Pink flame retardants - what do we know about them?

 “Yeah. They’ve got a couple water sources, so she might be on the hose. I know they dropped mud on her earlier.” 

 “Why would they drop mud on Rowan?” 

 His laugh broke out, long, delighted. 

“Sorry. I meant the fire. Mud’s what we call the retardant the tanker drops. 

Believe me, no smoke jumper wants to be under that.”

Chasing Fire

____________________

Glenn Beltz, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Aircraft battling fires raging through the Los Angeles area are dropping more than water: Hundreds of thousands of gallons of hot-pink fire suppressant ahead of the flames in a desperate effort to stop them before they destroy more neighborhoods.

CNN

____________________

 “It’s thick pink goo, and burns if it hits your skin.” 

 “Why pink? It’s kind of girlie.” 

 He grinned as she got out a skillet. 

“They add ferric oxide to make it red, but it looks like pink rain when it’s coming down. 

The color marks the drop area.”

Chasing Fire 

Remodeling ‘Uh-Oh’ Moments

“Is there a problem over there?” Ford asked as he led the way to the kitchen.

“Something about the hot water heater, 

a protracted debate over drawers versus doors on some sort of cabinetry 

and Buddy bitching about O rings. 

Otherwise, it looks to me as if the work over there is going very well.”

Tribute

 

________________________

Photo by Deirdre Doherty Interiors - Search powder room pictures

A benefit of working with a designer is having someone who will ensure every detail in a space is exactly as requested. In other words, when things go wrong, it’s good to have an advocate on your side determined to make things right no matter what. Here, seven designers share an “uh-oh” moment they encountered and how they went above and beyond to solve it and make the homeowner happy.

HOUZZ

Happy Birthday Nora 🎂

 

"Every year on my birthday I give myself a gift. It's very simple, really.

One day to do whatever I choose. 

Whatever feels right to me."

Entranced

______________________

unbekannt, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

How do you feel about celebrating your birthday?

As my birthday rolls around this year, I’ve been thinking about how people feel about their birthday arriving and whether they treat it like a celebration or not.

 

I have friends who feel it’s nothing special and prefer to ignore it, others who acknowledge it but don’t like being made a fuss of, and then others who love an excuse to take the day off work and enjoy being spoilt.

Start With You

______________________

“We’ll have to save room for it and the ice cream,” John said. “After the birthday dinner. We were going to get pizza, but you started those meatballs, so we adjusted.”

Everything went bright, as if the sun burst through the pounding rain. “You’re going to stay.”

“I repeat, it’s your birthday. No way I’m missing out on ice cream and cake. We’ll wait for the others for eats, but I think you should open your gifts now.”

“Really? It’s all right?”

“Obviously, the genius doesn’t comprehend the power of birthday. Here.”

The Witness

World Animal Day 2024

 

He was waiting for her, pacing, watching, calling. At her approach,  the cat rubbed its body against the fencing, then stood, bracing his forepaws against it. And purred.

Six months since he’d seen her—scented her, Lil thought. But he hadn’t forgotten her. “Hello, Baby.”

She reached through to stroke the tawny fur, and he bumped his head affectionately to hers.

“I missed you, too.”

Black Hills

________________

MathKnight, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

World Animal Day: History, significance, theme, quotes and more

World Animal Day is observed every year on October 4 to highlight the importance of animals and spread awareness for their welfare to maintain ecological balance

Business Standard

________________

Connor slipped through the employees’ gate for the falconry school. 

As always,  he felt a little flutter—a bit like beating wings—in his heart, along his skin. 

It had always been the hawk for him. That connection, like his power, came down through the blood.

Shadow Spell

3 a.m.

 

"My favorite's the three o'clock hour. For most people, that's the hard time. If they don't sleep through it, that's the time the mind wakes up and starts worrying about what they did or didn't do that day, or what they'll do or not do the next. And the next, and right up until life's over."

Night Shield

___________________________

Ellin Beltz, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Now wide awake from a once peaceful slumber, you roll over to check the clock and find it’s 3 a.m. That’s the same time you woke up last night. And the night before.

 

If that sounds familiar, it’s because nocturnal awakenings happen to a lot of people. Waking up several times throughout the night is a natural occurrence often due to sleep architecture, which are the stages of sleep that one cycles through every night.

CNN

Elements of an Inspiring Home Gym

 

“What gym do you use, Legs?”

She opened the bottle. “My own.”

Bed of Roses

________________

Photo by TNHometour.com - Browse home gym photos

It’s not so much the size of your workout area that matters — whether you have a corner devoted to yoga or an entire home gym. Finding the motivation to use your workout space is often the hardest part. Here are 10 elements to give your workout space (and you) a jolt of inspiration.

HOUZZ

________________

Two treadmills, an elliptical, a recumbent bike, Bowflex, free weights, a bench press—not to mention the huge flat-screen and the glass-fronted fridge holding bottles of water and juice.Towels, he noted, neatly folded, alcohol wipes, killer view.

“Convenient,” he said, “and efficient.”

Happy Ever After

"Save Your Tears"

 

Raven was made for the stage, for the live audience that pumped the blood and heat into the music.

Once more with Feeling

______________________

 

______________________

While these two stars and the inspired supporting cast lit up the stage, 

it was the music that drove the production.

Waiting for Nick