Spirits are the least conventional lifeforms in Gnosis and the people of its worlds really don't understand what they are or how they function. As they are so highly unconventional, I'm looking for a little feedback on the core concept. I'll keep it as quick as I can, but this is a big complicated topic and spirits are weird so I may need to explain a lot.
From the Outside:
Let's pick a common spirit for an example, in fact the most common spirit species, fey. From the outside, they look like a tiny winged humanoid of some description. We'll go right to the one of the two contenders for least common of four subspecies because they'll require the least explanation, fairies. They basically look like miniature glowing humans with large butterfly wings, coming in every imaginable color for their skin although some are more common for each part than others and that means they're glowing those colors. Fey have some size-changing going on but in their smaller default form fairy women typically range from about 45-50cm and fairy men about 35-40cm in both height and wingspan, and in their larger form they go up to 1.5x scale. Spirits don't need to sleep, can if they want to and there are reasons they might even if usually only for a couple minutes to fix some recent major injury.
Most species of spirits are 75% female and fey are in that group, so let's look a bit closer at a fairy gal. The first thing you'll notice about her is that she is very colorful her surface has zero texture, but you may not notice from a distance because her surface is using artistic tricks to imitate texture without actually having it. Her various features are simplified, yet either exaggerated or understated. Her usually quite a bit of head hair is usually also a pretty loud color but it's also actually just part of her head which is one rigid piece and if this gal has long hair you'll notice it only bends at the top of the neck one time to keep the rest "hanging" where it "should be", and trying to change her hairstyle is painful and fruitless. Her jaw stretches and twists to imitate an actual joint being there but there also clearly isn't one if you look closely. Spirit hands and moreso heads, especially their eyes, are larger while their legs are slightly shorter relative to their height and their feet are tiny, meanwhile secondary and tertiary sexual characteristics are exaggerated overall but with a larger standard deviation from the average in each area between individuals to the point where they still reach 0 if less often. They're not a very convincing imitation, to put it lightly, they should be well on the "less human" side of the uncanny valley.
Spirits are regenerating shapeshifters, in the case of fey it's mostly size-changing, but all spirit sophonts also have the ability to imitate clothing, weapons and equipment even if the imitated gear is not nearly as good as the real thing. It and the body part it's on are not separate and the false gear cannot be taken off or set down except by shapeshifting it out of existence, nor can they imitate chemicals or complex machinery like the magitech in nearly all proper melee weapons, which of course means imitating any sort of ranged weapon or explosive is off the table. It also means they aren't rendering their body underneath the gear, if she's wearing a shapeshifted knee skirt and you were to look up it you'd see an opaque void the same color as the skirt which her knees are sliding freely along the surface of, there's nothing between it and where the shapeshift gear ends, everything from hem to waist currently IS the skirt. (Of course if she's wearing actual clothes this does not apply.) Same if she shapeshifts a sword into her hand, the sword and hand are a single piece so it only looks like she's holding it, like a cheap action figure. It also needn't be a sword, most hand tools can be imitated effectively, from hammers and saws to ladles and spatulas, just note that it's part of her and smacking it on things or getting it too hot will hurt even though shapeshift gear is not very sensitive.
Fey also can control the brightness of their glow or generate spotlights, generate and manipulate magnetic fields, of course fly and pretty quickly, they swim fine too which is extremely odd for fairies given their apparent butterfly wings, and all but pixies have easy if slow contact healing albeit the fairy's healing is stronger and pixies have their own benefits (stealth, sensors and a 3-day forecast). Healing is a fairy's main ability, when in water it's strengthened (as is a nymph or ghillie) and in emergencies fairies can massively drain their energy reserves even to the point of depleting them in order to staunch more severe wounds than they would be able to normally, although that's something they can't do more than once or at most twice without a refill and it's still got its limits, "already dead" is beyond those limits, "decapitated" also counts, if somebody's heart got bisected that's somebody they're not fixing, but this burst of frenzied automatic medical treatment is just the thing for some poor sap who's just taken multiple bullets to the chest and head. They're pretty good at self-repair and generally have less downtime than some fey when the poor things get severely injured very easily. (Not because they're little, being a spirit makes that difference often less than it appears, but because they're spirits.)
But what if you touch her? Well, then you'll discover her textureless surface isn't actually a surface at all. You'll start feeling resistance just before you make contact, like trying to touch like poles of two magnets. This is pretty mild, but intensifies as you go on and once your finger passes through her stomach miss fairy will scream and hit you but more importantly you'll contact something solid not far beyond it, many somethings solid spaced apart, teeny-tiny balls and stands. That's odd, so let's put on a mask with goggles and stick our face in this fairy who hopefully agreed to that but it seems unlikely on account of how much this is going to hurt. (Maybe for science. And food. ...And a hug or five or six.)
On the Inside:
What you'll find in the little lady is exactly what it felt like, many less than one millimeter thick strands connecting hundreds of millimeters-wide orb-shaped nodes and thousands more nodes no bigger around than the wires leading to them. Most of the spirit's body is empty space, covered by a gradient forcefield and projected light. These internal structures are brightly colored, in the case of fey blaze orange and notably each part of their facade is most commonly an orange/brown of various hues, brightnesses and saturations (including super dark brown or super pale orange for their pupils and sclera), but if broken open are transparent or translucent white/grey inside. For ages there was no even vaguely comparable material to the unusual lipid-derived organic stuff these nodes are made out of, but the Drachentäller invented a very similar one half a century ago called "plastic" (though only they make it right now so it's still pretty pricey). The nodes have openings on them of different types which differentiate their function, but these aren't well understood, except the biggest ones outside the core that are just storage tanks for slurries of liquid nutrients. The wires feel like normal rubber-insulated wires but super thin, but under a microscope they look to be another bioplastic and if split open will reveal themselves to actually contain both piping for transporting material between nodes and actual copper wire that carries a current too low-gauge to be powering anything so it's speculated to effectively be her nervous system.
This explains her shapeshifting, seeing as her body's not real she just needs to re-arrange her wires and nodes, alter the shape of her outer fields and the image she's projecting. To grow from 50cm to 75, she just increased the distance between her nodes by 50%, her "surface area" by 125% and her "volume" by 237.5%, her mass and weight are completely unchanged. This also explains how such giant variations can exist within one species or even subspecies, they aren't really nearly as big of a change as they externally look to be. Fairies can project light and generate powerful magnetic fields, those are also being done by her nodes, with the very projectors that create her outer fields and holographic "self" which she doesn't know isn't real unless you tell her (she probably won't believe it). It also explains why they feel pain when you attempt to penetrate their fields, for starters they think there's actual physical flesh you're pushing into except for how it visibly doesn't react like it once you've started (and that confusion's only going to make them freak out more), and it makes sense if this imitation is a defense mechanism for a pain response to exist to reduce the odds of you or them discovering what's inside or either of you being able to make sense of what little you do see.
Of course, passing through their fields doesn't always hurt, only if they're expecting it to, the field projectors will even roll inwards to create an opening if one is expected in that spot. IE she bites things by rolling her face fields inwards to "open" her "mouth", then uses them to apply pressure, but as she has no actual teeth this is blunt and often she'll need to yank at it with her entire head, neck and even engage her torso to, for example, tear a chunk off a steak and swallow it. If you were to observe this hunk of steak you'd watch it get passed by repair nodes down into the woodchipper-like opening of one of her digestive nodes in her core, where it will be broken down into proteins and lipids and sent to storage through her piping. We know that because people have in fact stuck periscopes inside spirits to see what goes on inside them. As she uses energy, you may notice a tiny bit of fine dust descending from around her, this is ash and it's all that's left of the nutrients she efficiently consumes in exorbitant amounts to power everything she does. As she repairs damage, her repair nodes can produce the plastic of her tubing her core production nodes print complex components, even required metals coming out of what she eats.
The Core:
