#vs knives and teeth because this is not safe for either of us and it’s the only defense we know

[overcrowded-camp]

i’m so divided between genuine somewhat tender and loving durgetash and one-sided “durge is an easy mark” vs “i know you’re using me but i have literally no one else” durgetash

[franki-lew-yo]

Dog feelings

It's funny to me just how everyone's personal bad experience with dog breeds clouds their judgement so much on dogs - rationally and irrationally.

When I was little there was a MEAN and scary German Shepherd who'd bark through a fence at me. It started my fear of those dogs, but my lasting fear came from seeing images of the civil rights movement and police brutality. (H1tler having an affinity for them didn't help). Like,OF COURSE- German Shepherds aren't inherently evil. I've met some wonderful and sweet German Shepherds in my life and I'm sure the German Shepherds in your life were good wholesome doggos - I'm still afraid of them.

I guess I'm lucky that I've never been at the business end of a 'fighting' or 'working' dog breed that wants to hurt me. I know not to treat pitbulls like puppies ftr, no one should. They're strong. I guess my opinion of ''mean dogs'' (so says talking dog media I consumed as a kid) was put in place by my aunt's rottweilers. One of them, Indie, was so kind and docile I hung out with him as a tiny baby. The one they got after, Luke, did hurt my aunt in a way that required stitches, but it was by accident. My aunt and uncle taught me how to raise your voice high and let an animal that's bigger than you and doesn't want to hurt you, which Luke was, know that it is hurting. Luke wanted to play and be an eternal puppy but what was scary about him, and I presume some pitbulls are like this as well, is he didn't KNOW his own strength. There's something so different between the fear of an animal that you know wants to hurt you vs one that could hurt you if you both aren't careful. When you're a kid who doesn't know how to be safe yourself, you and the animal BOTH have to be taught this lesson.

Which brings me to the dog breed I'm the most cautious around even though there's so many examples of good doggos out there: labs.

My mom and us had a neighbor around 7 years ago. They later got a hound-mix named Bernie, but their first dog they really should have had or could take care of was a lab named Basil. Basil was mostly just annoying- she'd get out of her yard and chase the neighbor cats, dig up other yards, try and hunt our neighbor's chickens. Ginger (rip) and later Shelby obv didn't like her but so did most dogs in the neighborhood. Basil would also kind of like Luke in that she'd run into your crotch nose-first and slobber on you like she was still a puppy and not a grown dog, which was intimidating but some people found it cute because she was a lab. Then, one Halloween morning when my sister and I were carving pumpkins in the open garage - we looked up to see Basil - out of her yard again - baring her teeth at us and growling. It was terrifying. Ginger was somewhere in the front yard and was distracted so we had no way of knowing she was even there until she just was THERE. Worse still- Basil didn't move or stop baring her teeth until Laura and I put down the carving knives we were using on our pumpkins. Then the returned to wagging her tail and tearing up our yard. From then on though, she both bareled in and smelled us but ALSO would bare her teeth at us.

I know how unbelievable that sounds. I have no idea if Basil recognized knives for being a thing that can hurt you . I HOPE she didn't actually recognize what it was for. Excitable dogs like her can mistake any longish-thing in your hand for either a toy or a thing to whap them with. But even without that-she was terrifying. She scared me. Another blond lab on our street also would try and maul Shelby and other little dogs if she got too close.

Just like how Pitbulls, German Shepherds and Doberman's are bread to bite and can, people forget that Labrador Retrievers are retrievers. They're hunting dogs. They're active and can do damage, for all their cuteness. Any dog can be a good dog, but every dog has to be trained to behave. When you have big dogs take care of them right in every sense of the word.

[builder051]

Fill the holes (with more cement)

Powers/No powers.  Bucky vs. Depression storyline.

__________

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” Steve says into the phone.  Across the kitchen table, Bucky cringes.  He wants to drop his forehead to the table, but that seems like the wrong thing to do.  It would probably hurt, but that doesn’t matter.  Steve wouldn’t like it.  And that kind of does.

“I’m,” Steve sighs.  “I’m literally out of options.  I have...” He checks his watch.  “Like, an hour of sick leave left.  I can be a little late, but that’s it.”

He glances up from pen and paper he’s fiddling with, but Bucky doesn’t meet his eye.  

“And I can’t teleport,” Bucky hears a female voice reply on the other end of the line.  “I’ll be there, ok?  And I’ll speed.  But it’ll still take a couple hours.”

