#transfering them all like an old dry snail
Text
itto lounging
#genshin itto#genshin impact#arataki itto#genshin fanart#more reuploadssss#transfering them all like an old dry snail
969 notes
·
View notes
Text
Don't Stop Here
She's back. Anne is really back on Earth. She can hardly believe it.
(Picks up immediately after the episode ends) (ao3 link in reblog)
Anne can hardly believe it. Cars honked around her and every breath is heavy with unnatural smog. She meets eyes with a human stranger, who lifts a phone very quickly and stares bug-eyed at her. Not at her, no, at her family. She turns to Hop-pop, Sprig, and Polly, all scratched, bruised, tired, afraid, and looking at her with trust in their eyes. Hop-pop croaks and coughs and Anne notices her frog family's skin is graying. She has to get them out of here. Off the hood of the car, over five lanes of traffic, hopped over the guardrail, down the hill, through a sparse copse of trees, to the sidewalk under the bridge and-
"Anne?" A pink hand tugs on her wrist. "Anne, stop. Please." Her feet stumble to a stop and her socked foot lands on something sharp and cutting and she gasps.
"Anne!"
Two sets of hands catch her torso, and she faintly feels a wet touch pulling at her ankle. Her family carefully let her down, so she lands heavily on her butt instead of her nose. Anne's next breath is a punch of air and her lungs brighten with pain as she loses control of her inhales and exhales. Her eyes hurt and burn. When she wipes a dirty hand across her face, she winces as hot tears and snot sting her injuries. A light weight settles onto her back and rubs in a circular motion. Anne clings to the sensation. Between sputtering breaths, she begins to hear. "-in...and out...in...and out," Hop-pop's soothing, raspy voice repeats and then she can hear Sprig humming. It's a song Wally wrote about a silly snail getting lost and he had sung it at her Frog of the Year party. A laugh bubbles up into a sob and Anne reaches out her arms to pull all three of them close.
"I love you guys," she chokes out, and Polly pats her cheek.
"We love you too, Anne," says the polliwog, normally so energetic now wrung out and too bright-eyed. She needs to pull herself together. Anne releases her grip and her family takes a step back. She runs her hands through her hair and shakes her head, dust and dirt and surprisingly long twigs falling to the broken concrete.
"Alright, froggy fam," she begins, "I'm going to take you to meet my human fam." Sprig whoops, but he's clearly flagging.
"Yay!..."
Anne grimaces and looks at Hop-pop. The old, orange frog meets her gaze steadily, but she can tell how much he is missing his cane. "Hop-pop, you got Polly, I got Sprig?" He nods. "Alright. Let's make our way to the highway, follow along till we hit an exit, follow that till we hit town, figure out where we are, call my parents. Sound good?" No one protests and Anne helps Sprig up to her shoulder as Hop-pop collects Polly.
.
They're maybe ten minutes into their walk, and every step is a jolt to her nervous system. Her skin feels prickly, her jaw too tight, her muscles ache like never before. The pressure of her Newtopian breastplate, once reassuring, weighs her every step like a lodestone. The heron-leather straps pinch at the underside of her arms. Sprig's cool, damp skin is refreshing against the back of her neck, but it's not slimy enough and it concerns Anne. She bites her lip and tries to time her steps so that her sneaker hits the rocks and roots, while her socked-foot hits bare earth. She isn't always successful, and everything is starting to throb. Her temples pulse loudly in her head and her knees are weak and her mouth is parched.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, Polly..." Hop-pop murmurs behind her. She can't see him, but she hears the dragging footsteps crunch the dry grass and the low comfortings of the grandfather to the polliwog. A stabbing pain shoots through her chest, and Anne forces her legs into a march. Focuses on the act of raising her thigh, swinging her calf forward, shifting her weight, repeat ad infinitum.
In seventh grade health class, there had been only one day dedicated to 'mental health issues' and something mentioned was meditative breathing. In multiple P.E. classes, Anne heard the teachers talk about making sure to breath while exercising. One, two, three. In. One, two, three. Out. Anne can do this.
.
The clouds parted a bit as they walked and the sun is nearly blinding Anne, as she squints at the sign. DALY STREET EXIT, it read in giant white text on green. Okay, so now they can get out of the weird in-between highway area they've been hiking. She points at it. "This way."
Something is mumbled behind her back.
"Huh?" She stops to turn and looks at Hop-pop. "What's up?" The elderly frog's face is twisted in a very non-confidence inspiring way.
"Well...Anne, I can't help but notice you don't have your backpack. Or...or your phone. So-" All Anne could hear was a piercing, ringing sound. Her hands clenched and unclenched.
"Right," says Anne, interrupting whatever the old frog had been saying. "Right. I don't have my backpack or phone." She blinks rapidly and Hop-pop's brow furrows deeper grooves. Her fingernails dig grooves of equal depth into her palms. "Okay, so," she claps her hands and ignores Sprig and Polly startle, "we will keep going. We will find someone kind and nice who will be willing to call my parents. End of plan."
"Great plan," Sprig yawns in her ear, and she can't help the yawn in return. It stretches her neck muscles and she yawns again for good measure. Polly yawns, then Hop-pop, then her and Polly at the same time. They all smile and the moment of brevity gets the family going again, the plan -no matter how little Anne believes in it herself- solidly in mind and the goal spurring them on. Not too much further now.
.
The sign for 7-11 flickers and there is a closed down Redbox sitting stoutly next to a ash-tray/trash can. The ad in the window advertises Berry Glam Blitz Bomb and a two for four hotdogs sale. Her stomach rumbles.
Her family is crowded together outside the storefront, and Anne doesn't know what to do. She's loathe to leave the Plantars by themselves, but maybe the cashier won't be the most cynical soul in Los Angeles. Then the frogs won't go under the risk of wandering the streets, talking to strangers. She can't bring them in though, what if the employee freaks out (like...any reasonable person confronted by talking frog people would). A clammy, orange hand taps her arm twice. She looks down.
"We'll be okay for five minutes, Anne," reassures Hop-pop. "Hand me Sprig." She doesn't hand him Sprig so much as the pink frog melts off her back and flops down next to his grandfather, but either way transfer successful. Okay now it's just time to interact with a human who isn't one of her two childhood best friends. She can't be totally out of practice right?
Marcy's eyes had been so wide when she died. Her pretty, dark brown eyes glittering from the light of Andrias' sword. From the flashing blue of the portal home. From tears.
Anne swallows roughly and steps toward the entrance. She scolds herself when the self-automated doors startle her, and she glances around the store. Someone tall and bald by the coolers, someone on the phone in the back, besides them and Anne the place is empty. Well, and the cashier. She approaches the register before she can one-eighty out the stupid doors, and she clears her throat. The cashier, a young guy with bright green and black hair and a name tag reading 'Jared', looks up from his phone.
"Hey-o, ready to check out?"
"Um, no actually," Anne starts and stops. What is she supposed to say? "I...dropped my phone and it cracked badly," she lies. "I was supposed to meet up with my mom but I can't get the dang thing to turn on." She laughs, short and high-pitched, rubbing her neck. "Is there like, a store phone I could borrow to call her?"
Jared raises his eyebrows. "No, there isn't a store phone. If you buy something I could exchange dollars for quarters, I think there's a phone booth near here." The lights are buzzing really loudly, Anne notices. She takes a deep breath.
"Sorry, that doesn't work. Could I borrow your phone?" She sees how the older guy assesses her. She sees her dirty torn school skirt, her scorched copper armor, the twigs that she can't stop finding in her hair. "Or could I give you her number? Please, I just want to get back to my mom." Jared's frown softens and his mouth opens to speak, but is cut off by a voice behind Anne.
"Annie Bone-choy?" Her neck complains at the speed she turns to look. The bald person she saw earlier. Face contorted in open surprise, finger pointed in her direction, he says in a nasally SoCal accent, "Your parents have been looking everywhere for you."
"Do I know you?" Anne asks. Bald guy shakes his head. "No. I like your parents restaurant, amazing noodles by the way, and they have your missing posters all over the front. Yours and two other girls."
"I thought you lost your phone and were meeting up with your mom," Jared unhelpful interjects. Anne looks between both of them.
"Can I please use someone's phone to call my mom?" The two adults look at each other.
"Tell me your mom's number," says Jared tentatively. Anne rattles off the ten digit code with ease. She remembers sitting in the kitchen and her mom helping her arrange plastic magnet numbers in the order of her cell phone number. Jared puts the phone on speaker and the dialing tone begins to ring. Once, twice, three times, four...
"Hi! This is Madee Boonchuy. Not here right now, please leave a message!" The messaging system beeps and Anne just shakes her head at Jared. He ends the call.
"Can you please try again?" She pleads. Jared frowns, but does as requested. The dialing rings again. And gets voice-mail, again.
"I could call the restaurant," the bald guy offers. "It's not exactly rush hour but they are open right now, right?" Anne blinks away the stinging in her eyes. She has no idea what time it is, no idea what day or month or even if it's the same year. Who knows how Amphibia time lines up with Earth time?
"Can you? Please?" He nods and pulls out his phone. A minute while he finds the contact, and now for the third time, the phone rings on speaker. Anne knows what they say about third tries, and she crosses her fingers tightly.
"Hello? Delivery or pick-up?" Familiar, accented English, and Anne has to resist falling to the floor.
"Mom," Anne whispers in Thai, and the voice on the line speaks rapidly.
"Anne? Sweetheart? Oh my god, Anne? Anne?"
"It's me Mom. It's Anne," Anne sniffs and hiccups.
Some sharp, unintelligible yelling comes out the receiver, and there is a rustling and slamming sound before Anne's mom replies, "Where are you?"
Anne blue screens for a second. "I'm..." She struggles to remember. "I'm at a 7-11."
"What? Where? What street?"
"Daly Street," Jared pipes up.
"Who is that?" Her mother says sharply.
"That's just the cashier, he was, he was helping me. Well and another guy who comes to the restaurant apparently? I uh, he says he recognized me from my posters, huh, I didn't realize I'd have any," Anne rambles.
"I'm coming to you, Anne," Her mom promises. "I'm going to hug you so much. I'm coming to you. I have to hang up now, to get in the car, but do not go. Please."
"I promise," says Anne, and when her mom ends the call, she starts crying.
.
She exits the 7-11 once she gets the bald guy and Jared to distract each other (i.e. purchasing a bottled soda), and she spots the Plantars immediately. They're on top of a parked USPS truck. When Anne peers around the vehicle to see the other side of the street, she spies the mailman making his way towards the truck. Crap.
"Guys!" She hisses through clenched teeth. She raps her knuckles against the truck's side and hear Polly yelp. "Guys, get off the truck!" A moment later, Hop-pop and Sprig land beside her, Polly in her brother's arms. Anne pulls them over to the Redbox and huddles on the side opposite to the store entrance. She steps in front of them, hoping her body will shield enough of the frogs so nobody looks closer.
"Your mom is gonna be here soon?" Sprig asks. Anne nods.
"Yep, she'll...she'll be here soon." There's no response, and there is a take-a-tab paper taped to the trash can advertising singing lessons, and it's all Anne can do to not remember the time Sasha threw a karaoke party and they all started singing badly and together, and Anne blinks and keeps talking.
"My mom will come, and she's probably in her mini-van, oh man she's gonna tear through like twenty stop signs and scare other drivers so bad," she snorts, "and maybe there'll be a loose water bottle or a chip bag in the car, and oh man, you guys don't know what sour cream and onion chips are I can't wait to show you-"
"Anne," Hop-pop cuts her off. "Don't forget to breathe." She sucks in a deep breath and feels bile creeping up her throat. She tries to swallow but her mouth is so dry it just hurts. She can't imagine how her frog family's is feeling compared to her, they must be feeling so much worse than her, and they haven't said anything yet. Anne exhales forcefully. When a hand squeezes around her own, she squeezes back reassuringly.
They all jump as a dark red mini-van screeches to a halt in front of the 7-11. The driver exits the car, not wasting time to even park, and runs towards them. "Anne!"
"Mom!!!" Anne cries and she takes only a few steps before she's barreled over.
"Anne, oh my god, thank the heavens it's you! Anne, Anne, oh my baby," Anne's mom sobs into her shoulder before pulling back. Anne stares at her mother. Lets her eyes trace the deepened wrinkles, notice the shining, brown eyes the same shade as her own, the beauty mark on her chin. Her mom's glasses are new. Anne can't remember what they'd been, but now her mom wears tortoiseshell frames.
"I like your glasses," is the first thing to tumble out of Anne's mouth, and she nearly slaps herself. Her mom laughs wetly.
"Oh, Anne, oh, I've missed you so much." Her mother folds her back into her arms. Anne hugs back as tightly as she can for a second before her mom stiffens with a surprised grunt. "And you're so much stronger, when did that happen?"
Anne smiles. "I'll tell you about it." She steps back and grabs her mom by the shoulders. They're the same height now. "I'll tell you all about it." And that means... "Mom, let me introduce you to the Plantars," Anne steps to her mom's side and reveals her froggy family.
Her mother gasps and says something in Thai that Anne doesn't know. She would bet it's one of the worse swear words. "I know it's a shock, cuz, well, two foot tall talking frogs," says Anne and motions for the trio to come a bit closer. "But they protected me, fed me, and loved me while I was stranded in their world." Hop-pop shuffles the closes with Sprig and Polly poking their heads out behind him.
Hop-pop extends his hand. "My name is Hopadiah Plantar, it's an honor to meet you Mrs. Boonchuy." Her mom looks down at the wrinkly, orange hand and then back at Anne. She nods encouragingly and her mom steels herself before meeting the hand with her own.
She gingerly shakes it. "Pleasure to meet you...Hopadiah," Anne's mom says his name carefully. "My daughter says you kept her safe?" Hop-pop nods.
"To the best of my ability," and his face gains a wry look and he rubs the back of his neck. "When she and my grandkids weren't off chasing trouble."
Anne's mom smiles tentatively. "I'm sure. Are these your grandkids here?" Sprig comes out behind Hop-pop's back and puts out his hand.
"I'm Sprig Plantar! And this is-" A loud honk interrupts him and everyone in the group startles, moving to look at the source. A silver BMW is stuck behind her mom's mini-van and the one-way street doesn't give any wiggle around room. A shout filters out of the sports car. "MOVE YOUR CAR!" Except with a lot more swears. Anne's mom sighs.
"Introductions later, let's get in the car," she instructs and everyone moves.
All the frogs hesitate as they get closer, Sprig even flinching when Anne hauls open the back seat door with a slam. She gestures inside. "C'mon guys, it's just like a wagon," Anne says. Polly hops in first and settles into the closest middle row seat. She bounces a couple times.