The core is the center of a spirit's being, a series of seven dreamcatcher-looking rings large nodes and thicker wire in rings stacked front to back with cross-crossing wires notably devoid of metal instead having silica fibers and flashing lights on each node for signalling between them, making sure every one in each ring is directly connected to each other for redundancy. Here you'll find, in her notably female case, from front to back, half her reproductive system, forward core nutrient storage, forward core cognitive ring (memory and motor control nodes are scattered throughout the body), central digestive and manufacturing ring, aft core cognitive ring, aft core nutrient storage and her other ring of reproductive nodes, and notably there is lots of tubing running between rings 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7. If she was male instead both reproductive rings would be at the back as the purpose of them is different.
In a fey, any humanoid spirit really, this is in the chest where you'd expect the heart to be. Some spirits have two cores, the second will be lower down, in a humanoid it'll be in the pelvis and/or abdomen, as low as it can be at its size and still fit without blocking the leg tendrils. These nodes require more exotic materials less common in food or that are more difficult to work with and even with recycling as much as possible are usually significantly harder to repair and replace. Losing digestive and manufacturing nodes is a big hit to regeneration rate, enough that they usually start by replacing those if at all possible. The way spirits die is by receiving too much core damage, or losing too much mass overall, to the point where they don't have the manufacturing nodes to fix themselves despite all being multiple redundant, or they lack both material in storage and the functionality to go get them. If starved, they will eventually enter an inert state and be left laying as a bundle on the ground until somebody revives them or they decay which takes a very long time even though their plastic is biodegradeable as it is coated in a preservative (in this case orange) chemical that takes years to corrode and is frequently replenished during normal activity. Even then, if you go grab the bundle and drop them into a bunch of loose resources like a bowl of ground beef and fruit preserves that'll solve the lack of resources and if they didn't lose all the required nodes they'll start fixing themselves up.
Damage control and repair:
As mentioned, spirits regenerate. As also mentioned, this is an internal repair system with distinct parts performing distinct tasks, which when they are unconscious gets all of their energy and resources allowing it to work significantly faster, whether they're unconscious because they were nearly destroyed or because they decided to go lie down for a minute because they just saw their wires and nodes for the first time. You may think this could be defeated by severing a part, since they wouldn't be able to reach out and grab it, but what'll actually happen is microwaves will be emitted by the repair nodes on each end of the breach and it'll fly right back into place to get fused back together, and if a node is is destroyed that node'll be replaced a part at a time which will take longer than patching a wire and it won't be working until it's fully reconnected, but the bioplastic that makes up most of it is pretty easy to print and paint if they've got proteins and fats on hand. If she takes too much damage, though, to the point where she's at risk of being destroyed she will involuntarily bail on this entire situation, dropping her outer fields and image, curling her wires into a tight ball, coating herself in a much denser forcefield, rocketing into the distance in a direction with nobody (detected) in it and as clear of a shot as possible. This launch is very forceful, reaching hypersonic speeds in a matter of seconds before the thrust stops and she cruises ballistically to a different post code and at quickly slows to a gentle landing. (Assailants: Brace for the backblast, or it may knock you on your ass.) She is semi-conscious during this process and once she's landed will fully lose consciousness in order to dedicate all her energy to self-repair until she's either back to 100% or as close as she's getting without getting up and finding something to eat. Significant damage to her core, whether it's that "enough core cables are cut to defeat their redundancy" or "a core node is destroyed", will usually result in her blasting off right away, as will her ending up in a situation where destruction otherwise seems unavoidable. Take a moment to absorb the implications of this while you imagine how much worse her being swallowed by a giant frog or something is going to work out for it than her even if she has to clean that mess up. Spirits actually dying due to violence is a rarity because of their remarkable ability to bail in the nick of time, although it does happen. They get hit with a 7-ton naval shell they're absolutely donezo, but dropping them in a volcano won't work because they'll blast off into the sky.
Reproduction and Development:
In her core, this fairy has two rings dedicated to reproduction, one at the very front and one at the very back. These are rings of dedicated manufacturing, wire-printing and assembly nodes, which create and keep in stock a set of redundant nodes, enough to make 1/2 of a new spirit minus their core. If we look in the chest of Sir Mothwing next to her he has none of the assembly or wire-printing nodes but he's got a bunch of dedicated manufacturing nodes in two rings at the back of his core and between them is kept the fruits of their labour: One entire spare core, in addition to half the nodes needed for the rest of a spirit stored stored between the reproductive rings and the back of the spirit which these nodes also manufactured. All they need to do is keep their cores together so a single opening through both their fields can allow them to interact. The actual internal process is unconscious, any activity that'll align their cores and press their bodies together will do the job. They mimic humans generally, but they don't always know how humans do it so this might just be hugging.
The spirit man will pass his spare parts into the spirit woman's chest, one at a time as she needs them, that's his entire job in the actual reproductive process. Granted, those are hard to replace parts, especially all those core cognitive and manufacturing nodes, so he can't do this nearly as often as she can and that puts the bottleneck on the side of the less common sex, giving them a slow reproductive rate. (Then again, they're massive resource hogs for their size, have indefinite lifespans and are hard to kill. Maybe slow reproduction's a good thing long-term.) As for her part she'll be externally paralyzed and unresponsive while her unconscious works as fast as it can making wire and connecting these parts together. In the mean time, he'll be semi-conscious, cuddled as close as humanly possible, only able to move if it's strictly necessary (if a coyote's wondering if they're edible he can go deal with that real quick and come back). The rest of the time while this process is going on, both of them will be tripping balls. No, that's not doing it justice, they're having a life-changing psychedelic experience. Why is unknown, only they're seeing the same things, communicating somehow and by the end they usually claim to "feel" the newborn's presence before they're born, if their estimates are right seemingly a couple hours after the core's done being assembled. Some think it's how the newborn's consciousness is formed, some think it's how all the child's various traits superficial and meaningful alike are determined, some think it's a deep spiritual experience meant to make them reflect on and prepare for the life-changing thing they're doing bringing another tinier person into the world, some think it's just meant to keep their conscious mind entertained while their unconscious does all the actual work. It's also notably intensely euphoric. Regardless, after about one day in 5d technicolor dreamland, the new infant spirit will be assembled and will exit the mother however makes sense to her. They may just pop right out of her chest as a little rolled-up ball, unfurl and form their facade mid-air before any of them wake up, only provided nobody's there to witness it (as far as any of them know).
The even littler one will as usual typically resemble hehis parents in many ways except often with several completely random minor variations like a ginger and a blue-haired parent may have a violet-haired child and have no idea why even if most of the time most of their traits seem to be inherited from their parents. Mutations that large shouldn't be occurring that often with biology as we know it, but this is not biology as we know it. Their sex is determined by how their mother assembles their core, whether they left room and connections at the front and back (female) or all at the back (male), and their facade matches their core in what may be a "natural" metaphor. As the father donates the core nodes the child will always be their father's subspecies, in fact this is how subspecies are classified because it's that reliable. ...And the exception is there are two species of hermaphroditic spirits who all have one male and one female core and each parent provides one of each and this means that if they are of different species you get actual hybrids, for example an ant myrmidon queen and a bee myrmidon queen make a wasp myrmidon queen with one ant core and one bee core. (Myrmidon queens look like little half-meter anthropomorphic insect queens, they make even tinier autonomous frameworks called "workers", "soldiers" and so on who are full-fledged sophonts. They have a limited cast of minions, a bee queen has six workers, four soldiers and two drones whose minds, memories and personalities are backed up every night in the queen's caboose in case they get smashed and they have to print a new copy. They usually don't understand the original is actually permanently dead and has not come back.)
