#Salt Delivery Rock Hill

[bookclub4m]

Episode 184 - Horror

This episode we’re discussing the fiction genre of Horror! We talk about fear, control, Goosebumps, bad dogs, horror-comedy, creepypasta, the apocalypse, lizard romance, and more! 

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Straight by Chuck Tingle

Mister Magic by Kiersten White, narrated by Rebecca Lowman

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

The Wicked Unseen by Gigi Griffis

Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

Leech by Hiron Ennes

The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Fourteen edited by Ellen Datlow

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit: Fazbear Frights #1 by Scott Cawthon and Elley Cooper

Sadako at the End of the World by Koma Natsumi

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Omnibus, Book 3 by Eiji Otsuka and Yamazaki Housui

Things We Read (but didn’t talk about in this episode)

Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! by Kanako Inuki

Résumé With Monsters by William Browning Spencer

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu and Soo Lee

Hammers on Bone by Cassandra Khaw

A Song for the Quiet by Cassandra Khaw

The Helios Syndrome by Vivian Shaw

Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum

Other Media (& Authors) We Mentioned

Captain Britain And MI13, Volume 3: Vampire State by Paul Cornell, Leonard Kirk, and Mike Collins

Stephen King

Misery

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

Cujo

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Alien: Isolation (Wikipedia)

Dead Space (2008 video game) (Wikipedia)

R.L. Stine

Goosebumps

Fear Street

Junji Ito

The Enigma of Amigara Fault - “T-this is my hole! It was made for me!”

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu

Emily Carroll

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Smart Podcast Trashy Books: 579. Punk Rock Writing with Chuck Tingle

Candle Cove by Kris Straub

Candle Cove (Wikipedia)

SCP Foundation 

SCP-087

The SCP Foundation: Declassified (YouTube)

The Ring (2002 film) (Wikipedia)

We talked more about the novel The Ring in Episode 078 - Supernatural Thrillers

Crapshots Ep608 - The Old Ones (YouTube) 

Links, Articles, Etc.

Episode 176: Fantasy

Episode 123: Psychological Horror

Does the Dog Die?

Matthew’s spooky phone case is a variant of this one

Matthew did a “31 Spooky Manga” challenge a few years ago and read a different spooky manga every day in October.

The Midnight Library: Episode 001 - Halloween Poetry

Sound Effects

Big Thunder And Distant Thunder Rain Birds by morvei01

Dramatic Organ, A by InspectorJ

bats1 by sofie

Pigeons (St Stephens Green, Dublin) by iainmccurdy

31 Recent Horror Books by BIPOC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

This list features horror fiction by BIPOC authors published within the last 3 years.

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

The Spite House by Johnny Compton

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell

Piñata by Leopoldo Gout

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Morena-Garcia 

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele

Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn

Manmade Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

Chlorine by Jade Song

Midnight Storm Moonless Sky: Indigenous Horror Stories by Alex Soop

There's No Way I'd Die First by Lisa Springer

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

Tell Me Pleasant Things about Immortality: Stories by Lindsay Wong

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth 

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, November 7th when we’ll be discussing the non-fiction genre of Crafts and Crafting!

Then on Tuesday, December 5th we’ll be talking about the genre of Suspense Fiction!

[pinerbureau]

Hohokam native american

He said: ‘‘A city will rise phoenix-like, new and beautiful, from these ashes of the past,’’ and renamed the new community Phoenix.”Īround the 1880, Charles T. Englishman ‘‘Lord’’ Darrell Duppa”, recognized the symbolism of a new agricultural civilization rising from old Hohokam canals. The Swilling Irrigating Canal Company, as his company came to be called, revitalized the irrigation system and enticed more people to settle in the area. and Van Buren), to sell to miners in Wickenburg and infantry stationed at Ft. He redirected the delivery of water from the Salt River via the canals and ditches (modern day 32nd St. With sixteen other miners, he received a loan to create ditches, minimizing watershed, to successfully raise wheat, barley and corn. Upon discovering the Hohokam canals, Swilling analyzed their potential and restored them as a viable water delivery source. Needing a constant supply of water, the miners and soldiers observed the landscape. Ten years later, a central Arizona gold rush brought many miners near the Salt river. Jack Swilling, a Mexican War and Confederate States Army Veteran, headed west in the late 1850’s to work as an ox-train teamster. The Hohokam effort to build irrigation canals became the foundation of economic and urban development of Arizona. Especially during periods of environmental stress, all but vanished by 1450. The most viable reason was outgrowing their capacity to sustain life in the desert. There is no universally accepted evidence on why they disappeared, only speculation. The Hohokam canal stretched nearly 500 miles and would serve up to 50,000 natives at any given time. The headgates were made out of wood and giant rocks, withstanding the rivers immense strength. A weir, or partial dam, forced water into the head gate of the canal, creating maximum force, and more efficiently carrying water to the local farms. To maximize potential of water to exit river into canals, the Hohokam developed several techniques. If they allowed the water to stagnate, those three elements occur. This increase in velocity, decreased sediment buildup, discharge into fields and evaporation. In areas of inadequate water(ebb) the channel would be narrowed, increasing velocity of water. In areas of excessive water(flow), the Hohokam would widen the channel. Creating a stabilized canal system they transported water through minimal changes in elevation and overcame natural ebbs and flows that rivers create. Their ability to push water effectively for several 100 miles over a flat desert landscape, while evading hills and valleys complimented their legacy. Using digging sticks, the Native Americans excavated 12-feet deep canals, fanning into a larger network of smaller canals.īecause of their extensive excavation abilities, the Hohokam were considered to be engineering geniuses. As the population grew further from the river, the Hohokam began to construct canals for irrigation. Around 600 CE, the Hohokam population grew too large for sustainable living. Hohokam, (a Pima Indian word meaning ‘‘those who have disappeared’’), first appeared around 1 CE initially growing beans, squash, corn and cotton serving a very small population of less than one thousand. The Hohokam people lived in the Mesa area for nearly 1,500 years. With a population estimated to be as many as 80,000 individuals at its height, the culture flourished for more than 1000 years in the unforgiving Sonoran desert before disappearing in about 1450 CE. The Hohokan people dug a sophisticated network of canals in the Salt River Valley as a foundation for a flourishing civilization.

[ducktracy]

180. the lyin’ mouse (1937)

release date: october 16th, 1937

series: merrie melodies

director: friz freleng

starring: mel blanc (cat), billy bletcher (lion), berneice hansell (mice)

this cartoon debuts a REALLY helpful bonus (that you can’t see on account of the blue ribbon re-issue): the story man is finally credited! no more guessing games as to who wrote what! of course, some valuable details are still omitted (backgrounds, layouts) which can sometimes be deciphered with a bit of sleuthing, but this is a nice start. i’ll start crediting the story, animation, music, layouts/backgrounds, etc. once the title cards move to the three part formula (that is: title, credits, director’s credit), which is sometime in the mid ‘40’s. for now, a little mouse retells the fable of the lion in the mouse (with some loony touches, of course) to a hungry cat in an attempt to satiate the cat’s appetite for the rodent.

berneice hansell’s shrieks accompany a still of the basement where our tale takes place. fade and zoom into a poor little mouse caught in a mouse trap, trying and failing to free its tail from the iron bar. the mouse’s cries of “helphelphelphelphelphelpHELP!” do nothing but attract unwanted attention--a quick, speedy pan that recalls the techniques of frank tashlin’s reveal a hungry cat licking its chops in anticipation. i personally love the cat’s design, the coloring on the eyes especially is really unique and stands out. the mouse, on the other hand, looks like all of the previous freleng mice that have dominated his cartoons, especially around the 1936 season. 

the mouse begs for the cat to spare him. i love the purposeful indifference on the cat’s part--humming nonchalantly (the humming provided by billy bletcher as opposed to mel blanc) as he ties a napkin around his neck and places the mouse between two slices of bread, even salting him. tugging at the heart strings isn’t enough to quench this kitty’s appetite. the mouse’s attempts at bargaining are soon replaced with giggles as he’s slathered with mustard (gotta go the whole nine yards!), soon silent as the cat prepares to take a bite of his mouse-wich. thankfully for the mouse, its tail is still caught in the trap, and he’s yanked forcefully out from the sandwich just as the cat prepares to take a bite.

like always, berneice hansell’s deliveries are all too amusing to listen to as he proposes a deal with the cat. if the cat spares him, he’ll do a good deed in return. the cat doesn’t buy it (”ha! dat’s rich. a mouse help a cat. ha!”), prompting the mouse to ask if he’s ever heard of the story about the lion and the mouse. hansell’s deliveries are in tip top form as she eagerly exposes the plot, her voice reaching frequencies that even dogs would strain to hear. the gaspy breaths of excitement are another plus. tex avery would usually be the one to use her vocals as a punchline, pushing the audience’s limits on how long they can stomach her squealing (and i use that affectionately!), but you can certainly see friz also taking that approach here. likewise, the mouse’s voice reaches an opposite extreme, thundering in a low bellow as he describes the great, big, bad lion. i could be wrong, but the dimensional acting on the mouse, particularly the close-ups, feel like the work of bob mckimson to me.

though amusing, the opening portion of the cartoon does teeter on the sweet and sentimental side more than it does funny and witty. thankfully, we get more of the good stuff during the actual retelling of the story. the lion makes his grand debut, marching through a line of trees that bend to allow his threatening physique through. facing the audience, billy bletcher does his classic, bellowing voice as the lion introduces himself as the rip-snortin’-est lion in the whole world, going on an entire tangent all ending in -”est”, a mannerism that would be adopted by friz’s own yosemite sam years later. the animation of the lion is a bit distracting and clumsy, and i can’t help but wonder if that’s on the fault of the ink and paint department rather than the animator (or both). his mane in particular feels rather floaty and too geometrical. nevertheless, bletcher’s vocals are keen. to demonstrate just how large and in charge he is, the lion takes a deep inhale and exhale, causing an entire wind burst to blow the trees to and fro--even the grass rolls and unrolls like a carpet.

transition to a baby ostrich happily strutting along, the same ostrich reused from freleng’s plenty of money and you just a few years prior. the lion bellows its roar from offscreen, prompting the terrified ostrich to jab its head in the ground, lifting its head up (and a clump of dirt consequently hanging from its neck) and dashing off into the hills after the next roar. the scene does feel slightly out of place, transitions between scenes noticeable, but ken harris’ animation is always nice to see. the timing, at least, is very well done. the next scene, however, has more clumsy and conservative animation, featuring animals running away and back again to their water hole after being scared off by the lion. it beckons memories of past cartoon eras.

nevertheless, another hansell-voiced mouse (the eponymous mouse, that is) appears and is ready for some mischief making. he blows into a horn that is, to the animals, all to reminiscent of the lion’s roar. the animals of the jungle take off, including a turtle couple who jump in the same shell to escape, slightly comparable to another turtle couple in tex avery’s don’t look now just a year prior. 

of course, the mouse gets his just desserts when the mean ol’ rip-snortin’-est lion himself is right behind the mouse, watching him double over in squeaky hysterics. once the mouse realizes he’s about to become dinner (doing a nice little stretch take), he’s quick to drop his games, now whistling anxiously, a big, cheesy grin plastered on his face, taking a few cautious steps backwards. gorgeous personality animation. 

as the mouse pleas for his life, giving the ol’ “i have a wife and kids at home!” excuse, the lion is distracted by a smell radiating from off screen. a rotisserie chicken is conveniently placed in a bear trap, the trap labeled as the FRANK CLUCK EXPEDITION (a take on famed hunter frank buck). thankfully for the mouse, the lion lets him go, preoccupied with his plentiful poultry meal. the mouse zips away thankfully, only to zip right back at equal speeds and thank the lion before zipping away again. this gag would be used verbatim only 3 years later with freleng’s you ought to be in pictures, with porky in place of the mouse. coincidentally, both are animated by cal dalton, too. (thanks, devon!) the mouse DOES drop by one extra time to reassure the lion that if he ever needs help, he’ll return the favor.

thus cues the lion’s endeavors to pilfer the poultry. realizing all too quickly that simply reaching for the chicken will result in unwarranted decapitation of the arm thanks to the bear trap, he has to come up with something crafty. so, he opts to take the nonchalant approach, whistling and rocking back and forth unassumingly. the timing is very well executed as he pounces in a flash, reduced to a mere blur as he snags the chicken out from the clutches of the trap just in time. if you look closely, you can even spot some airbrush being used in conjunction with the speed lines.

unfortunately for the lion, what he fails to realize is that the chicken is rigged--the friendly folks behind the frank cluck expedition put a mouse trap inside the hollow chicken that clamps to the lions nose as soon as he gets a whiff of his not-so-future meal. however, an innocent lamb calls to the attention of the lion, distracting him from his pain.

the lamb is tied to a box that reads “FRANK CLUCK EXPEDITION -- lion trap no. 5″, pointing to a sign that encourages the lion to take it home free. the lion is enticed, but just as he goes to reach for the lamb’s neck, he recognizes the lion trap sign. instantly, he taps his foot, deep in thought, the whole scene rather reminiscent of freleng’s life with feathers in which sylvester does the same thing, pondering whether or not he should swallow a suicidal bird. the timing is much faster then, but the joke still lands even here. finally, the lion decides to dismiss the act all together, waving his hand away as he leaves. the pantomiming is excellent--no words are necessary to convey the dialogue happening in this scene. regardless, the lamb urges the lion to return, advertising signs about the health benefits of mutton. even the lush orchestration of “too marvelous for words” reaches its climax at the punchline--the lamb seductively displays its leg, the sign exclaiming “EAT LEG OF LAMB SAYS DR. KNOWIT”.

finally, the lion is convinced, and he grabs the lamb. as he does, the box advertising the frank cluck expedition opens, and a boxing glove socks the lion right in the face. great timing on friz’s part as a hunter wastes no time swooping in to tie the lion by the legs, posing triumphantly as a crowd takes photos and videotape the event for all to see. it all happens in a flash and unfolds quite well--the only downside is that the lion and hunter are subject to some DVNR (digital video noise reduction).

segue back to the present day, where the hungry mouse eager for the mouse to continue, invested in the story despite his harsh resistance against it prior. the detail of him sitting with his elbows on his knees like an eager little kid listening to a story is priceless, especially juxtaposted with the grating tones of mel’s voice as he urges “yeah? yeah? go on, go on! ‘den what happened?” 