"It's comfy," the polliwog reports. The jerk in the BMW honks again, even longer. Sprig and Hop-pop pile in and Anne closes the door behind them. She gets into the passenger seat and the feeling of air conditioning against her skin is like. Magic wind. Super relaxing. Like insane luxury. Oh, Anne missed technology.
"Buckle up." Her mom clicks her seat belt into the lock and starts pulling away immediately. Leaving Anne to explain what 'buckle up' means, and what a seat belt is, and no she doesn't know when they were invented. The questions continue as the mini-van pulls onto the highway, but the group soon quiets down. Anne blinks slowly and looks outside the window. The trees and billboards and other cars pass by her so quickly, so much quicker than Bessie could ever go. A pang strikes her heart as Anne realizes Bessie will be all alone. She hopes the Plantar's family snail is taken care of while they're gone. Anne looks away from the window as nausea grips her throat. She's almost home. She can hold off on falling apart for just a little longer.
.
"Anne, honey, are you awake? We're home."
Anne blinks and she squeezes her eyes tight and yawns loudly and long. She hadn't realized she dozed off. "I'm...home." She opens the door and doesn't let her twinging feet deter her from getting a good look at her home. The small bushes that lined the driveway, the slightly dented mailbox, the umbrella her dad always left outside the red door. Anne drinks it all in.
For the past several months she had been in a world with fantastical flora and fauna and shocking experiences every day, but Anne feels dizzy at the sight of her home. Her eyes catch on every detail, the once too-familiar not familiar enough. The bristly door mat; the unpolished brass numbers: 301; the creaky porch step; the small, pink, clay owl figurine Anne had given to her mom for Mother's Day in fifth grade and sat tucked in the corner. Her eyelashes are sticky with tears.
"Your house is SOOOOOOOOO BIG!" Anne snorts and is grateful for Sprig. She turns around to look at the small, pink frog.
"It's pretty nice! I've loved growing up here. Three-oh-one Silver Spring Lane." A gobsmacked look.
"You have springs made of silver?" Sprig's jaw drops. Hop-pop's head pokes out of the van.
"What's this I hear of silver springs?"
Surprisingly, it's Anne's mom who answers. She laughs, and it soothes Anne, before saying, "No, Hopadiah. It's just a nice name for a road." Anne tunes out what Hop-pop replies in favor of turning back to the door.
The metal door handle is hot to touch, searing from the oppressive California heat. She breathes out in a harsh whoosh and forces herself to yank the door open. It slams against the wall and the hinges squeak. Anne hears a sound of protest from her mom, but she can't acknowledge it when there's a bullet of fluff running towards the door.
"DOMINO!" The cat jumps into Anne's arms and she catches her, swinging Domino around and around and gosh, will Anne ever stop crying today? She hides her tears in Domino's soft, white belly, and laughs as the cat wiggles around to climb up her shoulders. Domino wraps around her neck and rubs Anne's check with her cute, little face.
Anne collapses to her knees and she pulls her cat around and holds her so carefully and so, so close. Domino allows this longer than ever before, but soon she does squirm and fall to the carpet on all four feet. She chirps and purrs vacuum-like. Anne's hands move on their own accord, stroking down Domino's back, scratching all her sweet spots, reacquainting herself with her Domino, her beautiful angel baby.
"Anne, could you move your reunion a few feet more into the hallway? So we can come in?" Her mom says, her tone telling Anne she's smiling. Anne kisses her baby's head one more time before standing up and moves to the side. Ugh, her knees hurt from carpet burn. That's one thing she hadn't missed.
"Sprig, Polly, Hop-pop! Remember the killapillar?" Anne scoops up Domino and holds her out. "This is Domino One!" Sprig steps closer, squinting. He pokes at Domino's paw and she mrrps! at him. He flinches back for a second before staring deep into her eyes. Anne watches this stare-off with no small amount of amusement.
Eventually, Sprig asks, "So this Domino won't kill us for dinner?" Anne shakes her head and a leaf drifts from her hair.
"Nope!"
Sprig oh so slowly reaches a finger to Domino's long-haired back. "Oh!" He says, curling his fingers through the fur. "She's even softer than peatmoss."
Polly joins her brother and jumps up and down on her new, little legs. "Let me pet her!" Anne leans back down, but Domino wriggles out her grip and runs down the hallway, disappearing around the kitchen corner. Polly pouts. "Aw! I wanted to touch Domino One."
Anne pats her yellow bow. "Don't worry. There's plenty of time for that later."
"I believe a good use of time right now," Anne's mom says, still lingering in the open door, "would be for you to change out of your dirty clothes. Go take a shower."
Anne stares at her mom stunned. "Oh my god...," she whispers. "I shall finally be clean." Sprig laughs.
"Are there no showers where you come from?" Anne's mom asks Hop-pop as Anne still revels in the very idea of pressurized water.
"I can't say I know what a shower-whatsit is, but we did bathe," Hop-pop says archly, half at Anne's mom and half at her. Her mom nods understandingly. Then frowns.
"Do you have any spare clothes with you?" She asks and all the Plantars go wide-eyed.
"We..." Hop-pop can't finish his sentence hands twisting his ascot. Sprig looks morose and he's holding onto his slingshot tightly. Polly is similar, tugging at her frayed and dirty yellow bow. Anne's heart twinges, and she cuts in.
"We didn't exactly have time to pack our wardrobes when we came, Mom," she says. "I have piggy bank money, we can go shopping guys! You guys have to see the mall. This time, my treat," she tries to cheer up the little frogs.
Sprig and Polly perk up at the mention of visiting the mall, but Hop-pop and her mom both protest at once.
"Anne, that's mighty kind of you, but-"
"Anne, that's very generous, but-"
Both stop and her mom motions for the frog to continue. Hop-pop waits a second more before saying, "Anne, you don't need to spend your savings on us. We can make do if you just show us to a wash bucket and a needle with thread. When these get worn out, we'll cross that river when we come to it." Anne's mom then lays a hand on Hop-pop's shoulder, slightly crouching to reach. Hop-pop nods at her.
Her mom smiles before saying to him, "I can certainly show you the washing machine, but we'll figure out another set of clothes for you." Her gaze casts over Sprig, Polly, and Anne. "For all of you. And Anne," her mom walks up to her and she smiles with glistening eyes, "when did you grow up so much?" She brings Anne into a tight hug before releasing her. And boops her nose. Anne squeals. Her mom smiles. "I will pay for the shopping. Now!" She claps. "Shoes off."
Everyone looked down at their feet and noticed the frogs didn't have any. "Ah well, shoes and...shoe off. Anne, what happened to your shoe?"
Anne waves it off. "Lost it a few months ago." Her mother grumbles and Anne suspects she'll be getting a new pair of sneakers in the near future. Then it occurs to her, "Where's Dad?"
"He had to stay to make sure the delivery went smoothly since Jackson quit and everyone else messes it up," her mom explains while running her hands through Anne's hair.
Anne gasps. "No! Not Jackson."
"Yes, Jackson," replies her mom. Her fingers tug painfully through Anne's hair and come away holding a handful of leaves and twigs. "Is there an entire forest in your head? Now off you go, shower. Get the dirt off," she commands. Anne rolls her eyes.
"Yes, Mom," Anne says in Thai and kisses her cheek. She looks to the Plantars. "You guys okay with my mom showing you around the house? Show you somewhere to sit and some water?"
Hop-pop nods and Polly wiggles. "I have a mighty THIRST," she yells. Anne giggles.
"Well, alright froggy fam. See you on the flip side," and she starts to head up the steps, her fingers trailing the railing, when a cough causes her to pause. She glances back.
"Anne..." Sprig says, "welcome home."
Tears spill over her cheeks and Anne half-falls down the stairs to give him a tight hug. Quickly, other froggy arms surround the two and are joined by a pair of human arms. All together, all safe, all alive. Anne takes a deep breath, and exhales heavily. She's back home.
#amphibia fic#amphibia#anne boonchuy#hopadiah plantar#sprig plantar#polly plantar#mrs. boonchuy#amphibia season three#my writing#if you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing this pls consider reblogging
36 notes
·
View notes
Text
Slug Habitats
Backstory
I got my slug, Harold, about a month ago. When I first got them it was 7:30 at night as I was going to my freezer to get food to warm up, and found them on a trail outside my house. I immediately scooped them up and said that I would claim them as a pet. Honestly, I didnt expect them to survive this long.
I put them in a jar and cut five holes in the lid as I researched how to take care of a banana slug, as I was very ill prepared. I quickly learned that this was no size of enclosure appropriate for a 6 inch long banana slug. I ventured to my basement to grab my old fishbowl.
I kept Harold in my fishbowl for a week and a half, soon realizing they were very depressed. Slugs are explorers, and Harold had no place to explore, only moss and rocks. Something needed to change soon, especially as they stopped eating.
Frantically, I started searching for what could be wrong with them. Was it what I was feeding them? Lack of a vitamin? A temperature change? Eventually I came to the conclusion they needed a bigger home. It was time for an upgrade.
After having Harold for a week I decided on a ten gallon aquarium, with a nice mesh lid. Below I will tell you about the enclosure and requirements I recommend!
Enclosure Items
This will be a list of what is included in my enclosure
Ten Gallon Aquarium: This aquarium is a reasonable size for my Pacific Banana Slug, as they are six inches long. Remember to fit your aquarium to your slug or snails needs!
Mesh Covering: Use a mess top for your aquarium, as your enclosure will need a constant air flow, and your new friend hopefully wont be able to escape :) be sure that you find one with matching dimensions!
Aquarium Toys: Harold has both a large battleship and a bridge in his enclosure. He likes to explore these items, as they have a nice texture and many holes and grooves!
A Place To Hide: Slugs spend most of their life underground, so your new best friend will need a place to take shelter. I use a plant pot burrowed into soil to provide some coverage :)
Feeding Center: This is a small smooth surface to keep food you give to your slug, as slugs can be messy lil friends
Others: I also have a wooden mushroom given to me by a friend, as well as sticks with fun grooves in them for Harold to travel! Make sure your enclosure is not too crowded, but also has plenty of fun things!
Preparation
Thisll offer a short guide on how I prepared my slugs enclosure!
Start by baking your soil at 400 degrees Fahrenheit to kill any creatures in it. MAKE SURE you bake more than you think youll need, it will save you from having to bake more
The soil can then be taken out and put into the aquarium, and shouldnt take too long to cool
Start dampening your soil with water, until it is moist enough that it will keep shape in your hand without seeping water
Place all of your items as you would like and transfer your slug into their new home!
Maintenance
This will be a brief statement on maintenance, water details will come soon!
I would not recommend switching out your soil, as slugs thrive in bacteria
If you do find yourself switching out soil, switch it out every one to two weeks, but only half at a time. Then, mix the bacterial dirt with the new dirt, so that your slug will thrive
Make sure to dampen your enclosure so that it is constantly wet, as dry surfaces can damage your slugs skin
Feel free to clean the side of the enclosure whenever you would like, wipe them down with a paper towel and water :)
If you have any questions feel free to ask! And that is all for Slug Habitats! 🐌
#slug#slugs and snails#slugs#snail#snails#pet#pets#habitat#habitats#pet animals#my pets#snailcore#nature
24 notes
·
View notes
Text
for the one i’ve always loved
genre: childhood friends to lovers!au ⎮ fluff
group & member: NCT’s Jaehyun
word count: 5.5k
a/n: inspired after watching the movie for ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ + please read the book series too and stamp “jaehyun channels big kavinsky energy” on your forehead
“I have never seen a dirtier pigsty than your room, Jung Jaehyun.”
The familiar soft chuckle you grew up listening to since age five echoes across the four walls and you roll your eyes at his nonchalance.
“Are you going to clear some space up for me to sit or what?”
“You can just move my clothes aside,” Jaehyun laughs as he turns back to his computer. “It’s not like you haven’t done it before whenever you come over.”
“Then I’m not coming in,” you huff, lean against the doorway with your arms crossed. “Not until you clean your room and there’s visible space for me to sit.”
“You’re quite a lot of work as usual,” he sighs, getting up from his chair and clearing the pile of dirty clothes on his bed into the hamper while reorganizing the clutter on his desk. “Happy?”
“If you had developed a readily aware sense of when to clean then we wouldn’t be having this type of conversation.”
“Hold it, I just happened to be lazy on this day of all days.”
You take a seat on his cleared bed and glance at the dimmed laptop on his desk.
“What are you doing?”
“I was watching a 19+ film before you interrupted me saying I needed to clean my room.”
“Oh my god.”
“I’m kidding. I was checking my email because I haven’t checked it in a while.”
He turns around in his swivel chair. “What’s up?”
“My parents are currently traveling on a cruise ship for 2 months and didn’t think to tell me until this morning via a handwritten note taped onto the fridge.”
“Don’t laugh!” you whine at hearing his warm laughter. “It’s nothing to laugh about!”
“Let me guess, next you’re going to say something about crashing here for the next 2 months because you don’t want to be alone in that big house of yours.”
“…I hate you.”
One last chuckle and Jaehyun gets up to retrieve the sleeping bag he keeps in his closet for just an occasion, tossing the bundle at you as he teases about the injustice of sharing his space with a person he has known since youth when there was already not much room for two people when it could barely hold the things of one.
—
You and Jaehyun used to be next door neighbors before he moved out to an apartment closer downtown.
The Jungs had moved in next door three days after your eighth birthday, the dimpled boy waving at you while sitting on a cardboard box with ‘TOYS’ written in black marker on its side instantly becoming your closest friend before you could even wave your hand back. Seat partners throughout elementary school and the number one go-to whenever you wanted to hangout or simply as company, Jaehyun was always there for you when you needed him and it couldn’t come as a bigger surprise when he told you of his move out the day he turned eighteen. Used to being able to hop over in a matter of five minutes tops for ten straight years, you had sulked for a good week before talking to him again, getting hold of his new address once he settled in and immediately working out the fastest navigational route to his new place from yours for an impromptu housewarming party.
“Where are your parents headed this time?”
“Australia and New Zealand,” you answer, wiggling into the sleeping bag and turning to face his bed rather than the bookshelf on the wall. “They said it’s quite nice there and they have friends to catch up with anyway. Then they’re going a bit further up to spend a week in Indonesia and two days in Thailand before coming back here.”
Jaehyun’s nose scrunches while he pauses to take in the information and a sneeze follows.
“So… So tell me what made them think it was okay to leave you behind all by yourself?”
