narilily - Tumblr blog

[narilily]

As long as we can get through some rain this week -- but you know, that's not a bad thing, either. It'll just make everything all the more green and bright, especially the stuff that's been planted already. It sounds like it's been a great and busy and festive few days for you guys, though! Between prom and birthday, and now graduation around the corner… oof! That's got to be a surreal sort of feeling, getting ready to watch one of your babies get their diploma. But exciting!

It only took a few weeks, but its seems we've lucked out lately. Birthday and graduation gifts all in one, it all worked out in the end! She had a wonderful birthday, from all accounts prom went incredibly well. The entire look turned out stunning, thank you so much for all of the work you put in! All in all, it was a great week of festivities. Now, onto graduation soon!

[narilily]

You're one hundred percent right about that! Or coresets. Or those gorgeous dresses that people put on and absolutely cannot sit in. Like every prom dress that I made for the girls, I made sure that they could sit, dance, and drop it low, fashion should breathe! You know, you're right about that. It might not make sense, but I'm glad that you said it, because it's true! I got so many videos and photos from people this morning who went to prom last night, it made me smile!

Some people like to be grumpy, and they do it through fashion, too! That's why high heels exist, I always say, because someone was miserable and loves fashion. No, no. I think young people these days have more dances and less rhythm and we had less dances and more rhythm. But I'm not able to understand any of these weird dance moves.

[narilily]

Yeah! And it's always when you're on a flight or in line at the post office -- not that those are equally long times, but for those circumstances. You're just trying to mind your own business, and the entire time, they're yapping your ear off about everything under the sun. I know what you mean! It's hard to believe it's May already, before you know it, we'll all be out at the beach.

When you're minding your business and they seek you out? That's a nightmare, honestly. I don't want people like that around me. There's nothing wrong with eating the foods that make you happy, life is too short to not make us happy with the food we're eating. It's been such a wonderful spring here, makes me look forward to summer even more.

[narilily]

"Just need wings and a halo to go with it," she teased, looking over at Natasha. Although having a bottle of wine was better than feathery wings, anyway, so she didn't think the other woman needed to worry too much. She was going to be an angel no matter how someone chose to look at it. "I'm bad enough at remembering an umbrella on the rainy days, did we think that I was going to remember one on a nice day?" Nope, no way. Mary Poppins would always have one up on Nari if that was the case. When Tasha talked about getting hungry by the time she reached the car, Nari let out a giggle, gesturing to the food in front of them. "Well, I think you'll be full when you're done here, but… I'm going to make sure that you go home with leftovers, anyway, to be on the safe side." That way, she didn't get hungry on the walk back. Or the drive home. Her smile softened a bit as she began making a little plate for herself, knowing about James's struggles, but also knowing that it was good that he had his sister around to help him. "At least he has you to help him. I would imagine it can be tough, new town and all," having to remember a whole new world of people, places, things. At least Merrock was a small town. "Yes! We have lots of nice flowers right now."

"Oh I totally agree," she said with a bit of a giggle, "a wine angel, now that's something I could get used to." She took off her sunglasses for a moment to fully take in all the food Nari had packed in the basket, eyeing the sandwiches which made her stomach growl from hunger. "Hm if only," she said with a playful snap of her fingers, though in reality it looked like Nari had really outdone herself with the amount of food for the both of them. "Oh not at all, plus the hike back to the car would make me hungrier to be honest. Like you'd have a bit of a taste of food but not enough to satiate you. And then bam, by the time you get back to your car, you're hungry again!" She agreed that having too much food was much better than not having enough. Plus leftovers could always go in the fridge shem they got back to their houses. " Oh yeah, definitely crazy good." She nodded to reassure Nari, "and I think he's doing okay. Though I know the memory thing is still plaguing him a bit." Pointing to her head as she spoke, her voice got a bit quiet. But then at the mention of the nursery, she nodded, "that's good to hear!!"

[narilily]

Which really, should be the goal, anyway? We should go through life wanting to make ourselves and all of the people around us as happy as possible, and if that's through fashion, or through compliments -- honestly, whatever it takes. I think you should, too! Do you think you could still do all the dances that kids do these days? I don't know that we would know the music, that could be kind of embarrassing. Although you… probably would be more in touch with it all than I would.

If we keep working to make other people feel beautiful, we will never, ever have to feel sadness in our lives again. Well, no one thought that when it was time for me to go to prom, so I think I should get to do a redo after all of these years. That's right, I look forward to getting old to have all of the beest moments of my life.