“soooooooo...!”, we spot the lion caged up at the circus, a lion tamer cracking his whip and performing tricks for the audience. i always love looking at the crowd shots in the ‘30s and ‘40s cartoons, they’re so amusing and can sometimes even border ghastliness. in a callback to rudolf ising’s i love a parade back in 1932, ken harris does some excellent animation of the lion tamer placing his head in the lion’s open mouth, and, consequently, the lion placing his own head in the tamer’s mouth. the animation of both shaking their hands in triumph (and the hilarious drawing of the lion tamer opening his mouth wide) is great. ya gotta love the harris smears. 

“and ‘den, one night...” we get a shot of the mouse telling the story in the present as a means to transition scenes, a move that could have easily been achieved with just hansell’s narration and no animation. regardless, the lion sulks tearfully in his cage. however, as promised, the little brown mouse lives up to his word by surprising the lion at the cage, shushing him to keep quiet. carl stalling’s score of “old king cole” is lush and beautiful as the mouse chews his way through the wooden door of the cage, only stopping to begrudgingly spit out a nail. a lion sized hole is perfectly gnawed through the wood, and both the lion and mouse retreat away into the night, fleeing the circus once and for all.

“and that’s how the mouse saved the lion. now, won’t you let me go?” the brash, bold, grumpy cat from before is reduced to a tearful, sniveling sentimentalist as he frees the mouse, whimpering a pathetically hilarious “okay... i’m awfully sorry...” he’s even so kind as to give the mouse the piece of cheese that was used as bait.

the mouse displays the growth of warner bros. cartoons and their developing sense of identity as he zips away with the cheese, yelling “SUCKER!” and darting into the mouse hole. surprisingly, berneice hansell gives the line instead of your typical mel blanc shriek. the lip sync doesn’t align with the audio at all, however--the animation feels much more extreme than hansell’s delivery. i wonder if mel said the line originally, and they made a last minute change? who knows. nevertheless, the cat rams into the wall, failing to catch the mouse. instead, he turns to the audience and growls “can ya imagine that?” in an ode to tex avery’s porky the rain-maker. iris out.

while far from friz’s best, it’s far from his worse. it’s certainly much more enjoyable than his previous entry, dog daze. the actual retelling of the story is the best part, yet despite their nostalgic nature the cat and mouse scenes do hold up, especially the personality of the cat and the “SUCKER!” ending. that ending and the leg of lamb gag display the growing disenfranchisement with the disney roots of warner bros. cartoons. ever so slowly, the cartoons are finally making a name for themselves, and will continue to do so for years to come. 

some aspects of the short drag--the opening is particular slow--but they’re padded with amusing vocals, and i’m enamored with the cat’s design. it isn’t the most substantial in terms of story or momentum, but there’s plenty to be amused by. it does have its lively moments. carl stalling’s musical arrangements are gorgeous as always and a delight to listen to. overall, you could go either way, but i lean more towards the “give it a watch” side, especially if you’ve been keeping up with this journey and are acquainted with the cartoons of the past. friz has dozens and dozens of cartoons better than this one, but he also has dozens of cartoons worse than this. i say give it a leisurely watch!

the short is beautifully restored on HBOmax, where i got the screenshots from, but you can also settle for this print as well.

[welcometoloving]

Welcome to Loving: Chapter 2

Shane sat atop a white picket fence running down a dirt path towards a two story, dull light blue house overlooking the beach. He had chosen a spot where the paint was not peeling, and the points of the pickets had dulled, yet they still dug into the seat of his pants; he took no notice, however, his full attention directed to the wind through his hair and the island just off the coast. Though it was fully daylight, it still gave him an eerie feeling; he could see why the devil supposedly made it’s home there. He was interrupted from his thoughts, though, by the sight of three other teens heading towards him down the path.

“Hey Shane, where've you been?”, called out the one in front. The two behind him laughed.

“Just sitting here”, he called back. “What do you need?”

“We’ve been looking for you. We’re gonna go check out that hill in the woods!”. He pointed his thumb in the direction of the trees. Shane paused.

“I thought we were doing that Tuesday?”

“Well there’s been another sighting. Plus, there’s a full moon tonight. It’s prime hunting time!”

“I thought the moon had no effect on ghosts”, Shane inquired.

“Well, it can’t hurt,” replied the boy behind the one in front. “Besides, Tuesday’s gonna rain, and who wants to go ghost-hunting in the rain?” Shane thought for a moment.

“Alright, fair point”, he acknowledged. He jumped off the fence and turned towards the house further along the path. The wind changed direction, blowing in from the lake, and carrying upon it a peculiar smell of fish, incredibly faint, yet recognizable nonetheless. Shane wrinkled his nose, before the wind changed it’s direction again, and the scent disappitated. He looked back towards his friends.

“Well come one, let’s get our gear ready!”

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Up in a small room on the second floor of the light blue house by the lake, the four teens sat and sorted their gear. Flashlights, trail mix, rain ponchos, granola bars, pocket knives; all went into the backpacks. Shane held up a black rectangular device, with a screen, buttons, and a radio speaker. He addressed the girl to his right.

“Hey Seher, what is this?” he asked. Seher glanced over.

“Oh, that’s a spirit box. It runs through radio channels. People say ghosts can say things using it.”

“BS”, interrupted the boy across from Shane. “Like a ghost would talk through radio stations!”

“Shut up, Jack”, said Shane’s brother, Anas. “As if a ghost would talk to you.” He paused, thinking for a moment, before continuing. “Actually, Jack may have a point; imagine being able to catch a radio station out here!”

“Why haven’t we used it before?”, Shane followed up.

“I ordered it a month or two ago,” responded Seher. “Took a while to get here. Delivery trucks don’t really come to tiny, isolated towns”

“Fair”, Shane responded. His brother chimed in.

“Hmm, small isolated town, off the map, unknown. Great place for a haunting, or a disappearance!”

“Heck”, added Jack, “It’s a miracle this town hasn’t vanished already!”

“Oh, it’s no coincidence,”, said Shane and Anas’s mother, coming up the stairs. “But never mind that; when are you four going to head out?”

“Oh, we were just on our way”, replied Anas. He and the others placed their cameras around their necks, picked up their loaded backpacks, and filed out the bedroom door. They jumped down the stairs, and exited the house into the waning light of the late afternoon.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

As darkness settled across the treetops, four figures entered a narrow, winding path through the woods. Further and further they travelled as the light slowly waned, bouncing between trunks and rocks, sneaking up on each other through the shadows, and occasionally turning their heads to appreciate the small amounts of starlight that showed through the bough’s silhouettes.

“BOO!”, yelled Jack, jumping out from behind a particularly thick trunk. There was a scream, and in response a startled jump from Seher up front. Shane turned, facing Jack and deadpanned,

“I heard you coming from a mile away, easy.”

“I didn’t”, wheezed a very scared Anas. “What the actual frick?”

“Seems like we found our first ghost for tonight”, said Seher. Jack turned inquisitive towards her.

“Who?”, he asked?

“You”, replied Seher, “If you don’t stop fooling around!” Jack turned to Shane and said in a low voice,

“I think I’m being threatened”.

“I dunno, maybe you should check again”, said Shane. Jack gave a wicked grin, before turning back to the other two, who had gotten a bit ahead.

“Well, couldn’t hurt to make sure”, he said, before hastening to catch up with Seher and Anas. They continued on for another half hour, before coming to a clearing in the woods, centered around a rocky hill. Boulders littered the far side, but the near was clear and grassy. The moon shone brightly above the clearing, full and luminous. It was complemented by the hundreds of visible stars, which, contrary to the warm night, made the four teens shiver. The air stood still, and gave the whole area a silence that was eerie to behold. Jack, Anas, and Shane looked towards Seher, who, taking the cue, stepped fully into the clearing. Head forward, she issued instructions to the other three.

“We’ll climb the hill on this side, it’s a lot easier. Then we can set up the cameras on the top towards the forest. Jack, can you make a salt circle for us to retreat to if things get sticky?” Jack pulled out a half-empty container of salt.

“Sure,” he responded. “Where do you want it?”

“Oh, at the very top should do,” said Seher. “We can also set up the cameras inside it too so that nothing can mess with them”.

“Random squirrel in the trees, ready to ruin our plan to catch video evidence of ghosts”, laughed Anas. He turned to the trees, both middle fingers brandished high. “Screw you, squirrels”. Shane laughed and gave Anas a soft punch to the shoulder.

“Let’s not provoke the most dangerous creatures on Earth”.

“Ghosts?”, Seher asked.

“Squirrels”, Jack confirmed. “Those little bastards will get us all one day.”

“Crazy people”, Sana breathed, exasperated. “We’re hunting ghosts, not rodents”.

“Hey!”, protested Anas. “Us rodents are a noble race, perfectly worth hunting… oh wait oh no”.

“Well, if you insist”, said Jack, hoisting the camera stand he was holding like a gun. Anas backed away.

“Woah man, hold up,” he began, before Seher interrupted them.

“Okay you two, it’s time to stop fooling around and get ready. Jack, did you finish the protective circle?”

“Yeah, and the cameras will just take a few minutes”. Jack and Shane got to work on the cameras, while Seher and Mark pulled out other equipment. Eventually, they had both finished their jobs, and they settled into a sitting circle on the far side of the hill, next to the rocks. Seher laid the spirit box in the middle, and switched it on. The device emitted a loud stream of static, before developing a more recognizable, steady pattern of discordant sound and vague, disjointed syllables. Seher addressed the box.

“Is there anyone here with us? If so, please say something”. The box continued on it’s pattern of channels, with no discernable alteration. Seher tried again.

“If there is anyone here with us, please communicate using the box”. The wind picked up, blowing eerily through the trees. The air grew chilly, but they couldn’t tell if it was the wind or something else. The noise made by the box began to distort, as if trying to from a meaningful word. Finally, something seemed to come through, though just barely recognizable.

“Leave”, said the distorted voice. The four teens looked at each other with worried yet curious eyes.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”, said Seher. Again, the box began to form syllables, before forming another word, more clear this time.

“Go”, it said. Shane looked up.

“Did it just say go?”, he asked.

“I think so”, replied Jack. “But go where? Go away? Does it want us to leave?” The box’s emissions became violent. Out came a third word, clear as day, cutting through the air and through their minds.

“RUN”. Now they were afraid. Shane, Jack and Seher all looked at each other, then back at the spirit box. Anas spoke.

“Guys?”. They ignored him, and he started again. “Guy’s we need to leave”. The other three looked at him, then followed his gaze off into the forest, past the rocks. Lurking between the tree trunks, barely visible, was the shadow of something that looked like a man, but was thin, emaciated, and unnaturally tall, with long, spindly limbs. They froze in shock for a moment, before coming to their wits.

“Quick! Behind the circle!”, whispered Seher. Instantly, they scrambled to the salt line, careful not to disturb it. Once inside, they all stood, huddled together, and faced the figure in the trees. Jack, in front, raised his camera, and a small clicking noise came from it. Delicately, the shadow stepped forward, blending into the shadows, a hazy silhouette against the shadows of the trees. It continued forward, slowly, tentatively, it’s long legs bending and straightening in a way that made the teens sicken. Finally, it reached the edge of the shadows, and, after pausing for a moment, moved forward into the moon-lit clearing, parts of it’s form now horrifyingly clear.

That was too much for Anas. He opened his mouth and tried to scream, but no sound came out. Whipping around, he bolted towards the path back through the woods. Hesitating for a second, the others followed him as the thing moved slowly closer and closer to the hill.

The flight that ensued was panicked and clumsy. Each blundered their own path through the dark woods, vaguely along the trail, but none had time to mind the branches that scratched at their arms and faces, or the leaves that filled their open mouths and got caught in their hair. Occasionally, one of them would glance around, to make sure the others were with them, and, satisfied by the sounds of the other three crashing through the trees, would turn their full attention back to their frenzied escape. Eventually, they found themselves free of the woods and, in the full light of the moon and the stars, they analyzed the shadows of the trees. Backing slowly away they eventually determined that the shade was no longer in pursuit, and they were in fact safe. Convinced of their safety, they still hastily made their way back to the house, and collapsed on the porch.

“WHAT the HECK was that?!”, shouted Anas. They all looked at each other.

“I… I think we found ourselves a ghost!”, said Seher, astonished.

“I can’t believe it!”, exclaimed Jack.

“I know, right”, said Shane.

“No. I actually cannot believe it,” Jack clarified. “Ghosts don’t exist. There’s gotta be some other explanation. Like maybe a bigfoot-like creature, or a trickster of some sort.”

“We literally saw a walking shadow”, said Anas. “Explain that”.

“You know what?”, said Jack. “I will. You hear me?!”, he yelled, pointing to the trees off in the distance, past the road and field. “I’m gonna find out your secrets!”. The other three laughed.

“Sure you will,” said Seher.

“Mark my words”, replied Jack. “Soon, the forest will learn to fear the name of Jack Fyons!”

“Can’t wait to see the newspaper articles”, said Anas. “Local boy destroyed by own hubris, not a single person who knows any Greek mythology surprised.”

“You’ll see”, assured Jack. “You’ll all see. And what’s better, you’re gonna help me.”

“Uggh”, groaned Anas.

“Oh no”, uttered Seher.

“...this is where the fun begins”, said Shane, laughing.

[blankdblank]

I Scream, You Scream

@deepestfirefun​, been waiting on using this idea, stranded au with Dwalin/Thorin

…

“Let´s go out, you said, it will be fun, you said….I don´t feel like having fun!”

