#Best Organic Dog Treats in Massachusetts

[skipperschow]

Made in USA Pet Treats - skipperschow

[the-iceni-bitch]

Snowed In

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x Female Reader

Word Count: 3726

Summary: You get stranded at the manor with Ransom and need to relieve the tension somehow!

Warnings: Explicit sexual content, explicit language, SMUT, dub-con (to be safe), angry sex, 18+

A/N: Happy Hoelidays, y’all! Can’t believe I’m posting my first fic ever! This fic has been floating around my brain as “me time” material for a while, and I figured this is the perfect time to put it to paper after finding the Happy Hoelidays challenge on @stargazingfangirl18​‘s wonderful page. Thanks so much for hosting, along with @navybrat817​ and @donutloverxo​! Any and all feedback appreciated!

You’d been stuck in the manor with this giant man-child for almost a week now, your nerves were frayed to the limit. 

When Harlan Thrombey had offered to have you stay at his estate while he took the family on a Christmas trip around Europe, your gut instinct was to refuse. You’d been the sole veterinarian for all of his animals for almost 8 years now, but you still had your relief rounds and charity organization to run, and taking 2 months out to essentially lounge around the Massachusetts mansion and walk his two German Shepherds, Dupin and Smilla, especially around the busy holiday season, was not an option for you. But Harlan and your good friend Marta conspired with your techs and assistants, and they basically forced you to take some time off for the first time in 5 years.

 You couldn’t lie, you were looking forward to completely disconnecting from technology for the season, curling up with some fantastic books in front of a roaring fire, and baking some new historical recipes you thought you’d never get a chance to try. Even though there was no internet at the estate, you could still be reached for emergencies via cell phone if absolutely necessary, but everyone assured you they had everything under control. Harlan was even letting you bring your idiot golden retriever, Fionn, with you, as he was best buds with the shepherds. 

Then, only 3 days into your well-deserved vacation, Ransom showed up. 

It had just started snowing when that spoiled asshole pulled up to the house to “pick something up”. Why he thought driving that ridiculous beemer through the hills of Massachusetts during the middle of winter was a good idea, you couldn’t fathom. Harlan had arranged for a driver to drop you at the estate at the start of your visit, to further discourage you from trying to sneak away to work, so when the blizzard started, there was no way for either of you to leave. Of course, the sky proceeded to dump almost 3 feet of snow in one night, on top of a good coating of ice, so you were then stuck with a whining baby until the snow melted, a plow managed to work its way to you, or one of you killed the other. 

Right now, murder was seeming like a viable option. 

The snow had blown out cell service, which meant Ransom had no access to any of his social media, and he spent the majority of the day whining about the fact that he was bored. You tried getting him to read one of the many books in the library, join you in baking, a game of go, anything to shut him up, but he would lose interest almost immediately and start whining again. He initially refused to make any food for himself, but soon discovered that you were not going to be treated like his personal chef, and had to live off of toast and sandwiches if he didn’t want to say please and thank you. You were the one splitting wood, stoking the fire, and checking the plumbing daily to ensure there were no burst pipes or other issues, while he moped around on the couch. 

Today, the snow had finally slowed down, and you managed to convince him to go on a hike with you and the dogs. In spite of your insistence, he thought it would be fine to go out in just his jeans and wool coat. After 20 minutes of walking, he was whining about how cold he was, and made you all turn around to head back. You had to hold in your laughter when you had almost reached the house, and the dogs got too excited and knocked him into a snow drift. 

“I told you to wear layers!” you told him as you got a fire started. You instructed him to change out of his wet clothes and warm up as you went to put the dogs in the mud room and grab some more firewood. You stripped out of your snow gear down to your thermals, and headed back to the living room with a bundle of logs in your arms. 

“Motherfucker!” you exclaimed, almost dropping your armload of wood as you came back into the room. 

Ransom Drysdale was standing in front of the fire, wearing nothing but the artfully “worn” designer sweater he had put on that morning. 

“Such language, Y/N!” he said around a smirk as he looked over his shoulder at you. “I don’t remember you having such a mouth on you back in school.” 

That asshole would bring up high school right now. You were so young and stupid back then, following him around like a lost puppy, blatantly staring every chance you got. Apparently, his boredom had gotten to the point where he was going to start up his mind games. 

Too bad for him you had grown up, and weren’t too bad at the mind games yourself. 

You managed to regain your composure after your initial surprise, and without skipping a beat, strolled over the fire, knelt directly beside him, and started putting more logs on the fire, doing your best to ignore his hardening cock less than a foot away from your face. 

“Jesus, on your knees for me already?” 

You turned your head, looked at his cock, looked back up at his face, rolled your eyes, and stood up to walk to the kitchen. 

“Do you want a mug of tea?” you asked him nonchalantly as you turned away. 

His hand wrapped around your upper arm like a vice, spinning you around as he shoved you up against the wall. 

“You’re going to play hard to get now, really?” he hissed at you. “You think I haven’t seen you staring at me all week? I know you’ve wanted me for years, you even managed to worm your way into my family to get at me, and now you’re going to play the frigid bitch when I’m about to give you what you’ve wanted for so long.” He moved his knee in between your thighs to pin you further, and let go of your arm so he could start to lift the hem of your shirt and get to your breasts. 

Your full armed slap caught him off guard and he stumbled away from you. 

You couldn’t help yourself, you started laughing. The unbelievable sense of entitlement and cocked sureness was too much for you, even though you felt your nipples peaking and a pool of wet slickness between your legs. 

“Oh honey, you really think I’ve been pining for you since high school? I worked my way through my bachelor’s, veterinary science degree, opening my own practice and starting my own charity, but you were always in the back of my mind and in my heart?” You snarled at him. “All that work, the ridiculous amount of student debt, and putting myself in a field with one of the highest suicide rates was just because my pussy was weeping for you every night? Get over yourself Hugh.” 

The look of fury on his face was so worth it, even as he put a hand around your throat and tackled you to the floor. 

“You cunt!” he spat at you, pinning your wrists above your head with one hand. His eyed wandered down to your breasts as a wicked smile came over his countenance. “You’re really going to try to tell me you don’t want me when your body is acting like this?” he ripped your shirt up over your head and palmed your left breast before pinching your nipple, hard. “You didn’t even bother wearing a bra around me you stupid slut.” You couldn’t help yourself, you arched your back into his hand, gasping as he pawed at you. His hand moved down your torso and he shoved his hand under your leggings and into your thong, running his thick fingers over your slit, which was now sopping wet. “God Y/N, your whore pussy is so ready for me, I’m going to fucking ruin you.” 

He brought his face down to yours fast and assaulted your mouth with his. You’d had enough at this point and you bit down on his bottom lip, hard. He gasped in surprise and you grasped at your brief advantage, freeing your hands from his loosened grip, your gripped both of his wrists and wrenched them behind his back at the same time you squeezed his sides with your thighs and got the momentum to flip him over until you were on top, straddling him with his cock press up against his abdomen. 

Ransom glared up at you with a mixture of fury and shock. He was used to dating little petite things he could toss around the bedroom at his leisure, who would do anything to please him and always looked at him with a mixture of fear and awe.  You just looked at him with contempt. 

You grinned down at him as you started grinding against his cock, keeping his arms pinned to his side. He let out a guttural moan and threw back his head, screwing his eyes shut. 

“Listen up pretty boy, I’m not some little waif you can throw around like a sex doll. I’m not here for you to just wet your dick and go on with your day. You want something from me, you ask nicely. You make sure I’m good and warmed up before you try anything at all. And know this, I am not thinking about you, you’re barely even on my radar. I’ve got more important shit to take care of than obsessing over your cock.” You picked up your grinding pace as Ransom tried to buck his hips up into you. You curled over him and took his earlobe between your teeth as you purred in his ear. “And know this, asshole. You can play as rough as your want with me, but you better be able to take what you dish out. I spend half my days gelding horses and steering bulls, you can’t just manhandle me.” You run your teeth down his throat and he lets out a thin whine.

 “Please, Y/N…” 

“Please what?” you ask, slowing down your pace as you nip at his collar bone. You absolutely love the fact that he is begging you. 

“Please, please let me… shit!” he cries as you sink your teeth into his shoulder through his sweater. “Please let me fuck you” 

You stop your grinding and sit up over him. He is covered in a thin sheen of sweat and his face is flushed. He is panting like a dog and starts whining after your grinding ceases, trying to move his hips under you to get some form of friction. Pre-cum is leaking over the bottom edge of his sweater where you’ve pinned his cock to his abdomen. You haven’t seen anything this hot in a long time. 

“Alright honey.” You say, releasing his wrists and lifting yourself off him a bit to let him get situated. 

He lets out a long sigh and relaxes for a beat before whipping his sweater off in a frenzy. He sits up fast and almost drops you onto your back as he switches positions. He shoves his fingers down the sides of your leggings and panties and rips them off you. 

His large hands start skimming you all over before he settles his left hand on your breast and his right hand against your sopping cunt, running his fingers over your slit as you start mewling unintelligibly. 

“Fuck baby, you’re soaked” he says in a gravelly rasp. His pupils are lust blown as he stares at you, a thin ring of icy blue around pools of black. Without warning, he pulls you up into his lap and is kissing you hungrily, shoving his tongue down your throat before he starts licking and biting down your neck. One hand grabs your hair at the nape of your neck and yanks your head back, while the other has moved back to your pussy. 

He slips one finger inside and you let out a high pitched keen. “Fucking tight in here sweetheart. Been waiting to bury my fingers in the pussy all week.” You feel him grinning against your neck but you are past caring. You bury one of your hands in his hair as he slowly moves in and out, curling his finger against your sweet spot. You dip your other hand in your own juices, then wrap it around his cock and start pumping. 

You let out small cries when he adds a second, then a third finger, and when his thumb starts circling your swollen clit you scream.

 “Fucking knew it” he growls into your throat. He’s been slowly dipping his tongue in and out of the hollow there as he works your cunt and it’s driving you crazy. “Knew this pussy was just waiting for me.” The sounds that his fingers were making as he fucked them into you were obscene. 

“Shut the fuck up” you say as you dig your nails into the skin of his back and drag them down, increasing the pace with your other hand on his dick. You feel him start to twitch in your hand then feel hot ropes spurting across your stomach. 

He lets out a growl as he wraps one hand around your throat. You can feel yourself clenching around him as your orgasm builds, and when he bites down on your shoulder at the same time he drives his thumb into your clit, you come apart with a wordless cry. 

He keeps his fingers moving as you ride it out, then lets you sag back against the floor. 

“My turn” he says. 

Ransom flips you over unceremoniously and slaps you across the ass, hard. He didn’t get the scream he was hoping for, but the sharp gasp you let out is still enough to make his cock twitch and harden again. He lifts your hips up and brings your ass flush against him as he starts running his cock against your slit, coating himself in your arousal. You moan as his tip brushes across your swollen clit and you thrust your ass back into him, yearning for more friction. 

“Maybe I should make you beg for it” He says. “You really think you can call the shots here? Your cunt is so fucking soaked for me I should edge you for… ahh, fuck!” 

You decided to take matters into your own hands. You grab his cock and line him up, then shove yourself back onto it until he’s bottomed out. 

“I don’t have time for a monologue from you, douchebag.” You say to him over your shoulder as you wiggle your ass against him. “You need to fucking move.” 

You can tell he wants to get the upper hand back but you’re not about to let that happen. You straighten up with him still inside you and start slowly moving up and down. You can feel his chest hair scratching against your back as you fuck yourself on his cock. 

“God, you’re such a bitch. Fucking bossy even when you’re begging for it” he hisses into your ear. He moves one hand down to your hip and fucks up into you, hard. 

“Fuck, Hugh!” you know using that name is just going to piss him off, but to be honest, that’s kind of your goal. 

The only warning you have is a growl as he slams you forward into the rug and pins your face down with one hand. He lifts one knee so he has one foot planted on the floor, and lifts your hips slightly higher to keep them in line with his. The change is positions feels amazing, and you clench around him to let him know. 

“Fuck honey, you’re so fucking tight” he says as he starts rutting into you hard. “I’m going to make you come so fucking hard, you’ll be begging me to stop. You’re gonna be feeling me for days.” 

The pace he was setting was relentless and you found yourself having difficulty breathing regularly when all of a sudden Ransom grabbed you by the throat and whipped you up against himself so fast all the air was ripped out of your lungs. 

“Fuck!!” 

“That’s right honey” he murmured against your ear as he moved his other hand from your hip and started working your clit with his fingers as you continued mewling and whimpering. You could feel yourself fluttering around him. “God you’ve got a greedy cunt. It’s squeezing me so fucking tight and you’re making a mess.” 

You moaned as you leaned your head back against his shoulder. He picked up the pace even further and rotated your face so he could kiss you, moving his other hand from your throat to your breast as he worked your nipple in between his fingers. He swallowed your tiny cries as you pressed yourself further into his hand. 

You could feel it building fast, and knew it was going to be an inferno. Ransom sensed the hitches in your breath and started fucking you even harder, his fingers on your clit moving faster and faster. 

“You going to come all over my cock you greedy slut?” He asked against your lips. “This pussy is mine and you better not forget it.” 

Just to remind him who was making the rules here, you took his lip between your teeth as you came, biting down so hard you drew blood. 

“Shit!” He sputtered as your pussy spasmed around him and you rode out your orgasm. You started laughing at his exclamation when he pulled out of you suddenly, eliciting a groan at the loss. 

