Jul 31, 2018

On the rocks




“What the hell do you think's going to grow in that rock?”
“You'd be surprised.” She took a moment to wipe at the sweat that was dripping in her eyes. “See those lilies on the bank there?” She gave a little grunt as she dislodged a rock. “I planted them two years ago in September.”
He glanced at the profusion of tall, colorful flowers with grudging admiration. He had to admit that they were an improvement over the rough, rocky soil, but was it worth it?


Suzanna's Surrender





_____________________





By Mabroukelm - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68864084




A Lush Garden on the Rocks


Create planting pockets between crevices that work in tandem with nature








_____________________





The plants were in place, the ground smoothed and mulched. Where there had only been rocks and thin, thirsty soil 
were bright hopeful young flowers and tender green leaves.


Suzanna's Surrender




Jul 30, 2018

Guide to growing Hydrangeas





“I hope you like hydrangeas.”
“I surely do.”
“Then pick your spot, and tell me where I can find a shovel.”
She wanted it right in front, where she could see it when she sat on her porch.
While he dug, she went in the house, came back out with a plastic container.
“Coffee grounds, some orange peels I haven’t taken out to the compost yet. You bury these with the roots, boy. They’ll help keep the blooms blue.”


Shelter in Place




_____________________




By Dwight Sipler from Stow, MA, USA - Blue Hydrangea 
(Pink Hydrangea?)Uploaded by Jacopo Werther, CC BY 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25225962




Low-Maintenance, Long-Lasting Hydrangeas




Find out which panicle varieties are so amazing, you'll never want to plant a bigleaf type again






_____________________




“Reed. That’s a nice hydrangea. Nikko Blue. Needs acidic soil to keep it that way.”
“Then I’m passing it to the guy who knows.”



Shelter in Place








Jul 26, 2018

Friendships That Have Stood the Test of Time





For old friends

Where there is no vision, the people perish.

--PROVERBS 29:18





(as in The Pagan Stone)





_________________




By Kuleczkaxx - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60483362






It’s often believed that long-lasting relationships and friendships are almost impossible in Hollywood. Actors and singers have one thing in common: they’re all creative personalities, and there is always an endless struggle for popularity.
However, at Bright Side have found 11 celebrity friendships that have stood the test of time and are characterized by true devotion and sincerity.









_________________







“We should do this every year on our birthday,” Cal decided. “Even when we’re old.
Like thirty or something. The three of us should come here.”
“Drink beer and look at pictures of naked girls,” Fox added. “I call for—”
“Don’t.” Gage spoke sharply. “I can’t swear. I don’t know where I’m going to go, but
it’ll be somewhere else. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back.”
“Then we’ll go where you are, when we can. We’re always going to be best friends.”
Nothing would change that, Cal thought, and took his own, personal oath on it. 


Blood Brothers





Jul 25, 2018

'Blood moon' eclipse will be century's longest





If there was a red haze over the moon, it was due to some atmospheric quirk and had nothing to do with her.
She would leave the omens and portents to Mia since she enjoyed them so much. 


Dance Upon the Air






_____________________




By Marcel Oosterwijk from Amsterdam, The Netherlands - 
Super Blood Moon over Amsterdam I, CC BY-SA 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69664064






If you happen to be in Europe, Africa, Australia or anywhere else in the Eastern Hemisphere on July 27, you just might find yourself standing under this century's longest lunar eclipse.





Those outside the viewing area for July's eclipse won't have to wait long for their own chance to peer up at a full blood moon. The next total eclipse, visible over northwest Africa, Europe and the Americas, will take place on Jan. 21, 2019.






Jul 24, 2018

"Power's out," she managed






He saw her carrying a candle through the dark, her face pale in its flickering light, her eyes wide. She fumbled through drawers in her kitchen, talking to herself, as she was prone to. And jolted like a frightened deer when the next flash of lightning broke the night.
Well, he hadn't thought of that, Liam admitted, and in a rare show of frustration, dragged a hand through his hair. Her power was out, and she was alone in the dark, and scared half to death. Hadn't Belinda told her how to work the little generator, or where the flashlight was? The emergency lanterns? Apparently not.



Enchanted







_______________________






Santeri Viinamäki [CC BY-SA 4.0  
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons








13 Things You Should Never Do During a Power Outage










Jul 23, 2018

Jul 20, 2018

✍️ Robert Frost





She shot the young girl a grin. "What are you studying?"
"American poets."
"Have a favorite?"
"I like Robert Frost."
"I always liked Frost." Kasey smiled as lines flitted through her mind. "His poems always remind me of my grandfather."
"Your grandfather?"
"He's a doctor in a remote section of West Virginia. Blue mountains, forest, streams. Last time I went home, he was still making house calls." He'll be making them when he's a hundred, she thought, and missed him suddenly, acutely. It had been too long since she'd
been home. "He's an incredible man—big and strapping with white hair and a big, booming voice. Gentle hands."