“You and I have a very different definition of having fun”

…

“Let’s go out, you said,” in a pained groan you shifted the bag strap on your shoulder wincing as your foot sunk a bit more into the mud mid step while you held your other hand under your shifting belly exposed through your jacket that the zipper had torn free getting stuck on the hinge on your car door badly dented from an old accident. A scream from the mountain goat had you scowling ahead through the sheets of rain in your trek up this damn hill, at the base of which your car had been swept off the road in a wave of water and mud pinning it to a wall of rocks. The deluge kept on and the two other bags you had in your car were being carried on the horns of the screaming goat you assumed to have wanted to have taken them only to aid in your pregnant waddle to safety fleeing of your trapped vehicle.

There were meant to be cabins somewhere up in these damn mountains and thanks to the man who insisted on taking all the damn gas to stock up in the station you had to spend the two days you would have beaten this storm by to stay in some cramped motel until the next delivery of gas. Your tank was full, but now the damn car was useless and sure to be frozen wherever it had ended up as winter was slamming hard tonight. Already freezing and dropping by the hour sure to be sheets of solid ice by morning you surely couldn’t sleep in the car slowly flooding so you had to find something to wait out the monster clap of storms heading your way.

Again the goat screamed and you fired back, “it will be fun, you said.”

Another groan came as you had to lean forward to inch your way over a fallen log and some boulders the goat gently nudged you to the middle then bounded over to grab your coat and tug you the rest of the way. A victorious body wiggle from the six foot goat followed by a pleased bleat when you steadied your feet that sank into the mud again.

Another half a mile and your eyes rose in the lightening of the rain in a thicker mist cloud escaping your lips, “Fuck,” you muttered to yourself shaking your head to ignore the months of hell you had escaped. They weren’t his, they weren’t anyone’s really. Hobbit and Elf trait of having babies when meant to, markings etched into the skin coating your fingers and arms told the tale there was no father, or at least none you knew of as they were your One’s children you had yet to meet. You had moved here alone, and surely without a husband by your age phoning ‘family’ was more brutal than pretending you didn’t have one. They were worse than he was, tears filled your eyes remembering what your mother had called you and the click from your father’s line on the conference call at the news of the pregnancy. So you changed your name and had to go through legal proceedings to keep the very wealthy very furious Man far away from you and your babies. This was supposed to be a nice trip to the list of apartments on the other side of the mountains the realtor had promised to get you a sneak peek in before their big opening on a deal to help out a fellow single mother.

Again the goat screamed and in the sink of your foot in the next step you shouted in the sudden drop of snow, “I don’t feel like having fun!” Shrill and drenched in tears and pain scattering the treetops with cries of birds not wishing to leave their nests but to fend off any foe possibly heading their way. Sniffling again you eyed the goat whose eyes filled with pain sensing yours who stepped closer accepting your kind pat on his snout and you whimpered out, “I know,” weakly you mimicked his cry, “Aaah.” In your quivering lip you kept trudging on at the nudge of his head to keep you from teetering again in another sinking step making you grateful for wearing your nearly knee high rain boots over your hiking boots that had kept the frigid sludge out of your socks helping to keep at least something on your warm.

 ***

“Oh stop griping, you caught the bear!” Thorin rumbled.

Dwalin huffed, “Yes, but your moose meat is richer. Better for steaks and whatnot.”

Thorin rolled his eyes, “Well next time I’ll let you-,”

“I don’t need you to, let, me anything!”

The pair froze in the sludge they were pulling the slope bottomed wagon they were pulling behind them holding their kills to help get them through the winter to go with the fish they would catch in the coming weeks in the frozen lake behind their cabin. “-fun!”

Looking at one another their brows furrowed, they had heard that same damn screaming goat for hours now and now some shrill cry had them locked in place. Dwalin mumbled, “I’ll be damned if that goat is screaming in Hobbitish now.”

Thorin huffed, “Let’s keep going.” His eyes rose at the sudden drop of snow falling around them, “Nearly home now. Then we can get to the fun part.”

Dwalin, “You and I have a very definition of having fun. Cleaning kill is not fun.”

Thorin shook his head and smirked at his cousin, “No, but cooking fresh meat is.” Making Dwalin smirk then groan at the clench of his stomach in his reach up to fix his hat shifting up over his ear exposing the end of one of the two ponytails stemming from his braided mohawk.

Continuing on they focused on the food and not their ex, who had just announced her marriage to the man she had left the both of them for, not the one she had apparently betrayed them with, but his brother. The cheater happened to be married so her way of getting him as hers was to marry his identical brother. Truly a travesty waiting to happen they didn’t wish to see unravel so they left the family flat in the Elven lands and had come home to Erebor to the family land. This cottage was theirs, not far from the family castle fifty miles off, plenty spacious if they should ever want guests, not that they really wanted guests at the moment, but there was room enough to not be on top of one another in their shared tolerance of being set back to zero again.

 ***

“Finally,” you huffed out seeing a cabin up ahead as you took another step in the thankfully thickening snow after having left the sinking mud half a mile back. Up the front steps you climbed with hold of the rail and heard the goat dropping your bags but before you could thank him he was gone bounding back into the trees, in a whisper you said, “Thank you..” Turning around you knocked on the door with the metal knocker and bit your lip you then released, “Come on, please. Please.”

Reaching out you grabbed the knob and to your surprise it turned in a relieved exhale you swung it open and reached down to slip off your rain boots and hurry inside a trot. “Hello?!” you called out moving in the main hall a bit more, “I’m not trespassing,” instantly you shook your head whispering, “Stupid,” on your right however you spotted a bathroom and you shrugged out of your jacket and hurried inside, “have, to, pee..”

 **

“What the-,” Releasing the ropes on the wagon behind her the pair raised their rifles again seeing the sacks on the porch and bounded up the steps ready to shout only to hear a huff following the flush coming from their guest bath downstairs. The washing of hands had them glancing at one another before their peeks into the open living room and kitchen sitting silent and empty before they looked to the door again a sudden shriek.

Suddenly in your backwards stumble they dropped their rifles and stepped forward securing you in their arms instantly concerned at the heavily pregnant woman coated in snow and specks of mud and fully drenched from the rain now crystallizing in your hair. Hastily you said, “I’m sorry, the door was open, I knocked, I just, it’s really hard to squat, probably get bitten anyways, and I had to go.”

Shaking his head Thorin released you first, “No, no, don’t worry about that. Did you come here alone? How did you get out here?”

After Dwalin had let you go their brows inched up at your huff retelling how you had gotten here, “This asshole bought twelve drums of gas to stock up, couldn’t possibly let me fill up my tiny car, but no! so I had to wait it out in the Gypsum motel for two days till their next delivery, which could have let me beat this storm, but no. I get down to Biggyerm Bluff-,”

Dwalin, “That’s half a day’s trek,” he mumbled in your gasp for air.

“Then this wall of water comes and slams me into this rock wall. SO I had to throw my stuff out and climb out a window, only to find a goat had picked up most of my bags but one! Then he just starts screaming! Miles, Aaah, Aaah,” the pair couldn’t help but fight the smirks splitting onto their faces in your irritated yet amusing imitation, “then he led me here and just, bounds off into the trees.”

Thorin cleared his throat and forced a straight face by furrowing his brows in focus, “That is quite a walk. This time of year especially.”

Dwalin, “It’s good you got here when you did.” His hand reached up, “may I?” You nodded and let him touch your hair practically frozen stiff, “We should get you in a bath.”

Thorin nodded, “Yes, this storm is only going to get worse, you can wait it out with us, tons to eat, just went hunting. This is Dwalin, I’m Thorin. He’ll get you comfy and I’ll handle dinner.” Patting Dwalin’s back he went off to drag the wagon into the garage he opened then closed again to finish prepping the meat to be stored up and cooked for a stew for you while Dwalin gathered your things. Locking up behind himself and led you to their guest suite downstairs.

Straight to the bath he led you saying, “This will be yours. Nice big bath, with steps and rails,” he said leaning over to start the tub he then added salts and herbs to with some scented oils to help warm you while you sat on the edge to remove your second set of boots. While that was filling he said, “I’ll get these fires lit.” hurrying through the house lighting the fires in your room, the stove and living room before coming back to timidly knock on the bathroom door you had forgotten to close all the way, “Do you need anything else? Tea, maybe?”

After wetting your lips as you lowered into the tub you said, “Tea would be lovely, thank you.”

“Back in two shakes.” He said darting off only to come back a few minutes later easing the door open with a hand hovering over his eyes to block the view of you but not his path, “Your tea,”

“Thank you.” You said as he set the mug down on the edge of the tub. In his back step away you said, “Thank you, really, not just anyone would take me in like this.”

Dwalin shook his head, “No self respecting Dwarf would leave you loose out there even without a storm.” Crouching down he lowered his hand confident the tub would block his view of anything from your shoulders down, in a serious gaze he said, “Is there anyone you wanted us to call? We possibly could radio our family home not far from here, their phone lines might still be up. Pass on who you were meant to meet up with?”

You shook your head, “I don’t have anyone,” you raised your hands making his lips part, “My gift proved too high a price without a husband, and the Man I was seeing, well, clearly no chance it was his. He made it hell, trying to cut ties when he publicly outed me as some supposed harlot. So, no family, no friends, just a realtor I was supposed to look at apartments with tomorrow morning.”

Dwalin, “As long as you need you are welcome here.” His eyes shifted and he said, “Towels,” popping up as you raised the mug for a sip warming you even more you watched him dart out repeating the word until he had raced upstairs to grab the spare towels in his bath to give to you. Deciding Thorin would just have to share his stack so you would have your own. Out again he went to help Thorin hurry to get the meal together, quietly sharing what you had said and warning his cousin on the towels.

Dinner was set out and in the now warmed dining room you stepped out in thick sweater and flannels tucked into your fuzzy socks and moccasins you finished the braid on your hair timidly joining the men in the dining room saying awkwardly, “So, what do you guys do?”

Dwalin, “Firemen.”

In an awkward crack you answered making the pair smirk to themselves in the quick drop of your gaze over their tight sweaters just screaming to be torn of their chiseled frames after earlier removing their jackets and boots. “Oh.”

Thorin, “You?” He asked in Dwalin’s shifting to ease the chair out for you to lower onto.

In a sigh you settled onto the seat and replied, “It’s sort of,” their brows inched up, “I post videos online. Makeup, asmr, random cheesy things people have asked for. It was hard, after my family cut me off, I had over a year to save up, so I did that on top of horse shows till I was let go. Mainly the person trotting the horses around the ring after being cut off from my friends who wanted my help for years with training their horses. Big change, but I always did have a decent few following somehow.”

Dwalin, “When are you due?”

Anxiously you wet your lips and you said, “Last week.” Parting their lips, “Which makes the forcing myself-,”

Both, “You are not forcing anything!”

Thorin stood saying, “I’ll radio Dis, have her send the boys or Vili with some supplies.”

“In this storm?”

Dwalin shook his head, “No, we have tunnels connecting all our cottages to the family castle. Bumbur’s, our cousin, isn’t far he always has spare supplies for bairns, his wife is carrying often you see.”

Before you could fight Thorin was back saying, “Should be here by morning, full supply, and our uncle Oin is a midwife he can be down here if we need him too. Though the pair of us have helped relatives through birth before, if you need it.” You nodded and hoped to help clean up but a yawn had the pair of them usher you off to bed and ensure you had extra blankets and the fire was roaring to keep you warm they had set times to keep it lit for you through the night.

Pt 2

[jehanjetaime]

Farmlands (Part 1/?, Les Mis fanfic, Enjolras/Grantaire)

Grantaire is happy with his life. Farming his land and raising his animals, making wine and painting when he can find the time...the world is changing around him, but Grantaire's life stays the same. The 1930s are a time of political turmoil, and even with his rather secluded existence, Grantaire feels the changes. Small farms such as his own are on the way out, but until trouble comes knocking on his door, Grantaire will keep going about his day.

When a political exile barges into Grantaire's quiet life, everything changes. He must decide if he will embrace those changes, or keep his eyes on the dirt.

Rating: Teen and Up

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - 1930s, farmer!Grantaire, Breaking and Entering, Trans Enjolras, Trans Male Character, Politics, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Small farms were dying out. It was true all over the Western world. Farmers were forced to sell to conglomerates, either their lands or their services. The days of a man working the land, caring for his animals, and harvesting his crops all for himself were coming to an end.

Hercule Grantaire wasn’t going to die so easily.

 He didn’t have much land, 40 hectares curving around a grassy hill. He didn’t make much, just enough to keep his house and tractor up, care for his animals, and pay a local boy to help him. Grantaire was simply known as that - Grantaire, the farmer at the bottom of the hill. He saw the milkman when it came time to make deliveries. A couple times a week, a broken down truck came for eggs. Any surplus crops went to individuals who came looking to spend their francs without the higher costs of a middle man, but anything left he would use to supply the small general store in town. Every once in a while, he sold an animal to the butcher, but more often than not he salted the meat and kept it in his cellar.

The cellar was where Grantaire found himself on a rainy autumn day, making sure his stores were prepared for the rapidly approaching winter. Salted pork was good, pickled eggs were in fine stock. Grantaire still had beef jerky left from the cow he had slaughtered in the spring. It had to be done. Grantaire loved his animals, but he also was a farmer. There were some things that were just part of the circle of life. And that involved eating. Grantaire pushed aside a row of drying herbs and opened a small door that led to his prize possession - a wine cellar, dug out by himself, cool clay spread over the walls, wine made from his own grapes and Mirabelle plums aging in handmade barrels. The dates were lovingly painted on each barrel, and on the glass bottles that he called an investment.

The wine, he didn’t usually sell. It was for him and for gifts. Or bribes, when necessary.

He shut the door after making sure everything was set, no leaks, no cracks. The rain could get down there sometimes during downpours. It certainly was a downpour that day, and the wind must have been brutal. While Grantaire had been in the celllar, he had heard banging around upstairs. He would go check on the windows, make sure nothing had been blown open - or broken. 