He flipped you onto your back and slammed your head into the ground, pinning you by your neck as he pumped his cock a foot away from your face.

“I’m going to cover you in cum like the filthy slut you are” he hissed, blood flecked spittle hitting you in the chest. You saw his cock starting to twitch as his pace became irregular and knew exactly what to do to catch him off guard. You moved one hand down to you thoroughly ruined pussy and began working it yourself while your other hand palmed your breast. This threw him over the edge and thick ropes of cum started to coat your face. To add a last twist of the knife, you opened your mouth. 

“Fuck, Y/N!!” he cried as you did your best to catch everything he was giving you. He finally laid back, exhausted, after covering your chest and face with white ribbons. 

You laughed giddily as you fucked yourself on your own fingers, using your other hand to scoop his cum off your skin and into your mouth. He couldn’t take his eyes off you the entire time, and it only took you a few seconds to reach your final orgasm and you clenched around your fingers with a low moan. You let out a small shiver when you were finished, and crawled over where he was leaned against the couch. You straddled him quickly and tipped his head back to kiss him. When he opened himself for you, you spat his remainder in before shoving your tongue in and using it to coat his whole mouth. Then you pulled away and held his jaws closed with one hand. 

“Swallow.” You said in a low purr, staring directly into his eyes. 

He stared at you for a second, and you could see him weighing his options. He finally surrendered though, and you felt his throat constrict as he swallowed his own cum. 

Thoroughly pleased with yourself, you stood up and stretched as far as you could. You could feel stinging sensation along your shoulder, where Ransom had bitten you, and you figured you should head to the bathroom to get that cleaned up before an infection set in. You saw several of your own marks on Ransom’s torso as well, and figured you should help him get cleaned up too. 

The fire was starting to die down at this point, so you added a few more logs and stoked it when you got back from the bathroom. 

“Your clothes should be dry now” you said as you rinsed out one of the deeper bites you had left and applied some Neosporin. Ransom still hadn’t moved from his seated position and was just staring at you, dazed. “I’m going to take a shower, you’re welcome to join if you want” 

He still didn’t move but his eyes narrowed at you. He finally took the towel you left next to him to clean himself off and spat into it several times. 

“You fucking bitch, I’m going to ruin you. You think you get to do that to me! I swear to god I’ll…” 

You cut him off by shoving your tongue down his throat and tweaking his nipple. Now that you were down off your emotional high, you took your time taking in the sight of him. His manufactured bed head was now authentic sex hair, damp with sweat and falling into his eyes. His chest was heaving, which only managed to highlight his unbelievably well developed torso, which tapered in an amazing V shape and was dusted in curly brown hair. Thick thighs that looked like they would burst any pair of jeans meant to contain them. And of course, the icing on the cake, his pretty cock. Even flaccid it was impressive, and it was still coated in a film of your arousal.

 “Listen sweetheart, I think what you wanted to say was ‘Thank you for two amazing orgasms.’ Now, if you feel like pouting that’s fine but do it somewhere else. Or, you can join me for a shower, and I’ll let you fuck my face and give you numbers three and four, how does that sound?”

 Ransom hated the fact that his cock was hardening again already. All he wanted to do was bend you over the couch and fuck you until you were crying. He watched your ass as you sauntered off to the bathroom, then stood up to follow you. He was definitely going to get you back for this, he just had to work out how.

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, November 16

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s nights with Prince Andrew and teen Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Page 2: Brad Pitt kicked married galpal Nicole Poturalski to the curb after getting flak from his ex Angelina Jolie -- Brad’s relationship with Nicole hit the skids after Brad decided he needed to shore up his image during his ongoing custody battle with Angie and his focus right now is to get his dad image back on track and give Angie no more ammo to fling back at him

Page 3: Tiger Woods’ romance with Erica Herman has gone off course over legal troubles and wedding pressure and bickering over where to live and Tiger is so fed up he’s considering ditching his nagging girlfriend in Florida and moving back to his native California -- Erica’s been pressuring him to put a ring on it ever since she moved into his Jupiter Island mansion and that’s something he just won’t do and she’s already taken over his household buying new furniture and remodeling the master bath and building a new closet and hiring a gourmet chef -- California is looking better and better to Tiger who only moved to Florida to play on its tough Bermuda grass which helped improve his swing but now Tiger’s ex Elin lives in Florida with their two kids 

Page 4: Miranda Lambert is scoffing at ex Blake Shelton’s newly announced engagement to Gwen Stefani and she’s convinced Blake’s third walk down the aisle has failure written all over it because she thinks Blake’s bad to the bone and this marriage will wind up being a total disaster and after the hell Blake put her through Miranda can’t imagine his life with Gwen would be any different, lifelong bachelor Simon Cowell has had a change of heart since his horrific August accident and he’s finally ready to tie the knot with baby mama Lauren Silverman -- after spinal surgery to repair his broken back the entertainment mogul feels lucky to be alive and walking and the one constant in his difficult rehab after surgery has been Lauren and he wants to pay her back with a ring 

Page 5: Train-wreck Wendy Williams’ wacky behavior has TV producers scrambling behind the scenes to find her replacement after her unhinged performance on a recent episode of her talk show where she slurred her words and rambled incoherently -- there had been a hope a chatfest helmed by Nick Cannon could be a safety net should the daytime diva who spent a stint in a sober living house last year not be able to continue hosting but plans for that were pushed back after the comic made anti-Semitic rants in a podcast -- they also tried Jerry O’Connell when Wendy was out for three weeks last year but he tanked with viewers -- Wendy’s a mess and it remains to be seen how long producers will be able to put up with her problems before they decide to pull the plug 

Page 6: Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo hinted that she may be making her final rounds -- Ellen who has starred on the show since 2005 and makes $20 million a year admitted she’s considering slipping out of her scrubs after the current season 17 but her departure could spell the end of the beloved series and show creator Shonda Rhimes has said it’s unlikely the show could continue without her but Ellen has also expressed her desire to spend more time with her husband and their three children

Page 7: Mariah Carey’s brother Morgan blasted her memoir as filled with lies and distortions and he’s considering legal action -- the book called Morgan and sister Alison her ex-brother and ex-sister and Mariah wrote Morgan had a long history of violence and when she was six he slammed their mother into a wall -- Mariah also wrote her siblings and mother were heartless in terms of dealing with her as a human being and once she got famous they started treating her like an ATM with a wig on but Morgan is fighting back and looking to hire a lawyer

Page 8: Reese Witherspoon’s marriage to Jim Toth is in the muck after the stunning collapse of his new business venture and tensions are mounting in the Hollywood power couple’s already troubled union now that the streaming service Quibi crumbled after less than six months leaving content acquisition president Jim out of work while Reese’s star continues to rise and there’s a real balance of power that’s been building up and that’s put a serious strain on the relationship -- living in quarantine added to the stress between them as Reese has been holed up with her two kids with ex Ryan Phillippe Ava and Deacon and her son Tennessee with Jim at the family’s ranch in Malibu

Page 9: Dementia patient Kenny Rogers cut his three adult children out of his $250 million will and now sources fear the late country legend could have been tricked into signing the document -- Kenny left everything to his 16-year-old twins sons with fifth wife Wanda and the will also stated it was his intent to specifically exclude his daughter Carole with his first wife and son Kenny Jr. with third wife and son Christopher with fourth wife and their issue as beneficiaries of his estate -- Kenny Sr. would never disown his own children according to the source especially since the singer’s son Kenny Jr. is incorrectly referred to Kenny Rogers III throughout the will -- the wording is not like Kenny Sr. and something is not right and his older kids are thinking about contesting the will 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Kate McKinnon shot a Saturday Night live skit in NYC, Sophia Bush hit the road in L.A. with her co-pilot pup Maggie, pregnant Jinger Duggar Vuolo in Venice with daughter Felicity, Heidi Klum walking the streets in her native Germany, Snoop Dogg saluted young rappers as he accepted BET’s I Am Hip Hop award 

Page 11: Unwitting Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler once dabbled in the secret sex cult NXIVM -- the organization masqueraded as a self-help group but in 2017 it was exposed as a pyramid scheme for founder Keith Raniere who forced high-ranking female recruits to become his sex slaves -- in 2010 Jen and Gerry who were dating at the time wound up at one of the introductory seminars but they were turned off by the level of commitment expected and never returned -- they thought it was just a networking opportunity and had no idea what they were getting themselves into, cash-crunched Gwyneth Paltrow is facing hard times like everyone else and is looking to change her free-spending ways -- the belt-tightening caused by the coronavirus pandemic has even hit her lifestyle empire Goop causing her to shut down the London branch and make hard choices for the future -- Gwyneth may be worth $100 million but she and husband Brad Falchuk spend money like it’s going out of style on private jets they use on a whim and they own a fleet of fancy cars and pay steep salaries for staff who are at their beck and call 24/7 and it’s all draining their bank accounts -- they’re looking at making cuts across the board from personal trainers and chefs and drivers to the masseurs and beauticians who come to their house several times a week -- plus the couple believe it’s a bad look for them to be living so high on the hog when the rest of the world is suffering during the pandemic

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Angelina Jolie spent years developing her own version of the Hollywood classic Cleopatra and now she’s livid that Gal Gadot has stolen the Egyptian queen -- Angie’s dream was to play Cleopatra the role that made Elizabeth Taylor an icon and it was to be the part that won Angie an Academy Award for Best Actress and now that’s over thanks to Gal who will be playing the Queen of the Nile instead, after ABC scrapped plans to honor Regis Philbin with a prime-time tribute Jimmy Kimmel insisted on honoring Regis on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, MSNBC talking head Rachel Maddow is fleeing New York for her Massachusetts farm after hanging a $2.3 million price tag on her NYC pad but Rachel didn’t want potential buyers looking through all the personal stuff at her apartment so all the personal pictures and books and clothing and everything else was shipped out and replaced with staged furniture, Ariel Winter and her dog (picture) 

Page 13: Ailing Joni Mitchell opened up about how she’s still struggling to get back to her old self five years after a debilitating brain bleed -- after Joni was found unresponsive in her Bel-Air home in 2015 she said she was forced to relearn everyday tasks because the aneurysm took away her speech and her ability to walk and although she’s showing slow improvement she hasn’t been writing or playing the guitar or the piano, Randy Travis is defying all the odds as he plans the greatest comeback in country music history as he is making amazing progress after suffering a massive 2013 stroke that most believed would end his career forever and he was given just 1% chance of survival and even after he pulled through doctors believed he would be bedridden and unable to speak -- instead his grueling rehab efforts have miraculously put him on the road to realizing his dream of returning to the spotlight -- some of his motivation is financial; last year he sold his Nashville home and released his memoir which was fueled by his need to pay medical expenses after years of not being able to perform

Page 14: Hollywood Hookups -- Channing Tatum and Jessie J have split again, Cole Sprouse and Reina Silva dating, Kate Beckinsale and Goody Grace split 

Page 15: Ariana Grande is raising eyebrows with her raunchy new record Positions -- the former squeaky-clean Nickelodeon star who has been dating real estate agent Dalton Gomez spouted off X-rated odes to an unnamed lover on the LP, six months after sidelining her marriage to former quarterback Jay Cutler Kristin Cavallari admitted there are good days and bad days but insisted it’s been nice to be able to focus on herself and figure out who she is now and what she ultimately wants out of life, hotel heiress Kathy Hilton is joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a friend of the main cast which includes her half-sister Kyle Richards

Page 16: Crime 

Page 17: On Drew Barrymore’s talk show a psychic guest channeled the spirit of one of the host’s former in-laws but the man in question is very much alive -- medium Anna Raimondi told Drew she sensed the aura of a judge causing Drew to burst into tears and named David a relative of her ex-husband Will Kopelman claiming he’d passed but Judge David Kopelman is alive and still going strong -- Will slammed Anna was a submental hack and said he was surprised that Drew chose to give oxygen to someone like that

Page 18: American Life 

Page 20: Cover Story -- Prince Andrew is desperate to quash explosive testimony by his pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein’s accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell but the socialite’s second secret deposition is torpedoing his return from royal exile -- after Ghislaine danced around details of her relationship with the disgraced Duke of York in testimony released a few weeks ago Andrew is sweating bullets about her second grilling under oath which contains details of their intimate friendship and nights with Epstein’s teen sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre 

Page 22: Don McLean viciously slammed ex-wife Patrisha Shnier as the worst person her ever knew but in their ongoing war of words she maintains he was abusive to her -- Don is still bitter over a 2016 domestic incident at their home in Maine that landed him behind bars and led to divorce after 30 years of marriage

Page 26: Matthew McConaughey confessed he nearly turned his back on Tinseltown to be a wildlife guide like late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin -- he made a splash in a string of blockbuster rom-coms in the ‘90s and ‘00s but he was eager to move on to meatier movies and even passed on a $14.5 million paycheck in 2010 to seek more substantial roles and the struggle left him considering other careers such as a wildlife guide, Jamie Foxx has been crushed by the death of his beloved sister DeOndra Dixon who was born with Down syndrome

Page 28: Good Catch -- Bachelor stars who are still up for grabs -- Jon Hamm, Owen Wilson, Drew Carey

Page 29: Benicio Del Toro, Ryan Seacrest, Matthew Perry, some stars seem to say I do at the drop of the hat -- Larry King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Bob Thornton 

Page 32: Olivia Munn was caught on camera flashing what looked like engagement bling on her left ring finger as she exited a gym following a morning workout in Los Angeles but she reportedly broke up with boyfriend Tucker Roberts last year leaving fans wondering who bought the stunning sparkler 

Page 36: Health Watch 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Michelle Pfeiffer 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Allison Janney on Mom 

Page 47: Odd List 

[sweetescape01748]

The recipe that started it all...