You shrug. “I don’t know. They think it’s fine since I’m an adult now but I can barely do anything when everything’s been done for me. Chores? Cooking my own meals? I already have a hard time deciding what to wear some days, how am I supposed to cook, clean, and manage my life when I’m practically no different from that of a baby?”
“Then it’s time to learn.” The bed creaks from the weight lifted off its frame and the light goes out, leaving you wide-eyed in the pitch black that was Jaehyun’s bedroom as he shuffles back to the warmth that was his covers.
“You’ll be fine.”
“Really? What if I end up burning the house down trying to microwave popcorn at 2am?”
“You’ll be fine,” he insists. “I’ll be your chaperone in the kitchen to make sure you don’t set off the fire alarm and wake my parents next door.”
“You’ll come over, then?”
“Yeah, of course.”
Smiling into the covers of the sleeping bag, you mumble “good night” and he does the same, silence drawing the curtains to a close as sleep overtakes your remaining perception of consciousness.
—
You return home early next morning, but not before Jaehyun made breakfast when he woke at 9:30 and you 10am. Stomach content and brain alert after eight hours of deep sleep, you unlock the door with a cheery hum and take in the large empty space that was the living room and the open kitchen, the set of stairs leading up to the second floor only increasing the dread of being by yourself with so much emptiness around. Not only were your parents away on their trip, but it didn’t even seem like the housekeeper was here—that much your parents still allowed you on what they called “the journey towards independence” by allowing the housekeeper to still come in to clean. You didn’t hear the sweeping of the broom in the dining area or even the harsh vacuum for the carpet upstairs, and while she mostly kept to herself while she worked, there was still an occasional check-in whenever she came in during the afternoon to tidy up. A part of your daily routine was clearly missing today as you close the door and head upstairs to change into a set of comfortable clothes rather than the top and bottom you had gone out in.
“Where’s my pen?”
You dig around the container of pens on your desk and find the one you’re looking for, the tip still smeared in ink from yesterday’s leakage. Pen ready, you open the first drawer and reach all the way towards the back, taking out the round pink box nestled behind volumes of old schoolbooks and popping off the lid to reveal four envelopes within—three sky blue and one a dusty rose color. Lifting the flap to reach at the letter inside each one, you unfold the creased papers and scan over each one, deeming them fine as they are until you reach the letter from the pink envelope. Bringing the pen close to the next space on the line, you start writing as you see fit, ink slightly smudging the edge of your pinky as your hand travels down the page.
“And… done.”
Clicking the pen to retract the tip, you note your spot in the letter and refold the worn crease marks from constant instances of unfolding and refolding. It would probably be best if you transferred everything to a fresh sheet for easier reading, but there was always more to add for this specific letter. There was a reason why this letter was in a separate color than the three sky blue envelopes, its recipient and intention on a whole different level than the other three.
Back in the box your letters go and you return them to their usual hiding place, closing the drawer shut and making your way to bed, wrapping your body up in the warm covers as you close your eyes into a light sleep. Writing a letter is truly something special to retain in this era of technology and everything fast-paced, the notion of snail mail holding a quaint inkling of fondness in your heart. Fondness of the writer at the thought of the sealed envelope making its way towards the intended recipient in due time and the surprise of the recipient at receiving a heartfelt message in the mailbox without prior notice.
But it’s not like you will ever send all the letters you’ve written. Especially not when the pink envelope contained a love letter of all things.
—
Jaehyun, as previously promised, comes over at six in the evening after dinner with his parents to oversee your first attempt at cooking a meal for yourself and nearly falls to the floor at the scope of the mess that was your cooking skills.
“What the hell happened here?”
“I told you, I can’t cook!” you yell, jumping back at the drops of oil bouncing out of the pan. “Can you taste the spaghetti and see if it’s cooked? I don’t know what’s the right texture to be labeled as ‘chewy but not too firm’.”
“… Stand aside.”
“I have to do this myself, Jaehyun. Just… I don’t know, walk me through it.”
Fifteen minutes later you manage to produce a plate of spaghetti that didn’t look like pig slop and didn’t taste that bad either, but definitely not as good as it could’ve been as you bite down on a strand of what seemed to be still slightly undercooked noodle.
“Passing for a first timer,” your best friend comments. “But spaghetti is one of the easiest dishes to make, so…”
“Okay, we get it, Master Chef, sit your ass down already.”
“I deserve an ice cream right?” he begins, already opening the freezer while you continue eating your dinner. “After saving your kitchen from being burnt down?”
You place the tomato-stained plate and fork into the sink after you finished eating.
“Only if you wash the dishes first.”
“Deal.”
He ends up taking two ice cream bars rather than just the one he was promised, irking you to no end as you slap his hand off the refrigerator the moment it touches the space on the bottom to pull it open.
“You’re about to clear out my entire fridge, you pig.”
“Ouch. So mean.”
Edging him out of the kitchen to wash the dishes yourself, you jump onto the couch after putting them in the dish rack to dry and stare up at the ceiling, not knowing how you were going to survive on your own for the next two months.
“The semester starts tomorrow,” Jaehyun begins. “Nervous?”
“Actually, no,” you tell him truthfully. “Surprising, I know.”
“It’s good that you aren’t nervous. New year, new you.”
A playful flick at his shoulder for the attempt to lighten the mood and he gets up, brushing at his jeans.
“I’d better go. It’s late and I have an early start tomorrow.”
“You can always stay over at your parents’ place, you know. That’s your home too.”
Jaehyun shrugs. “Yeah, but my backpack and stuff is back at my apartment.
“Can I use your bathroom before I go, though?”
“Use the one upstairs,” you tell him as he makes his way towards the bathroom by the kitchen. “The sink in that one’s kinda weird.”
“Will do.”
—
“Hey, you’re Y/N right?”
You lift your head up, having just barely set foot out of the lecture hall for 10am biology at the sight of the boy standing before you, lips pursed and arms crossed. He didn’t look too happy, and you sure hope you hadn’t done anything wrong when you nod and ask what business he had with you so early in the day.
“I’m Doyoung. We had an Intro to Statistics class together last semester.”
“Yeah, I remember,” you nod again. “You’d always sit in the same row as me.”
“Can you explain what you mean by ‘bigheaded prick’ in this letter?”
He holds up a blue envelope and your blood practically runs cold at the sight of the yellow happy face sticker on the seal, edge curled upwards from the envelope being opened to access the letter inside.
“How… How did you get that?”
“Found it in between my calculus homework,” Doyoung says in a clipped tone. “Didn’t know I had my very own anti-fan until now.”
You swallow at the memory of angry scribbles from last semester’s statistics class, complaining on paper about how Doyoung always asked so many questions during discussion and extending class time past the designated time slot because he always had something else needing an answer right after the first question was answered by the TA. How he was smart but needed an ego check, a know-it-all who couldn’t see past the raised nose bridge that was always cast down upon others… not good. Not good at all.
“I’m really sorry I said those things about you,” you apologize with a low bow. “I really… didn’t mean it.”
“I’m not sure you’re sincere about the apology at all.”
Your head dips even lower until you can feel the hunch in your back.
“I’m sorry, I really am.”
Murmurs of curiosity begin to buzz around your hunched figure, Doyoung luckily having the decency to forgive you quickly before a crowd began to gather.
“Yeah, fine, you’re forgiven.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m going to keep this, by the way.”
You recoil in surprise and he nods in the affirmative. “So I’ll know what people are talking about when they start talking behind my back.”
“Doyoung, can I please get my letter back?” you ask desperately. “It’s… private.”
“Not anymore.” He tucks the blue envelope into his backpack and shoots you a gummy smile.
“See ya.”
You wave your hand weakly and sigh, fear slowly rolling in when you realize that if one of your letters had already gotten to its recipient, the other blue envelopes probably would be in the hands of their readers also.
“Oh no,” you gasp, pulling at your hair. “Not… Not the pink one too?”
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Spooked at the sudden question, you whip your head around and nearly collide into Jaehyun; he extends a hand for you to help steady yourself from falling.
“Something wrong?”
“I…” You open and close your mouth, not knowing how to best phrase the situation. “Uh… did you…. You remember that one time you came over to my house?”
“I’ve been over to your house so many times,” he laughs. “Which time?”
“Be…Before the semester started,” you blurt out. “Do… Do you remember seeing a, uh, pink box? When you were over?”
“Nope.”
His answer only further sinks the stone in your churning stomach and you shake your head, hands pressed against your temples.
“This is bad.”
Jaehyun frowns. “What’s up?”
“N-Nothing. I… I gotta go.” You hurriedly wave and leave without another word, feet frantically taking you away as your brain races to backtrack when you’d last seen the box of letters. One blue envelope was already out, and there was no call for where the other letters would be.
Hell, there was even a chance that he could’ve seen the pink one but was just keeping quiet for your sake.
—
News of the second letter came in the worst way possible, the jolly recipient of the second blue envelope broadcasting his encounter with the letter over the university’s radio station for all to hear late in the night. While gratefully given anonymity on the DJ’s behalf, his consistent rambling on your notation of his friendliness and bright personality on paper was enough to keep you from storming out to the radio station yourself to tell him to shut the hell up, not daring to leave the library when you still had to finish the second half of a 5-page essay due by 9am tomorrow. Plugging in your earbuds, you shift your focus back to your laptop and tune out the radio, which luckily switches to a new ballad song of one of the currently popular artists and not more talk about any handwritten letters.
It is nearly 2am before you finally submit the assignment, and on your way out of the library you bump into none other than Johnny Seo himself, the man in question who ran the radio station with an entire five minutes today on receiving a lovely handwritten letter. Unsure if he knew who you were, you quickly turn tail to avoid making conversation, but the exclamation for you to wait stopped you dead in your tracks.
“Sorry,” he apologizes when you turn around to face him. “I got the wrong person.”
“N-No problem.”
Silently whispering thanks to the heavens for letting you slide by, your triumph is short-lived at the sound of footsteps from behind, the frown on Johnny’s face easing into a slow smile as he shakes his head knowingly at having missed the obvious.
“You’re Jaehyun’s friend. We met a while ago, yeah?”
“Well, Jaehyun’s very popular across campus, so I’m not surprised if you don’t remem—”
“And you wrote this.” He holds up the blue envelope. “It’s addressed to me.”
You debate denying but find no point in doing so when he had already indirectly exposed your letter fiasco to the entire student body.
“Yeah, I wrote it.”
“It’s a very nice letter.” He takes out the slip of paper tucked inside and scans the contents. “I didn’t know I had such a positive presence in your life.”
A flush of red creeps onto your cheeks and you duck your head down, not knowing how to respond.
“Well… you’re always so encouraging to your radio listeners and just… an overall cool person.”
“May I keep this? This is the first fan letter I’ve ever received.”
“I… I’d rather…”
The eager look on his face too much to disagree upon, you find yourself nodding ever so slowly while sighing internally at having already agreed to give away two of your prized letters.
“Okay. You can keep it.”
“Great! I’ll walk you home, if it’s fine with you?”
“Y-You don’t have to.”
“Please.” He offers an arm. “I insist.”
Once at your front door, you receive quite the pleasant surprise when Jaehyun’s mouth drops at seeing you and Johnny together.
“Hello.”
“Your best friend is cute,” Johnny smiles, wiggling his fingers to a wave before pushing you towards Jaehyun. “Take good care of her.”
“Will do,” Jaehyun laughs, beckoning for your house keys and opening the door to let you in first. “Later, Johnny.”
“Why are you here?” you ask your best friend curiously.
“Thought to ask you to go get food with me but then you didn’t show up until now.”
“How long were you waiting?”
“Uh…. Maybe four hours?”
Your eyes widen at the thought of Jaehyun waiting four hours outside your doorstep and punch him on the shoulder.
“Why didn’t you message me earlier?”
“I did,” he points out. “But you probably were too busy to reply.”
“God, I’m… I’m so sorry.” You usher him inside and drop your things down. “I was… preoccupied.”
He nods in understanding and sits down on the couch.
“Want to talk about it?”
“Um… not really.” Even though he was your best friend, it wasn’t in your best interest to inform him about your missing letters. The slips of papers were your most prized possessions, hidden feelings recorded down in ink that you didn’t have the courage to reveal in person. Not that they were all love-related, with Doyoung’s being a vent about the difficulties of his character and Johnny’s an admiration of his bright personality and wanting to become his friend, but there did remain two letters harboring romantic interest—one blue one for a tiny crush and the pink one that could change everything if not handled the way you had intended for things to go.
“I just want you to know that I’m here for you,” he says with a smile. “You can tell me anything, you know.”
“I…” A heavy sigh falls through your lips. “Okay. Here’s what happened.”
❀
“Hey, hey, hey.”
“Oh, hi Johnny.”
An enthusiastic hand claps your back. “So I heard there’s still one more blue letter circulating around.”
You roll your eyes. “Did Jaehyun tell you?”
“A little bird tweeted it out,” he grins. “His name could be Jung Jaehyun, I’m not sure.
“Need help finding the third one? I can send out word through the radio.”
“That is the last thing I need right now, Johnny.”
He shrugs. “Just a thought.”
“I don’t even know how they got out in the first place,” you fret. “I keep them closely hidden at home, there’s simply no way—”
“Well, I got mine in Physics. Jaehyun was looking through my notes and noticed there was a blue envelope slipped inside between the pages.”
“Jaehyun found it?”
“Yeah.” He suddenly reaches into his back pocket and stares at his buzzing phone.
“Sorry, I have to go. See you around?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Good luck with the last one.”
“There’s actually one more, but…”
Your words trail off as Johnny takes his leave, the gears in your brain slowly trying to piece together Jaehyun’s role in the situation of your missing letters.
“Did Doyoung find his through Jae, too?”
Before you can look through your phone for Doyoung’s number, a quiet cough sounds from behind and you turn around to face the recipient of your final blue enveloped letter.
“Are you the one who wrote this letter?”
—
The third letter was one that you put quite an amount of time into, but you didn’t know why you were so nervous as your fingers tightened along the edges of the books you were carrying in your arms. Not that your feelings were anything more than a tiny crush upon a guy who had been kind enough to direct you to an 8am class last semester when you didn’t know where to find the building it was located in.
Taeyong was only being nice then, but it didn't stop you from casting side glances at him when you found out he was in the same major and shared most of your classes with you.
“I…” You blubber. “I, uh… well…”
“Oh, hey, Taeyong.”
An arm slinks around your shoulder and you gulp as you greet your best friend, nudging at his side and casting glares at the blue envelope in Taeyong’s hand. Hopefully he got the hint that you needed to get away from Taeyong so you didn’t need to address the topic of the letter.
