Showing posts with label Brooks Gleason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brooks Gleason. Show all posts

Nov 5, 2021

Gardening with Kids

 

He stepped back, took a clear breath, and studied his work. His mother was pretty damn strict about the gardening. It was all about respecting the earth, harmonizing with Nature, and that stuff.

It was also, Fox knew, about eating, and making enough food and money to feed a family of six—and whoever dropped by. Which was why his dad and his older sister, Sage, were down at their stand selling fresh eggs, goat’s milk, honey, and his mother’s homemade jams.

 

Blood Brothers



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Seattle Municipal Archives, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons



Make your plans and plant seeds now and, come summer, you’ll have your pick of flowers and food. You’ll also cultivate some essential life skills: When kids tend to plants, they learn to care for the little things—and one another.



PARENTS


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And he knew enough about people to be sure the planting of it was another mark of ownership, of settling in. Her place, done her way.

A good sign.

 

The Witness


Feb 7, 2020

Guys Who Love Dogs Make The BEST Husbands






First there’d been lust, she thought, naturally enough. Then interest and several
layers of attraction. She’d been prepared—or had been trying to prepare—to shuffle all
those impulses aside and be sensible.
Now, seeing him with her dog, she felt the warming around the heart that signaled—
uh-oh—personal affection. Add that to lust and attraction and a woman, even a sensible
woman, was sunk.



Remember When






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They're man's best friend for a reason.


Yes, dogs are man's best friend. But they should be you're best friend, too, because they've prepared their owners for being the most amazing husbands ever. So it you're looking for love, you should definitely look for a guy who loves dogs for these reasons.








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His hand stroked up and down her back, the way she sometimes stroked Bert.
No wonder the dog loved it. Her heartbeat slowed to the rhythm, and everything
inside her uncoiled.



The Witness





Jun 14, 2019

Getting back to nature






She imagined them sinking into cool, tobacco-colored water in the bend of a
river where fiddlehead ferns grew thick and green and moonlight shimmered in
rays through a canopy of trees.
“I want to go to your swimming hole.”
“We will.”
“In the moonlight,” she said.


The Witness





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By Jim Champion, CC BY-SA 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9305393






how forest bathing can make us feel better



The Japanese have known for years that spending mindful time in the woods is beneficial for body and soul. Now western doctors – and royals – agree



Every day, apart from when it’s raining heavily, Dr Qing Li heads to a leafy park near the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo where he works. It’s not just a pleasant place to eat his lunch; he believes the time spent under the trees’ canopy is a critical factor in the fight against diseases, of the mind and body.

Once a month Li spends three days in forests near Tokyo, using all five senses to connect with the environment and clear his mind. This practice of shinrin-yoku – literally, forest bath – has the power to counter illnesses including cancer, strokes, gastric ulcers, depression, anxiety and stress, he says.











Mar 29, 2019

Happy in marriage?




“I’m telling you this so you understand my basic genetic makeup. My mother,
while satisfied with me on the whole, never loved me or wished to. She never
accepted I might have my own goals or desires or plans. Hers, for me, were
again very specific and detailed. For a very long time I thought she didn’t love
me because I was lacking in some area, but I came to understand she simply
didn’t love. She has no capacity or aptitude for love, and no skills at displaying
affection. Factoring genetics and environment, I also lack the capacity. I may not
have the skills for relationships, but I understand emotions and affection are
primary needs in developing and maintaining them.”
Brooks thought, What a load of crap. But he structured his response more
carefully. “Let me get this straight. Because your mother’s cold, selfish and
appears to have all the finer feelings of a sand flea, you’re genetically
predestined to be the same.”


The Witness



_________________





PEAK99 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]



People fall in love for many reasons — similar interests, physical attraction, and shared values among them. But if they marry and stay together, their long-term happiness may depend on their individual genes or those of their spouse, says a new study led by Yale School of Public Health researchers. 






_________________




“Is he still married?”
“Yes.”
“So he can develop and maintain a relationship. You’ve got his genes, too.”
For a moment, a long moment, she watched the flight of the hummingbird—
that sapphire blur—until it whizzed out of sight.
“Why would you want to be with someone whose skills and aptitude for
personal connections are stunted?”
“Maybe I like the idea of watching them grow, and being part of it.”


The Witness




Dec 25, 2018

Three Men Are Watching Every Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie and It's Our New Favorite Thing





“I planned to watch a movie with dinner.”
“I like movies.”
“I was going to watch Steel Magnolias.”
He let out a long, long sigh. “I probably deserve that.”


The Witness



___________________







Checklist app? Check. 
Tea? Check. 
Non-stop Christmas music? Check! 
You’ve got almost everything you need to make the most of this year’s killer lineup of Hallmark Channel holiday movies.

