Podcasts about Laburnum

Tensions rise as night falls at the Steelfire Forge. Gydeon questions loyalties, Tonreir loses his temper, Ira makes an impassioned plea, and Rihva picks a fight — with everyone. -- Notes: This episode contains content warnings. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠badheroescast.com/contentwarnings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more details. Subscribe to our free Patreon tier at ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/badheroes⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get news and updates about the show! -- Music: "Smoldering", "Laburnum", "Plague", "Cold War Echo", "Harbor" and "Great Expectations" – Kai Engel "Bittersweet" and "Anguish" – Kevin MacLeod "Innkeeper", "Grassland B" and "Solo Piano II" – Monument Studios "Solve the Damn Mystery" – Jesse Spillane Sound effects from Monument Studios and Yap_Audio_Production, SpliceSound, TRP, Greg_Surr, kyles and joedeshon on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠freesound.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. -- Use code BADHEROES for 10% off your order of coffee for game night and tea for the tabletop from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Many Worlds Tavern⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Marian B. Major, 76, of Highland Springs, passed away on Thursday, February 8, 2024. She graduated from John Marshall High School and received an associate degree from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. She was a secretary for Henrico County Public Schools and for Home Beneficial Life Insurance Company and loved shopping, animals and her family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Thelma Baseler and is survived by her husband, Lawrence Major and her son, Steven Major. The family will receive friends Tuesday, February 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Nelsen Funeral Home, 4650 S. Laburnum...Article LinkSupport the show

This week's show is all about cultivating change – whether in your own garden, in your local neighbourhood, or in a magical National Trust property. We're chatting guerrilla gardening with Ellen Miles, getting top tips from Wisley advisors, and taking a look at all the work that goes into maintaining the laburnum arch at Bodnant Garden (one of our most beloved partner gardens!)   Presenter: Guy Barter   Contributors: Ellen Miles, James Lawrence, Becky Mealey, Michaela Freed, and Lucy Bidgood   Links:   Guerrilla gardening and reclaiming urban spaces   Get Guerrilla Gardening   Nature is a Human Right   The Laburnum Arch at Bodnant Garden   Horticulture Careers Discovery Week   Diploma in Horticulture Practice

Kay Nuckols Young, 79, of Sandston, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Allen Young, Sr.; sons, Robert “Bobby” Allen Young, Jr, Kevin Lee Young; parents, Frank and Myrtle Nuckols; and sisters, Francis, Toni and June. She is survived by her son, Frank Allen Young (Becky); grandchildren, Josh, Blake, Brandon and Savannah; siblings, Bobby Nuckols (Shirley) and Sandy Campbell; great grandchildren, Skylar and Clarity; multiple nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews. The family will receive friends 4 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, September 19 at Nelsen Funeral Home, 4650 S. Laburnum...Article LinkSupport the show

This week I visited Jay Garrigan to talk about his career in music, including stints in such bands as Violet Strange, Laburnum, Temperance League, Poprocket, The Eyebrows and others! We talk about his recently broken finger and how it both has and hasn't sidelined his music, about the pros and cons of being on a label, working with Mitch Easter, self promotion, The Eyebrows upcoming record, and more! And be sure to sign up for The Eyebrows mailing list for exclusive peaks at the new album and lots more straight to your inbox!The Eyebrows: https://the-eyebrows.com/Jay Garrigan: http://jaygarrigan.com/Fidelitorium: https://www.fidelitorium.com/Songs for GGHT82:The Eyebrows - I Feel UnlovedJay Garrigan - Hard WiredViolet Strange - Graffiti LoveLaburnum - Silent NightPoprocket - BounceThe Eyebrows - Red DressThe Eyebrows - Say Yeah!The Eyebrows - Demon in My HeadVisit Gabba Gabba Records & Vintage Goods! Located inside Vintage Village, on the first floor near Dillards, in the Eastridge Mall, Gastonia, NC!Support the show

Henrico Schools will welcome five new principals for the 2023-24 school year for two schools in the Fairfield District, two schools in the Varina District, and one school in the Tuckahoe District. Cherita Sears, who previously worked in Richmond Public Schools, will join Varina High School, and Dr. Tyrus Lyles, who worked in Petersburg City Public Schools, will join Elko Middle School as the new school principals. Leah Segar, who previously taught at Fairfield Middle School before becoming a principal, will serve at Wilder Middle School, and Michael Powell, previously a principal in Richmond Public Schools, will serve at Laburnum...Article LinkSupport the show

It has been a year since Cycle's End, the day Raavkodenn was destroyed for good. The Akken Desert was destroyed as well, but the people of Jarmaulk are nothing if not determined to make the best of a situation. 2.4.1. Drinks, and the rest of the Defenders of Alia, have had a busy year rebuilding and tying up loose ends as the world takes a new path... Music in this episode is: "Teller of Tales" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "Lost Frontier" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "Hope" by Alex Mason and the Minor Emotion, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, Free Music Archives; "Fragile Ice" by Sergey Cherimisinov, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, Free Music Archives; "Monomyth - The Distant Sun" by Scott Buckley, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, ScottBuckley.com.au; "Truth in the Stones" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "Rites" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "Celestial Plain" by Kai Engel, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, Free Music Archives; "Silver Flame" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "Monomyth - The Vision" by Scott Buckley, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, ScottBuckley.com.au; "Virtutes Vocis" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "River Fire" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "Dark Times" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "Virtutes Instrumenti" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "Lost Time" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "The Old Ones" by Scott Buckley, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, ScottBuckley.com.au; "Night Vigil" by Kevin MacLeod, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, Incompetech; "Elven Glade" by TabletopAudio, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, TabletopAudio; "No More Words" by Alex Mason and the Minor Emotion, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, Free Music Archives; "Monomyth - The Restoration" by Scott Buckley, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, ScottBuckley.com.au; "July" by Kai Engel, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, Free Music Archives; "Laburnum" by Kai Engel, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, Free Music Archives; "I Miss" by Aleksandr Shamaluev, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License, AShamaluevMusic.com; "Hiraeth" by Scott Buckley, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, ScottBuckley.com.au; "Suonatore di Liuto" by Kai Engel, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, Free Music Archives; "A Kind of Hope" by Scott Buckley, Licensed under Creative Commons: Attibution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, ScottBuckley.com.au;

On this episode of Dear Gardener, host Ben Dark explores the legacy and afterlife of gardens. The starting points are: a Laburnum safari through Østerbro, a fence-climb into an abandoned garden, and a run through the acid-sands of West Sussex.Featuring Gertrude Jekyll, Edwin Lutyens and the National Trust in the news that Munstead Wood is 'to be preserved for the nation'Support the show on Kofi https://ko-fi.com/bendarkTickets to the Birmingham Talk here: https://www.bournvillehub.com/box-office/the-grove-a-nature-odyssey-in-19-1-2-front-gardens Episode Breakdown:[00:00:06] Lime tree mist season in Copenhagen. Excellent for spoiling cars[00:05:36] Tennyson praised for 'rosey plumelets bud the larch'[00:08:24] Golden chain tree and the particularity of its yellow[00:13:01] Lilac's use as a besmirching foil. The neighbour's trampoline of huge and surprising beauty[00:15:38] Father's death inspires thoughts on gardens.[00:19:16] Gertrude Jekyll and the Arts and Crafts movement[00:23:52] Gardens best seen after suffering?[00:27:32] The Canterbury tales as told on the Hidcot coach.[00:29:27] Small towns end abruptly.[00:32:41] Rhododendron ponticum invasive but lovely in the shade[00:35:50] Stalin's mimosa.

Good morning, RVA! It's 53 °F, and today, after the wet weather moves through, looks like our warmest day of the week. Expect highs in the 60s to go along with a small possibility of rain this morning. I think, after today, we might get enough rain-free days to dry out our soggy landscapes! P.S. You are not imagining it: Karri Peifer at Axios Richmond reports that our average winter temperatures are four degrees warmer than in the 1970s. Water cooler Big news from RPS Superintendent Kamras's daily email: The school district has hired a new Chief Wellness Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Both internal hires, Renesha Parks (previously the Director of Exceptional Education) will serve as the CWO, while Dana Fox (the Director of School Construction) will take over at COO. Congratulations to these bold, brave women who step into important and complicated roles. We'll see what the future holds for them, because I was pretty convinced that the School Board would pull some shenanigans to keep these positions open even longer. Jahd Khalil at VPM reports that the Mayor's administration has finalized the total amount of revenue collected from the City's real estate tax, which clocks in at $21 million over their original estimate. Most of the additional cash will help pay for inclement weather shelters and additional raises for police, fire, and emergency communications staff. Quick aside about the latter: “A press release from the mayor's office said those pay adjustments would be for employees not accounted for in a $17 million increase in first-responder wages in May's budget.” This sort of “Ope! We found more money!” happens every year to some extent, so you shouldn't be too scandalized by this reporting—but it's clearly not the best way to run things. Would last year's budget process have gone any differently with an additional $17 million hanging around? No clue, but it'd be nice to have all the money on the table before we head into budget season. That's why (I think), when the Mayor introduced his plan to issue real estate tax rebates, an additional piece of the assessments puzzle was to “align the city's assessment and budget cycles.” Theoretically that administrative shift might could fix these sorts of year-end money influxes. Richmond BizSense's Jonathan Spiers has some great reporting on the draft details of Those Thee Zoning Changes, specifically the proposed changes to the City's Airbnb regulations: “the recommendations would eliminate a primary residency requirement in which operators must reside at the property being rented for at least half the year. Instead, [Short-Term Rentals] would be permissible in any dwelling in any of the city's zoning districts, but with a distance requirement separating the unit from another STR at a non-primary residence.” This is a hard sentence for my brain to understand, but, I think the intent here is to allow landlords to run multiple Airbnbs but prevent them from buying up entire blocks of housing to use as short-term rentals. This is, of course, anti-housing and will reduce the amount of housing stock in Richmond, but I think it is a compromise I'd be willing to trade for permitting by-right Accessory Dwelling Units everywhere and the entire elimination of parking minimums (the other two zoning changes). You can flip through the City's presentation on these changes here and you can leave a public comment here. We all know the A.P. Hill monument at Hermitage and Laburnum is horrible, creates one of the most dangerous intersections in the city, and will, at some point, come down. When, though? I've been pretty wait-and-see, since legal challenges tend to take forever to lawyer their way through the system, but it does feel like we're getting close. NBC12's Henry Graff reports that the statue could come down as early as next week. Exciting! This morning's longread How Apples Are Ranked I'm almost positive I've linked to this apple guy before, but now he's got his own, very thorough, very funny apple ranking site. Yes, it's mostly a joke, but it's also entirely a real apple ranking site. Thankfully in the early 2000s, due to the emergence of a class of idle yuppies willing to shell out disproportionate amounts of disposable income at organic grocery stores, it became economically viable to invest in the development of what I term “designer apples.” As a result, a dizzying array of new apples hit the shelves and continued to do so year after year. With so many new breeds, the antiquated system of delegating an apple as “good” or “bad” is an unworkable injustice of oversimplification. Society demands an updated rubric for apple evaluation that meets the moment. I have created that rubric. I have no children. This rating scale is my only hope to keep my namesake alive. It is something I hope to be utilized for generations to come and is my only chance at achieving immortality. Therefore I am naming this system: The Frange 100 Point Apple Rating Scale aka the F100. If you'd like to suggest a longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol' Patreon. Picture of the Day Just seconds before runneling.

Tonreir's heart leads him home, to a changed forest holding memories, magic, and unexpected messages. -- Note: This episode contains content warnings. Visit badheroescast.com/contentwarnings for more details. Bad Heroes is made possible by listener donations — you can support us at patreon.com/badheroes and ko-fi.com/badheroes. -- Music: "September", "Cobweb Morning", "Laburnum", "Smouldering" and "Great Expectations" - Kai Engel "Folk Round", "Long Road Ahead", "Magic Forest", "Night Vigil" and "Rites" - Kevin MacLeod "Solve the Damn Mystery" - Jesse Spillane Sound effect by duckduckpony on freesound.org -- This episode features a promo from The Monster's Playbook, a Monster of the Week actual play podcast. -- Sponsors and partners: - Bad Heroes is sponsored by Roll20! Visit roll20.net to create your free virtual tabletop today. - Use code BADHEROES at grindingcoffee.co for 10% off your delivery order from Grinding Coffee! - Visit gamesbybee.com for awesome dice bags, dice trays, patches and accessories! Use code BADHEROES for 10% off.

Pretty excited about rebuilding the intersection of Laburnum and Hermitage once we get rid of that man's corpse.