A newborn fairy is already about half the mass of their parents despite looking externally like the infant they are and being the right size relative to them. The extra weight goes into thicker wire and fitting just as many forcefield and repair nodes into the way tinier body. At birth both sexes are always of identical actual mass, even if there's an apparent size difference, and will not appear to age externally despite accumulating actual mass as they go until suddenly overnight they appear to age years all at once complete with a change in their otherwise permanent hairstyle that seems to be subconsciously or even unconsciously decided and only usually has any continuity with the last style. This will first happen at 2, then at 5, then at 10. Their reproductive tract will grow in during their equivalent of puberty, until then there's just empty space, and even once it's there (age 14-16) it'll need just as much time to generate the parts as will be needed between kids later. If the kid's a girl that's only about six weeks, but for boys it's about two years, notably roughly coinciding with one of their overnight metamorphoses episodes when they turn 17, the previous having been at age 10, and they will suddenly go from looking like a kid in their pre or early teens to somebody vaguely in their late teens or early twenties, as they usually appear to be about the middle of the age group they're in, but it is while they are asleep on their exact birthday that these visible changes occur, all at once, exactly at midnight if they're already out. There is no upper limit on their age, after the "adult metamorphoses" at 17 they stop gaining actual mass (except they can always make more storage nodes if they need to) and their final visible change is at 82 at which point they look about a hundred years old indefinitely.
Combat Performance and the Framework:
Spirits aren't very strong, tend to be sent flying to the next county over from the next county over with one swing of a sword and their nutrient stores aren't much for how fast they can burn through them. That itty bitty fairy eats as much as a human toddler who appears to be several times her size and is many times her mass. Most of that normal operating cost is her facade, its fields and holograms are not cheap and she's not nearly as dimly glowly as other spirits even if turns it down as far as it'll go she will illuminate dim surroundings rather than only truly dark ones so that's more energy spent. All of that's coming from food eaten, and although their metabolism is more efficient and only leaves a fine ash she's still eating several times her actual mass on a daily basis. She also only has at most a couple days of nutrients stored, far less than if she spends that time, say, on a battlefield repairing damage to herself and others and shooting electro-lasers out of her wizard's staff in which case she'll be eating nearly as much as a physical folk-sized caster and more than any of the non magic-using soldiers. Thankfully, all spirits are omnivorous and not super picky about what they eat. Fat's got the most calories for them to use, sugar's the quickest to burn, carbs are sugars with extra steps and they need protein for their bioplastics that's most of what they'll need. They need other organic materials and minerals sometimes too, sometimes they'll eat rocks and even they can't have no explanation to give, but anything even vaguely edible to the least discerning and most voracious of goats will work just fine for them and they don't seem to be subject to poison or disease. (Corrosion is a different matter.)
They're really resistant to projectiles, they're mostly empty space after all a bullet could potentially go right through them and hit nothing, their forcefield does well against explosions, heat and corrosion, nor is cold really very effective, but a sword with good edge alignment faces comparatively little resistance from the forcefields and will cut them right in half straight through the core. Also, blunt impacts work fairly well, as although the force transferred through the fields is distributed between multiple projector nodes an impact can still jolt them hard enough to snap the wires they're connected to, it's not like they're spread across the entire facing side of the spirit's body like a blast wave and the forcefield is good at deflective most of the force of a blast wave away. This amounts in total to a significant melee weakness, especially since regeneration takes time and melee combat tends to be more short-lived than ranged combat. Although they are very hard to actually kill and all have interesting abilities, they tend to lose fights with physical sophonts pretty hard and may have issues with creatures that a physical sophont would demolish, since physical sophonts are stronger than they are, are capable of faster reaction times and can dish out a hit after taking one in a way a spirit won't because they'll probably be in the stratosphere. Of course, all of these people are probably wearing armor and that complicates this entire subject considerably, as does the fact that direct one on one duels are not exactly common.
Frameworks are their built-in attempt to make up for this, vaguely resembling a "wicker man" in the shape of one specific form of theirs complete with any and all shapeshifted gear as actual solid pieces. It's actually made bioplastics and glass as usual with them and it's articulated, it's got nutrient storage tanks, more forcefield and motor-function nodes, more holographic nodes too so their appearance gets more detailed (her hair even becomes a seperate piece from her head and flexible along its length) and they generally look more life-like with slightly less exaggerated proportions. Once in a framework, they can't shapeshift until they get back out, but while they're in it they're more protected, faster, stronger and have room for considerably greater reserves. They're both too metabolically expensive to manufacture and take up too much space to keep one of every possible gear variation, and while frameworks can be re-configured this is also metabolically expensive despite recycling as much as possible and being way cheaper than a whole new framework, so usually frameworks use shapeshift gear only if absolutely necessary even though framework gear is much more effective than normal shapeshifted gear between stronger fields and backing them up with various plastic and glass. Instead, spirits who have call for them tend to cap out at one framework for each of their major forms and not waste resources or space making more. Little miss fairy probably has a 50cm and 75cm framework, for example, and if she's not in danger often they'll last her until she outgrows them, and even then she can recycle them to mitigate the cost of the new ones. They last despite being made of bioplastic because thankfully, the framework is coated in a preservative coating just like her insides are that takes anywhere from months to decades to decay and is constantly being replenished when she's in the framework, it'll also take about as long for the bioplastic to degrade, and it can still be saved for a little while because her own repair system can also repair her framework. Of course, when you compare plastic and glass to actual armor and weapons it comes up short, but once forcefields are added to the mix... They still do in the balance, but only because the real armor and weapons can have internal magitech or be a different kind of weapon that couldn't be replicated, the framework weapons and armor tend to directly deal more damage and provide more protection by weight although that's "more protection" compared to lighter armor and "lighter weight" to denser armor.
What the IU Meat-People Think:
As you may have guessed, a common early "hypothesis" was that spirits were ethereal beings and their internals and frameworks were believed to be some sort of congealed ectoplasm and their connection to the corporeal realm. That belief died pretty hard when they were clearly reproducing, except to the kind of religious nutcase to whom reality is always irrelevant. Actual scholars who study things that exist are currently arguing as to whether to settle on "mechanical lifeform", "semi-physical lifeform", "holographic lifeform", or something like that except they all seem to think only their suggested term is acceptable and everybody else is WRONG BECAUSE (17 paragraph diatribe here). Still, they're at least seen by the scientific community as being an extremely bizarre lifeform. You might think they'd have a little issue accepting them as a lifeform because of all the plastic and metal wiring, but there's one important background detail I should mention: Spirits first came from the Otherlands.
In the Otherlands of west Sohei, meat grows on the ground, plants get up and walk around, animals come from spores, giant clonal colonies of sedentary animals grow throughout forests seeping caustic sludge, meteors sometimes fall from the sky followed by crystals that forge themselves mecha made of the ossified remains of what died in the blast, you get in too deep and all electronic sensors are jammed, electroreception is hit with a signal so overwhelming the sense goes completely dead to keep the creature from ripping its sensory organs out, concrete buildings grow on their own by millimeters per day, random paved roads with painted lines exist and change shape so slowly you don't notice until you're hopelessly lost, usually after running into a vertical loop or something unreasonable like that which those among us overly prone to antropomorphising might attribute to spite, sometimes broken glass falls from the sky, you get giant lightning storms where the strikes are so powerful they produce enough ionizing radiation to create a secondary electromagnetic pulse, the wind sounds like an unintelligible modulating electronic tone, people swear the clouds are watching them.... My point; Spirits are only debatably the strangest thing coming out of that place, and they're definitely not the most artificial-seeming thing that seems to be occurring there without outside intervention. At this point the answer to "Could spirits be natural creatures?" is "Uh... Oh I don't know, why the hell not?" or sometimes "Insufficient data; Please define the term 'natural' within the context of The Otherlands.".
But what do YOU meat-people think of them? (And what term would you choose to describe them?)