“Jaehyun, I need to go study,” you blurt out, your brain working overdrive to churn out a reasonable excuse of leave. “We made plans to go to the library together, remember?”
“Right,” he chimes after, glancing at the blue letter in Taeyong’s hand. “Catch you later, Taeyong?”
“Um, I was hoping to ask Y/N about—”
“Gotta go, bye Taeyong!”
You pull Jaehyun after you and make it to the library entrance before stopping and turning around to face him.
“Thank goodness you showed up in time,” you wheeze, adjusting your grip on your books as you take much-needed breaths of air. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have known what to say about the letter.”
“Actually, I was specifically looking for you,” Jaehyun says with a shrug. “It wasn’t a coincidence.”
“Oh, okay. What did you want to talk about?”
“Well, about the letters…”
You hear an exclamation of your name just as Jaehyun opens his mouth to speak and drop your books onto the ground at the sight of Doyoung hurrying over towards you and Jaehyun.
“Are you busy?” he demands.
“No…”
“Then follow me, this is important.”
You glance at Jaehyun and he gestures for you to go.
“I’ll wait for you at the biology hall.”
“Yeah, sure.”
It turns out that the important thing Doyoung had dragged you aside for was a review session for his current Statistics class, one that you had a different professor for. Apparently the review slides weren’t going to be posted online and he had entered the classroom fifteen minutes late, thus the proposal for you to transcribe the first half of the slides onto paper while he paid attention to the TA reviewing the second half of the powerpoint for the sake of the fifteen minutes he’d lost getting there after the start time and the five minutes it had taken to pick you up. Maximizing efficiency by utilizing all available resources, he had said.
“I’m missing a few points,” you tell him as students begin to file out of the classroom after the two-hour session comes to an end. “This is how much I managed to get down though.”
He skims over your notes and nods.
“It’s good enough. The TA said this upcoming exam is focusing more on the newer material anyway.”
“Then why did you drag me here when I was in the middle of something with Jaehyun?”
“You owe me from the letter.”
“I remember receiving forgiveness for calling you a prick,” you scowl. “What the hell?”
“Now you’re forgiven,” he corrects you. “Thanks for coming here on such short notice.”
“… I don’t regret what I wrote in your letter.”
It was already dark out by the time you leave, hurrying over to where Jaehyun had said he’d be waiting. You didn't think it would take this long and had forgotten to text him to not wait for you during the whirlwind that was statistical facts and definitions demanding for your attention.
“You made it.” The figure sitting on the bench outside the biology lecture hall stands up and smiles in relief. “I was afraid you’d forgotten.”
“No, it…. it ran longer than I expected. Sorry for not letting you know ahead of time.”
Jaehyun shakes his head. “I would’ve waited for you to show up regardless.”
“Dinner’s on me for having you wait,” you offer. “Cool?”
“Oh, definitely.”
—
Jaehyun never brought up the topic of the letters after you’d grabbed dinner that night, and you receive the surprise of your life when Taeyong approaches your table in the library one Friday afternoon before your 3pm chemistry lecture.
“May I sit?”
“Y-Y-Yes.” You hurriedly move your things to make space and he smiles as he sits down.
“Sorry it’s so… messy.”
“About the letter addressed to me…” he begins without missing a beat.
You brace yourself for his reply, closing your eyes shut so you didn’t have to look at him. The imagery of him rejecting you in the library and calling you a creep for staring at him in class was so embarrassing to even think about that—
“I think you’re a very nice person, Y/N.”
One eye slightly opens and the other gradually follows.
“Me? Nice?”
Taeyong nods and smiles. “I didn’t know we had so many classes together either. If I had known, we could’ve been study buddies so I wouldn’t need to study all by myself last year.”
A nervous laugh escapes from your lips and you clap your hands around your mouth, ducking to avoid the stares and curious turns of heads from other tables.
“Thank you,” he whispers. “I don’t know if I share the same feelings, but your letter still means a lot to me.”
“I understand,” you whisper back, genuinely grateful that this hadn’t gone as badly as predicted. “Um, so this means you don’t mind exchanging numbers so we can study together right? You’re in like, three of my classes this semester.”
Warm chuckles bubble up in your corner and he inputs his contact information into your phone, dialing his own number from your device so he had a record of your phone number as well.
“It’s no problem at all.”
You grab your phone back after he’s finished and nod in thanks.
“Actually,” he breaks in. “I do have one more thing to give you.”
“Oh?”
A pink envelope is placed on the middle of your notes and your eyes widen.
“I won’t say who I got it from,” Taeyong says slowly. “I was only told to deliver this.”
“But.. you didn’t…”
He leaves without another word and you hesitantly peel the flap of the envelope open, heart caught in your throat as you take out the letter inside and read the only line written on the center of the paper.
❀
Maybe deep down you’d already known it would be him.
The minutes tick by as you sit outside of the library, waiting for him to show up while the campus slowly empties out with the completion of classes and anticipation for the weekend. The numbers of people walking by dwindle down and you sit up when you spot the lone figure heading your way when most passerby walked the opposite direction.
“Sorry,” Jaehyun apologizes, sweat glistening at his forehead as he offers a sheepish smile. “I didn’t know my meeting would run this late.”
“It’s fine.” You get up from the bench and smile. “I know you would’ve done the same for me.”
His signature dimple makes its way onto his face and you take out the pink envelope Taeyong had given to you earlier.
“So.”
“So,” he echoes. “What’s with the letter?”
“Where’s the original one? The one I had in here written about you?”
Feigned innocence twinkles in his eyes as he shuffles his feet, avoiding eye contact.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, I can recognize your handwriting like my own. I know you have it with you somewhere.”
He reaches into his backpack, pulling out a sheet of folded paper that was creased all around the edges.
“I was debating framing this up so I can stare at it first thing when I wake up in the morning.”
“Gross.”
“Can’t be more gross than the fact that you never told me in all the years we’ve known each other that you love me.”
Embarrassment rolling off your shoulders in waves, you start to walk and a second set of footsteps follow suit.
“Hey, it’s true that you love me, right?”
“I don’t know,” you dismiss. “It’s cold out and I’d like to get home before it gets dark out and the wind picks up.”
The lax pace from behind breaks into a run and you stop in your tracks when a pair of hands grab your wrists together, sneaking around your waist to pull you into a hug.
“Let me go, Jaehyun.”
“Did you think I’ll say no when I’ve pretty much felt the same about you all this time?”
The gentle look in his eyes softens even more and he takes off his jacket, draping it over your shoulders.
“Here, it’s getting a bit cold.”
“Well,” you huff indignantly, pressing down the feeling of bliss fluttering in your stomach. “If you love me too, then why did you send out my other letters? Those were private, you know.”
“I thought… they looked ready to be sent, so I just dropped them off anyway. They were all signed off and everything.”
He winces at the impending groan from your end and moves his arm up, resting his hand on your shoulder in apology.
“Are you… mad at me for doing it?”
“It’s already been done, so there’s nothing more I can do about it,” you sigh. “But at least they all know how I feel and I can get some form of closure with my feelings.”
“Then…” His eyes scan your face, nervous as he bites his lips. “Then this also means you accept my apology… right?”
You eye him with a knowing glance and slowly break out the smile you’d been suppressing, bubbles of laughter echoing in the darkened night sky.
“What’s so funny?” he frowns.
“The look of fear on your face,” you giggle, “Priceless!”
Realizing you’d pulled a fast one on him, he pulls the jacket off your shoulders and you gasp in the cold of the night, the thin green hoodie on your back not nearly providing enough warmth as Jaehyun’s puffed one.
“Give it back, I’m cold!”
“Nope.”
“I’m cold!” you shriek, shoulders hunched at the wind nipping behind your exposed neck. “Give it back or I’m breaking up with you!”
“You’re breaking up with me already?” He offers his jacket just out of reach for your arm span. “Right when I was going to re-offer my jacket?”
“You never even answered me,” you refute as you cross your arms to retain whatever body heat that hasn’t escaped yet. “So I don’t know, maybe you’re breaking up with me, not the other way around.”
The padded layer re-drapes itself onto your shoulders and you hurriedly fit your arms inside the sleeves.
“What’s your final answer, Jung Jaehyun?”
“I’ve already read your letter and told you I’m not going to say no, what more do you want?”
Displeased at the lack of clarity, you stuff your hands into the jacket pockets and start to walk, humming a quiet tune that only increases in volume as another hand slips into the right pocket to intertwine its fingers with your own.
“Your hand is warm,” you mumble without looking at him. “Aren’t you cold without your jacket?”
“No,” he answers, tightening his hold on your hand while matching his pace with yours. “I’m warm just by being with you.”
#nct#jaehyun#nct scenarios#jaehyun scenarios#nct fanfic#nct fluff#tatbilb!au#its been too long since i last wrote my mojo is kinda off i feel :/
806 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Old Superstitions and Cures for Everyday Maladies
Every disease and malady nowadays is considered to be completely biological. Most are able to be treated as simply as popping some pills or applying some type of store bought ointment to the afflicted site. However, in ages where magic was practiced as often as medicine, and remedies were still being experimented with and discovered, superstition played a huge role in both diagnosing the cause of an illness and in its treatment. Below is a list of several common illnesses/afflictions and the superstitions that surrounded them.
Asthma:
Ancient Romans used to believe that ingesting around 20 crickets with wine would help ease symptoms. Several centuries later, those living in Cornwall were told to swallow cobwebs that had been rolled into a ball. Other cures dating from around the 1500s included eating raw cat, drinking the foam collected from the mouth of a donkey, or simply eating nothing but boiled carrots for two weeks straight.
Baldness:
Superstition dictates that a sudden loss of hair could indicate the loss of a child, health, or property. However, this problem was supposedly avoided by never cutting one’s hair while the moon is in its waning stage, or cutting one’s hair as short as possible and then singeing the cut ends. Standing in the rain for a long time also was said to prevent baldness. Cures for baldness included rubbing bear fat mixed with laudanum onto the scalp. If bear fat was unavailable, a substitute of fox fat or onion juice mixed with laudanum could also be used. Another remedy involved rubbing goose droppings onto bald patches.
Bedwetting:
According to old superstition, there is one surefire way to eradicate bedwetting. First, you need to roast, fry or boil a mouse, bake it into a pie, and feed it to the child concerned. If this fails, the child can then wear a bag containing rat or mole droppings, or roasted slugs, to wear around their neck. If the problem still does not resolve, the child must be taken to a graveyard. There the child must urinate on the grave of a child of the opposite sex. Also, according to the Scots, it must be noted that a child must not play with fire before bed, as this will only worsen the problem.
Blackheads:
Most teenagers can relate to getting one of these blemishes caused by blocked pores. Superstition dictates that blackheads can be gotten rid of if the sufferer crawls through an archway made by a bramble. While crawling through, he/she/they should move in an east-west direction for best results.
Blindness:
Coming across a blind person in the streets is considered good luck. Helping a blind person is even better luck. However, if a bride meets a blind man on the way to the church it is considered unlucky.
Breasts (that are sore):
Devon superstition says that a woman suffering from sore breasts needs to go to a church at midnight. There she must acquire lead from a stained-glass window, which must then be shaped into a heart and worn around her neck.
Bunion:
These can be cured by applying a mixture of cow dung and fish oil onto the afflicted spot overnight.
Burns:
Several charms can be said while blowing on the site of the injury to help bring relief from the pain. In Shropshire, a poultice of goose droppings and elder bark that have been fried in May butter can be applied to the injured area. Those in Cheshire suggested simply wrapping some church linen around the wound.
Cancer:
In the olden days, cancer was often thought to have been caused by a spider crawling on a victim or the result of witchcraft. Although superstition offers no absolute cure for cancer, there are several “treatments.” One remedy involves burning the head of a mad dog and applying the ashes to the cancerous growth to shrink it. Another belief states that the cancer itself must be fed. Therefore, to feed the cancer, raw meet would be placed on the tumor itself, or on the sufferer’s bedside. In Cambridgeshire, a cure for breast cancer involved rubbing a live toad over one’s breasts. It was also believed that swallowing small toads and frogs alive would get rid of cancer, as the amphibians were thought to then suck out all the poison.
Colds:
Superstition claims that it is impossible to catch a cold in a church. However, if one does catch a cold, it can be cured by catching oak leaves in autumn as they fall to the ground. Another remedy is to stuff one’s nose with thinly cut orange peels.
Deafness:
According to Lincolnshire superstition, finding the backbone of an ox in a piece of meat can cause hearing loss. Irish superstition used to say that deafness could be cured by applying drops of eel oil to the ears. Instead of eel oil, the Scots used to use a mixture of ant eggs and onion juice. Those living in Gloucestershire were told to prick a snail and allow the juices to flow into their ears, or to pour cow urine into their ears.
Drunkenness:
To cure someone from alcoholism, it was recommended that a person slipping something un-appetizing, like owl eggs, blood, the powder of a dead man’s bones, or live eels, into the person’s drink. If a person wants to sober up quickly they should roll around in manure, drink olive, and then be forced to smell their own urine. Males must then also bind their genitals to a vinegar soaked cloth. However, one can avoid the problem of getting drunk altogether if they eat the roasted lungs of a pig before going out to drink.
Ear issues:
A tingling ear means that someone somewhere is talking about you. If it is the right ear that tingles, it means that good things are being said. On the other hand, if it is your left ear that is tingling, it means that someone is spreading malicious gossip. However, if the person with the tingling ear pinches the afflicted ear, or makes the sign of the cross, the person spreading the malicious gossip will immediately bite their tongue. Hearing ringing in one’s ears has a whole other superstition behind it. Because the ringing is said to resemble church bells, having ringing in your ears is said to warn of the death of a friend or family member. Another superstition says that if a person whose ear is ringing asks a friend to choose a random letter from the alphabet, that letter will tell the person the first initial of their future spouse.
Epilepsy:
According to the ancients, epileptics were thought to be somehow in contact with the Gods. Therefore, people were extremely wary of the disease. Later, epileptic fits were blamed on witchcraft. Cures for this disorder included burying a black rooster alive at the place where the fit took place, piercing the ground with a nail, or wearing a ring made from a half crown that was given during a Holy Communion service. Another cure was to drink a potion made from mistletoe, and then consuming the heart and blood of a crow for nine days straight.
Eye issues:
An itching right eye is said to be lucky for men, but unlucky for women. If the itching eye becomes intolerable, one should bathe their eyes with rainwater gathered from the leaves of a teasel, or that was collected on either Holy Thursday or Ascension Day. Stys can be cured by rubbing it with a gold wedding ring or hair taken from the tip of a cats tail nine times. The sty can also be washed with cow urine or rubbed with green garlic. A sty was also thought to disappear if a person rang a doorbell and then ran off before the door was answered. Cataracts could be treated by rubbing the ashes from a burnt cat’s head onto the affected eye. Conjunctivitis could be cured by applying a lotion made from powdered vine shoots, or an eye wash of egg yolk, curdled milk, and urine.