[narilily]

We're magnets for weird people, you know? The ones that you really don't want anything to do with, but somehow they just find you and it's like they sense that you just want to be left alone… and that makes them be all the more persistent. It really is never ending with some of those people. It's true! We go back to our comfort foods, it's like we have those few adventurous years where we want to do something new and exciting and then… nope, chicken nuggets. I feel you! It was nice, I feel even more ready for all the good weather now, it's been beautiful today.

That's usually the type of people that become like that, yes, with very few exceptions. And no one wants to be around them, and yet we always seem to end up entrapped by them and their bad humor and actions. Old people and children really do eat about the same foods when you think about it, it's kind of comforting to know that I will like pudding again some day. I felt sunny and warm after last week, honestly.

[narilily]

APRIL 28 - MAY 5

Do you get the paper? Digitally, or a physical copy?

Digital! I'll grab a physical copy if there's something in there that I want, like coupons or what not, but I'm alright with reading the paper on my tablet in the morning, or on my lunch break if I had a rush-around kind of morning.

[narilily]

"Everyone needs a wine angel in their life," Nari said with a wide smile. Although she loved anything to drink, there was always something special about a good bottle of wine with a friend, and somehow, it managed to elevate a picnic setting that much more. Letting out a laugh as Tasha called her Mary Poppins, looking around at the food that she had scattered on the blanket. "You know… you're not entirely off base? I should have brought an umbrella to really complete the vibe!" It would have made everything all the more Disney movie. Or maybe she was just that good at packing picnic lunches. "I think so, too. The last thing you want to do is go on a picnic and realize that you're starving with nothing to eat, right?" And then you had to hope you could bum off of someone else, which was a gamble. "Crazy good, hopefully! How's James adjusting to small town Merrock?" Nari asked, genuinely curious. It could be so much different than living in a city. "I'm good! Ditto on crazy at work, this is the start of the nursery's busy season."

Smiling, Tasha sat down next to Nari and pulled out the bottle from her bag, handing it over to her friend. "A little wine angel? I like the sound of that," she giggled, crossing her legs like a pretzel and taking off her sunglasses. Tasha watched as Nari took out all the food, her eyes getting big and wide at the selection. Whistling, she then chuckled, "okay Mary Poppins," she teased, as the food had just kept on coming. "This all looks amazing! And nah, it's better to be over prepared instead of under prepared." She nodded confidently as she picked up one of the plates. "Hm, not too much. Having my brother in town has been great. And work is crazy. But how about you?"

[narilily]

Grinning as Elliot mimed what it would be like to listen to music, nodding her head eagerly. She righted herself a little bit, too, moving her head forward and back, closing her eyes, tapping her fingers against her side in a rhythm of a song that wasn't really playing, but she could pretend was ringing through her head and then o pened her eyes to look at Elliot again, bright smile on her face. "Perfect!" No one would ever be any wiser to the fact that he was only pretending to listen to music. Nari tapped her temple at his story about backpacking, wearing headphones, knowing that it was pretty smart. "I never bother people with headphones, so that's smart!" If they looked closely enough, they would see that he was enjoying music, might not feel as inclined to tap his shoulder to try to talk, or take him away from what he was doing. "I bet that trip was so wonderful, though," just getting to see so many different things, people, places, it would be magical to be able to take one of those adventures. When he admitted that the gardening gene hadn't made its way down to him, she couldn't help her laugh, brushing a lock of hair back. "Then maybe the community garden is a good step for you. If that urge ever hits, you can come here, grow a bean."

Like this? Elliot asked with a grin, straightening up some, moving his head a bit side to side, swaying his shoulders some to go along with it. Does it look convincing enough? He added a few seconds later with a slight raise of his eyebrows, feeling a laugh vibrate in his chest before he gave a shake of his head. Not gonna lie, before I started Nursing school all those years ago, I went on a month long backpack hiking trip through Europe and I bought headphone so people didn't think I was being rude when I didn't tell them hi back. Elliot gave another laugh, his attention going back to the planting for a few seconds more, digging another hole to put one into. I bet that's amazing though! But no, no gardening for me. That gene stopped at Kellan and Cage I think. I can barely keep house plants alive, let along an entire garden. Though he had thought about it over the years, liked the idea of having one but didn't trust himself to keep from everything dying that he planted.