I am looking for recommendations for a thank you gift. I had someone do a favour for me and would like to thank them. My initial thought was an edible arrangement, but are there any local companies that maybe do something a little more interesting? Looking for somewhere that will deliver to an office, as this person is not a friend or colleague, but a business referral. Thank you :)

I always get my meds filled at Kroger..Last month I showed up at 6pm right when they were closed or close to closing and they still let me pick up my RX (possibly cursing under their breath but they didn't seem rude)...
I've always had a decent experience considering they are almost always busy, like all pharmacies and understaffed...The biggest thing though is unlike other pharmacies, they always seem to have my medication in stock. I've gotten mixed responses when i posed the question on social media of 'It's their job" or "just say thank you"...so I"m a little torn.
I wanted to send an edible arrangements to be delivered to the pharmacists and pharmacy staff as a thank you gesture but wasn't sure if this was appropriate or even allowed? If it's okay would I just address it to "Kroger Pharmacy" or directly to "Kroger pharmacist and staff" along with a keep up the good work note? I realize it's "their job" and I always say thank you but working in customer service sucks. I can only imagine a pharmacy..I figured i'd ask the folks on Kroger directly to see if this is something standard to do?

For anyone in town for the summer who's looking for events to enjoy this weekend, here's 25 local events you can enjoy and participate in on Saturday & Sunday.
1. 2023 Pulaski County Spring Flea Market New River Valley Fairgrounds, Dublin Saturday, June 3, 2023 and Sunday, June 4, 2023, 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM Admission: $2.00, Kids 6 and Under: Free The Dublin Lions Club presents the 2023 Pulaski County Spring Flea Market celebrating 48 years. With over 20,000 visitors and 700 vendors spaces, more than a dozen different food vendors offering varied food options and the chance to eat a few of the famous "Lion Dogs", you will not want to miss this event. Check out vendors with crafts, antiques and more at the semi-annual Pulaski County Flea Market. Although over 100 spaces are under roof, it is a largely an outdoor event. The terrain is varied from asphalt, gravel and grass. Parking is free. All proceeds go to the Dublin Lions and their numerous community causes such as eyeglasses for the needy and hunger relief in the community. The event is rain or shine. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708165
2. Kunga Fest 2023: Two-Day Donations Yoga Festival In Balance Yoga Studio, Blacksburg Friday, June 2, 2023, 4:00 - 10:00 PM and Saturday, June 3, 2023, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Yoga classes and events are by donation. In Balance Yoga Studio presents their 10th Kunga Fest, a two-day Donations Yoga Festival with 100% of the donations donated to directly support the Homes of Hope Orphanage in India. Homes of Hope is a safe space for orphaned, abandoned, or trafficked young girls in India. In Balance Yoga is offering 15 donation-based classes throughout the two-day event. Hot yoga, ariel yoga, yoga classes with live music and gentle flow, are just some of the options offered. A silent auction will also be offered with bidding open until 6:00 PM on Saturday, June 3rd. Over 20 items are in the auction including a private ariel yoga session, a one-hour reiki session, an acupuncture session and more! Yoga classes and events are by donation though registration is required. Membership is not required to attend however new students will have to create an online profile in order to register. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708207
3. National Trails Day: Appalachian Trail Volunteer Trail Work Pearis Cemetary / Appalachian Trailhead Parking, Pearisburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Admission: Free The Outdoor Club at Virginia Tech is hosting Appalachian Trail Volunteer Trail Work for National Trails Day meeting at the Appalachian Trailhead Parking at Pearis Cemetary. The first Saturday of June each year is designated as National Trails Day, a day to celebrate our National Trails. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities available throughout the Trail. Essential trail maintenance helps protect natural resources and improves the hiking experience. Activities planned for the day include removing tress that have fallen across the Trail and are obstructing its path, cleaning out water bars and other trail tread structures of debris so that they can effectively divert water from the Trail and continue to help reduce erosion, as well as trimming back woody bushes that might be encroaching on the sides of the Trail. This work will be taking place on Hemlock Ridge, the stretch of Trail between the Celenese plant and Clendennin Road. There will be a shuttle planned to allow for a 3-mile hike through, performing work along the way. No previous experience required and all ages are welcome. The club will provide tools, training, and personal protective equipment. While it is free to volunteer, registration is required to ensure enough supplies will be available. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708056
4. American Red Cross Blood Drive with Brunch Meadowbrook Public Library, Shawsville Saturday, June 3, 2023, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Meadowbrook Public Library and the Meadowbrook Center hosts an American Red Cross Blood Drive. Help save a life by donating blood. Brunch will be provided for donors and they may select a used book to take home. Books compliments of Friends of the Library-Meadowbrook Chapter. The blood drive is sponsored by Craighill Masonic Lodge and Meadowbrook Library. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708083
5. CIMA Open House Christiansburg Institute Museum and Archives, Christiansburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Admission: Free Christiansburg Institute Museum & Archives staff will lead museum guests on a behind the scenes tour of our archives and explain the digitization process. Explore the history of Christiansburg Institute and African American history in Southwest Virginia. No registration is required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708171
6. Survival Skills Workshop Series: Part 2: Edible and Medicinal Plants Pulaski County Library, Pulaski Saturday, June 3, 2023, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Admission: Free The Pulaski County Library continues their Survival Skills Workshop Series with "Part 2: Edible and Medicinal Plants". Learn about edible and medicinal plants and enjoy some pine needle tea. Join them to learn important survival skills from a Claytor Lake ranger. This is the second part of a four-part course that will help you to brush up our survivalist knowledge and skills. All are welcome but these will be gauged for adults. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707463
7. 2023 Gospel Sing St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, Blacksburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 12:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation presents the annual Gospel Sing. The afternoon will be filled with singing, dancing, and fellowship as six local groups including Simple Gifts, Indian Run, Glorylanders and soloists perform their favorite current and old-time gospel favorites. Food and beverage will be available for purchase. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708172
8. Historic Smithfield's June Crafters' Stitch Along Historic Smithfield, Blacksburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 12:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Historic Smithfield presents June's Crafters' Stitch Along. You don't have to stitch to participate. Bring whatever craft you would like to work on and feel free to bring your paints, pencils, hooks, yarn, needles or fabric. This event is free to attend though pre-registration is appreciated. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708189
9. Music at the Villa with Craig Vaughn Villa Appalaccia Winery, Floyd Saturday, June 3, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Relax and enjoy some great music along with great wine and food. Craig Vaughn is a musician that combines extraordinary musicianship with heavy-duty fun. His high energy blend of rock, blues, pop and acoustic music equals unforgettable moments for audiences. He seamlessly goes from playing Bob Marley to The Eagles to Johnny Cash to Tom Petty to Ed Sheering to Journey to Newgrass to The Steve Miller Band without missing a lick. Kids and well-behaved dogs welcome. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708180
10. Genealogy Saturdays Alexander Black House & Cultural Center, Blacksburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Ancestry experts will be on hand to assist you as you explore your family tree. Come with questions about research and discovering your roots. Join them on the first Saturday of every month for Genealogy Saturdays. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708173
11. Puzzle Swap Christiansburg Library, Christiansburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: Free Bring your puzzles to swap for new-to-you puzzles. Please make sure that all pieces are there. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708134
12. June 2023 Cruiser Night Scoops Arcade, Pembroke Saturday, June 3, 2023, 5:00 - 8:00 PM Admission: Free Scoops Arcade continues their Cruiser Nights on Snidow Street in downtown Pembroke, VA. Show off your classic, modified, or new cars, trucks and bikes. Ride in style down the street and/or park and enjoy the atmosphere and oldies music. All vehicles and spectators are welcome. Hotdogs, corndogs, pizza, nachos, drinks and Scoops old fashion hand dipped ice cream and shakes will be available inside Scoops. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708196
13. Bobby and Blake Parker in Concert Rising Silo Farm Brewery, Blacksburg Saturday, June 3, 2023, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Rising Silo Farm Brewery presents Bobby and Blake Parker playing cozy folk music, blues and ragtime on 6- and 12-string guitar and more. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707876
14. Chico and Willie in Concert Outerspace, Floyd Saturday, June 3, 2023, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Admission: Free Chico & Willie perform Americana music to make you smile outside at Outerspace. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708185
15. John McEuen & The Circle Band in Concert Floyd Country Store, Floyd Saturday, June 3, 2023, 7:00 - 10:00 PM General Admission: $38.00, Reserved Seating: $45.00 John McEuen has performed for 50 years worldwide with his banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. Often referred to as ‘the String Wizard’, he humorously weaves stories of his travels and family life (he has raised 7 kids), taking us on a multi-media show through where his musical path has taken him. A founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966, John realized his teenage dream: to record with Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson. When he initiated the 1972 classic "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album with his band the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Earl and Doc with Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, Merel Travis, Vassar Clements, Norman Blake gathered for an historic week in the studio. The album has been inducted in to the Library of Congress as "one of America’s most important recordings" and the Grammy Hall of Fame. John has continually performed since 1963, doing over 11,000 concerts, 300 television shows, 10,000 interviews and flown more than 4 million miles. McEuen’s rich history of creating, producing and preserving original and traditional folk music earned him the 2013 Charlie Poole Lifetime Achievement Award. He has made over 46 albums (7 solo) that have earned four platinum and five gold records, multiple Grammy Awards and nominations, CMA and ACM awards, an Emmy film score nomination, IBMA record of the year award, and performed on another 25 albums as guest artist. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707453
16. The CC Coates Band in Concert Dogtown Roadhouse, Floyd Saturday, June 3, 2023, 8:00 - 11:00 PM Admission: $8.00 The CC Coates Band performs blues, soul and rock n roll. Sung by the real deal and backed by a hell of a band. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708190
17. 2023 Check Farm Trail Downtown Check, Check Sunday, June 4, 2023, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Admission: Free Floyd Country Tourism presents the 2nd Annual Check Farm Trail at seven participating farms and businesses throughout Check, Virginia including Lil Valley Farm, Weathertop Farm, Grateful Produce, I-Tal Acres, Seven Spring's Farm and The Soup Shop. This family-friendly experience is an up-close chance to learn about agriculture through demonstrations, tastings and farm tours and more. Food and/or products will be available for purchase at most of the farms and businesses. Times and available hours vary by farm and tour stop. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708205
18. 2023 Rotary Club of Floyd Dog Show Warren G. Lineberry Memorial Park, Floyd Sunday, June 4, 2023, 12:15 - 3:00 PM Dogs: $5.00 entry per class, Spectators: Free though donations encouraged The Rotary Club of Floyd County presents their 4th Annual Rotary Dog Show. Bring your dog, puppy, and/or faithful canine friend to compete in one or more of the dog show classes and ribbons will be awarded for each class. Classes for Dog Show include Best Tail, Best Treat Catcher, Best Smile, Best Owner-Dog Look-a-Like Contest, Best Trick, Cutest Puppy Under One Year Old, Best Bark, Best Mixed Breed Dog, Best Purebred Dog, Best Child Handler Under 12 Years Old and more. All dogs must should be on a short leash and up to date on vaccinations. The Humane Society will also have a table and possibly dogs to adopt. Adults and children ages 9 and older are welcome to participate with their dog in the various classes. Proceeds will be used to help build a dog park in Floyd. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708176
19. Music Jam and Car Cruise-In Wildwood Farms General Store, Floyd Sunday, June 4, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Enjoy a cruise-in with a variety of classic cars, motorcycles and other vehicles from 1:00-4:00 PM. All are welcome to bring their vehicles. And, bring your instruments and join in the music jam from 2:00-4:00 PM. Admission is free and all are welcome including non-musicians. The event is weather permitting. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708018
20. Clay Blevins in Concert Buffalo Mountain Brewery, Floyd Sunday, June 4, 2023, 1:00 - 4:00 PM Admission: Free Clay Blevins performs a signature mix of old and new country, pop and singer songwriter tunes. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708153
21. Book Club Meeting: Corkscrew Blacksburg Wine Lab, Blacksburg Sunday, June 4, 2023, 1:00 - 3:00 PM Admission: $40.00 Blacksburg Wine Lab presents their June Book Club Meeting featuring the book "Corkscrew" by Peter Stafford-Bow. Josh from Well Crafted Wine has picked this book specifically for the book club and will be hosting the event. The book includes a whole chapter on South Africa and Josh is inspired to share a tasting of his favorite bottles with participants from this region, along with a selection of crafted bites from Chef Bryan. The ticket price includes the wine tasting, book discussion and crafted bites to accompany the wine. RSVP is required. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708208
22. Matt Mullins in Concert Rock House Marina, Pulaski Sunday, June 4, 2023, 3:00 - 5:00 PM Admission: Free Matt Mullins performs multiple genres of music and now resides from Beckley, West Virginia after a stay in Southwest Virginia. A loud and sometimes profanity filled personality, you can't help but love to hate his shake, rattle, and roll nonsense. By spending the better part of the last decade creating songs with some of his favorite artists, (in particular The Boatmen) it has helped shape this songwriters methodology. Relating to back porch memories, and moving listeners to undoubtedly feel that he's got music in his bones. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708090
23. Sunday Mountain Music Series with Kris Hale Mountain Lake Lodge, Pembroke Sunday, June 4, 2023, 4:00 - 6:00 PM Admission: Free Kristopher Hale is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. Currently a Adjunct Professor of Music at both Radford University and Lynchburg College in Virginia, he also teaches guitar and music theory privately throughout the New River Valley and Roanoke areas. He is a sought after performer, appearing in public and private events throughout Virginia playing classical music to The Beatles. Stop by Salt Pond Pub every Sunday starting Memorial Day weekend through Sunday, August 20th for live music and delicious food and drinks. Perfect for relaxing with the whole family (furry friends welcome too). Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=707866
24. Open Mic Night (Family Friendly and 18+ Segments) The Beast of Blacksburg Pizzeria & Bar, Blacksburg Sunday, June 4, 2023, 4:00 PM - 01:00 AM Admission: Free The Beast of Blacksburg Pizzeria & Bar kicks off their Open Mic Nights with two segments offering a full evening of local talent. From 4:00-8:00 PM, family friendly material will be performed and then from 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM, the open mic is open to adult material for ages 18 and up. Note: Any group acts of more than two performers should message them on Facebook to make the necessary arrangements. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708201
25. Mist on the Mountain in Concert Palisades Restaurant, Eggleston Sunday, June 4, 2023, 5:00 - 7:30 PM Admission: Free Mist on the Mountain is an Irish Traditional Music group based in the New River Valley of southwest Virginia. From lively jigs and reels to heartbreaking laments and rollicking ballads, Mist on the Mountain provides great Irish music for any occasion. Reservations are not required, but recommended for dining area seating. Link: http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=708177
Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