CBSE Hornbill Poem(11th) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-radiance-hub/support

In this Halloween episode, I examine the long history of claims about demonic possession and the practice of exorcism, revealing a phenomenon that is dark and evil in a different way that one might imagine.  Pledge support on Patreon to get exclusive access to patron episodes, early access to episodes, and ad-free content. Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  And check out the new show merch!   Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness, or by signing up for a 2-week trial of The Great Courses Plus.  Some music on this episode is copyright Alex Kish. Contact him at alexkishmusic.com to get music for your own projects. Additional music, including "Wake Up," "Remedy for Melancholy," "Passages," "Seeker," "Laburnum," "Realness," "Mare," and "daedalus," are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Good morning, RVA! It's 72 °F, and while we've got some cooler temperatures today with highs in the mid 80s, I think we've also got a decent chance of rain throughout. NBC12's Andrew Freiden says to watch out for downpours this afternoon and evening.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths as: 204, 34, and 7.7, respectively. VDH reports a seven-day average of 22.3 new cases in and around Richmond (Richmond: 6.3; Henrico: 6, and Chesterfield: 10). Since this pandemic began, 1,330 people have died in the Richmond region. 44.6%, 55.7%, and 52.1% of the population in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Lots of folks, myself included, are nervous/keeping an eye on the rise of new COVID-19 variants (which the WHO has helpfully designated alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). Are our current vaccines effective against the variants? Can a variant “breakthrough” your vaccination? And, most importantly, if I'm vaccinated can a variant make me seriously ill or send me to the hospital? Unfortunately there's not a ton of data out there to answer a lot of these questions, but Emily Oster has a good piece this morning running through some of them, and provides, as always, a good chunk of math to help you estimate your own risk.The City's Urban Design Committee meets today and will consider the plans to remove nine monuments and/or pedestals from neighborhoods across the city. This includes the remaining pedestals on Monument Avenue, cannons from the median of Monument Avenue, the column on Libby Hill, a plinth in Monroe Park, plus the entire kit and caboodle at Laburnum and Hermitage. Remember, this is not the final plan for any of these locations!—just the first step in removing the racist garbage to make way for whatever we want to do next. I'm excited generally, of course, but also specifically because the removal of several of these things will make a handful of intersections way, way safer for people walking, rolling, or riding through. I would love to see the City's first protected intersection at Laburnum and Hermitage!Also in City Council-related news, the Education and Human Services committee will meet today to consider the Mayor's Equity Agenda, which you can now read in its final form. I haven't read through the updated version yet to scope out any updates, but I did snag the original versionif anyone wants to diff the two so we can easily see what's changed.Whoa, how did I miss something called Tacos for Transportation?? Two of my most favorite things! VPM reports that yesterday “Richmond city officials announced the public engagement phase of a multimodal transportation plan…[the Office of Equitable Transit and Mobility] is hosting several community events to encourage public participation. The series of events is called ‘Tacos for Transportation.' In exchange for taking a survey, attendees will receive a ticket for a free taco.” I don't think city officials are in the draft-document stage of things yet, but you can learn a little more about their plans moving forward over on the OETM website. Get excited, because this is going to be something you'll hear a lot from me on over the next year or so.Yesterday's storms brought flash flooding to parts of town, mostly on the Southside, NBC12 reports. The Richmond Fire department rescued 19 people from cars stuck in high water! Some of the flooding is probably just a result of geography, but a lot of it happens because of the historical disinvestment in basic infrastructure on the City's Southside. We've got a couple of opportunities to make huge, once-in-a-generation investments in the Southside coming up, namely the ARP and, potentially, a big chunk of casino money. We should celebrate, take advantage of those opportunities, and not fritter away the chance to do something transformational by earmarking those funds for a million pet projects in each councilperson's district.STAY RVA will host Dr. David E. Kirkland for one of their STAY TALKs tonight at 6:30 PM. Dr. Kirkland is the Vice Dean for Equity, Belonging, and Community Action at NYU and the executive director of the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools. Sounds like you should expect a fascinating talk: “Dr. Kirkland will help support crucial conversations on how a culturally responsive-sustaining education can best serve our students during COVID and how it can help us reimagine schools beyond it.” Get your tickets over on the Eventbrite for a suggested donation of $25.Richard Hayes at RVAHub has some pictures of a train derailment that took place yesterday morning down by the river near the North Bank Trail! What the heck! Sounds like most of the train cars were either empty or carrying paper and rocks, so, whew.This morning's longreadThe Age of Reopening AnxietyYou know I love this sort of thing. Also, I feel seen because I literally just texted a friend about staying in and watching some horror movies over text.The process by which they rejoin society after such an experience is called “reëntry,” she said. She considers the pandemic a transformational experience for everyone. Reëntry is upon us all. “There's extraordinary anxiety in that phase, and it's not illogical or irrational anxiety,” she said. “We have to ask the questions that reëntry asks. They start with practical questions like, Do I wear my mask? Do I say yes to this invitation? Do I take my children even if they're not vaccinated?” What seem like logistical queries are actually “philosophical and existential questions,” Parker said. “Like, Who are my people? How do I want to spend my time?”If you'd like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol' Patreon.Picture of the DayGolden hour!

Good morning, RVA! It’s 54 °F, and, whoa, today you can expect highs around 90 °F. That sounds a lot like summer! Stay cool, and stay hydrated.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 491 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 6 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 58 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 26, Henrico: 27, and Richmond: 5). Since this pandemic began, 1,311 people have died in the Richmond region. The seven-day average of new reported cases across the state sits at 454. How have y’all—at least those of you who are fully vaccinated—been handling the new mask guidance? I’ve been to a couple of place since the Governor brought Virginia’s mask policy inline with the CDC, and I’ve continued to wear a mask whenever I go indoors. Thus far I’ve not been met with looks or confronted about how it’s technically no longer necessary—but I am a white guy, which means my experience in the world is way different than a lot of folks. Honestly, I feel pretty comfortable and safe settling into a summer of outdoor hangs and quick, masked-up errands inside (I do realize this has been a lot of folks' reality for the past year). Part of this new-to-me freedom only comes because my son is 12-years-old and has already had his first shot. Parents of younger kids don’t necessarily have the same feeling of freedom and are caught in a guidance no-man’s land, which is frustrating. Emily Oster addresses it in her newsletter today, saying “CDC: Could you please, please provide some more guidance for those of us with kids under 12, who cannot be vaccinated? And especially for those with kids under 2?” She also points to this piece in the New York Times by David Leonhardt who asks similar questions.Over in vaccine world, I missed an important milestone: Over 50% of all Virginians have receive at least one dose of a COIVD-19 vaccine! That’s huge! Perhaps even huger, 64.3% of adults have had at least one dose—which is already pretty dang close to Biden’s goal of having 70% of adults with at least one dose by July 4th. Here’s a look locally at percentage of total population with at least one dose: Richmond, 41.2%; Henrico, 50.8%; and Chesterfield, 47.7%.The drama surrounding George Wythe, the School Board, and the rest of our elected government continues. Yesterday, the Mayor and Councilmembers Newbille, Robertson, and Lynch put out the following statement: “Monday evening, five members of the School Board – Representatives White, Gibson, Young, Rizzi and Harris-Muhammed – declined to consider or even discuss the city’s proposal to collaborate on school construction. Simply put, this refusal jeopardizes our collective ability to open a new George Wythe High School in August 2024. Our children and their families deserve better. Denying constituents the right to be heard on a significant policy shift that directly impacts district finances and student welfare is also deeply disappointing and concerning. By contrast, the good-faith efforts of Chairwoman Burke and Representatives Doerr, Jones and Page to discuss compromise and consider the city’s proposal reflects a shared commitment to the Wythe community. As elected leaders, we will continue to stay focused on our children, and consider all options that gets them into the facilities they deserve, as soon as possible." While those five School Board members seem determined to go down this path—in my opinion—they should really think through what impact their actions now will have on their futurerelationship with City Council and the Mayor. School Board is entirely dependent on both the Mayor and Council to fund their budget, and I’ve watched enough budget seasons to know that this moment right now, with School Board refusing to even discuss the compromise on the table, will almost certainly lead to consequences next budget season. I don’t know what those consequences will be, but Richmond is filled with long memories.The Department of Parks & Rec has requested a final location, character, and extent review from the Urban Design Commission “for permission for the ability to remove a monument and pedestal” from alllll of the City-owned monument locations. First, it’s interesting that the responsibility for physically getting rid of the monuments fell to Parks & Rec. Second, and importantly, “this application for review does not speculate where any of these assets may or should end up…[and] this application does not propose what should exist on these sites in the future.” What you’ll see in the aforelinked PDF is not the foreverplans, but what will exist after the monuments and their plinths are trucked away to whatever top secret location to be dealt with later giving our community space to figure out what to do with some of these spots permanently. So what do you see in these plans instead? Intersections return to intersections (like at Laburnum & Hermitage and Arthur Ashe Boulevard & Monument), grassy circles become grassier with maybe some shrubs (like at Davis & Monument and Stuart Circle), and little monuments in existing parks just disappear. It looks like UDC will consider all of the monuments separately at their June 10th meeting.Yesterday, hundreds of folks marched in support of Palestine down at Monroe Park, and VPM’s Alan Rodriguez has the details. Rodriguez also has quotes from a handful of Virginia’s elected Democrats as they try and find their own public positions.I have one, tiny budget-related news item to share with you: City Council’s Finance and Economic Development committee meets today and will consider RES. 2021-R028, a non-binding resolution to ask the Mayor to put $7.1 million dollars from the not-yet-received American Rescue Plan money into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. This is a good use of future ARP money, and one supported by a bunch of Councilmembers. That said, I still want a thoughtful, holistic, future-looking process set up to handle ARP money—not a piecemeal, hungry hippo free-for-all (to borrow a phrase from a pal).I’m late in letting you know about this, but Bike Walk RVA and artist Silly Genius will paint two street murals in the Bellmeade community tomorrow and Saturday. They’re looking for volunteers to help paint and direct traffic—can you help them out?Richard Meagher, writing for the Virginia Mercury, has some early prognostications about this fall’s gubernatorial elections in Virginia. Idk! I am still traumatized from 2016 and will not prognosticate on anything, but I am not nearly as confident as Meagher.FYI: The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts will host a community testing event today at the East Henrico Health Department (1400 N. Laburnum Avenue) from 2:00–4:00 PM.This morning’s longreadHow Parking Destroys CitiesApropos of our current discussions, The Atlantic published a story about parking minimums two days ago! I just opened the paper and there it was!Because parking requirements make driving less expensive and development more so, cities get more driving, less housing, and less of everything that makes urbanity worthwhile. This process is subtle. Many mayors today declare their support for walkable downtowns and affordable units. But cities are built at the parcel, not from mayors’ podiums. And parcel by parcel, the zoning code quietly undermines the mayors’ grand vision. A commercial requirement of one parking space per 300 square feet means developers will put new retail in a car-friendly, pedestrian-hostile strip mall. And a requirement of one parking space per 100 square feet for restaurants means the typical eating establishment will devote three times as much space to parking as it will to dining. America did not become a country of strip malls and office parks because we collectively lost aesthetic ambition. These developments are ubiquitous because they are the cheapest way to comply with regulations.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.Picture of the DaySlowly turning my back yard into a wonderland.

The Henrico community that's proven the most difficult to vaccinate is the one that sits within eyesight of the region’s most successful vaccination hub, where more than 150,000 doses of vaccine have been administered. That irony, though, may not be surprising. The communities adjacent to the Richmond Raceway, where Henrico and Virginia Department of Health officials have been holding mass vaccination events for more than three months and which just this week surpassed that 150,000-vaccination mark, are among the most vulnerable in the county. Overwhelmingly, residents of Census tract 2008.05 (a 1.9-square-mile area that extends from just south of Laburnum...Article LinkSupport the show (http://henricocitizen.com/contribute)