Fever:
Superstition says that one of the best ways to get rid of a fever is to eat spiders alive on slices of apples. Cobwebs may also be rolled up into pills and eaten, or a spider can be worn in a box or bag around the persons neck until it dies. Another solution is to bury an egg at a crossroads in the middle of the night for five nights in a row. The fever will be buried with the eggs. If neither of those solutions is appealing, a fever sufferer can also wear two sets of underwear. Family and friends must then tear off a piece of the one worn closest to the skin until no more clothing remains. Feeding a salted bran cake to a dog can transfer the symptoms to it instead. The fever can also be transferred to a disliked neighbor if one places a bag of trimmed hair and nail clippings under their door.
Gallstones:
These can be treated by drinking a mixture of boiled sheep droppings and milk daily.
Headache:
There are many superstitious treatments for headaches. One remedy is to wrap the skin of a snake, or a hang-man’s rope around the afflicted person’s temples while having them hold tightly onto some scraped horseradish and pressing their thumb against the roof of their mouth. Another remedy involves drying and powdering moss that was found growing on a human skull and inhaling it through the nose.
Heartburn:
One cure for heartburn was to drink the juice of St. John’s Wort that had been picked at the daybreak of St Johns Day. Another remedy was to suck on a lump of coal or to eat some powdered toenails.
Hiccough:
An attack of the hiccups means that the sufferer is being talked about by someone else. Anyone who has hiccoughs in church is thought to be temporarily possessed by the devil. Cures for hiccoughs include simply identifying the person who is thinking about the sufferer, or placing a damp paper cross on the sufferer’s forehead. Other cures include holding one’s breath until the count of one hundred, or dropping a cold key down the sufferers back. Those in the U.S say that hiccoughs can be stopped by surprising the sufferer with a loud noise. Alternatively, a person can grab their left thumb with their right hand while reciting one of several charms.
“Madness”:
According to superstitious tradition, those suffering from “madness” were treated in contrasting ways. Some people would avoid those suffering from madness, believing those who were mad to be possessed by demons, while others would welcome them because they believed that they were harbingers of luck. Those who believed in the latter thought that the mad were chosen by God. It was considered lucky to meet a mad person in the streets. Regarding mental retardation, it was believed that “simpletons” could see into the future. They were not supposed to move out of their home district as it was thought that another person in the area would have to become mentally disabled in their stead. According to the Japanese, anyone who has their hair lit aflame is most certainly going to go insane. In Lincolnshire, it was thought that anyone named Agnes will eventually go mad. Cures for madness include consuming honey, ilk, and salt before sunrise. In Europe, madness caused by rabies could be cured by having the afflicted eat the burned and powdered liver of the diseased animal that bit them in bread and butter.
Menstruation:
In ancient societies, women were considered harbingers of evil. When they had their period, they were considered extra dangerous. Therefore, they were (and in some places still are) disbarred from important ritual events or were otherwise isolated from human contact. It was also believed that menstruating women would pollute the Earth, cause fruit to fall from trees, make seeds infertile, kill swarms of bees, cause plants to wither and die, dull swords, and dull mirrors. It was said that menstruating women should never make mayonnaise or jam, as the eggs will curdle and the jam will not set. They should also not be allowed to bake bread or handle meat as the dough will not rise and the meat will spoil. In parts of Africa, menstruating women are not allowed to aid in preparing meals, and are also considered bad luck for hunting parties.
Toothache:
Toothaches can be avoided by wearing a tooth taken from a corpse in a bag around one’s neck. Carrying a walnut or the legs of a mole is also said to prevent the problem. A person should also avoid eating anything when a funeral bell is tolling and take care to put their right sock and right pant leg on first. If one gets a toothache, they can ease the pain by nailing a few strands of hair and some nail trimmings from the person suffering to an oak. Chewing on the first fern of spring or a piece of wood taken from a tree that has been hit by lightning can also ease the pain. If a tooth must be extracted, the least painful way is to make a powder out of dried worms during their mating season and applying this to the tooth. The tooth should then fall out on its own.
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
A Quarter Canvas
By Rosario Patino-Yap
Borja St., Caritan Sur:
The last of the moving van left. I had spent the morning running around the bungalow that had been home to Harold and me. I wandered through the house to see if anything precious was left behind. No, nothing was forgotten. Except for the potted mums that lined the curving pathway. They were newly-watered and weeded. Looking up the heavens in colorful blooms.
My “sunny side up” house echoed in silence. The sunshine yellow house earned that monicker because of my penchant for the color. Inside, no single bric-a-brac that had filled up every nook and cranny was left. The miniature windmill replica Harold bought in Bangui, Ilocos Sur, the rattan hammock that had hung in the verandah, the butaca that had soothed my aching body and soul – all were spirited away in the giant snails called “Aloha Moves It.”
Outside the house, the children played “tumbang preso” and “sha-tong. Summer was when children played these indigenous games of tag. Every now and then, the patpat flew in the air and the children scampered to catch this thin sliver of stick. The morning air was punctuated by gleeful shrieks from the children. So carefree and dead to the cares of the world. The reality reared its ugly head when an ambulant peddler hollered “taho” in the distance. While the neighborhood maglalako shouted off her paninda for the day.
“Ano ba Totoy? Kay aga-aga magtatambay ka na naman dine sa tindahan ko?” Manang Luning’s voice boomed inside her sari-sari store. She was asking for the nth time why Totoy loitered early in front of her store. “Hala, dun ka sa DOTA.net magtambay,” she shooed away the teenager. Like swatting a fly off of one’s food.
“Naku naman, Aling Luning, hindi po wi-fi area itong tindahan nyo,” Totoy retorted. He sheepishly lumbered away from the store.
A dog barked at an unseen cat. The hum of a washing machine had started a neighbor’s day. A balmy air blew and the clothes that hung from the clothesline flapped about madly. They made snapping sounds. In my mind, I had hung clothes out to dry in that clothesline, too. I had carefully slipped shirts into plastic hangers. I had clipped pants onto the line so they dangled there like rows of people doing headstands. They evoked images of torsos, their arms and heads chopped off by some unseen hands.
I stood near the window for a while listening to these familiar sounds. It seemed a cacophony of loved and hated realities of Borja Street. As I stood in the window, I knew my co-teacher Nica was getting ready for work. Armed with her shoulder bag and a luggage that carried her instructional materials, she waited for the tricycle. Nearby, Bryan was displaying wares in his e-bookstore. It promised another busy day for him.
Rousing myself from the reverie, I dusted off the dust and cobwebs that clung to my skinny jeans and tattered halter top. How did these silky threads reach me? I wondered. Tracing the source of the cobwebs, I stood transfixed for a moment at the intricate web. An industrious spider might have spun from one window grill to another when we were not looking. I suddenly noticed the errant tears on my cheeks - and hastily wiped them.
My feet led me to the master’s bedroom - just my OC self doing her work. I unlocked the built-in drawer I seldom opened. I cannot even recall what was in it. I took out a set of keys and tried each one of them. I finally inserted one and the lock clicked open. The air of many years escaped the moment I opened the drawer. It was strange how the years can seep into thing. It called to mind sepia pictures taken by a photographer who had to cover himself together with the huge camera.
A silent gasp escaped from my parched throat. There, hidden in the back panels of the drawer, forgotten and tucked for what seemed to be ages, was Samuel’s painting. It was a “thank you” present he gave me. Weathered and old, the canvas smelled musty.
I took the painting out of the drawer. I gingerly touched it, fearful by doing so it might crumble or smudge off. It seemed cool and soft to my touch. I turned it around. I squinted to read the scrawled note on the edge.
“Dear Ma’am Rhodora, you were the powder keg that sparked my interest to achieve and have a life. Till we meet again. Your best student Samuel”
How long has it been since the painting was given me?
Primero High School
The acacia-lined campus was abuzz. Everywhere, academic discussion and multiple intelligence tasks filled up every classroom of the landmark high school. I sauntered proudly to my room in the Special Program in the Arts building. It seemed another ordinary day for me. I looked forward to some colorful exchange of ideas with my budding artists and grandmasters.
“Mune kamu ta balay na artista yra” greeted me in the stairwell. It welcomed everyone to the abode of the SPA students. A peep into the rooms was like a show window of aspiring dancers, singers, painters, writers and media practitioners. It had always seemed like a preparation for the annual arts festival. Or of the local Pavvurulun.
“Yeah!!!! SPA rocks!!!” Samuel slurred as he strutted inside my classroom during recess. Bloodshot eyes, fleeting eye contact, tottering steps- tell tale signs of something bad. His arm had wounds which were probably self-inflicted as he was wont to do. I worried at the ease of how he sneaked in. After all, “The Terminator” was known for his hawk-like vigilance at the gate.
Seeing me as I enter the classroom, Sandra my student, intercepted me.
“Teacher, iba po ang amoy ni Samuel,” she muttered under her breath. But it was loud enough for me to hear. He was telling me that Samuel reeked of liquor. Even without this information, I knew Samuel was drunk.
As if on cue, Samuel noticed my presence. With pleading eyes and a plaintiff wail, he whimpered, “Teacher, may I just talk to Giselle? Di po nya kasi sinasagot ang mga text ko.” He informed me of their usual lovers’ spat. Gisele had refused to answer his text messages again.
He staggered towards Giselle’s seat but he tripped on his shoelaces. Just as soon, he vomited.
“Oh no!” Giselle screamed in embarrassment. Her scream was like a clarion call for chaos. The class turned into a bedlam. Everyone tried to avoid his outstretched flailing arms. And the gooey puddle of his lunch. Some ran to the back of the room. A few climbed my table. Others rushed out to call the guards. All the while, I stood in the middle of the surging tide.
Samuel was plastered on the floor. The room hushed into silence. Then, like a torrent of rain, his tears came unbidden. The silent and shameless tears that he seemed to have kept at bay fell. It stained and wetted his immaculate uniform. He was curled like a baby inside his mother’s womb and he sobbed inconsolably.
Trying to put some semblance of order inside my classroom, I pulled him up. All 65 kilos of him was forcibly pulled by my small hands. The force - or lack of it, I did not notice- sobered him. He looked lost and embarrassed all of a sudden. He turned to look at the faces of classmates who gawked at the spectacle.
“I am sorry. Oh I am so sorry,” he repeated.
A whistle was sounded. The class was a Red Sea that parted to let the rushing “Terminator” in. Two others were in tow.
“Teacher Rhodora, are you okay?” he asked while he surveyed the situation. The ruckus had reached the guard house and the guidance services. Poor Samuel, he reminded me of a prisoner walking towards the guillotine. His shadowed face cast me a forlorn look.
“Honey, are we set?” my husband Harold’s voice brought me back from that day. Back to the present where I now sit and listened. I smiled sheepishly for being caught unaware then I replied,” Yup, just about.”
I reached for his hand and I stood up. As if hearing his voiceless question, I added, “It’s just that I wanted to double check the house before we left. Then here, I remember the painting given by a former student,” I added.
Harold, noticing the cubism painting in my hands, reached out and brought it into the light. He examined the painting of a mysterious lady with a poignant sad look on her eye. An empty rattan crib before her. The painting seemed to echo my disillusionment of trying to conceive for the longest time. It seemed a dirge to my failed attempts at motherhood. Bittersweet and the pain unfathomed. A silent scream that I have quieted.
“Dear Ma’am Rhodora, you were the powder keg that sparked my interest to achieve and have a life. Till we meet again. Your best student Samuel” Harold read. He stood silent for a few moments. Lost, too, in the message that the painting whispered.
“How long has it been since he was advised by the school to transfer?” he asked.
Again, nostalgia beckoned me. A wave that rushed back to shore after straying in the ocean. The memories came back unbidden after five years.
After thorough investigation and several “call parents,” Samuel was advised to leave the school. He violated rules and regulations. His classmates were somber on the day he said goodbye. I had a fleeting remembrance of him when he first came to my freshmen class. All innocence and raw Ben-Cab talent. I knew then that with proper tutelage and constant practice, he would be a grandmaster. But where had all the innocence and that raw talent gone? What happened in between, I sadly pondered.
I recalled the week after he transferred school. I had my classroom all by myself. The periodic exams were set for the next day hence classrooms had been thoroughly cleaned. Classes were shortened for the purpose. The smell of newly-applied floor wax hung heavy in the air. The armchairs were one seat apart. All systems go for the exams.
I sat to enjoy my late lunch of lechon carajay, eggplant omelet and tomatoes laced with boneless CK bagoong. An iced cold soda perspired beside my Tupperware. And the chewy yema I made the night before promised sweet heaven. That sumptuous feast of deep fried pork and fish sauce plus the caramel could lull one to sleep on that balmy afternoon.
The birds chirped on the ancient acacia trees that dotted the campus. The lilting melody of the ice cream vendo machine could be heard in the distance. The orbit fan hummed and it joined their symphony. Ah, one of life’s simple pleasures, I sighed.
Suddenly, I heard a soft- it not, timid- knock on the door. Samuel stood outside it. He entered the room carrying a big package wrapped in newspaper. He looked his usual old self – immaculate but different school uniform, polished black leather shoes, sun browned face and Gatsbied hair. He walked his cocky walk and a shy smile crept on his lips. I saw a glimpse of the freshman that he was three years before. He came near me and off-handedly gave me the package.
“What is this?” I asked in surprise. I reached for my soda to wash down the last of the carajay.
“It’s a gift, teacher. Open it,” he replied.
“Oh you shouldn’t have bothered.” I felt uneasy for what looked like an extravagant gift. But I fumbled to unwrap the gift. I looked at him. He gazed out of the windows –avoiding my gaze. I waited for him to say something. I knew he had much to say.
“I thank you for never giving up on me, Teacher Rhods” he went on after what seemed like forever. “I realized now that I needed your criticism and your pieces of advice. You kept on at me, despite the others giving up. That had kept me grounded. It put some sense into my muddled head.” He smiled shyly when he said this.
“Oh, that’s what teachers are for,” I replied. I might have sounded flippant to him. Disbelief on the sudden change probably showed in my face because a cloud flitted on his black eyes. But he regained his ground and continued.
“Maybe, God wisely designed the human body so that man can never kick his own self nor pat his own back. Through my rebellious period, you were my parola.”