I am deprived of proper sleep, but after a long as night full of coffee and rain world miraheze, i managed to give some rain world plant and animal based objects an explanation! Woohoo!
Bluefruit: The blue coloration of this "fruit" is likely due to pigments called anthocyanins, which protect the pupa from ultraviolet radiation. The crunchy (i just presumed it would be crunchy due to it's sound and the fact it is a chrysalid) outer shell of the Bluefruit serves as a defense mechanism against possible predators, as it contains the precious pupa. The black vines from which the fruit hangs could be a symbiotic relationship with fungi or a plant, facilitating nutrient uptake and supporting the pupa's growth and survival. Alternatively, it could be a fiber created by the pupa's parents (likely batflies) in order to keep it away from predators.
Bubblenut/fruit (i prefer to call it nut): The Bubblenut possesses a unique adaptation that allows it to transform when submerged in water. The hard and practically inedible nature of the dry nut's shell can be attributed to its dense cell walls and high lignin content. Upon contact with water, osmotic changes occur within the nut, causing rapid water absorption and subsequent expansion. The nut's cellulosic framework undergoes a gelatinization process, resulting in the formation of a clear, gelatinous bubble that is edible.
Mushroom: Mushrooms are small, edible fungi that exhibits bioluminescence, likely caused by a chemical reaction involving luciferin and luciferase. The glow emitted by the fungi could serve as an attractant to nocturnal animals and potentially aids in spore dispersal. When consumed, the Mushroom interacts with the consumer's nervous system, triggering the release of neurotransmitters and stimulating the adrenal glands. This heightened state of awareness and increased physical performance can be attributed to the chemical constituents present in the fungus, possibly being similar to a natural steroid.
Karma Flower: Karma flowers possess yellow, glowing wheel-like "petal" with a distinct X-shaped pattern. The flowers' bioluminescence is likely a result of chemical reactions involving luciferin and luciferase. The hallucinogenic properties (as described by moon) of Karma Flowers can be attributed to specific alkaloids and secondary metabolites present within the plant. Although not much can be said about it, as it's effects on karma can be really difficult to explain in more scientific terms.
Popcorn: Popcorns are a unique organism with an explosive defensive mechanism. The red husks covering the edible cob serve as protection against herbivores. When subjected to mechanical shock or damage, the husks rapidly split open, causing a sudden release of built-up gas within the plant. The audible popping sound is attributed to the expulsion of pressurized gas from the kernels' popping, creating a spectacle that startles potential threats. The edible yellow kernels are rich in carbohydrates and nutrients, providing a valuable food source once the protective husks are breached.
Jellyfish: Jellyfish are floating saucer-shaped organisms with long, thin tentacles that possess an electric shock defense mechanism. The organism generates electricity through specialized cells called electrocytes, which create an electrical potential difference across their membranes. When threatened or aggravated, Jellyfish can discharge a powerful electric shock. The shock is delivered through the tentacles, which act as conductors, effectively immobilizing or stunning potential predators. The shock's intensity can be attributed to the electrocytes' arrangement and the strength of the electrical current produced.
Slime Mold: Slime Mold is a bioluminescent, pulsating plasmodium that could potentially feed on decaying organic matter, it could rapidly colonize decaying organic matter by secreting enzymes that break down complex compounds into simpler forms. The faint glow emitted by the Slime Mold is, once again, likely a result of biochemical reactions involving luciferin and luciferase. It is edible, however, the unappealing visual and textural characteristics of Slime Mold could discourage most creatures from consuming it.
Cherrybomb: Cherrybombs possess a unique adaptation for self-defense. The small red berries along the central black stem contain high concentrations of sulfur compounds. When the bush is vigorously shaken, the friction and impact trigger a chemical reaction within the berries, leading to a series of small explosions. These explosions result from the combustion of the sulfur compounds, producing bursts of heat and light. The loud detonations can cause auditory impairment, while the release of heat may cause mild burns upon close contact.
Flashbang: Flashbangs are blue glowing spheres that produce intense flashes of light when thrown. The bright flashes can be explained by the presence of bioluminescent compounds within the Flashbang (you guessed it: luciferin and luciferase), which undergo a rapid oxidation reaction upon impact. This reaction releases a burst of energy in the form of photons, resulting in the emission of bright light. The intensity of the light emitted can have detrimental effects on creatures, potentially causing temporary blindness or even death to some light-sensitive creatures.
Paincone: Paincones feature reddish-black bulbs surrounded by black insects and are equipped with a defense mechanism involving web-like strings. The insects associated with Paincones likely possess specialized silk-producing glands that enable them to secrete thin, adhesive threads. When aggravated, these insects release the silk, which quickly forms web-like strings. These strings entangle and immobilize nearby creatures, providing the Paincones with a means of defense against potential threats. The pacifying effect of Spore Puff on the insects can be attributed to the disruption of their sensory receptors.
Spore Puff: Spore Puffs are funguses that possess distinctive gray balls with green patches and a smoking fuse. On impact, the Spore Puff burst open, releasing spores. The burst is triggered by internal pressure buildup within the Spore Puff, generated through the accumulation of gases, primarily carbon dioxide, produced during the fungal growth and metabolic processes. The spores expelled can have various effects depending on the recipient. Creatures capable of digesting the spore puffs (namely Rain Deer) benefit from a nutrient-rich food source. However, the spores' damage-dealing properties to arthropod creatures can be attributed to their toxic compounds, enzymes, physical structure, or even nervous system disruption.
Batnip: Batnip is an orange fern-like plant that emits a scent resembling batfly pheromones. The plant likely evolved this distinctive smell to attract small flying mammals, such as batflies, which aid in its pollination. The specific chemicals responsible for the pheromone-like scent remain unknown, but they are likely similar to or mimic the volatile compounds produced by batflies.
And that's it, tell me your opinions in the comments, i would be happy to hear them :)