Today we celebrate the first woman to receive a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. We'll also remember the Academy Award-winning actress who narrated a 1990’s PBS series called Gardens of the World. We hear a sweet little garden poem that celebrates spring. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a fantastic book about gardening in the shade and the best plants for shade. And then we’ll wrap things up with an excerpt about this day 142 years ago - from the garden writer Henry Arthur Bright.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated News How to Grow Crown Imperial Plants | The Spruce | Sienna Heath   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events May 4, 1893 Today is the birthday of New Zealand forester and botanist Mary Sutherland. In 1916, Mary graduated from Bangor University in Wales with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. She was the first female to become a degreed forestry professional in the world. Mary also became known in  New Zealand as the first female forester when she was hired in 1923. It was a position she held for twelve years. Today, in one of the forests, she called her office, there is a memorial redwood designated with a plaque to honor Mary Sutherland. By the 1930s, Mary was working as a botanist for the forest service - and she was a pretty talented artist as well. Her drawing of a sprig from the rimu (“ree-moo”) tree bearing ripe fruit became the official seal of the forestry service. Today more women than ever are entering the world of forestry, and the Mary Sutherland Award is given to the top female forestry student in their final year of schooling.   May 4, 1929 Today is the birthday of Academy Award-winning actress and gardener Audrey Hepburn.  The Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) star appeared with Penelope Hobhouse and Graham Stuart Thomas on the 1991 PBS special  "Gardens of the World." The series featured sixty gardens over eight episodes. They included Monet's garden at Giverny, the Villa Gamberaia (“Vee-la Gahm-bur-eye-ah”)  in Florence,  the old rose garden at Graham Stuart Thomas' garden at Mottisfont Abbey, the Roseraie de L'Haÿ (“rose-uh-ray du lay-ee”) south of Paris, Saiho-ji (“Sy-ho-jee”) - the famed "Moss Temple" garden - in Kyoto, and Hidcote Manor (“hid-cut”) in Gloucestershire, England. Additionally, Audrey wrote the forward to a companion coffee table book also called Gardens of the World by Penelope Hobhouse and Elvin McDonald,, the volunteer director of special projects for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. In the forward, Audrey wrote, “We all have within us a need to create beauty. And we all can - in a garden, however small. Perhaps - if we now take a closer look at our gardens, we will, at last, awaken to the fragility of our beautiful planet and better understand our lovely earth."  In 1991, the Spring Hill nursery in Peoria, Illinois, created a rose variety named for Audrey Hepburn. The Audrey Hepburn rose was marketed as an exceptionally vigorous rose, with highly fragrant 4-inch apple-blossom pink flowers. It was featured on display at the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Botanical Gardens and was available for mail-order purchase exclusively through Spring Hill Nurseries. And here’s a little-known fact about Audrey Hepburn: one of the most beloved quotes about gardening is attributed to Audrey Hepburn, whose 92nd birthday would have been today. She wrote, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”    Unearthed Words A poor old Widow in her weeds Sowed her garden with wild-flower seeds; Not too shallow, and not too deep, And down came April -- drip -- drip -- drip. Up shone May, like gold, and soon Green as an arbour grew leafy June. And now all summer she sits and sews Where willow herb, comfrey, bugloss (“byew-gloss”) blows, Teasle and pansy, meadowsweet, Campion, toadflax, and rough hawksbit; Brown bee orchis, and Peals of Bells; Clover, burnet, and thyme she smells; Like Oberon's meadows her garden is Drowsy from dawn to dusk with bees. Weeps she never, but sometimes sighs, And peeps at her garden with bright brown eyes; And all she has is all she needs -- A poor Old Widow in her weeds. ― Walter de la Mare, English poet, short story writer, and novelist, Peacock Pie   Grow That Garden Library Making the Most of Shade by Larry Hodgson This book came out in 2005, and the subtitle is How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden that Lightens up the Shadows. In this book, Larry features nearly 300 perennials, annuals, bulbs, ferns, ornamental grasses, and climbing plants that thrive in the shade. Shaded gardens are cool places that offer tranquility and a space for contemplation—Larry shares how to create a sense of lushness and vibrancy in areas with little or no sun. The first half of the book covers how to plan, plant, and grow in the shade. The back half of the book offers an encyclopedia of the best plants to grow in the shade. This book is 416 pages of shade garden mastery - from design and care to top plant profiles. You can get a copy of Making the Most of Shade by Larry Hodgson and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $11   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart May 4, 1879 On this day Henry Arthur Bright recorded inA Year in a Lancashire Garden: “May set in this year with (as Horace Walpole somewhere says) ‘its usual severity.’ We felt it all the more after the soft, warm summer weather we had experienced in April. The Lilac, which is only due with us on the 1st of May, was this year in flower on the 28th of April. Green Gooseberry tarts, which farther south are considered a May-day dish, we hardly hope to see in this colder latitude for ten days later, and now these cold east winds will throw back everything. No season is like "Lilac-tide," as it has been quaintly called, in this respect. Besides the Lilac itself, there are the long plumes of the white Broom, the brilliant scarlet of the hybrid Rhododendrons, the delicious blossoms, both pink and yellow, of the Azaleas, the golden showers of the Laburnum, and others too numerous to mention. A Judas-tree at an angle of the house is in bud. The Général Jacqueminot between the vineries has given us a Rose already. The foliage of the large forest trees is particularly fine this year. The Horse Chestnuts were the first in leaf, and each branch is now holding up its light of waxen blossom. The Elms came next, the Limes, the Beeches, and then the Oaks. Yet still ‘the tender Ash delays To clothe herself when all the woods are green,’ and is all bare as in mid-winter. This, however, if the adage about the Oak and the Ash be true, should be prophetic of a fine hot summer.”   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Many blogs and books focus on poisonous plant folklore but they don't place as much emphasis on toxic trees. Learn some of the folklore of juniper, laburnum, and oleander in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/toxic-trees/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Drop your topic requests here: https://forms.gle/kNGir7TSGiJ54UjCA Become a Patron for bonus exclusive episodes at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Support Fabulous Folklore at https://paypal.me/FabulousFolklore  Or buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Tweet Icy at https://twitter.com/IcySedgwick Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick

Henrico Police are seeking the public’s help to locate a missing Henrico teen. Fifteeen-year-old La'Fae Franklin last was seen Tuesday near the Harvie Road-Laburnum Avenue intersection, walking along Laburnum toward Creighton Road, according to witnesses. She lives in the vicinity of Henrico High School, several miles from where she was last seen. Franklin is a Black female, about 5 foot 3 in height and weighs about 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue and purple sweatshirt and black and white Vans shoes. Anyone with information about her location should call Detective L. Coover at (804) 501-4831.Article LinkSupport the show (http://henricocitizen.com/contribute)

2900 block of Emerywood Parkway – Police arrested and charged a citizen with strangulation at a hotel Feb. 26 at 3:14 p.m. 300 block of Shetland Court – Police arrested and charged a citizen with disorderly conduct at an apartment complex Feb. 26 at 11:13 p.m. 5300 block of Chamberlayne Road – Police arrested and charged a citizen with vandalism of an automobile at a grocery store Feb. 27 at 3:12 p.m. W. Broad Street at Bethlehem Road – Police arrested and charged a citizen with driving under the influence Feb. 27 at 11:45 p.m. 4500 block of S. Laburnum...Article LinkSupport the show (http://henricocitizen.com/contribute)

Henrico Police responded to the scenes of two reported shootings Feb. 24 in Eastern Henrico and are seeking the public's help in learning more about each incident. One apparent shooting occurred at or near the Taco Bell near Laburnum and Gay avenues in Eastern Henrico (across from The Shops at White Oak Village), and the other occurred near the Richmond city line on Waverly Boulevard, not far from Mechanicsville Turnpike. Both were reported after 7 p.m. There were no known injuries and police did not locate any victims, but there are seeking any information from the public about either incident....Article LinkSupport the show (http://henricocitizen.com/contribute)

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In part 2 of my series on the legend of the Lost Tribes, we see how this historical myth has evolved in different eras as the basis for numerous insidious theories of racial origin. Here again are many of the hallmarks of subjects I cover on the podcast: bad etymology, pseudo-archaeological hoaxes, outrageous interpretations of scriptures, and people holding up false history as justification for hate and exploitation.  Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!  If you are thinking of starting a podcast or want some help with the podcast you already make, visit The Podcast Professor at www.profpodcast.com or email profpodcasting@gmail.com to learn about our audio editing and consultation services. Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or finding me on Venmo at @HistoricalBlindness, or by signing up for a 2-week trial of The Great Courses Plus or a 30-day trial of Audible. Some music on this episode is copyright Alex Kish. Contact him at alexkishmusic.com to get music for your own projects. Additional music, including "Oneiri," "Remedy for Melancholy," "Comatose," "Smoldering," "Interception," "Laburnum," and "Wake Up" are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the third annual holiday special, I look at the legendarium of the Three Wise Men and the Star of Bethlehem. Were they and their visit to the Christ Child real? If a myth, what was the reason for the inclusion of the brief passage in Matthew that originated their legend?  If you are thinking of starting a podcast or want some help with the podcast you already make, contact me the Podcast Professor at profpodcasting@gmail.com to talk about our audio editing and consultation services.  Further support the show by giving a one-time gift at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or by signing up for a 2-week trial of The Great Courses Plus or a 30-day trial of Audible.   Background music, including "April," "Seeker," "Brave New World," "Periculum," "Laburnum," "Modum," "Meekness," "Brooks" and "Holiday Gift" are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).   Additional music:  Canon in D Major Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Angels We Have Heard on High Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Wish Background Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we celebrate the Scottish botanist who is remembered for the phenomenon known as Brownian Motion. We'll also learn about the woman remembered as the Queen of the Traditional English Country Garden. We’ll have a little mini-class on Mistletoe and the etymology of its name. We’ll listen to a verse from a garden writer and forager who grows wild plants during the winter. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that features a dozen gardens of an incredible modern garden designer. And then we’ll wrap things up with a century-old article that shared a new way to water plants.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated Garden News 6 Healthy Winter Vegetables That Don’t Require a Whole Lot of Space To Grow | Well + Good | Emily Laurence   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events December 21, 1773 Today is the birthday of Scottish botanist Robert Brown. Robert made important contributions to botany and (science in general) through his pioneering use of the microscope. In particular, Robert is best known for being the first to notice the natural continuous movement of minute particles. Today we call that phenomenon of movement Brownian Motion. Now how did Robert come up with this? Well, for his 1827 experiment, Robert looked through his microscope at pollen immersed in water, and he started to notice subtle movements of the pollen - even though the water was still. He's what he wrote about it, “These motions… arose neither from currents in the fluid, nor from its gradual evaporation, but belonged to the particle itself” Now, at the time, Brown was unable to explain why the particles moved. It wasn’t until 1905 that Einstein was able to understand the cause of Brownian motion fully. Einstein suggested that this motion was due to the movement of water particles - in essence, little atoms in the water that were bumping into the pollen. And I thought you'd get a kick out of this: Einstein also famously said,  "If I could remember the names of all these particles, I’d be a botanist." Today, Brownian Motion helps explain the "spin" from black holes.   Robert Brown also coined the term nucleus in living cells. In Latin, the term nucleus means "little nut." Robert Brown was the first person to recognize the difference between angiosperms (flowering plants) and gymnosperms (non-flowering plants like conifers). And houseplant enthusiasts will appreciate knowing that Robert named the Hoya plant genus after his friend and fellow botanist Thomas Hoy who was also a gardener for the Duke of Northumberland.   Now, Robert also worked closely with Ferdinand Bauer - one of the world’s most accomplished natural history artists. Together they joined Captain Matthew Flinders on a ship called Investigator. The Flinders expedition was the first to circumnavigate Australia. With the assistance of Peter Good, who was hunting for viable seeds and live plants for Kew Gardens, Robert amassed a large collection of specimens during his years in Australia. And as a result of all his time and work in Australia, Brown published the remarkable survey on Australian flora, which he called The Prodromus. The Prodromus opened doors for Robert Brown when it attracted the attention of Joseph Banks. The two became great friends, and Banks asked Brown to serve as his personal botanical librarian. When Banks died in 1820, he left his home, collections, and library to Robert Brown - along with a large yearly allowance.   December 21, 1918  Today is the birthday of the English garden designer, lecturer, prolific garden writer, and one of the greatest gardeners of the 20th century, Rosemary Verey. Regarded as the "Queen of the Traditional English Country Garden," Rosemary’s garden masterpiece is a blend of nature and geometry, traditional and cottage. You'll see graceful draping of wisteria, blousy roses, warm stone, and symmetrical chimneys create Rosemary’s intimate, timeless, and genteel garden that has been described as a bucolic dream. And I thought you'd enjoy hearing Rosemary’s thoughts on the winter garden: "I love the garden in winter, almost as much as the summer." “Winter's palette is clear and spare, restrictive enough to curb the excesses of even the most daring gardeners.” “A garden in winter is the absolute test of the true gardener.” The seeds of Rosemary’s magnificent garden were sown in her relationship with a young Landscape Architect named David Verey.  After marrying David in 1939, the couple moved into his ancestral home Barnsley House - a Cotswold-stone manor house - near Cirencester in Gloucestershire. Unlike garden designers who cut their teeth on other people’s gardens. Rosemary honed her skills as a gardener and developed her signature style in her own backyard at Barnsley House. After a while, Rosemary went on to work with many famous clients. Rosemary helped design Elton John's gardens at Woodside, and she also worked with Prince Charles. Rosemary Verey’s book Classic Garden Design (1984) gives us insight into how much she learned from studying gardens of the past, with their topiary, knot gardens, and box-edged beds. Many classic elements exist in her Barnsley garden: she mixes formal style with roses and herbaceous perennials, which softens and adds interest - even in winter. One of the reasons Rosemary’s garden garnered so much attention was because it was a departure from the formal style of English gardening that was so popular during the 1970s. And just to give you an example of how popular Rosemary's gardens were: She opened her garden for a single day in 1970, and it became so popular that the garden was open every day except Sunday and visited by over 30,000 people every single year. One of the most significant elements of Rosemary's Barnsley House garden is the yellow Laburnum Walk. Laburnums are small European ornamental trees that have hanging clusters of yellow flowers. Rosemary had seen Russell Page’s Laburnum Arch, which was the likely inspiration for her Laburnum Walk. If you ever see it, Rosemary’s walk is a vision. The laburnums romantically drape over a sea of allium parted by a concrete walkway texturized with pebbles. It is absolutely glorious. That's why many consider Rosemary’s Laburnum Walk to be one of the most iconic garden plantings of the last fifty years. And it was Rosemary Verey who introduced and popularized the potager. Today’s Rosemary’s potager garden is one of the favorite attractions to the visitors of the fabulous grounds of Barnsley House. Today, you can go to Barnsley House because it's no longer a family home. It has transitioned from the Verey family home to a boutique hotel and spa. And Rosemary once said this about Barnsley House, “Although I arrived here more than fifty years ago, I constantly try to see the garden with new eyes. This is the wonderful thing about gardening; trees are ever-growing taller, shrubs developing, ground cover taking over. Then scene changes and every year has its own character, influenced by frost, rainfall, and sunshine – elements over which we have no control; but we can aim to plan so that each season has its moments of interest, with winter scent, spring blossoms and bulbs, summer exuberance and autumn color.”   December 21, 1997 On this day, The Saskatoon Sun, out of Saskatchewan, Canada, shared an article about the tradition of mistletoe. “Mistletoe is especially interesting botanically because it is partially parasitic. As a parasitic plant, it grows on the branches of trees, sending out roots that penetrate into the branches to take up nutrients. Mistletoe's common name is derived from the ancient belief that the plant was propagated from bird droppings. This belief was related to the then-accepted principle that life sprang spontaneously from dung. Mistletoe is derived from an old English word Mistletan. Mistel is the Anglo-Saxon word for dung, and tan is the word for twig, so mistletoe translates to "dung-on-a-twig.” By the 16th century, botanists had discovered that the plant's sticky seeds tended to cling to the bills of birds so that they were left on branches where birds rubbed their bills to clean them.”   Unearthed Words Most weeds don't make it through winter. They need warm rain and steady sun. Frozen soil inhibits root growth;   snowfalls discourage sprouts. Even watercress, which usually positions itself in flowing water, gets hurt by a freeze. If you live in an area where the snow falls over several months,   you know that small sigh of sadness when you go out to gather wild things, and frost has taken over. This year I've been cultivating weeds indoors to ease those winter doldrums. I've got Chicory, Dandelion, and Poke Roots potted in buckets in a kitchen corner.   I've got Watercress stretching out of a pot standing in freshwater.   I've got Chickweed daily going to seed three months early on the window sill. While my wild Winter Garden doesn't provide the abundance of the outdoors,   it grows leaves enough to garnish winter meals with sprigs of wild flavor, nutrients, and color. — Susan Tyler Hitchcock, garden writer, and forager, Gather Ye Wild Things   Grow That Garden Library The Gardens of Luciano Giubbilei by Andrew Wilson  This book came out in 2015, and it is the second edition. In this book, Andrew showcases the incredible work of the garden designer Luciano Giubbilei (“Lou-CHAN-no JOO-bee-lay”). Known for the understated elegance of his garden designs, Luciano utilizes the composition of space and evolves his approach to suit his clients and his maturing ideas. This book spotlights a dozen gardens from Luciano’s portfolio. And every detail is shared: from Mood boards to final plantings. Andrew’s book thoughtfully includes pages on nursery production, site development, sourcing plants, the artists that Luciano works with, Luciano’s working methods, and how Luciano finds inspiration - And I love that level of detail. This book is 240 pages of Luciano Giubbilei’s work - it's a coffee table book - and a celebration of a magnificent dozen of his creations - along with planting plans, archival documents, and gorgeous photographs from garden photographer Steven Wooster. You can get a copy of The Gardens of Luciano Giubbilei by Andrew Wilson and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $47   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 21, 1917   On this day, The Weekly Tribune out of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, shared a little story about the Right Way to Water Plants. Now back in 1917, the concept of watering plants via wicking was new and confusing. Here’s a little glimpse into how it was introduced to the general public: “Lucien Daniel, a French botanist, has discovered that young hothouse plants and slips of vegetables, as well as flowers, thrive far better by a system of continuous watering than by drenching the soil at stated periods. The new method depends upon the law of capillary attraction. Near each plant is placed a jar containing water, into which is dipped one end of a strip of linen or cotton, whose other end lies near the plant. With this uninterrupted supply of water, drop by drop, the plants thrived, greatly outdistancing other plants, which were submitted to an intermittent drenching.”   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."        