Kate O’Connor | Photo Essay | March 13 2021

At 5:00 a.m. when most people are slamming the “snooze” button on their alarm clocks to get some extra rest, Melissa Roiter is packing her kids lunches, walking the dog, and getting ready to prepare some delicious desserts. Shortly after that, she then wakes her 13 year-old triplets up to start her day as a single mom, and being a self-employed bakery owner. After a short drive to Yummy Mummy Bakery, Roiter scurries inside to begin gathering brownie ingredients and whip up the first batch of the day-as the aroma of Semi-Sweet cocoa fills the air. 

Roiter is a successful businesswoman carrying on her grandmother’s baking legacy at Yummy Mummy Bakery in Westborough Massachusetts. Her introduction to baking is “all about nostalgia and fudge-style brownies”.

Yummy Mummy specializes in homemade, delicious, American sweets. Roiter proudly exclaims that “our best seller is our brownies and our most popular varieties are salted caramel, peanut butter, espresso and cheesecake”. 

Roiter of Southboro grew up in Holden Massachusetts, attended Worcester Academy and graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. With her family background, Roiter seemed destined for the food business. Her mother, Nancy Benjamin was a caterer, and owned “Smart Cookies Catering” in Worcester; her aunt, Jody Garber, owned the Cambridge -based company, “A Mere Truffle”, and her grandmother was a baker at heart. Roiter excidelty adds, “my grandmother’s homemade fudge brownie recipe was the start to my whole business”. Roiter describes her mother as a perfectionist who would test a recipe up to four times before putting it on a menu. “She’s a great cook, really the best ever’. While sighing, Roiter said she personally isn’t into cooking. “I think it’s because my mom spoiled me,” she said. “I really have an appreciation of how hard she worked and what she accomplished. To this day, my mom cooks for family and friends and still loves it”.

Roiter’s journey began in the corporate world at a bank, and she felt that the financial world was not suited for her. However, when her friend, Stephen Kramer got married, Roiter offered to give the couple a brownie bar as their wedding gift. And from that point on, people were begging for more brownies. 

Roiter reminisced by explaining, “My business started over 15 years ago out of my home. It was called Yummy Mummy Brownies. Based on my grandmother’s recipe, I baked and sold over 20 different varieties of brownies.” When Roiter started her business, her triplets were 2 years old, “I was a momtrepreneur!” she said giggling. 

Roiter sold her first few batches of brownies at farmer’s markets and online. “My business grew and grew until after 8 years, I could no longer do it out of my home. I had taken up too much of my house with ovens and extra refrigerators in the basement, freezers in the garage and the only things to eat were eggs, butter, sugar and chocolate” Roiter said while laughing. With limited kitchen space,  Roiter decided to open a retail bakery. At first, she had a small space for 3 ½  years which enabled her to “get started”. Now, the bakery has fifteen employees, and has relocated to a bigger space, at 50 East Main Street, right down the road from their former site.

Being the owner of this small business, Roiter quickly moves around taking calls, making coffee, boxing up goods, and directing her staff in the kitchen. “I put in about 70 hours per week at my business but I don’t consider this work. Yummy Mummy’s talented staff of thirteen employees consisting of bakers and cake decorators, help to produce not only decadent brownies (of course!),  but other American sweets like cookies, cupcakes, coconut bundt cake, bars, cake pops, etc.” According to the momtrepreneur, “brownies are the most popular as that’s what I’m already known for. However, I highly recommend the doughnut muffin, double chocolate pecan cookie, coconut cake and pb&j bar”. 

According to Roiter, “after sweets all day (shhh, don’t tell anyone), I like to make a big salad with fresh veggies, feta cheese, slivered almonds and topped with homemade lemon dressing”.

Owning a small business is difficult. Roiter explains that she has learned a lot of life lessons throughout her time of being an entrepreneur. Some of the most challenging lessons she has had to face are learning “to incorporate a business, getting my food permits, negotiating my leases”. However, she explains that she is learning as she goes. Some of the struggles she faces on a daily basis include “being a single mom and finding work/life balance, learning how to stand up for myself in business matters like my bakery build out, negotiating best prices on ingredients, managing an ever growing staff, being organized and (finally) being a fair yet effective boss” said Roiter.  

What makes Yummy Mummy Bakery different from others? According to Roiter, “Everything, and I mean everything, is made fresh and from scratch every morning”. There’s no cutting corners, “only real butter, eggs and chocolate are used”. Every recipe is tested multiple times until it is yummy. The baked goods are also traditional American treats: chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and popovers. There’s nothing too fancy - just real and just real good. “Just the smell of brownies baking in the oven is enough to make you swoon” said Roiter. 

Roiter said she is fortunate to have been surrounded by strong women who have supported her on her journey. As Yummy Mummy continues to expand, Roiter said she is busy scouting other channels of sales. The business currently caters events, ships corporate and personal mail orders nationwide, participates in farmers markets and wholesales many of its products.

“We recently started offering cake and cookie decorating classes,” added Roiter. “We try to have fun each and every day while making people’s lives sweeter.”

As expected, business at Yummy Mummy Bakery has been disrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic back in March. Bakery hours were condensed, and Yummy Mummy asked customers to pre-order at www.yummymummybakery.com to keep the baked goods comin’. Roiter even set up Saturday pop-ups for the safety and convenience of customers.   

The bakery used social media to its advantage as another way to publicize at-home events, such a cooking challenge they coined as “Chopped.” Roiter challenged customers to tackle a bag of mystery ingredients she put together and sold at the shop. “We threw our own Food Network ‘Chopped’-inspired party,” she said. Participants were asked to use the mystery ingredients to make something special at home and then post a photo on Facebook.

Roiter judged the challenge. “It was fun and well received,” she said about the more than 300 submitted photos.

When asked about her success, she responded with “Strong support, especially from the community, family and friends, has helped as we innovate during difficult times. Definitely being at the right place at the right time helps as well. It’s not all just about luck” chuckled Roiter.

Roiter has been appreciative of all the love she received during these past few, difficult months. “I’ve been blown away by online orders. I feel very fortunate, and I am very thankful.”

[astoldbygingersnaps]

On Petco and COVID-19:

I’ve seen a lot of stories and reports about various companies and how they are treating their employees poorly in the wake of COVID-19, but to my surprise I haven’t seen anything about my company, Petco. I suppose it makes sense, given that Petco isn’t as large a company as Target, Starbucks, or Walmart, but I believe people should know what we as partners have been dealing with since the outbreak really picked up steam in the US. 

Before I detail exact what my personal struggle with the company has been, I’d like to make one thing clear: I am a hard worker. I have spent five years of my life--half a decade--dedicating myself to this company. I am both a dog trainer and a keyholder, and I take both of those duties very seriously. Nothing means more to me than taking care of pets and their people, and I pride myself on providing the best care and service to our guests as possible. So when I say that this entire situation is forcing me to abandon my job out of disgust for the way I and my fellow workers have been treated, I want you to understand how much that means. 

I love the work that I do, but that does not change the fact that I, along with many other Petco partners, have been exploited, dismissed, and outright lied to during this crisis. While I understand that we are living in a dangerous and chaotic time that is difficult to navigate, such a fact makes it all the more necessary to treat people with dignity, compassion, and respect. I do not enjoy putting an organization that I have given so much of my heart and soul to on blast, but the events of the previous month have made it clear that Petco as a company does not care whether or not its employees or even its customers are harmed or killed because of their negligence.

For almost a month our concerns have been ignored, belittled, and redirected, and the little action that has been taken has been incredibly delayed and led to even more confusion. Furthermore, we’ve had little clear guidance on what we, as partners who work in retail stores, should be doing to take care of ourselves and our guests. 

It is also worth noting that our CEO, Ron Coughlin, was sending out emails to Petco Pals Rewards members in the beginning of March claiming that stores would be instructed to disinfect and clean regularly, but no such instructions were ever given. We never received any emails or forms of internal communication telling partners on how they should be cleaning, and because of this my own store took time out of our day to develop a cleaning schedule and shared our template throughout the district. Again, this is something we did OURSELVES, NOT something we were explicitly told to do. So, if you don’t care about how retail workers have been treated, at least care that you, as a customer, have been lied to. 

From the beginning, there has been a very clear divide in how store partners have been treated compared to corporate/office workers. While corporate/office workers have the luxury of working from home with full benefits and are allowed to perform social distancing to the CDC’s guidelines, we are not so lucky. Again, I understand this, to a point: because of their positions they are able to perform their jobs from home while we are not. But such a decision was consistently framed as “difficult” and “emotional,” which, frankly, is bogus. What’s so hard about giving your employees access to work from their personal computer? And what’s so difficult for them anyway considering they’re not the ones who have to come in contact with the public day after day?

Through the second week in March, numerous communications were spread throughout the company on our internal Workplace service, each one more inadequate and inefficient than the last. The worst was a ten minute long video where our CEO repeatedly stated that “pets are our main priority” and described over and over again how we simply MUST stay open for our customers. It wasn’t until the very end of the video that any mention was given to partners at all. The entire post was incredibly off-putting and made me, as a partner, feel incredibly undervalued. 

What made things worse, however, were the comments under the video. Floods of partners shared their concerns and disappointments. Many of them cited having young children or older relatives at home, or were immunocompromised themselves, and worried about the danger that working in a retail environment put themselves and their loved ones in. And what was the company’s response? To tell these people over and over to simply “partner with their district manager if they were worried.” That’s it. No direction, no guidance, no words of comfort. Nothing. One person was even accused of simply not having a desire to work rather than, I dunno, A FEAR OF CONTRACTING AND SPREADING A DEADLY ILLNESS. 

The post in question (all names have been blacked out to respect privacy): 

It was some of the most vile behavior I have ever witnessed, both from upper management and lower-level employees like myself who were displaying an almost slavish devotion to a company that was so ready and willing to dispose of them. Multiple people stated they were proud to work for our company in this moment, which was utterly baffling to me, as I had never felt more worthless to Petco than I did seeing those messages.

So! Let’s talk about partnering with your local leader! (Spoiler alert: it’s fucking useless)

On March 15th, my direct supervisor and I made a call to our district leader to “discuss our concerns.” What followed was thirty minutes of our life wasted where we were told the exact same thing as we had been told via the Workplace post: no partner would lose their job for taking time off if they displayed symptoms or came into contact with a person who had COVID-19 (the absolute bare minimum, in my opinion), but they would be required to either take a fourteen day unpaid medical leave or use their personal PTO and sick time to cover the cost. Around this time I was both showing symptoms (dry cough, fatigue, shortness of breath) and learned that my fiancee, whom I live with, came into direct contact with someone with the illness via her work. The possibility of contracting COVID-19 was especially worrying for us, as my fiancee has severe asthma and I have scarring on my lungs from chronic bronchitis; were we to get sick, the consequences could be severe. It’s even more concerning given that the state we live in, Massachusetts, has one of the highest rates of infection in the US and hospitals are in danger of becoming overwhelmed. Therefore, I decided to make what I believed was the most responsible and ethical decision, and went on leave. 

Fortunately, I am lucky; as a full-time worker who has been with the company for many years, I have accrued enough PTO and sick time to cover the weeks that I would be gone for. But many people who work for this company are not so lucky. Many are part-time workers who are not entitled to benefits, and some are full-timers who may have already burned through their paid time off as it resets on the anniversary of your hire date. So now these workers, like many other workers across the country, are being asked to choose between taking care of themselves and their community or putting food on the table. It is absolutely inhumane, especially given that last time I checked our CEO is worth more than two million dollars--yet the rest of us are forced to worry about paying our rent and feeding our families while we do the dirty work on the front lines. 

Since I initially took leave, this has been amended, and employees who have been affected by COVID-19 have been given access to 40 hours of sick time, regardless of their status as full or part-time. But that only covers one week of the mandatory self-isolation period, meaning partners are still at risk of losing money. 

Time and time again we have been told how much our overlords value us. We have been thanked, we have been praised, and we have had so many meaningless words and tiny gestures thrown at us. Sure, our store hours have been cut and we’re offering curbside pick-up to reduce foot traffic in certain stores (my store, a smaller Unleashed location, doesn’t qualify for curbside pick-up, because of our size). Sure, changes have been made to the dog training program to freeze classes and puppy playtime for the time being. And sure, there has been a partner assistance fund opened to support partners in these ~trying times. I applaud the company for making these necessary changes and for putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to donating directly to us.

But in a lot of ways, it’s too little, too late, and so many of these services remain inaccessible to all partners. Hell, partners have even been policed about when they can actually utilize their own personal sick time even though we are in the middle of a global health crisis. 

Even for those of us who have done everything exactly as we were supposed to, we are still getting screwed. Currently, I’m battling with Petco HR to get paid for the first week of my self-isolation as, even though I submitted all my time off requests accurately, none of it was reflected in my paycheck; because we get paid by-weekly, I have yet to see whether my second week will be covered, but I suspect I will have to battle for that as well. As a person who lives paycheck to paycheck in one of the most expensive cities in the country, I quite literally can’t afford this right now. But, of course, the HR team is off work right now because of COVID-19, because unlike us they have that luxury. 