Probably no edible arrangements and I'm looking to spend 50 bucks (USD) or less.

I’ve posted about this on other Reddit pages, but wanted to give an update here for this community to learn from our struggles and take into consideration if interested in planting running bamboos like golden bamboo.
Essentially, we bought a house in late fall in SE Michigan. Our neighbor had a smallish 2ft x 15ft patch of bamboo on their side of the fence along the lot line. There was no signs of bamboo in our yard, and we didn’t think much of it at the time.
Come April I step on something SHARP. Like a nail with a fine point. Got momentarily excited it was a bulbing flower or something… then realized it was a bamboo cane. Then realized there were hundreds of them all across our backyard… preventing us from walking barefoot, and building my raised beds for gardening.
It’s been 2 months and we’ve unearthed so many more problems. It’s in our foundation along the entire back and side of our yards, making it under our FRONT porch, in the chimney, under the AC unit, and twisted up in our gas line. We had just installed an inflatable hot tub the week before we found the problem, which we had to trench around to make sure it was protected. It went under out concrete pad adjacent to our driveway, which has cracks where the bamboo entered. It went 30 feet to our driveway on the other side of our lot, and was 3 inches away from our garage foundation. It’s 10 feet away from the lot lines in the back of our property, where it would have absolutely invaded those 2 neighbors properties.
We’ve spend 80 hours digging (I have a word doc I’m capturing it in) and are maybe 30% done. The tallest cane is nearly 20 feet tall. I keep thinking we’re making progress, then more shoots pop up. Thought one of my raised beds was safe (did my best to trench around it) and the bamboo gave me a middle finger and popped up a cane inside it. It’s a huge bed and will need to be disassembled, maybe moved because I don’t trust that spot anymore. We probably need to dig deeper around the hot tub if I missed this one.
Our neighbors didn’t plant it and swear didn’t know what it was doing to our yard. They have a deep driveway protecting their yard from any canes, so it just went directly into our yard. We’ve been working with our brand new neighbors as nice as we can be, but it’s definitely put a strain on our fresh relationship. They wavered on getting rid of the plant, but removed it after their parents visited and maybe said something. They think we’re exaggerating the amount of work we’re doing, and we feel our extensive efforts have been brushed off and minimized (he once called it a “weekend project” and I had to bite my tongue). Still, I plan on getting them an edible arrangement or something at the end of this to try and say thank you for getting rid of the mother plant.
Not that the bamboo in our yard cares in the slightest. Most plants die if you get rid of the mother plant. Not bamboo. The bamboo in our yard is THRIVING. Growing about a foot a day.
I contacted Michigan’s department of invasive species. They’ve never dealt with it before, but their research on elimination mirrors what I’ve found. Each root rope needs to be manually excavated with small tools so you don’t miss any. 1 inch missed will start a new plant. We probably have 30+ root ropes in a zig zag pattern across our entire backyard. Each one will need to be dug up carefully.
The previous owner of our home was an out of state resident that didn’t really live there, so he just had a landscaping company now twice a month, hiding the bamboo problem for years as it grew deeper and deeper into our yard.
I haven’t contacted my realtor yet, but I’m considering it. We feel this should have been disclosed. We know he knew something because the same invasive species department I contacted, our other neighbors contacted them in fall (shortly before we toured) because a bamboo forest had popped up and they were worried about their yard. Previous owner had to send someone out to chop it down.
Yes, I’ve seen the petty revenge post about running bamboo to piss off a shitty neighbor. Don’t do that. It’s literally easier to sell the house than to eradicate, and innocent new neighbors will be left to deal with the excavation. It’s irresponsible. Our legal recourse is minimal, plus who wants to go through a lawsuit?
Bamboo is very pretty, but please, if you are considering planting a running variety, install a rhizome barrier to keep it in your yard. I’ve contacted some folks in local/state government to try and put into law requiring barriers for running bamboo, so we’ll see where that goes. In the meantime, please plant this responsibly. Please, we are so so tired and just want our time and backyard back.


FINANCIALS

Period: FY/2023
Filling Date: 2023-05-30
REVENUE:
Revenue: $30.43M
Gross Profit: $8.15M (26.78%)
Result: $-4.75M (ebitda)
EPS: $-0.880
Outstanding Shares: 6.23M
BALANCE:
Cash: 4.72B
Debt: 2.39B
FINANCIAL EVALUATION/SCORE:
Financial Score - Altman: 3.98
Financial Score - Piotroski: 3.00
Company Description:
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a confectionery franchisor, manufacturer, and retail operator. It operates through five segments: Franchising, Manufacturing, Retail Stores, U-Swirl Operations, and Other. The company produces approximately 400 chocolate candies and other confectionery products, including clusters, caramels, creams, toffees, mints, and truffles; and offers 15 varieties of caramel apples and other products that are prepared in individual stores, as well as provides ice cream, coffee, and other sundries. As of March 31, 2022, it operated two company-owned, 99 licensee-owned, and 159 franchised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores operating in 37 states in South Korea, Panama, and the Philippines; three company-owned, and 63 franchised and licensed cafés located in 22 states and Qatar; and self-serve frozen yogurt cafés under the U-Swirl, Yogurtini, CherryBerry, Yogli Mogli Frozen Yogurt, Fuzzy Peach Frozen Yogurt, Let's Yo!, and Aspen Leaf Yogurt brand names. The company has strategic alliance with Edible Arrangements, LLC and its affiliates to provide branded chocolate products. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Durango, Colorado.