Episode Notes Hi friends! This one has been a labour for a while. Special thanks to the unnamed friend who was generous and gracious enough to give me the okay to release this episode... Music at the end is Kai Engel's Laburnum, off their album Chapter Four, fall. It is licensed under Creative commons attribution licence, and you this and other tracks of Kai's at  freemusicarchive.org Photo credit to jackmac34 found on Pixabay.com All written posts with hyperlinks, as well as these audio recordings can be found at www.somethingfromeverything.com.  (While you're there, hit subscribe, and I'll let you know when there is a new post, or something else exciting or noteworthy). If you prefer video over reading or listening, good news! I'm working on moving this podcast to you-tube as well. Where you can watch me read into a camera... You can follow me on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somethingfromeverythingpodcast or instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somethingfromeverythingpodcast If you enjoy this podcast, please share it with someone you think might enjoy it as well!  If you're listening on an apple device, would you consider taking a moment leave a review for this podcast? It really helps the podcast stand out so that others can find and enjoy it.  I really do appreciate all feedback, all shares, all support on those formats.  See you in 2021! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This episode is simultaneously political and holiday-themed. With the Presidential power of pardoning under scrutiny, I look at the history of its use and misuse as I speculate about how our current lame duck may abuse it and consider whether it should be reformed.  Donate at paypal.me/NathanLeviLloyd or support the show by signing up for a 2-week trial of The Great Courses Plus or a 30-day trial of Audible.  Background music, including "Remedy for Melancholy," "Run," "Plague," "November," "Laburnum," "Modum," and "July" are by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0).  Additional music: Mesmerize by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4994-mesmerize License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good morning, RVA! It’s 66 °F, and foggy yet again! What’s with all the ominous build up to Halloween? OK, WE GET IT, SPOOKY. Anyway, today you can expect highs in the 80s as our return to warmer temperatures continues.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 926↘️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 28↗️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 103↘️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 42, Henrico: 36, and Richmond: 25). Since this pandemic began, 391 people have died in the Richmond region. Robert Zullo at the Virginia Mercury works through the most recent University of Virginia coronamodel, which now has a potential new peak of COVID-19 cases the week ending November 22nd. Zullo touches on “COVID fatigue”, and folks' increasing tendency to relax the strategies they’ve adopted to keep themselves and others safe. Don’t do that! Continue to keep your distance, wear your masks, don’t gather in poorly-ventilated spaces, and get tested if you think you might be sick. I know that it’s both hard and boring to keep at this stuff for months and months and months, but it’s so very important to do so!Read this piece from Mark Robinson at the Richmond Times-Dispatch about the RRHA Housing Choice Voucher Program waitlistand tell me we’re not in an affordable housing crisis. 15,000 people called in to get their names on the waiting list—a waiting list that opened up for the first time since 2015. And it’s worse than that: “Those who signed up last week are not guaranteed a voucher, or even a slot on the waiting list. A computerized lottery will select 5,000 people from the pool for a spot. RRHA will contact each person who applied to notify them of their acceptance or denial by the end of the first week of November. Then, for those on the list, it’s another round of waiting.” We’ve got a crushing need for a massive and ongoing investment in deeply affordable (and public!) housing in our region. I know we’ve got folks working on plans and solutions, but is it enough? I dunno! I think it doesn’t feel like enough??The Henrico Citizen has the results of a survey Henrico County Public Schools ran asking teachers and families about a return to in-person instruction. Among families, it’s pretty evenly split with a slight majority preferring to remain fully virtual. 75% of teachers, though, said that they’d return to schools if instructed to do so. We’ll see what happens tomorrow when Henrico’s School Board meets to consider a return to schools plan.I kid you not, yesterday the RTD ran this incredible headline as BREAKING at the top of their website in huge font: “Some geese were removed from Byrd Park - with the support of a goose task force. A new group sued to stop them.” This piece by Sabrina Moreno is just wonderful and includes lines like “But Byrd Park geese do not know how to read.” and “their fate has hinged on how much of a ruckus their feces has caused” and “As people fight for the feeding of human food to stop, geese will do what they know best: honk noisily, poop freely.” I get that this is a real issue impacting one of our great public spaces, but, man, it is nice to have some relatively inconsequential drama to focus on given everything else that’s going on at the moment.Northsiders! Councilmembers Hilbert and Gray have introduced ORD. 2020–224which would rename Confederate Avenue to Laburnum Park Boulevard. I don’t love the name since we’ve got a Laburnum Avenue just a couple blocks away, but neighbors conducted a ranked choice voting survey of 11 proposed street names (page 24 of this PDF) with 90% of Confederate Avenue homeowners participating. Actually, the list of proposed names had a surprising number of Confederate-adjacent options, so I should probably be stoked on where they ended up. Plus: Ranked choice voting! Council’s Land Use, Housing and Transportation committee recommended ORD. 2020–224 for approval yesterday and, at the moment, it’s on full Council’s November 9th agenda.Food hall, food hall, food hall! Mike Platania at Richmond BizSense says that a food hall is headed to Manchester at 400 Hull Street, just across the 14th Street Bridge from Downtown. I’ve visited a couple of food halls in other cities, and I’m a fan of the concept. Something like Pittsburgh’s Federal Galley would do pretty well in Richmond, and I’m glad to see this concept heading to the Southside.I got my flu vaccine at CVS the other day, and it was 100% a non-issue. It didn’t hurt, I didn’t make an appointment ahead of time, and it took just a couple of minutes. If you haven’t gotten your flu vax yet, just go do it! Keeping folks from catching the flu will help make sure our healthcare system has the capacity to handle this winter’s probably-impending increase in coronavirus cases. The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts will host a free flu shot clinic for uninsured or underinsured individuals today at the East Recreation Center (1440 N. Laburnum) from 2:00–6:00 PM. You can also use this page to find the closest spot to you offering flu vaccines. Just go get it done!This morning’s patron longreadCBP Drones Conducted Flyovers Near Homes of Indigenous Pipeline Activists, Flight Records ShowSubmitted by Patron Joe. Extreme skeptical face about government agencies casually using drones to do whatever it is they’re doing over sovereign (or American!) land.But our analysis of drone flights in Minnesota this year, sourced from Tampa-based flight tracking company RadarBox, suggests that CBP is surveilling multiple Indigenous advocates in the region who have fought against pipelines, including the proposed expansion of Enbridge’s Line 3. No one knows for sure what CBP is up to in these parts, and the agency offers very little information to the public. While the U.S. government’s violent suppression of protesters in places like Portland, Oregon, and surveilance of individuals’ social media feeds have drawn the most scrutiny, these drones are yet another powerful tool the government can use to chill free speech.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 53 °F, and today’s weather looks just as incredible as yesterday’s. Expect a lovely day with highs in the low 80s. Maybe social distance some beers in your best pal’s backyard?Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 872↘️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 39↗️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 76↘️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 32, Henrico: 20, and Richmond: 24). Since this pandemic began, 361 people have died in the Richmond region. VCU’s number of new cases continues to drop, and they’re holding steady at just under 50 total active cases between students and employees. University of Richmond, on the other hand, has zero active cases and hasn’t reported a new case since the week of September 6th. I don’t know what everyone’s doing out there, but, good job and keep doing it—that is unless you’re just not getting tested or not reporting your potential illness. Don’t keep doing that.Yesterday, the Mayor proposed a new dedicated funding stream for the City’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and I’m not sure I’m smart enough to have a great opinion on it. Lemme quote from the release: “Under the proposal, the future tax revenues from properties leaving the real property partial tax exemption rehabilitation program will go directly to an AHTF special fund to build new affordable units. In short, as properties are phased out of tax-exempt status, the Finance Department would direct that new revenue to the AHTF.” So the City has an existing program that gives folks who rehabilitate old buildings a tax exemption for a while—it’s a complex program of which I don’t fully understand the details. The Mayor’s proposal would take any tax revenues from those buildings, once the exemptions expire, and put them into a special bucket designated solely for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. According to the Mayor’s office: “The administration anticipates that this will result in $2 million in revenues in FY22, growing by approximately $2 million each year for the next five years. Therefore, in FY2026, the revenue to the AHTF will be an unprecedented $10 million.” I have lots of questions, but will wait patiently for some of the Housing Big Brains to tell me what I should think about the Mayor’s plan. Because I can’t help myself: I don’t think I love permanent special funds and do wonder, though, if a proposal like this would prevent future reforms/changes to the existing rehabilitation exemption program. Anyway, like I said, I will make space for the Big Brains. P.S. At the bottom of that press release, the City teases the release of their Equitable Affordable Housing Plan, which will drop on September 28th. I’m sure we’ll all excitedly be keeping an eye out for that PDF.Gregory J. Gilligan at the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Bow Tie Cinemas wants to sell all or some of their property on Arthur Ashe Boulevard. They don’t plan on closing either Movieland or The Criterion, which, assuming movies still exist in the future, makes me breathe a sigh of relief. How about this: What if the City bought the 5.88 acre wooded lot directly east of the Movieland parking lots and turned it into a park as part of the proposed Greater Scott’s Addition “Crescent Park?”GRTC has the details on the shuttle that they’ll run from City Hall to the new office of the General Registrar at the end of Laburnum. It’s an hourly bus that runs weekdays from 7:45 AM to 5:15 PM beginning September 23rd. It’s not great, and still makes trips to the Registrar more difficult, but it’s something. I’m not going to celebrate a mildly workable transit solution to a problem that was 100% avoidable and is, still, mostly fixable with some creative thinking about what services folks needs from the Registrar.Those two resolutions—to rename Route 1 within the City (ORD. 2020–153) and the long-running Vision Zero priorities resolution (RES. 2019-R068)—passed yesterday’s Land Use, Housing and Transportaiton committee. That means, at the moment, we’re gearing up for a pretty packed City Council meeting on September 28th. Should the agenda hold, they’ll take up the two aforementioned papers along with reducing fees for sidewalk dining, maybe two resolutions to increase contributions to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (although Mark Robinson at the RTD says Councilmember Robertson will co-patron the Mayor’s AHTF proposal, so I wonder what impact that will have on her own resolution), asking to increase pay for public defenders, rezoning the area around a couple of Pulse Stations, and the Equitable Affordable Housing Plan presentation. Of course, now that I’ve spoken it aloud, all of these papers will get continued into oblivion. You can check out the always-temporary full agenda here.I’ve made a few tweaks and updates to the Big List of Richmond’s 2020 Candidates Trello board. I’ve added a few useful reference links and attached each of the RTD’s questionnaires to the appropriate candidate card. I would love, love, love for folks to send me links to additional questionnaires for any and all candidates. I want this resource to be as comprehensive as possible, so, seriously, send me links. Finally, don’t forget about the Big List of 2020 Candidate Events document. Turns out there are a ton of candidate events. Was it always this way? Are we just more interested in this particular election? Has the pandemic trapped us at home so all we can do is watch candidate events? Anyway, I know I said I wouldn’t, but I’m going to shout out one in particular: The Mayorathon will host a 2nd District forum tonight at 6:30 PM via Zoom. I’ll be moderating this one, in as much as “moderating” means asking smart candidates interesting questions.This morning’s patron longreadThat Time $50 Used Apple Laptops Caused a StampedeSubmitted by Patron Ryan. Remember the “Henrico Laptop Stampede?” This piece in Vice gives some background and history and points out that, while embarrassing for the region, it was more about systemic (and probably racist) lack of access to technology than anything else. Also, even the moniker feels gross and dehumanizing, right?There are two stories about the Henrico County, Virginia school district worth discussing in the context of computing history: The fact that the school may have been one in the first in the country to give a laptop to nearly every student, and what happened to those laptops after the district decided to upgrade. The first is a story about a forward-thinking district leveraging its largesse for the purposes of equipping its student body for the future. The second, unfortunately, kind of has a Lord of the Flies-type vibe. Let’s spend a little time talking about the first part, because it really was an innovative program.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