“Yeah,” Steve says.  “Yeah.  Ok.”

“Is he safe alone?” the woman asks.

Bucky cringes as Steve squeezes his eyes shut.  “Laura, I don’t have a choice.  At first SHIELD was pretty accommodating with FMLA and stuff, but they’re at the end of their rope with me.  I’m about to be let go for attendance problems, and my part of the project’s getting fucked up-- ”  

“Steve.”

He wrings the hand not holding the phone to his ear, then brings it in to rub his eyes.  “Sorry.  I’m sorry.”

“Get him settled.  I’ll be there..  I can call you from the road if that helps.”

“Can’t,” Steve says apologetically.  “But thank you.  You’re amazing.  You’re my savior.”  He clamps the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he picks up his work bag and tries to button the top button of his shirt at the same time.  

“Shut up.  Go to work.  I’ll be there.”

The call ends, and Steve tosses the phone into the front pocket of his bag.  He closes his eyes and takes a breath, then turns to Bucky, who is still refusing to look at him.  

It’s not that Bucky minds being talked about like a dog or a little kid, because he knows that’s about what he’s worth.  He just wishes he wasn’t letting Steve down so badly.  Project be damned, it’s his life that’s getting fucked up.  And it’s all Bucky’s fault.

“You wanna come sit?  Watch a movie?”  Steve coaxes hurriedly, turning on the television and flipping channels until he finds something in black and white.  “Get your mind engaged in something?”

He’s trying.  Bucky can’t fault him for it.  But there’s just about nothing he’d like to do less than scoot back his hard wooden chair and drag his feet across the carpet to settle in the corner of the cold leather sofa.  

Steve throws a blanket over the pale leather upholstery.  “Come on, Buck,” he says, almost pleading.  “Just come over here and sit.  You’re nice and safe.”

Bucky turns his head a fraction of an inch to get a better look at Steve’s face.  He can read in the lines between his eyebrows exactly what he’s not saying.  You’re far away from the knives.  The pills.  The bathtub and the sink and the cord for the weedwhacker.  

And that’s what makes him break.  He feels sorry for Steve, frantic and caring and protective all at once.  He feels bad because it’s all his fault.  Sour guilt burns at the back of Bucky’s throat and threatens to wash up into his mouth.  

He grits his teeth and slowly nods.  Getting a move on would be more respectful, more considerate of Steve’s situation.  He could say, “of course, babe, I know you have to get to work.”  But that would involve cobbling together words he doesn’t have and speaking with a voice he doesn’t seem to possess.  

“Hm,” Bucky manages when he finally sinks into the nest Steve has created at the end of the couch.  He means to say “thanks” as well, but his mouth is stringy with spit, and it comes out as just, “Ks.”

Steve creates his own interpretation and leans forward, gently petting Bucky’s hair and planting a kiss on the top of his crown.  

It feels comforting.  Too comforting, so Bucky pulls the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head.

“Alright,” Steve says softly, a note of hurt in his voice.  “Laura will be here soon.  She has a key, so she’ll just let herself in.”

“Hm.”

“Ok.  I’ll see you this afternoon?  Well, tonight, probably, with this dumb project...”  

Bucky watches Steve shake his head, as if clearing water from his ears so he can focus.  He does need to focus.  On the actual important things. 

“K.”

“Love you, Buck.”  Steve gives him a soft smile, then all but sprints out the door.  

Once the sound of Steve’s bike leaves the driveway, Bucky lets his body go slack, his stump shoulder burrowing into the crack between the back of the couch and the arm.  The blanket rumples and creates a makeshift pillow, and he brings his knees up against his chest, securing them loosely with his right arm.  

He feels shaky; his teeth are chattering even though he’s not cold.  Bucky wants Steve to come back, to lie beside him and make everything that’s wrong feel right again.  He also wants Steve to stay away, maybe never come back at all.  Because Bucky doesn’t deserve him.  He doesn’t deserve anything.  He doesn’t deserve the air he’s breathing.  He doesn’t deserve to live--

Time must’ve passed as he sat there, curled against the arm of the sofa and wondering where in the house Steve had hidden his prescriptions this time, because it seems like barely a second later the door is opening and a soft, high voice is calling his name.

“James?” 

“I’m--”  A bubble of thick saliva bursts in Bucky’s throat and steals the rest of his sentence.  Or at least it would’ve if he’d had any more he wanted to say.

