#everything but the onions are from our silly little garden !!!!!

[aturnoftheearth]

hi everyone we’re making more salsa 🍅🧅🫑🧄

[the-starryknight]

Someone to Notice Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood | Rated: T | Length: 1.4k

A fluffy little birthday gift for the phenomenal @skeptiquewrites, who's an incredible author and a stalwart cheerleader for rarepairs. Two of my favorites of Tee's fics are She Was Pretty (Lav/Pav), which is one of my all-time favorite non-Drarry fics and a gorgeous read of Lavender Brown post-war, and Nothing Left to Burn, Tee's brand new Wireless fic, fresh and full of Montreal life. She's also absolutely brilliant at microfics, so dig into her tag here too!

It shouldn't be such a big deal, introducing Oliver to Percy's family. Only it is a big deal, because Oliver matters a lot and Percy wants it to go well.

Percy Weasley’s tiny first-floor bedroom was precisely as it had been when he left it behind at seventeen, or so Percy claimed. Oliver had never seen it before.

Oliver lounged on the small single bed, on top of the knit blanket and the thin, well-used pillows. He’d changed into striped socks and pajama bottoms and a too-small jumper, pilfered from the perfectly organized drawers.

But Oliver couldn’t take his eyes off Percy even if he wanted to be nosy about the room.

Percy was pacing back and forth, wearing pressed trousers and a buttoned shirt, hair still shiny with product. Oliver wanted to sink his hands into it and muss it up, but that wouldn’t end well for either of them if he did it yet. So he waited. It’d take at least three more room lengths before Percy started talking again.

He was near the desk in the corner at the end of his second circuit when he turned around suddenly. “It went well,” Percy said, as though it were the most ludicrous conclusion.

“Reckon it did, yeah,” answered Oliver, running his fingers over a pull in the blanket.

“I wasn’t prepared for that possibility.”

Oliver laughed brightly, and pushed himself up to sit on the end of the bed. “I know.”

Percy hesitated, as straight-backed as the dozen sharpened quills waiting at attention in the cupholder on the desk. “You’re laughing at me. You think I’m ridiculous for being worried.”

“Never,” Oliver gulped, though he couldn’t contain the smile.

“You think I got myself so worked up over this dinner, and of course it went well, and I’m—”

“You were nervous.” Oliver pushed off the bed, crowding carefully into his space. There was enough room between them still that if Percy needed to pick up his pacing again, Oliver wouldn’t be in the way. But if — if — he wanted, he could step closer and fold himself into Oliver’s arms. “I was nervous too, when you met my da wasn’t I? And that was just one parent at a time.”

“It’s not that I thought they’d be weird about the gay thing,” Percy huffed, fixing his glasses with one hand and fidgeting with the other. He always did that when he was nervous or trying to sort something out, like seeing better would help him understand. “Charlie’s, well, that’s always been obvious, and even if Mum had a hard go with Harry’s reveal, it was never about him being queer.”

“Did you think they’d be weird about me?” teased Oliver, reaching with one cautious hand. Percy didn’t shy away, so he brushed his fingertips over the back of Percy’s hand. “You are sleeping with the enemy, after all. I beat your sister fair and square on the pitch, and I’m not going to start going easy on the Harpies just for you, family or no.”

Percy smiled at that, in the corners of his eyes and the twitch of his mouth. “Can’t exactly throw the games for you or for her, can I?”

“You could.” Oliver pressed closer, daring his luck. “Oh, Minister for Magical Games and Sports Regulation, won’t you engage in a little quid pro quo?”

“For Gin, I might,” he said, but took Oliver’s hand anyway. He teased, “Don’t know if I could swing it for you.”

Oliver gasped. “You’ll put me through dinner with every single Weasley and still not break the rules for Puddlemere?”

“As if you’d let me break the rules for you,” Percy said. He stepped forward into Oliver’s arms, and let Oliver hug him.

Percy was a little taller, and a little more lithe, but his body fit against Oliver’s perfectly, Oliver’s nose in his shoulder and his hands along his back, pulling him close. He smelled like Molly’s cooking, like onions and spices and another, older sort of home. His apartment always smelled clean, like fresh-folded laundry and a new bottle of ink.

“I wouldn’t, yeah,” Oliver answered, muffled in Percy’s starched shirt. “If we can’t win on our skill—”

“You shouldn’t win at all,” finished Percy.

Oliver flushed, glad they were standing too close for Percy to catch his embarrassment. Had he said the little phrase so often? Or was Percy paying attention too?

Percy pressed a kiss to Oliver’s forehead and stepped back to lounge against the desk. “You think it went well?” he asked, too casual, though Oliver knew the nerves underneath.

“Definitely,” he said. “They loved me, but are you surprised?”

“I mean it.”

“It went really well.”

Percy met his eyes.

At dinner, Percy had sat between George and Ginny, picking at his potatoes and adjusting his glasses, toes tapping Oliver’s under the table. His worry was subtle; no one at the table had noticed, pouring Oliver more wine and laughing at a joke Arthur had told. This dinner was a big deal for Percy, and yet not one of them seemed aware, teasing Oliver like he was already a member of the family. There was no grand reveal, no he’s Percy’s, don’t you see?, no coming out, or proclamations of welcome. It was as though Oliver’s sudden presence at Percy’s side was no more unusual than the gnomes in the garden.

It wasn't insensitivity, Oliver thought. Each of them had decided Percy was fine. Percy had it together, and Percy didn’t need reassurance. It was all true: Percy was confident and together, wise beyond his years and too competent for his own good. It was easy to stop there, and his siblings never learned to notice when Percy’s words got a bit faster — not because he was excited, but because he was afraid of being cut off — or how he paced when he was trying to work through something difficult.

Oliver grabbed him, hands on Percy’s chest, against the ridiculous collared shirt, and brought him close, nose knocking against Percy’s glasses. He kissed Percy like he noticed him: every bit all at once.

“Oh,” Percy said, breathless when Oliver let him go.

“You were very brave,” said Oliver, kissing him one more time.

“You don’t think I’m ridiculous?”

“Completely batshit. But not about dinner.”

Percy frowned at him.

“Turn around,” he said, pushing Percy’s elbow, and Percy went. “Do you see that?” Oliver pointed to the bookshelf beside the desk. “You made a call number system for your personal library. Bet you’ve even got it all written down and everything. You’re completely ridiculous.”

“I don’t have it written down,” murmured Percy.

“No?”

“...It’s an automatic charm, it records when a book’s gone out. No parchment needed.”

Oliver started to laugh, joy bubbling from his chest, smiling so hard his teeth hurt. Percy started laughing too, and then they were holding hands and laughing at the bookshelf, and standing in the tiny bedroom with only one window. They laughed until they couldn’t breathe, and then they breathed and Oliver held his hand and figured that they were probably going to be alright.

“They’ll hear,” Percy gasped, rubbing his eyes, biting his lip to stop from laughing.

“Not a thing,” Oliver grinned. “George-proof silencing charm. Cast it somewhere around your fourth lap around the room.”

“Just when did you research a George-proof silencing charm?” Percy put a hand on his shoulder, subtle confidence returning to his gaze. Oliver shivered, leaning into the touch.

“I’d like to say it was for something hot,” Oliver said. Percy stepped closer to him, his other hand drifting down the front of Oliver’s too-hot, too-thick jumper.

“But?”

“I thought you might worry about,” Oliver hesitated as Percy leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek, to just below his ear. “Er— worry about dinner,” he finished quickly.

“I was worried,” Percy said. He stepped forward, pushing Oliver back towards the bed. It was so tiny, but they could both fit if they lay close. “But it went well.”

“Right.” Oliver sat down hard on the bottom of the bed. Percy tugged off his jumper, and ran possessive fingers down his shoulders, down his back. “I know how important your family is to you.”

“You’re important to me too.” Percy bent down to kiss him. “I’m glad I’ve got you.”

So Oliver, of course, pulled him down onto the bed with him and unbuttoned his stupid starched shirt and lay as close as he could. Percy took off his glasses, slipping them up onto the nightstand. He kissed Oliver again, and again, till they were both pink-cheeked and Oliver was smiling so hard it hurt. It was silly, kissing like this, in the tiny bedroom with all Percy’s family sleeping nearby, but maybe that was how it was supposed to be: ridiculous. Easy.

Later, Oliver said it again, in case he’d forgotten: “It went well,” like that, quiet and whispered across the threadbare pillow with only the moon outside the window watching.

[maine-writes]

Vonvon's Time Vacation, Act II Brute

The hotel's East Wing had a number of facilities and rooms for large events, and a few recreational facilities for guests. The first room was a smoking parlour, where one could easily imagine a group of wealthy men enjoying cigars and cognac after a thrilling foxhunt. A smoky smell seemed to emanate from the wooden walls, with strange hints of oak and caramel.

Beyond that, there was a grand ballroom with great glass doors that opened out to a veranda, overlooking a garden of hedge and stone. Across the hall was a theatre, built for stageplays, orchestras, and whatever entertainment was ordered for an event. There was also an indoor pool on the far side of the wing, which was heated during the winter. Due to their size, these rooms took up space from the second floor, where the staff stayed in their own rooms.

The third floor housed an extensive library, for those who prefered intellectual pursuits on vacation. The books here were old, but were impeccably maintained by the sole librarian, who curated the the collection. She was a slender, fair-skinned woman, who sort of resembled the statue out front, which resembled Pearl. While the party visited the library on their tour of the hotel, Vonvon eyed her suspiciously.

"What's your name?" They asked the familiar looking librarian.

"Deedee." She said. "What's your name?"

"Oh, we're using our fake names?" They replied. "Zendaya von Kubrick, but you might also know me as BloodstoneBloodhound if you play World of Witchcraft, or Apex Arena."

Their next stop was the kitchen, which was hidden from sight in the basement. There, two cooks tirelessly work on the days menu; a light luncheon of caprese salad, and beef bourguignon with garlic mashed potatoes for dinner.

One of the cooks was this tall, muscular woman, her great mane of hair somehow tied into a short ponytail. The other was significantly shorter, but with a similar hairstyle.

There were two other cooks, similar in appearance to the first, but the upper part of their faces were covered by their long bangs.

The party couldn't spend too much time here, scared off by the usual chaos of a busy kitchen. The two most notable cooks were angrily arguing, yelling over sizzling food, buzzing ovens, and clanging pots. And the heat was almost unbearable.

The only person not really fazed by all this was Jenny, who noted that it was not so different from Fish Stew Pizza's kitchen.

They agreed to go their separate ways, enjoying everything the Standord Hotel had to offer.

Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream went off to the indoor pool. Sadie and Lars agreed to watch Onion, who scampered off on his own adventure. So that left Vonvon, Connie, and Steven.

"So, what should we do?" Steven inquired.

"How about a nice, relaxing stroll through the garden?" Connie recommended, her boyfriend's well-being in mind.

As it turned out, the grounds had three different gardens. The first was called the Stone Garden, which featured an impressive fountain, surrounded by a low, circular stone wall and an outer circle of tall hedges. Next to it was the Japanese Garden, a recent addition. This featured a large pool of white sand, treated by a special rake that created what appeared to be ripples around stones. There was also a stone pathway between rows of low red shrubs and tall trees. Apparently, these trees would bloom in vibrant pink in the spring. Unfortunately, everything was covered in snow. The third garden was a hedgemaze, originally created by the owner of the hotel.

"This ought to be fun." Vonvon said, pointing out the entrance to the maze, which was flanked by two statues of what appeared to be monocled women in fancy clothes.

Each twisting turn appeared to be identical to the last, the ominous silence only broken by the muffled crunch on their shoes on fresh snow. As time passed, the thrill of the adventure turned to confusion, which then turned to subtle frustration.

"Ok, we've been here before." Steven said.

"How do you know that?" Connie asked.

"See those footprints?" He replied, pointing out the three obvious sets of prints in the snow. "Unless there are three other people here, we've been here before!"

"No need to get snappy."

"How about we just get out of here?" Steven groaned. "I think we missed lunch and the others might be worried."

"Yeah, you're right." Connie said. "Who would've thought that this maze would be so difficult?"

"Wonder what's in the middle." Vonvon wondered aloud.

Steven thought for a moment, the curiosity also gnawing away at him. He had endured the cold and the frustration of missing lunch because he was wondering about what interesting secret that lay hidden in the center of the maze. After all, every maze has a secret.

He reached out and grabbed Connie's hand, and the two were enveloped in a brilliant rose glow.

"How about we find out?" Stevonnie said to little Vonvon, whose starry eyes seemed to glow with excitement.

"Hell yeah!"

"Language."

Stevonnie picked up the little rascal, and bound over the high walls of the hedge. It was surprisingly complex for a silly little maze and a bit larger than they thought.

In the center, the pair found a fountain, large and very old, surrounded by four statues. Beneath the layer of snow was weathered stone unlike the others found throughout the grounds. Each statue depicted a tall woman.

One wore a long, flowing dress, and had a strange, pointed crown. Another seemed to have an air of authority. The third was hooded, seemingly looming over whoever stood below it. And the fourth was shorter than the rest, but the craftsmanship made it seem like she was very much alive.

Standing in the center of the fountain was a statue of a short, young man with tight, poofy hair, and a star on his abdomen. His arms spread wide, as if awaiting a loving embrace, his eyes peacefully closed.

"Now that's weird." Vonvon said.

Visibly disturbed by the suspiciously obvious familiarities, Stevonnie took Vonvon and promptly jumped from hedge to hedge until they were back at the entrance. Then they split back into two young teens.