I tried to swallow the air that blocked my throat. Emotions rendered my tongue immobile. To be compared to a lighthouse echoed in my head. I tried to say a wisecrack or a sensible advice. Nothing came handy.
“Oh by the way teacher, I drew that painting for you. A keepsake.” With those words, he walked away as quickly and as silently as he entered.
“Earth to Rhodora. Paging my dear Rhodora. Whoever saw my sweet Rhodora, please direct her to where I stand.”
The voice of my husband reverberated in the silent room. His voice and his smiling face jolted me from my reverie - the second time that day. I noticed that I have been revisiting the past. I laughed so happily that he couldn’t help but join me in my laughter.
“Tell me honey,” I asked Harold, “What did my student mean when he said I was a powder keg?”
Kissing my hand and holding me in his arms, Harold answered, “Maybe because you had stepped on stage in his darkest moment and had led him out of the dark, then you stepped down and watched him move forward. But your single act of gesture has become the ember that will keep him on the right track wherever life leads him.”
That made sense.
“And maybe, just maybe,” he said sotto voce, and with a twinkle in his eyes,” because you never seemed to grow old, a fresh red rose ever since. The guidance you showed had ignited his passion to live. And hopefully, his passion for the visual arts because he seemed to have lots of promise.”
A wistful sigh escaped from me. In the distance, a bus sounded its horn. A neighbor’s dog barked at the playing children. Manang Luning’s voice competed with the local radio station. The din sounded so familiar that it brought back memories of happy years spent in my “sunny side up.” I don’t know when I started thinking of it as my “sunny side up” home but it always warmed my heart.
The memories came back so vividly. A movie reel that had gone backwards. I could hear the sounds and see the pictures again. It brought to my mind the nights when there were power outages. Everyone was outside his house and just sat under the moonlit night. The mosquitoes were swatted as everyone swapped local tales and rumors. The balut vendor would pass by and offer his pampalakas ng tuhod na balut or penoy as aphrodisiacs for the men. The ubiquitous barbecue stood laden with barbecue, hotdog, isaw, betamax, and iud. I saw the children playing hide and seek or san pedro till fatigue and sleep beckoned them. Online games, tablets, and X-box were unknown then.
It replayed scenes during summers where the popular halo-halo stands dissipated the sweltering heat. If not swarming these ice havens, the children used to have a grand time climbing up the fruits trees. They would help themselves to Lolo Ifan’s mangga, duhat and kallupit. The old folks would do their siesta under the trees or played tong-its.
Again in my de javued mind, I recall Nino, Julius, and Jessem playing ungoy-unggoyan while Chloe and her sister Jiya straddled their trainer bikes. Everyone seemed unmindful of the unending investigation of the SAF incident, or the milk tea poisoning or the corruption of government officials
But it was time to move into our new home a block away from the old one. It was time to savor the good life after a couple of years eking out a living. It was time to quit renting the “sunny side up.” And it was time to leave the painting to the new lessee of the house - Samuel’s long lost father.
Sometimes, life is serendipitous. Who would have thought that the man who wanted to rent the “sunny side up” was his father? Again, I looked back on that meeting with Samuel’s father. Seeing him again who accompanied his father earlier that week - pieced together the puzzle.
“My wife and I parted ways. Looking back, the blow was hard for Samuel to understand,” he broached.
“So he rebelled,” I said softly. My heart aching for those children caught in the crossfire of dysfunctional marriages. It was sad how more and more families throw in the towel and quit the fight for family.
Talking to him for some time that day opened the door. It answered the questions that crossed my mind when his son stopped painting and quit being top student. It filled the gaps of those times when nobody responded to my “call parents”- those letters that requested parents’ meeting.
Samuel that day, a picture of his old self, reassured me,” I am okay now, Ma’am. Life may not be fair but it is still life I would like to live.”
In my mind, I watched them walk away together. A father and a son trying to be family despite being a far cry from the ideal.
We had spent our days and nights in this house. I had slept on my butaca, its rocking motion soothing me on those turbulent nights when I had to come to terms with my miscarriages. The motion was like my mind, moving from today to yesterday and back. But the present has a clearer purpose now.
With light steps and a radiant smile brought about by knowing I had helped a poor child get his acts together despite his dysfunctional family, I hooked my arm onto Harold’s arm. We walked out of the old house and headed east to where our new “ube-ice cream colored” house awaited us. In the distance, I saw the sun diffusing its yellow light on the world. I looked up and welcomed it.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
7 Things About Brown Snakes You'll Kick Yourself for Not Knowing
As one of the most diverse animals on our earth - there are approximately 3,000 species of snakes spread across every continent except Antarctica - snakes show a selection of sizes and shades. Nonetheless, all are quickly recognized by their long, slim, legless form.
A snake's jaw https:/www.redoldsnake.com lacks a chin bone and also is separated into 4 movable quadrants that are connected by tendons. This gives a serpent the ability to swallow prey a lot bigger than itself-- as the chin stretches away from each quadrant, the reduced jaw bone extends away from the upper part of the head.
Fangs: There are three basic sorts of fang framework (venomous snakes).
Back fanged serpents have enlarged teeth with grooves in the midline to back of the top jaw.
Examples: Boomslangs, Hognose serpents
With enlarged repaired fangs at the front of the mouth, these snakes have a highly specialized venom delivery system. Their venom gland is placed in an air duct that goes to the top of the fang; as the serpent attacks, the team of muscle mass surrounding the poison gland presses and also sprays poison via the fangs.
Examples: Cobras, Mambas, Coral serpent
Thought about one of the most evolved of all the reptilian poison distribution systems, these serpents are similar in style to the Elapids with a more defined burrowed center of the fang. Their fangs are normally large and fold to the roofing system of the mouth when not being used, calling for the snake to open its mouth really broad to require the fangs to swing onward and extend out in front of the mouth. Many Vipers have no demand to attack, however rather stab a food item.
Examples: Gaboon Vipers, Smoke Adders, Rattlesnakes
Snakes have impressive skin - their scales can be smooth or harsh and will normally have a dry structure (rather than the damp as well as slimy appearance of amphibian skin). The majority of serpents likewise use specialized belly ranges to take a trip and also hold surface areas.
To get rid of old, used skin, serpents remove their external skin in one complete layer (similar to a sock being transformed inside out) in a process called moulting. Serpent molting is duplicated periodically throughout a serpent's life; although the variety of sheds per annum depends mainly on varieties, age, reproductive state, dimension, food schedule, and injuries.
Given that they have no eyelids, a serpent's eyes are likewise covered by ranges-- these transparent scales are known as "spectacle" ranges or eyecaps.
Able to track target or identify predators using their finely tuned sense of odor, a snake will utilize its forked tongue to collect airborne particles, providing a directional sense of smell as well as taste. The tongue is continuously moving, looking for prey or killers.
Conscious vibration, a serpent can sense a technique by detecting faint vibrations in the air or on the ground. Snakes do not have external ears, however are thought to have http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=snakes internal hearing framework as a couple of researches show that serpents can actually "listen to." This facility inner framework depends on airborne and also ground resonances - they take a trip to the internal ear, trigger echos in the inner ear bones, and transfer sound.
All snakes are carnivorous. They consume small animals consisting of reptiles, other serpents, tiny animals, birds, eggs, fish, snails or bugs.
Without the hunting expertise of these successful killers, human beings would certainly remain in very serious trouble. For instance, serpents play a crucial function in managing the rodent population, as well as large rodent populations can ravage crops and also spread disease amongst human beings and also other animals.
Serpents can vary in dimension from the small, 4-inch-long string snake, to pythons as well as anacondas over 23 feet long!
The most feared snakes, the epic group of poisonous serpents, comprises only 10% of the entire serpent populace. Serpent venom is made for the killing of victim. Many of these poisons have developed into a really efficient ways of protection:
Some snakes like the Spewing Cobras of Africa and also Asia have actually created adaptations that enable them to defensively spray venom into the eyes of an attacker.
A few of the very best spitters can properly spray poison 10-15 feet.
youtube
0 notes
Link
A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. Land snail is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as slugs). However, it is not always easy to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less amphibious between land and fresh water, and others are relatively amphibious between land and salt water.
The majority of land snails are pulmonates. That is, they have a lung and breathe air. A minority, however, belong to much more ancient lineages whose anatomy includes a gill and an operculum. Many of these operculate land snails live in habitats or microhabitats that are sometimes (or often) damp or wet, such as in moss.
Land snails have a strong muscular foot; they use mucus to enable them to crawl over rough surfaces and to keep their soft bodies from drying out. Like other mollusks, land snails have a mantle, and they have one or two pairs of tentacles on their head. Their internal anatomy includes a radula and a primitive brain. In terms of reproduction, all known species of land snails are hermaphrodites (they have a full set of organs of both sexes) and most lay clutches of eggs in the soil. Tiny snails hatch out of the egg with a small shell in place, and the shell grows spirally as the soft parts gradually increase in size. Most land snails have shells that are right-handed in their coiling.
A wide range of different vertebrate and invertebrate animals prey on land snails. They are used as food by humans in various cultures worldwide, and are raised on farms in some areas for use as food.
Biology
Physical characteristics
Land snails move by gliding along on their muscular foot, which is lubricated with mucus and covered with epithelial cilia.[1] This motion is powered by succeeding waves of muscular contractions that move down the ventral of the foot. This muscular action is clearly visible when a snail is crawling on the glass of a window or aquarium.[2] Snails move at a proverbially low speed (1 mm/s is a typical speed for adult Helix lucorum[3]). Snails secrete mucus externally to keep their soft bodies from drying out. They also secrete mucus from the foot to aid in locomotion by reducing friction, and to help reduce the risk of mechanical injury from sharp objects, meaning they can crawl over a sharp edge like a straight razor and not be injured.[4] The mucus that land snails secrete with the foot leaves a slime trail behind them, which is often visible for some hours afterwards as a shiny "path" on the surface over which they have crawled.
Snails (like all molluscs) also have a mantle, a specialized layer of tissue which covers all of the internal organs as they are grouped together in the visceral mass. The mantle also extends outward in flaps which reach to the edge of the shell and in some cases can cover the shell, and which are partially retractable. The mantle is attached to the shell, and creates the shell and makes shell growth possible by secretion.
Most molluscs, including land snails, have a shell which is part of their anatomy since the larval stage, and which grows with them in size by the process of secreting calcium carbonate along the open edge and on the inner side for extra strength. Although some land snails create shells that are almost entirely formed from the protein conchiolin, most land snails need a good supply of calcium in their diet and environment to produce a strong shell. A lack of calcium, or low pH in their surroundings, can result in thin, cracked, or perforated shells. Usually a snail can repair damage to its shell over time if its living conditions improve, but severe damage can be fatal. When retracted into their shells, many snails with gills (including some terrestrial species) are able to protect themselves with a door-like anatomical structure called an operculum.
Land snails range greatly in size. The largest living species is the Giant African Snail or Ghana Tiger Snail (Achatina achatina; Family Achatinidae), which can measure up to 30 cm.[5][6] The largest land snails of non-tropical Eurasia are endemic Caucasian snails Helix buchi and Helix goderdziana from the south-eastern Black Sea area in Georgia and Turkey; diameter of the shell of the latter may exceed 6 cm [7]
Most land snails bear one or two pairs of tentacles on their heads. In most land snails the eyes are carried on the first (upper) set of tentacles (called ommatophores or more informally 'eye stalks') which are usually roughly 75% of the width of the eyes. The second (lower) set of tentacles act as olfactory organs. Both sets of tentacles are retractable in land snails.
Digestion and nervous system
A snail breaks up its food using the radula inside its mouth. The radula is a chitinous ribbon-like structure containing rows of microscopic teeth. With this the snail scrapes at food, which is then transferred to the digestive tract. In a very quiet setting, a large land snail can be heard 'crunching' its food: the radula is tearing away at the surface of the food that the snail is eating.
The cerebral ganglia of the snail form a primitive brain which is divided into four sections. This structure is very much simpler than the brains of mammals, reptiles and birds, but nonetheless, snails are capable of associative learning.[8]
Growth of the shell
As the snail grows, so does its calcium carbonate shell. The shell grows additively, by the addition of new calcium carbonate, which is secreted by glands located in the snail's mantle. The new material is added to the edge of the shell aperture (the opening of the shell). Therefore, the centre of the shell's spiral was made when the snail was younger, and the outer part when the snail was older. When the snail reaches full adult size, it may build a thickened lip around the shell aperture. At this point the snail stops growing, and begins reproducing.
A snail's shell forms a logarithmic spiral. Most snail shells are right-handed or dextral in coiling, meaning that if the shell is held with the apex (the tip, or the juvenile whorls) pointing towards the observer, the spiral proceeds in a clockwise direction from the apex to the opening.
Hibernation and estivation
The great majority of land snails are hermaphrodites with a full set of reproductive organs of both sexes, able to produce both spermatozoa and ova. A few groups of land snails such as the Pomatiidae, which are distantly related to periwinkles, have separate sexes: male and female. The age of sexual maturity varies depending on species of snail, ranging from as little as 6 weeks[9] to 5 years.[10] Adverse environmental conditions may delay sexual maturity in some snail species.[11]
Most pulmonate air-breathing land snails perform courtship behaviors before mating. The courtship may last anywhere between two and twelve hours. In a number of different families of land snails and slugs, prior to mating one or more love darts are fired into the body of the partner.
Pulmonate land snails are prolific breeders and inseminate each other in pairs to internally fertilize their ova via a reproductive opening on one side of the body, near the front, through which the outer reproductive organs are extruded so that sperm can be exchanged. Fertilization then occurs and the eggs develop. Each brood may consist of up to 100 eggs.
Garden snails bury their eggs in shallow topsoil primarily while the weather is warm and damp, usually 5 to 10 cm down, digging with their foot. Egg sizes differ between species, from a 3 mm diameter in the grove snail to a 6 mm diameter in the Giant African Land Snail. After 2 to 4 weeks of favorable weather, these eggs hatch and the young emerge. Snails may lay eggs as often as once a month.
There have been hybridizations of snail species; although these do not occur commonly in the wild, in captivity they can be coaxed into doing so.
Parthenogenesis has been reported only in one species of slug,[12] but many species can self-fertilise.[13]
Lifespan
Most species of land snail are annual, others are known to live 2 or 3 years,[14][15] but some of the larger species may live over 10 years in the wild.[16] For instance, 10-year old individuals of the Roman snail Helix pomatia are probably not uncommon in natural populations.[17] Populations of some threatened species may be dependent on a pool of such long-lived adults.[18] In captivity, the lifespan of snails can be much longer than in the wild, for instance up to 25 years in H. pomatia.[19]
Diet
In the wild, snails eat a variety of different foods. Terrestrial snails are usually herbivorous, however some species are predatory carnivores or omnivores, including the genus Powelliphanta, which includes the largest carnivorous snails in the world, native to New Zealand.[20] The diet of most land snails can include leaves, stems, soft bark, fruit, vegetables, fungi and algae. Some species can cause damage to agricultural crops and garden plants, and are therefore often regarded as pests.