Use the link for Edible Arrangements Promo Code for June 2023. The website features a wide selection of coupons, promo codes, and discount deals that are updated regularly for you to choose from and make your purchase more affordable.

Check out the link for Edible Arrangements Coupon Code for June 2023. Once on the website, you'll have access to a variety of coupons, promo codes, and discount deals that are updated regularly to help you save on your purchase.

Has she never heard of edible arrangements?

I have a part-time job at Edible Arrangements I'll be starting this Tuesday. I never had an interview for this job, but did talk to the manager for about 5 minutes when picking up an application. Last month I contacted the store manager at the edible Arrangment location Ill be working at wondering if they where hiring. I wanted to switch from working at a retail store and do something more creative. The manager asked for me to come in and pick up a paper application so I did and we talked in the lobby for 5 minutes about the job itself, but it wasn't a professional sit down answer questions while the manager takes notes type of interview. She even mentioned I could start as soon as mother's day which I said I'd like to start later since I had a vacation planned during that time. After I turned in the application, I called a few days later and asked if she read my application. She said there is a position for me, but to call later since I wanted to start late May or early June. I called a few days ago from today and she gave me a start date. Has anyone ever had a job they didn't have to interview for? How did it go? I was just wondering if they where desperately looking for workers, aren't picky, or if I really made that good of a first impression.

We got into a fight because I said something that upset her but I apologized for it. It was a sexual message minutes before I said happy birthday to her.
For more context, last weekend I had planned a nice birthday weekend for her. It started off when I drove to her house to pick her up to go to the Airbnb. Immediately she is pissy for no reason. Telling me to hurry up, drive faster, don't be weird when talking to the Airbnb host on the phone, "why did you park like that?" "why did you turn the car off? Turn it back on because I'm cold." I'm just taking her attitude and trying to stay calm. Eventually we get food and she says she was hangry. I let it slide because I wanted us to have a great weekend. The next day we got into an accident on the highway and I blamed myself. Both of us and the vehicle were fine, but the weekend was cut short because I had to bring the car back to my town to get it fixed since it was the only car our family had the time. So I had to leave Sunday instead of Monday which cut the weekend short. She was sad and upset and I did everything to comfort her and share her frustration. We were okay after that.
Fast forward a few days later to the midnight of her birthday is when I upset her with my message. I didn't forget that it was her birthday, I just saw noticed that it was midnight. I usually like to wait until midnight to say happy birthday to friends and family. She told me that she felt slighted because after midnight she got a bunch of messages wishing her happy birthday and then when she checked my message it said some "stupid shit" before I even wished her happy birthday. I acknowledged that and told her it won't happen again. My apology wasn't enough and she kept insulting me by being condescending and telling me to Google how to apologize. Not once did I defend myself when I upset her and instead I immediately went to damage control to fix the problem. She also said my happy birthday message was dry and aloof. She also brought up last weekend because I had planned a nice long weekend for her birthday. Said a real apology should sound like this:
"I'm sorry for being aloof and not sending you a better bday message. I know we didn't have the weekend we planned to and you were really upset about that but I want you to feel loved and special today. I do love you and I do want you to feel special and I'm sorry my initial message didn't convey that but I do feel that way."
I asked her why did she bring up the weekend when we already put that to rest? I said it's not fair for her to bring it up. She replied "Ok so I brought up the weekend becasue despite it not planning out the way we wanted to I was still ok with that and figured maybe you'd make a bit of extra effort to make me feel special today from afar w words and a nice bday message. Didn't get that."
I kept apologizing but she said it didn't feel genuine. She kept dragging it out saying that I'm not being genuine and that she's upset. I told her that I really didn't mean to upset you and I would like to just put this to rest so we can continue on with our day and work. She drags it on for hours.
I then called her a brat and then she said "you are single now and I am single." So I said "okay I take those words seriously then." She came back and said "I'm giving you one more chance to make it right, apologize for calling me a brat" and she's been fighting ever since to take it back and said "I regret saying that. I don't want to break up with you." I told her it's too late. You threatened the relationship again and we agreed we'd never do that again. She tried to gaslight me by flipping it and saying that I'm the one breaking up with her because I was being "withholding" and "ignoring her genuine feelings" because she kept saying she didn't mean it, she doesn't want to break up. I told my friends and family and they said that she's manipulative, abusive, and was trying to gaslight me. I don't know what else I could have done. I was genuinely sorry and just wanted to put it to rest. Before the fight, I even had an edible arrangement sent to her house for her birthday as a surprise which I eventually revealed because I thought that would make her less upset.

https://www.culina-vetus.de/2023/05/26/a-wreath-of-many-colours/
An edible wreath from the Innsbruck MS:
79 If you would prepare a wreath of four colours, make sheets of eggs. (Make) white ones from egg white, yellow with yolks, green with (herb) juice and egg white, and black also in this manner. Roll them over one another and then cut them in the length of two digits. Then stick them on a reed (schin), one colour after another, and tie it together like a wreath. Prepare a strauben batter and lay it in that, then fry it. After it is fried, pull out the reed. Then cut it on the top all around so you see the colours etc.
After the four-colour jelly of yesterday, this is clear evidence that whoever commissioned the Innsbruck MS liked colourful foods. It really looks like an early ancestor of East Germany’s Papageienkuchen (parrot cake), the multicolored layered cake traditionally made with jelly powders. While it is very likely not a culinary revelation – basically fried egg arranged in a circle, battered, and fried – it would require quite some dexterity and skill to assemble correctly.
The Innsbrucker Rezeptbuch is a manuscript recipe collection from a South German/Austrian context. It dates to the mid-fifteenth century and survives as part of a set of medical and culinary texts bound together. The editor Doris Aichholzer published it together with two related manuscripts and drew attention to the less elaborate, more practical recipes. The manuscript is of unknown provenance, but has been owned by the Habsburg emperors since at least the early sixteenth century. It is now held at the Nationalbibliothek in Vienna. An edition, German translation and commentary can be found in Doris Aichholzer: Wildu machen ayn guet essen… Drei mittelhochdeutsche Kochbücher, Peter Lang Verlag Berne et al. 1999

Excerpt from Ibrahim Dewla’s speeches.
Whether someone asks or doesn’t ask, Allah grants far more than what’s asked of Him. Like a child enters this world incognizant of his needs as he doesn’t possess complete knowledge, how will he ask? But Allah sustains this child through His arrangements. Allah has perfect knowledge of what are His servant’s needs, comforts, constraints. Allah knows our needs more than us.
Per his wisdom, Allah directs his bounties towards his servants. For example Allah says:
“Did We not make for him two eyes? And a tongue and two lips” (90:8-9)
Did this man ever beseech Allah for eyes? That I need eyes in this world. He wouldn’t even have awareness that he will be needing eyes. Yet, they were provided to him without asking.
Shah Abdul Aziz Dihlawi (rah) says five blessings were mentioned in verse because child is dependent on them as soon as he is born:

1. He needs eyes to see his mother, her chest.
2. He needs lips to draw milk. Without lips, it would be cause of worry, how would he draw milk? Recently, a child was born in our locality without the upper lip. He had to go through surgery.
3. He needs his tongue to savor the food. Is it bitter, sweet, edible? One can only determine this if they have a tongue.

These are examples of how Allah unceasingly directs his bounties day and night to his servants.

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We are an Indian couple(32M , 32F) who did a 9 day trip to Bangkok, phi phi islands, phuket in May 2023. This sub helped me a lot on my trip, and I hope this post helps someone out there. Here are my tips and things about the place that we figured out on the go, and I wish I knew before my trip to Thailand. I apologise for any mistakes beforehand.
Generic tips

• ATM : It costs 220 bhat to withdraw cash from the atm everywhere. So reduce the number of times you plan to do it on your trip
  
• Language: most people who aren't in very touristy areas speak almost no English. Download Google translate on your phone and use it whenever interacting with locals.
  
• weather: we went during the summer and it was unbearably hot, this coming from an Indian used to humidity. Google showed bangkok was 39 but felt like 46 degrees celsius, and this hindered our ability to do things.
  
• travel agents: You'll see a lot of tavel agents to book tickets for attractions/ events in tourist areas.. they charge different rates for the same service. Find out rates and go to a guy who isn't close to the most accessible spots to tourists for better rates.. You'll end up saving 100s of bhat per person.
  