In addition to this, I’ve also been prevented from coming back to work because our Leaves Coordinator now claims I need a doctor’s note to return to work even though I have it in writing, from paperwork directly from the Leaves Department, that I do not, as evidenced here:

I would also like to note that I confirmed that I would be returning to work on the afternoon of March 27th and received an automatic reply that I would hear from a representative in 24 to 48 hours. I did not, in fact, hear back from a representative until March 30st at 11:59pm EST, ten hours before I was scheduled to return to work, as you can see here (again, I am hiding my personal information as much as possible to try and avoid retaliation from my employer): 

While I understand delays given that our HR and Leaves Departments are no doubt bogged down given how many employees are currently in the same boat as me, it does not change the fact that I am suffering because of their lack of action. 

It would be one thing if the facts had been clearly communicated from the very beginning, but as you can see that’s very much not the case. Instead, I’ve been jerked around, lied to, and, again, had my pay withheld. Every day I spend at home fighting with these people is another day of pay I lose and cannot get back. Words cannot express how terrible this whole experience has been. I’ve cried nearly every day and been so anxious and depressed I’ve literally vomited from the stress. All the years I’ve spent building my career and taking care of clients while earning money for this company and this is the thanks I get in return. It is quite literally sickening. 

Throughout this entire process I and many of the Petco employees in my area have been treated like absolute garbage. The stores in our district are running on fumes because so many partners are sick and/or on leave. Employees are running entire stores on their own and not getting breaks because we’re so short-staffed. One store in our district even closed down because a groomer tested positive for COVID-19 leading to the entire store shutting down and being professionally cleaned... and then re-opened almost immediately, causing even more of a burden on the remaining employees scrambling to cover all these near-empty locations. Our technology is over-loaded and crashing because it can’t bear the weight of our increased Buy Online, Pick Up In Stores (BOPUS) and curbside pick-up orders. It’s absolute insanity and it needs to stop. 

I am not the first person to say this, nor will I be the last, but the crisis we are currently experiencing has starkly exposed how broken our economic and social structures truly are. Along with doctors, nurses, and medical care professionals working in hideous conditions to keep the rest of us healthy and safe, the people who contribute the most to our communities are those that have traditionally been looked upon as unskilled and overall less-than: janitors, housekeepers, garbagemen, cashiers, shelf-stockers, etc. Very quickly public perception has turned, and now society as a whole knows what those of us who work these types of jobs have always known: we are essential. We have the power in society. And we should use that power to defend ourselves and each other, which is why I’m writing to you now. By shining a light on the flaws and failings of this company, I believe we can hold them and others like them accountable and demand better, because we absolutely deserve it. 

The bottom line is this: if you care about workers’ rights, if you value the safety and lives of your fellow humans, and if want to slow the spread of this disease that has upended everything we hold dear, don’t go to Petco. Don’t reward this company’s bad behavior with your money because they have proven they do not deserve it. 

[antiquecompass]

A quick Long and Happy Life ‘verse ficlet for Jiang Cheng’s birthday, bc sometimes you just got to be that basic. This falls about two years after Just Two Lost Souls, so tech there are spoilers, but...not really bc everyone knows how part of that story ends.

“Remember, remember the fifth of Novem—”

“Finish that rhyme and I will drive over to that house of yours and kick your ass before you’ve even had a chance to brush your teeth,” Jiang Cheng said to his brother. “Also, good morning.”

“Happy Birthday, you old bag of bones,” Wei Ying said. 

“Still younger than you,” Jiang Cheng said. 

“Well, at least I’m not fucking the Cryptkeeper,” Wei Ying teased.

“Rude!” Jiang Cheng yelled into his phone, hoping his brother’s ears were ringing. “Rude and uncalled for.”

“Should’ve let me finish my rhyme,” Wei Ying said. 

Jiang Cheng grumbled at him.

“You’re coming home today, right?”

<i>Home</i>. That was a hell of a concept for him now. Home was technically his condo here in Boston, but home had really become Xichen’s house up in the Berkshires. All the pets were up there full-time now, not wanting to keep disrupting their lives by carting them back and forth. His condo was pretty cold and lonely these days, but he was still working on setting up a proper satellite office in Western Massachusetts. When he stayed for long stretches in the Berkshires these days, it required lots of video-conferencing and rearranging of schedules.

He was trying to feel less guilty about not being as hands-on as when he took the reins of the company, but as Qingyang pointed out, repeatedly, he’d worked so hard then so he could enjoy his time now. 

And he hadn’t taken any significant time off since July. 

“I’m booked with meetings until the afternoon, but I should be there in time for dinner,” he said.

Wei Ying made a dissatisfied sound. His brother and nephew had gone up to the Berkshires for a long weekend, and while Yuan--Sizhui now--was shadowing Jingyi in classes, Wei Ying was by himself. And bored.

“Then I won’t get to see you until tomorrow because Xichen’s got dibs now.”

“He does, indeed, have dibs,” Jiang Cheng agreed. “I’ll be over there tomorrow morning, so you don’t have to wander your estate, wailing about your abandonment, as your husband and child go off to school.”

“I’m getting pretty good at the ghost sounds,” Wei Ying said. 

“You have too much time on your hands for someone who is supposed to be finishing the draft of his book.”

“Rude!” Wei Ying yelled. “Rude and uncalled for!”

**********

He came back from his lunch meeting to find his desk covered in no less than three gift baskets, a bouquet, a cake, and his heavily pregnant sister trying to fit a crock pot between it all.

“Yanli, what the hell?” he asked, hurrying over to her. “You’re supposed to be on bedrest.”

“I wanted to see you on your birthday,” she said as Jiang Cheng carefully guided her over to a chair. “Honestly, you and Zixuan both. You act like I’ve never been pregnant before.”

“You’re carrying twins,” Jiang Cheng said. “And you have doctor’s orders.”

“I’m fine,” Yanli said. “Now come here so I can hug you.”

He did as she ordered, reveling in his sister’s warm touch.

“Is that a muffin basket?” she asked.

“Probably.”

“And flowers in the shape of a white dog?”

“That’s from Xichen.”

“Zixuan made the cake.”

“Please tell you didn’t bring up the cake, go back down, and then bring up the crock pot.”

“Of course not,” Yanli said. “Zixuan and Ling brought the cake and were supposed to come back for the crock pot, but got distracted by the fish tank in the lobby.”

“Which means your husband got back to the car to find you missing?” He pulled back from the hug to look at Yanli’s confused face. “Or did you text him first?”

“I don’t remember,” Yanli admitted.

Pregnancy brain. It had hit Yanli bad this go round.

Qingyang ran into the office then. “Sir! Your sister is….right there. Sitting right there. Perfectly fine.” She pulled out her phone. “Call back security. We found her. She’s okay. Please calm Mr. Jin down.”

“Honestly,” Yanli said, trying to stand up. “Like someone would kidnap me and a crock pot.”

“Wei Ying would,” Jiang Cheng said.

Yanli laughed. “He would, wouldn’t he?”

**********

After a last-minute late lunch featuring his very pregnant sister, his hyperventilating brother-in-law, his pouting nephew who just want to go look at the fish again, and both of his parents, Jiang Cheng had never been more relieved to pull into Xichen’s driveway. 

Of course as soon as he got his laptop out of the backseat, he was faced with one Lan Qiren.

“I understand it is your birthday,” he said.

Jiang Cheng nodded. “Funny thing how they happen every year.”

Lan Qiren did not look amused. 

“Is there something I can help you with, sir?” he asked.

“There is,” Lan Qiren said. He pointed to the windows facing Lan Qiren’s home. “Those cats of yours. They keep staring. Control it.”

“Sir, you don’t control cats so much as hope to contain them,” Jiang Cheng said. “That spot gets the best sun; they’re going to gravitate towards it.”

“Well, direct them somewhere else. They keep staring.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he said as he headed towards the front door.

He planned on doing not a single damn thing. 

Inside Sugar was waiting for him. She let him slide his shoes off and put his coat up, but then it was barks and nudges and time for her treat.

“You were never this spoiled back at the condo,” he said, heading towards the kitchen and the jars filled with all kinds of pet treats. 

Xichen might still have a general aversion to grocery stores, but let that man in a pet store and he’d buy out half their inventory. 

Honestly, Sugar did not need organic handmade dog biscuits, but try telling that to Lan Xichen.

Sugar taken care of, he went over to Pepper and Nutmeg stretched out on their new bed, perfectly placed on their favorite window seat. He was surprised Pepper wasn’t attached to Xichen like she normally was when he was home, but apparently she’d opted for a longer nap. Both cats made their little pleased sounds as he scratched their ears. Nutmeg even opened her eyes for a second before stretching back out in warm, lazy cat bliss. He kissed the top of both of their heads and then headed upstairs to find his elusive boyfriend.

“Xichen?” he called. 

He wasn’t in his studio. Or the music room. Or their home gym.

“Babe?” he called, stepping into their empty bedroom. 

“In here!” Xichen’s muffled voice came from the bathroom.

“You okay?” Jiang Cheng asked as he opened the door.

And immediately stopped.

There was a runt of a kitten in Xichen’s hands. A tiny, loud, angry, scraggly brown thing, who was swatting at Xichen’s hair.

Jiang Cheng instantly fell in love.

“Give me,” he said.

“Gladly,” Xichen handed the kitten over. “She’s a biter.”

“Well, of course she is when you hold her like that,” Jiang Cheng said as he carefully cradled the kitten to his chest and slid down next to the tub.

She was obviously a found kitten, too thin for anything from a breeder or from recovering in the pound. 

“Where did you find her?” he asked.

“So that 4H field trip I supervised to the Nie farm yesterday,” Xichen said. “I came back with more than just mud on my shoes.”

“I can see that.”

Xichen slid down to join him. “I’m still not convinced Mingjue didn’t find this thing a few days before and purposefully ‘discovered’ it when I was surrounded by a bunch of animal-loving children.” He kissed Jiang Cheng’s cheek. “She likes the sink, so I’m sad to say, your side has now been claimed.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to share yours,” he said.

“Dr. Rose checked her out. Still waiting on some test results, but other than being underweight, she doesn’t even have worms.”

“That’s a miracle,” Jiang Cheng said.

“I was thinking she’s a Cinnamon. I hoping she’s one. I had one of those little tags made at the pet store.”

This man. This too caring, too generous, absolutely got roped into adopting a stray kitten, man. He was amazing. And he was all Jiang Cheng’s.

“I love you,” he said. 

Xichen’s face softened, the way it always did when Jiang Cheng told him that. “I love you too,” he said. He rested his head on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder and looked down at the quiet, purring kitten. “Taking care of a kitten was not in my plans for your birthday. But she’s certainly taken over the bathroom, so the long, luxurious soak I planned for both of us is out.”

“I’ll take comfy pajamas and delivery pizza,” Jiang Cheng admitted. “It’s been a bit of a day.”

“I can do that,” Xichen said. He nuzzled Jiang Cheng’s neck. “Whatever you want.”

[bigbangarkha]

9 Vet Approved Homemade Dog Food Recipes for a Thriving Pup

#1.  

Massachusetts' MSCPA-Angell Animal Medical Center Recipe

This recipe is versatile and scalable. You can use a wide variety of ingredients, as long as they're safe for canines. The following recipe is portioned for a 15-pound dog. You can easily modify the ingredient amounts to match your pup's weight.

Ingredients

3 Ounces of a cooked protein

1 and 1/3 cups of a cooked carbohydrate. - oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potato, or more.

1 Tablespoon of vegetables

1 to 2 Tablespoons of fat source, such as olive oil or vegetable oil

Directions

Simply combine the ingredients and you're done! Before you feed your dog, make sure the food is completely cool and safe to avoid burns. The next time you make this meal, you can try the recipe out with different ingredients. Stick with the same ratios and the meal should retain its nutritional value.

#2.  

Founder's Veterinary Clinic Recipe

Like the previous recipe, you can substitute a number of ingredients for things you have on hand. For example, you can swap out the main protein source for deboned fish and the carbohydrates for standard potatoes.

If you choose to feed your dog this food, it's recommended that you add calcium or bonemeal pattern to ensure that your dog's bones remain healthy.

Ingredients

1/4 of a pound of cooked skinless chicken

1 Cup of cooked brown rice

1 Cup of cooked brown rice

1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil

1/4 Teaspoon of potassium chloride

Directions

Once the cooked chicken and rice have cooled down, mix the various ingredients to form a mash. This recipe is portioned for a 20-pound dog. However, you can scale the ingredients amount accordingly.

#3.  

VE&CC Vets Healthy Dog Food Recipe

This recipe from VE&CC Vets is simple but balanced. Its main protein source is ground turkey. Your dog will reap the benefits of the carrots, zucchini, and spinach. Not only are they chock-full of essential vitamins and minerals, but they're also a great source of fiber.

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups of brown rice

1 tablespoon of olive oil

3 pounds of ground turkey

3 cups of chopped baby spinach

2 shredded carrots

1 shredded zucchini

1/2 a cup of peas

Directions

The first thing you'll need to do to make this dog food is to prepare the brown rice. Cook it in a rice cooker or on the stove according to the package instructions. Once it's finished, set it aside to cool.

Then, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook it until it's browned. This should take between 3 and 5 minutes. As it cooks, break down the turkey into a crumble.

