has been repetitive the past month-ish. but the closer we get to spring the more that will change! i even started a countdown on my a-frame sign.

one of the 13 projects i've been hard at work on is coordinating a seed swap at the market. i'm gonna do a whole post after the event, talking about prep and feedback from the swap itself. but today was the first day we made the announcement for the event, so now it's offish and i'm more nervous than before 🫠

a fellow farmer vendor came to me and apologized because he didn't have any seeds to donate. he said he has a ton of them, but all are dated 2022 and 2023. that's not the odd part. it's when i told him that that's perfectly fine. i said a lot of the seeds that i have already received for the swap are old seeds, some even older than his. so far, all from big companies, so no biggie. i explained that the ONLY downside to a free seed swap with donations is that the germination isn't guaranteed. in which he replied 'well, what's the point? why get people disappointed if they don't grow??' and honestly, his response befuddled me so much i didn't have a quick response, and he walked away. he's a decent guy, comes off rude but one of those you know they don't actually mean it it's just their social skills are not leveled up.

i mean... i still don't know how to respond. i buy seeds that are "brand new" and don't germinate at all, but c'est la vie y'know??? oh well

also i'm taking my signage duties very seriously at the market. probably too seriously.

a first-time customer came to me today asking so many questions. turns out she got a greenhouse for christmas! meeting people at the beginning of jumping down the rabbit hole is just so much fun for me. teehee. but also saw a customer today who doesn't buy seeds but buys all the plants. she was so excited to see my countdown and we nerded over plants for a good 20 minutes.

i love market days.

[klikandtuna]

2024 FIC ROUNDUP

Oooookay I barely know what I’m doing here but I’ll give it a shot. 😁

What fandoms do you write in?

It’s allllll Good Omens. After S2 broke my brain, I started sending tiny snippets of fic ideas to a couple of friends, which over the course of a few months really snowballed beyond any pretense of control. I’m gone, y’all. This is my life now.

How many words have you published in 2024?

WELL this number is about to jump with the posting of Find Every Sky next week, but at this moment I’m sitting at

✨758,377✨

Which is pretty cool! To be fair, a good chunk of that was written before I had joined AO3 (it took those couple of friends about six months to convince me to join up), so it wasn’t all written this year, though certainly most of it was.

What is your greatest achievement this year?

Aside from actually joining the fandom at all, this award definitely goes to the TWENTY-TWO CONSECUTIVE WEEKS, May-October, in which I posted TWO CHAPTERS PER WEEK without missing a single update. Find the Light and Sky Clear Blue were written back-to-back without any break inbetween, and while the schedule for SCB got a little dicey for a while, my beta-reader and I managed to keep that Tuesday/Friday ride going allllll the way to the end. Pretty proud of that.

What are your top three favorite fics you wrote this year?

This is so unfair because they’re all my babies 😭😭 I pour so much of myself into everything I write that I really hate choosing favorites, buuuuut I’ll try.

When You Go (101k Reverse Omens, complete but there’s a sequel coming, rated E)

My human AUs receive by far the most attention (and I’m not complaining!), but I want to give some love to my Reverse-Omens fic because I’m pretty darn proud of it. Each chapter bounces back and forth between an ongoing present-day storyline and anecdotes from their past, and it was my first attempt at switching tenses for effect (which I really got the hang of in Sky Clear Blue, haha). I feel like I really nailed the characterizations here, and it was a joy to a) flesh out the Starmaker as the Seraph Baraqiel and let him be his full glorious self, and b) experiment with what the Fall might do to someone as sweet as Aziraphale; while I did give him the demon name Azazel, I did NOT make him a goat demon because frankly that’s all wrong for him. I went a different direction and it’s FRIGGIN COOL, Y’ALL ☺️

Sky Clear Blue (289k human AU, complete, rated E)

Obviously 💛 Time travel, coming out, the beautiful transformative power of love. My biggest piece to date, started as a tiny seed and germinated into something really beautiful. Also at some point I started illustrating every chapter which was a real game-changer, and makes me feel a weird obligation to KEEP DOING THAT for all of my fics.

Naked and Afraid: Jingle Hell (24k human AU, complete, rated T but only for, like, mildly suggestive themes)

Okay my new favorite thing EVER is to take an extremely silly premise and make you FEEL THINGS 🥰 "Aziraphale and Crowley are participants on Naked and Afraid" is not a thing I would have expected to be received with joy and tears, but here we are, and I'm very very happy with how this one turned out.

What was your biggest Pit of Despair moment?

...That's awfully dramatic, but I guess when the SCB posting schedule was really catching up to me and writing was more of a HAVE TO thing instead of a just-for-fun thing. But that didn't last long, and it never got to the point where I wasn't enjoying myself. Writing is a real passion of mine and I'm having the time of my life with these fics.

What have you learned?