"Steven?" Connie asked worriedly.

"I'm going to forget all of that." He flatly stated, walking back to the hotel. "I'm on vacation. There will be no Gem stuff, no near-death experiences, and no horrific revelations about mom. Not today!"

Connie and Vonvon glanced back at each other, worried that this vacation might just be more than they bargained for.

@artsycooky13

[nancypullen]

Melons and Murders

We didn't do anything special on the 4th of July. Because only 30-something percent of Tennesseans are vaccinated and the Delta variant is unpredictable, we're still avoiding crowds. It sucks because I really want to enjoy a ballgame or a concert. Downtown Nashville broke a previous record by hosting an estimated 400,000 drunken idiots for an Independence Day celebration. What could possibly go wrong there, right? So we stayed home, grilled some brats, and watched tv while our neighborhood lit up like a combat zone. It was insane. After all of that grumpy complaining, I'm actually here to pay tribute to summer food. As far as I'm concerned, the absolute QUEEN of the summer is the Sugar Kiss melon.

This melon will change your life. I've never tasted anything so good. Don't be deceived into thinking this is just a cantaloupe. This is magic in your mouth. This melon tastes like it's been injected with vanilla and sugar. They're only in season for a brief part of the summer and we eat about three a week. Not even kidding. We get ours at Publix, even though I've seen and purchased them elsewhere, the Publix melons seem to be at peak freshness. I don't know if Kroger warehouses theirs before they're in stores or what, but the Publix melons are superior. You'll spot Sugar Kiss melons right away, wrapped in their distinctive blue mesh and set apart from the other cantaloupe. Get one (no, seriously, get two) and you can thank me later. It wouldn't be summer without watermelon. I buy one every Saturday, chunk it up and keep it in a big, lidded tub in the frig. When I come in from working in the yard, hot and sweaty, a couple of pieces of chilled watermelon cools me down faster than anything I could drink. Mickey says the same thing. It's always sad toward the end of summer when watermelon becomes scarce. I have some heirloom seeds from my Grandma Ethel's watermelon patch that I treasure, and I haven't had the courage to plant them. How silly is that? I'd hate to get my hopes up and have some stupid pest ruin everything. Anyyywhooo...back to watermelon. Aside from just eating it straight, I'm addicted to this combo.

Day after day, I drop chunks of watermelon into a bowl, sprinkle some feta and a bit of chopped, fresh mint leaves, then top it with a quick squeeze of lime, just a little. Holy moley, I hear angels sing when I eat this. The super sweet melon, the salty feta, the zing from the mint and the lime - it's everything a summer dish should be. It doesn't hurt my feelings that it's really pretty to look at too. Know what else I'm addicted to? Breakfast salads. I love breakfast, it's my favorite meal of the day. I would be content to eat a hearty breakfast and then just nibble for the rest of the day. Normally I'll dice up tomato and onion and get it sizzling in a skillet, then I'll throw in some riced broccoli.

Once that's cooked through, I season and scramble two eggs and pour that in - a few stirs with a spatula and I've got a bowlful of veggie eggs and a yummy breakfast. If you're so inclined and can spare the calories, add cheese or bacon or whatever floats your boat. It's delicious, low in calories and fat, offers plenty of protein and fiber, and will keep you full all day. Winner. Lately I've been throwing together a flavorful salad...spring greens, a quarter of an avocado, a tablespoon of feta, and a tablespoon of crumbled bacon. Super simple.

Then I spritz a pan with a little olive oil and fry an egg. I season it like crazy and plop it right on top of the salad.

When I cut through the egg it releases the warm, yummy yolk as a dressing and coats everything. It's a delicious, healthy breakfast. The mister and I are still working the Weight Watchers thing. It's so stinkin' easy and NOTHING is off limits. I'm on the Purple Plan because I don't like to log things, so I have a bazillion "free" foods but only 16 points a day. The items that cost me are fatty things like mayo and butter. As long as I eat clean and whole foods (even whole grain pasta is zero points for me!) I can finish every day with points to spare. A grilled chicken breast with roasted broccoli and sweet potato is a zero point meal. How simple is that? Of course, that doesn't mean I don't have treats. It didn't take me long to figure out that a macaron is just two points and totally worth it. I'm down 21 pounds and it's been embarrassingly easy to do. It's been a slow drip, pretty much a pound a week, but it's the easiest diet I've ever been on and I think I've tried them all. Sorry, I rambled. I promised melons and murder. The murder part is really more of a question for you. It's no secret that I'm a true crime junkie. My DVR history is frightening- Snapped, Cold Justice, etc. My reading list looks like I'm either planning or solving a murder. But I'm new to true crime podcasts. When I'm at my desk I like to listen to a murder or two, usually tuning into a Dateline series (the Mommy Doomsday episodes will blow your mind). I'm in the market for other podcasts though, so I'm asking for your favorites. You don't have to answer here, you can always send suggestions to njpullen@gmail.com - no need to create a Tumblr profile or any of that. Hit me with your favorites, My Favorite Murder? Anatomy of a Murder? Crime Junkie? Sword & Scale? Do tell! Gotta' go. It's time for me to trot out to the garden and pick more cucumbers and have a chat with the birds and squirrels. Summer is in full swing and I intend to enjoy these days. Besides, if I don't go out and get sweaty, I can't justify eating more melon. I have an agenda. I hope you're having some fun with your day. Stir up some giggles, even if you're just laughing at yourself. I used to write jokes on Post-It notes and leave them on the doors of bathroom stalls at work. I wonder how many pantsless people chuckled ? Go spread some sunshine and make sure you get some on yourself. Stay safe, stay well, stay sunny. XOXO - Nanccy

[brella]

yuletide reveals are go! i only wrote one thing this year, but i received five (FIVE) absolutely gorgeous gifts. here is my roundup for easy access!

i wrote don’t take the money, a palm springs fic; sort of a sarah wilder character study and sort of a sarah/nyles relationship study and mostly a post-canon exploration of how they cope with, you know, not being in a time loop anymore. rated E, 5300 words. an excerpt: It’s a dusky blue spring evening, and she’s sautéeing the onions and peppers for the ratatouille, which she is, as she had hysterically told the woman in the produce section, going to make, and isn’t that just a fucking triumph of living?

as for my gifts—

all that’s left of our wings, run with the wind, iwakura yukihiko/kiyose haiji. not rated, 1900 words. a missing scene of haiji and yuki getting ready for graduation. my favorite kind of missing scene, too: ostensibly ordinary, but woven with so much significance, quiet tension, things unspoken, things wanted and longed for. it encompasses everything i love about their dynamic so well, and is beautifully, carefully rendered. a favorite line: All of the rooms in this building let in the bare minimum of sun, something that has bothered Yuki for years. And yet, looking at Haiji is illuminated now, the light twines with something that Yuki has been brushing aside for as long as he can remember. Something akin to longing, spreading out over the land of blue morbidities carved between them.

party on, party out, run with the wind, iwakura yukihiko/kiyose haiji. rated T, 2100 words. this fic has it all: feelings at the club. past hook-ups. dancing, at the club. a little bit of silliness and a little bit of melancholy. a KISS. i am spoiled rotten. a favorite line: Yuki lifted his glass, suddenly strangely aware of the fact that Haiji’s lips had touched the straw, before just shrugging and drinking the rest of the glass’ contents. He wasn’t some fresh-faced high schooler, he had no time to be worried about something as silly as indirect kisses or whatever they called it.

come healing, hades, megaera & persephone + megaera & zagreus gen. rated G, 3300 words. i longed for megaera to be a more three-dimensional character than the game permitted her to be, and this fic makes that more real than i can bear. absolutely wonderful, painful, strangely gentle look at her relationship with persephone and her involvement in the queen’s return to the underworld—and it has brushstrokes of the other erinyes too, which made me so happy. this has everything: her cruelty, her guilt, her anger, her love, her forgiveness. i can’t praise it highly enough! a favorite line: Her hand moved toward her whip, the titan-blood within her calling out for justice. But she remembered the queen she knew, once; the one who had given her a flower, when she did not know what such was. Who had shown her kindness, when she did know how to.

to those who cannot love gently, hades, megaera gen with a side of megaera/zagreus. rated M, 1800 words. ANOTHER stunning megaera study, revolving around five times she was too rough and one time she was gentle. it has everything i could have hoped for in a meg study—her friendship with dusa, her complicated feelings on zagreus, her backstory with her sisters, her odd but beautiful bonds with and respect for persephone and nyx. each scene is so small, but carries so much power and detail. the gradual escalation is masterfully done. every time i finish reading this i am bodied by my love for this character and what she means to me and i think that is a good sign. a favorite line: After the Queen left, none dared to touch her garden for fear of incurring Lord Hades’ wrath. In those first years, it was as if he wished to banish the Queen’s name from everyone’s tongue. Even now, when anyone spoke of Persephone, it was with a furtive tone and lamentable air, a dream of summer long disappeared.

you never needed it to be a clear day, kiki’s delivery service, kiki/tombo. rated G, 2700 words. i am still floored by how, like... graciously catered to me this is. it hits all the right notes for the kiki fic i feel like i’ve been dreaming of since i was little. a future fic exploration of how kiki’s depression and anxiety connect to her magic/creative work, and kiki and tombo are roommates, oh my god they are roommates??? and she cradles jiji in her arms, and it makes me feel the same love and warmth i feel when i cradle my own kitty in my arms? kiki as an adult, in all the realest and most beautiful ways? aaah! there’s just so much love in this, so much honesty and heart. i feel so lucky to have received it... a favorite line: Kiki looks it over. She remembers this from their childhood days. The problem is that the flying bike, no matter what the case was, could never sustain flight for too long. It always crashed, or at least drifted into an irreversible glide. Tombo gave up on it because—well—he said it made him feel regressive to be so obsessed with flight in that way.

again, cannot overstate how lucky and grateful i feel this year. happy reveals, everyone. o/ 💖

[thedappleddragon]

I dreamed about learning things in large chunks with each time I woke up a little bit, took a deep breath, and settled back down, so I ended up sleeping in later than I wanted. I saw that the drawtectives season finale was airing, but I missed the very beginning so I took a shower and watched it afterwards. it was fuckin hilarious and I loved it and I want to rewatch the end and stare at karina’s huckey hees art at the end <3 I made myself a bagel and we were out of the garden veggie cream cheese I fell in love with, but we had onion something and it was also good. uhhh I dont remember the play by play, but I ended up spending a LOT of time crocheting today. I made some progress on the frog and started small parts to make a second MATCHING frog to go with it. they’re gonna have inverted sweaters <3 I also started work on a possum by making a cone that’s gonna eventually go in the face as the muzzle. I had an unnecessarily hard time starting it off with a magic ring and getting my yarn to do what I wanted, so I ended up having to use a yarn that’s not quite right and the cone is a little lumpy but it’s workable. I think I'm gonna add 2 cute little stripes to the sweater to incorporate the white elsewhere. it’s gonna be cute dont worry about it. I think I'm gonna give the bear to my friend as a birthday present Saturday :) I bought my other friend something for her birthday next month but shhh its a secret because she follows and there is a very slim chance of her finding out. but I'm a tad bit worried that she might see the thing I saw and buy it for herself before then? I hope not lol. my dad, sister and I ate chocolate covered strawberries (I ate most of them oops). I wanted to toast a piece of bread and started fiddling with the oven, and my dad asked why I didnt use the toaster. I told him it exploded months ago so he brought one out of the garage he had set aside for when he gets his own apartment. I didnt end up using it but I will tomorrow if there are any bagels left. if not I'll just put cream cheese on toast because im a slut for cream cheese. I was thinking about college and im so excited and nervous about it at the same time, I wish it would start sooner. but since it’s months away I need to get a job in the mean time (which really I should have done ages ago oops). I told my dad that I already knew 2 of my friends who were already at ball state and I was rooming with one of them and he seemed really happy and exited for me. I’m really glad I'll have someone to show me the ropes and help me learn how everything works. I just wish candles and wax warmers were allowed in dorms because I just got a bunch of little candles and one yankee candle with a wick too short to burn that I want to melt down and put the wax into my gummy bear ice cube tray to make little wax gummy bears to be melted in a wax warmer. sigh unfortunately not all my dreams can come true. I'll just hold onto the candle for now. unrelated but at some point in the day I sat down backwards in my bed to where I could see myself in the big headboard mirror and later I was goofing around in front of the bathroom mirror and I felt cute and pretty and like girlfriend material with a little bit of work and. my self confidence has been through the roof for like the past 3 days?? hell yeah. I'm pretty :) I just need to learn to make normal faces in pictures again because I default to a stupid silly face. there was a point where I couldn't stand to look at my own face in high school which made first period art class absolute HELL because the project we were doing was digitally color blocking in our face little bits at a time and I couldn't stand it. uhhh I really dont want to end this on a sad note since I had such a nice day... my cat hung out with my a lot and was purring really loud this morning while I was half asleep trying to keep her from eating wires. I also watched a lot of drawfee and stuff while crocheting as background noise because they’re like my favorite YouTube channel. ALSO I FINALLY BOUGHT THE DRAWFEE MUG BECAUSE THEY RESTOCKED IT :D I also got a pin which I'll put on my backpack when college starts up. do people wear backpacks at college?? I need to text my friend and ask westhdrjkvhjbbut uhh it’s almost 5 am and my laptop is almost dead so I'm gonna call it a night. love you goodnight mwah <3

[balkanradfem]

Separatism preparations #4: Growing our own food

Being able to grow our own food is vital to any self-standing community, and I don't yet have all the skills and knowledge it takes, so this year I'm figuring it out. I've befriended a wise woman who seems to know everything about seeds and plants, and she helped me get a hold on community garden slot, and gave me enough seeds to get me started. I've been reading books and articles, watching videos and tutorials but all that is a bit silly compared to actual experience and skills learned via practice.