He took the stairs two at a time, dirt shaking under the boards and garlic swinging against his shoulder as he went.

The culprit was easy to be found - a window in the front of the house was open, the shutters still. Grantaire went to shut them, but peeked out the window first. The rain was coming straight down. He closed and latched the shutters, hands coming away dry. In fact, the entire floor was dry. Huh. 

Grantaire didn’t think much of it. He walked through the kitchen to the back porch where he grabbed a bucket of rain water. His crops that should have been covered were covered, the barns closed. Grantaire didn’t want to go to the well, so this would do. He emptied the bucket into an old cauldron that hung over his fireplace. Humming, he chopped a couple potatoes and took some salted pork that was sitting on the counter, adding both to the pot. Grantaire would need to go fishing; if the rain let up by evening, the river nearby would be teeming with fish. For now, though, he would have the same soup he usually made. The ingredients were simple - whatever he had lying around. He would make it for lunch and have the rest for dinner, as usual. After Grantaire set the fire, he wandered out to the front porch, just to watch the rain. He noticed that his rocking chair was not in the normal spot, turned at an angle. Must have accidentally left it that way. Grantaire sat down in the chair and rocked himself a little, making a mental list of the things he had to do over the next two days. Work as a farmer was never done. Not if he wanted to survive.

After a quick lunch, he putt on his heavy, oiled jacket and wandered out to check the covers for his crops. Grantaire tightened a few ropes and deepened a few trenches, then checked his animals. The chicken coop was a nightmare, smelly and covered in feather. His ladies hated being locked up, but they weren't that bright and he didn’t want to lose one. The rooster, as always, was sleeping. His two remaining cows were in the barn, and his goats were huddled together in the hay. The only animals outside were his two pigs, who were rooting about in their partially covered enclosure. He wouldn’t bring them until it was evening.

Pleased, Grantaire cleaned out some hay, then climbed to the loft and made sure the shutters were closed up there as well. As he returned, he looked over his house. It was clearly meant for a family but still small - the first floor a sitting room and kitchen, the second floor his bedroom and an extra room he used for storage, then an attic that was empty except for more hay, for insulation. Grantaire’s life was very hay-heavy.

The windows all looked secure, except...hm. That was strange. Something was shimmering in the small window of his attic. And then, just as suddenly it wasn’t. A trick of the light in the heavy rain, surely. It was starting to come down harder than ever. Grantaire would work inside for the rest of the day.

Other than his farm and wine, Grantaire had another way to make money. He sold paintings - small ones, usually landscapes. There was a rumor in town that he had a sickly wife who did the delicate paintings, and he had never corrected anyone who tried to bring it up. Let them say what they would. Grantaire never had visitors that made it inside the house. He worked on a small piece based off an island from one of the many books that sat in piles around his house. Grantaire knew that it was not done yet, but he only painted in small bursts. He had too much other stuff to do. On this day, he was lucky to work through the late hours of the evening, the radio - something that he wasn’t really able to afford but had bought anyways - playing in the background. He ate dinner and fed the animals once more before turning in for the night. 

Grantaire was usually out the moment he hit the pillow, but that night the rain, still pounding away, was keeping him up. He liked the sound of it, but it was heavy. He could hear it dripping through the shingles and boards, hitting the tin layer underneath. Maybe he would feel better if he just went up and checked it out. With a sigh, Grantaire rolled out of bed. He slipped on a thick sweater that he always hung from his bed post, and the old boots he kept under his dresser just for things like this. 

The entrance to the attic was just a ladder up to a small door, and Grantaire eased it open carefully. There was no immediate wet hay smell, which was a relief. A roof leak was the last thing he wanted to deal with. He kept a flashlight right at the top of the ladder, and he patted around until found it. Grantaire flipped it on, then poked his head up into the doorway. He ran the flashlight’s beam over the hay and the rafters, but didn’t see anything. The sound was loud up here, thanks to the tin, but everything seemed to be dry and in order. Grantaire flashed his light over the window, but didn’t see anything that could have made that shimmer.

When he was satisfied, Grantaire flipped the flashlight off and set it back where it went before closing the door and descending the ladder. He climbed back into bed and was finally able to fall asleep, the rain pattering above him turning from an annoyance to a comfort.

[basiloaks]

{ Thalassophile Chapter Three }

He’s pulling himself up onto a slick slab, one large enough to support his weight, exposed spine flush against the stone beneath, webbed fingers tracing meaningless patterns into coarse sand, mind wandering far from his temporary sanctuary, far from the storm raging outside crashing onto a battered shore.

Notes: So it’s been a while! Again, I totally didn't plan on going so long without an update, but school starting back along with massive writer's block really decided to screw this project over. Chapter three is finally done though! It's not exactly the longest, but I promise chapter four will make up for it. Sorry for the long wait! 

Here’s the ao3 link! And here’s the link to chapter one and chapter two here on Tumblr!

Chapter Three: Forelsket- (noun) the euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love

He’s found himself lounging in one of the many caves littered around Delhiem’s rocky coast, the outcropping of scattered rocks providing short-term protection from the on slot of rain pouring onto the ocean’s surface, a distant rumble of thunder causing the creature to shudder against cool sand and granite. He’s pulling himself up onto a slick slab- one large enough to support his weight, exposed spine flush against the stone beneath, webbed fingers tracing meaningless patterns into coarse sand, mind wandering far from his temporary sanctuary, far from the storm raging outside crashing onto a battered shore. 

To a house upon a hill and piercing blue eyes… 

“Oh.. Well shit.” 

A soft, barely audible groan passes through the siren’s salt-chapped lips, hands finding themselves clenched tightly around strands of moss-colored curls. It feels as if a match has been struck to kindle a fire in his bosom,  his heart now an ever-fueled blaze that spreads a comfortable warmth across his freckle-covered cheeks. 

Henrik.

Beautiful, alluring, tempting Henrik… 

There’s a voice whispering in the dark, untouched corners of his mind: a voice strong in accent and content, but surprisingly soft in its delivery- God how beautiful his soft humming sounded once mixed with the constant white noise of crashing waves… He closes his eyes to the world, and even then the haunting presence of the man invades his senses. The phantom pressure of the strong and calloused, but delicate hands of a doctor worshiping his collar and jawline, fingers delicately running through the siren’s unruly curls. He feels an overwhelming spike of dopamine and adrenaline pipe through his body at the idea of Henrik, his Henrik: hair tousled and windswept, lips swollen and pink against pale skin, the immense need to fall further into the human’s temptations. 

Some thoughts are so horribly domestic, so painfully wonderful in a way that burns away all feelings other than unusual contentment. It’s as if he’s a different person in these dreams, so satisfied with his lot in life, comfortably vulnerable around another living creature who thinks and feels with the same intensity and deposition. It's the closeness of their bodies while lounging upon the shore, limbs intertwined in a way that warms the depths of his ever-cold heart. The smallest brush of fingertips enough to send sparks through the siren’s entire being, the simplicity of a peck on the cheek or chaste kiss on the lips overwhelming...

The creature’s eyes open with a jolt, breath heavily and heart-pounding, guilt quickly taking the forefront of his psyche. He's weak, feeling trapped by the overbearing feeling of failure, the craving for companionship he could never acquire. He can’t do this- not again. Can’t reveal himself, can’t harm another innocent. 

He can’t love Henrik. 

 And God does that hurt like hell… 

[vannahfanfics]

Before you read, here’s the previous chapter. New? Start from the beginning!

Shouyou’s Delivery Service

Ao3

Chapter 3: Flying High

“I’m sorry, young man, but it’s against company policy to lease rooms to minors. Where are your parents? Is there a way to contact them?” 

Shouyou frowned, gripping the handle of his broom tightly. The hotel attendant looked empathetic and concerned, but this was the third one who had denied him a room. He had no idea that the city had so many rules! He didn’t want anyone to get in trouble, though, so like the two times before, he politely dipped his head. 

“Don’t worry about it, ma’am. I’ll figure something out. Thank you and have a good day!” 

The receptionist stood up on her tip-toes to watch Shouyou and Tobio leave, her eyebrows knitted in concern. As soon as the fancy automatic doors shut behind him, Shouyou released a frustrated sigh. 

“At this rate, we’ll have to sleep on a park bench! I had no idea that being a warlock on your own was so hard,” he pouted. “Even if a hotel would let us stay, I’m sure it would be really expensive, too…”

“See? I told you, we should listen to the police officer,” Tobio said with a sniff. “We should find a smaller town to set up in.” 

“No!” Shouyou refused with an adamant shake of his head. “I want to stay in this city! We’ll figure it out, Tobio.” 

“If you insist,” his familiar just sighed. 

Resolute, Shouyou began marching down the sidewalk to find another hotel. The hotel was built on a hill, abutting a road that traveled up the mountainside toward the residential areas. Shouyou was sure it provided a nice view of the ocean. At the very least, he and Tobio could take a nice break to admire the scenery. It put a spring in Shouyou’s step, making him skip up the hill with enthusiasm. 

“Wow! Tobio, you can smell the salt on the breeze!” Shouyou cried in delight when they reached the crest of the hill. The curve of the road was lined with a nice brickwork wall, long faded from the salty sea spray. It was the perfect height for Shouyou to have a clear view of the land falling away into a bluff, where the ocean waves crashed against the rocks below. As the water threw up white frothy foam high up onto the jagged rock, Shouyou inhaled in awe. “Wow!” 

“What? It’s just water.” In his cat form, Tobio walked along the wall, his black tail held high. He squinted down at the sea below, then sat down to begin grooming his fur, completely disinterested. 

“Come on, Tobio. Are you really not impressed at all?” 

Tobio looked once more down at the frothing waves, and then said, “Well, it is very big, and probably has a lot of big fish, then.” He licked his jaw with a small mrrow! Shouyou had never been sure if it was because he transformed into a cat or just a personality trait, but Tobio loved fish. 

“When we find a place to stay, I’ll find a fish market so we can get some nice, ocean-caught fish! The kind we’ve never had before!” Shouyou promised. Tobio purred at that, walking up to rub his head affectionately against Shouyou’s shoulder. The warlock pet his familiar, scratching between his ears, and spent several minutes just enjoying the wind and waves rolling in from the sea. Right as he was about to announce that they should resume their search, there was a loud bang from behind them. 

Shouyou whipped around to see a blond-haired man storming out of the nearby dumpling shop, his eyes scrunched and searching around the street while a cane swung from his hand. 

“Crazy old coot. This is the third time this week! Oi! Mister Oshu! Ya left yer damn cane again!” the man shouted. He was tall, his wild blond hair held back by a black hairband. He looked kind of scary, but could he really be that scary if he was trying to return a cane to an old man? Holding his broom with Tobio sitting on his shoulder, Shouyou cautiously approached the dumpling store owner. 

“Excuse me…” Shouyou asked quietly, but the man’s shouting drowned it out. He swallowed, and then shouted again over the man’s yells, “Excuse me!” 

“Eh? What? Oh, it’s a kid,” the man said, turning around to blink at Shouyou. 

“Is there a problem, mister?” 

“Ah, a regular customer just left his cane in my shop,” the man shrugged, spinning it around in his hand. “He can’t hear for shit, so even though he prolly didn’t get far, he can’t hear me yellin’. I’d better get after ‘im before he falls and breaks his hip. I’ll have to close the shop though,” he grumbled while running his free hand over his hair. Shouyou brightened, perking up at an opportunity to help someone in need. 

“Don’t worry, sir! I’ll deliver it for you!” 

“Eh? But—” 

Ignoring his protests, Shouyou took the cane and hopped on his broom. The dumpling store owner exclaimed in wonder as Shouyou floated up, then coasted through the air back down the street. 

It wasn’t hard to find the old man. He trundled along a short way down the road, humming to himself as he munched on a meat bun he had bought to-go. He let out a surprised cry, bits of meat and dough flying from his mouth, when Shouyou touched down in front of him. 

“Hello, sir! Sorry to startle you!” Shouyou smiled and presented the cane. “You left your cane at the dumpling shop, and the owner asked me to deliver it for you. Here you go!” 

“Oh, why, thank you, sonny!” the old man said, gratefully taking the cane. He leaned down on it with a grateful sigh. “Ol’ Keishin’s dumplin’s always put a pep in my step, so I didn’t even realize I’d walked off without it!” he chortled. “Say, are you one o’ them warlocks? Ye must be, ridin’ around on that broom o’ yours!” 

“That’s right, sir!” Shouyou confirmed with a nod, then looked at Tobio, who was sitting calmly on his shoulder. “And this is my familiar, Tobio!” 

Tobio transformed to give the old man a polite bow. The old man’s eyes widened, and then he laughed jovially. 

“Well, isn’t that just dandy!” 

“We’re here to set up shop in town. Once everything gets settled, please stop by!” Shouyou and Tobio both bowed to the old man again. “Now, I had better get back to the dumpling shop owner to let him know that your cane was delivered safely.” As Shouyou went to get back on his broom, the elderly man stepped forward, hurriedly waving a hand. 

“Oh, wait, wait! Please take this and buy yourself somethin’. Gotta tip the delivery boy!” he joked, handing Shouyou a few yen bills. Tobio, who had transformed back into a cat to perch on the tip of Shouyou’s broom, sniffed the crisp bills curiously. 

“Wow, thanks, mister! That sure is nice of you!” Shouyou grinned. It was a lot of money, too! He could probably buy something really good! With one last wave of parting, Shouyou rose up, and the man turned to watch him fly back up the hill with a look of pure delight. 

When Shouyou returned, the man was still standing outside the dumpling shop. 

“Well, I’ll be! You’re a warlock,” he announced when Shouyou landed. Tobio hopped off the broom and transformed, and the man raised an eyebrow. “And I guess this must be your familiar.” 

“That’s right, sir! We’re here to set up shop in town,” Shouyou explained. He then held out the cash the old man had given him. “We’ve been walking around town all morning, and we’re quite starving. We’d like to buy something.” 

The man squinted at the money, then reached out to close Shouyou’s fingers back over it. 