A contemplation of the modern conservative conspiracy theory of a "deep state" leads me back to the dawn of modern conspiracy theory, the Enlightenment, when the ultimate conservative conspiracy theory was born as an explanation of the French Revolution: the Illuminati!  Some background music on the episode is copyright Alex Kish. Contact Alex at AlexKishMusic.com to license music for your own project. Other background tracks, including "Wake Up," "Remedy for Melancholy," "Delirium," "Laburnum," and "Marée," are by Kai Engel, licensed under an International Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY 4.0).    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you fitting in to God's plan for your life? Actually, this title is disingenuous. I'm not sure we can be completely confident that we are fitting in to God's plan for our lives. At least, not at the moment in time we ask that question. I am somewhat sceptical about the idea that God has a specific plan for my life or anybody else's. At least, in detail. What seems to me more illustrative of a genuine relationship, is that the connection between me and God is more of a dance than me figuring out his plan.  However, it is reasonable to ask whether the way in which we are living fits with the circumstances God has given us. In the picture above you will see a terrarium. It's the wedding anniversary gift my parents sent Penny and me. A terrarium, if you don't know, is a small glass box in which one grows plants. Small plants. Plants that fit. I may want a birch tree, a Laburnum, a Leyllandii. Yes, no matter how much I want them, they will not fit into that terrarium. It will not suit them. They will not thrive, and the terrarium would not survive. Forcing things to fit when we want them to only lead to breakages. Consequently when we went to the garden centre this week to buy some plants, we only looked at small ones. Ones that fit. I do not have time to fully develop the concept this week. A combination of wedding anniversary celebrations, my son moving out and my father being in hospital makes time a little more precious than usual. However, what I would suggest is that you spend some time in prayer this week asking our heavenly father to give you insight as to whether you are fitting the circumstances he has given you. When we accept his healthy restrictions, we are better equipped to flourish in the way he intends. Hebrews 12 is a good background passage on which to meditate. Upcoming projects and events for the next few days A sermon on Psalm 134 for the Watford church this Sunday Continuing the new series on prayer for the Thames Valley church (based on the Lord's prayer from Matthew 6). Next class based on Matthew 6:11. The wrap-up class for the series “They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might” (Psalm 145:11) - pulling all the parts together and answering questions A quiet time coaching podcast on "Give us this day our daily bread"  Visiting my mother for her 84th birthday Working on some plans, together with some friends, for an event on the issues surrounding Christianity and race. Taking the bank holiday Monday off to celebrate our wedding anniversary (which was the 24th August, but we delayed celebrating). Yes, it's been 35 years! Starting to host a branch of the Renovare (https://renovare.org/bookclub?ref=homepage) book club. We're beginning with Pete Greig's book, "How to pray (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51OBY2ijFxL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg) ". I've read the first two chapters. It's deep, but engaging. More on the book when I've had a chance to digest it. Don't forget the excellent resources that my friend Simon Dinning is putting out these days. His latest post is "Has the Bible Been Changed? (https://youtu.be/WWZUFg-09X0) " Solution focused coaching Many thanks to the person who agreed to let me coach them this week. Let me know if you would like some coaching. Sessions can be as short or as long as needed. I am currently looking for someone to help me with setting up a website for my coaching. Thank you to everybody who has already contacted me, but if you know someone or you would be interested in helping me with this please get in touch. Until the next time,  God bless, Malcolm

Edwards time !

Good morning, RVA! It’s 75 °F, and today looks slightly cooler than the last several punishing days. I hope y’all got some rain last night.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 911↗️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 16↗️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 117↗️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 48, Henrico: 43, and Richmond: 26). Since this pandemic began, 287 people have died in the Richmond region. Here’s my stacked graph of statewide new cases, new deaths, and new hospitalizations since the end of March. I’m not sure you can compare new cases now to new cases back in May since we’ve really ratcheted up our testing game: The Commonwealth now regularly reports over 15,000 tests each day. You can compare the ebb and flow of hospitalizations and deaths though, which is (morbidly) interesting. The latter lags behind the former by a couple of weeks. Also, the most recent COVID Tracking Project post says that, looking at the national data, “it took 27 days after cases began to rise in early June for deaths to start rising as well.” Virginia’s cases started to really rise around the first week of July, so keep that in mind as we get closer to that 27-day threshold here in the Commonwealth.I’ve got two ways for you to get involved in Richmond City civics this morning—perfect homework for the weekend. First, the application for the Task Force on the Establishment of a Civilian Review Board is up and open! If you want to help the City figure out how its Civilian Review Board should work, this is the task force for you. They need nine members, include one person 18-years-old or younger, one person with a disability, and one person living in public housing. It’s unclear to me what kind of commitment they’re asking for—although building a CRB from scratch by March seems like a lot of work for a group of volunteers. Also, if you know a youth who’d be a good fit and they need some help with their application, please let me know! I’d love to help or find someone to help. Second, the City will hold the official public hearing on removing Confederate monuments at their meeting this coming Monday, August 3rd at 5:00 PM. A reader reminded me that, because the State says so, this public hearing must be conducted in person (PDF). That means if you really, really want to go sit inside with a bunch of other people for what could be several hours to give a public comment on monuments that have already been removed, you are totally welcome to do so. Alternatively, you can and should email the Clerk’s office (CityClerksOffice@richmondgov.com) with your comment in support of this paper before 10:00 AM on Monday, August 3rd.Jonathan Spiers at Richmond BizSense reports that the City’s Office of the General Registrar will move from City Hall to 2143 Laburnum Avenue sometime before Labor Day. Unlike City Hall, which is eminently accessible by foot, bike, or bus, this new location at the far west end of Laburnum, crammed up against the highway, is just plain hard to get to unless you’re driving a car. In fact, this BizSense article mentions parking four times and “ample parking” twice. However, not mentioned is that the new location’s only bus access is a 12-minute walk to the hourly #91 bus (it’d take you at least 45 minutes to get there from Downtown and over an hour from Southside Plaza), biking on the wide and speedy Laburnum is terrifying, and to get there on foot you must cross over a highway on-ramp and under two overpasses. Not only that, but in early August, VDOT plans to tear up the street directly in front of the Registrar’s new office to build a roundabout—adding navigating construction to an already significant stack of accessibility challenges. But why is the accessibility of the Registrar’s office important? This is where folks can register to vote, get an absentee ballot in person, and drop off an absentee ballot in person. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but there’s a pandemic on and the number of folks who will want to vote absentee in November is gonna be enormous, and the City just made it that much harder for people to safely cast their ballot. Remember yesterday when I said that we desperately need “transportation staff who live, breath, lead on this stuff and deeply integrate it into every nook and cranny of civic decision-making”? This is exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about. Luckily, all is not lost, and City Council will consider ORD. 2020–163 on August 10th which will create a satellite in-person absentee polling place at City Hall for two weeks before the November election. If it were me, I’d have the satellite locations operating for the entire time in-person absentee ballot drop off is allowed, but it’s probably too late to make that happen as there are some state-enforced timelines involved when adjusting polling locations. Anyway, ORD. 2020–163 is a very important ordinance, deserves your support, and you should email the City Clerk (CityClerksOffice@richmondgov.com) about it over the weekend (your third piece of homework!).This seems like good news: The Governor has asked the Virginia Supreme Court to ban evictions until September 7th, Justin Mattingly at the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Mattingly also says that Mayor Stoney and Council President Newbille have asked the local Richmond-Civil General District Court for a 60-day ban on evictions.It’s Friday, so I’ve updated my unemployment insurance claims chart with the new numbers from the week ending on July 25th. While totals claims have dropped continuously over the last month, new claims have steadily increased. I think I said this a while back and just haven’t had time to look into it, but I’d love to read some analysis on what kind of jobs are folks losing and has that changed over the past couple of months. You can read the Virginia Employment Commission’s post about this week’s numbers over on their website.I don’t really know how to talk about this piece about bike lanes in the RTD by Sabrina Moreno. I’ve got a lot of issues with it, starting with the headline (which is usually not written by the reporter). But, I don’t know that anyone needs to hear anymore opinions about bike lanes from a 3rd District white man who rides his bike everywhere. I’ll just say that I deeply agree with 9th District Councilmember Jones that, compared to sidewalks, bike lanes and shared-use lanes are cheap and quick to install. I think we should put them in on as many roads as possible to help folks safely walk, roll, and ride through their neighborhoods to access food, shopping, and public transportation. As Jones says, “I should feel comfortable that I can walk without worrying about a white person calling the police or a police car slowing down and that’s our reality.”My god, did you now that the parking requirements for multifamily buildings in Chesterfield is two parking spaces per unit? Even if they are one-bedroom units?? This blows my mind! Jack Jacobs at Richmond BizSense says the County will consider shrinking those requirements down to a still-too-chubby 1.5 spaces per one-bedroom unit.This morning’s longreadTogether, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our NationJohn Lewis wrote this essay before he died and asked that the New York Times publish it on the day of his funeral.While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 74 °F, and you know the drill. Expect hot, humid weather today and through the weekend. We might could see some rain next week, though!Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 613↗️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 32↗️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 46↘️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 30, Henrico: 4, and Richmond: 12). Since this pandemic began, 263 people have died in the Richmond region. Watching last night’s School Board meeting (more on that below) I learned that you can filter by region VDH’s Number of Cases by Date of Symptom Onset graph that I talked about yesterday! This should have been obvious since in the very chart I linked to yesterday there’s a drop down that literally says “Select Region.” Anyway, this is a fascinating dropdown because you can see how cases are increasing across the Commonwealth, even while they’re decreasing in Central Virginia. Actually, cases are increasing in every region—some more than others—except Central Virginia. Two reminders while playing around with this data: 1) the data are more incomplete the further to the right you get, and 2) the y-axis is not the same on each graph!I watched about five hours of the Richmond School Board meeting last night, got tired, and went to bed just 30 minutes before they adjourned around 11:30 PM. That’s the middle of the dang night! On the agenda was for boardmembers to hear from public health experts and doctors about how COVID-19 impacts kids and teachers in school settings, hear from Superintendent Kamras’s administration about how the two proposed school reopening plans might work, and then have boardmembers start thinking through how those reopening plans would (or would not) work for the RPS community.First, I thought the health experts—scientists and doctors from the Richmond City Health District and VCU Health—did a good job of laying out the case that the risk of student-to-student, student-to-adult, and adult-to-student transmission of the coronavirus is low, especially with younger kids. I wish their presentation was posted somewhere online because it was full of facts and stats with full citations because they’re scientists and doctors. The experts, however, were super clear: Any in-person reopening at all involves a non-zero risk to both kids and adults in the school building. Not reopening schools or reopening fully virtual also comes with potentially severe risks to students and families. I keep thinking about these lines from Superintendent Kamras’s email earlier this week: “We have families who will lose their jobs—and their homes—if they need to stay home to watch their children next school year. And we have families who are terrified of sending their children to school because someone at home already has a compromised immune system.” For me, this is the balance we’re trying to strike. How can we protect families who must send their kids to school this fall while also protecting teachers/staff and families from an extremely real and dangerous disease? It’s an incredibly difficult decision that the School Board has in front of it.The Superintendent’s presentation on the details for reopening, either under Plan A or Plan B, is worth a download (PDF). The first ultra important point in this reopening discussion: All teachers and staff can request to work from home, no questions asked. The Superintendent was very clear about this. Teachers and staff who do not feel safe or comfortable working inside a school building will be given the opportunity to work “a full tour of duty” remotely. If their job requires them to be physically onsite, the district will get creative in finding ways to do their jobs after hours, outside, whatever it takes. The second ultra important point: All reopening options discussed include a fully virtual option for students. Students who do not feel safe or comfortable learning inside a school building will be given the opportunity to do so entirely from home. With all of District’s proposed policy changes, PPE, hand sanitizer stations, extra staffing, RPS estimates the whole shebang will cost and additional $15 million—with $12 million coming from federal money, $1 million from philanthropy, and $2 million from a one-time transfer of capital funds. I didn’t catch what those capital funds are currently earmarked for, but I’d love to know.After listening to most of the discussion last night, I’m still leaning towards Plan B—which provides a full-time, in-person option for all students plus provides a full-time, fully virtual option for all students. However, I’d love to see more discussion about differentiating that plan for elementary, middle, and high schools. What if we spent the most resources making full-time, in-person school as safe as possible for the youngest kids (and their teachers!), who have the lowest risk and highest need? Then older kids could go mostly or even fully virtual for the foreseeable future?You don’t have to agree with everything—or anything!—I said in those previous paragraphs. And that’s OK! School Board didn’t make any decisions last night, so if there is something specific you’d like them to consider as they think through this incredibly tough situation, make sure you let them know.More monuments to white supremacy came down, and it’s honestly getting hard to keep track. Yesterday, the Maury statue’s globe got warehoused along with a Joseph Bryan statue in Monroe Park—we’ll probably want to rename Bryan park, too. After a couple weeks of hard work by the Crews and Cranes of Justice, I think that leaves A.P. Hill at the intersection of Laburnum and Hermitage as the lone bronze Confederate left. Lucky for Hill, whose moldering body is actually interred underneath the intersection, Mark Robinson at the Richmond Times-Dispatch says a Richmond Circuit Court judge has granted a temporary injunction on bringing down any more Confederate monuments. Robinson also reports that the Arthur Ashe monument will come down: “Ashe’s relatives made the request, fearing the lone monument to a Black man on the famous street would be damaged in an act of retaliation for the Confederate statues coming down.” The Mayor’s spokesperson says "The matter is still under consideration and we continue to have discussions with the family regarding their wishes.” So that’s a huge bummer.The Virginia Employment Commission released their weekly unemployment insurance claims numbers for the week ending July 4th. For the first time in about two months, the total number of folks filing for unemployment insurance increased, from 398,669 to 410,432.The James River Association and Richmond Public Libraries will work together to install green stormwater infrastructure at libraries across the city—I mean, you had me at libraries and stormwater. JRA will host a handful of in-person and virtual charettes over the next couple of weeks focused on the North Avenue, West End, and Broad Rock library branches. If you want to get involved—and, honestly, how could you not—sign up over on their website.This morning’s patron longreadWhat sank the Atlantic Coast Pipeline? It wasn’t just environmentalismSubmitted by Patron Blake. As an environmental policy n00b, I loved this look back at the last bunch of years of advocacy against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. We are, of course, living through a horrible moment, but big wins are still possible!What undid the pipeline in the final accounting may take years to untangle. But interviews with a dozen Virginia opponents of the project pointed to three main drivers of their victory and the developers’ defeat: a growing lack of faith in both Dominion and state government, an increasing recognition of environmental injustice and a legislative shift toward renewable energy that will allow Dominion to replace lucrative capital investments in natural gas with investments in wind, solar and storage.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