“Yeah,” Laura says.  “I see you.”  Keys and grocery bags hit the counter, then soft slippered feet approach his couch nest.  

Bucky doesn’t move.  He isn’t sure he can; he has no drive, no energy.  The force required to sit up and say hello seems equal to that needed to swallow a handful of pills.  

“Can I sit with you?” 

Bucky doesn’t answer right away.  He doesn’t need to mull it over, but the words still take a long time coming.  “’S fine.”  

“Alright.”  She sits, then pauses.  “Is it ok to touch you?  Put my hand on your shoulder?’

“Hm.  K.”

“Ok.”  Laura gently lays a hand on his back, just behind the joint.  The pressure is light, but the presence makes him feel lighter.  A little bit, anyway.  It’s possible to lift his head without the assistance of a forklift, so Bucky does and blinks up at her with glassy eyes.

“Hi,” Laura whispers to him.  

Bucky mouths the word back, but no sound comes out.  

“You’re all scrunched up in the corner,” Laura says, nodding to the wrinkled blanket bunched under James’s head.  “Do you want to try lying down?”  She takes a throw pillow from the opposite end of the couch and offers it to him.  

Bucky blinks slowly and takes inventory.  His lower back is beginning to protest the tightly curled position, and while it makes him feel warm and safe, it’s no longer worth the mounting level of discomfort.  

“Yeah,” he says quietly.

“Ok. Here you go.”  With a feather-light touch, Laura sits Bucky up and removes the blanket from beneath him as he scoots down and re-settles in a properly reclined position.  Her hand slide past his armpit and the other catches the base of his neck.  Laura frowns.

“James?”

“M?”

“You’re really warm.  Are you feeling ok?”

Bucky bites the inside of his cheek until it hurts.  “Not...not really.”

“I mean...”  Laura carefully brushes Bucky’s bangs out of his face to feel his forehead.  “You’re definitely feverish.  Are you feeling sick?”

“I...don’t know.”  Bucky’s so used to feeling terrible that he’s forgotten how to differentiate the mental from the physical.

“It’s alright,” Laura says.  She kneels on the carpet at Bucky’s shoulder and folds her arms on the edge of the couch cushion, then rests her chin on the backs of her hands.  “Do you want to take inventory?”

“Like, make a list?” Bucky asks slowly.  It’s a technique emphasized in his therapy sessions.  He wonders if Steve’s gotten to Laura and suggested she work with him specifically on it.  Or if Laura’s been to therapy.  Or if it’s just a good idea to begin with and Laura’s a smart cookie.

Bucky has to stop thinking because it’s making his head throb.

“Sure, like a list.”  Laura smiles.  “Now, how’s your head?”

“Hurts.”

“A lot or a little?”

Bucky pauses to think about it.  Nothing like a migraine, but it’s not peanuts either.  “In between?”

“Stuffy nose?”  Laura continues?

“Uh.”  Bucky sniffs.  There’s no dripping snot, but his breathing does feel slightly constricted.  No wonder he’s been feeling like he’s been caught up in ropes wrapped round his chest.  “Stuffy...”  He gestures vaguely from his forehead down to his sternum.

“Ah,” Laura nods.  “The sinuses acting up?  Maybe a bit of chest congestion to go with it?”

Bucky blinks his affirmation, deciding against nodding should his aching head take the opportunity to play up.  

“Ok.  Stomach?”  Laura looks at him in all seriousness.

As if on cue, Bucky’s gut seems to fold itself in half, making a low rumble and sending a warning shot of hot sourness up into the back of his throat.  He isn’t sure if Laura heard it, so he surreptitiously wraps his arms around his abdomen and presses his vibrating teeth together.  

“James?”

“Hm.  Not, uh.  Not good.”

“Do you feel like you could throw up?”  Laura isn’t phased in the slightest.

Bucky swallows hard at the mention, then gives a minute nod.

“Ok.”  Laura rises to her feet.  “Give me one second.”  

She disappears for a moment, presumably to the upstairs bathroom, because when she returns, she has the trash can, the thermometer, and several bottles and boxes of medicine.  

“Alright,” Laura says, resuming her crouch. “I gotta know how high that fever is.”  She removes the thermometer’s plastic cap.

Bucky shakes his head.  “I’ll--” he starts, already beginning to gag.  

“I’d rather you blow before I medicate you.”  Laura gives a sideways smile.