“Save it. I’m not about to make somebody who did me a favor pay for a meal. You’ve earned it. Come on in.” The man spun on his heel and opened the door for Shouyou, who flounced right on in with a sunny smile. 

“Wow! See, Tobio? I told you we would find some nice city people!” 

“Sorry, kid,” the man laughed, stepping in behind him. “I’m from the boonies, too. Oi, Ittetsu! Get a load o’ this squirt!” 

There was the sound of shuffling from the kitchen, and then a bespectacled man with warm brown eyes and brown hair walked out from underneath the curtain over the door, holding a tray of steaming dumplings and miso soup in his other hand. 

“Oh? We haven’t seen them around here before,” Ittetsu smiled, walking over to deliver the food to a pair of very curious customers before walking to the entrance, wiping his hands on his apron. “Did you return Mr. Oshu’s cane?” 

“Actually, this guy did,” Keishin hummed, clapping both of Shouyou’s shoulders with his hand. “He’s a warlock! Flew right down the hill on his broom! Saved me the trouble of having to go after the old coot, so I promised the kids a meal.” 

“Well, that sounds just fine to me,” Ittetsu said. Standing between them, Shouyou just smiled giddily. He rather liked these two men! They seemed so nice; it was a pleasant change from the not-so-friendly welcome he and Tobio had received. Keishin used his grip on Shouyou’s shoulder to steer him to a table in the corner, and Ittetsu tucked the curtain in the top of the door so he could continue on with the conversation while he cooked up something nice for them. 

“So, what brings you to the city?” Keishin asked as he walked back behind the counter with the cash register so he could grab two ice-cold soda pops from the refrigerator there. 

“I’m on my coming-of-age journey!” he answered. Keishin grunted, then used a bottle opener to pop the caps off the bottles. Shouyou gratefully took it as soon as Keishin set it down; he’d worked up quite a thirst with all the walking around, and soda pop was a rare treat out in his faraway little village. As soon as the cold, crisp, fuzzy concoction hit his tongue, he let out a satisfied hum. Even cautious Tobio was eagerly gulping it down. Chuckling, Keishin opened them two more and set them on the table. 

“Coming-of-age journey?” Ittetsu said. “That sure sounds exciting!” 

“It is a very important event for a witch or warlock,” Tobio said, licking the soda from his lips, “but I don’t think we’ll be able to stay here. We can’t find a hotel.” 

“Tobiooooo!” Shouyou whined. “We can’t give up yet!” 

“The hotels here are way too expensive for squirts like you to afford,” Keishin huffed. He walked out to start bussing the table nearby, piling the dirty dishes in one hand while cleaning off the wood with another. “You’ll find plenty of customers here, but it’s hard to start a business and get it off the ground, especially if ya don’t got a roof over yer head.” 

“Hey, Keishin,” Ittetsu said, poking his head out of the door. “What about our spare room?” Keishin straightened up, balancing the dishes against his chest while rubbing his chin thoughtfully with the other. His gaze slowly trailed down to Shouyou, who put on his best puppy dog eyes. Shouyou elbowed Tobio when he realized that he was blank-faced, and the ravenet let out a hiss before putting on the faintest hint of a pout. 

“Welllllll,” Keishin pretended to debate, but he couldn’t stop the grin from pulling onto his lips, “We haven’t had any luck renting it out, so I don’t see why not. What about it, you two? We live in an apartment upstairs and have a spare room. We’ll give ya room and board as long as you help out in the shop.” 

“We’ll do it!” Both of them exclaimed in unison. 

“Then it’s settled!” Ittetsu cried, walking out to set a plate of steaming hot gyoza down in front of them. “Now that you’ve solved your problem, enjoy a nice lunch on us! Just in case you didn’t catch it, I’m the co-owner, Ittetsu Takeda, and this is the owner, Keishin Udai.” 

“I’m Shouyou Hinata!” Shouyou announced, his words slurred by his cheekfuls of food, “and this is my familiar, Tobio. We’re very grateful to you!” 

“It’s no problem,” Ittetsu smiled. Keishin had walked off into the kitchen. Ittetsu glanced back at him, then leaned in to whisper to the two boys with a grin, “Keishin might look grumpy, but he’s actually a big softie. You probably remind him a lot of when he moved here to start his dumpling business. He wasn’t much older than you!” 

“Really?” 

“Oi! Are you talkin’ about me?” Keishin shouted, and Ittetsu just winked at Shouyou and Tobio. Ittetsu walked back into the kitchen to placate the blushing and scowling Keishin. Shouyou shoved another one of the dumplings in his mouth, then grinned broadly at Tobio. 

“Isn’t this great? We really lucked out! I told you that we were meant to come here!” he said, kicking his feet happily under the table. Though he had been a bit standoffish thus far, Tobio smiled softly at him this time. 

“It seems so. It’s a relief.” 

“Yep!” Shouyou beamed, dipping one of the gyoza in the tangy sauce and piling it in with the others stuffed in his cheeks. “We’re just one step closer! Next thing you know, we’ll be flying high, Tobio!” 

And as he ate the delicious food with his best friend, Shouyou’s spirits were flying high, too. It looked like his coming-of-age journey was going to be a success after all!

Enjoy this story? Here’s the next chapter! Please consider perusing my Table of Contents.

[dulwichdiverter]

Caribbean comforts

Trudy Darien and her husband Mel are relaunching their café this month to offer delicious Caribbean food with a twist 

By Katie Allen; Photo by Lima Charlie  

Rock Steady Rum Lounge on North Cross Road offers “Caribbean food with a twist”, according to owner Trudy Darien – and what’s more, it is also the only Caribbean sit-down restaurant in East Dulwich.

“There are a million and one cafés in Dulwich but not Caribbean restaurants, with all the different foods on offer,” she says.

The restaurant has existed on the same spot for 25 years, but this summer it changed its name from Blue Mountain Café to Rock Steady Rum Lounge. Trudy and her husband Mel wanted to “enhance” the café’s Caribbean offer and to celebrate its unique offering.

The difference isn’t only in the name, which is shared by the family’s other restaurant in Gipsy Hill. The menu has also evolved to offer more Caribbean dishes during the day and exclusively at night.

The delicious food on offer includes traditional jerk chicken, curried goat and ackee and saltfish, Jamaica’s national dish. Mel is vegetarian and Trudy is vegan, and the restaurant offers plenty of “healthy, authentic Caribbean food” to please them both.

A highlight is the vegan breakfast, made with avocado, portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, callaloo and spicy beans. Their most popular dishes are the vegan chickpea, spinach and sweet potato curry and, for meat-eaters, the curried goat. They also serve vegan cake.

All of their ingredients are sourced from local wholesalers and independent artisans, who make menu staples such as their patties and ice cream.  

The restaurant is expanding its bar too, to offer rums from around the world with a focus on cocktails. The bespoke Rock Steady cocktail is a “really refreshing” mix of rum, ginger beer, pineapple, grenadine and lime – a “knockout” according to Trudy.

Music is an essential part of Rock Steady and the restaurant holds a monthly Soulful Saturday night, combining a delicious meal with the freshest sounds from up-and-coming musicians.

Recent nights include the heady mix of salted cod fishcake followed by roasted red pepper stuffed with ackee and prawn jambalaya, accompanied by the sounds of Evangelista and Liv Cheung. And that’s all for just £20 per person, including a rum punch on arrival.

“Music and food is the heartbeat of Jamaica, the two go hand in hand,” says Trudy. “When there’s good food,  good music, good rum and great coffee, I’m happy all is good in the world.”

In September Rock Steady is planning to have a launch week, holding different events every day including poetry and book readings, a quiz and a music night, plus “a lot of food and rum punch”.

Trudy was born in Northampton and studied youth work and therapy in Leicester, where she had an early introduction to the food industry. “When I was a student I was waitressing part-time,” she says. “I loved the customer service element, interacting with customers and meeting people.”

She spent much of her childhood in Jamaica, where she lived with her grandma for a while. “Being Caribbean – well I suppose all cultures but especially Caribbean – food is a big part of life,” she says.

“My grandma was obsessed with food. We lived on a farm and I remember watching her pounding yams, making bammy [cassava bread] and baking cakes at Christmas.”

In her early teens she came back to live in the UK. “It was a huge transition, huge,” she recalls. “I went from living on a rural farm and only seeing my cousins to comprehensive school.”

After studying in Leicester, Trudy moved to south London and began work as a therapist – she still practises today. When she met her husband, who she calls “Mr Blue Mountain” after the café he founded in 1993, which is also where they met, she says “the rest is history”.

Today she and Mel live above the venue on North Cross Road, and she loves the area. “I love the market. [East Dulwich has] got all the shops, you don’t need to leave – shoe shops, clothes shops, lots of independents, gyms, cinemas, it’s got everything you need.”

Their business empire stretches as far as Gipsy Hill, where there is a Rock Steady Rum Lounge serving up Caribbean fare to customers from a cosy spot just opposite the station. “We have been in Gipsy Hill for three years as the Rock Steady Rum Lounge,” Trudy says.

“We started off as a delivery service on the takeaway platforms Just Eat and Deliveroo. As the concept developed, we were asked to do more outdoor catering and we decided to open the restaurant.”

Rock Steady recently launched an app that offers drop-off and pick-up from their menu, including Jamaican patties with sweet chilli dip, jerk wings and roti wraps, as well as puddings and cans of Red Stripe and Carib.

After such a long time in East Dulwich, the couple have a very close connection with the community – even finding their staff locally. “A number of young people who came in as toddlers have gone on to work at the café,” Trudy says, including their own daughter Atlanta.

“We have many regulars who have been very loyal over the years and have supported the development of the new concept. We are aiming to reach out to the new Dulwich community as well as hold on to our regulars.”

Trudy adds: “My hopes for the restaurant are that we are known for our Caribbean fare and people come for cocktails and to chill. That we’re known as a different offer in Dulwich. I hope that people come to try Caribbean food and see how yummy it is.”

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by Guest Contributor on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: A guest post from VGH to The Prepper Journal. As always, if you have information for Preppers that you would like to share and possibly receive a $25 cash award as well as be entered into the Prepper Writing Contest with a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards  with the top prize being a $300 card to purchase your own prepping supplies, enter today!

When the Holidays are looming, this item is searched for with a great deal of anxiety. Not thought about the whole year long, suddenly it becomes seriously important. What is it? Cheesecloth. Poor cheesecloth, used for holiday soups as a holder of herbs. Then either thrown away or lost in that draw you never look in, until next year. (Guilty as charged). Why? It’s so much more than that. Besides being about the weight of two feathers (Real feathers, not those ones you get at the sports store. That’s just wrong). Fold it up into almost nothing. It’s reusable, and very handy to have if your fishing, hunting, camping, or running for the hills. The versatility simply never ends.

Cheese Making: Some animals produce milk that is not flavorful. In a lot of cases you can use herbs to produce a tasty cheese, for yourself or for barter. It’s easy to make small quantities at a time. All you need is: About a gallon of milk 2 or 3 lemons, juiced Herbs and a little Salt Bring milk to a boil and add lemon juice, while stirring. The milk should form curds immediately. Have ready a piece of cheesecloth folded three times in a bowl, if you have one. Pour the curds over the cheesecloth to strain them. Sprinkle with you herbs and a small amount of salt if you like. Twist the cheesecloth into a tight ball, to get rid of all the liquid (Whey – it’s a yellow-greenish color). Tie off and let dry. You can crumble or slice over your preferred system of delivery. (When at home, I save the Whey to use as a substitute for water in baking, works well in bread). Yes, you can make bread in cans next to your fire. Nice.

Head and Face Covering: Yes, when folded in half, cheesecloth can and will keep bugs off your face and out of your ears. (If the bugs are big enough you have bait for fishing. It’s hilarious watching your partner trying to pull them out of the cheesecloth. I suggest you do it as you’re running away).

Jerky Covering: When you must make jerky on the fly, or just because it doesn’t weigh as much dried. (I explained that to my partner, over and over. Finally, just did it myself to prove the point. No Brownie points given) Set it out in the sun on woven sticks and put the cheesecloth over the top of it. Keeps out all those pesky flies.

Gauze: Makes a nice airy bandage that flexes with movement. Keeps out all those pesky flies and dirt (unless you fall down a lot).

Window Screens: Pretty much is self-explaining. But, if you cut strips of plastic and weave them into the cheesecloth, makes a good curtain.

Book Bindings: (It’s called Scrim, you those of you that like official stuff, like my partner, bless his soul). If you mix flour and water to a paste, you can dip your cheesecloth into it to cover. Let dry, it will reinforce most papers or broken books. (You know the one you threw across the campsite because the main character ticked you off?)

Flags: For those times when you want to get your partners attention without speaking. Like after a disagreement or just because. (My favorite).

Bathing Suit: Ok, I made this one up. It worked well when I went swimming. My partner suddenly forgave me for talking while fishing. (It was a stream, for crying out loud, it was already noisy).

Fishing Net: To catch fish swimming in a corner resting stop. (I didn’t make that one up, my partner did) Or, as a bag to carry the fish to the campfire or the bear, whichever comes first. (Yes, that did happen. I have never climbed anything so fast in my life, my partner didn’t appreciate, though. Said I was supposed to climb the tree. I figured if I climb him first, I’d have a few extra minutes).

Ornaments: If for some stupid reason you are in the woods, and it’s Halloween. (Unless of course, you have to be there because some idiot pushed the button). It makes good spider webs for that Halloween feeling. Make sure you leave it there. It’s probably already infested with spiders (they like a day off, too). Or to just freak the person out that’s been following you for three days. (They didn’t know where they were, forgot to bring a deck of cards with them. Believed that if they played solitaire, someone would come by to help move the cards around. Idiot.)

Water Filtration: Get the finest weave you can, and fold it a bunch of times anyway. (Someone at our campsite tried to use it without folding. Couldn’t figure out where all the little tiny rocks came from). Remember, to leave the campsite before laughing.