Tonight and Always






______________________





By Jeremyblock - Own work, CC BY 3.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8920388





Instapoets have become iconic. Racking up hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, these poets are doing the impossible: making poetry accessible. 
They fill both books and social media with short-form, relatable, and even trending verse. 
SHAAZIA EBRAHIM and FATIMA MOOSA round up 10 instapoets that you must follow.








Jul 19, 2018

Say 'UNCLE'






Nate gave a squeal of delight when Luke snatched him. After a short, furious battle, Luke let himself be pinned. He grunted with exaggerated bursts as Nate bounced on his stomach.
“You’re too tough for me, kid. Uncle.”
“Uncle who?”
“Just uncle.” Chuckling, Luke ruffled Nate’s dark hair. “It means I give up.”


Honest Illusions





___________




By SusanHanisch - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51448331






Anyone know where the phrase 'Say Uncle' meaning 'I give up' came from?






Jul 17, 2018

Jewelry





“Earrings are like orgasms. You can never have too many."
"I never thought about it quite that way."
"Well, you're a man." She gave his knee a friendly pat.



Daring to Dream




__________________




By Jamie - Candy Corn Earrings and Bright Red Hair, CC BY-SA 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57818107





Pieces of Jewelry Every Woman Should Have








__________________






Should she go with
the big silver hoops, sort of carefree sexy, or the little marcasite drops she'd
splurged on last summer, more demure and sophisticated?
These were the details that set the tone for a woman's mood, her outlook, her
intentions for an event. 

A man might miss them, she thought as she held one of
each pair up to her ears, but a woman knew why she was wearing a particular pair
of earrings.



Key of Valor





Jul 16, 2018

Our brains need silence to make sense of things





“I upset her,” Reed began as Simone walked away.
“No.” Mi laid a hand on his arm, watched her friend. “No, you really didn’t. Upset, she’d have been frigid or molten. She’s thinking, and she’s looking at something she’s refused to look at for a long time.”
Mi turned back to him, positively beamed. “I don’t know what you said or did, but I’m even happier to meet you.” 


Shelter in Place






____________________






By Museumderstille - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45667210






The mind works hard in the moments between the noise.











____________________






“I upset you the night of the party. Your friend said I didn’t, but—”
“Mi’s right, as usual. You didn’t. I was thinking about something, and you made me think harder. I was abrupt, but that’s because I was inside my own head.”
“The SBZ?”
Her lips curved as she shrugged. “Maybe just inside the border.”



Shelter in Place






Jul 13, 2018

“Pearls lie not on the seashore. If thou desirest one thou must dive for it.” Chinese Proverb




“And the pearls?”
“These.” He lifted a finger to trace them. 
“A symbol of family, endurance, innocence. They suit you very well.”
“They— I know I should have found a way not to accept them, but when Suzanna 
put them on me upstairs, they felt as though they were mine.” 


Megan's Mate



__________________



By Hannes Grobe/AWI - Own work, CC BY 3.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12457319






Use Pearl when you need a boost of happiness in your life






The Meanings and Myths of Pearls



Jul 12, 2018

How to Get Rid of Hiccups





Picking up the glass, she drank while running her
finger in circles over the bottom.
"What the hell are you doing now?"
"Getting rid of the hiccups. Surefire." 
She set the glass down and
waited. "See? All clear." 





Loving Jack




__________________





By Sarah R. Webb (U.S. armed forces) - 
This Image was released by the United States Air Force with the 
ID 091130-F-8115W-005 (next).This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. 
A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.
বাংলা | Deutsch | English | español | euskara | فارسی | français | italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 |
 македонски | മലയാളം | Plattdüütsch | Nederlands | polski | پښتو | português | 
Türkçe | українська | 中文 | 中文(简体)‎ | +/−, 
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14958995






Home Remedies That Actually Work

Hiccups come at the most inconvenient times, and when you're in public, you might need to use some very subtle methods to control them. Here are seven time-tested techniques to get rid of hiccups in a hurry.


Jul 10, 2018

Birds are wicked smart, despite their small brains





Seconds later, a shrill wolf whistle sounded from inside, followed by a muffled scream. 
He was grinning by the time Bird squawked out his invitation: “Hey, sugar, buy you a drink? Here's looking at you, kid.” When Bird began to sing a chorus of “There Is Nothing like a Dame,” the children collapsed into fits of laughter.
A few minutes later, Megan carried out a tray of drinks. Bird's voice followed her. “'Give me a kiss, and to that kiss a score!'“
She arched a brow as she set the tray on the deck. “Bogart, show tunes and poetry. That's quite a bird.” 