• food: most places don't serve veg options. Depending on the place, you'll see chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, and seafood options for the same preparation.. a veg option generally means egg for them. On one of the roadside stalls, I saw them make veg and shrimp in the same wok together, so be prepared. Findings places for vegan / pure vegetarian might be difficult in general. Google translate also helps translate Thai menus by taking a picture of it on the app.
  
• weed: smoking weed is legal. You have multiple dispensaries, mostly in the tourist sides of towns. You rarely see locals in these shops as customers, it's almost always tourists. I didn't see a lot of places to smoke, especially in bangkok. The guy at the store told me we could travel with 100gms, and I did carry a joint in the domestic flight(which was pretty awesome). The guys at the store will even roll for you if you request them. Some of the nicer places also sold edibles.
  

Arriving in Thailand at DMK, Bangkok

• Visa : There is a visa on arrival. Just follow the big boards. You need to fill out a form that's available. Carry a pen and a passport sized pic with you. The visa costs 2200 bhat per person. But I understand that there is a cheaper option by applying for the visa earlier.
  
• Immigration: you need to have 10k per person or 20k bhat per family. And ideally, you would have spent 2.2k bhat per person for your visa before entering the country, so keep that in mind. We weren't asked, though.
  
• sim card : There are multiple vendors at the airport right after collecting your bags and customs. They were open at 5am when we landed.
  
• cab to the hotel : There is a taxi counter at the last exit gate inside the DMK airport. They go by the meter plus a fixed fee. Note that you need to pay any tolls, so ask the guy to avoid tolls if you don't want to shell out 100+ bhat
  

Bangkok

• transport: don't take tuk tuks. Download grab and bolt and use bike taxis. We found it really affordable for short distances. For longer distances, use public transport like the bus and trains. We used Google maps to figure out the bus numbe train details
  
• attractions: There is literally so much to see in bangkok as a city. I would recommend the national museum(200B per person) if you enjoy museums. Maybe skip the Palace(500B) if you're on a budget, but if you can afford it, it's extremely beautiful. Note that they deny entry to the Palace and holy places if you have your knees or shoulders exposed regardless of gender. You'll be forced to buy something to wear from their shops in such situations
  
• clothes shopping: If you want cheap clothes or plan to buy anything on your trip, go to Platinum Mall. It is where the locals and tourists who know about it go to shop. It's like a market with few hundreds of stalls across many floors. Never buy from the first store cos you'll find at least 5 stores with the same stuff at different prices unless it's a branded store. I saw quite a few people walking out with new suitcases as well.
  
• food: undeniably a foodies paradise(if you eat meat and fish). A popular thing to do is search for michelin bib gourmand(cheaper) star restaurants and visit them. Out of the 3 we visited, 2 of them had a huge number of locals as well and were good, the third was only tourists and the service and food weren't great. We also visited a restaurant looking at the reviews, and it was packed with locals. In general, We didn't enjoy the beef and even read somewhere that it may be other meat they use instead of beef(might not be true). I recommend trying out mango with sticky rice(sounds weird, but it's unbelievably good).
  
• accommodation location: I'm not good with the area names, but i would recommend staying as close to the Palace as possible as there are a number of tourist places around the area. Having metro access at walking distance is also really good if you plan on travelling to other parts of town
  
• khaosan Road : a really active street at night full of pubs and people. Each pub(empty or not) was blasting music as loud as their speakers let them, and they had staff on the road trying to get people in.. people were walking around drinking beer. Half the places were pretty empty in summer.. and most places had more staff on the road trying to pull customers in than actual customers) ,there are a bunch of hostels and hotels here though it wouldn't be our preference cos of the noise at night.
  

Krabi to phi phi : We then caught a flight to krabi from Bangkok

• travel to pier in krabi. when you walk out of the airport, you will immediately be hounded by travel agents. It cost us 100b per person to krabi town in a shared van, which was a 30 min ride.
  
• ferry to phi phi islands. After checking that we didn't have tickets, the driver of the shared cab that took us to their office first before the pier. What we didn't know is that they charged us 100 extra than the actual ticket. 550 instead of 450. We figured this out at the pier. Note that they also have speed boats, which are much faster. There are options to book things online as well, so explore those before you go down.
  

Phi phi islands

• local transport: there are no land vehicles on the island. All the hotels arrange for boats to take you to their places. You also get them at the main pier.. its easy to get on and off boats at the pier, but they drop you off the beach, and it can be very tricky cos of the waves. We saw a girl fall in the water entirely as she couldn't climb on the boat easily. If you're travelling with older people, I wouldn't recommend staying anywhere you need to take a boat to.
  
• accommodation: The accommodation we booked was on Long Beach and was too difficult a trek for us in the hot weather to explore the heart of the tourist spots unfortunately. Staying closer to town would be nicer cos there are a lot of nice restaurants on the central island. Though since ours was far away, we did get a free pick up and drop by the hotels boat
  
• maya bay package: there are 2 main packages for sightseeing. Half day and full day. This includes multiple stops and snorkelling in clear blue waters. Life vests and snorkelling equipment were provided for everyone. It includes a 1 hr stop at maya Bay(made popular by dicaprios movie the beach). We booked the half day package from our hotel for 1200 B, but we later realised the rates next to the pier varied from 600 to 400 (maybe lesser) depending on who you asked. Could have saved a lot of money if we knew earlier.
  
• scuba diving: There were a lot of scuba diving places in phi phi if that's what you want to try out
  
• ferry to phuket. We caught the ferry to phuket at 3.30pm for 450 bhat per person.
  

Phuket

• Travel to accommodation: there are multiple shared cabs waiting outside the pier in phuket who charge standard rates per person. We tried booking a grab cos the distance was close, but no one accepted. The shared cab charged us 100 b per person to old town.
  
• Accommodation : Depending on the kind of holiday you want, you can either choose to stay close to the beaches or in Old Town, which is extremely beautiful.
  
• Transport: you get scooters for hire all over phuket to go around. This makes things really easy
  
• Old town : lovely architecture , peaceful streets, pubs and a good number of michelin star restaurants we spent the day trying out a lot of good food
  
• Old town to patong : There are local buses which charge 40 b per person. I didn't find them on Google maps transit but our hotel told us they are available until the evening
  
• Patong area: The vibe of patong was completely different.. You'll see a lot of sex tourism. All massage parlours have multiple pretty women exposing skin sitting on the road in front of the shop. We didn't really enjoy the environment but it was interesting. The beach did have some water sports to take part in, like paragliding and jet skis from what we could see. Note that cabs charge a fixed 200 for a ride within this area, which is crazy expensive. It even showed the same on cab apps.
  
• Bangla Road : we visited the popular road, and it was nothing that we could have imagined. The roads were filled with employees asking if we wanted to visit a ping pong party(we were shocked after googling what it was).. Multiple bars had young women in lingerine dancing.. you'd see many trying to hit up men at .. a few places had live English music by bands which was really good but very loud.. not our kind of place overall, but we were happy we experienced it. Surely not a kid friendly place
  
• cab to the airport : we saw offers for cabs for 900b for a trip to the airport online. When we booked on the grab app and it was 550b for us, which was pretty good as it was about an hours drive
  

Return and international air asia transfer via DMK, Bangkok

• we booked air asia flights to return to India via Bangkok. But we realise we had only 2 hours in dmk(way too short) and needed a terminal change and to top it off, the first fight was delayed by 20 minutes. We went to domestic at phuket only to be told that we need to go to international which was 7 min walk and in a completely different building. The good thing was that air asia was sending our check-in bags directly to the final destination, and we only needed to pass customs in phuket and could skip the process in bangkok. They gave each of us stickers for our shirts so their staff could identify and help us. Once we landed in terminal 1 air asia staff had a list of passengers catching international flights and led us through a separate path to bypass the regular formalities to terminal 2. After we boarded our flight from Dmk, it was delayed 30 minutes cos apparently another flight from phuket had passengers who had to board our flight. But keep a few hours just to be on the safe side

That's it. I hope this helps someone planning their trip to Thailand. 🙏 Have a nice holiday exploring a truly beautiful country.
Edit : I'm really happy this helped the community. Added a few minor changes above for more accurate info. Please check the comments for additional information on visa, veg options, and more.