Dust/Contamination Mask: Fold it just enough to keep the dust out or you may find it hard to breath. (I asked my partner why he was breathing so hard. I thought he was dreaming again, he said no, but his face was red).

Camo-Netting: Because, you know the planes fly lower so they can see you. Please remember to dye it by rolling it in the mud. For some reason, white doesn’t work. (Also, you need large quantities for coverage, just run down to the corner store. That’ll work).

Abrasive Material: Make a bag, and stuff it with sand and sharp rocks. Works well at cleaning pans, knives, shaping arrows (If you have a bow. I think that’s a requirement), polishing the bottom of a can to make a mirror, and finally for throwing at your partner. (It works, for any reason you want, it works).

So, to wrap it up. Thank you for reading my ranting, reminder of cheesecloth. Oh, and my partner wants to put his twenty-five cents worth (It’s all I let him carry, he has holes in his pockets, we walk into a sports store and suddenly it’s all gone), in. He has asked me to tell you that it works for making tofu. I sometimes question his sanity. Well more than sometimes.

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[bethanlovesfood]

Sunshine, American-style Pancakes, Amazing Walk and Best Beetroot!

Just love it when I’m asked for specific recipes by friends. I posted a photo of our American-style pancakes and had several messages to ask how I made them. 😊

The batter is significantly thicker than British pancakes.

270g plain flour

2 eggs

250ml of milk

1 level tablespoon of caster sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

Good pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon of oil

I use an electric whisk, so it’s fine to just put everything in together. If it’s being mixed with a hand whisk, I’d beat the eggs and oil into the milk and slowly add to the dry ingredients, which whisking.

The batter will be thick and gloopy and should start to bubble. Leave it to settle for a few minutes before cooking.

We have a proper pancake pan, which is fabulous. I’d really recommend getting one. A frying pan is fine. I brush in a little butter with my pastry brush, only a teeny bit. You can use a bit of kitchen paper to do it.

For regular blog readers, I have ANOTHER favourite spoon. It’s a mini ladle and is perfect for pancakes. I used one ladle full for each pancake.

As the mixture is so thick, it will obligingly sit in a small puddle in the pan. Don’t spread it too much. It mustn’t be turned until there are multiple bubbles appearing and it’s not too wet on top. Flip over and cook for a further minute. Keep them warm until they’re all done. This mix made 14 (I think).

After a slap-up pancake lunch, my youngest and I took the dog for a waddle and decided to venture up above the town and onto the hills. It was gorgeous up there. Lots of wild ponies again too.

Nona, our Pyrenean Mountain dog, decided to roll in a bog and stick her face into a gorse bush, so arrived home with mud down one side and blood over her cheeks. 🙄

As we frequently do on a Friday night, we had a curry. It was a frozen tandoori chicken portion, which I’d made a few weeks ago. It needed padding out a bit to fill us both. Due to the current situation, we’re almost out of fresh vegetables. We did however have one large beetroot left from our local veg’ delivery. Neither of us are big beetroot fans, but they’re never wasted. Nine times out of ten, I use them as an accompaniment to a curry. Not always in the same way though. Sometimes I toss cubes of beetroot in oil, cumin seeds and black pepper. This time though, I tossed large slices in garlic oil, black pepper and rock salt. They’re then baked in a hot oven for at least 20 minutes, usually longer. It’s great if they’re a bit charred around the edges.

So Friday has been another day of positives. Roll on Saturday.

[365goalsfor365days]

2017 Bucket List - November Update (1/365) (Total: 87/365)

1. Become a homeowner

2. Do a 30 day Abs challenge

3. Reach goal weight of 120 lbs

4. Watch Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 Movies of 2016

5. Build a bear at Build-A-Bear

6. Buy a new winter jacket

7. See a Sunset-Retreat Ceremony at the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina

8. Obtain regular drivers license

9. Make homemade jam

10. Get a passport

11. Make a dream catcher

12. Make a mobile with 1000 origami cranes

13. Knit a scarf

14. Make homemade basil pesto

15. Go rock climbing

16. Tour the Chicago Connection tunnel in Moose Jaw

17. Tour the Passage to Fortune tunnel in Moose Jaw

18. Make herb butter

19. Go through the Edmonton Corn Maze

20. Attend a drop-in Spin class

21. Attend a drop-in yoga class

22. Get a pair of mukluks

23. Bowl a 100+ game

24. Catch a fish

25. Go Ice Fishing

26. Watch Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 Horror Movies (except the ones on the top 250 list from 2016)

27. Read “Animal Farm” by George Orwell

28. Take a ride on the High Level Streetcar

29. Read “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen and watch the movie

30. Read “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini and watch the movie

31. Read “The Ables” by Jeremy Scott

32. Attend a cooking class

33. Make Eggs Benedict

34. Make own soy candles

35. Donate $25 to a charity once a month for the year (12x)

36. Complete wedding photo book

37. Read “It” by Stephen King and watch the movie

38. Tour Candy Cane Lane

39. Find 5 Geocaches

40. Increase student loan payments to $300 each/month

41. See the stars at an observatory

42. Earn $1/day for 30 consecutive days

43. Visit the Devonian Botanic Gardens

44. Read all 36 books in the original “Dear Canada” series

45. Read all 54 books in the fictional “Magic Tree House” series by Mary Pope Osbourne

46. Read all 51 books in the Adventures of the “Bailey School Kids” series

47. Read “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers” by Mary Roach

48. Make a quilt

49. Try hot yoga

50. Watch an E-Ville roller derby bout

51. Go to a Paint Nite event

52. Read “The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives” by Theresa Brown

53. Make homemade fried chicken

54. Go to an Around Midnight show

55. Read “Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner” by Judy Melinek, TJ Mitchell

56. Do the Blogilates Thigh Slimming Challenge

57. Dye my hair blonde

58. Read “Every Patient Tells a Story” by Lisa Sanders

59. Make the “Curious Confection” Alice in Wonderland drink

60. Make the “Sirens Song” Little Mermaid drink

61. Make the “Glass Slipper” Cinderella drink

62. Make the “Belle of the Ball” Belle drink

63. Read “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” by Oliver Sacks

64. Donate 10 lbs of food to the food bank

65. Solve a rubik’s cube

66. Make macarons

67. Host a holiday dinner for family

68. Make coconut cream pie

69. Pick berries from a berry farm

70. Visit the Dead Sea of Saskatchewan (Little Manitou)

71. Sew a dress

72. Sew a teddy bear

73. Make a lemon beeswax candle

74. Win something

75. Hold Crow Pose (Yoga)

76. Go to dinner theatre

77. Go horseback riding

78. Hold Sirsasana (Yoga)

79. Attend the Edmonton Heritage Festival

80. Hold Kala Bhairavasana (Yoga)

81. Have a meal at Bistro Praha

82. Try ax throwing

83. Eat a Noorish

84. Eat at Café Bicyclette

85. Get a hot stone massage

86. Read all 20 books from the Royal Diaries series

87. Pose for a nude painting

88. Be in a boudoir photoshoot

89. Read all the books from the Dear America series

90. Watch Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 Movies of All Time (excluding the ones from last year’s top 250 imdb movies)

91. Make my own bath bombs

92. Make homemade artisan soap

93. Make handmade coasters

94. Crochet a hat

95. Conquer my fear and hold a snake

96. Become a First Aid Instructor

97. Become a CPR Instructor

98. Learn how to play “Under the Sea” from the Little Mermaid on xylophone

99. Learn “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on ukulele

100. Make fancy homemade popsicles

101. Complete graduation photobook

102. Watch every movie on the IMDB top 250 movies list

103. Bake a chocolate chip filled beavertail

104. Make caramel-apple jello shots

105. Make homemade Bath Salts

106. Pick a pumpkin at upick

107. Crochet Christmas stockings

108. Do a cross stitch

109. Read “End of Watch” by Stephen King

110. Make homemade California rolls

111. Read “The Devil in the White City” by Erik Lawson

112. Get a position in Labor and Delivery or Postpartum

113. Complete the Neonatal Resuscitation Program

114. Do 100 Consecutive Push Ups

115. Make chicken curry

116. Read “Revival” by Stephen King

117. Read “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

118. Read “They Left Us Everything: A Memoir”

119. Read “The House Girl” by Tara Conklin

120. Make candy apples

121. Read “Fangirl: A Novel” by Rainbow Rowell

122. Complete my Wreck this Journal book

123. Jog an entire 5K

124. Have a full day Harry Potter movie marathon

125. Read “We Need to Talk About Kevin” by Lionel Shriver

126. Complete a 1000 piece puzzle

127. Try the sensory deprivation chamber at Floatique Edmonton

128. Donate 5 items to the Ronald McDonald House

129. Watch Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 Documentary Films

130. Sew all badges on camp blanket

131. Make pecan pie

132. Watch The Good Dinosaur (2015)

133. Sign a petition

134. Learn how to do my taxes

135. See a play at the Fringe Festival

136. Visit the Edmonton Folk Fest

137. Go to the Muttart Conservatory

138. Have lunch at Ampersand 27

139. Fold 1000 origami stars

140. Play through Beyond Two Souls

141. Watch Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 Musical & Art Movies (with exception of the ones from last year’s top 250 list)