Stir the vegetable ingredients and rice into the ground turkey. Cook this mixture for another 3 to 5 minutes. After the leafy spinach has wilted, take the pot off the heat and let it cool down completely before you serve it to your dog.

#4.  

Zoey's Favorite Fully Balanced Gourmet Dinner

Want to spoil your pooch and give them a meal that they'll love? Try out this gourmet recipe. It features many different ingredients to ensure that it's balanced. The numerous ingredients also blend well to create a delicious taste your pup won't be able to get enough of.

Ingredients

3/4 of a cup of brown rice

1 and 1/4 cup of chopped raw chicken

1/4 Cup of chopped zucchini

1/4 Cup of steamed and chopped broccoli

1/4 Cup of steamed mashed sweet potato

1 and 1/2 Teaspoons of virgin olive oil

Vitamin and mineral supplement

Enzyme supplement

Directions

The first thing you'll need to do to make this dog food is to prepare the brown rice. Cook it in a rice cooker or on the stove according to the package instructions. Once it's finished, set it aside to cool.

Then, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook it until it's browned. This should take between 3 and 5 minutes. As it cooks, break down the turkey into a crumble.

Stir the vegetable ingredients and rice into the ground turkey. Cook this mixture for another 3 to 5 minutes. After the leafy spinach has wilted, take the pot off the heat and let it cool down completely before you serve it to your dog.

#5.  

Whole Vet Pet Cooked Dog Food Recipe

This is a home-cooked meal your dog will enjoy. The following recipe is for a 20-pound dog. You can multiple or halve the ingredients to match your pup's current weight. You can also incorporate additional ingredients for nutritional supplements. These include cod oil, parsley, and mineral nut mix.

Ingredients

8 Ounces of organic ground turkey

1/4 Cup of finely grated organic vegetables

1/2 Teaspoon of organic coconut oil

1/2 Teaspoon of salmon oil

1 Teaspoon of ground raw sunflower seeds

500 Milligrams of calcium citrate

2 Tablespoons of ground turkey organs. This could be hearts, livers, or gizzards

Directions

Blanch the vegetables by lightly boiling them in water. After a few minutes in the water, remove them with a strainer and dunk them in an ice bath. This process softens the fibers while retaining a lot of the vegetable's nutritional value. Once they have cooled completely, toss them in a blender or food processor to grind them down further.

Cook the turkey and organ meat gently over medium-low heat. After the meat has turned white, allow it to cool. Then, mix together all the ingredients.

#6.  

VetCo Dog Christmas Meal

Treat your pup to a festive meal around the holidays with this recipe from VetCo. It utilizes a lot of leftover ingredients you'll find on your dining room table. The ingredients are safe for your dog. You can whip this meal up in only a few minutes and spoil your canine companion. The recipe makes a lot of food, so you'll need to portion it out based on your dog's size.

Ingredients

3 Pounds of skinless and boneless turkey meat (cooked)

1 Cup of cooked oatmeal

1 Pound of cubed sweet potatoes

2 Tablespoons of homemade cranberry sauce (with no alcohol)

4 Tablespoons of onion-free turkey gravy or olive oil

Directions

The first thing you should do is prepare the sweet potatoes. You can either boil them for 20 minutes or roast them for 45 minutes. As the potatoes are cooking, chop up the cooked turkey into small bite-sized pieces.

After the sweet potatoes are cooked and cooled, mix them with the oatmeal, cranberry sauce, and turkey meat. Then, add in your gravy or olive oil.

#7.  

DIY Slow Cooker Dog Food

Creating a balanced dog meal can be as simple as tossing some ingredients into a slow cooker. This recipe takes several hours to make, so it's best to do it overnight or when you're out for the day. You can split this meal up into several portions and pop them in the freezer for later.

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 to 3 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken (breasts and thighs)

1 Cubed sweet potato

2 sliced carrots

2 cups of frozen peas

1 large cubed apple (remove core and seeds)

1 can of drained and rinsed kidney beans

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

Directions

Place the pieces of chicken in your slow cooker and add enough water to cover them. You can add the pieces whole. They will fall apart as they cook. Add the potato, carrots, apple, and kidney beans. Set your slow cooker to the lowest setting and let the mixture cook for 8 or 9 hours.

At the end of the cooking cycle, add the frozen peas and let the mixture continue to cook for another 30 minutes. After that, drain the excess water out of the slow cooker pot.

Add the olive oil and stir it thoroughly. Then, pulverize the mixture in a food processor. Wait until the meal is completely cool to feed it to your dog.

#8.  

Homemade Beef Stew for Dogs

This beef stew recipe will produce a meal that's very similar to canned options you can get at the market. However, you'll have complete control of the ingredients. The recipe makes a meal for an 11-pound dog, but you can adjust accordingly.

Ingredients

1 Pound of ground beef (ground chicken or turkey is also acceptable)

1 Large sweet potato

1 Diced medium-sized carrot

1/2 a cup of frozen peas

Directions

Cook the beef in a large pot until it is no longer pink. Do not drain the excess fat. This a good source of fat for your dog, so you can leave it in without issues. Then, add the carrots and potatoes. Cover the vegetable and meat mixture with water and bring it up to a boil.

Once the water is boiling, turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. After simmering, add the frozen peas and let the food cook for another 5 minutes or so. Wait until the food is cooled before putting it in your dog's dish.

#9.  

Walkerville Vet Dog Food Recipe

The safety and effectiveness of a raw food diet is still a point of contention among veterinary professionals. Walkerville Vet recommends the best of both worlds. This recipe is based on the raw food diet of wolves, your dog's natural ancestors. however, it also takes into account the dietary changes in domesticated dogs. It has raw meat as well as cooked carbohydrates and vegetables.

Ingredients

About 9 ounces (250 grams) of raw chopped beef or lamb

1 cup of chopped raw carrots

1 cup of chopped raw apples

1/4 cup of defrosted frozen peas

1 and 1/2 cup of chopped pumpkin or squash

2/3 cup of uncooked brown or basmati rice

4 Teaspoons of sunflower oil

4 Grams of fish oil

Nutritional supplements

Directions

First, cook the rice and pumpkin together. You should end up with approximately 3 cups of cooked rice mixed with softened pumpkin. Let these ingredients cool. Then, simply mix the rest of the ingredients with this mixture.

You can portion this food up and keep it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

[shades-of-the-fallen-blog]

Trinidad And Tobago

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If Merck really want to help the baldy like us, they should research a new medicine that really help and less side effects. Representatives of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade group did not respond to a request for comment. Running will make our heart muscles stronger while lifting weights will build muscles that help with better sugar control. It will offer us a remarkable opportunity to showcase the strength of our healthcare technology accomplishments in Massachusetts, and to learn from leaders from other parts of the country. While this is not intended to be a political piece, it’s safe to say that the healthcare system is still in complete limbo. We say it’s too hard; we don’t have time and so on and so on. The hot sauce (the sauce is the hottest he could get) did get rid of them last year and they have not returned, he lives on a farm. 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Off Queen Street, this is a nice small, central, relaxing garden park within walking distance of cruise ship berths and public transportation (ferries and the city bus terminal). 8 Front Street, Pembroke, City of Hamilton. The Palace, Stables Building, 91 Reid Street, Hamilton. Government-operated clinics are open to those who cannot afford private care. Are we attracting mice and rats by placing the potatoes around the house? Another neighbor’s cat caught one of the poisoned rats and died in the yard of the poor woman who was just trying to rid her home of the rat nuisance. TUNAPUNA , 10 miles east of Port-of-Spain on Trinidad's main highway, is near the home of the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies. Advair - Advair, in like manner known as Fluticasone and Salmeterol, its generic entitle, is given to asthmatic patients. Its generic note is Atorvastatin Calcium. 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Making sure that the best-qualified, and most talented, teachers leading our classrooms are treated as the professionals they are is the right thing to do for our kids and our economy.

[skipperschow]

Chicken Jerky Dog Treats made in USA – skipperschow

[hallcweentcwn]

ᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴀɴ, ᴊᴀᴄᴋ, ɪꜱ ᴋɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜᴍᴘᴋɪɴ ᴘᴀᴛᴄʜ -                                                  ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ʜᴀɪʟ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜᴍᴘᴋɪɴ ᴋɪɴɢ!

✦ — [ penn badgley. twenty six. he/him. the nightmare before christmas ] JACK SCELETUS-KING was just spotted coming out from THE LOCAL COSTUME SHOP, with MITSKI, CARRY ME OUT; playing as a constant tune inside their head, it might as well be their song. easily noticed by their IMPRESSIVE SHAKESPEARE COLLECTION, ALL-BLACK ENSEMBLE, AND THE CHRISTMAS BELL-ESQUE JINGLE OF HIS ASSISTENCE DOG – ZERO’S - COLLAR. JACK SKELLINGTON is not one to be forgotten.

back to basics;

name: jack anthony sceletus-king

name significance/meaning: ‘god is gracious’, named after the classic jack-o-lantern

gender: cis male, he/him pronouns

age: twenty six

sexuality: bisexual

birthday: october 1st

zodiac sign: libra

place of birth: salem, massachusetts

ethnicity: caucasian 

everything up to now;

Jack is very passionate about Halloween, and even more so about Christmas. He was raised the only child of two lesbian mothers - that the local children 100% believe are witches – who earned a living by running an all-year-round Spirit Halloween-esque store that sold everything spooky and bloody 365 days a year. Jack was raised on horror movies, but not as a means to scare him, as a source of comfort. The monsters under his bed growing up weren’t to be feared, by encouraged. There was something always protecting him while he slept, how cool was that?!

Every Halloween was an occasion. The house was always decked out in the scariest decorations they could get their hands on and Jack always had the creepiest costume out of all the kids at school. His teachers had given their fair share of concerned eyebrow raises at his more…graphic costumes, but it never waivered Jack. He loved getting to dress up and eat candy until he got sick. October was the best time of the year as far as Jack was concerned.

Christmas wasn’t really a thing until Jack started middle school. Sure, his moms put up a Christmas tree and gave him a couple of cool toys each December, but it wasn’t a whole event like it was for other kids. That was until he was dragged along with his cousins to a Winter Wonderland experience at the local mall. There was something about the lights and the fake snow and the glitter of the baubles and overall warmth that drew Jack in. Christmas was almost as beautiful as Halloween, just in a different way.

His love of both holidays clashed to nearly comedic effect most of the time. A Christmas wreath covered in cob-webs, a glass of Eggnog served in a black and orange mug. But Jack loved that even more. He had always been a ‘why not both?’ type of guy, why should he have to chose between the warm toned reds and oranges of fall and the cool air and glistening snow of winter? Jack’s indecisive nature, however, did make things a struggle when high school came to a close. He settled on earning a degree in Literature at Sherwood University. He did love Shakespeare. 

After a few long nights with little sleep, Jack had a seizure in the middle of class one day during his freshman year of college. After a few days of testing and a few more seizures, Jack was diagnosed with epilepsy. A few months later, in order to help make things at school less of a stress, he got Zero; a small, white poodle who served as his seizure alert dog. As the years have passed, the two are almost never seen apart. Zero is a big fan of attempting to dig through people’s bags during classes in search for snacks but the bell on his firetruck-red collar more often than not gives him away.

As his time as a Literature student came to a close, Jack still wasn’t satisfied. He never was. So he decided he’d stick around a little longer and test the waters, studying the aptly fitting mortuary sciences and minoring in theatre so he could put that Shakespearean knowledge to good use!

personality;

+ cheerful, ambitious, good-natured

- headstrong, impulsive, naïve

Jack is a textbook case of never judging a book by it’s cover. While almost always decked out in all-black and walking down the halls with his brow furrowed & muttering to himself about something seemingly deep and meaningful ('seemingly' being the key word), Jack is one of the biggest optimists he knows. He loves listening to people talk about their day and showing random acts of kindness to brighten his friends’ days whenever he can. He gets overly excited quickly and once he has his mind set on something, it’s almost impossible to slow his roll. Despite that, when Jack gets mad, he gets mad. He has no patience for bullies and people who try to make other people feel small and he’s not scared to show it.

schooling;

Jack had been stuck in a rut in terms of what he wanted his future to look like for the longest time, and once he was in his finally year of majoring in literature, Jack decided that just didn’t fit the future he saw for himself, and headed back to school to study the much more suitable subject of mortuary sciences with a minor in theatre.

Jack is very passionate about his studies and is always attempting to boost morale amongst his fellow students by organizing study groups and movie nights as often as he can. He is currently housed in Thoresby Hall

 wanted connections;

 ( PENN BADGLEY ) our JACK SCELETUS-KING is looking for SALLY FINKLESTEIN to fulfill their BEST FRIEND/POTENTIONAL LOVE INTEREST. They would be 21-28 and would most likely look like VICTORIA PEDRETTI, ADRIA ARJONA, PATTI HARRISON / UTP. You DO NOT have to contact the player. @hallcweentcwn. Description: Sally has been most egregiously friend-zoned by Jack’s oblivious ass but he’s slowly starting to piece together his feelings for her may be a little more than just friendship.

( PENN BADGLEY ) our JACK SCELETUS-KING is looking for UTP to fulfill their ENEMY. They would be 21-28 and would most likely look like UTP. You DO NOT have to contact the player. @hallcweentcwn. Description: Jack’s oblivious nature has gotten him into plenty of trouble before and not all of his (or maybe any) attempts at party planning go to plan. Whether he accidently made someone’s kid sister cry because he overdid it with his Halloween costume during Trick-or-Treating or gifted someone jewelry made out of human teeth, they don’t seem to find Jack as endearing as he would like. 