Hurricane Harvey makes landfall and Anne, Allison, Mikha, and Jennifer confront the destruction of their professional "home." The songs Laburnum and September are by Kai Engel and are used under a CC-BY 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. You can find Laburnum on the freemusicarchive at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/Chapter_Four__Fall/Kai_Engel_-_Chapter_Four_-_Fall_-_01_Laburnum and September https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/Chapter_Four__Fall/Kai_Engel_-_Chapter_Four_-_Fall_-_02_September.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 73 °F, and you can expect a hot, humid day ahead of you. No rain for the next couple of days, so take care to water your plants and gardens!Water coolerRichmond Police are reporting that last Thursday afternoon, Dominic Thompson, 31, was shot to death on the 2600 block of Ford Avenue in the city’s East End.As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 489↘️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 8↗️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 58↘️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 14, Henrico: 19, and Richmond: 25). Since this pandemic began, 220 people have died in the Richmond region. The COVID Tracking Project Twitter account continues to give me nightmares with their daily chartsandgraphs summary of the national coronavirus picture, and you should probably give them a follow. As we see reported cases of the virus spike in the South and the West, I do think this is important to remember: “Despite the numbers you see here, more people were almost certainly infected at the peak of the spring outbreak than are infected now. Testing was strictly limited, and only caught a small % of cases. But if the trends continue, this surge could reach or surpass those levels.” So, yes, things are bad right now, but they were worse in the spring when we had no real idea just how bad things were.Protests continued in Richmond over the weekend. Some of my favorite moments from across the last couple of days included: Sure Hand Signs updated the Richmond postcard mural on Charm School with imagery from the last 30-odd days of protests, the big huge puppets made an appearance at a march in rememberance of the Stonewall riots of 1969, someone added a little landscaping to the area around the Marcus David-Peters sign at the Lee Circle, I can’t get enough of this trombone guy, and Sabrina Moreno at the Richmond Times-Dispatch put together a nice piece about the projection art that’s become a mainstay of the evening experience at the Lee Monument. However, on Friday night, either the Richmond Police Department, Virginia State Police, the Virginia Capitol Police, or some combination thereof once again shot rubber bullets and chemical weapons into a crowd of protestors and into a residential neighborhood. Please watch this video in its entirety and see Allen Avenue turned into a war zone by our local law enforcement. I think Marc Cheatham from the Cheats Movement put it well: “The videos I’m seeing tonight are too much for me. I’m frustrated, sad, angry, confused, and sick and tired of this scene every few days. The police know the routine, yet it is becoming increasingly clear that they choose when and where they want to show force. Enough already.” Who’s even in charge and who has the authority to put a stop to this kind of police behavior?The answer to that question might by Gerald Smith, a former deputy chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Police Department and, starting Wednesday, the new chief of the Richmond Police Department. Let’s just say that the hiring of Chief Gerald Smith was not the smoothest transition possible. On Friday afternoon, Mark Robinson at the RTD reported that Interim Chief Jody Blackwell had resigned his position of Interim Chief not even two weeks after he took the job (with an email to officers, subject line “What’s up Troops?”). Then, later that evening, June 26th, Mayor Stoney announced he’d picked Gerald Smith to take up the job permanently. Quick turnaround for sure, but, muddling the process waters further, Robinson also found an ad in yesterday’s paper announcing a nationwide search for a new police chief—with the recruitment period beginning on June 28th and the application review period beginning July 26th. Without being on the inside, it’s impossible to know the sequence of events and what pushed the Mayor to cast aside an apparently planned month-long process. Maybe he vibed with Gerald Smith. Maybe Blackwell’s resignation created an unacceptable level of internal turmoil within the police department. Maybe Blackwell’s past officer-involved fatal shooting made him an untenable interim chief. Maybe the folks who placed the ad just forgot to talk to the folks making the hiring decision. Honestly, all of those seem just as likely to me at this point. Everything involving the local police feels chaotic, and I know I would feel a lot better if the folks in charge just slowed down and spent some time opening up their decision-making process and bringing Richmonders along on some of these choices and changes.Speaking of changes, the Hermitage Road Historic District Association released a statement about the A.P. Hill monumentwhich currently spends its time making the intersection of Hermitage and Laburnum one of the most dangerous intersections in the city. Here’s the money quote: “We are asking that the Mayor and the City Council of Richmond create a plan to remove the monument and remains expeditiously. We understand the reinterment process may take more time, so we ask that the statue itself be removed as soon as possible.” And, yes! A.P. Hill is actually buried under that monument which makes it a gravesite—and a veteran’s gravesite at that. Last week, in response to some questions from Councilmember Hilbert, the City Attorney said he had folks looking into the double complicated process of removing a Confederate monument that is basically also a gravestone.National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson has a great column in the paper calling for getting rid of Confederate school names and mascots—specifically Hanover’s Lee-Davis, home of the actual, literal Confederates. Robinson quotes from Faith Hubbard, class of 2019, “Being forced to call myself a Confederate as a Black student at this school was so disgusting and humiliating. My friends and I made many attempts to contact the school board about this and they shut us down each time.” The RTD’s Kenya Hunter and C. Suarez Rojas, say that last week the “Hanover County School Board abruptly adjourned in a split vote Tuesday after a two-hour closed session, putting off an expected decision on a pair of schools named for the Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and ‘Stonewall’ Jackson.” Just rename the dang schools already, Hanover!Also from Kenya Hunter, this piece looks at just how few Black students attend Maggie Walker Governor’s School. Read this and remember that it’s not just about changing names and taking down monuments, it’s also about changing and taking down the systems that lead to Black kids making up just 7% of the student body at our regional governor’s school.This morning’s longreadRichmond’s Confederate Monuments Were Used to Sell a Segregated NeighborhoodSo much has happened since this June 11th article, but it’s still interesting to read about some of the original context underlaying Monument Avenue.Throughout the development of the neighborhood, real-estate companies used the monuments to entice buyers. In 1913, the Greater Richmond Realty Company took out an ad in the Richmond Times-Dispatch that included an illustration of the proposed Jackson monument under the headline: “Stuart, Lee, Davis, Have Already Been Honored. No Longer Neglect Jackson.” The depiction of the intersection along with a tree-lined field in the background made it easier for potential buyers to envision their home overlooking the Confederate general. The ad implied that Jackson would not be fully honored until all the lots were claimed and occupied.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

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Today I'm heading over at 1 o'clock to Walmart to pick up my mobile order. It has a ton of things I need to get for my student gardeners.    When the kids help me out in the garden, I put them in teams of two and I generally have 6 to 8 kids helping me out in the garden on any given day. That means, I need to have multiples of some of my favorite garden tools.   So, today I'm picking up ate whisk brooms and eight pruners. The whisk broom's are for some of the detailed work we will do along the garden paths. This year we will be adding some polymeric sand.   And the pruners, of course, are for all the pruning will be doing. In fact, one of the first things they learn is to chop and drop; Allowing little pieces of plant material to fall and return to the earth.      Brevities #OTD On this day in 1778, the great French writer Voltaire died. Voltaire’s seventeenth-century novel: Candide: or, Optimism, follows a young protagonist as he ventures all over the world.    Despite all the terrible things that happen to him, Candide never loseshis optimism. Here is the most cited passage from the story: "'All I know,’ said Candide, ‘is that we must cultivate our garden.’  ‘You are right,’ said Pangloss, ‘for when man was placed in the garden of Eden, he was put there 'ut operaretur eum', so that he might work: which proves that man was not born for the rest.’   ‘Let us set to work, for that is the only way to make life bearable.'"   #OTD Today is the birthday of Gustav Leopold Miller, born in 1884, on this day, in Henry, Illinois.   His claim to fame was the invention of the brush weeder. It was described in the Daily Times out of Davenport, Iowa in 1918:   "It's composed of two brushes– whisk brooms in reality. The brushes are placed directly ahead of the principal shovels of the cultivator, felling the weeds about the corn plant...  And as the weeds are laid low, they are covered with earth which is thrown up by the shovels.   Miller donated the first weeder to the Red Cross and at a recent auction, sold one for the price of $60 Which is about 12 times the cost for which it will be retailed."       #OTD  It's the death day of Brian Lawrence Burt who went by "Bill."   He died in 2008. He was an English botanist and taxonomist noted for his contributions to the family Gesneriaceae; the family that Includes African violets.   When Burt started going on and plant expeditions in 1951, the Gesneriaceae family was poorly represented. Thanks to Burt's work, Edinburgh became the hub for the family. It led to the popularity in England of both the African violet and the Streptocarpus. Both became beloved windowsill plants.   If you look online, you will see a picture of Bill Burt, standing In a forest in South Africa on one of his botanizing trips. In his hands, he is holding a very large Streptocarpus grandis leaf that looks to be about 4-feet tall.         #OTD It's National Mint Julep Day.   A mint julep is made with a mint leaf, bourbon, sugar and water.   If you ask any Southerner, spearmint is the mint of choice if you are going to make a Mint Julep.             Unearthed Words   Here's a poem from Cicily Mary Barker; an English illustrator known for her work depicting fairies and flowers.   The poem mentions Laburnum; a small tree that has hanging clusters of yellow flowers. After it flowers it produces slender pods which contain poisonous seeds.   The Lilac Fairy from Cicily Mary Barker   White May is flowering,   Red May beside;   Laburnum is showering   Gold far and wide;     But I sing of Lilac,   The dearly-loved Lilac,   Lilac, in Maytime   A joy and a pride!     I love her so much   That I never can tell   If she’s sweeter to look at,   Or sweeter to smell.       Today's book recommendation: Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi. We lost Eleanor into 2009, at the age of 91.   This book is widely considered by many to be a classic of garden writing. It was Eleanor's only book. She wrote about working in her Connecticut garden. Perenyi was not a fan of rock gardens, chemical pesticides or petunias. She once called petunias, “as hopelessly impractical as a chiffon ball dress” There are many Wonderful quotes and sayings that are attributed to Eleanor in her book Green Thoughts. Here are a few of my favorites: “A little studied negligence is becoming to a garden:”  “The double hoops for peonies are beyond description maddening to unfold and set in place. Two people are needed, one of them with better control of his temper than I have.” “I ordered a modern purple martin house myself and proceeded to construct a dreadful object: unpainted, it looked like a cheap motel; painted blue and white, it looked like a cheap Greek motel and had to be thrown out.”      Today's Garden Chore Incorporate more perennial vines into your garden.     Vines have more uses beyond just climbing a trellis. Off-the-trellis ideas include —allowing them to amble their way through your garden, over walls, up into shrubs and trees, in pots, and more.       Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart   In 1906, the Superior Timesout of Superior, Wisconsin shared A solution to a common backyard problem: Unsightly Clothes Line Posts.   "One usually thinks of clothes posts as necessary evils and accepts their ugliness as unredeemable. It will surprise many to learn that they may be made beautiful and retain their usefulness.   I have seen a set of clothes posts In a back yard entirely covered with living green—a luxeriant growth of Virginia creeper... The best permanent screen for unsightly objects Is a group of evergreens. A clump of lilacs costs less and begins to be effective sooner."     Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