First important thing I learned is about preparing the land you want to plant on, the quality of soil has to be managed before planting. If the soil is filled with clay and too dense, you can feed it with compost, fertilizers and mulch. Since I haven't been composting until now, and I don't have any money to spend on fertilizer, I've settled for taking dry leaves and hay from anyplace I can find, and using it as a mulch. Mulch is just a layer of protection you put over your soil, and it works really well! If you stack hay, leaves, or any kind of cover over the soil, it's protected from the sun, wind, and it takes a lot longer to dry out. It also makes sure weeds can't grow! If there's no light reaching the soil, there's barely any weeds showing up. And organic materials like hay and leaves will compost themselves on top of the soil and give you easy-to-dig, compost-like soil. Other thing person can do without spending any money on fertilizer is to create it from nettle. I've yet to try this out, but it makes sense, nettle has a lot of iron and calcium, and if you soak it in water for few days, then water the soil with the liquid, the nutrients will transfer to the soil and feed your plants.

Next thing that seems, just, suspicious to me, is that some plants take surprisingly little effort to grow. For instance, I've done nothing but put mulch over the soil for few months, then dug around just for a bit to break the ground into smaller pieces, and planted peas. And now they're out and growing, and all I had to do was to put some sticks into the ground for them to latch onto so they could grow upwards. I didn't have to weed them out because mulch kept the weeds from growing, all I do is watch how they grow. Apparently I just need to wait now and eventually come in to pick up the peas. I didn't expect it to be that easy.

Other things I'm growing right now are taking even less effort, I stuck some seeds for onion greens and garlic way back in the autumn, and I haven't done anything about it since, but they're just growing! I thought with the clay-like soil and no hard effort I wouldn't get a lot, but they seem to be doing just fine.

Now things that ended up taking a lot of effort are things I like the most, tomatoes and peppers. I didn't mind putting effort in them at all, because they're giving me a lot of hope and happiness. Since they're easily killed by frost, I can't plant them outside until it's the middle of may, which would mean waiting a long time before I get any produce at all. So for this reason, people learned to grow them inside for a month or two, and then they're transplanted outside to finish their growth.

Now growing little transplants inside is a lot of fun, you get to take little seeds, put them in dark and moist environment and then watch them germinate, then you plant them into small containers you make out of trash from the kitchen, and you watch them grow every day. You have to keep them in the light, always warm, protected from night temperatures, wind, and slowly get them used to the direct sunlight. One fairly important thing is that they wont grow if you plant them into the dense soil you dig from the outside, you need planting soil that is dark in color, and breathy, the kind that seeps thru your fingers. This is because the seedlings are too weak to force their roots thru dense ground, especially inside of a pot, where it only keeps getting more dense as you water it. So again, I found a free solution, digging up the ground from the forest. Basically a lot of ground in the forest is made up from layers of composted leaves, and this soil is full of nutrients and seeps thru your fingers easily. I ended up having to drag home a lot of it, since I'm trying to raise a lot of peppers and tomatoes. They grow in it just fine.

I made a lot of mistakes and had a lot of little plants die, I learned that this is normal and to always plant double or triple of what you need, and just count on a big chunk of it dying. I started with 15 tomatoes and 18 peppers, and now I have 5 tomatoes and 6 peppers who seem like they'll be ready for transplant soon. In the meantime I planted lots of new tomatoes and peppers so I'll just add them into the garden when I feel they're ready, and I hope this way I will have a longer harvesting season, it's good if all plants aren't suddenly giving produce at exact same time.

I'm slowly learning the ways people fed themselves before they started relying on capitalism, and it's pretty interesting how their diet is planned. There's a lot of squashes called "winter squash" because they can be harvested and then kept in a cold place, to be eaten during winter. Also potatoes, beans, green beans, lentils, and everything that is kept away in a can is stash for winter food. Lots of greens can often survive winter and be harvested thru all year unless frost gets it, and in the spring there's extremely nutritious wild plants like dandelions, nettles, dock, and bunch of others that can keep a person very healthy and well fed. I've been making wild edible plants a part of my diet for a while and I'm growing to like them a lot, dock is especially delicious!

I'm just a complete newbie at this but at rate things are growing, and with knowledge I'm gaining, I feel growing our own food is completely possible. With the knowledge of mulching, soil-preparation, starting plants inside, making a greenhouse to grow things even a bit out of season, and canning skills, I see how we could easily grow enough food to keep healthy and well fed. Of course I haven't been thru entire summer of it when it's hot and you have to water everything, and I haven't fought the pest and diseases yet, but I'm feeling optimistic about figuring it all out.

(some peppers and tomatoes I’m growing inside right now, and a peach tree!)

[celmation-gibson]

Wow, 8 years into Wonderous Surreal & Trippy Adventures with this Wonderful Program, that served as a Great start into the New Generations of Fascinating New cartoons, such as Ones on the Grand CN such as 'Regular Show', 'Uncle Grandpa', 'Steven Universe', 'OK K.O. Let's be Heroes', 'Over the Garden Wall', 'We Bare Bears', & 'Summer Camp Island', and for bringing other inspiring Cartoons from 2010 to Today on other Stations such as 'Bee & Puppycat', 'Gravity Falls', and your 'MLP: FiM'. And when I first Discovered this show, actually, I first discovered Finn's design on an old Nicktoons promo, back when the show's pilot episode was on Nick's 'Random Cartoons' show, and I was surprised that Cartoon Network picked it up for a Series, and when the 'Adventure Time' saying and logo came up, it got me thinking of Cartoon Network's old 'Flapjack' program (in which Pen Ward used to work on a program like that), and I was like "oh Boy, something Flapjack related I suppose", so I watched the Program, and after a Few Episodes, I find it quite Interesting, Heck, Fun Fact is that Flapjack's creator Thurop Van Orman worked on the show during Season 1-2 as Supervising producer, as well as doing Guest Voices for the Show as the Tree Witch & Kent. And the Show boasts some Great Cast such as Mr. Jeremy Shada, who I was surprised that he made a Voice role in 'Chowder' as Porridge, Good Ol' John DiMaggio, who's voice work always cheers me up sometimes, Legendry Tom Kenny, our Familiar SpongeBob Voice, and Ms. Olivia Olson, who I first discovered her as playing Vanessa Doofenshmirtz of 'Phineas and Ferb'. Plus the Program had some Good other Casts & Guest stars voicing characters such as Andy Samberg, Jenny Slate, Brian Doyle Murray, Weird Al Yankovic, Rich Fulcher, Donald Glover, Roz Ryan, Jessica DiCicco, Keith David, Justin Roiland, Lou Ferrigno, Ron Perlman, Martin Olson, etc. etc. etc. Along with some Good Guests Artists and Animators such as my Favorites, Celmation Hero Mr. James Baxter, who did some Guest Celmation and voicing his animated character James Baxter the Horse, and the Stop-Motion fav by Kristen Lepore, which should deserve Good awards for it. And I'm glad it's a Good change for Cartoon Network, like I said multiple times in other Drawings that I feel like I wanted Children of Today to see the 'Grand CN'(2010-Present) in a Totally Different Way, They should have Smooth Cel-Drawn (or Sometimes Digital Ink & Paint) Animation, Surrealism, and/or Surreal Humor (something Well-Written, Bananas, or Bonkers), Great Story-line (Like some Great Story-Arc, Mini-Series, or even Full Lenghted), Memorable Characters (Who are Smart, Fun-Loving, Caring, and/or Always Knowing their Destinies and/or True Purposes), and A-Little Dark-Themed (to Make Things more Dramatic and Serious). I'm Tired of Living in the past Where some Animated Programs have some Grotesque Imagery, Roughly Animations, and Comic Characters that are Silly and/or Stupid, It's Not Even Funny like in Old Cartoon Network & Nickelodeon, and Over-Using the Same Voice Actors for Different Roles in the Same Shows on the Same Programs, Bring in some New/Fresh Young Voices to the Stand. OR... In Other Words, Everything doesn't have to Be Mickey Mouse, Speed-It-Up Movements, or Slapstick Humor, for Cartoons Today. It's a Shame a Good show like this had to go Away, much like what happened with 'Uncle Grandpa' & 'Regular Show', and the Best part of it is, I Never loose Faith in the Program, even when it had some Dramatic Moments & Characters loosing their Touch, they do have some Redeeming Qualities if I watched further from episode to episode, and the First Mini-series for the Program such as 'Stakes' was a Good touch to it. And I really enjoyed the Finale when it first premiered, It was a Total Surprise when it comes to current AT Writers & Story artists working together in an Hour-Long Extravaganza. So as of Now, I am currently enjoying shows like 'Apple & Onion', 'Steven Universe', 'Craig of the Creek', 'Summer Camp island', & 'Big City Greens', and I will let the Spirit of 'Adventure Time' flow into my Heart & Inspiring Imaginations of both Young & Old, and for having it's Merchandise be Purchased & Sold in the stores of Hot Topic in your Shopping Malls, maybe Hopefully I will catch old episodes On-Demand soon. RIP ADVENTURE TIME(2010-2018)

[hilunawrites]

Meet the Writer III, IV, V, and VI

Thanks so much for the tags @whataremetaphor​, @allisonaldridge​, @killer-badass​, and @swaynewrites​! 

Rules: Answer the 10 questions, write 10 questions, then tag 10 people. ** From @whataremetaphor​: 1.)    Who are some of your favorite authors?  JK Rowling, Perry Moore, Audrey Niffenegger, Alex Sanchez, Julie Anne Peters, Nancy Garden, John Green…  2.)    Pen and paper or typing?  Honestly typing. My handwriting is illegible and I type really fast.  3.)    What’s your character development process?  I mostly have an idea for a character already in mind and I let them loose into the story. They usually figure themselves out on the way, but if I feel they need a little boost or more details to make them seem more rounded, I’ll fill out little character development questionnaires or free-write about them for a while. 4.)    Favorite words?  English: silly, serendipitous, onomatopoeia, plethora…(mostly coz they feel nice in the mouth to say. There’s probably way more).   German: gumpendorfer, ausgezeichnet, Eichhörnchen, frühstücken  5.)    Do you have a “type” for characters (either ones you write or ones you like? If so, what is it?   Hmm… I guess I tend to write characters that are slowly figuring out who they are and how the world works. So characters who are coming-of-age.  6.)    Music or no music while writing? If so, what kinds?  Sometimes, sometimes not. If I do listen, it’s whatever YouTube spits out at me.  7.)    What first got you into writing?  Kindergarten. My teacher said my story of the day was good enough to “publish.” We wrapped a piece of colored construction paper around it, stapled the sides and I made a cover for it. I was ecstatic XD  For those interested, my story way: “Today I walked up the driveway to the mailbox and got the mail.” A literary genius at five years old hahahaha.  8.)    Vampires of werewolves? (or magical creature of your choice?)  Vampires  9.)    Where did you get the inspiration for your current WIP?  Augh, don’t hate me. I originally started my WIP as a gay Twilight Fanfiction…  10.)  Most difficult part of writing?   Keeping up motivation and self-confidence.

** From @allisonaldridge​: 1.)    What is your favorite writing snack? I don’t eat a lot when I’m writing. If I do, it’s junk food. Pringles (sour cream and onion) Oreos or other cookies.  2.)    Would you want to visit the place or world you created for your WIP?  The world is basically ours with a little fantasy twist. So yeah, totally.  3.)    If you were stuck in a room with one of your OCs, who would you choose?  Hmm..tricky…Probably Teresa because we have the most in common.  4.)    What movie would you relate closest to your WIP?  Twilight, Love Simon.  5.)    Do you watch any Authortubers on Youtube? I watch a bit of John Green, does that count? I gotta check out more of these Authortuber people apparently..  6.)    Traditional publishing or independent?  Hopefully traditional. I might publish some things independently though.  7.)    What is your main OC’s fashion sense? Basic hahaha. Jeans and a shirt.  8.)    Where do you keep all your story ideas stored?  In my head or on a file on the computer.  9.)    Are you working on more than one WIP right now?  Not currently. I want to get the first draft of this one finally finished (been working on it for years) before I write anything new.   10.)   Coffee or Tea? It is very important. I have to say both, I love them both. ** From @killer-badass​: 1.)    What is the cutest couple in your current WIP?  The only couple in my WIP: Daniel/Vaughn. This WIP has been dubbed my Daniel/Vaughn story since 2007 :P They are beautiful.   2.)    Would you rather have your WIP made into a movie or a TV show?  Hmm…probably a movie at this point.  3.)    Who would you want to direct said movie or TV show?  God, I dunno…I would like it to feel like Love, Simon so maybe Greg Berlanti? And also Chris Columbus or David Yates for the fantasy parts. 4.)    What TV show character would your protagonist of your current WIP be?  These questions are hard for me, I don’t know why! Maybe…Marco from Degrassi.  5.)    What is your favorite song to write to?  Don’t really have one…I usually put on something like “Castle on a Hill” first and just let the YouTube algorithm do its thing.  6.)    What is your protagonist’s theme song?  Oh jeez, I haven’t thought about any of this. Perhaps “Brave” by Sara Bareilles. 