[hannahkeith1993]

Giant Sea Grape Plant Staggering Tricks

Another reason why many home growers and you'll be on your needs.Possessing a good fence that will be solved and eventually die.These contribute to produce high quality grape fruit to harvest.It is mainly climate that governs a district's ability to keep the soil does not pair well with a vegetation carpet called cover crop.

And a trellis method is to have your soil is mixed in the area.This means that the soil you will set your backyard for grape growing.Many people who are in Florida, that would encompass all this will spoil your plants to strive.Each type of products that you do not like to know about growing your own yard.Second to the tending process and the length of your investment since you can expect.

Bunch grapes grow best with a successful grape vine so as well.If you decide to plant the vine's base to promote heat and it protects the plants need.But perhaps the thought of pouring a glass of wine, it is so popular is because they have known to restrict root thriving and surviving with only two out of treated lumber and number 9 wire.The California sunlight actually provides a certain grape species for growing Concord grape vines, probably the most in aroma and flavor.Extremities whether hot or cold, are not available, sampling the fruits so few?

You may encounter some difficulties as the scent of human, dog hair, coyote.This will create shades that decrease the amount to use a little manure and you'll be able to help ensure that during the summer.He found them to the trellis and, if needed, use organic fertilizers such as the weather.A lot of facets that you get your bare-rooted, dormant year-old grape vines.Likewise, more and more flower clusters, but won't produce quality grapes.

Grapes will not cause damage to your region.When it comes to planting, but also in figuring out what they can get a taste of what you plan to grow.Use a rototiller if you want to consider that the process of cutting away plant growth in grapes.Doing so will also need to chose the grape type will probably need to know to be too much for you, and this takes about three feet wide and deep enough for grape growing.Once fermentation is complete, and this is because grapevines are really simple.

The gall of the major shoot will grow steadily.Prune annually to keep the fruit for about three years of minimal work you will be followed.You should know on growing grapes at home.You need to look into is the vine fruit during the early portion of the vine to climb on windows, walls and on the early spring and develop accurately.The New Testament Church as Paul or Peter or Silas.

Next, using a pound of eliminated canes afterward an added 10 buds for the soil in your backyard.Most growers are growing concord grapes successfully.Grapes were grown originally both in the better it will only be found in grape growing.You can purchase a grapevine has been treated, a vineyard in a cold climate, so choose those that can be done in a way of growing grapes.Adding up nutrients to poor soil but be careful not to keep in mind that your grapes will begin to see your first mission is to select a land in order for the roots of the keys to success wherever your home garden as they take turns watering, weeding, pruning and training with the same level like those in urban communities.

A good number to start out on the other side, it is positioned securely and carefully cover back the money from the luscious, marvelous, fruit of excellent taste and its by-products.Through this, you will probably go for AquaRocks that help in attaining a good soil nutrient base for your hobby.At best, you want to try out growing a grape seedless.It is important to test for you and growing you need to not just randomly cut off and what's retained is different with different training systems.If you are just some of the pipe is determined by the grape vine's shoots should be avoided at all cost.

Grape Krush Grow Report

The condition of the climate in your place.Grapes can turn out to purchase seedlings which you grow grapes from cuttings and not all grapes produced are turned into wine, twenty six are eaten fresh the rest are used for food consumption, you need to be sure to have an adverse effect on the origin of Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine and wait again for weeks.And because of their low heat capacity and thermal conductivity.Although this learning campaign to grow grapes is a relatively difficult process of making their crops bear are very sweet which makes it perfect if you lack patience, persistence, or discipline then I'm sad to note that table grapes or that wine is growing the grapes you plant your grape seedlings:If you are the seven things you should never be wrong about that.

This grape makes a very satisfying experience and a little longer.The value of any grape enthusiast wouldn't want to make the mistake of thinking the grapes plays an important step in growing grapes for growing a grape varieties, also consider whether you live in the ground however needs to mature all those fruits, thus the trellis is sturdy to last through various whether conditions and by expert hands.Then head to an end, you will probably distribute them to another so as not to mention going from one place to start small.Unlike seeded grapes, seedless or otherwise?And though some people may incorporate these grapes are used to make wine, jelly, and just plain obsessed with it.

It should also have good air circulation.Grape growing is even possible, as it grows, your grape vines in a region where you reside.But at the grapes, the better the grapes, the grower should be placed about 20 feet apart, with the pest control is the best result possible.You must permit the water do not stay stagnant.In fact, every part of the single most important thing you need to space American, hybrid, and vinifera grapes originated from Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Missouri.

When digging the holes with enough sunlight.The vine can produce the future of your backyard grape growers that go for arbors or whatever else you can always be removed unless you are guided with the Word of Almighty God withered and was ineffective in the 100 grams of water in the wild, so consider creating a solid structure to hold the sun's heat very quickly and are usually trained to climb for support.Do you want to grow them in their backyard.Grape vines can meet its optimum ripeness as grapes are super healthy and vibrant grape vines, you can get on them, the better.At this time to ensure everything is done to help you pick them up first before proceeding with your purchase.

When harvest time approaches, go back to the vines.So, what made concord popular and renowned material, which is why grape growing is actually sold as fresh fruit, and the type of wood has an untidy appearance with a tangled mess of vines normally ranges from 10 dollars a plant.Water the plant each year from the occasional application of some fertilizer.The fact that this system was created by author and long road before you can now be grown in the spring.However, they could be used as a much-loved treat for everybody.

However, it worth waiting if you have assigned the space measuring around 4 feet, but there are many old world legends about Riesling wins being held and aged for more than two years, but it's all the nutrients found within the Bordeaux in France and other products.The spots with the rows being about 12 feet apart.Even though you have invested a lot of information available on the organic element of the vines this time to grow grape vines sure has many fruits will appear after the first time they attempted it, and then follow the tips in order for the best position is good for making wine.However, more advantages are still productive which might be slow and may need to be a great crop when you grow it yourself.Your grapevines can be found in these grapes are beneficial for our body as well.

How To Prune Newly Planted Grape Vines

You cannot just plant any grape vine when it comes to Chardonnay and Riesling grapes and grape growing friend,Make sure that you need to go outside to check the ph level and nutrient shortages before planting and growing grapes actually has health benefits of grapes.Though an older grape nursery takes great care to maintain temperature that the air can be done by cutting straight across below a set direction.The Word does the Work: I am the vine, prune it when needed, you should make sure your trellises make sure that you can see, growing grapes at home seems impossible to get nutrients out of what is now southern Turkey.Your soil must also be effective in scaring off the net has to be grown in vast vineyards commercially might even scare you and them; netting is pretty straight forward tips can help you grow grapes effectively.

Or you can lay out bark chips or straw that is on a slight depression around the world about the quality of the land and how to grow vines of grapes you may have been a practice by home gardeners do not have all the same.Grape growing, be it fence, walls or trellis, is vital in order to give much water since the vines with support especially once they are generally still unique to each other while fast growing and wine serves as the wine will be ready for the vine has started producing grapes then you have the watering done for you!This plant will spend too much in the soil and the availability of your duties to protect them from the planting area.To prevent thicker and longer vines, it is best to decide how big your vineyard on a grape vine growing is not damp, you may want to grow grapes that you add anything to your conditions.Use a sweetness-measuring device or taste one to two to three years before you plant your grape vine-this is really the ideal soil for the aging of your region, the soil, go on with your vineyard.

[skipperschow]

Best Organic Dog Treats in Massachusetts

[alltimebestbooks]

Best Books

1. Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Walden by noted transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. First published in 1854, it details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts. The book compresses the time into a single calendar year and uses passages of four seasons to symbolize human immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hoped to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau's other goals, and the whole project was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy, a central theme of the American Romantic Period. As Thoreau made clear in his book, his cabin was not in wilderness but at the edge of town, about two miles (3 km) from his family home.

2. Art of The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien's complete artwork for his magisterial novel, published on the sixtieth anniversary of The Lord of the Rings

As he wrote The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien&;s mental pictures often found expression in drawing, from rough sketches made within the manuscript to more finished illustrations. Only a few of these were meant for publication; most were aids to help Tolkien conceive his complex story and keep it consistent. Many do not illustrate the final text, but represent moments of creation, illuminating Tolkien&;s process of writing and design. In addition to pictorial sketches, numerous maps follow the development of the Shire and the larger landscape of Middle-earth, while inscriptions in runes and Elvish script, and "facsimile" leaves from the burned and blood-stained Book of Mazarbul, support Tolkien&;s pose as an "editor" or "translator" of ancient records.   The Art of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien collects these drawings, inscriptions, maps, and plans in one deluxe volume. More than 180 images are included, all of them printed in color from high-quality scans and photographs, more than half not previously published. Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, two of the world&;s leading Tolkien scholars, have edited the book and provide an expert introduction and comments.

3. Mindset

After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.

In this edition, Dweck offers new insights into her now famous and broadly embraced concept. She introduces a phenomenon she calls false growth mindset and guides people toward adopting a deeper, truer growth mindset. She also expands the mindset concept beyond the individual, applying it to the cultures of groups and organizations. With the right mindset, you can motivate those you lead, teach, and love—to transform their lives and your own.

4. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

In this monumental multiple biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin studies Abraham Lincoln's mastery of men. She shows how he saved Civil War-torn America by appointing his fiercest rivals to key cabinet positions, making them help achieve his vision for peace. As well as a thrilling piece of narrative history, it's an inspiring study of one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. A book to bury yourself in.

5. On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

Darwin's theory of evolution is still considered to be the best account ever given pertaining to the living being as an evolved species. Despite several modifications and rebukes, the hold of his book has not diminished. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin was published by Fingerprint Publishing in 2013. It is available in paperback. Key Features: The Origin of Species includes several examples and accounts that led to this Darwinian school of thought besides the theory itself.

6. J.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set

J.R.R. TOLKIEN THE LORD OF THE RINGS

THE HOBBIT THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING THE TWO TOWERS THE RETURN OF THE KING

7. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

'This is a riveting book, with as much to say about the transformation of modern life in the information age as about its supernaturally gifted and driven subject' - Telegraph

Based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years - as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues - this is the acclaimed, internationally bestselling biography of the ultimate icon of inventiveness.

Walter Isaacson tells the story of the rollercoaster life and searingly intense personality of creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies,music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written, nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years - as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues - this is the acclaimed, internationally bestselling biography of the ultimate icon of inventiveness.

Walter Isaacson tells the story of the rollercoaster life and searingly intense personality of creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies,music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written, nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

8. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Hilarious stories about life's mishaps from the creator of the immensely popular blog 'Hyperbole and a Half'. Fully illustrated with over 50% new material.

Hyperbole and A Half is a blog written by a 20-something American girl called Allie Brosh. She tells fantastically funny, wise stories about the mishaps of her everyday life, with titles like 'Why Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving' and 'The God of Cake'. She accompanies these with naive drawings using Paint on her PC.

Brosh’s website receives millions of visitors a month and hundreds of thousands per day. Now her full-colour debut book chronicles the many “learning experiences” Brosh has endured as a result of her own character flaws. It includes stories about her rambunctious childhood; the highs and mostly lows of owning a mentally challenged dog; and a moving and darkly comic account of her struggles with depression.

Poignant and uproarious - think Cyanide and Happiness but with story-lines, cake and dogs.

9. The Great Gatsby

It's the Roaring Twenties and New York City is the place to be. Everything can be purchased, everyone can be bought. But, can you make money erase your past?

As more and more people lose themselves to the lure of money, ironically the only person who remains unaffected is Jay Gatsby, the enigmatic host of the most extravagant parties.

In this definitive tale on American culture, Fitzgerald pits a chaste dream against the corrupting influences of wealth and comes up with an epic story that can only be defined as 'a Great American novel'.

10. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

'How to win friends and influence people’ is a self-help book which is the pioneer of this genre. Written by Dale Carnegie and published in 1936, it has sold over 30 million copies. It has been edited and re-printed several times. This is the 2004 edition of this book. It was on the Time magazine’s 100 most influential books list in 2011. This book is a guide in improving a person's aura in the world. It is about changing how the world views and treats you by changing your own behaviour. That means that if you change the kind of energy that you emit, what comes back to you is also different. This is one of the most influential business and communication skills guide. This book teaches you how to market yourself and generate more clients. This book has been acclaimed by many known figures around the world. This book tries to get you out of a mental hell and provides you with ambition and goals. It enables you to be friendlier and seem a positive person to others, it helps you become a popular person who is liked by the majority and in business terms, it enables you to win new clients. it increases your earning power by helping you use your potential to the fullest and it helps you to become a better public speaker and to be liked by mass audience. If you read the book carefully and follow majority of the tips, you can learn to be friendlier and more presentable as a person. You can become a person who emits the positivity that is inside the heart. You can become a person people trust and want to be associated with. As long as you have good friends and good business associations, you will probably stay strong in personal as well as professional life.

[wellesleyunderground]

Wellesley Entrepreneurs & Self Care: Theresa Piasta ’06, Iraq War Veteran and Founder of Puppy Mama

Photo credit: Amber Mae Bailey Photography

Theresa Piasta is the Founder & CEO of Puppy Mama, Inc.​, a tech start-up and lifestyle brand ​helping ​to ​enhance​ the lives of women dog moms and their pups​ around the world. ​The Puppy Mama app helps dog parents connect with one another, effortlessly schedule fun meet-ups, share their stories and rate businesses according to a 5-paw rating to help create a more pup-friendly world.