Predators
In an attempt to protect themselves against predators, land snails retract their soft parts into their shell when they are resting; some bury themselves. Land snails have many natural predators, including members of all the land vertebrate groups, three examples being thrushes, hedgehogs and Pareas snakes. Invertebrate predators include decollate snails, ground beetles, leeches, certain land flatworms such as Platydemus manokwari[21] and even the predatory caterpillar Hyposmocoma molluscivora.
In the case of the marsh snail Succinea putris, the snails can be parasitized by a microscopic flatworm of the species Leucochloridium paradoxum, which then reproduces within the snail's body. The flatworms invade the snail's eye stalks, causing them to become enlarged. Birds are attracted to and consume these eye stalks, consuming the flatworms in the process and becoming the final hosts of the flatworm.[22]
Human activity poses great dangers to snails in the wild. Pollution and habitat destruction have caused the extinction of a considerable number of snail species in recent years.[23][24]
Snails as human food
See also
Terrestrial molluscs
Snail slime
Slug
Freshwater snail
Sea snail
Sea slug
Cretan cuisine
0 notes
Text
Movie Campaign
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DvjLrvIcLdilk-q_Go9LAQ6v5ihT9yY87zbCPfyxPzE/edit?usp=sharing
200 IDEAS
1.Nail polish that completely comes off on it’s on after one week.
2. onions that don’t make you cry
3. umbrella that keeps you completely dry from head to feet
4. Salt that turns into sugar
5. Lollipops that don’t cut the roof of your mouth
6. Voice translator for animals
7. Electronic cat repellent (My cat keeps biting my mac and wires)
8. A pill that helps you learn languages in a week.
9. Cake that tastes like fries
10. Donut cupcakes
11. Hydraulic shoes
12. invisible clothes
13. Temperature change blankets
14. Apple donuts (apples that look like donuts)
15. Boyfriend lie detectors that would instantly zap their tongues.
16. Nightshades, turns night into daylight
17. delay send email button for those emails you regret you sent
18. Disappearing tattoos
19. Facetime 911
20. digital bookmaker to tell what page and paragraph we reading
21. Soda that does not get flat
22. Gas less beans
23. Floating shoes to walk on water
24. 24-hour perfume
25. Edible candle wax
26. Change Donald Trump into a Mexican or black person for a year
27. Pinkie toe protector
28. Water pills that keep you hydrated for a couple days if you run out of water.
29. Underwater talking device
30. IQ test for presidential candidates
31. Empathy test for presidential candidates
32. Shoes that stay white
33. Self-inflating deflating ball
34. Ear warming headphones for winter
35. Selfing cooling winter jacket when you get too warm
36. Shirt that changes color
37. Textile that repels deodorant stains
38. Self-cleaning shirt
39. Travel bag handles that bend instead of break
40. Garbage magnet
41. Self-fixing potholes
42. Reflect light in Norway to take away the gloomy grey skies to bring down suicide rates in the winter
43. Crackers that don’t crack until you bite them
44. Railroad tracks that don’t screech with friction
45. An apple that defies gravity
46. Eyebrow stencil for perfect eyebrows
47. Eyebrow hair thinner for painless waxing
48. Lipstick that does not rub on teeth
49. Stainless teeth
50. Anti-cavity sweets
51. Sharpies that don’t stain clothes
52. Magnetic hair beads
53. Lint resistance black textile
54. One key that adapts to different locks
55. Furniture dust repellent
56. Inflammable wig
57. Ruler pencil
58. Motorized shoes with wheels
59. Scooter shopping carts
60. Cell phone cooling screen
61. Cow heel shoes
62. Wifi umbrella
63. Bean bags filled with actual beans
64. Carrots that taste like cherries
65. Bedroom slippers that light up in the dark
66. Candles that do not burn out
67. Edible floss
68. Tank tops with built-in water bottles
69. Biodegradable microbeads
70. A clock that stops time
71. Weightless dumb bells
72. Talking Owl
73. Camera’s that don’t reverse your face
74. Pencil heel shoes that support your weight
75. Solar sunglasses that charges anything
76. Self-cleaning make up brushes
77. Fire retardant trees
78. Light that changes with your mood
79. Wacom pen that also turns to a pencil
80. Wacom pen that can be a stylus for iPads
81. Apple to make actual updates to iPhones and not wait for Samsung
82. CD’s that don’t scratch
83. Miniature CDs
84. Football gear that absorbs impact so athletes will not experience pain or broken bones
85. Rubber knees to jump over buildings
86. Commercial jet packs for humans
87. Sweet aloe vera
88. Treated glass that absorbs heat in closed cars during the summer to prevent child deaths.
89. Ice that does not melt
90. A tooth implant that cleans your mouth while you sleep
91. Mildew repellent
92. Device that tames aggressive dogs
93. Same day corn remover ointment
94. Same day wart remover ointment
95. same day tag remover ointment
96. Chemical free hair relaxer
97. Estrogen Free hair straightener
98. Estrogen free hair relaxer
99. 100% Toxic free hair dye worldwide
100. Ban on producing Johnson’s baby powder and selling it to 3rd world countries
101. 100% chemical free hair lotions worldwide
102. Selling rejected chicken in the Caribbean
103. Ban on skin lightening creams to darker women with nonorganic mercury
104. Paying less for organic food
105. Ban on preventives in food that are ultimately carcinogenic
106. Skin match colors for women of color that perfectly match
107. Permanent ban on Parabens in all cosmetics
108. Heat less iron
109. Built-in neck pillows on planes
110. Snuggie airplane seats
111. Curling irons that detect when hair is about to burn or fall off
112. Anti-odor shoes
113. Heels that don’t hurt on first wear
114. Bluetooth that enables charging your phone by pairing it your computer
115. Shoe heel with hidden pepper spray
116. Anti-food stain microwaves
117. Mosquito muter
118. TV that turns off automatically when you fall sleep
119. 911 beacon that activates when in distress, don’t need to speak
120. Shatterproof phone screens
121. Dry powder that cleans your body when no water is available
122. Beans that taste like jelly beans
123. Sweaters that don’t thread
124. Orange tomatoes -tomatoes that taste like oranges
125. 3 in one Fan -> Fan, heater, air-condition
126. Xray contact lens
127. Anti-odor leather
128. GPS bean from phone, so you won’t have to look at the screen to know where you’re going
129. Flies that gets rid of bacteria
130. Change poisonous snake venom into life-saving antidotes
131. Change deserts into fertile lands by redirecting some water resources and planting trees
132. Vaccine to prevent all STD transmissions
133. Uber planes, where you don’t need to wait for scheduled flights.
134. Night vision contact lens
135. Bicycles that converts when it rains to keep you dry
136. Car exhaust purifier
137. Hovering fan
138. Mold free sponges
139. Bacteria-free Sponges with built-in bleach
140. Mint chocolate peanut butter m&m’s
141. Mandatory natural food coloring
142. Baby translators
143. Mucus free milk
144. Screwdriver, Allan’s key pencil light
145. Retractable T-square
146. Recycled wine corks
147. Recycled plastic into clothes for the homeless
148. Litter-free zones throughout NYC replaced with plants
149. Stiffer penalties for littering in Subway
150. Stiff fines for spitting on subway steps
151. Built-in mace in cell phone cases to deter thefts
152. Scented mood lights
153. Soundproof toilets
154. Built-in digital control for hot water
155. Edible camping clothes in case you get lost with food.
156. scentless repellents for humans to keep predators away when camping
157. Mandatory GPS locators for hikers and campers in case they get lost and no cell service.
158. SOS light that can be seen in the sky
159. Vaccine that prevents Alzheimer's
160. Vaccine that improves memory
161. Floor cleaning house shoes
162. Scented gift bows
163. Scented gift paper
164. Biodegradable plastics
165. Tech the helps autistic kids to communicate when they can’t speak or feel frustrated
166. Waterproof ceiling
167. Socks that keep your feet dry from perspiration
168. Color changing t-shirts depending on natural light
169. Toxic detectors on cell phones
170. Flexible glass
171. Screech-less blackboards
172. Translucent chalk powder that disappears
173. Germ-free tablet screens
174. Bath bombs that explode into bubbles rose petals
175. Letter re-sealers
176. Self-destructing junk snail mail after 10 days of being opened
177. Recycling old worn out clothes to new clothes for the less fortunate
178. Greaseless body oil that does not transfer to clothing
179. Pet Fur magnet
180. Books that fold into itself to save space
181. Shoes that climb any surface
182. Head cooling hats in the summer to prevent sweating
183. Pills that microwave into full meals
184. Social media stalker alert from nonfriends
185. Procrastinator zapper
186. Nontoxic instant glue that does not stick skin
187. Reusable post-it notes
188. Multicolored sharpie
189. Translucent powder that removes makeup
190. Cardboard furniture
191. Backpacks that turns into a tent
192. Backpack that turns into a pillow and blanket
193. A clock that extends the day to 36 hours.
194. Pen-nail clipper
195. Weightless coins
196. Instant body glitter remover
197. Pencil that grows food
198. Vegetable mint candy canes
199. Radio pen
200. Wrinkle free paper
0 notes
Text
New Post has been published on My Food and Cooking Blog
New Post has been published on http://princefood-cooking.princefamily33.com/2017/07/28/simple-things-you-must-know-when-it-comes-to-organic-horticulture/
Simple Things You Must Know When It Comes To Organic Horticulture
If you’re planning on eating healthier and saving a lot of money on groceries, growing an organic garden will accomplish that and much more. It can be a little daunting, however. From the type of mulch to use to the right equipment, there are many questions you need answered. Organic horticulture also involves choosing from a large variety of different seeds as well. This article contains tips that will ensure you have everything you need to start an organic garden.
TIP! To prevent your plants from getting shocked by a big change, get them gradually used to climate and temperature changes. The first day you transfer your plants, you should only allow them to sit in direct sunlight for a few hours.
Starting a garden which is pest-free is easy, if you have healthy soil. Healthier plants are stronger, which in turn can help the plants you grow to become more resistant to disease and bugs that can harm them. Starting with soil that is in good condition can yield the best plants.
Use biennials and annuals to beautify your flower beds. Fast growing biennials and annuals can enliven a flower bed while letting you change up the look each season and year. They can make a handy, gap-filler between shrubs and perennials located in sunny areas. Some flowers you can use are rudbekia, petunias, cosmos, marigolds, or sunflowers.
TIP! Use slug-proof varieties of perennials wherever possible. It is alarming to see how quickly slugs, and their cousin snails, can annihilate a plant.
Plant bulbs in your garden if you want flowers through spring and summer. Bulbs are usually very hearty and very easy to grow, and bulbs will grow year after year. Different bulbs will bloom during different time periods. Therefore, if you select your bulbs correctly, you could have blooms in your garden for all of spring and summer.
Always make sure to mow your lawn to the appropriate length, always making sure that the cut is not too close. If you leave more height to your grass, the roots will grow deeper into the soil, making the lawn stronger and more resistant to drying out. If the grass is too short that will lead to shallow roots, which will cause a brown and dried-out lawn.
TIP! Plants need ample amounts of CO2 to reach their maximum growth. Plants will not thrive if they don’t have an adequate amount of CO2.
Your plants need to be kept dry, but sill receiving a good amount of air. Excess moisture on a plant will invite unwanted parasites or diseases to the plant. Fungi is a common problem in the world of plants. Fungicidal spray treatments can contain fungi, but spraying prior to problems even developing in the first place is the best way to go about it.
You should make sure to divide your irises. Try increasing your stock by dividing your overgrown clumps of plants. Lift the dead bulbous irises. If you split the bulbs that you pull up, and replant them, they will bloom the following year. Rhizomes should be divided using a knife. Cut new pieces from the outside and discard the old center. Make sure that every cutting contains a viable offshoot. Replant the new shoots right away.
TIP! When you are tending your garden in the fall, be on the alert for stink bugs. They like to feast on all kinds of fruits, as well as peppers, tomatoes, and beans.
As was stated previously, growing your own organic garden can have an unbelievably positive effect on your eating habits, especially when you understand the sheer number of varying plants it is possible to grow. The tips you’ve found above are sure to help you get off to a good start on growing chemical-free healthy food.
0 notes
Photo
New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/everglades-national-park/
Everglades National Park - A trip through the Ten Thousand Islands and the Everglades from Marco Island, FL
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
Everglades – The Park
The Everglades is a 1.5-million-acre wetlands preserve on the southern tip of Florida. It gained national park status on December 6, 1947, when President Harry S. Truman dedicated the area as Everglades National Park to ensure the protection of its wildlife and plant habitats. Although the park is primarily a fresh-water ecosystem, it also encompasses approximately 485,000 acres of the Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico salt water areas. This ecosystem reaches from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee. From there the waters from the lake slowly move south toward the Florida Bay. The Florida Bay is a shallow bay with an average depth of 4-5 feet, with the deepest point being 9 feet. The bay is separated from the ocean by dense mangrove islands, sandbars, and the Florida Keys; thus providing limited water circulation.
Everglades National Park has often been called the “River of Grass” (or a swamp by others) as it is really a long, shallow river nearly 50 miles wide and more than 100 miles long. The dominant life form in the “river” is periphyton, a mossy golden-brown substance found floating in the water. Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that is attaches to submerged surfaces in an ecosystem. It serves as an important food source for invertebrates, tadpoles, and some fish.
Sawgrass marsh makes up about 70 percent of the Everglades. In the northern Everglades it is tall and dense – in some areas the water is barely visible, but in the south it tends to be short and less dense. Sawgrass has serrated, razor sharp blades that can cut through clothing.
Everglades National Park is much smaller today than in years past. Around 50% of the wetlands has been destroyed by construction and drainage projects. The restoration of the Everglades has been an issue for many political debates in Florida and both the state and federal governments are committed to restoring and protecting the Everglades.
The Past
Calusa (kah LOOS ah) Indians lived on and controlled most of the southwest coast of Florida. The Everglades were central to life in the Calusa Indian villages, many of which were located on the mouths of rivers above the Everglades. The natives traveled by canoes through the Everglades to hunt alligators, turtles, shellfish and small mammals that were essential to their food supply. The teeth and bones of wildlife and reeds from the plants in the Everglades were used for making tools. The Native Americans called the area “Pahayokee (pay-HIGH-oh-geh), meaning “grassy waters”. The Calusa declined with European expansion to the area. Some were killed, but most died of diseases brought in by the European settlers.