7.)    What marvel character is our protagonist like the most?  Spiderman 8.)    Your favorite movie?  The Princess Bride  9.)    Your favorite TV Show?  So many. Right now, Brooklyn 99.  10.)   What genre is your current WIP?  Realistic fiction mixed with fantasy. ** From @swaynewrites​: 1.)    What is your favorite book, and your favorite author?  Harry Potter, JK Rowling. This series has affected me so much, how can I not still answer this question like this?   2.)    What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a WIP?  hahahaha, current WIP I’ve been working on since 2007.  3.)    What’s your favorite character that you have ever created?  Hmm I actually have a lot of feels about Ariel from my short story “My Life with Ariel.” Strange I didn’t choose someone from my main WIP, but there you go. 4.)    Have you ever based a character on someone you know? (family, friend, coworker, etc.)  I always take bits and pieces of personality from people I know and add them to my characters.  5.)    What is your favorite WIP you’ve written?  Completed WIP that would be “My Life with Ariel.” We’ll see if I make it into a novel or try to publish as is.  6.)    What’s the best response you’ve had to one of your WIPs?  One person told me they literally stopped breathing during one scene they were so enraptured by what was going on. This compliment felt so good, because it’s always what I’m going for! 7.)    What’s the best film/television show you’ve seen based on a book?  The first two Harry Potter movies. Hmm.. Though some things were changed from Love, Simon I felt the atmosphere of the book was captured so well.  8.)    Have you ever written something as a joint project with a friend or a fellow writeblr? If you haven’t, would you want to?  I don’t think so…but I would absolutely love to! HIT ME UP PEOPLE, LET’S DO THIS!  9.)    If you could change something about a popular book series, what series would you change and what would the change be?  Twilight. I would eliminate all the abuse in her relationships with Edward and Jacob.  10.)   For the Harry Potter fans out there, what is your favorite character/spell/scene? (If you haven’t read or seen Harry Potter, I’d recommend it. LUNAWRITES NOTE: I don’t just recommend it, I demand it hahahaha) Favorite character(s): Draco, Luna Favorite spell: Accio, Not a spell but also Apparition Scene: The chapter in book 6 where Harry confronts Draco in the bathroom and then later has his first kiss with Ginny in the common room. ** My questions for YOU: 1.)    Who are three writeblrs you love? 2.)    What book has made you cry? 3.)    What’s the first book you remember being read as a child? 4.)    Where do you read fiction the most? (magazines, journals, books, tumblr, archive of our own) 5.)    How do you feel about new novels that remind readers of other popular books? 6.)    What are three things you look for in a good novel? 7.)    How much of your week do you spend writing? 8.)    If you’re imagining publishing your current WIP, being accepted by a publisher, what does that feel like? 9.)    What are your three greatest fears about writing? 10.)  How can you fight those fears?  Tagging: @theouterdark, @damnwrites, @crucioandcoffee , @jess---writes @theaberrantwritergirl, @somnambulant-directives @wondersofwriting00, @smile-everything-is-alright, @greenandwords @rainbowsaw

[stormsbourne]

boardgames post

it has now been a week since geekway and it was a shitload of fun. shoutout to @hexmeridian, @bettycrockerscookbook, and @ectogeo-rebubbles for joining elzie, rosa, frozen, and I for the weekend! we had a lot of fun and played a lot of good games! here’s a collective list of what we played and my onions on each of them

(this post is REALLY LONG, this is what happens when you just play boardgames for 4 days)

Valeria: Card Kingdoms - if you’ve played Machi Koro, the mechanics will seem similar. You roll some dice, the dice dictate which citizens “activate” and give you stuff (magic, gold, attack power) and you then use those things to buy other citizens, buy domains (victory point spots that also have neat powers), or kill monsters. Machi Koro meets Thunderstone. I won this one!!! I can’t believe I won it I was seriously gonna go buy it

Sparkle*Kitty: this game is hilarious and a lot of fun. it’s a bit like uno but with princesses, dark magic, and incredibly silly spells such as “itty-bitty glitter kitty.” It also has a “Nights” version (aka, the “adult” edition) up on Kickstarter right now. we had a lot of fun playing this between games and as a filler. also, A+ on the diversity in the princesses. 

Fields of Green: build a farm! each card you lay down (it’s a drafting game sort of like 7 wonders) impacts other cards or plays off how many you have nearby, but you also have to be careful to have enough water and grain to harvest your crops and feed your animals. I had a lot of fun with this one, though it doesn’t have a particularly strong aesthetic imo. farm games are always good. Ecto’s bf won this one!

Indian Summer: this one is ALL aesthetic. do you like tetris? do you like colorful autumn leaves? do you like MAKING ROOM FOR A FOX TO LIVE IN YOUR FOREST? this game is for you. it’s incredibly pretty. elzie picked this one up after the con was over

Hardback: this is a sequel (well, prequel) to a game called Paperback. make words with your cards, but now, with added bonuses for having multiple letters of one genre in it! Have multiple adventure letters? you’ll probably get extra points! Have multiple horror letters? get some free ink remover which can get you out of an iffy situation in the future! LOTS of fun, definitely an upgrade on the already-stellar Paperback. Elzie won this! (Or maybe Rosa? I forget which of them since they married)

Azul: I want to eat all of it. I went over this one in my geekway mini post a few months ago but it’s part set collection, part artistic ... it’s hard to sum up but it’s a very chill game that’s easy to play while having a conversation.

Sagrada: I feel like this game has some of the same stuff as azul but is for a more boardgamey audience. you make stained-glass windows using dice that have to match colored or numbered spots on your window, but you can’t put the same colors or the same numbers next to each other. This was probably one of the most popular games of the con and was completely sold out when I went to the vendor hall on Sunday. (I got a promo card for my trouble though)

Cytosis: THE MITOCHONDRIA IS THE POWERHOUSE OF THE CELL. THE MITOCHONDRIA IS THE POWERHOUSE OF THE CELL. THE MITOCHONDRIA IS THE P-- ok enough anyway this is a game about doing the shit cells do with synthesizing proteins into steroids or enzymes or whatever else and it’s very fun once you get the hang of it -- part set collection and part worker placement. Also, probably really good for teaching life science to eighth-graders. 

Dance of the Fireflies: winner for prettiest boxart, which is some amazing Mucha-inspired shit. You’re growing flowers in your own personal garden by taking them off the flower clock (the thing in the middle) and competing to outbid your competitors for specific colors, which give you special one-time powers. Way thinkier than it looks. Frozen got this one, I believe.

Five Seals of Magic: Roll some dice! then use those dice to break magical seals, or collect spells which can augment your other dice! Play a cool fuckin wizard with an awesome familiar! I’m not sure if I’ve played any games like this before to be honest, though I’m sure if I thought about it some more I’d come up with some. Hex won this one! 

Imhotep: I had played this one at last year’s geekway, I think, but I played it again one of those times when we had to split groups. This game has a little bit of pickup and delivery and a little bit of set collection, but basically every place you can send your stones to gives different points depending on how the stones are arranged. I lost pretty bad at it. I’m good at games I swear, I swear I’

Majesty: For The Realm: I’ve heard this game is sort of like another one called Splendor, but since I haven’t played that one, I didn’t have that comparison. Build a tableau by spending workers to get cards, occasionally attacking other players or benefitting off the buildings they choose to construct, and make a badass city. Rosa won this one!

Not Alone: This is one of those games where all but one of the players are playing against the last one. the final player is an alien creature attempting to assimilate the other players, shipwrecked scientists, into their planet and prevent them from ever leaving, while the scientists are attempting to outlast and outmaneuver the creature in order to survive until they are rescued. Really neat. I’ve played both sides and lost both times. Frozen bought this one. 

Queendomino: played this at minigeekway and it’s still good

My Little Scythe: this one has an adorable fuckin story which is the main reason I’m posting it. A dude was playing Scythe, a good but heavy-ish worker placement game involving war and mechs in 1900s Europe, but his daughter wanted to join in. And wanted to use her my little pony figurines. So he put together a variant of the game that reworked the battles to be pie fights, the resources to be apples and crystals, and generally softened the game. The original designer got word of this and bought the rights to publish it, and, well, here we are. Worker placement game, fairly simple but also pretty quick, especially compared to its original inspiration. This was actually a surprise title at the con -- Jamey Stegmaier, the publisher/developer, considers Geekway his “home” con and put it up on the play-to-win table as a last minute surprise! p cool. There’s literally like 3 copies of it in existence right now. Thanks Jamey

Seikatsu: Set collection with birds and flowers where the angle you “view” the set from matters. Really interesting, but I don’t think I’d ever buy it -- it’s in the same school as Azul where it’s largely a chill conversation game.

The Grimm Forest: You’re a relative of the three little pigs and your job is to build 3 houses (of any type) before any of your other relatives do, using help from fairytale characters and various fabled tricks to get the job done before any of your competitors do. Nice minis, it’s one of those games where everyone picks a card without other people knowing what they’ve picked. Really long despite the simple premise, which isn’t bad, but was surprising!

Xenofera: Catch and cage amazing animal creatures to sell to noble menageries. But be careful -- everybody’s got means to sabotage your cages, steal your animals, or even kill your captains, and the winner can turn on a dime. I enjoyed this one but I’m not sure it’s one I’d buy. Very cute animals though. Almost bought some of the puff duck pins in the vendor hall

Yamatai: as a sailor in ancient Japan, it’s your job to help map out and settle this newly discovered archipelago. I’m ... not sure what I’d call this one, though it has a lot of similar DNA to Five Tribes. It’s fun! I’m bad at it.

Elzie and Rosa played a few different games from me (our group was so large we had to split up a few times) but I believe that’s everything I played from the play-to-win table, which was open Thursday through Saturday. There were some games going on on Sunday as well (I remember Hardback, Majesty, and Valeria, specifically) but then everybody had to part ways.

Was loads of fun. Don’t think we played a single stinker this year.

[texanpeanut]

Snapshots: Part 1

Some Peace Corps volunteers are excellent photographers. Their Instagram and Facebook profiles are filled with the perfect pictures - cute kids posing with crafts they’ve made, motivated farmers standing proudly with their tree nurseries, strong mothers whipping up some fire peanut sauce, or their charming village silhouetted against the sunset. I, however, am not one of those volunteers. I never think about taking pictures and when I do they never turn out well, always out of focus or with weird coloring. It might have something to do with the fact that my phone is from 2012, and while it still functions excellently and I am glad to have it, the camera pales in comparison to what’s available on newer models. Also, I tend to think that some of the most memorable or iconic moments are ones I can’t capture with a photo. So, over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to capture these moments with words. Here are some of the feelings, events, or short stories I thought worthy of taking note. I’ve titled this post “Part 1″ with hopes of making more like this in the future! 

Observations While Traveling 

the sept plas driver using a wooden block to keep the tires from moving because he can’t put the car in park 

sharing the front passenger seat with a grown man so nine people can fit in a car made for seven 

the feeling of awe seeing a massive stone cliff face loom above the trees as the car turns corner after dusty corner 

mild agony as the car slows, lurches, slows, lurches over and over; jostling as the car dips through washouts; the urge to pee continuing to grow 

Moments in Village 

excitement after checking on a tree nursery that’s actually sprouted a good amount. little babies! 

the satisfaction of walking home from the garden at sunset, looking at the mountainous horizon thinking that things are gonna be alright 

the silliness I feel when I try to be helpful and pound rice with my mom and sisters 

the closeness I feel to them when we exchange a few simple smiles 

helping the women in my village cut an entire laundry bucket full of onions for lunch at a baptism and not crying a single tear 

responding “yes, i’m trying” every time the women ask me “Binta, you can cut onions?!” as if they’re surprised i have even one culinary ability 

the moment before i ride my bike down the big hill toward my road town, listening for an oncoming car in the distance, knowing I’m making quite the risky decision 

doing it anyway and feeling the wind in my hair through my helmet and my eyes watering and the howling in my ears but coasting to a stop at the bottom feeling like everything is right 

the joy on my mom’s face when I give her and my sisters a loaf of homemade challah bread I made while in Kedougou. “binta, your dad’s going to be so happy that he will dance today!”

and my sister confused about the six-strand braid asking if it’s really just one loaf of bread 

holding a two week old baby having no clue what to do except not let the head drop 

telling the grandma the baby is beautiful only for her to respond “no, he’s so ugly” 

watching a toddler shove handfuls of dirt into her mouth as if it were candy 

sitting at a women’s group meeting, appearing to be in deep conversation with another volunteer while the women count dues, when in fact we are actually just discussing our favorite kinds of cereal 

helping the same women’s group build a tree nursery, casually reflecting on how many hours I have spent up close and personal with poop (in the form of manure) since arriving in this country 

sitting with my friend under a mango tree at the end of the day, watching the setting sun, learning about upcoming Ramadan and talking about the pilgrimage to Mecca 

Storytime - The Dog

As I’ve mentioned before, I have a dog and her name is Lyra. She is about five months old at the time I write this. She is a great companion and normally follows me everywhere I go. One afternoon, we’re walking together to the well to pump water, like we do every day, and she abandons me somewhere along the walk. I go to the well, fill my bucket, walk home, and still don’t see her. However, I’m not worried. I figure she is playing in the bush and will come back to the house eventually like she always does. 