Honestly...I've learned that I can do this. I really can. I can take an idea, just the tiniest glimmer of silver in the aether, and follow it and draw it out and spin it into something magnificent. I can write things that make people Feel (including myself!). When I reach, the story is there, and I can trust that I'll find it as I go along.

I've also learned that a good beta-reader is worth their weight in gold, rubies, mithril, any incredibly valuable thing, and that it's okay to open myself up to criticism, and that accepting suggestions from someone smart and articulate and caring makes my writing soooo much better.

What fic did you want to do, but never made it off the ground?

The Naked and Afraid piece would have been my answer here, except I found a way to make it happen 😁 I have a bunch of half-formed, nebulous ideas floating around, but really I've just been going for the stories that I want to tell. I guess we could count the When You Go sequel here, haha. As soon as I've had some time to absorb and process Season 3, the sequel is ON

Did you beta any fics? Any faves you want to give shout out?

I kiiiiinda did one soft beta-type-thing just last week, but that was my very first time! I'm usually soooo busy with my own projects that I barely have time to read anything anyone else writes, much less offer thoughtful feedback. Maybe one day...

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

See just above — I don't have the tiiiiiiime. I did read For Loving One by @thescholarlystrumpet and it was gorgeous (she even embedded a piece of fan art I did in one of the chapters, which was very exciting for me), and I read Love, Uh, Finds a Way by @heretic1103 which was a delight, annnnnd oh! oh! I stumbled upon Lay Thee Sinner, 'Neath the Cross and Pole by @thenerdalert and have been enjoying the updates!

What ideas are percolating for next year?

Okay NOW I'm excited, because as I mentioned above, I've got a brand-spankin'-new BIG multichapter human AU on the waaaaay and the first chapter is going to drop on December 31! The title is In His Hand a Burning Coal and it has officially consumed my entire heart. Can't WAIT to start sharing this one. It's tapped into some deeeeep, lifelong reservoirs of love and nerdy passion for me, and I think that comes through in the writing.

ALSO, in late February we're going to do something REALLY FUN. What do y'all think about a Choose Your Own Adventure FANFIC?? Like, I post a poll with options for the next chapter, you vote, and I write in the direction of the winning option? I'm super excited to give this a try. I do dearly love a good prompt, and if we can get a bunch of people in on the voting action I think it'll be an absolute blast. Soft and sweet? Hysterical crack? Enemies-to-lovers or a tooth-rotting meet-cute? ALL OF THE ABOVE??? YOU choose! 😃

Is there anyone you'd like to thank?

First and foremost, always, I thank @suzypfonne. A random comment on one of my fics has become a friendship I treasure dearly. She's smart, she's funny, she's deeply kind and caring and generous, and she's the best friggin' beta-reader I could imagine. She has made me a better writer, and I'm always excited to turn over a doc to her. 💛💛

Huge thanks as well to @sparklyshinymagpie, who messaged me out of the blue one day to say "hey I could help code the social-media stuff in your fic, if that's something you'd be interested in." HOLY SHIT YES. She has put a huge amount of time and work into making my stories so much prettier, and our next project will be compiling the PDFs for my big stories so I can finally make print copies available for purchase! She is VERY talented and patient and I APPRECIATE HER VERY MUCH

I'm also tremendously grateful to @e-rated-beardo for the unspeakably gorgeous gift that is this incredible recording of the titular song from Sky Clear Blue. One of the lovliest gifts I've EVER been given!

And a final thank-you to @lolalu16 for her tireless cheerleading. They sometimes get early access to chapters, just because I like them 😁

OKAY this was fun but also took forever, haha. I'd love to read others' posts on this subject, so feel free to go for it!

[forest-and-fauna]

Native Gardening: A Guide for Cold Stratification

It's nearly January, which means that it's time for me to start stratification for my native seeds.

Many native seeds have a built-in dormancy mechanism which will prevent germination until it is broken either naturally by weather, or artificially via cold/moist stratification in the refrigerator. This is a guide for the refrigeration method.

It's best done about 2-3 months before spring if you plan on starting the seeds indoors, or 2-3 months before your last frost date if sowing outdoors (depending on germination requirements). This year I'm using peat moss but you can substitute it with moist sand or damp paper towels.

Choosing Your Plants

One thing to consider before buying native seeds is how successful they will be once planted in your garden. The best way to determine this is by going outside and seeing what grows naturally in the yard.

For example, my yard has mostly shade-loving plants like the Common Blue Violet, Bloodroot, and Witchgrass, along with some hardier, more tolerant species like Blue Wood-Aster and Common Milkweed. Sun-loving plants like goldenrod are present but restricted to the edges of the property. Despite having no natural water source, I have seen a few water-dwelling species pop up as well.

This means that I have a pretty moist/shady backyard and that I should focus on species that either prefer these conditions or are very tolerant of them.