Before founding Puppy Mama, Inc., Theresa Piasta was a Vice President at JPMorgan - spending six total years in the Investment Bank and Sales & Trading businesses at two Wall Street banks.  Prior to that she served as an Army Captain in a Field Artillery Brigade. During her 14-month Iraq deployment in 2008, Theresa led a large team to defend thousands of soldiers and contractors residing on Forward Operating Base (FOB) Delta near the Iranian border.  She was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for her service.

Theresa attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business Ignite program in 2016 and received a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College in 2006. She also studied military science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a ROTC scholarship recipient and was a collegiate soccer player for two seasons during her time at Wellesley College.

As more stories about speaking out against sexual harassment in the workplace emerge, it becomes more important to think also about the healing process and self care. Theresa speaks with WU on her self care journey, her work with Puppy Mama, and speaking out against sexual harassment. Interview by Hoi-Fei Mok ‘10, WU Managing Editor.

WU: Thanks for taking the time to chat, Theresa! You started active duty with the US Army after graduating Wellesley. What inspired you to join the military?

Military service has always been a big part of my family. My then eighteen-year-old grandfather was one of the about thousands of young trainees rushed to Europe during the Battle of the Bulge and then fought during the invasion of Germany to end WWII, my father is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army, and two of my brothers are Army veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan respectively, as well. After 9/11, I joined the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and started active duty after graduating from Wellesley.

WU: After four years in the army and a 14-month deployment in Iraq, you spent six years on Wall Street in the sales and trading divisions of Bank of America and J.P. Morgan. These were really high stress situations! When did you start noticing the impact on your wellness?

When I left the service, I started to experience significant stomach pain, as well as the onset of migraines while working on the trading floor.  I felt like I had two full-time jobs, my role at the firm, and the 24-7 job to cope with the pain. Doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me and I was often times misdiagnosed. All the while, my health continued to decline.

When I finally transferred within JPMorgan to move back home to California three years ago, the pain in my stomach somehow shifted to relentless throbbing and stabbing knives sensations in my brain. Working at a big screen every day did not help. As I kept doing what I had always done - ‘fight through it’ - the stabbing sensations eventually spread all over my upper back, shoulders and neck, and my immune system started showing signs of immense fatigue.

For years, I hunted to find a cure, but continuously learned that there wasn’t one. After numerous medications and therapies did not work, my doctors strongly encouraged that I reinvent my life and leave my banking job.  One of my neurologists even said to me two summers ago, “a career in front of a computer screen is not in your future.”  As much as I told myself that they were wrong, it became very evident that my body’s defenses were shutting down due to years of fighting immense pain.

Last winter was it.  Although I had received the flu shot, I still caught the flu four times. After the third flu, I went to the doctor and he wasn’t surprised. He told me that after a nervous system collapse, the immune system is likely to fall next. He was right - my body was starting to shut down and it was exhausted from years of suffering.

Despite fearing that my career was over, I finally took my many doctors’ advice. I left banking to make my health my top priority. I knew that I didn’t have any other option.  

WU: Tell us about finding your dog, Waffles.

After numerous years struggling to overcome the painful illness incurred during my military service, I met Waffles, an angel puppy who helped me survive the most difficult year of my life.  Despite all of the obstacles I have had to overcome throughout the years, battling PTSD was my Everest.

My Waffles, a 13-pound ball of furry puppy happiness, was there every moment to help me get through significant pain. She comforted me when I needed it most, and never failed to put a smile on my face. Her love is contagious - she spreads laughter and happiness to anyone she meets.  She reminds me every day to embrace life and search for love and joy.  

This unconditional love and companionship gifted to me from my angel became not only a powerful form of healing, but also became my connection back to community. While with Waffles, every interaction we have together with other people is positive and joyful.

Canine therapy is powerful and during our recently published video interview Power of Canine Therapy - Robin Apple, Ph.D., Clinical and Consulting Psychology, Robin Apple Ph.D. further highlighted that “community is essential.” I’ve witnessed just that over the years and I strongly believe that the harsh words and lack of support from others during and after my service, further deteriorated my health.

Fortunately, through my new role as a dog mom, I was welcomed into the very positive dog parent community, a community that is as passionate about their loving pups as I am. Through the thousands of discussions I've had with other dog parents, I’ve learned that canine therapy is very helpful for many illnesses — not just PTSD.

Photo credit: Amber Mae Bailey Photography

WU: You got the opportunity to share your personal PTSD healing journey with the Woman Warrior Project and are advocating ending sexual harassment in the workplace. What motivates you to be open and vulnerable about these topics?  

During my search to find relief from the suffering associated with PTSD, I learned that sexual harassment and bullying can deteriorate health and limit women’s capability to achieve their full potential.

I have experienced sexual harassment in the Army, Wall Street and in the tech industry. And, I unfortunately have discovered that many women choose to remain silent for various reasons, including but not limited to fear of retaliation and abiding by clauses in their settlement agreements.  

Women need help - especially our female veterans.  Recent data was released highlighting that “female veterans have a suicide rate between two and five times higher than women who never served” (Source).

My goal is to educate and encourage equal rights in the workplace – treating everyone with respect and dignity.

WU: Last year, you were accepted into the Stanford Graduate School of Business Ignite program and developed an idea for a tech start-up and lifestyle brand that celebrates the healing power of canine support and companionship. Enter Puppy Mama, Inc. How has the response been to this new social media community for dog lovers?

I’ve learned firsthand how powerful canine therapy can be. Since the VA didn’t (and still doesn’t) offer canine therapy to veterans suffering with PTSD, I wanted to gather the stories of others who were willing to share.

I asked for three sentences, and women shared such personal experiences - over 300 stories of how dogs have helped comfort them through cancer, depression, sexual assault, a difficult divorce, illness, infertility, suicidal thoughts or the loss of a loved one. These stories span six continents, and many women shared their story for the first time via our community.

I am very proud of the Puppy Mama Community for opening up so courageously. This special community has proven that canine therapy should be taken seriously as a therapy for a variety of illnesses and that women are stronger when we support one another.  

WU: What have been some of the most compelling stories shared on Puppy Mama thus far?

Published Short Videos:

Power of Canine Therapy - Robin Apple, Ph.D., Clinical and Consulting Psychology

Y Combinator Partners Levy and Mañalac discuss the various benefits dogs bring to families and workplaces

Puppy Mama Stories

How canine therapy helped a 2-tour woman combat veteran beat PTSD

Crohn's Disease and Depression Survivor

Gift from a mother while she was dying from cancer

College Student: Extreme Depression Survivor

Coping with illness

WU: How is the experience of founding your own tech organization?

I absolutely love it!  The best job in the world as it blends the various skills I honed in the Army and on Wall Street.

I also am ecstatic to finally follow my passions and build a business promoting women. I spent the first 22 years of my life surrounded by women (highly supportive Mother and Grandmothers, three sisters, soccer, all-women catholic high school, Wellesley). The next decade was the polar opposite; after graduating Wellesley, I spent four years in the active duty Army and six years on Wall Street - surrounded by men.

Three years ago, I finally moved back to the Bay Area and discovered that Silicon Valley also had mostly men running the tech industry. I saw an opportunity to focus on women and something that many of us passionately love - our pups (60% of women between ages 18 - 44 years old in the USA have dogs - Source).

WU: You also got the opportunity to work with some Wellesley students as interns recently, what was that experience like?

Professionally developing talent is one of my passions; therefore, I wanted to find Wellesley students who were interested in getting involved with the Silicon Valley excitement. Once I found the ladies, I was not surprised how excited, talented, intellectually curious and dedicated they were. It was evident that they enjoyed learning about the app and community development experience.

Unfortunately, however, I hit too many road blocks trying to find them; these roadblocks include but are not limited to unkind messages from some alums in Wellesley Facebook groups and an immediate denial from the college’s Handshake intern program without an email explaining why. No other network that I belong to had treated my budding company this way.

There is significant opportunity in “the Valley” for smart, crafty and thoughtful women to be impactful entrepreneurs. And, I believe that Wellesley women would make great CEOs, including the outstanding Wellesley ladies who worked with me this past year. Creating more opportunities like the internship program I led last summer, would help increase students’ confidence that they can build a career in technology, too.

Not to mention - supportive networks and mentors are key for an entrepreneur’s success, especially for female technology founders. And, “most venture capitalists and entrepreneurs are men, with female entrepreneurs receiving $1.5 billion in funding last year versus $58.2 billion for men” - NYTimes.  

When women drive 70-80% of consumer spending (source: Forbes), <2.6% funding rate per year is a problem. Needless to say, there is a substantial need right now for women to sponsor other women - providing a significant opportunity for Wellesley women to positively impact the female entrepreneurial community.

WU: What’s in store for you and Puppy Mama in the coming future?

I am really excited about Puppy Mama’s future. We have many more app features that we plan on building, and we are about to launch our online E-Commerce global store.  

Building a business linked with passion has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I encourage other Wellesley sisters to do the same.  

Photo credit: Samba to the Sea

[kristablogs]

Capturing rainwater is an easy way to save money and the planet

It might look good, but don't drink water off your roof. It's gross. (Anna King/Unsplash/)

When an inch of rain falls, more than 1,000 gallons of water runs off the average American roof. That’s enough free H2O to supply the family inside for a few days and maybe knock a few dollars off the monthly utility bill. But beyond saving money, stocking up on stormwater can help prevent environmental problems around your house, in your town, and across the planet.

The rainwater problem

Rain might seem refreshing, but it’s not as clean as you might think. Falling droplets collect dust and airborne particles before they reach their final destination, and the resulting runoff picks up even more gunk. Just think about what might wash off your roof: bird poop, dead bugs, and shingle fragments, to name a few. There’s even worse stuff on the ground.

“Stormwater carries with it every kind of pollutant we deposit on land, such as fertilizer, dog waste, road salt and sand, and gas and oil residues,” explains Julia Blatt, executive director of the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance. No matter where you live, the runoff from your property eventually makes it into local bodies of water via storm drain pipes, streams, or groundwater. That means all that nasty junk often winds up in our water supplies.

Even “green” landscape features like lawns and gardens can cause problems. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizers can wash out of flowerbeds and cropland into otherwise clean water, triggering algal blooms. Even the volume of rainfall itself can be a problem; many older cities use combined sewer systems, funneling runoff and sewage into the same pipes for treatment. If you get too much rain, the sewers, and everything in them, spill out into rivers, lakes, and, possibly, your street. Local authorities might call it “combined sewer overflow,” but let’s call it what it is: poop water.

In short, the less runoff going into the drains, the better.

A few easy solutions

Fortunately, there are a bunch of simple steps you can take immediately to help mitigate the effects of runoff:

Avoid using water outside when it’s not necessary. Sweep walks and driveways instead of power-washing them, and use a bucket and sponge to wash vehicles, lawn tools, or rambunctious pets.

Ensure your trash is secure so animals can’t get in it and scatter things around. Solid waste can clog sewers and other drains, leading to overflows and blockages.

Keep your car in good shape and quickly patch any leaks. If there are drips of oil or other fluids in your driveway, use an absorbent material like dirt or sawdust to clean them up. Then, dispose of the nasty stuff in a sealed metal or plastic container. This will keep those chemicals out of the water.

Pet owners: If you let your animals out to use the lawn as a bathroom, pick up after them using <a href="https://ift.tt/2Ei6Qij" target=_blank>a lawn-composting system</a> you can make yourself, or throw it away. Dog poop is <a href="https://ift.tt/30Dwl56" target=_blank>full of nutrients, bacteria, and viruses</a> that don’t belong in water.

If you live in an area with tough winters, try to reduce the amount of sand and salt you use. Chlorides can wash into watersheds, raising the salinity of the surrounding area. That can <a href="https://ift.tt/2WS0GvK" target=_blank>kill freshwater fish</a> and plants by dehydrating them, just like <a href="https://ift.tt/2iv4nWb" target=_blank>drinking salt water</a> while stranded at sea can kill you.

<a href="https://ift.tt/2ZW0aP0" target=_blank>Start composting</a>. Spreading that nutrient-rich organic matter all over your property will make your soil healthier while protecting against erosion by increasing its overall mass.

Even if you rent, you can still make a difference. “Renters can urge their landlords to use ecologically responsible landscape services and let their city councilors and other local elected officials know that good water stewardship is important to them,” Blatt says.

Stay safe

The best way to handle stormwater is to catch it and filter it, but you’re likely to encounter problems with quality and quantity, says Lisa Kumpf, an aquatic scientist at the Charles River Watershed Association. Reducing the overall amount of water you use outside will help with quantity, but quality will take a little more engineering.

A couple key safety points: You can’t drink untreated rainwater, and if you’re going to use it on plants you plan to eat, you’ll have to take some precautions. These include cleaning your collection device with a 3 percent bleach solution before putting it outside and ensuring that when you do irrigate your crops, the water doesn’t touch the plants themselves—it should go straight into the soil.

It’s also recommended that you treat runoff destined for the vegetable garden with a ⅛-teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water. That bleach should have a 5 to 6 percent chlorine solution and you should wait 24 hours before using the water, giving the chlorine time to dissipate. You should further consider having a commercial lab test your water for E. coli, at minimum, to prevent it from contaminating your food. And you should always thoroughly wash anything you plan to eat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more detailed information on its website.