We start this episode as every podcast should begin - with Tom Jones impressions. After that we keep up the music theme by finding out that Pete has been hobnobbing with Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos and bonding with him over Graceland.Once we finally get past the name-drop section of the show there's time for an email from Brunei, some more weird baby names, a discussion about LiveJasmine, some more Jurassic Park chat and much, much more courtesy of you, the lovely listener. What ho!Join us by telling a tale of your own: hello@lukeandpeteshow.com***Please take the time to rate and review us on iTunes or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With preparations for the Chelsea Flower Show in full swing, Peter Seabrook is working hard to avoid neglecting his own garden at home.And we’re talking trees. From Maylus to Laburnum. Steph Dunn James from Frank P Matthews, growers of over half a million trees every year, returns to the podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Warmer temperatures are drying put soil resulting in more favourable conditions for planting and this week Paraic took a look at some trees that are coming into flower which can be planted now. Snowy Mespalus, Laburnum, Euryops and Flowering Cherries are adding a real splash of spring colour while Flowering Malus also offers the added benefit of pollinating apple trees. There were recommendations for greening up lawns to have them looking their best and tips on preparing ground for sowing vegetables. Bedding plants for the Irish climate and climbers for south facing locations were also featured this week, while listeners questions included unwrapping tree ferns, pollinating flowering cherries, tidying up cordalines, pruning large native trees and controlling carrot root fly.

Warmer temperatures are drying put soil resulting in more favourable conditions for planting and this week Paraic took a look at some trees that are coming into flower which can be planted now. Snowy Mespalus, Laburnum, Euryops and Flowering Cherries are adding a real splash of spring colour while Flowering Malus also offers the added benefit of pollinating apple trees. There were recommendations for greening up lawns to have them looking their best and tips on preparing ground for sowing vegetables. Bedding plants for the Irish climate and climbers for south facing locations were also featured this week, while listeners questions included unwrapping tree ferns, pollinating flowering cherries, tidying up cordalines, pruning large native trees and controlling carrot root fly.

In this episode we chat about episode 11 of the MCU's first television show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Season 1: Episode 11: The Magical Place You can find the complete plot on Wikipedia here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magical_Place#Plot) Credits end song is Magical Place by Laburnum (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnlN9zPC5lI)