142. Explore the Art Gallery of Alberta

143. Go to the John Walter’s Museum

144. Eat at Earnest’s at NAIT

145. Bake a Baked Alaska

146. Have a girls night

147. Visit the Reynolds-Alberta Museum

148. Have a game night at the Table Top Cafe

149. Make beef and Guinness stew with Irish Bread

150. Cook lobster

151. Make tiramisu

152. Go to a Driving Range

153. See a movie and have dinner at the VIP theater

154. Bake Boston cream pie

155. Complete a coloring book

156. Play slots at a casino

157. Go skating

158. Try to escape The Cabin at Escape City

159. Watch an outdoor movie

160. Tour the Royal Canadian Mint

161. Go on a gelato date

162. Complete Sims challenge

163. Get a BBQ and have a BBQ with friends

164. Have a yard sale

165. Make blueberry bavarian

166. Successfully do winged eyeliner

167. Have dessert from Italian Bakery Edmonton

168. Try scuba diving

169. Eat at Native Delights food truck

170. Eat at the Three Bananas Café

171. Try fried chicken and waffles

172. Try a Po’Boy

173. Grow Parsley

174. Grow Oregano

175. Watch 28 days

176. Eat deep fried ice cream

177. Camp at Elk Island National Park

178. Make homemade tootsie rolls

179. Eat at The Buckingham

180. Roast pumpkin seeds

181. Marathon the Shrek series

182. Do 100 consecutive sit ups

183. Read “Tough Shit” by Kevin Smith

184. Read “Mugged by a Moose” by Matt Jackson

185. Go to a hot springs during winter

186. Watch a parade

187. Read “The Trouble with Alice” by Olivia Glazebrook

188. Go hostelling in Nordegg

189. Take a class at Greenland Garden Centre

190. Have lunch at the Harvest Room at Hotel MacDonald

191. Take a drop in class at the Art Gallery of Alberta

192. Read “Shine Shine Shine” by Lydia Netzer

193. Get dessert from the Duchess Bake Shop

194. Complete a 52 Week Savings Plan Challenge

195. Go to a couple’s massage

196. See a live show at the Roxy

197. Read “Hope’s Boy” by Andrew Bridge

198. Attend a show at the Rapidfire Theatre

199. See a U of A varsity game

200. Play at Breakout Edmonton

201. Have dinner on the Edmonton Queen Riverboat

202. See a film at the Edmonton Film Festival

203. Complete Wedding Scrapbook

204. Go paddle boating

205. See a movie at the Garneau Metro City Theatre

206. Try La Poutine!

207. Tube down the Pembina River

208. Attend a cooking class at Superstore

209. Read “I, Ripper” by Stephen Hunter

210. Read “Happyface” by Stephen Emond

211. Learn how to edit photographs

212. Read “The Mighty Miss Malone” by Curtis

213. Visit grandma’s grave

214. Design my own deck of cards

215. Start a scrapbook

216. Finish my red recipe book

217. Send out Christmas cards

218. Make homemade lip balm

219. Do a 30 day arm sculpting challenge

220. Read “In the Unlikely Event” by Judy Blume

221. Read “Church of Marvels” by Leslie Parry

222. Read “My Secret Sister” by Helen Edwards

223. Read “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Annie Barrows

224. Read “The Book of Negroes” by Lawrence Hill and watch the movie

225. Read “Nerd Do Well” by Simon Pegg

226. Read “Wild” by Cheryl Strayd and watch the movie

227. Read “I am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai

228. Eat at Plates

229. Read “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak and watch the movie

230. Read “Welcome to Nightvale: A Novel” by Joseph Fink

231. Read “1984” by George Orwell

232. Read “Nightmares!” by Jason Segal and Kirsten Miller

233. Read “The Bazaar of Bad Dreams” by Stephen King

234. Read “Finders Keepers” by Stephen King

235. Read “The Little Old Lady” series by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg

236. Read “Mr Mercedes” by Stephen King

237. Read “Left Neglected” by Lisa Genova

238. Read “Doctor Sleep” by Stephen King

239. Read “Bringing Adam Home: The Abduction that Changed America” by Les Standiford

240. Read “Carry On” by Rainbow Rowell

241. Read “A Spy Among Friends” by Ben Macintyre

242. Read “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” by Rebecca Wells and watch the movie

243. Read “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova and watch the movie

244. Read “Five Days at Memorial” by Sheri Fink

245. Read “Behind the Beautiful Forevers” by Katerine Boo

246. Read “The Haunting of Sunshine Girl” by Paige McKenzie

247. Read “Dirty Jobs” and “Second Hand Souls” by Christopher Moore

248. Read “Two Shadows Have I” by Don Banting

249. Read “My Sister’s Keeper” and watch the movie

250. Bake Lemony Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

251. Bake Cream cheese, banana & coconut pain perdu

252. Make Smoked Salmon & Fresh Dill Potato Skins

253. Make Mexican Tostadas

254. Read “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” by J.K. Rowling

255. Read “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding and watch the movie

256. Read “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” by April Genevive Tucholke

257. Read “The Good Nurse” by Charles Graeber

258. Read “Four Past Midnight” by Stephen King

259. Read “When Rabbit Howls” by Truddi Chase

260. Read “Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland” by Amanda Berry & Gina DeJesus

261. Read “Anya’s Ghost” by Vera Brosgol

262. Read “Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them” by J.K. Rowling and re-watch the movie

263. Read “Birdie” by Tracey Lindberg

264. Read “The Trouble with Goats and Sheep” by Joanna Cannon

265. Read “I am Haunted” by Zak Bagans

266. Read “Dad is Fat” by Jim Gaffigan

267. Read “At Home in Old Strathcona” by Gwen McGregor Molnar

268. Walk across a suspension bride

269. Read “The Tumbling Turner Sisters” by Juliette Fay

270. Read “The Dangerous Animals Club” by Stephen Tobolowsky

271. Read “The Book of Speculation” by Erika Swyler

272. Read “Seriously…I’m Kidding” by Ellen Degeneres

273. Read “The Nurses” by Alexandra Robbins

274. Get ears pierced again

275. Make 365 new recipes

276. Catch all the Pokemon

277. Go Roller Blading

278. Read “Room” by Emma Donohue then watch the movie

279. Read “Seeing the Light” and “Drowning in Amber” by E.C. Wells

280. Walk at least 20 000 steps for 3 consecutive days

281. Build a fire myself

282. Read “Scrappy Little Nobody” by Anna Kendrick

283. Build a sandcastle

284. Build a snowman

285. Write a legal Advance Directive and get notorized

286. Get all Pokemon medals

287. Make a house key print tree ornament

288. Read “The First Phone Call from Heaven” by Mitch Albom

289. Read “The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” by Claire North

290. Read “Joyland” by Stephen King

291. Read “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls” by David Sedaris

292. Read “If I Stay” by Gayle Forman then watch the movie

293. Watch Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

294. Photograph a robin

295. Photograph a blue jay

296. Eat at Craft Beer Market

297. Go apple picking

298. Subscribe to Novel Tea Club boxes

299. Fully decorate apartment for Halloween

300. Go to another TWOS Dark Matters Night

301. Cook every single recipe in a cookbook

302. Tie Dye a baby onesie

303. Try an alcohol shot

304. Swap customized handmade keychains with Daniel

305. Body paint with Daniel

306. Read “AB Negative”

307. Go canoeing

308. Play a game of chess

309. Play laser tag

310. Have a Chopped competition with Daniel

311. Read “The Astronaut Wives Club” by Lily Koppel

312. Read “I Never Knew That About the Irish” by Christopher Winn

313. Reach level 40 (highest level) of Pokemon Go

314. Do a 30 day butt lift challenge

315. Make fruit sushi

316. Eat at the Sugarbowl

317. Complete a 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge

318. Do the 30 day HIIT Challenge

319. Shoot a gun

320. Juggle 3 balls

321. Pick a door lock

323. Dance on my balcony with Daniel as it gently rains

324. Fit into size 6 pants

325. Write a love letter

326. Watch Now and Then movie

327. Complete Pocket Posh Logic book

328. Watch a hockey game from the stands

329. Watch a football game from the stands

330. Eat one of the meals at the High Level Diner that was featured on You Gotta Eat Here!

331. Use the old phone system in Alberta Government Telephone at Fort Edmonton Park

332. Make the “Sleep Cycle” Princess Aurora drink

333. Watch a film at Capitol Theatre in Fort Edmonton Park

334. Go to the Alberta Aviation Museum

335. Visit Jurassic Forest outside of Edmonton

336. Have breakfast at Under the High Wheel

337. Make the “False King” Disney drink

338. Make the “Ohana Colada” Disney drink

339. Have dessert at Block 1912

340. See a movie at the Princess Theatre

341. Go to an exhibit at the Fine Arts Building Gallery

342. Start an expense journal

343. Take a class at Purdy’s chocolates

344. Read “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” by Aron Ralston and watch 127 Hours movie

345. Make wine glass winter scene candle holders

346. Complete ACLS course

347. Read “Complications” by Atul Gawande

348. Eat Dippin Dots

349. Learn calligraphy

350. See a moose in the wild

351. Go paintballing

352. Watch Steel Magnolias movie

353. Go on a double date

354. Sew matching aprons for myself and Daniel

355. Can something with mom

356. Do a 30 Day Yoga Challenge

357. Have an entire grocery receipt with save, discount, or bonus air miles for every single item

358. Visit Dr. Woods House Museum in Leduc

359. Go on a bike ride around Telford Lake

360. Skip rocks with Daniel

361. Get free tea from DavidsTea

362. Do yoga outside at sunrise

363. Eat hungover breakfast with friends the morning after a party

364. Read “Fortune’s Bastard” by Robert Chalmers

365. Watch Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 Comedy Movies

[annchumleigh]

Why We Chose the Name LivnFresh

To us, Livnfresh is more than just a company that makes money by selling (the coolest) state pride apparel. The owners, the staff, and everyone on the LivnFresh team love where we are from which is Michigan. And our goal is to make super fun, comfortable and inspiring clothes that you can feel good about wearing. Anyone can slap a logo of the state of Michigan and say they are “pro-Michigan”. However, we are Michigan made.

Our love of the Mitten State resonates within each and every stitch of clothing, and every shirt, hoodie or hat we sell.  We are LivnFresh and we make clothing for active people who want to wear inspired clothing that shows off what they love. We believe that when you’re free to express your love for your home, your state, and your country—you are TRULY living fresh.

And what is not to love about Michigan? From the beaches and lakes to the lovely Michigan weather, this state inspires us at every turn.

We love the Great Lakes. It’s one of the defining characteristics of Michigan. The beauty of it makes just about every recreational activity that much more enjoyable. And it’s freshwater. None of that salt nastiness. We have enough of that on the roads during the winter. 

Families can hike, bike, boat, swim, and snorkel in create memories in the amazing Great Lakes and inland lakes. Michigan is the only state in the union that is almost completely surrounded by water. 

In fact, you can see OUR state from space. Back in 2010, NASA provided a stunning image of a cloudless summer day over the entire Great Lakes region, and it just highlighted how beautiful it all is.

We also love the smaller inland lakes that stay warmer longer. We’re looking at your Big and Little Glen. Long Lake, Silver Lake and more. And of course, you can’t talk about the beauty of Michigan without talking about the beaches. Michigan beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world, and so they are ideal for fun activities such as kayaking, hiking up sand dunes, and of course, beach town shopping.

Did you know that there are more lighthouses in Michigan than in any other state? There are 129 in all. Some of them are still used to guide ships, while others have been transformed into quaint, lakeside bed breakfasts with magnificent views.

Speaking of breakfast, if you ever visit Battle Creek, Michigan, you’ll quickly learn that the city is best known for its cereal. It’s one fascinating field trip for the kids!

In terms of food, Michigan apples are another staple. The state’s 850 family farms harvest around 30 million bushels of apples a year, and every fall, orchards and cider mills across the state open to the public for apple picking, hayrides, etc. It is a true Michigan tradition.

Michigan also plays a huge role in the US pizza chain history. Little Caesar’s, Jet’s and Hungry Howie’s all originated in Michigan. Additionally, Ann Arbor-based Domino’s started the concept of the 30-minute delivery.

Beyond the food and the natural attractions, Michigan has already made a splash when it comes to culture, sports, and the arts. The state’s cultural impact is undeniable.

Michigan, more specifically Detroit, is known as the birthplace of Motown. Michigan’s musical greatness doesn’t end there. Madonna was born in Bay City and punk rock legend Iggy Pop was from Muskegon. Techno, the popular electronic dance music genre, is also a product of the Mitten State.

And of course, we also love our sports teams, even if none of them are winning right now. Come on Pistons!

The state as a whole is just a pleasant place to be in and from, no matter the weather or the season. Michigan winter is never too cold, but it always brings the snow. It’s perfect for that cross country skiing adventure, snowmobiling or downhill skiing. There are many destinations to choose from, whether you are a beginner or a professional: Boyne Highlands, Caberfae Peaks, Crystal Mountain, Hanson Hills, and Shanty Creek.

By spring, Michigan flowers bloom, birds return, and everyone prepares to go fishing, boating, hiking biking or taking in the views long covered up by snow.  When the summer heat comes in, Michigan’s top summer destinations come to the forefront.

And of course, many people love fall in Michigan because of the lovely autumn colors, the cider mills, the fall color tours, and the relaxing Michigan weather.

Us Michiganders are a hearty brew. We could leave for warmer pastures like Florida or Alabama. But why? If you don’t go through the rough times (winter) you can’t really appreciate heaven (summers).

Livnfresh is more than a chosen brand name. It’s who we are, and it’s where we are from. We are Livnfresh and WE ARE MICHIGAN.

best michigan clothing company

from Livnfresh Blog|The Coolest State Apparel Co. https://blog.livnfresh.com/choose-livnfresh/ from Livnfresh Share Your State Pride. https://livnfresh.tumblr.com/post/189454955902 via https://livnfresh.tumblr.com/

[readablenoise]

Your Readable Noise Pocket Guide to Riptide Music Festival 2019

Our Highlights and Must-See Guide to the 4th Annual South Florida rock festival

Fort Lauderdale- Rock music festivals are an experience everyone should feel at least just once.

For all the possible variables that can occur during a music festival, it is truly an exhilarating whirlwind. Here, you are surrounded by people of the same mind, love and sounds coming from their head and heart, while finding new sounds all along the way; it’s in great music festivals that you realize there is nothing closer to a religious experience than being in the center of a crowd, singing along to lyrics that fill your heart with either a smile on your lips or tears in your eyes.

It’s one of the reasons music festivals are so vital to rock communities, and why Riptide Music Festival is continuously keeping that outlet filled. Now in it’s fourth year and doing it’s best to follow in the footsteps of it’s predecessor, 103.1 The Buzz’s Bake Sale Music Festival, with wonderful results.

And with so many acts to choose from, we’re here to provide you with our choices for Must See acts, both new and known, to make your music festival experience, whether it’s your first or fiftieth, the best yet when it hits the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park from November 23rd-24th

Saturday- November 23rd

White Reaper (12:25pm at the Sharkwrecked Stage)

The Louisville, KY act makes our list for not only their successful mesh of 80′s rock meets modern indie, but the flair in which they deliver it. Delivering a mesh of Kings of Leon and The Strokes meets The Cars, we are excited to see the live performance the band will deliver on the FTL shore. You too can get your dancing shoes ready by listening to “Judy French” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahglrb_z7wQ

Silversun Pickups (3:40pm at the Sharkwrecked Stage)

The seminal L.A. outfit bring their enthralling, midnight drive through dusty roads and the possibility of the unknown to Riptide and it is a set we do not recommend missing. Having made their presence known during the indie renaissance of the early 00′s, they have continually adhered and stayed true to their strong sonic delivery, present in their latest, “It Doesn’t Matter” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nsJ8hnRkW4

Judah and the Lion (6pm at the Underground Lauderdale Stage)

While Judah and the Lion are the perfect autumn band, with beautifully layered and warm chords, the band knows their way around the art of a build-up, most especially live. The Nashville act are one the greats in their field, one of the best examples being the soars and dips in “Queen Songs / human” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxAdjRUVRbs

The Killers- (8:25 at the Sharkwrecked Stage)

Arguably one of the greatest modern rock acts of all time, the Las Vegas outfit have continued and held their reign since first emerging in 2004 due not only to their unrelenting and earnest ambition, but their ability to write truly magical acts alongside crowd banging and incredible lyrics with their musical chemistry. With a new album announced on their social media platforms alongside a UK arena tour, and the possibility of new material being debuted at Riptide, we’re choosing to share their live debut of “Run For Cover” from the Borgata in 2017, because it is only by seeing The Killers live, that you can fully understand why the ground seems to shake upon their arrival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMjr4JDgNKg

Sunday- November 24th

I Don’t Know How But They Found Me a.k.a IDKHOW (12:10 at the Sharkwrecked Stage)

The Salt Lake City duo, with their intriguing mix of We Are Scientists and 21 Pilots dip their brush not only in styling, but flair. Mixing a pinch of Weezer nostalgia with their own hypnotic showmanship, we’re excited to see how their performance carries the day as they open the Sharkwrecked Stage on Sunday. We have faith in them, after seeing “Social Climb” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vYwys2e_FA

Meg Myers (12:45pm at the Underground Lauderdale Stage)

While Myers game on the radar through her powerful cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”, after digging into her material, it’s no wonder why the cover is so vast, as her power and unique sounds are reminiscent of the aforementioned English rock queen. With Placebo like grit, amidst an almost Alanis Morissette meets Depeche Mode type angst and put through a Bat For Lashes filter, it’s an almost impossible mix that Myers delivers with her own flavors beautifully, leaving us at the impossible turn of finding one track to highlight. So we’ll cheat, and recommend “Jealous Sea” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5iBlwXp4lk) and “Desire” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR5u9jb0PJE)

Barns Courtney (3pm at the Sharkwrecked Stage)

Jack Stauber in a UK sound, the musician delivers strong, epic and fantastic tracks that possess that perfect feet carrying sound that could fill arenas, intimate venues and of course, the beach. We recommend ‘You & I” for it’s unique notes and just all around good feeling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92-eHSMdBG0

Catfish and the Bottlemen (6:20pm at the Sharkwrecked Stage)

The UK rules the festival, and with good purpose with acts such as the Wales quartet who are keeping UK indie rock one of the best musical styles, and adding their name to it’s fantastic torch bearers. Want proof? Click here to listen to “2all” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI5o26DCrDk

Jimmy Eat World (7:30pm at the Sharkwrecked Stage)

The Arizona based sound have done the impossible in their long standing tenure: Writing prolific rock anthems that are still classic to even now, being known internationally by just the mere mention, continuing their legacy with incredible tracks and of course, still delivering jaw dropping live performances with their signature alternative kick. And it is only here, that we will indulge ourselves by featuring “Bleed American” as our choice of highlight; not due to it’s popularity, but the sheer incredible songwriting present. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft1lxiWFbDk

So get ready, get set, and enjoy the sounds.....