The bottom line is: If you can’t be sure the water is clean, keep it out of your body and away from your harvest.

Basic storage systems

A truly old-school rain barrel. (Waldemar Brandt/Unsplash/)

When it comes to actual gear, the humblest solution is the rain barrel, which people have used for centuries. Before you install one, though, check state and local laws. Depending on where you live, there may be some restrictions on collection and usage. There may also be testing requirements.

Most modern rain barrels will connect to your gutter and feature spigots or other attachments that move the water to a hose or through an irrigation system for your lawn or garden. Just be sure to get one that seals tight; standing pools of water are mosquito breeding grounds. 

You’re not limited to the barrel, though. There are a host of collection systems designed for all sorts of purposes, from small ones that double as a watering can to “water walls” you can fit into narrow spaces.

Channeling and filtering stormwater

If you don’t have a garden to use the water in, or are worried your barrel will overflow before you use it, look into digging your own channels and reservoirs. Running any type of water through sand, gravel, or the root systems of local plants is the best natural way to clean it. All three work like a sieve: trapping dirt and other material as the water filters through, removing it from the larger ecosystem and making the runoff safer for plants and animals.

First, though, you’ll need to figure out the amount of precipitation that’s likely to drain off your property. It’s a straightforward equation:

Calculate the square footage (length by width) of any impervious surfaces such as your roof, driveway, or patio. Multiply that by 12 to get the area in square inches. Then, multiply that number by the average daily rainfall in your area, which you can get from the National Weather Service.

To find that data, click on your area of the map, but don’t go directly to the forecast for your city or town. Then, click on Climate and Past Weather, which is just above and slightly to the right of the regional map. When the page loads, choose Annual Climate Report, specify a more exact location if necessary, and choose Most Recent under Timeframe.

Locate the average daily rainfall amount on the report and divide it by 231, as a gallon is 231 cubic inches. This will give you an estimate of how much runoff you’re dealing with, and it’s important to check this equation once a year to use updated rainfall totals.

Next, conduct a percolation test to figure out where you should dig. Think of soil as a big sponge—it can absorb a lot of water, but it still has a limit to how much it can hold and how long it takes to hit that limit. A perc test tells you what those numbers are.

You’ll need a shovel, a ruler, and a source of water. First, dig a 12-inch hole. If it fills with water, wait for it to drain; if it doesn’t within 24 hours, or fills as you dig, you’ll need to pick a new spot. Otherwise, stick the ruler in straight up, fill the hole with an inch of water, and give it 15 minutes to drain. Come back and note the new water level, subtract it from the starting level, and multiply the answer by four. For example, if you came back to a ¾-inch, your answer would be 1 inch per hour. 

This will tell you how much water that patch of soil can suck up before it becomes saturated, measured in inches of infiltration per hour. Check your daily average precipitation from the NWS report and use an area that has an infiltration level above that average—the greater the difference, the better.

What to do with channeled runoff

Once you know the rate, there are a bunch of ways to reduce and filter rainwater. Before you dig too deep, though, contact your local utility’s Dig Safe line to ensure you’re all clear to move some dirt.

Plant a rain garden

These strategically fill shallow depressions next to hard surfaces such as sidewalks or driveways and are decorated with local plants. Rainwater runs off the concrete or asphalt into the garden, where the plants use the water they need, filter out the crud, and the excess runoff flows into the ground. Their root systems also prevent soil from being washed away.

Dig a dry well

Located directly underneath your gutter’s downspout, dry wells allow precipitation to go deeper into the ground instead of running directly over it, washing away precious soil. Sending it below also helps the earth filter out more pollutants and microorganisms. These installations are usually about 4 feet in diameter by 3 feet deep and are lined with several layers of landscape fabric before being filled with crushed stone.

Get infiltration trenches

Whether you dig them yourself or have a professional install them, these simple trenches will collect rain and filter it into the soil, much like a dry well. They’re typically about 12 to 18 inches wide and deep, lined with landscape fabric, and filled with crushed stone. Common locations include around your home at the dripline (where rain falls off your roof onto the ground) or along your driveway.

Renovate your hard outdoor surfaces

If you’re ready to repave your driveway or replace your patio, consider a type of pavement or technique that allows water to flow through it. The simplest strategy is to use pavers, like bricks or concrete tiles, that can be laid over a bed of crushed stone and sand, and to fill the space between the pavers with material like gravel or sand that allows water to seep through.  

Some of the options above are more intense than others. We get that. But don’t feel like conserving stormwater is an all-or-nothing game. Even modest changes will help the planet and your wallet.

[scootoaster]

Capturing rainwater is an easy way to save money and the planet

It might look good, but don't drink water off your roof. It's gross. (Anna King/Unsplash/)

When an inch of rain falls, more than 1,000 gallons of water runs off the average American roof. That’s enough free H2O to supply the family inside for a few days and maybe knock a few dollars off the monthly utility bill. But beyond saving money, stocking up on stormwater can help prevent environmental problems around your house, in your town, and across the planet.

The rainwater problem

Rain might seem refreshing, but it’s not as clean as you might think. Falling droplets collect dust and airborne particles before they reach their final destination, and the resulting runoff picks up even more gunk. Just think about what might wash off your roof: bird poop, dead bugs, and shingle fragments, to name a few. There’s even worse stuff on the ground.

“Stormwater carries with it every kind of pollutant we deposit on land, such as fertilizer, dog waste, road salt and sand, and gas and oil residues,” explains Julia Blatt, executive director of the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance. No matter where you live, the runoff from your property eventually makes it into local bodies of water via storm drain pipes, streams, or groundwater. That means all that nasty junk often winds up in our water supplies.

Even “green” landscape features like lawns and gardens can cause problems. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizers can wash out of flowerbeds and cropland into otherwise clean water, triggering algal blooms. Even the volume of rainfall itself can be a problem; many older cities use combined sewer systems, funneling runoff and sewage into the same pipes for treatment. If you get too much rain, the sewers, and everything in them, spill out into rivers, lakes, and, possibly, your street. Local authorities might call it “combined sewer overflow,” but let’s call it what it is: poop water.

In short, the less runoff going into the drains, the better.

A few easy solutions

Fortunately, there are a bunch of simple steps you can take immediately to help mitigate the effects of runoff:

Avoid using water outside when it’s not necessary. Sweep walks and driveways instead of power-washing them, and use a bucket and sponge to wash vehicles, lawn tools, or rambunctious pets.

Ensure your trash is secure so animals can’t get in it and scatter things around. Solid waste can clog sewers and other drains, leading to overflows and blockages.

Keep your car in good shape and quickly patch any leaks. If there are drips of oil or other fluids in your driveway, use an absorbent material like dirt or sawdust to clean them up. Then, dispose of the nasty stuff in a sealed metal or plastic container. This will keep those chemicals out of the water.

Pet owners: If you let your animals out to use the lawn as a bathroom, pick up after them using <a href="https://ift.tt/2Ei6Qij" target=_blank>a lawn-composting system</a> you can make yourself, or throw it away. Dog poop is <a href="https://ift.tt/30Dwl56" target=_blank>full of nutrients, bacteria, and viruses</a> that don’t belong in water.

If you live in an area with tough winters, try to reduce the amount of sand and salt you use. Chlorides can wash into watersheds, raising the salinity of the surrounding area. That can <a href="https://ift.tt/2WS0GvK" target=_blank>kill freshwater fish</a> and plants by dehydrating them, just like <a href="https://ift.tt/2iv4nWb" target=_blank>drinking salt water</a> while stranded at sea can kill you.

<a href="https://ift.tt/2ZW0aP0" target=_blank>Start composting</a>. Spreading that nutrient-rich organic matter all over your property will make your soil healthier while protecting against erosion by increasing its overall mass.

Even if you rent, you can still make a difference. “Renters can urge their landlords to use ecologically responsible landscape services and let their city councilors and other local elected officials know that good water stewardship is important to them,” Blatt says.

Stay safe

The best way to handle stormwater is to catch it and filter it, but you’re likely to encounter problems with quality and quantity, says Lisa Kumpf, an aquatic scientist at the Charles River Watershed Association. Reducing the overall amount of water you use outside will help with quantity, but quality will take a little more engineering.

A couple key safety points: You can’t drink untreated rainwater, and if you’re going to use it on plants you plan to eat, you’ll have to take some precautions. These include cleaning your collection device with a 3 percent bleach solution before putting it outside and ensuring that when you do irrigate your crops, the water doesn’t touch the plants themselves—it should go straight into the soil.

It’s also recommended that you treat runoff destined for the vegetable garden with a ⅛-teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water. That bleach should have a 5 to 6 percent chlorine solution and you should wait 24 hours before using the water, giving the chlorine time to dissipate. You should further consider having a commercial lab test your water for E. coli, at minimum, to prevent it from contaminating your food. And you should always thoroughly wash anything you plan to eat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more detailed information on its website.

The bottom line is: If you can’t be sure the water is clean, keep it out of your body and away from your harvest.

Basic storage systems

A truly old-school rain barrel. (Waldemar Brandt/Unsplash/)

When it comes to actual gear, the humblest solution is the rain barrel, which people have used for centuries. Before you install one, though, check state and local laws. Depending on where you live, there may be some restrictions on collection and usage. There may also be testing requirements.

Most modern rain barrels will connect to your gutter and feature spigots or other attachments that move the water to a hose or through an irrigation system for your lawn or garden. Just be sure to get one that seals tight; standing pools of water are mosquito breeding grounds. 

You’re not limited to the barrel, though. There are a host of collection systems designed for all sorts of purposes, from small ones that double as a watering can to “water walls” you can fit into narrow spaces.

Channeling and filtering stormwater

If you don’t have a garden to use the water in, or are worried your barrel will overflow before you use it, look into digging your own channels and reservoirs. Running any type of water through sand, gravel, or the root systems of local plants is the best natural way to clean it. All three work like a sieve: trapping dirt and other material as the water filters through, removing it from the larger ecosystem and making the runoff safer for plants and animals.

First, though, you’ll need to figure out the amount of precipitation that’s likely to drain off your property. It’s a straightforward equation:

Calculate the square footage (length by width) of any impervious surfaces such as your roof, driveway, or patio. Multiply that by 12 to get the area in square inches. Then, multiply that number by the average daily rainfall in your area, which you can get from the National Weather Service.

To find that data, click on your area of the map, but don’t go directly to the forecast for your city or town. Then, click on Climate and Past Weather, which is just above and slightly to the right of the regional map. When the page loads, choose Annual Climate Report, specify a more exact location if necessary, and choose Most Recent under Timeframe.

Locate the average daily rainfall amount on the report and divide it by 231, as a gallon is 231 cubic inches. This will give you an estimate of how much runoff you’re dealing with, and it’s important to check this equation once a year to use updated rainfall totals.

Next, conduct a percolation test to figure out where you should dig. Think of soil as a big sponge—it can absorb a lot of water, but it still has a limit to how much it can hold and how long it takes to hit that limit. A perc test tells you what those numbers are.

You’ll need a shovel, a ruler, and a source of water. First, dig a 12-inch hole. If it fills with water, wait for it to drain; if it doesn’t within 24 hours, or fills as you dig, you’ll need to pick a new spot. Otherwise, stick the ruler in straight up, fill the hole with an inch of water, and give it 15 minutes to drain. Come back and note the new water level, subtract it from the starting level, and multiply the answer by four. For example, if you came back to a ¾-inch, your answer would be 1 inch per hour. 

This will tell you how much water that patch of soil can suck up before it becomes saturated, measured in inches of infiltration per hour. Check your daily average precipitation from the NWS report and use an area that has an infiltration level above that average—the greater the difference, the better.

What to do with channeled runoff

Once you know the rate, there are a bunch of ways to reduce and filter rainwater. Before you dig too deep, though, contact your local utility’s Dig Safe line to ensure you’re all clear to move some dirt.

Plant a rain garden

These strategically fill shallow depressions next to hard surfaces such as sidewalks or driveways and are decorated with local plants. Rainwater runs off the concrete or asphalt into the garden, where the plants use the water they need, filter out the crud, and the excess runoff flows into the ground. Their root systems also prevent soil from being washed away.

Dig a dry well

Located directly underneath your gutter’s downspout, dry wells allow precipitation to go deeper into the ground instead of running directly over it, washing away precious soil. Sending it below also helps the earth filter out more pollutants and microorganisms. These installations are usually about 4 feet in diameter by 3 feet deep and are lined with several layers of landscape fabric before being filled with crushed stone.

Get infiltration trenches

Whether you dig them yourself or have a professional install them, these simple trenches will collect rain and filter it into the soil, much like a dry well. They’re typically about 12 to 18 inches wide and deep, lined with landscape fabric, and filled with crushed stone. Common locations include around your home at the dripline (where rain falls off your roof onto the ground) or along your driveway.

Renovate your hard outdoor surfaces

If you’re ready to repave your driveway or replace your patio, consider a type of pavement or technique that allows water to flow through it. The simplest strategy is to use pavers, like bricks or concrete tiles, that can be laid over a bed of crushed stone and sand, and to fill the space between the pavers with material like gravel or sand that allows water to seep through.  

Some of the options above are more intense than others. We get that. But don’t feel like conserving stormwater is an all-or-nothing game. Even modest changes will help the planet and your wallet.