Remember to choose species that grow naturally in your biosphere. Some native seed vendors will provide range maps which will show you where certain plants exist in the wild. This is important because the entire point of native gardening is to support your local ecology and wildlife.

This year I'm raising Virginia Strawberry, Early Goldenrod, Sundial Lupine, Columbine, Spotted-Touch-Me-Not, Bloodroot, and Highbush Cranberry. In addition to pollinators like bees, wasps. and butterflies, these plants will be beneficial to songbirds, hummingbirds, and small mammals.

I always buy seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery. I've had great experiences with them and they even offer native range maps and germination instructions for each species.

Materials:

One bag of peat moss

A mixing bowl

A pitcher or measuring cup of water

Lidded jars or sealable plastic bags (1 per species)

A permanent marker and painters tape for labels.

Seeds of your choosing

Instructions:

Fill your mixing bowl with peat moss.

Slowly add water and mix with your hands until the moss is moist but not soaked. You should be able to form it into a ball.

Press peat moss into each container.

Sprinkle in the seeds. I covered the larger seeds with more peat moss, but the smaller seeds were just sprinkled on top so that I can actually find them when it's time to plant.

Seal containers and label each with the species name, length of time required in the fridge, (usually 60-90 days), and if it requires double dormancy.***

After this, place the containers in the fridge for 60-90 days, depending on the germination requirements. You should check on them weekly to make sure they don't dry out or grow mold. If a seed starts sprouting during stratification, remove it from the container and plant it in a starter pot.

After the 60-90 day period, the seeds will be ready to germinate. Move them into starter pots with soil or plant them directly into your garden bed.

I prefer starting my plants in Peat Pots, which are compostable and can be planted directly in the ground. This allows me to raise my seedlings indoors without the threat of wildlife or competition while preventing me from disturbing their root system when transplanting.

***Note on Double Dormancy

Some plants have double dormancy requirements for germination and can be more challenging to grow. This means that the plant will need a period of cold moisture, then warm moisture, and finally another period of cold moisture before they will germinate. Bloodroot, American Cranberrybush, and Spotted-Touch-Me-Not are all species that need double dormancy.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

2,000-year-old seeds were discovered in 1963 inside an ancient jar in Israel. They were planted in 2005 and a tree that had been extinct for over 1800 years sprouted.

Methuselah (tree) sprouted back in 2005, when agriculture expert Solowey germinated his antique seed. It had been pulled from the remains of Masada, an ancient fortification perched on a rock plateau in southern Israel.

For a while, the Judean date palm was the sole representative of his kind: Methuselah’s variety was reportedly wiped out around 500 A.D.

[kirkgarden]

February Seed Germination Dates

February is a great month to start germinating seeds as the days gradually get longer, encouraging strong growth. The best time to plant depends on the moon phases. For tall-growing trees, sow seeds on the new moon or waxing phase to promote upward energy. If you want shorter, fruit-bearing plants, start seeds during the waning moon to enhance root development and early fruiting. Warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, and melons can be started indoors, while cool-season crops like lettuce and spinach can be sown directly. Ensure seeds get consistent moisture and warmth for successful germination. Aligning your planting with natural rhythms helps improve growth and yields, making February an ideal month for planning and starting your garden.

https://youtu.be/yG98wQXb0Wk?si=hepeT9HEPBGJmLqN

[yukaro353]

Great art! Feel like sharing any of your Zuki headcanons? How do you imagine them getting together as a couple?

You don't know how much I wanted this question jsjsjjssjsjs

🪭It was a love that blossomed in the midst of adversity. Zuko was beginning a new stage in his life, consumed by a throne that was too stained, and Suki was at his side giving her all to keep him afloat. Between the long nights of work and the quiet mornings contemplating the future, the seeds germinated.

🪭Zuko is the first to be drawn to Suki, at first excusing himself by saying that he's just clinging to his closest friend, finding himself mesmerized by her every little gesture, his favorite thing to do is watch her put on her warrior uniform. It's art.

🪭For Suki it is a longer and more guilty process, because she has spent months trying to adapt and safeguard a long distance relationship, because she does not want to take a step that would ruin her friendship with the rest of the group, because "Zuko is just a random guy who can't get over his ex and is confused," she will always have a new excuse as she sinks deeper and deeper.

🪭It's a romance behind closed doors, Suki will not abandon her post of protecting Zuko and Zuko does not want to put a mark on her forehead that will make her a target for attacks.

🪭Their dates are usually at festivals and events where Zuko can cover himself with masks and things without attracting attention, Suki finds it funny because she goes unnoticed with her natural face.

🪭Ty-Lee was the first to find out and then Mai because, let's be honest, they're the only social circle those two have.

🪭They once went out with Kiyi "undercover" and some old lady commented on what a nice family they made. Zuko kept those words as his mantra for months.