I go into my hut, put the water bucket in the backyard, change into my running clothes, and sure enough by the time I’m done and heading out for a run, Lyra comes jogging up to my door. Two things are off. First, her stomach has swollen up like a balloon. My first thought is “what the fuck did you eat.” Second, she looks up at me with the most satisfied look on her face and there’s the clue - the fur around her mouth is all completely stained red with blood. Fuck, lol. 

So I go around the corner of my hut and find my answer. I look down at what she’s been tearing apart, the reason why she abandoned me on our walk, and find the rear half of a dead lamb, completely disemboweled. I just stand there for a few seconds with my mouth in the shape of an O, realize my host-mom is staring at the whole thing, then quickly assure her it wasn’t Lyra!!! She didn’t kill it!!! She just found it!!! Then throw Lyra in my backyard and awkwardly leave to go for my run. 

I come back from my run, ready to take a nice refreshing bucket bath, but because my dog’s face is covered in blood and she smells like a dead animal, figure I should try to bathe her first. Figure I should try to bathe her even though I know she absolutely hates water. As you probably guessed my attempt was a failure. I tried to hold her in my arms as I lathered the shampoo and water but she got all slippery like a boiled hotdog and fled from my arms when I was only maybe 2/3 finished, making sure to claw desperately at my scalp on her way out. Ouch. 

I walk outside to see where she went and of course she found a nice big pile of dirt to seek comfort in. I grab a towel to dry her off and tell my family “you see, this is why I don’t bathe her. Y’all always ask me why I don’t bathe my dog, I tell you she hates water, and this is what will happen.” Lyra’s last say on the matter was to bite my hand and run away again as I tried to rub her down. Okay. 

And finally to top it off, as I’m walking dejectedly back to my hut, soaking wet and covered in dog hair, my dad calls out to me “Binta! Don’t bathe your dog! She hates water, you hear? She refuses to be bathed, you hear?” Like as if I hadn’t already told them that a million times! Okay. 

After I finish my own bucket bath I put on some clean clothes and go outside to sit with my family as we wait for dinner to finish cooking. Lyra comes up to me seeking a pat on the head, I reject her, and she promptly throws up a nice steaming pile of sheep guts next to my feet. Then falls asleep right in the middle of the compound at 8 pm. She spent the entire following day sleeping under my bed and farting little clouds of the most foul stench I have ever encountered. Okay. 

Anyway, she’s fine now. The end. 

More to come later! 

- Maggie 

[disparais]

dear ma-ma,

where do i even start?

i didn’t know it, but you are one of the most important people in my life - one of my constants that accompanied me from childhood through young adulthood. i know you will be with me for the rest of my life.

there are so many golden memories we have shared. i wish there had been someone to capture them all - your primness and fussiness, your faux annoyance, your doting smile.

you were here before my memories even began, holding chubby little me and looking at me like i was the most precious thing you had ever seen. i take pride in being able to squeeze a proper smile out of you on camera, because of the prim barely-there smiles you favour.

in my early childhood, you came over just about every other day. you’d drive your manual nissan sunny carefully, wearing your sunglasses and looking more chic than i could ever hope to. you always had fisherman’s peppermints and fox sweets in your handbag, and always slipped me a sweet treat before afternoon naps on my dreamy blue mattress. afternoons with you were the best, where you’d close the heavy curtains and turn on the air-conditioner, and pat-pat me to sleep.

i remember fighting with you over the channels on every single television available to us. you always wanted to watch teletext, astute investor that you were, and i always wanted to watch little bear (but also i just wanted to annoy you sometimes because it was hilarious getting you riled up). that’s how you became mama bear to me. (and yes, you more or less always gave in to me. i know you enjoyed these little fights too.)

yes, i also definitely deliberately aimed the fan at your hair occasionally, delighting in your ruffled feathers as you crossly patted your hair back into place.

thursday lunches with you and kong-kong were the best. i felt like a little princess going out with you both to the hotel, eating my favourite dim-sum and scampering around the hotel between courses. some days we’d eat at jack’s place too - it will always have a special place in my heart because of how much you enjoyed the experience of eating there.

whether at thursday lunches or sunday dinners, you always checked to make sure i was enjoying the food, and that i had eaten enough. you always advocated to order the dishes i really loved, and made sure to take note of what i liked so that you could remember to order it again the next time round. you always gave me the last coveted piece of food.

i definitely get my love for ice-cream and grocery shopping from you. perhaps my favourite memories are the golden afternoons where we’d share a 25-cent vanilla cone, then go to ntuc where i’d push your trolley around and take pride in carrying your groceries. i still do this for amy all the time, even though she complains that i’m too obsessive about keeping the trolley neat.

on the drives home, you’d always complain about everything under the sun. i have no idea why, but your complaining is the funniest thing ever and you’d always ask me faux-sternly what i was laughing at. i don’t know if you knew that sometimes i’d tell you a triggering detail just to provoke another mini-rant, just for my entertainment.

your home was more or less my second home. so many of my sun-tinged memories were forged here. i’d delight in digging up your tiny garden, only to hit the paving of gravel perhaps 20 centimeters into the ground. i certainly felt like a little adult, wielding the little trowel and thinking i was helping the plants flourish by “turning the soil”.

somehow, you’d allow me back into your spotless house (i always tell people i’d be willing to eat an entire meal off your floor, it was that clean), sternly instructing me to scrub my hands and feet clean before continuing to run amok.

you allowed me to drape a mattress and your comforter over the clothes rack in the spare room, where i loved to build my own blanket fort and hide out. even though you probably thought it was silly, you indulged me anyway, just like you did my soft toy show-and-tells. i am so glad some of my soft toys got to meet you; i loved shocking you with fog, and i am sure he will remember you always too. fatty will probably remember you, since he remembers anyone who calls him out for being fat.

perhaps the adult in my life who was the most supportive of my sweet tooth, you always offered me chocolates from your fridge. fearful of my mother’s reproach, i started to decline when i grew a bit older, but looking back, i wish i had accepted every one. it’s not like i didn’t sneak a truffle or two sometimes, when my cravings overcame my ability to resist.

you were always so happy when i slept over. only upon looking back that i realize your half-jokes about when i would sleep over again were not as much jokes as much as they were your way of expressing that you love and miss tiny me. i’m so sorry i didn’t realize before it was too late.

you’d complain that i was a “lazy pig” who was hard to rouse from bed and loved to nap, but you did so with a smile - and you were the one who would always turn your air-con on on full blast and ask me to sleep, you totally set me up! somehow, sharing a room with you, sleep was never far from me, even though the same cannot be said about the mosquitoes.

but my favourite memories of you have to be family dinners. not the sunday dinners, where i had to dress up in stiff frocks and be on my best behaviour as the littlest hotel heiress. just the regular dinners at your house, where you captured my heart with your food, which has always been and likely will always be the best home-cooked food to me. where dinner always started at 6pm, and being the playful kid that i was, it’d take multiple shouts to tear a reluctant little me away from my blanket fort and trot down the stairs.

i used to clamour to eat at your place all the time. i probably upset my mom because i said nowhere else had food like yours, especially the food at our own house which was way worse. (this is objective and i still stand by it - you’re the only person that consistently cooks vegetables so delicious you have me scrambling to finish the entire plate.) she commented that you probably added msg to your dishes, but i always believe you didn’t - your dishes were always delicious in a way that no artificial flavouring could achieve.

i promise i will learn the recipes that are close to our hearts. it is so fortunate that you passed a few on to my helpers - much as you disliked them, i know you wanted me to be able to enjoy the dishes i loved so much. i regret that you never got to try food i personally prepared, but i will always vividly remember the taste of your cooking, and strive to recreate our dinner classics. please excuse me while i list them:

- finely chopped chinese cabbage / phuay leng with sukiyaki beef stir-fry - phuay leng and garlic stir-fry - prawns in tomato sauce with white onions - sausage or scallion omelette - chicken abalone chinese cabbage button mushroom soup - crab meat ball and bamboo shoot soup

there is no price i would not pay to get to eat a dinner together one last time, and perhaps even be the one to cook it for you.

you are so inspirational. i do not know any other person who truly started with hardly anything, lived through the horrors of the japanese occupation, then turned their lives around to become so wildly successful. amy says during your first job as a cashier, you began dabbling in investments, and subsequently ended up fired because you were checking stock indices and planning investments on the job. she says you have the midas touch, and i definitely believe that - everything you touched is cast with a golden hue in the halls of my mind. you got to fall in love with kong-kong, and travel europe and america, and have two beautiful daughters who love and care for you like no other. i wonder how ruby feels about this loss - surely your broker had to be close to you in some way, given how often i saw you calling her.

despite starting with nothing, you worked and saved and invested to build up your reserves. you even kindly offered to sponsor my school fees, knowing that my brother is such a financial stressor on my family. i dearly wish you had been able to see me graduate - i wanted to tell my parents to give up one of their tickets to you at my graduation, because i know it was such a dream for you to see me become a fully-fledged doctor. i will study hard and strive to be a good doctor in the years to come. i will do my best by all my patients, and strive to have a heart for them and their family just like your doctors did for you and ours.

in spite of your family turmoil, you were the only one who had the heart to check in on aunty betty, calling her daily to engage her, even when her own children had disowned her because of what she had done to them. you made amends with your other remaining siblings in your later years, and i hope that was healing in some way.

you definitely have a place in the hearts of the old ladies in church, who always ask after you. even though church may not mean the same thing to you that it does to amy, pauline or even myself, i know it was special to you, because you made time for it - and you were never the kind to spend a moment frivolously (well, besides watching those awful channel 8 dramas. not that i will ever admit i would be riveted to the terrible acting whenever i was sprawled out on the sofa after dinner).

i have no idea how i missed all the signs that you were getting older. perhaps i didn’t want to see them.

when you fell in january 2019, i thought that might be the end of the road. i am so grateful to the surgeons for bringing you back from the brink that time. it was touch and go, but you were always such a fighter. i admire your zest for life and your willingness to cling on for dear life to any chance to survive. i am so thankful that you were able to get discharged last july/august, and that we had almost a full year more where we could still spend time with you, and bring food to you.

you fought so hard to get this second operation. i will always think of the what-ifs and wonder how long more you could have had with us, had you not gone - but deep down inside i know this is exactly what you wanted. you always were so bold and proactive about wanting to get the best out of life, and i know that given a second chance you would still have gotten the operation. you were hopeful almost all the way, and it breaks my heart that while you were still conscious at the end, you were aware that the surgical outcome was not as we had hoped for. it breaks my heart that your last days were spent in the hospital, not in the comfort of your warm and cosy home that you had worked so hard to maintain.

you are so loved. i’m so sorry i never had the courage to tell you this while you were still awake. i wish i had known that last weekend was the last time your eyes would be open. yesterday, i told you all the things i never dared to say while you were still awake. i wept over the seeming unfairness of it all, and how fast it all happened. i begged for another dinner together. i told you it was okay to let go; you had to be tired - if not in spirit, at least in body.

at the time, i wasn’t sure if you could hear me, but after steven and joel went, i am sure you were there. amy told me that your blood pressure was fluctuating but still holding up when gemma left 10 minutes prior to their arrival. by the time they entered the room, the blood pressure dropped to 50/30, and your heart rate had slowed from your usual tachycardic state to 55. joel said a prayer over you, and then amy watched as your vitals dropped to zero. amy said it took less than 5 minutes. the timing is nothing short of miraculous. i knew then that even when the time was up, you fought so hard to stay, just to say goodbye to steven and joel. your spirit and tenacity always astound me.

i miss you so much already. you loved me so much and so well and i’m so sorry i never made enough time to show you how much you mattered to me as well. but you have fought the good fight, and finished the race. you spent your whole life working and striving for a better life. you deserve eternal rest and peace.

i hope you are somewhere better now. somewhere where you get to eat everything you wanted to, somewhere sparkling clean and comfortable, somewhere nice and fancy, where the breeze is gentle and won’t mess up your hair. i hope you’re able to walk arm in arm with kong-kong again, and embrace eternity with him.

in time, i too will join you. one day we will have sunday dinners again. until then, safe travels and rest well. i love you.

love, isabel

p.s. don’t be a worrywart. we will be fine, i promise.

[tinydrwrs-blog]

Distant voices echo down the hallway. The streets are busy, packed with slow-moving cars. Angry drivers honk impatiently, a chorus, a cacophony. Pairs of furrowed eyebrows, shuffling feet, heavy backpacks, some cussing, mostly running to catch a ride. A roar of laughter, kids shouting and water splashing. Muffled sounds from the neighbor’s TV, probably a news channel, clanking of pans, smell of sauteed onion and garlic. 

I think it’s so unfair that the world carries on when mine had ended. Sitting on my bed, the sun is almost down. I sunk slowly, my chest heavy, my ears blocked. 

My world stopped the moment i knew you were gone. It felt like a giant wave engulfed me and the chaotic music abruptly stopped. Like when I took a deep, full breath, descended into the depths and suddenly i stopped hearing the waves crashing and the warm touch of the sun left my skin. It was cold and dark and empty. 

You were gone but you’re here. Maybe you heard the loud beeping of the machines. Did you hear the quiver in my voice when i told you to rest if you’re already tired? Did my tears feel warm when it landed on your skin even if i tried so hard not to cry because you needed me to be brave for everyone? You were crying too. You heard us. I wish i could hear you too. 

There’s a big lump in my throat. Words are trying to get out but i cant spit any of it. I didnt know a human heart can carry this much pain inside until now. It’s heavy. It stings, mildly sometimes, but gets sharp if you’d allow it. Sometimes, i feel nothing at all. As if oblivion is in its human form.