The only other thing your movie-watching marathon is missing is a podcast hosted by three ordinary men. (Yes, really.)

Brandon Gray, Daniel Pandolph, and Daniel Thompson are the voices behind Deck the Hallmark, the hit podcast. Together, they watch and then review all 37 of Hallmark’s original holiday movies.

“Just 3 dudes…watching Hallmark. What could go wrong?” the iTunes description reads.








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“I guess you leave him there and go home and watch ESPN.”
He studied the drums. “Some people would complain it’s sexist to assume I watch ESPN. Maybe I’m a fan of Lifetime.”
She gave up.


The Search



Sep 21, 2018

The fight over Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie





“I thought we could get another dog, a puppy, as company for Bert. You could name him, since I named Bert.”
“Two dogs, no waiting.” He considered. “It’d have to be Ernie.”
“Why?”
He nipped one of the hot peppers off the tray. “Bert and Ernie. Muppets? Sesame Street?”
“Oh. That’s a children’s program. Bert and Ernie are friends?”
“And possibly more, but since it’s a kids’ program, we’ll stick with friends.”


The Witness






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By Sesameworkshop.org - http://www.sesamestreet.org, Public Domain, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43713832







Are Bert and Ernie gay? It depends whom you ask.

Sesame Street has always had one consistent official answer (no, they’re not), but that hasn’t stopped the two famous felt roommates from becoming gay icons and occupying a unique role in the queer rights movement. Controversy over their perceived homosexuality has raged intermittently for decades, spearheaded by both allies and adversaries — and a new flare-up shows that it’s not going away anytime soon.





Sep 12, 2018

The Crying Game






Tears came along with the breath, so she pressed her face to the wood.
“You want me on my knees, that’s the way to do it.” 
Rubbing his hands over his face, Brooks dug for composure.


The Witness




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By RIA Novosti archive, image #346 / Ozersky / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15579375






Women’s Tears Dial Down Testosterone





Men tend to hate it when women cry — for reasons that they often have difficulty articulating. Now, new research suggests why — men may be biologically primed to react to a woman’s tears. 







_________________





Now her eyes glimmered with tears, and Fox quite simply wanted to step into the
street into the path of a passing truck.


Blood Brothers







Jun 6, 2018

How to Design Your Garden for More Meaning and Connection







She gestured, waited until he stopped looking into her eyes, followed her direction. 
“You’ve got a couple of rosebushes over there. You should dig them up. 
Make sure you get good root balls, cover them with burlap, 
and take them to your mother. 
I bet your sister would know how to get them going again. 
It would mean something to your mother.”
In his throat, emotion lodged with gratitude. 
“There are times I don’t know what to say to you. Times you just blow a hole through me.”
He drew her in, held on. “I’ll dig them up,” he told her. 
“She’ll like that, and I wouldn’t have
thought of it.”
“You might have.”
“I’d throw it all out,” he stated, looking over her head at what might’ve been his. 
“That’s the wrong way. There’s some of those daffodils trying to come up on
the side of the house. I could dig them up, too. 
Savannah always liked those when we were kids.” 







Come Sundown





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Gardens can connect us to the natural world in meaningful ways, whether we’re plucking the first ripe berries of the season or pausing to watch wild birds flit through foliage. While we most often talk about the nuts and bolts of landscape design — the shrubs, pathways and irrigation systems that make them work — let’s take a moment to explore the less tangible ways we can design our gardens to foster connection with nature.







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She trailed off, stopped. “There’s a bench,” she murmured. “There’s a
beautiful bench exactly where I wanted one.”
“That’s your surprise. Welcome home, Abigail.”
Her vision blurred as she stepped forward to run her hands over the smooth curve of the back, the arms. 
It looked like a log, hollowed out, polished to a satiny gleam, and on the middle of the back was a carved heart with the initials A.L. and B.G. in the center.
“Oh. Brooks.”
“Corny, I know, but—”
“No, it’s not! That’s a stupid word. I prefer romantic.”
“So do I.”
“It’s a beautiful surprise. Thank you. Thank you.” She threw her arms around him.
“You’re welcome, but I get to sit on it, too.”



The Witness






Apr 30, 2018

How to Attract Butterflies to Your Yard



“You must’ve worked half the day putting that bed in.”
“Not quite that long, but it took some time. I want butterflies.”
“You’re going to get them. It’s pretty as it can be, Abigail.”


The Witness




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By © Derek Ramsey / derekramsey.com, GFDL 1.2, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1612827






Create an inviting habitat for butterflies with careful plant selection and placement.