[narilily]

APRIL 21 - 27

What is one thing that you try to do regularly to help support planet earth?

Planting, planting and more planting! I try to keep my place almost overgrown with butterfly and bee-friendly plants, I never cut down trees, and mowing my lawn? Not necessary until it's jungle-like qualities! Always create a nice atmosphere for the bugs and animals that live there.

[narilily]

I'm all about avoiding sadness and focusing on happy, good things! There's enough sad in the world, why would we go out of our way to invite more in, you know? You do deserve to win prom king, you look so good in a crown! It's like you were made to be prom king. That's very true, it just feels like that one blip of our life is the most important time, but truth be told, so many of the big, important moments are yet to come. We just have to be patient.

And the sad thing is the thing we really, really want to avoid. That's all I ask, honestly, is that for once I get to be the Prom King and someone else is sad about a boy in the corner. I was that sad person for four years, after all. It makes sense, you're like sixteen and you don't realize that adulthood is so much bigger and usually better, because it's all you really know.

[narilily]

They really are! Do you think they had the kind of parents that told them that everything that they did was beyond amazing, even when it was actually just mid at best, so now they think they're god's gift to the earth? Because those people are honestly the worst people. All the way around. It's true! It's kind of an old person food, or like, kids in school who are still packing lunches. Basically! Gardening and hiking and cleaning and picnicking, I'm so looking forward to all of it.

People who are not funny and then act like you're supposed to find them funny? Nightmares. And most of them have never been told they're not funny, which is really unfortunate. Not a lot of people seek out pudding by itself, let's be honest there. It's just not that appealing on its own. That's kinda what earth week is about, right? Running to live with the earth?

[narilily]

Nari let out a loud laugh at Elliot's idea of a disguise, almost wanting to make a remark about a mustache not cutting it until she saw what he said about the AirPods. For anyone else, a poor excuse of a disguise. For Elliot, well, it was kind of genius. The sort of thing not many people would think to pull off. 'Bob your head to music, too,' she suggested, tapping her ear after typing on the phone, and then typing once more, 'and make sure you snap your fingers, so it looks like you're really into the music.' Doing a little dance always sold it. Maybe this would start rumors about Elliot's evil twin, traveling through the town to ruin lives, namely his brother's, making his every moment a living hell. Although throwing another Newman brother into the mix might not work all that well. Focusing on her little cherry tomatoes, Nari carefully planted the first few, making sure to tuck them in the way that they should be, spacing them just so, before turning her attention to Elliot once more and nodding her head eagerly. "I love it!" she said, again choosing her wording carefully, but speaking freely, "I have a big garden, fenced in and all. Keeps the chickens out… and the deer. They can be real pests. Think you might try your hand at one this year?"

The tap to his shoulder got his attention and Elliot looked up to where Nari was pointing, noticing all the cameras that were around the place. Not that he was all surprised that the community garden would have them up. He made a rather playful face as he grabbed for his phone, laughing as she mentioned a disguise. I’m going to come in here wearing a fake mustache and AirPods, then no one will suspect that it’s me. Laughing even more as he turned his phone back around to face her. He shot her a playful roll of his eyes before he was typing yet again. Just figured it would be easier for you not having to worry about typing back to me while trying to plant. Yes, it was much easier for him to read things typed on the phone but he didn't mind lip reading every now and then as well. Especially when it was something like this. He gave a nod as she said that it was cherry tomatoes, flashing her a thumbs up that he got what she had said. Elliot's attention turning to the dirt for a moment, digging a hole as well to place the flower in, covering it up, and putting down the soil with the small spade he as using. Waving a hand to get her attention once more. So, is gardening your thing? Do you have one at home and all of that?

[narilily]

Doing her best to hide a smile, Nari, tapped Elliot's shoulder gently, and then pointed up to the corner of the fence… and then the other corner… and then the other corner, making note of the cameras positioned there, recording everyone's action in the garden, and raised a brow, her smile showing through. 'So are you going to come and garden in disguise?' Which actually was kind of funny to imagine, Elliot showing up with a hat on his head, glasses obscuring his face, baggy clothes so no one could see how tall he was or what his build was like. Maybe not the smartest idea, but definitely a funny one, she couldn't deny that. 'Oh, here I was planning on smearing dirt all over my phone… darn,' she typed back, before laughing and shooting him a more friendly smile. 'Truly, whatever works for you.' She pulled out a couple of her own plants, looking them over, and deciding that they were worthy of planting in the ground, nodding to herself. "Cherry tomatoes," she said, carefully enunciating the words, but not overly so to patronize him, either. Pulling out her digging tool, she began to form a perfect spot in the ground to place them, dropping the plant in and carefully tucking dirt around it, as though tucking it in for a nap.