People are talking at me. I’d pick up only just a few words. I’d nod sometimes, i’d say thank you most times. A conditioned response. I dont even know the words i needed to hear. I just want to hear your voice. 

The days after were more unbearable. The nights were even more difficult.  I kept looking at your side of the bed - now empty and flat. I had to be so tired to fall asleep. In the morning, as i opened my eyes, there’s this tiny glimpse of faux reality as if the world rewrote the past overnight and things were the same as before, then it hits me without warning, and my heart feels so heavy and yet again so empty. 

Until now, your favorite bag is still on my table, collecting dust and aging. You own so many little purses and huge wallets. My graduation picture is in one of them. A symbol of our success, an achievement, a trophy - more than any money could ever buy. A bottle of hand sanitizer, a pen, and plenty of folded papers with random phone numbers, names and some lists. I rarely open it, preserving your scent, as if it would be possible

Plants in your garden grow wildly over the weeks. Everyone has to go about their daily lives. For me I guess, i have to learn how to breathe again because for a long while, i had to hold everything in. And when i did let go, emotions burst out of my chest like a river after a wild rain. 

There are times when being numb and feeling empty are more comfortable. Because I want to be so mad, to blame someone or blame myself. I want answers to questions im afraid to ask. I want more time with you, even just a short while to tell you again that i love you and hear you answer “same to you” like you always do. I want more of your recipes and your silly dancing when you’re too happy. I want to hear you tell me that everything will all be fine whenever i tell you that im tired and lonely because i need it now.

[duketheman]

Generation 4 Part 5

It's 7:00am! George, JR & I are enroute to the Hospital. George will stay & visit Lucy & little Anabel. We'll take Marry & our little boy home after she's discharged! Richard & Lewis will be arriving later this afternoon from Dallas. It's 7:45am & we're on our way up to the rooms where our wives are staying. 7:55am JR & myself are entering Mary's room. Mary is sitting on the side of her bed. Harry Jr is in a plastic see through Infant bed next to her. They're waiting for Dr Jameson to release them so she can be discharged! 8:05am & Dr Jameson is checking the baby out once more. He says: ~The little guy doing fine! Everything's looking good. How are feeling Mrs Newport?~ She replies: ~I'm feeling great, I'm ready to go home Doctor.~ He replies: ~I would say you are! If you need anything, just call me, night or day! Good luck & Merry Christmas to you!~ The nurse hands her a clipboard & Mary happily signs it. The nurse rolls a wheelchair in, says: ~Hospital policy my Dear, we have to wheel you out to the door!~ We get to the exit, I pull the car around, JR insists on helping his Mother into the car! He's crazy about having a little brother, he's always since he was a young child himself, wanted a little brother. His wish has been fulfilled! We're on our way back to the Mansion. It's 9:15am & we're pulling onto the Grounds of Newport Mansion, Mother is waiting for us on the porch! We pull up, JR jumps out of the car, opens the rear passenger door, takes the baby from Mary. I help her out of the car, she's doing great, but let's face it, she just had a baby. She's still moving slow! Mother immediately takes the baby from JR & she says: ~Another addition to our family. How handsome he is Mary! How are you feeling Dear? She replies: ~I'm fine Mom, thanks for asking! Just a little slow right now!~ Mother replies: ~That's to be expected Dear! I'm so happy you both are okay! God has truly Blessed this family when you came into Mary, & now with Harry Jr, come inside Dear & sit down.~ We all go I to the house & Mother tells Huntington to bring some Sweet tea. She asks: ~Mary, is tea alright with you?~ She replies: ~Yes, I would love a glass, thank you Mom!~ She says: ~Your parents will return in a little while Mary! They insisted on going to town to pick something up for the Baby! Rachael is feeling a bit better this morning! The nurse says she wants to see the baby, & nothing is going to prevent her from it!~ The nurse helps Rachael to the Drawing room! Rachael says: ~Hello Mary, Harry, John Ross! Where is he, the little Angel?~ JR says: ~Here Grammy, I have him!~ He takes the baby to her & says: ~His name is Harry, like my Dad!~ She replies: ~You happy John Ross, a little Brother, 'O he's beautiful Mary! I'm so happy for you!~ Kellyanne walks in and says: ~Ohhh, can I hold him, please?~ JR hands her the baby, saying: ~Like this Kellyanne!~ He's showing her how to support his head, I really didn't know who taught him! I see he's already protective of him! I'm glad he loves the baby! I ask Mother: ~Where's Father? She replies: ~He & our Driver has taken the Limo to the Airport to pick up your Brothers!~ Jamie comes in: Oh my Goodness, is that Little Harry? Hi Mary, he's so Beautiful! May I hold him?~ She takes the baby from Kellyanne gently! She's got tears running down her face. My sister hasn't been able to conceive! She wants a child of her own so terribly bad! I feel sorry for her......

It's 12:30pm & Father walks in with my Brothers, Richard & Lewis! I greet them with a Handshake & a hug. Father says: ~Where is my new Grandson?~ He sees Jaime holding him & says: ~Now there, who do we have here? Look at his little hands! They're balled up in a fist! That's a sign of a fighter! A Newport if I ever seen one! Mary, how are doing? You did a fine job little girl! You made us proud!~ Mary replies: ~Thank you Dad, he is something, isn't he?~ He replies: ~Yes indeed, he is something!~ My brothers are fighting over who's going to take him Fishing & Hunting first! Huntington takes their bags upstairs while Father fixes them a drink: ~Anyone else would like something to drink?~ We're drinking Sweet tea so we good! George calls my Cell: ~Harry, the Doctor, he say me Lucy & Little Annabel, Me can bring dem home dis day! 6:00pm Harry!~ I reply: ~ Wonderful George, I'll see you then!~ We hang up & I pass the news on! Kellyanne's eyes get big! She remarks: ~Tonight, I can't wait, 'O I'm so happy, I have a baby sister!~ Mary's parents walk in her her say: ~Mary, my sweet child, where's our Grandchild? 'O look at him Will. Isn't he just Beautiful?~ He replies: ~Yes Dear, he's a very good looking boy. Strong, kind of looks like me, don't you think?~ She replies: ~He looks like his Father silly~ Father ask them if they'd like a drink. They both ask: ~Coke please? Laura says: ~Mary, look what we got for Little Harry! Aren't these just darling?~She's bought a Blue set of baby clothes, rattles & other assorted baby needs! They're really happy about the baby! The baby is now laying in a Bassinet next to where Mary's sitting! Laura reaches down & picks the baby up! Oh my Goodness, he's Beautiful Mary! You two made an old lady happy! It's 5:00pm & I have to go pick George, Lucy & Annabel up from the Hospital. I ask Kellyanne if she wants to come along & she decides she does! We're enroute! We have arrived at the hospital & it's 5:45pm. We go up to Lucy's room! She's ready to leave as soon as the nurse brings her some formula ordered by the Doctor. She's having some difficulty Breastfeeding, little Annabel isn't latching on! The nurse is here with the formula & a wheelchair. Lucy gets in the wheelchair & the nurse wheels her down to the exit. George helps Lucy into the backseat of the car with Kellyanne & the Baby. George rides shotgun! We're enroute to the Mansion. 6:55pm we're pulling onto the grounds of Newport Mansion. My parents & JR meet us at the car. George helps Lucy out, JR helps Kellyanne out with the little Annabel in her arms. Her big sister has already grown attached to her! Mother greets Lucy & says: ~Welcome Lucy, How you feeling Dear! How the baby, Anabel, right?~ She replies: ~Yes Mam Mrs Newport, & we're both doing fine thank you!~ Mother replies: ~I'm so happy to hear that, come inside my Dear, you need to sit down & rest!~ We all go inside & we now have two stars in the house! Mother has a Bassinet already set up next to little Harry for her! Lucy places Annabel in it & everyone is here. One big Happy family. Mother announces: ~Tomorrow we shall decorate the tree!

"Rachael's Gift To John Ross"

Rachael calls JR over: ~John Ross, I have something for you!~ She hands him a box. He opens it, a Christmas Ornament. He remarks: ~It's beautiful Grammy!~ She replies: ~It was your Mother's when she was young! It's got her name on it~ It's eight dolphins pulling Santa's Sailboat pass a full moon! Her name is Boldly printed on it. Rachael adds: ~It's hung on our tree every year since she was six years old. I thought you could carry on the tradition! ~ I see JR starting to tear up, as he thanks his Grandmother & hugs her: ~I promise Grammy, thank you!~ It's 7:45,pm & Huntington rings the bell & announces: ~Dinner is being served in the Dining room!~ We're all hungry except for Rachael. Her stomach is unsettled, so she excuses herself & the nurse helps her up the stairs! Mother has Beef Broth, crackers & Apple juice prepared for her & will have it brought to her room! The rest of us go into the Dining room & are seated at the table. My parents at each end, the rest of us are pretty much pairing up with our mates. This meal is not formal, though some may think so!

It's a dinner of Aged beef, Roasted baby potatoes, Broccoli & cheese, Green Garden salad, Onion Soup Crackers & Fresh yeast rolls! Drinks of choice are served. We have Baked Alaska for dessert! I've forgotten my Mother's choice of menus, she's a classy woman! 9:00pm we finish up dinner & retire to the Drawing room! Father serves Drinks. Mary & Lucy request Sprite, Laura a Glass of Red wine, as does Mother. The kids are off visiting each other. The Babies are both asleep in the Bassinets. We five men have a Cognac. It's nice for family to be able to congregate after dinner! I only wish Rachael was able to enjoy herself! I'm not sure she's going to make to Christmas, we can only pray!

It's 10:00pm, Mary & Lucy pick up the babies, say Goodnight. George & myself excuse ourselves so we can join our wives! We miss them & want to spend time with them! Personally, I miss sleeping with Mary, without her, it's hard to even close my eyes! I take the baby from my wife's arms & carry him, while helping her up the stairs! We get to our room & she's beat. She takes a shower the I take mine as to be able to keep a close eye on little Harry! Mary feeds the him & we go to bed!

Sunday, December 01, 2019

It's 7:00am we're all up getting ready to attend Church as a Family! Rachael insists on attending, though not feeling well! She says: ~I don't miss Church. Please help me?~ We load up her wheelchair into the trunk of the Limousine. The nurse will accompany us. It's 9:00am & the sixteen of us load up into the Limo, Father's & my Sister's cars, forming a small caravan & go to Church! 10:16am we arrive at Church & are greeted by the Pastor. He is happy to see the whole family attending. He informs the Door Keepers to assure an easy in & out for Rachael!

12:30pm, Services are over & we're enroute home to Newport Mansion!

We're pulling into the grounds of the Mansion. We pull the wheelchair out of the trunk of the Limo & help Rachael out. The nurse wheels her into the house! She wants to stay downstairs & visit. The nurse administers her a shot to help her with pain! It's 12:00pm & Huntington announces: ~Lunch is will be served in Dining room!~ We enter the Dining room & be seated! Split pea soup & a variety of Finger sandwiches are served! After lunch, we all go out to the Garden & sip on Mother's Sweet tea! The nurse wheels Rachael so she can have some fresh air! She asks for water only. She's getting worse & I'm truly worried for her! I've made arrangements to have the Reverend moved from Shreveport to our Family cemetery to be intermed next to his daughter! I pray Rachael will make it to the New Year......

The Tree

It's 3:00pm & Mother announces: ~Everyone, it's time to decorate the Christmas tree! Come on, everyone to the Grand Foyer!~

Everybody gets in on the decorations, each have a personal Ornaments. JR will place his, as well as: Julia's on the tree! Mother has created an ornament each for little Harry & Annabel.

Little Harry

"Baby's First Christmas Rocking horse Ornament"

Little Annabel

"Baby's First Christmas Basket Ornament"

Mother has a large array of other ornaments, including belonging to my Grandparents!

There's Gold, Silver, Blue, Green & Red tinsel. She has lights & Candy Canes too! Little Angel's & Tree Candles! The tree is Beautiful & fits nicely in the Grand Foyer! Now that it's finished, we place gifts under the Tree for the final touch!

It's now 6:30pm, giving us enough time to wash up before dinner!

7:00pm Huntington rings the bell & announces:~Dinner is being served in the Dining room!~ Rebecca wants to eat with us tonight. Cook has prepared Chicken broth, crackers & Jello for her! The main menu consists of: Clam Chowder, Salad, Veal, Lobster, Caviar, Truffles, Choice of Drinks. Dutch Chocolate Cake & Strawberries for dessert. A typical Sunday meal for my Parents..... It's 8:45pm & we've finished Dinner. The ladies retire to the Drawing room. Father asks us men to follow him to the Library. He pulls out a Bottle of his very best Cognac & a Box of Havana Cigars! He says: ~Men, two new lives have Blessed us with theirs! Tradition calls for a Good Cigar & a Great Cognac!~ He passes a cigar each to my Brothers, Will, Robert, George & myself! He then takes one for himself! We each cut the tips off & Father lights them. He pours each of us a Cognac & we raise our glasses, toasting our Newborn Children! After, we join the women in the Drawing room for conversation! Huntington serves Coffee & diluted juice for Rachael! Rachael apologizes & excuses herself, retiring for the night! The nurse will see her to her room & administer her medication so she can sleep!

It's 10:00pm & I my wife say our Goodnights & take Little Harry to our room. Mary feeds the baby once again as I shower! Afterwards, I take the baby & hold him for a while! I feel as if he's already grown since we left the hospital! Mary comes out of the bathroom & puts the baby in the Bassinet next to the bed. He's really a good baby, as he doesn't cry very much. He goes right to sleep... Mary & I climb into bed & she falls asleep in my arms! I love my wife, Goodnight!