Californian rabbit Today only the New Zealand white surpasses the Californian in its popularity as a commercial rabbit. The Californian also contributed its genes to a specialized modern commercial breed called the Altex, which we covered in one of the first episodes. Now we covered the Himalayan rabbit Breed a while ago, and The Himalayan plays an important part in many other breed's history, especially the Californian's, which looks like a large, meaty version of it. The Californian was made by crossing Himalayans with New Zealands and a few other breeds (some Californian breeders say it is just Himalayan and New Zealand, while others say the Standard Chinchilla was mixed in too). The Californian was added to many other breeds (like Champagne d'Argents and some lines of Cinnamon) to improve body type, so Himalayan marked sports pop up sometimes. Hello Listener! Thank you for listening. If you would like to support the podcast, and keep the lights on, you can support us whenever you use Amazon through the link below: It will not cost you anything extra, and I can not see who purchased what. This month we had purchases of: and: Or you can become a Fluffle Supporter by donating through Patreon.com at the link below: Patreon/Hare of the Rabbit What's this Patreon? Patreon is an established online platform that allows fans to provide regular financial support to creators. Patreon was created by a musician who needed a easy way for fans to support his band. Please support Hare of the Rabbit Podcast financially by becoming a Patron. Patrons agree to a regular contribution, starting at $1 per month. Patreon.com takes a token amount as a small processing fee, but most of your money will go directly towards supporting the Hare of the Rabbit Podcast. You can change or stop your payments at any time. I would like to thank T-Rex and Peggy Johnson for their generous monthly donations!!! Thank you for your support! History: Californians unlike many breeds we have covered that were named for a place they were not actually from, the Californians were indeed created and bred in California. The year was 1923. George S. West was a Kansan who had moved to Lynwood in Southern California. Being a rabbit fur buyer, he heard the stories from the breeders of up to a half of each NZ litter being ‘woolies’ - New Zealands with recessive wool coats due to the angoras that had been used in the early part of the 1900’s to improve the density of the New Zealand fur. Also being a commercial rabbit breeder with some pre-veterinarian and genetics training, Mr. West was ideally suited to take on the challenge of a breeding program designed to create the ‘perfect’ meat rabbit with dense desirable fur. Standard Chinchilla rabbits and Himalayans were chosen due to the various qualities of the fur. Five years of persistent breeding finally produced a small, chinchilla-colored male prototype with all the correct fur traits. This buck was then line-bred with Mr. West’s several hundred recessive-angora-free New Zealands in order to put commercial meat bodies inside those pelts. Interestingly, despite heavy demand for Mr. West’s new "Cochinelle" rabbits, as they were called initially, he refused to relinquish any breeding stock except to two well-trusted Southern California breeder friends of his. The two breeders together with Mr. West pursued the vision for the breed for another couple years. The three breeders, Mr. West, Mr. Wesley Dixon of Glendale and Mr. Roy Fisher of Pomona, together were instrumental in perfecting the Californian as we know it today. The first Californian rabbit was shown at South Gate, California in 1928. The 1932 ARBA Convention in Pittsburgh, PA. was the first convention that the Californian was shown. The breed was given a working Standard in 1939. On March 7, 1948 a special meeting was held in Bakersfield, California to complete a new Standard that had been presented at the 1947 Milwaukee, WI. Convention for discussion. The national Californian Specialty Club was founded in 1946, and the name changed to Californian Rabbit Specialty Club in 1959 to eliminate any confusion as to 'what' was Californian. In 1946, A. O. Kelly Jr., of University City, Missouri, started the organization of the Californian Specialty Club. The club was started to stimulate the improvement of the Californian rabbit and make it prominent on the show table. In early 1947 a Constitution and By-Laws was adopted and application made to the American Rabbit Breeders Association Fifty members from sixteen states were in the original group. In 1948 Wesley Dixon was elected President and by 1952 the club had grown to 290 members from 30 states and Hawaii. The Standard as drawn up and approved at the meeting was mailed to the membership for approval. The Standard was approved, presented, and accepted by the ARBA at the Long Beach Convention in 1949. Prior to 1955 some other changes were made in the Standard and again a clarification was made concerning smut on the usable portion of the pelt. Our standard was rewritten in 1965 under chairman William A. Schaefer of Windsor, Connecticut. The Standard was updated again in 1980 with points allotted for condition. The 1991-95 Standard had some minor word changes and the 1995-2000 standard was updated with wording and some changes in weight classifications. The "New 2011-15 ARBA Standard of Perfection" will be available at the ARBA Convention in November held at Minneapolis, Minnesota Appearance: The Californian has the consummate commercial meat rabbit body. It is very muscular, full in the shoulders, and as deep as it is wide in the hindquarters. The usable pelt is completely white, while the points retain the Himalayan coloration. The Californian rabbit has big ears (although not as large as the ears of Flemish Giants) and is large in size, weighing around 10 to 12 pounds. This breed's coloration is similar to the Himalayan, with a white body and colored points. The variety (color) is normally white with spots and they don't normally have any other color to them. The does usually get up to 12 pounds and the bucks only get up to 10-11 pounds. Senior bucks should weigh 8-10 pounds (3.6 - 4.545 kg), with 9 pounds (4 kg) being ideal. Senior does should weigh 8 1/2 - 10 1/2 pounds (3.86 - 4.7 kg), with 9 ½ pounds (4.3 kg) being ideal. The UK standard offers no upper weight limit, however lists 9 1/2 pounds (4.309kg) as the desirable weight. This rabbit breed has a commercial body type and should ideally weigh between 8-11 lbs. They also have a muscular body with full shoulders and hindquarters, which are as deep as they are wide. Their coat is usually completely white with Himalayan-like markings. Their ears are broad and medium in length, and should point straight up. Coat The Californian rabbit breed’s coat is dense and coarse and not soft, so petting them probably feels better for the rabbit than for a human. Its fur is short and the undercoat should be dense. You may find they tend to shed its coat more in the spring than other season of the year. To keep as much of their fur out of your home as possible, simply groom them with a bristled brush outdoors 1-2 times per week when they are shedding the most. Otherwise, once a week or once every two weeks should be more than enough. Colors The only color accepted by the ARBA when it comes to Californian rabbits is white with markings as dark as possible. They have black/near-black markings on their nose, feet, ears and tail and must have pink eyes (like that of an albino rabbit). Cals are pure white except for their ears, nose, feet, and tail, which are black, blue, chocolate, or lilac. While in the US Californians are accepted in black points only, in the UK, Californian Rabbits are accepted in black, blue, chocolate, and lilac varieties. The Californian color is caused by the ch gene, often called the Himalayan gene. This is just one step up from albino; color is restricted to the points. The pointed white color is temperature sensitive: cold makes it darker and heat makes it lighter. (Notice that the points are farthest away from the internal heat source of the rabbit.) Californian rabbits in cooler climates will naturally have darker point color, so some breeders in the south actually have “chiller room” rabbitries in which to grow out their show rabbits! Californians have red eyes and very dark, almost black, points - nose, ears, feet and tail. Any color on the usable portion of the pelt is a disqualification from the show table. This can be tricky, since the pigment is temperature sensitive - colder climates may induce ‘smut,’ or coloration, where it does not belong. A molt can, however, remove the tinted fur, which will grow back white once again under correct conditions. Feed and housing Commercial rabbit pellets are often recommended, though this is a disputed claim amongst rabbit rescue shelters and commercial breeders. Pellets are high in fat and protein needed for a healthy rabbit.Feed 1/2 cup of pellets per 5 pounds of body weight every day. Ensure a steady supply of fresh water or the rabbit may not eat the feed ration. For rabbits under 8 months of age, feed unlimited plain grass pellets. House rabbits may be fed 2 cups of fresh rinsed greens, (NO iceberg lettuce) vegetables (stay away from greens high in iron) should be given daily, and fresh fruit sparingly. Free choice hay, such as timothy-grass, should be unlimited and changed daily. Alfalfa hay should not be offered free choice to rabbits over 8 months of age because it is too rich in calcium. Fruits and vegetables can also be used as incentives or treats to reward your bunny whenever they complete a task or obey a command (such as sitting, staying, or using their litter box). make sure to research what kind of fruit/leafy green/vegetable you’re planning on feeding them, as some are not recommended for rabbits. Outside housing should protect the rabbit from wind and rain/snow. Most breeders use wire cages to keep rabbits clean and healthy. Cages are typically 30 inches by 30 inches in size, with nursing does and grow out pens being 30 inches by 36 inches. 14 gauge GAW wire is ideal, as the thicker diameter provides more support for heavy breeds. A resting mat, such as a sheet of wood or slotted plastic, can be placed in the cage to reduce chances of sore hocks. The floor wire should be 1" x 0.5" welded wire, and the walls should be either 1"X 1" or 1" x 2". Never use hardware cloth for flooring as this is too rough on feet and will cause sore hocks. Poultry netting should also be avoided as it is often insecure. Avoid using treated wood, cedar, or painted wood as this can be toxic to rabbits. Intact rabbits should be kept in individual cages once they are over 4 months of age to prevent fighting and accidental breeding. Despite being used mainly as a show or meat rabbit, they do well with human interaction and can make excellent pets. This particular breed does well either in indoor or outdoor enclosures, as their coat is dense enough to handle cold temperatures (even with snow), so long as their outdoor enclosures are protected from the elements (sun, rain, snow). Outdoor enclosures should also be covered on three sides to protect rabbits from cold drafts in the winter, as well as provide ventilation and shade at the same time during the hotter months. Indoor enclosures should be made of wire, be large enough for them to stretch out in and have a plastic bottom. The bottom should be laid with good-quality bedding (some owners like using small amounts of horse bedding, which is perfectly acceptable), should be spot-cleaned every day and completely replaced every week. Many pet rabbits do very well in the home. They can be litter box trained and are quite fastidious groomers, they can also be trained to wear a harness and leash. Be aware that rabbits love to chew so make sure all wires are safely hidden or in protective plastic covers and understand that some of your furniture, books and baseboards may be nibbled. They can be contained in an exercise pen to prevent damage to your house. Now we have covered House rabbits in depth on a previous episode, but as a few pointers: Unlike other pets such as dogs and cats, rabbits are a little bit tricker to litter train. With lots of time, patience and rewards, rabbits can be potty trained but it takes much longer than other pets. Instead of using just one litter box, try to spread a couple around the house so they won’t be tempted to do it in a corner because they cannot hold it in. When rabbit parents find that their bunny tends to do their business where they are not supposed to (such as their favourite corner in the living room), they put a litter box in that particular area and sometimes, that is enough to make the rabbit understand that this is where they need to do the deed. Like most rabbits, your Californian should be given a couple of toys to make sure they aren’t bored, as boredom can lead to the destruction of your personal property such as shoes, your room’s baseboard and basically anything else that they can sink their teeth into (much like puppies). Toys can include a few balls, a paper towel roll or anything that is bunny-safe purchased from your local pet store. If you choose to cage your rabbit, make sure the cage is at least 2 feet by 2 feet by 4 feet. If the cage has a wire bottom make certain you give the rabbit a plank or sea grass mats to stand on so his feet won’t get damaged from being on the wire all the time. It is preferred that the bottom wire of the cage be 1/2 x 1/2 - large enough for the bunny berries to go through, but small enough to keep their feet and nails from being caught in the wire. Provide a hide box or shelter and plenty of straw for bedding. The rabbits are wonderful pets, with a very nice easy-going temperament. They enjoy empty oatmeal boxes, a juice can (paper) with the ends cut off and stuffed with hay, a bell hanging from the top of their cage. You should also provide chewing material, such as untreated pieces of lumber or small twigs from trees. Health: The Californian rabbit does not have any particular disease of health issue, but it can develop sore hocks should they be kept in an enclosure with a wire bottom (which is not recommended for any rabbit, for that matter). Having said that, rabbits are susceptible to a few problems which differ from cats or dogs. Should you keep your rabbit mostly outdoors, for example, flystrike can happen, especially in hotter months. This occurs when flies lay their eggs in soiled parts of your rabbit’s fur (mostly near their bottoms) and once the eggs hatch, their main source of food is your rabbit while it still lives. This causes excruciating pain for your rabbit and can even be lethal – be sure to take your rabbit to your local vet to get them treated should you suspect this is happening. Also check your rabbit’s mouth every two weeks or so for overgrown teeth, as rabbit’s teeth never stop growing. Should their diet be low in hay, teeth can continue to grow into their faces and jaws, which can also be very painful. Thankfully, veterinarians can usually treat any infection due to overgrown teeth and can also shave those teeth down to a manageable length. Finally, every rabbit should also be periodically checked for ear mites, as it is a common problem especially among rabbits who are mostly kept outdoors. The Californian Rabbit makes a great pet because of its mild temperament. Californian Rabbits do well with human interaction and also make excellent pets. Temperament/Behavior While mostly bred as meat or show animals, many love having the Californian as a pet rabbit because of their mild temperament. While they may seem shy and sometimes even quiet, with proper socialization (which means lots of time outside of their enclosure, interacting with their human families), their personalities will bloom and you will soon find out that your Californian loves to play and be active but also loves to sit back and cuddle when the time is right. This makes them great first-time pets for couples, singles, seniors or families with children of any age, so long as they are careful when holding or petting the rabbit. Always make younger children sit on the ground when they are petting rabbit (even ones as large as this one), as if they happen to fall or flip over, they won’t get as hurt since they are already near the ground. In the United States breeds are as widely raised, as easily recognized, or as all-around useful as the Californian. Each year hundreds, maybe thousands, of Californian trios take Grand Champion meat pen at fairs around the country. They are often finalists on the Best in Show table, and are widely raised for their meat and fur value both by large scale rabbitries and back yard breeders. You have to put your hands on a quality Californian to fully appreciate its smooth, solid build and fine coat. Californians weigh slightly less than New Zealands. Since both breeds are heavily utilized for the meat industry, commercial production breeders frequently cross-breed these two breeds to achieve hybrid vigor and a reduced time to market. The result of cross-breeding are offspring with points that are significantly lighter in coloration. If available, the Altex "terminal cross" can also be used. You can learn more about terminal crosses of Altex Rabbits on our episode that covers this specific breed. Californians should be judged “from the hind end forward.” The hindquarters pack the most meat, so it carries more points in the Standard than the midsection or shoulders. The body type should be as deep and full as possible. Looking at the rabbit from the side, you should see no dips in the smooth curve of the topline rising behind the ears and arching down to the tail. Your hands should not catch on the hips or feel any pinbones when you rub a Cal from front to back. The fur is to be a flyback that conforms to the ARBA commercial fur standard. Californians should be pure white with dark markings called smut on the “points” – nose, ears, feet, and tail. The eyes are ruby red. Color on the “usable portion of the pelt” is a disqualification, because furriers preferred an all-white pelt. Color of the points is to be “as near black as possible” – but black is not the only showable point color! Most people don’t realize this, but blue and chocolate pointed Californians do appear in litters and can be shown, but are faulted for point color other than black. Now Id did find a club dedicated to the Califonian: Purpose of the CRSC The purpose of the Club shall be to promote and improve the breeding of Californian rabbits; to encourage the exhibition of the Californian; to advance and protect the interests of the public as well as those of the breeders by the dissemination of authentic and reliable information concerning their value for food, fur and show; and to cooperate with other organizations in the promotion of Californian rabbit breeding in general. Our breeders have become more skillful over the years. As a result the competition has attained a very high level. The Californian rabbit has won Best in Show at ARBA Convention four times. Mark and Clyde Henry of Michigan in 1975, Brian Rice of Indiana in 1981, Trudy Hannon of California in 1982 and J.R. Wilson of South Carolina in 1988. Will you be the next to "WIN!" this honor? During the 1981-82 show season the sweepstakes contest winners posted over 24,000 points. The runner up during this time period totaled over 20,000 sweepstakes points, third place had over 17,000. This was a sensational occurrence and has not been accomplished since that time. The Californian Rabbit Specialty Club formally recognized it's youth members before any other Specialty Club. Our youth members have enjoyed the same privileges as the adults since 1958. A youth sweepstakes contest is held annually (starting July 1st - June 30th) each year with excellent competition by our youth members. Californians are an excellent rabbit breed. They produce large litters of 8-12 kits. Californians are a breed developed for show and meat purposes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_rabbit http://www.petguide.com/breeds/rabbit/californian-rabbit/ http://rabbitbreeders.us/californian-rabbits http://www.raising-rabbits.com/californian-rabbits.html http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-breeds/californian-rabbit-breed-information/ Plant of the week: Laburnum Word of the week: Kidney How The Rabbit Killed The Lion A Tibetan Folk Tale "To your foe do not give a promise, for he carries a sword.(Tibetan Proverb.)" Illustration For The Tibetan Folk Tale How The Rabbit Killed The Lion A long, long time ago, before the mountains were melted, and the trees were burned, and the animals all died, the sun was so hot that the mountains all ran down level with the plains. Then the king of beasts on the earth was the lion, and every morning all the animals had to come and kotow to him. One day there was a rabbit in a nice soft bed of grass, feeling so comfortable that he didn't want to go and kotow to the king. He didn't see any use of it, didn't know exactly where the lion was, and he was having too good a time anyway. All of a sudden the king stood before him looking like a thunder cloud. He spoke and said, "You little split-nosed rascal, here you are having a nice time eating grass, and have not come to kotow to me. All the other animals have made obeisance this morning. You do not value your life at all, do you?" The rabbit thought, "If I don't tell this lion a lot of big lies, he will surely kill me, so I must tell them to save myself." Very politely, he said, "This morning when I got up to go to make my obeisance to you, I came to a stream of water, and in it was a big she-devil and I was afraid, and ran up here a few minutes ago to hide in this grass." The lion asked, "Did that devil harm you?" "No," answered the rabbit, "she didn't hurt me, she only yelled as I went by and my heart seemed as if it would break into two pieces, and that was enough for me. She asked, 'You little short-footed fellow, where are you going so fast?' I answered, 'I'm going to make my obeisance to the king of beasts.' Then she said, 'Well, we are going to see about that, son, and find out who is greater, he or I. I've hunted every place for this lion and can't find him, so when you go to kotow to him, you tell him for me, that I want him to come here where I am in this water, and we will see who is to be the ruler of the beasts.' So if you have anything to say to her I'll go take the message, as it would not do for you to go down there." The lion answered, "I haven't anything to tell you, but I have something to say to that devil, and I'll go down and say it myself. There isn't anything on earth or any devil that can be bigger or think themselves bigger than I am, or more able to rule the beasts, for I'm the biggest there is. If she whips me, I'll be the same as a dog and let her rule." The rabbit thought, "I'm in for it now, I'll lead him down and let him see for himself." He led him to the stream, and when the lion saw his reflection his hair all bristled up and his tail lashed from side to side. The rabbit, dancing up and down, yelled, "There she is, there she is." Whereupon the lion flew into a great rage, jumped into the water to fight and drowned himself. http://whisperingbooks.com/Show_Page/?book=Tibetan_Folk_Tales&story=How_Rabbit_Killed_Lion   © Copyrighted

What a beautiful moment we shared today with Harrison Craig and the boys from Laburnum and Mildura West Primary Schools. No better message than to find your voice, whatever that may be, and believe anything is possible.

What a beautiful moment we shared today with Harrison Craig and the boys from Laburnum and Mildura West Primary Schools. No better message than to find your voice, whatever that may be, and believe anything is possible. The post RB005 – Harrison Craig – Mon-19-Jun-2017 – Rae Bonney appeared first on Talkhub.

This week's programme kicked off with a flavour of what is on offer at this year's Bloom with 22 show gardens and talks and information over the 5 days of the festival. Featured plants this week included Laburnum and Hostas while timely topics ranged from greening up lawns to bedding plants for different occassions. Paraic gave advice on replacing hedging, plants for white colour, watering in general in warmer weather and treatment of aphids on hedging, flowers and fruit trees. Listeners questions included growing mushrooms from kits, overspraying lawns with weed killer, camelias with brown leaves and moving camelia and magnolias.

This week's programme kicked off with a flavour of what is on offer at this year's Bloom with 22 show gardens and talks and information over the 5 days of the festival. Featured plants this week included Laburnum and Hostas while timely topics ranged from greening up lawns to bedding plants for different occassions. Paraic gave advice on replacing hedging, plants for white colour, watering in general in warmer weather and treatment of aphids on hedging, flowers and fruit trees. Listeners questions included growing mushrooms from kits, overspraying lawns with weed killer, camelias with brown leaves and moving camelia and magnolias.

Sweet Potatoe was the main plant featured this week - this South American native grows well in Ireland indoors and Paraic advised on fertiliser, growing conditions and varties that are particularly successful in our climate. Chilean Lantern and Laburnum are now coming into flower and Paraic spoke about the importance of feeding plants at this stage and also warned about the prevalence of pests in general recommending preventative action before its too late. Listeners questions included problems with bare patches in laws, sowing beetroot and kale, treating mare's tail and bind weed and lifting daffodils and bulbs in general.

Sweet Potatoe was the main plant featured this week - this South American native grows well in Ireland indoors and Paraic advised on fertiliser, growing conditions and varties that are particularly successful in our climate. Chilean Lantern and Laburnum are now coming into flower and Paraic spoke about the importance of feeding plants at this stage and also warned about the prevalence of pests in general recommending preventative action before its too late. Listeners questions included problems with bare patches in laws, sowing beetroot and kale, treating mare's tail and bind weed and lifting daffodils and bulbs in general.

Paraic gave a variety of top tips for gardening this week. Now that the fine weather has arrived topics covered included the control of weeds which are very prolific just now and the sowing of Spring flowering plants from seed for next year. Paraic also focused on the planting of Laburnum, Sweet William, Peas & Beans, and he also advised on how to grow chilli plants and how to get the best from flowering and fruit plants.

As Yet Unnamed London Theatre Podcast 17-Mar-2013 With T R P Watson  - Phil from the West End Whingers  - Webcowgirl  - Julie Raby - Gareth James - Plays Discussed The Winslow Boy - Old Vic Theatre  [00:12] Peter and Alice - Noel Coward Theatre  [09:30] Mies Julie - Riverside Studios  [26:00] Laburnum Grove - Finborough Theatre   [40:25] Reviews Above Me The Wide Blue Sky - Maria Theatre, Young Vic The Living Room - Jermyn Street Theatre Mies Julie - Riverside Studios The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Apollo Theatre