Everglades National Park Weather
There are two seasons in the Everglades: wet and dry, the area alternating with seasons of flood and drought.
The wet (summer) season accounts for around 80% of the average annual rainfall in the area (50+ inches) and lasts from May through November. The humidity and temperatures (90+F) during this time are high. Most afternoons have thunderstorms (and occasional hurricanes) that bring rain to renew the fresh-water supply. Hurricanes can be good for the ecosystem because they make new areas for plant growth, seeds are scattered, and waters are moved in the normally shallow, slow moving river. Recent hurricanes in 2005 impacted the Everglades (Katrina, Rita, and Wilma).
Rainfall is the primary method water enters the Everglades and evapotranspiration (the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants) accounts for 70-90% of the rainfall leaving the area.
The dry (winter) season begins in December and goes through the month of April. It brings cooler temperatures (55F-77F) and little rain. The dry season is especially important for the reproduction of the birds and wildlife in the area.
Fire
As mentioned above, the Everglades has a dry season where drought like conditions are perfect for fires. The Florida Everglades have recently experienced fires around the Big Cypress National Preserve (March 2017). Although fire may seem to be a destructive element to nature, most often it is not. Fire is essential for maintenance and new growth of the land.
Environmental factors are always changing the ecological system. The climate and frequency of rain, storms, and fire all change the Everglades on a continual basis.
Everglades Water Supply
Approximately one third of people living in Florida (around 8 million) relay on water from the Everglades for their fresh water supply. This makes protecting the Everglades extremely important.
Plant Life in Everglades National Park
As mentioned above, wet sawgrass prairies and periphyton are plentiful in the Everglades. The river holds mangrove and cypress swamps, pinelands and hardwood hammocks. Hammocks are dry land that rise out of the grassy river. Tropical and subtropical trees such as the southern live oak grow on them.
The oldest and tallest trees in the Everglades are cypresses, the roots specially adapted to grow underwater. Big Cypress Swamp is well known for its 500 year old cypresses.
Link to Big Cypress Swamp Website: https://www.nps.gov/bicy/index.htm
Wildlife in Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is home to at least 350 species of birds, 50 reptile species, 300 species of saltwater and freshwater fish, and 40 species of mammals. The ecosystem provides protection for 14 endangered and nine threatened species, including the Florida panther, the Atlantic Ridley turtle, the leatherback turtle, the West Indian manatee, the snail kite, the Cape Sable seaside sparrow, and the American crocodile. There are at least 36 species that live in Everglades National Park that are protected, threatened, or endangered.
The Everglades are a refuge for large wading birds, such as the wood stork, great blue heron, egrets, and the roseate spoonbill and it is the most important tropical wading bird breeding ground in North America.
This area is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles co-exist together in the wild. Crocodiles are mostly found in small numbers in the coastal areas of the Everglades. Alligators stay more inland, near the freshwater.
Even mosquitoes play an important role to the Everglades. The larvae of grown mosquitoes are food for fish, which in turn become an important food source to the diets of the wading birds.
Pythons have become an invasive species to the area. In the last few years, more than 200 pythons have been found in the park, posing a threat to the wildlife and to humans.
Visitors to Everglades National Park
The Florida Everglades is visited by more than one million people from all over the world every year. It is the third biggest national park in America, with only Yellowstone and Death Valley being greater in land mass. Everglades National Park provides a fantastic learning experience to those of all ages and is a great family adventure. Photographers find the landscape and the wildlife the perfect setting for getting great photos.
The busy visitor season in from December through March. This is the driest time of the year, the temperatures are cooler, and there are fewer mosquitoes.
If you are considering a trip to the Everglades, be sure to bring along water and an insect repellant. Protective clothing may also be necessary depending on what you are doing or where you are going.
Everglades National Park Visitor Centers
The park has 4 visitor centers:
Shark Valley Visitor Center
Address: Everglades National Park, 36000 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33194
Hours of Operation
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Mid-December – Mid-April
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Mid-April – Mid-December
Hours are subject to change. Phone 305-221-8776.
Visitors wanting to explore alone can walk the short trails and portions of the tram road, or bike. An observation tower located halfway around the tram road provides a spectacular view into the sawgrass marsh.
Guided tram tours, bicycle rentals, snacks and soft drinks are available from Shark Valley Tram Tours, Inc.
http://www.sharkvalleytramtours.com/
Shark Valley Trails:
Bobcat Boardwalk: sawgrass slough and tropical hardwood forests
Otter Cave Hammock Trail: tropical hardwood forest with small footbridges over a small stream.
Tram Road: flat, paved road used for tram rides, bicycling, and walking. You may see alligators, herons, egrets, turtles, and snail kites. An observation tower provides panoramic views of the tropical hardwood hammock.
Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center (Park Main Entrance)
Address: Everglades National Park, 40001 State Hwy 9336, Homestead, FL 33034
Hours of Operation
Mid-December through Mid-April 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Mid-April through Mid-December 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Hours subject to change. Phone (305) 242-7700
The Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center is open 365 days a year. It offers educational displays, orientation films, and informational brochures. Special collections by local artists are often displayed. Books, film, postcards, and insect repellent may be purchased in the adjoining bookstore. A series of popular walking trails begin only a short drive from the visitor center.
The main park road runs 38 miles from the Ernest Coe Main Entrance through the park to the Flamingo Visitor Centre. A series of walking trails along this road begin a short drive from the visitor center.
Trails from Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center:
Anhinga Trail: Four miles from the main entrance, this is a 0.5 mile round trip trail that is self-guided. The trail winds through a sawgrass marsh, where you may see alligators, turtles, herons, egrets, and other birds, especially during the winter. Because of the wildlife, this is one the most popular trails in the park.
Gumbo Limbo Trail: This self-guided, 0.5 mile round trip tail is 4 miles from the main entrance. The paved trail meanders through a shaded hammock of gumbo limbo trees, royal palms, ferns, and air plants.
Pahayokee Overlook: Located 13 miles from the main entrance the trail is 0.25 miles.
An observation deck on this loop provides views of the Everglades.
Mahogany Hammock Trail: Located 20 miles from the main entrance this trail is 0.5 miles round trip. It is a self-guided boardwalk that meanders through a dense hardwood hammock with gumbo-limbo trees, air plants, and the largest living mahogany tree in the United States.
Flamingo Visitor Center
Address: Everglades National Park, 1 Flamingo Lodge Hwy, Homestead, FL 33034
Hours of Operation
8am – 4:30pm mid-November through mid-April
No regular hours off season (Mid-April through mid-November). Visitor Center is staffed intermittently during this time.
Hours are subject to change. Phone (239) 695-2945
The Flamingo Visitor Center lies roughly 38 miles south of the park main entrance at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. Visitors should expect to drive about an hour before arriving at Flamingo.
The Flamingo Visitor Center offers educational displays, informational brochures, and backcountry permits. Campground facilities, a public boat ramp, a marina store, and hiking and canoeing trails are located near the visitor center.
Flamingo Marina Rentals and Boat Tours (239) 695-3101
Houseboat, canoe, kayak, bicycle rentals and boat tours are available through the marina store. The marina is open year round.
Flamingo Trails
West Lake Trail: Located 7 miles north of the Flamingo Visitor Center on the park road, this is a 0.5 mile round trip trail. It is a self-guided boardwalk trail that wanders through a forest of white mangrove, black mangrove, red mangrove, and buttonwood trees to West Lake.
Eco Pond Trail: Near the Flamingo Visitor Center this 0.5 mile round trail allows visitors to walk around a freshwater pond while watching wading birds, song birds, ducks, alligators and softshell turtles.
Gulf Coast Visitor Center
Address: 815 Oyster Bar Ln, Everglades City, FL 34139
Hours of Operation
9:00 am to 4:30 pm Mid-April- Mid-November
8:00 am to 4:30 pm Mid-November – Mid-April
Hours subject to change. Contact by Phone: 239-695-3311
The Gulf Coast Visitor Center serves as the gateway for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands, a maze of mangrove islands and waterways extending to Flamingo and Florida Bay accessible only by boat.
The visitor center offers educational displays, orientation films, informational brochures, and backcountry permits.
Boat tours and canoe rentals are available.
Restaurants and stores are located nearby.
Activities:
Ten Thousand Islands Boat Tour: (1 ½ hours, fee charged). Discover the Ten Thousand Islands of the Gulf Coast. Concession operated boat tours are narrated by naturalists year round.
Everglades Highlights: (30 Minutes- held on the grounds in front of the Gulf Coast Visitor Center). Join park staff for a short talk about important features of the Everglades; ecological, historical and environmental issues will be discussed.
Paddle the Wilderness: With a ranger as your guide, paddle through the Ten Thousand Islands to look at wildlife and mangroves while you learn about the park’s natural and cultural history.
*Reservations are required 7 days in advance. For reservations and further trip details, call the Gulf Coast Visitor Center at 239-695-3311
Airboat Tours
There are three authorized airboat businesses that offer professional airboat tours inside Everglades National Park. All three (Coopertown, Everglades Safari Park, and Gator Park) are located along US Hwy 41/Tamiami Trail between Miami and Shark Valley.
Coopertown
http://coopertownairboats.com/
Everglades Safari Park
http://www.evergladessafaripark.com/
Gator Park
https://www.gatorpark.com/
Everglades National Park Prohibited Activities
Personal Jet Skis and Airboats
Swimming is not recommended due to low visibility and the presence of alligators and crocodiles in fresh water areas and sharks, barracuda and sharp coral in the salt water areas.
Visiting the Everglades from Marco Island, Florida
We encourage our guests at Sea Mar Condo to get away from the beach for a day and explore the beauty and mystic of this beautiful area. A short drive or a tour by boat or ski jet can put you in a totally different environment than that of our lovely beaches.
Everglades City is a 45 minute drive from Marco Island and is the closest entrance to the Everglades from the island. There are several airboat and swamp buggy rides and boat tours from there.
Everglades City Airboat Tours http://www.evergladescity-airboattours.com/
Captain Jack’s Airboat Tours http://www.captainjacksairboattours.com/
Jungle Erv Airboat Rides http://www.jungleervairboatworld.com/
Captain Doug’s Airboat Tours http://captaindougs.com/
Wootens Everglades Airboat and Swamp Buggy Tours http://www.wootenseverglades.com/
The Shark Valley Visitor’s Center is a 40 miles past Everglades City where a tram ride is available.
Another fun adventure is a jet ski tour from Marco Island around the Ten Thousand Islands and the mangroves off Marco Island.
Avi’s Watersports http://aviwatersports.com/
Captain Ron’s Awesome Everglades Adventures https://www.evergladesjetskitours.com/
0 notes
Text
10 Things We All Hate About Brown Snakes
As one of the most varied vertebrates on our planet - there are http://redoldsnake.com around 3,000 species of snakes spread throughout every continent other than Antarctica - snakes show a variety of dimensions and also shades. However, all are immediately acknowledged by their long, narrow, legless form.
A snake's jaw does not have a chin bone and is divided into 4 movable quadrants that are connected by tendons. This provides a serpent the capacity to swallow prey much larger than itself-- as the chin stretches far from each quadrant, the reduced jaw bone extends away from the upper part of the skull.
Fangs: There are 3 basic kinds of fang framework (poisonous snakes).
Back fanged snakes have enlarged teeth with grooves in the midline to back of the upper jaw.
Instances: Boomslangs, Hognose serpents
With bigger taken care of fangs at the front of the mouth, these serpents have a very specialized venom shipment system. Their poison gland is positioned in an air duct that goes to the top of the fang; as the snake attacks, the team of muscular tissues bordering the venom gland compresses and sprays venom through the fangs.
Examples: Cobras, Mambas, Coral reefs snake
Taken into consideration one of the most progressed of all the reptilian venom distribution systems, these serpents are comparable in style to the Elapids with an extra defined hollowed out center of the fang. Their fangs are usually very large and also fold up to the roofing system of the mouth when not being used, calling for the serpent to open its mouth really large to force the fangs to swing ahead and also protrude out in front of the mouth. Many Vipers have no need to attack, yet rather stab a food item.
Instances: Gaboon Vipers, Smoke Adders, Rattlesnakes
Serpents have impressive skin - their ranges can be smooth or harsh and also will usually have a completely dry texture (rather than the damp as well as slimed appearance of amphibian skin). Many serpents additionally utilize specialized stomach ranges to take a trip and hold surfaces.
To remove old, worn skin, serpents eliminate their outer skin in one complete layer (similar to a sock being transformed inside out) in a procedure called moulting. Snake moulting is repeated occasionally throughout a serpent's life; although the variety of sheds per annum depends largely on types, age, reproductive state, dimension, food accessibility, and also injuries.
Given that they have no eyelids, a snake's eyes are additionally covered by ranges-- these clear scales are referred to as "phenomenon" scales or eyecaps.
Able to track target or detect killers utilizing their carefully tuned sense of odor, a snake will use its forked tongue to gather air-borne particles, providing a directional sense of smell and preference. The tongue is frequently in motion, searching for target or killers.
Conscious vibration, a snake can sense an approach by finding faint vibrations airborne or on the ground. Snakes lack outside ears, yet are thought to have internal hearing structure as a few researches reveal that snakes can as a matter of fact "hear." This complex inner framework depends upon airborne and also ground resonances - they travel to the inner ear, create echos in the inner ear bones, and also transfer noise.
All snakes are carnivorous. They eat tiny pets consisting of reptiles, other serpents, small mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails or bugs.
Without the searching prowess of these effective predators, people would remain in extremely significant difficulty. Snakes play an important duty in regulating the rodent population, and also huge rodent populaces can ruin crops and spread illness amongst humans as well as other pets.
Serpents can vary in size from the little, 4-inch-long thread serpent, to pythons and anacondas over 23 feet long!
One of the most been afraid snakes, the legendary classification of poisonous snakes, consists of only 10% of the entire serpent populace. Snake poison is designed for the murder of prey. Several of these poisons have developed into a very efficient ways of defense:
Some snakes like the Spitting Cobras of Africa and Asia have actually established adjustments that permit them to defensively spray poison into the eyes of an aggressor.
A few of the best spitters can precisely spray venom 10-15 feet.
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
holyfumes
CHERRY ROT.
riskycruise
Tom Cruise
lpdpainting
|House Painter Melbourne
d1ss0lv3
— DISSOLVE WITH ME.
wayvcolors
lia