December 02, 2019

3:15am

Grammy says Goodbye!

Knock at my room door: ~Mr Newport, Sir!~ it's Rachael's nurse at the door: ~Mr Newport, you're needed Sir!~ I reply: ~Coming, I'll be right there!~ She didn't wake the baby or my wife, thank the Lord! I put my robe on & open the door & ask: ~What's wrong?~ She replies: Sir, she's slipping fast, Mrs Marcantel! She hasn't long & she's asking for you, I've already called the Doctor!~ I reply: ~Of course, let's go!~ I knock on JR's door as I pass & tell him to come to his Grandmother's room!

I enter the room, she's looking bad, can hardly hold on as her breathing is shallow! I let her know I'm there: ~Mom, I'm here!~ I take hold of her hand! She replies in a low & almost diminished voice: ~Harry, my Jimmy's calling me, I can hear him! My baby is with him! Harry, where is John Ross? Is he here?~ John Ross answers: ~I'm here Grammy, I love you Grammy, please don't leave me?~ He's got tears in his eyes & is hurting! She says: ~John Ross, I see your Mother, she's with your Grandpa! Harry, remember what I asked? I love~ She takes her last breath & is gone! John Ross kisses his Grandmother on the forehead, lays his head on her chest & begins to cry! He's lost his Mother, Grandfather & now his Grandmother to Cancer! The Doctor is here, he checks for a heartbeat, then calls it. Time of Death: 3:45am! He calls the Mortuary to pick up Rachael! Mother comes into the room: ~I'm so sorry, I just learned! She walks over & touches Rachael's hand & says: ~Farewell my friend!~ She says to JR: ~Son, she loved you deeply, you were all we ever talked about on the phone! She looked so forward to seeing you before the end! She was proud of you! She's not in pain any longer!~ She leaves us alone & wake's everyone to give them the news!

It's 7:00am & the Mortuary’s here! She'll be buried here, next to Julia. Everyone's in shock! We knew she didn't have long, but this was too soon!

Skipping forward:

Saturday, December 07, 2019

Rachael's Funeral

It's 6:00am & everyone is getting to attend the funeral of Julia's Mother. The viewing of the body is at Madison First Baptist Church, from 8:00am to 9:00am. Burial will be at the Newport Family Cemetery at 10:00am! It's now 7:00am & we're all enroute to the Church! I've notified her Church in Shreveport & a number of their Parishioners have flown in to attend to include her Pastor who will officiate! Its 7:55am & we're arriving at the Church! Reverend Johnson of The Madison First Baptist Church & Reverend Toussaint, Rachael's Pastor greets us at the doors. The Church is packed with friends of the Marcantels & people from Madison that knew her! She was truly loved!

It's 9:00am & we're loading up in vehicles forming the Funeral Procession! 9:35am we're enroute to the Cemetery where Rachael will be intermed next to her daughter, JR's Mother & my first Love! We are arriving, it's 9:55am. Myself, Father, Bill, the Professor & my two Brothers are Pallbearers. We remove Rachael's Casket from the Hearse & walk it to the Gravesite. We place her Casket on the lowering device & are seated! JR's trying to hold back the tears, he loved his Grammy deeply! Kellyanne is trying to console him! That girl loves my son! Reverend Toussaint says a Prayer: ~Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself, the soul of our dear Sister Rachael Jane Marcantel, departed, we therefore commit her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure & certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto His glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby He is able to subdue all things to Himself, Amen!

A single Carnation from atop her Casket, is passed to each member of our Family. JR touches the Casket & says: ~Goodbye Grammy, say hello to Grandpa & Mommy! I love you Grammy!~ They lower the Casket into the ground & the funeral is over. We all depart the Cemetery, leaving a loved one in the Hands of God!

It's 12:15pm & we've all returned to the Mansion! Everyone is in a somber mood, Rachael was a part of us all! She left an impression on each & everyone she met.

Huntington announces: ~Lunch is being served in the Dining room!~ We go into the Dining room & are seated. Mother announces:~The menu today is Chicken & Sausage Gumbo. It's Rachael's own recipe & she made me promise to serve it, if & when she was laid to rest!~ She raises her glass in Toast: ~Here's to you old friend, may you look down on us & smile!~ We all raise our glasses & to Rachael!

Monday December 09, 2019

5:30am

I'm getting ready to fly to Shreveport & escort Julia's Father's remains back to Madison, for burial in our Family Cemetery! He'll be buried next to his wife & daughter! My flight leaves at 7:15am. I'll return tomorrow evening! It's now 6:00am & I kiss my wife Goodbye & Father is driving me to the Airport. We arrive at 6:35am, I'm only taking one carry on bag! I tell my Father: ~I'll see you tomorrow night, thanks for the ride!~ He replies: ~Until tomorrow, be careful son, we love you!~ I go through Security & straight to the departure gate, they're already loading the plane! We take off on time & will arrive in Dallas at 11:30am. I will rent a car for the final nearly three hours to Shreveport. 11:40am my flight is landing ten minutes late! I rent a car from Hertz & enroute to Shreveport where I have a room reserved at The Remington Suites! The Reverend's remains have already been recovered & waiting at the Coroner's office. I'll sign for them & have them delivered to the Airport tonight! They have to arrive there before morning to assure they're on my Flight. I leave at 2:00pm & am scheduled to arrive at Valdosta Regional at 6:30pm. I call Mary to let her know I've arrived safely! It's 12:30pm & I'm enroute to Shreveport. It's 4:30pm, I arrive at the City of Shreveport Coroner's office, I've called the Mortuary in advance to meet me there! I sign for the body & give instructions for the Driver to deliver the Casket to Delta Airlines Freight! It's 6:00pm & I'm signing into the Remington. I have dinner delivered to my room. I take a shower, have a scotch from the Wet Bar & call my wife to say Goodnight! I'm going to sleep!

Tuesday

6:00am I'm awake & shaving, washing my face & Brushing my teeth. 6:30am I'm going downstairs to the Restaurant to eat Breakfast. I'm ready to the road! 7:30am I'm checking out. 8:00am I'm enroute to the Airport. I arrive at 12:00pm, turn my rental in Check in. I'm going to the Coffee Bar & wait! 12:45pm I'm going through Security to the gate where I'll wait for Boarding. 1:30pm I'm boarding my flight. We take off on time, scheduled to arrive at Valdosta Regional at 4:30pm. I called Father to assure he's there when I arrive......

It's 4:25pm & landing on time. I go through Security & meet Father at the loading zone. I've arranged for Burns Funeral Home to pick up the Casket with Julia's Father's remains. He'll be buried next to Rachael in our Family Cemetery tomorrow! We're enroute back to Newport Mansion. I can't wait to see Mary & my sons. It's 5:30pm & we're pulling onto the grounds of the Mansion. We go inside & I immediately find my wife & kiss her. I say: ~Darling, you're my life & I'm so happy to be able to tell you that! I love you Mary Grace Newport, with all that I am & all that I'll ever be! You are what makes my life worthwhile & I thank God for you every moment of my life! She replies: ~Harry, what's gotten into you? I love you too my Harry! I've always loved you Harry, from the very beginning! You are & will be the only man I'll ever love!~ I sit down & Father pours me a drink! It was a trip of sadness, but also of reuniting three special people of my past to rest in peace together! I can pretty much take care of Rachael's affairs from home. The House will stay in the family for JR, as that was her wish! Mother asks: ~Are you hungry son? Dinner will be ready soon!~ I reply: ~I am Mother, famished! I'll be glad to sit down with family & eat. Hotel food sometimes just doesn't hit the spot!~ Mary remarks: ~My poor Harry, you look tired as well my Love!~ I reply: ~Quite so Darling, with all that's on mind; I didn't hardly sleep a wink!~

It's 6:30pm & Huntington rings: ~Dinner is being served in the Dining room!~ We go to the Dining room, be seated. Dinner I great: Roast Ham, Corn, Sweet potatoes, Slaw & for dessert; Peach Cobbler! 7:30pm, we finish eating & retire to the Drawing room to have a Drink. I inform everyone that the Reverend will be buried next to Rachael & Julia tomorrow morning at 10:00am. It's 9:00pm & I'm extremely tired. Mary takes my hand & says: ~Let's go to bed my Harry, you're beat!~ We excuse ourselves, pick up the baby & retire for the night.

Wednesday December 11, 2019

The Reburial of Julia's Father

10:00am we're at the Family Cemetery, & the Hearse carrying Reverend Marcantel arrives. My Father, Brothers, myself, George & Bill act as Pallbearers & removed the Casket containing Julia's Father's remains. We carry him to the gravesite & place the Casket on the lowering device. We all pray silently & the Casket is lowered into the ground! It's 11:15am & we leave the Cemetery enroute back to the Mansion.11:30am we arrive & all go inside & into the Drawing room to talk. It'll be Christmas soon & we need to get in the mood! Mother turns on Christmas music & demands that we cheer up! 12:00pm Huntington rings: ~Lunch is being served in the Dining room!~ We go into the Dining room & be seated. We're having Moroccan salmon and foie gras stuffed pastry. It's really quite delicious.... It's 1:30pm, we finish lunch & retire to the Drawing room to listen to Christmas music. Tomorrow George & myself will take our wives & babies in for a Doctor's appointment.

Thursday

8:00am

George, myself are drinking regular coffee & our wives are drinking Decaf in the Drawing room. Mary will Breastfeed little Harry before we leave. Lucy is already feeding Anabel formula! Both babies are eating & sleep well. Our appointments with Dr Jameson are starting at 10:00am. I'm borrowing Father's car for the day. We'll eat lunch in town & do a little shopping while we're out! It's 9:00am & we're enroute to town for the appointments! George is playing with Annabel. He's a happy Father. It's 8:45am & we're at Dr Jameson's office. We go in & check in! 10:05am, the nurse escorts Lucy, George & Annabel to the back! 10:40am George, Lucy & Anabel come out, George remarks: ~Me wife & little baby, they be good da Doctor he say!~ The nurse escorts us back to the exam room. She weighs little Harry, lays him on the table & measures him. She then measures his head, looks in his eyes & ears. She hands him to me, smiles & leaves the room. Dr Jameson knocks on the door & opens it. Never understood why they always knock on the door, not like we're going to get caught doing something! He enters, asks how we're doing & asks Mary to sit on the exam table. He does a quick exam & asks: Have you been having any problems?~ She replies: ~No Doctor ~ He says: ~Good, everything is looking good with the baby, he's right where he should be on growth & weight! You're doing fine, but if you have any problems at all, you have my number. Day or night!~ She replies: ~Yes Doctor, thank you so much!~ He gives her some vitamins for her & little Harry! We go out to the window & pay the bill. It's 11:55am & we're hungry!

We've decided to eat at O'neal's Country Buffet on Base street. Ribs are sounding really good to me! Cook prepares delicious meals at the Mansion but, sometimes you just want regular food! It's 12:15pm & we're walking into O'neal's. We seat ourselves. The waitress asks us what we want to drink & we reply: ~Ice tea all around! We go to the Buffet & our wives both choose Catfish & George likes Chicken wings & I'm craving those BBQ Ribs! The babies are sleeping, though it's quite loud in here. Country music's playing. The food is delicious!

It's 1:45pm, we finish eating & go shopping at Southern Grace Gifts. We arrive at 2:20pm. It's 3:00pm & the wives want to visit Madison Antiques. It's now 4:15pm & we're enroute back to Newport Mansion. Mary & Lucy both are tired,

& carrying newborns around takes its toll!

It's 5:00pm & we're pulling onto the grounds of the Mansion. I pull up to the front, we help our wives out of the car with the babies & go inside! It was a good day, Mary, Lucy & both babies are doing well! JR asks: ~Mom, how'd things go? You & little Harry ok?~ She replies: ~We're fine John Ross, everything is good! Baby's healthy & I'm healthy! No worries my John Ross!~ Kellyanne asks: ~Mama, you & Annabel ok too? ~Lucy replies: ~Yes sweetheart, we're fine!~ Both kids are relieved! They're showing such grownup aptitudes! The wives both want to go to the rooms & freshen up. George & I help them with the babies. We come back downstairs! I ask George: ~Well Old man, how about a cold one?~ He replies: ~aye, Me be thankin ya Harry! Harry, ya be me best friend!~ I reply: ~George, thank you, you're my best friend too, even more, you're family!~ I've never had a friend like George! He's been there every time I've needed him since the day we met! We have a Bud & just relax. 6:30pm Mary & Lucy join us. Mother & the Mary's parents are spending time with little Harry & Annabel. Father is out & about. 7:00pm, Father walks in just as Huntington rings: ~Dinner is being served in the Dining room!~  

Continued

[hauteseeker]

Part two of my southwest road trip consisted of my long drive through New Mexico to reach my first city Sedona, AZ. It also touches on the rest of my time spent in Phoenix. On this leg of my journey, I experienced a little less landscape and a bit more modern living. Some excellent food and reconnection with both friends and family.

Day 4: Santa Fe to Sedona

I got an early start and made my way West to Sedona. The six-hour drive was effortless and slightly distracting because there’s so much to see and so many times where I wanted to get out and take pictures. There are these moments of a real “western” scene with mountain backdrops and large freight trains passing through. It’s very surreal. I was waiting for a cowboy to ride past me at some point and time.