Oh, if the plants die, I was never even here. No idea who planted them. He typed back with a laugh, knowing he would have to make time to stop by and make sure they were at least doing alright. Maybe this would be the kick he needed at actually gardening. I think these are just some kind of flowers- He typed before pointing to one of the many things that lined his small tray. And carrots and peppers. It wasn't much but it was a start at least. I’m good with reading your lips if it’s easier for you since we’ll be getting dirty. Elliot added after a second, knowing it could be a lot between planting and trying to type on the phone all the while. And they were close enough that he should be okay with following along with what she was saying. Giving a nod towards her tray. What about you?

[narilily]

Once Elliot had scooted over, Nari easily knelt down, making herself comfortable next to him, her little flat of vegetables ready to be planted in the box. Looking over at Elliot to read his phone as he typed, she grinned, understanding what he meant completely, especially if he wasn't the kind of person who gardened regularly, but maybe just wanted to give it a try, see what he could shake out. Pulling her own phone out of her back pocket, she typed quickly. 'If you come by and the plants are dead, you can just blame someone else, claim that you came by and watered everything super regularly, right?' Sort of like how Nari blamed the chickens for pulling her plants out when things went wrong in her garden… although that admittedly did happen every now and then. Typing again, she turned the phone towards Elliot, nodding towards his plants with her chin. 'So, what are you planting right now?'

While gardening wasn't exactly his thing, it was still fun to get out and do something a bit out of his comfort zone. Especially knowing that he wouldn't have to be the one keeping the garden alive. So with his plants and vegetables in hand, Elliot found a spot, and began to dig into the soil, letting the almost mindless task sweep him away from everything else. Putting a flower into the dirt, Elliot was covering it up when he felt a nudge, turning to look with a grin. One that seemed to grow in size when he saw that it was Nari. Watching her lips, he gave a nod at her question, scooting over a bit to make sure she had enough room to get in next to him. Wiping his hands off on his pants, having worn older ones that he didn't mind getting dirty, Elliot grabbed for his phone. Figured it was this was the safest kind of gardening for me, I'm not the one that has to keep them alive.

[narilily]

"You're an angel," she grinned when Natasha mentioned bringing a bottle of wine, dropping down to sit on her knees on one side of the blanket, opening up the basket and beginning to pull out sandwiches: all different types and varieties, cut neatly down the center, stacked in reusable containers. Then came the fresh fruit, cut neatly, tossed into a fruit salad with a delectable syrup to add a little sweetness, plus some sliced vegetables and dip. And of course, some pasta salad, crackers, cheese -- "okay, I really did overdo it, but, everything should be out," she laughed, gesturing to the spread in front of them and setting out two plates. "So, while we dig in! What's new in the world of Natasha?"

Tasha loved picnics. Ever since she was little, she loved packing up a basket with a bunch of goodies, spreading out a blanket, and just enoying the weather. So getting to do just that as an adult, in Merrock AND on picinc day, it was a three for one special in her mind. After stopping for a bottle of wine and some snacks just in case, though she knew Nari probably had enough food to feed an army, she headed on over to meet her friend. "There can never be too much food for a picnic!" Tasha replied back with a smile, as she settled in on the blanket. "Though I couldn't help and not bring a bottle of wine to share, she said as she gently waved the bottle beside her.

[narilily]

WHO: Nari & @elliot-newman

WHERE: Community Garden, suburbs

WHEN: Earth Week (April, 2024)

Hands dirty, heart happy, that was Nari's vibe for the day. Any time Merrock had events that involved getting out into nature, planting flowers, cleaning something, anything at all that involved being outside, Nari was all for it. And even though she fully planned on having her own garden at home that year, there was nothing wrong with spending some time over in the suburbs, planting carrots and tomatoes and whatever else would grow up and produce good fruits and vegetables come summer time. And clearly, everyone else had the same idea. Seeing an open spot at the big, community plot, Nari gently nudged Elliot, breaking into a smile, "mind company?" she mouthed, nodding towards the spot next to him.