Bucky reluctantly lets her slip the device into his mouth.  As expected, saliva pools immediately, sour and gummy around his teeth.  An attempt to swallow without moving his tongue sets off a choked retch, and before he’s fully aware of what’s happened, he’s hanging off the edge of the sofa, spitting bile and mucous into the bin while Laura pats him between the shoulder blades.

“101,” Laura says when he’s finished.

“Huh?”  Bucky drags a shaky hand across his mouth.

“Your temp.”

“Oh.”

“Think you can manage some pills?”  Laura asks.  She flips over a few options to check the dosing, then hands him five assorted tablets and gel caps.  

“Really?  I’m allowed--”  Bucky breaks off in a wet cough.

“Well, I’m watching you, aren’t I?”  Laura reminds him softly.  “Extra meds are necessary sometimes.  You know that.”  She makes her way toward the kitchen, where she pulls a case of juice boxes from one of the grocery bags.  “You’re not hurting yourself, and you’re not getting high.  And you’re damn lucky my kids don’t like strawberry kiwi.”

Bucky tries to smile, but all he can do is pull his mouth into a straight line.  Better than a scowl, he supposes.  He guesses he just looks sick.

“What’re you gonna--” Bucky pauses to clear his throat as Laura hands him a drink and looks pointedly at the pills in his palm.  “What’re you gonna tell Steve?”

“That he needs his radar system recalibrated,” Laura says with a laugh.  “No, really.  That you’re not feeling well.  And that you’re not feeling well.”

“Hm.”  The meds sting a little as they pass down Bucky’s raw throat.

“That’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he breathes.  Then he coughs.  “I guess.”

“It’s a good guess,” Laura replies.  “Because I know.”

[yierkitchen]

Why Every Kitchen Needs One Bread Knife . More than one purpose

A bread knife is a specialty knife designed to cut through the bread crust without compressing its soft interior in the process.  The key design point is the frequency and width of the serrations.  In some cases there is a straight blade section on either end of the bread knife with a longer serrated section in the middle.  Serrated bread knives are often ground on only one side – called a single-bevel blade.  Low-frequency serrations – lower number and wider spacing of teeth – help the blades glide through bread quickly and cleanly.  What is a bread knife good at cutting ? Basically anything with a hard skin or crust.

We understand the bread knife from several aspects

KNIFE BLADE SHAPE

A bread knife is shaped similar to the Santoku knife with 2 differences – it is serrated teeth and is much longer.  The idea behind the length of the blade is it allows the cook to cut large surfaces in long, smooth strokes – much like a saw in carpentry.  The serrated teeth help the knife grip the bread’s surface, keeping it straight and steady without having to apply downward pressure that might compress the loaf.

The Best Bread Knife: Pointed vs. Scalloped Edges

Ah the bread knife – that one with the long blade that everyone thinks is reserved for, you know, bread. This type of kitchen knife usually comes with saw-like points or notches along the cutting edge of the blade. This design enables the knife to slice, or really saw through, foods with tough exteriors and delicate interiors, like crusty loaves of bread, of course.

Using a bread knife usually involves exerting more force while slicing, which divides the pressure between the serrations on the blade. The number, shape and overall sharpness of the serrations also differ from bread knife to bread knife, offering two different cutting edges: pointed vs. scalloped.

BREAD KNIFE SIZE

Bread knives come in length varying from 6″ to 14″ – the right size depends on what you will be cutting most frequently.  For the average home cook an 8″ (20 cm) blade is the right length as it is long enough to cut though most large breads yet short enough to control easily.  If the blade is too long it may flex while cutting – making cutting straight difficult for home cooks.

Can Serrated Bread Knives be Sharpened?

Nothing good lasts forever, and like all knives, serrated edges will also wear down and dull over time. Not to fret though, it is in fact possible to restore your serrated bread knife back to working condition.

However, sharpening a serrated bread knife is trickier than sharpening a straight-edged chef’s knife. The serrated edges are usually only sharpened on one side and have to be sharpened at the specific angle specified by the brand, making it a lot more difficult for a home cooking enthusiast to navigate.

Destroying your new knife because you don’t have the necessary skills to properly sharpen it is not very cost effective – and throwing away knives is both scary and wasteful. Your best bet for maintaining the cutting edge of your bread knife is to first invest in a quality bread knife and leave the sharpening process to the professionals.

What is a Bread Knife Used For?

This might be obvious, but you can use a bread knife to slice all kinds of breads, from baguettes and brioche to bagels and biscuits. It’s also the perfect tool for shaping and leveling cakes for decorating, along with cutting delicate slices to serve.