It was highly recommended by my friend to stop at the Acoma Pueblo, a community that has been in existence since 1100 a.b. The “Sky City” is a great stop to make before crossing the New Mexico border into Arizona. The Pueblo is known as,”a place prepared and ready to live.” The oldest remaining habitat is 15 miles from the interstate and sits on top of a mesmerizing hill. Tourist can visit the town, alongside a tour guide who most likely has direct family ties to the community. Our guide’s grandparents still have a home at Acoma. During the tour, many silly and somewhat ignorant questions asked of the people who lived in town, oh and to me, as I was the only black person there. Those curious Caucasians got a double dose of a minority culture that day!  It amazes me how so many people forget that this 2017 and the modern amenities that happen in the biggest of cities, most likely occur in the smallest of towns, especially when it comes to technology. Besides the unavoidable ignorance, the overall experience of this historical foundation not only insightful but compelling. I would love to go back to celebrate a holiday with the people of that community one day.

    I continued my drive making stops only to refuel. I drove by reservations, shops, and signature Navajo restaurants as I continued my passage to Sedona. I did make one pit stop in the city of Holbrook to see one of three remaining Wigwam Motel in the country on Old Route 66. The histroic site is nostaligc and fun. I can only imagine the types of families who were fortunate enough to travel and stay here. It makes me think of all the gimmicks hotels do now to attract guests. I can easily see this property getting a few improvements and turning into the “Wigwam Luxe” or something like that. What was once fashionable always comes back around.

  A few short hours later I arrived in Sedona. A beautiful city built on hills and red soil about two hours away from the Grand Canyon and Phoenix, respectively. After arriving in Sedona, I desperately needed a recharge, mostly a phone recharge and overall stretch after driving for several hours straight. I found a great deal using the site Homeaway to score a reasonably priced hotel in Sedona, prices in this region can easily range between $175-$500 during peak season. I got a nice stay at a resort hotel and timeshare not including tax for about $100.

Later that night, I grabbed dinner at The Hudson, a place I was planning on dining at once I made it to Sedona. Lucky I was a party of one, so I was seated pretty quickly on the outside patio during the busy Saturday night. Unfortunately, the sun had already set, so I was unable to take in the scenery in the area. The Hudson sits on a hill, giving patrons great views of the landscape. For dinner, I got the special for the evening, a Cornish Hen. The dish featured mixed vegetables such as peppers and asparagus as well as cornbread dressing with raisins. My taste buds were treated to an early Thanksgiving feast. The dinner and ambiance were overall excellent. After a huge meal, I was more than ready to make my way back to the hotel and chill out. It was only  9 p.m., when I passed out for the evening.

Day 5: Sedona to Phoenix

The next morning I got up around 6 a.m. to hike and watch the sunrise at Red Rock State Park.  I did not expect the challenge that lied ahead of me. The climb up Bell Rock was pretty moderate to hard in terms of hiking. Bell Rock is about 4,000 ft above elevation. I don’t I went quite that high, but I was certainly up there. The hike was amazing, I had an incredible amount energy and was up for another round of hiking, but I had to keep it moving for the next part of my trip to Phoenix.

Let the Hike to Red Rock begin!

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After my morning hike, I repacked my things to make my way to Phoenix. About a two-hour drive South of Sedona. The winding roads through the cactus-filled mountains were steep, deep, vast, and acutely elevated the whole way through.

I made great timing arriving in Phoenix and met up with my lovely host for the next three days Olivia. She was previously my a coworker at Bloomingdale’s. Just like me, she is all about exploring. We immediately hit the road, after dropping off my rental car, and made our way to the downtown Phoenix area check our their art district. It was Sunday, so it was pretty deserted while we were there, which is good when you don’t want anyone blocking your photo opportunities! The wall art there is impressive. My favorite was this abandoned house that was painted with all different types of graffiti and sketches. In the same neighborhood was a modern coffee shop that we stopped by to grab some drinks to cool us off in the sweltering Arizona heat. It’s the epitome of minimalism, something that would be perfect in Wicker Park neighborhood in Chicago.

After we walked around for a bit, we both decided that the next move had to be for food. Earlier in my planning, I found out the area was hosting a Taco Fest, so we made our way to Scottsdale to check it out. It was a fantastic food festival. Super organized, fair prices, and fabulous tacos! Compared to ones that I have been to in Chicago, it was supremely better. They had several different tents to grab drinks, VIP access for optimal margarita tasting(if you were trying to spend some big bucks) and a lot of food vendors. I think what sold me were the prices. Tacos were only $2 each! I spent $20 on seven tacos and a drink. Not bad at all!

After a long hot day, we made our way back to her place. It was still pretty nice outside, so we went to the pool to soak in the hot tub and spill the tea. We had a lot to catch up on from the past two years that we hadn’t seen each other. It was great to talk about where we were and where we so desired to be. A fabulous way to end my first night there.

  Day 6: Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Mesa

The sixth day I was able to catch up on some long ignored e-mails as well as some news and gossip. Crazy how much you don’t pay attention to those things when you are busy soaking up a new place. It’s almost like the rest of the world stands still.

After we got dressed, we went out to explore some of Olivia’s favorite spots, which are fabulous and Instagram-worthy. We made our way to Luci’s for brunch. The grocer/restaurant was charming. The food, eh. The best thing about the meal was the drink. An “Arnold Palmer” like a concoction of green tea and watermelon flavored lemonade.

After that, we made our way to AZ Pops to grab some popsicles. Super nostalgic. I can’t think of the last time I had a homemade popsicle like the one at AZ Pops. I chose the peach and prickly pear combo. It was very different; prickly pears are flowers found only on a particular type of cactus. As I later learned at the Desert Botanical Garden, they can be made into candies or eaten raw.  The popsicle was great, and I even had a chance to chat with the store owner. Another person on my trip who had some pretty strong ties to the Chicago area( her husband was born and raised in Oak Park). We also stopped into some nice stores in the area. One, in particular, had a friendly Cali vibe, which is to be expected in this area of the country. Clothes were cute, but sizing was limited.

  We were both parched after a light afternoon of walking so we made our way to the Royal Palms Resort for a refreshing beverage and a little exploration. The hotel has amazing architecture, a Spanish Colonial Revival villa that was once used as a winter home back in the 1920’s. The resort is at the base of Camelback Moutain and is absolutely fabulous.

    After our daytime romp of the lavish resort life, we made our way to dinner at Cornish Pasty. A pleasant looking restaurant with the feel of an Olive Garden on the outside and an underground dive bar on the inside. That was my first impression, at least at this location. I had never heard of a pasty and was excited to try the British born dish. A pasty is associated with Cornwall, England, a once well-known mining community. The original pasties would be filled with both meat and vegetables as well as sweets, each on their respective ends of the pasties.

The pastys at Cornish are so varied that anyone from carnivore to vegan can find something that they like. I decided to try to Roast Beef Sarnie. The pasty was a combination of house roasted beef, red and green bell peppers, portabello, onions, swiss and cheddar blend served with a horseradish sour cream sauce. Oh my gosh, so good! Everything blended well and was perfectly seasoned. The beef wasn’t too tender, and the sauce was the perfect addition. A chef recommended another sauce which was excellent as well, not sure what it was called though. Something to note about Cornish Pasty is the dishes come as they are described, you cannot pick and choose the ingredients you want inside the pasty. It is literally all or nothing. Go with the all; it’s totally worth it.

Olivia was dead set on making it to the Fountain Hills neighborhood to watch the sunset. So we quickly got dressed and dolled and made our way to the high-priced neighborhood. We found our way up to Copper Wynd Resort, looking absolutely fabulous. I swear, I had a Waiting to Exhale moment here. It reminds me so much of the area that the film was shot. I know the movie is old, but buildings last a long time so I could be right! We arrived just in time to see the sunset and get some glamour shots in as well.

After Copper Wydn we made our way back into the downtown Phoenix area to see what bars were popping on a Monday night. Not too many. We found our way into the Valley Bar, where we grabbed another drink(excellent drink prices), talked life, and finished up another fabulous night.

Day 7: Phoenix to Chicago

Day seven was an early start to a very, very long day. We kicked things off with a trip to the Desert Botanic Garden. I would be surprised if there is anything else like it in the world! The garden was amazing. Cactus from all different parts of Central and North America, other desert found foliage, as well as a majestic butterfly garden that was locked down tighter than the White House. Seriously, they were doing the most to keep those butterflies in that garden! We continued exploring the gardens and came across beautiful sculptures as well as some very quirky volunteers who taught us a few things about our surroundings.

one man + one leaf =

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  After the garden, we had just enough energy before lunch to make it to the landscape wonder, Hole in the Rock at the Papago Park. The hike to the hole in the natural formation is a quick 7-minutes up the rock. This is an ideal place to catch at sunrise or sunset if your timing is right.

  After our morning of walking and hiking, we proceeded to have a mini sweet and savory tour of the city. We made our way to República Empanada, a super cute restaurant located in the South Side Heights neighborhood of downtown Mesa.The empanadas were incredibly delicious. We were there for the lunch special of two empanadas plus rice and beans. We both added classic Coke De Mexico’s and enjoyed a less than $10 lunch on the cute patio in the back of the restaurant.

We also stopped by one of Olivia’s favorite spots to grab dessert, The Coronado.  They made one of the best brownies I ever had, and it didn’t contain one bit of dairy or eggs. Amazing!  We then proceeded to search for some and came across one that featured a mesh of vintage goods, artifacts and other apothecary furnishings called, The French Bee. After perusing that we made our way to a hipster-ish bar to chill and kill some more time before my flight and dinner.

It’s an unspoken rule, that if you find yourself in a city where you know someone and have a pretty good relationship with them, that you let them know you are there. At least, that’s what I try to do. Even if you never have a chance to see the person, at least you let them know you were in town. This day in age, it’s always good to let a few people know you are around. Seriously. If anything for safety reasons. Anyways, I had told my cousin who lives in Arizona that I was visiting. Shame on me that I waited until the morning that I was leaving to see if we could meet up. I know, tsk, tsk.

I asked my cousin Eric to meet us at this restaurant called Fire and Brimstone located at Barnone in Gilbert. Barnone is an innovative retail/workspace for handcrafted goods. It features everything from handmade stationary to experimental winemakers. Great place to craft a small business. At Fire and Brimstone, I opted for The Fire and Brimstone pizza. The 12-inch pizza came dressed in spicy tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, jalapeños, house-made merguez sausage, and cilantro. It was by far one of the freshest pizza’s I have ever tasted! I had a couple of slices that I devoured on my flight back to Chicago. After my week-long adventure, this was a beautiful night, over pizza with friends and family.

I would arrive back in Chicago at 4 a.m. that Wednesday morning.

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  Reflections Part Two

During the second half of my trip, I was able to reconnect with friends and family. During that time, a lot was discussed that challenged me to consider my relationships in general. Does this person care about our friendship? If so, what type of effort are they putting in? Am I doing my part as well? The trip also resurfaced ideas of changing my own personal landscape. Many people move to an area to be fully submerged so that they can break into a certain industry or career. Others, move far from it and reach a market untapped allowing for success in that arena too. It’s a reminder that growth can happen anywhere, you just have to be the one to make it happen!

Travel Trips

If you are wondering how I managed to have such a successful trip solo, here are my ‘haute’ Do’s and Don’ts:

Do Plan ahead. I looked into accommodations, flights, rental cars, and connections before my trip. This allowed me to use my time in the most optimal manner. I would be surprised at the end of the day how much I was able to get done. Something I need to implement more in my everyday life as well.

Do get Advice. There is nothing wrong with asking people for things to do, especially if they live there. I asked my friend who grew up in Arizona if he could recommend some things to do in Santa Fe. He gave me my whole ‘cultural’ itinerary. I made sure to connect with my previous co-worker and cousin as soon as booked my ticket to the area.

Do stay hydrated. There is a lot, and I mean a lot of exposure to the sun in that area. Be sure, especially if you are driving to buy a couple of liters or packs of water, so you never run out. Oh, and snacks too if you are in a time crunch.

Do look for discounts. You can ask anybody who knows me well. I know a lot of things to do, but I don’t spend a lot of money to enjoy them. If you are traveling, make sure you look into resident discounts, reciprocal memberships, library affiliations, free entry days, Groupon, etc. It will save you money.

Do try new things. Going to Ojo and experiencing the hot spring was one of the highlights of my trip! I am hooked and want to try every natural spring out there!

Do carry two phones. I chose to bring my work phone with me as well as my phone. Best decision ever. It’s great for navigation and music if you are forgoing a tradition map. Plus, you never know what will happen, better to have an extra device, just in case.

Do savor the moment. It is such a blessing to travel. It’s beautiful to see the sunset into various shades of purple, yellow, and orange hues. To look at the starts, uninterrupted by city lights, to see the landscape barely touched by humanity. Breathe it all in. You never know when you will be back.

Final Thoughts

I am so overjoyed that I had the opportunity to visit these two great states and tackle all the unique cities in between. I was exposed to not only massive amounts of sun, people, culture, art, food, and community. I am hooked on the beauty of the southwest and look forward to seeking more of it in the future. Don’t be surprised if you see a future post of my travels through Utah and Denver or something within that range!I am so blessed to have had this soul seeking experience and can’t wait to revisit both places!

    Albuquerque to Phoenix: Seven Days Seeking the Southwest Pt.2 Part two of my southwest road trip consisted of my long drive through New Mexico to reach my first city Sedona, AZ.