Find festival information, tickets, full line-up and more by visiting https://www.riptidefest.com/

-Jenelle DeGuzman

[the-record-briefs]

Jan. 16, 2019: In other news

MerleFest adds The Avett Brothers, others 

                                              The Avett Brothers

MerleFest,  presented by Window World, has announced new artist additions for MerleFest    2019: The Avett Brothers, Molly Tuttle, and Sean McConnell. The    annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College    in Wilkesboro, North     Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue     Ridge Mountains, April 25-28. MerleFest is pleased to welcome    these three distinguished artists to the 2019 lineup:

 The Avett    Brothers: The Avett    Brothers​ first made mainstream waves with their 2009 major label    debut, I and Love and You,    landing at #16 on the Billboard Top 200 and garnering    critical acclaim fromRolling Stone, Paste, New York Times, Los Angeles    Times, andTime. In 2012, The Carpenterhit #4 on    the Billboard Top 200, while People, USA Today, and American    Songwriter lauded the album, the band appearing on Jimmy    Kimmel LIVE! twice in a few months' time. The eighth studio    album, Magpie and the Dandelion, debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top    200 and the band performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The    Late Show with David Letterman, and accompanied ​Chris Cornell​ for a ​Pearl Jam​ tribute on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

 True    Sadness, the record that    followed, achieved The Avett Brothers’ highest career debut to date and    dominated multiple charts. The Rick Rubin produced album hit #1 on Billboard’s Top    Albums Chart, #1 Top Rock Albums Chart, #1 Digital Albums Chart, #3 on    the Billboard Top 200 and scored two GRAMMY nominations.    The Avett Brothers were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame    in 2016. 2018 brought the HBO premiere of “May It Last: A Portrait of the    Avett Brothers,” a documentary co-directed by Judd Apatow and Michael    Bonfiglio. Days after this debut, True Sadness launched to    #3 on the iTunes Album Chart and #1 on the Rock Albums chart. In October of    ‘18, The Avett Brothers debuted a new song, “Roses and Sacrifice,” live    on Late Night with Seth Meyers and then released the track    officially in November ‘18, Rolling Stone calling it a    “joyous sing-along.” Also, in November of last year, the band headlined the    Concert for Hurricane Florence Relief in Greenville, North Carolina,    raising $325,000 to help those affected by Hurricane Florence. The    Avett Brothers continue to be revered as one of the top folk-rock acts in    the country and will perform on Sunday at MerleFest.

 Molly Tuttle: Molly Tuttle speaks softly. Her voice is both    lilting and lucid, and when she says that she wants to create music that is    truly original and unmistakably hers, her quietness shifts into a steely    audacity that’s charming and almost funny––she’s only 25 after all. But    then you remember her songs and her playing. And it hits you: brash    beautiful originality is exactly what Molly is doing. The 2017 release of    her debut EPRise further introduced Molly to a roots music    audience who had already enthusiastically embraced and elevated her. Her 2017    and 2018 wins for IBMA Guitar Player of the Year were history-making as the    first woman to be nominated for the honor. The accolades kept coming in    2018 when Folk Alliance International’s International Folk Music Awards    awarded her Song of the Year for her song “You Didn’t Call My Name,” and    she was named Instrumentalist of the Year by the Americana Music    Association. With all of this recognition, it might be easy to forget that    Tuttle has yet to release a full-length album. Her eagerly-anticipated debut    album is scheduled to be released in early 2019 on Compass Records. Molly    Tuttle will make her MerleFest debut on Saturday afternoon.

  Sean    McConnell: “I think    embracing the blurry lines is a sign of getting older and just having more    life experience,” Sean McConnell says. “It can be healthy to break your own    boxes.” Sean is home in Nashville,    reflecting on the path he’s taken to recording Secondhand Smoke,    his 13th album. A cohesive collection of modern folk music, Secondhand    Smoke asks provocative questions about how we become who we are,    what and whom we love, and the growth, pain, and freedom that come with    accepting that some answers might elude us forever.

 Tim McGraw,    Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Brothers Osborne, and more have all recorded    his songs. Sean earned his first Number 1 single on the country charts in    2018 with Brett Young’s delivery of “Mercy,” which the two co-wrote. As a    performer, he packs listening rooms and quiets unruly bar crowds. His    sound––a warm tenor painting vivid stories over acoustic guitar often cushioned    by keys or other strings––has prompted a diverse range of music scenes from    the storied Boston folk community to Texas’s defiantly self-sovereign camp    to warmly claim Sean as one of their own. “My payoff is just making the    music,” Sean says, then smiles. “Everything else is bonus.” Sean    McConnell performs on Friday at MerleFest.

 “We are    extremely excited to be adding these artists to an already stellar lineup    for 2019. They represent the diverse talent that MerleFest is famous for,”    says Ted Hagaman, Festival Director. The three artists    announced today join over 75 artists initially announced in November via Rolling Stone    Country and the    second wave of artists announced last month. Headliners include Wynonna & The Big    Noise, Keb’ Mo’, The Earls of Leicester, Sam Bush, Tyler Childers, Brandi    Carlile, and Peter Rowan and The Free Mexican Air Force with Los    Texmaniacs. The Late Night Jam presented by The Bluegrass Situation will be hosted by Chatham County Line. In addition    to the above mentioned artists, the following will be performing at    MerleFest ‘19:

 American    Aquarium, Andy May, Ana Egge & The Sentimentals, AZTEC SUN, Banknotes,    Bob Hill, Cane Mill Road, Carol Rifkin, Carolina Blue, Catfish Keith,    Charles Welch, Dailey & Vincent, David LaMotte, Dirk Powell Band, Donna    the Buffalo, Driftwood, Elephant Sessions, Elizabeth Cook, Ellis Dyson    & The Shambles, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Happy Traum,    Irish Mythen, Jack Lawrence, Jeff Little Trio, Jess Morgan, Jim Avett, Jim    Lauderdale, Joe Smothers, Jontavious Willis and Andrew Alli, Junior Brown,    Junior Sisk, Larry Stephenson Band, Laura Boosinger, Lindi Ortega, Mark    Bumgarner, Mark & Maggie O’Connor, Maybe April, Michaela Anne, Mile    Twelve, Mitch Greenhill and String Madness, Nixon, Blevins, & Gage,    Pete & Joan Wernick and FLEXIGRASS, Presley Barker, Professor    Whizzpop!, Radney Foster, Roy Book Binder, Salt & Light, Scythian,    Shane Hennessy, Si Kahn & The Looping Brothers, Steve Poltz, T. Michael    Coleman, The Black Lillies, The Brother Brothers, The Gibson Brothers, The    Harris Brothers, The InterACTive Theatre of Jeff, The Kruger Brothers, The    Local Boys, The Trailblazers, The Waybacks, Todd Albright, Tom Feldmann,    Tony Williamson, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Wayne Henderson, Webb    Wilder, and Yarn.

 Additional    performers for MerleFest 2019 will be announced in the coming months. The    lineup and performance schedule are accessible via MerleFest.org/lineup.

 Applications for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest are now    open with entries accepted through Feb. 1. Named after the    one-time sidekick of Ricky Skaggs, the contest remembers Chris Austin, a    renowned singer and instrumentalist. After Austin lost his life in a tragic plane    crash, individuals close to him created CASC to help keep our memory of him    and his music alive. An esteemed contest for aspiring songwriters, CASC is    credited for helping up-and-coming talent gain exposure. Applicants will    have their songs heard by some of Nashville’s    most prominent music industry professionals, including host Jim Lauderdale.    Categories for consideration include bluegrass, general, gospel, and    country. The winners will perform at a showcase during MerleFest on Friday,    and first place winners receive $600 in cash and performance slots during    the festival. Net proceeds from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest help    support the WCC Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship which has, since its    inception, helped 84 students and awarded over $34,600. For more    information, please click here.

 Tickets for    next year’s festival, as well as the Late Night Jam presented by The Bluegrass Situation, may be purchased at www.MerleFest.org or    by calling 1-800-343-7857. MerleFest offers a three-tiered pricing    structure and encourages fans to take advantage of the extended early bird    discount. Early Bird Tier 1 tickets may be purchased until February 17,    2019 and Early Bird Tier 2 tickets will be available February 18 to April    24. Remaining tickets will be sold at the gate during the festival.

 About MerleFest

MerleFest was    founded in 1988 in memory of the son of the late American music legend Doc    Watson, renowned guitarist Eddy Merle Watson. MerleFest is a celebration of    "traditional plus" music, a unique mix of traditional,    roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including old-time,    classic country, bluegrass, folk and gospel and blues, and expanded to    include Americana, classic rock and many other styles. The festival hosts a    diverse mix of artists on its 13 stages during the course of the four-day    event. MerleFest has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Foundation,    funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.

 About Window    World

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Charleston man wants to make lettuce fun with hydroponic growing system 

It’s early March, and John Casto is growing lettuce in Charleston. Lettuce that’s never seen an ounce of dirt. Lettuce that’s never seen a single drop of pesticides. Lettuce that only sees sunshine that seeps through the windows of a second-floor room above The Art Store on Hale Street.

Lettuce that is fun, Casto said. For the last year, Casto and Chance Woodrum have been dabbling in the hydroponic lettuce business.

“I was looking for something fun to do. I like the restaurant type of business. But the last thing in the world I wanted to do was own a restaurant,” said Casto, whose wife owns The Art Store downstairs. “This way I’m supplying some of the restaurants and hope to expand that. Providing them with something that’s kind of cool.”

Casto’s business, Urban Greens, was born out of his desire to try something new and challenging that sparked his interest. Casto was introduced to Woodrum, who graduated from West Virginia University’s horticulture program in 2015, by former Gazette-Mail Garden Guru columnist John Porter, and the two got to work. What was once an empty room above the store on Hale Street has been transformed into a hydroponic growing operation.

Five metal units filled with greenery line the room. Casto and Woodrum can grow up to 1,800 heads of lettuce at a time. Hydroponics is a method used to grow plants in a water-based, nutrient-rich solution.

“You’re really just putting in things that you find in the soil. It basically is organic,” Woodrum said. “It’s a new thing in horticulture. This is one of the bigger things happening in horticulture right now.”

Woodrum, a Charleston native, mixes and monitors the water and solution each day. Working with hydroponics requires careful attention to water levels and hydrogen concentration, which are constantly changing. The solution is made of two mixtures, Woodrum said. The first mixture — mixture A — is a water-soluble fertilizer made of a nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium ratio and Epsom salt. Mixture B is made of calcium nitrate and a little bit of potassium nitrate, Woodrum said. To grow plants hydroponically, he puts equal parts of each mixture into the water to be cycled through tubes where the plants are.

Each plant is grown in long, metal trays on each unit in a piece of rockwool, a fiberglass-like material that holds each plant in the trays. The nutrients are poured into a container full of water at the bottom of each unit. The water and nutrients run through a tube up into long trays that hold the lettuce plants before eventually cycling back down into the container.

“It works kind of like a rock fountain,” Casto said. “It’s never seen a pesticide or any outside air. It’s never seen dirt. You pretty much can just pull it out and eat it. Virtually no bugs.”

The growing process for each head of lettuce takes approximately eight weeks. The plants sit under either an LED or florescent grow light for 12 hours a day while the water cycles through. Hydroponic plants are not technically organic, Casto said — but they’re close. They are what he calls “non-certified organic,” meaning they are organic in everything but title.

It’s been a learning process. One filled with spills, leaks and trying to figure out what in the heck they’re doing. But most importantly, the two said it’s been fun and rewarding. Casto attended a seminar and has leaned on the advice of a friend, but the rest has been trial and error.

Out of caution, because of The Art Store being located downstairs, Casto has to put down a special type of flooring to prevent leaks from seeping through to the store. The two are growing five types of lettuce currently, and are experimenting with other plants and what are known as microgreens.

Urban Greens is growing two kinds of romaine lettuce and three kinds of salanova lettuce. It has also experimented with basil, parsley, kale, iceberg lettuce and arugula. The microgreens are grown in a separate unit in the corner of the room. The greens, which are used as flavorful garnishes on top of steaks, seafood and other dishes, take just two weeks to grow. Casto and Woodrum are growing lettuce microgreens, as well as mild and spicy greens.

“You sprinkle it on top of dishes and stuff,” Woodrum said. “It’s really showy. They have a lot of flavor.”

Casto and Woodrum’s lettuce is currently being used or has been used in dishes at Noah’s Eclcetic Bistro, Celsius, Bluegrass Kitchen and South Hills Market and Cafe. The lettuce is also available for purchase at The Purple Onion, inside the Capitol Market.

“When you try this versus the mixed greens that are available at the supermarket, it’s like tender versus cardboard,” Casto said. “I’m not bragging, it’s just noticeably different.”

The two spend every day in the hydroponic garden to monitor the pH and water, make sure the infrastructure is working properly, make deliveries to restaurants and prune the plants. Woodrum sums up what he loves about the process in one word.

“The simplicity,” Woodrum said. “The fact that you can produce this much in this kind of space without essentially having to break your back.”

Casto and Woodrum individually package each head of lettuce to be sold at The Purple Onion or personally delivered to each restaurant. In the future, he hopes to carefully expand to serve more restaurants, an industry he’s passionate about in Charleston and to which he hopes to contribute. And while he’s not spending his days digging in the dirt, Casto said he’s still getting to garden — something he has enjoyed doing for years.

“It’s a coming thing,” he said. “I’m sitting around watching the lettuce grow. I gave up grass when I moved downtown. I was a gardener, now I’m still a gardener.”

For more information about Urban Greens, visit urbangreenswv.com or email Casto at urbangreenswv@gmail.com.

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