Tougher foods are no match for a bread knife either. Melons and squash, which can trap straight-edged knives and pose a cutting hazard to cooks, are easily sliced with a long bread knife. Prepping other fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes or pineapple, is also a good occasion to break out your bread knife. In a pinch, it can even be used to slice meatloaf and carve roasts!

While you may not use a bread knife as often as the other knives in your set, it’s still a valuable tool to add to your collection. There are countless recipes, snacks and sandwich platters that call for the use of many different types of bread. And although a chef’s knife may work well enough, it falls noticeably short when slicing through crusty loaves and other foods that require a serrated knife.

What I want to tell you is: the bread knife is more than just cutting bread.

Let me tell you other uses of it

For Sweets

If you’re a home cook with a sweet tooth, you’ll definitely want to keep a bread knife on hand. Just as with savory baked goods, there are many reasons to break out the bread knife for sweets, from cakes to pastries. Not only does it easily slice through the delicate sponge of a cake, its blade is also longer than most other kitchen knives, meaning you can slice through the entire layer in just one pass. If you do a lot of cake work, look for a bread knife with a more rounded handle so it’s comfortable to hold horizontally when leveling cakes.

You can also use a bread knife to prepare some of the accompanying ingredients for your sweet treats. It’s especially well-suited for breaking up blocks of baking chocolate, which is brittle and may snap under the pressure of a straight-edged knife. Use a bread knife to easily cut the chocolate into small, manageable pieces suitable for melting or mixing into doughs and batters.

For Fruits and Vegetables

A serrated knife is good at one thing – cutting without downward pressure. That one trait makes the bread knife useful for both squishy, delicate foods and very firm, tough foods. Use it to cut perfect slices from soft fruits and vegetables like tomatoes or citrus without covering your cutting board in juices. It’s also perfect for cutting up a pineapple.

Shun Knife Shun Premier Grey 9″ Bread Knife

Features

VG-MAX steel core, Damascus clad with 34 micro-layers on each side of SUS410/SUS431 stainless steel; full tang

Hammered Tsuchime finish helps release the food from the blade easily when slicing

60-61 Rockwell Hardness; hand-sharpened Japanese double-bevel blade angle 16° on each side

Contoured grey PakkaWood handle accommodates right and left-handed users

Handcrafted in Seki, Japan with a limited lifetime warranty; hand wash with gentle dish soap

Description

The Shun Premier Grey Bread Knife will be one of the most-used knives in your kitchen, if you bake or buy whole loaves of bread. Whether you love wonderfully crusty or delicately tender bread, the Shun Premier Bread Knife will be your loaf’s new best friend, no matter what texture of bread. The key is Shun’s razor-sharp, wide, “low frequency” serrations. Unlike a plain-edged knife, the serrations let you gently saw through the bread without crushing and with much less crumbing. Unlike saw-tooth serrations that are spaced closer together, the Shun Premier Bread Knife’s wide serrations will gently glide through the bread without tearing. This keeps the bread’s texture intact and enhances eating pleasure. Cakes and pastries also benefit from the Shun Premier Bread Knife’s smooth cutting capabilities.

The Shun Premier Grey line calls to mind as the hand-forged knives of ancient Japan. While each knife still takes at least 100 handcrafted steps to complete, the materials Shun uses are among the most advanced in the industry. Each blade has a cutting core of Shun’s proprietary VG-MAX “super steel” to take and hold a precision edge. The layered Damascus cladding supports the core and provides additional stain resistance. Near the edge of the blade where the steels meet, an undulating line is formed, similar to samurai swords using a traditional clay-baking technique. The hammered tsuchime finish acts like a series of hollow-ground cavities to reduce drag. The grey PakkaWood handles nestle comfortably in the hand, while the embossed end cap adds balance and beauty. Handcrafted in Seki, Japan with a limited lifetime warranty.

Why choose YIERCITY

We do professional knife set retail and wholesale business. We hope to be your stable global supporter and partner.

We are an enterprise integrating factory and trade, specializing in the design, manufacture and sales of high-quality knife sets.

We always make every effort to ensure the quality of each set of knives.

Why choose YIER Knives

● The complete knife set contains all kitchen knives.

● Delivery from the local warehouse, within 3 days.

● Manufactured in our own factory, cost-effective.

● Transparent acrylic knife holder, like a work of art

● Excellent materials, safe and durable.

● Free returns

● We listen to customer needs and feedback.