🪭They had a ritual wedding just the two of them, at Suki's request after she nearly died in an attack on the palace. Zuko couldn't stop thinking about how to get her out of there and get her to safety, but he didn't deny her request, he wouldn't deny her anything.

[adropofhumanity]

"the picture thats showing is the palm of a hand holding a date, slightly visible from under the rubble, and the date seed has sprouted and produced strikingly long leaves. *the miracle* in this picture is more impressive than the germination process - to indicate the length of time the corpse remained under the rubble (three months at a minimum and above) - the *miracle* is that the palm of the hand with its fingers, its knots, its flesh, its tissues, its nails, and even its fingerprints, and its structural connection to the wrist, and its color, and its lack of decomposition, disintegration, or sagging, indicate that it is recently dead (hours), but the germination of a date seed indicates that it is ancient in death. *this is an indication and a sign from God's signs that this corpse is It is the body of a martyr, God willing. *and we all know that the bodies of martyrs do not decay and are not subject to rot and disappearance" — via dr.ahmed.moghrabi on instagram

[urban-homesteading]

The gist:

1. Start seeds indoors. Do this about six to eight weeks before the last frost date. It can help to soak your seeds in water 24 hours prior to planting. This will help soften the hard outer shell around each seed and make it easier for them to germinate.

2. Harden off indoor seedlings before taking outdoors full time.

2. Plant them in mounds. You should plant your seeds in little hills, each of which should be about a foot apart along a fence or something else that your loofah vines can climb.

3. If growing directly outside, once each plant is about two inches tall, thin to a single plant (choose the healthiest one and cull the rest).

4. If you’ve already planted your loofah gourds and a cold snap threatens, put a cloche over your seedlings. This can be as simple as a plastic soda bottle cut in half with a few air holes.

5. Prevent deformed fruits by checking them as they grow and making sure they aren't getting trapped in a fence.

6. Choose the right variety. There are actually two species of gourds that are referred to as loofahs - Luffa aegyptiaca and Chinese okra.  You want luffa acuntangular, also known as smooth luffa, Egyptian luffa, gourd luffa, or dishrag gourd.

7. Use diatomaceous earth in the late summer. In the late summer and early fall, when your plants have produced fruits that are almost ready for harvest, you may want to apply a light dusting of diatomaceous earth. This will help prevent squash beetles, creatures who can decimate loofah plants.

8. When it comes time to harvest, make sure you know the ideal time to do so. Usually, you will want to harvest once the vines have died back, before the first frost in the fall. To remove your loofahs, pinch or cut them off at the vine. This will leave the plant in good stead if there are other gourds that will need to ripen. If a frost threatens, harvest your loofah sponges. Even if they are still green, it’s better to harvest them before the frost hits, as this will lead to premature rot.

9. Prepare your sponges. You will need to do a bit of prep work to get your gourds ready for clean-up. Position your luffa gourd on a solid, flat surface. Use a stone or a rolling pin to remove the dried exterior skin. After you’ve removed both the seeds and the skin, there will be a black, brown, or yellow material underneath. Then soak this material in a solution of bleach water. Rinse them afterward with a few squirts from a hose at high pressure. This will remove any remaining seeds, mold, or rotten material. Allow the loofahs to dry in direct sunlight and a light breeze for a couple of days. Turn them regularly to make sure they dry evenly.

[balkanradfem]

It's Halloween!

Today is the exact midpoint between the fall equinox and the winter solstice, making it the first day of the darker half of the year. It's celebrated as Samhain, or the end of the harvest season by the Celts; and they held rich celebrations and rituals for it, because they were in a season of abundance.

Because this date starts the era of darkness, and it's noticeable how much shorter the days are and also very foggy and ominous, it's believed that the barrier between the our world and the spirit world is at it's weakest, and the spirits are able to enter our world, so it's the ideal time to contact a ghost, befriend a spirit, or get possessed by a ghost. People will put on masks to make themselves friendly to the spirits.

For me, a big lover of whimsy and witches, Halloween is a sign of power, storytelling, gorgeous sights in nature, yelling at the dead, rest from harvesting, storing food, and the sign to engage in spooky and pumpkin-based activities. It also means I'm not supposed to sow any seeds inside - they're not going to have enough light to grow. However, it's a good time to plant onion and garlic outside, because they love growing their roots during the winter cold, and they appreciate this weather.

I also decided to do a little test; I've often tried to grow seeds that require being in a fridge for 5 months in order to germinate, and it never ended well (I'd forget or the plants would die after being planted). So this year I took apple seeds, mulberry seeds, acorns and chestnuts, and planted them in containers on my balcony, leaving them out for the cold winter. I have to assume that this way they'll get enough cold from being outside, and when they do germinate, they'll already be in the soil and won't have to count on my ability to remember them; I'll see them poking out!

Hopefully I manage to grow some trees.