Apr 19, 2018

Smelling Your Partner’s Stinky Shirt Makes You Feel Better







But he started to hold her back when she would have moved into him. 
“Let me rinse some of this sweat off first.”
“I don’t mind it. It’s basic and natural, and …” 
She pressed her lips to the side of his throat. “Salty.”





The Witness






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By Pablo Heimplatz pabloheimplatz - 
https://unsplash.com/photos/M1doNY5gdZs, CC0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61706844








Researchers out of the University of British Columbia say that smelling your partner’s scent can help lower stress levels 













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Twilight deepened, cooling the air, but she felt only the heat from his body 
as she pressed against him. He smelled of horses and leather. 
Dazed, she thought that the scent must be part of some deeply buried fantasy.







The Name of the Game 















Apr 10, 2018

In praise of curiosity







“What Sylbie said about curiosity’s true. It’s a natural thing.”


The Witness





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By ☻☺ - Flickr: smelling the roses, CC BY-SA 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29962572







Einstein even went so far as to say, 
"I have no special talents. 
I am only passionately curious."








__________________





“You ask too many questions. Answering them is annoying and tiresome.”
“Damn that curiosity. Jesus, Abigail, did you smile?”


The Witness




Apr 6, 2018

Had a ruff week?






“He’s smiling.”
“Dogs don’t smile.”
“Give me a break, look at those eyes. He’s smiling.”


The Witness




_______________________













These pictures of grinning dogs are bound to make YOU smile








Jan 10, 2018

Making up





Considering, Parker picked up a white chocolate heart. 
“I assume you’ve already been through this with Laurel.” 
“Yes. Hence the chocolate. I blubbered all over her. 
I got most of it out, but if you don’t eat that
 so I know we’re okay, I’m going to start up again. 
It’s like a symbol. 
Men shake hands after they beat each other up. 
We eat chocolate.” 


Vision in White 





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By Florida Memory - Man holding flowers in boat - Lake Tuscawilla, 
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38184531





WHEN it comes to making up after an argument, 

men and women have very different ways 

of healing the rift.






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And her frown deepened when she saw the tulips. 
“Why are you sorry this time?”

 “I’m not sorry. 
Oh, the flowers. 
Funny thing. 
I was going to use them to bribe 
my sister into feeding me, 
then I ended up driving here.”


The Witness





Dec 11, 2017

It's Soup and Stew Time





Then settle down with her leftover soup and read the evening away.
For her, it encompassed a perfect weekend.
“I think action/adventure with a comedy to follow,” she said to Bert as she
gave the soup another stir. “And wine. The chief of police was right. It’s a very
nice one.”


The Witness



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25+ Hearty Soups and Stews to Make This Winter







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He followed her, and the cooking smells, back to the kitchen.
“It’s a good night for soup and a fire,” he commented, hoping he’d get a share
of both. “We may get a little frost tonight.”


The Witness



Nov 19, 2017

Accidents Happen






“A lot of good things happen by accident.
If Charles Goodyear hadn’t been clumsy, we wouldn’t have vulcanized rubber.”
“What?”
“Weatherproof rubber—tires, for instance, as in Goodyear. He was trying to figure out how to make rubber weatherproof, dropped this experiment on a stove by accident, and there you go, he made weatherproof rubber.”
Baffled, she rubbed her aching temple.
“I’ve completely lost the point.”
“Not everything has to be planned to work out.”


Obsession



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By Alf van Beem - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24784542



How a Wild Rocket Misfire Created Cape Canaveral



In an excerpt from Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight, author Joe Pappalardo explores how one errant rocket helped create the U.S.'s most important spaceport.




Sep 26, 2016

OxytoGod





“See, this is the part, on my scale of normal, where we tell each other how amazing we were. You especially tell me.”


“Because a man’s ego is often correlated with his sexual prowess.”
“That’s one way of putting it. Things like you saw God or the earth moved are clichés for a reason.”
“The earth is in constant motion, so it’s not a good compliment. A better one would be the earth stopped moving, even though that would be
impossible, and a disaster if it were possible.”
“I’ll still take it as a compliment.”




The Witness




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By No machine-readable author provided. Pufacz assumed (based on copyright claims). - 
No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., 
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=369795






Having sex increases spirituality and 'makes people more likely to believe in God'



Middle-aged men report greater levels of spirituality after exposure to the hormone oxytocin



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She heard music. Angels singing? she thought, dizzy. 
It seemed odd for angels to sing after table sex.


She managed to swallow on a throat wildly dry.
“Music,” she murmured.
“My phone. In my pants. Don’t care.”
“Oh. Not angels.”
“No. Def Leppard.”




The Search