Megan's Mate



________________






By pionetes - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3454725





Crows and ravens are really smart. Parrots and cockatoos are very intelligent. Magpies, macaws, jays and parakeets ... all brilliant birds. But how is it that these avian animals are so clever when their brains are relatively small? After all, isn't it our big brains relative to our body size that makes us humans so amazingly smart? Turns out, not necessarily.







Jul 9, 2018

Love for Rome grows with each visit





"Have you ever been to Rome?"
"No." He thought he heard just a trace of wistfulness in her voice. "I haven't been to Europe at all."
"When you do, come to Rome. It was built on grit."
Her mind drifted a bit as she thought of it, and her smile remained. "I think of fountains and marble and cathedrals."
"You'll find them—and more." She had a face exquisite enough to be carved in marble, he thought. A voice quiet and smooth enough for cathedrals. "Rome rose and fell and clawed its way back up again. An intelligent woman understands such things. A romantic woman understands the fountains." 


Lessons Learned




________________




CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=601565






Love is lovelier the second time around, Frank Sinatra told us.
It's much the same with Rome.









Jul 8, 2018

My husband is at it again



Now it's Angels Fall...


I'm feeling very smug with his suspictions and his who-did-it-?-... first  it was Doc, then he tried to enter Nora's mind and said it could be Brody... today the finger, and mind, points to Mac Drubber...

It's never who's in plain sight 😉








Jul 5, 2018

Reasons You Should Spend More Time Alone





"Will you stay?"
"No." Meg pulled the drapes, spoke into the shadows. 
"I don't hate being alone. And I need to be."





Northern Lights





__________________






By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters - avocet
Uploaded by Dolovis, Public Domain, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31315824






There are a multitude of studies that tout the benefits of solitude. Here are just a few science-backed reasons for spending time alone:









__________________






Nathan had been perfectly happy catching up on his back issues of Architectural Digest. He burrowed in his office, content simply to be there with the warm paneled walls and the faded Persian carpet. Terrace doors opened onto the patio and out to the garden. It was his
refuge, with the faint scent of leather from books and the sharp light of sun through etched glass. If a man couldn't be alone in his office, he couldn't be alone anywhere. 






Loving Jack







Jul 4, 2018

Prepare Your Child to Handle an Emergency




Owen turned the truck around, started toward the road. “I’m going to get a dog.”
“Dogs are good.” Liam nodded wisely. “You can play with them, and you have to feed
them and teach them to sit. They keep bad guys away. A bad guy came in our house, but
the dogs were just puppies.”
Owen debated a response. He wasn’t sure how much the boys knew about Sam
Freemont. “You have good dogs.”
“They’re bigger now, but they’re still puppies. But they’ll keep bad guys away when
they grow up. The bad guy came in and scared my mom.”
“I know. But she’s okay, and the bad guy’s in jail.”
“Beckett came and stopped him. And you and Ryder came, too.”
“That’s right.” If Liam needed to talk about it, Owen concluded, it worried at the kid.
“You don’t have to worry, Liam. We’ve got your back.”
“’Cause Beckett and Mom are getting married.”
“Because of that, yeah, and just because.”
“If the bad guy tries to come back, and Beckett’s not there, Harry and I will fight him,
and Murphy’ll call nine-one-one, then Beckett. We talked about it. We practiced.”
“That’s smart.” 





The Last Boyfriend







___________________




By Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga Commons)(Lmbuga Galipedia) - Self made, 
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Felicidade_
A_very_happy_boy.jpg, CC BY-SA 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=722564






The very idea of your child being forced to deal with a scary and strenuous emergency situation is probably downright repellent, but as a parent, one of your most important jobs is making sure that they’re properly equipped to handle anything life throws their way. Even though she may not ever have to put the knowledge to use, simply knowing that your child is prepared to handle an emergency can give you immeasurable peace of mind.












___________________




Owen relayed the conversation to Beckett.
“Bite him in the dumb ass. Kid’s got a way. Clare and I talked to them after it happened.
Played it down, but played it straight. Still, they heard stuff at school. So Harry called a
powwow, and they came to me about it.”
“Keep the women out of it?”
Beckett glanced toward the stairs. “Maybe that’s not politically correct, or even correct,
but it feels right in this case. They need to know we’re covered, and that I trust them to
help take care of their mom.”





The Last Boyfriend





Jul 3, 2018

9 baby animals stand up (or walk!) for the first time





Then Chris jerked back as the foal shook and shivered and tried out her legs for the first time. 
"She stood up!" Amazed, he stared at his mother. 
"She stood right up. Cathy Jackson's little sister didn't stand up for months and months." 
It pleased him enormously to find his horse superior. 


The Last Honest Woman



_________________





By Jon_York, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48375869




Human babies take a long time to do things. They just hang out, letting their parents carry them around for months before they even think about hoisting themselves up and taking a step or two.
Animal babies are a whole different story.