| How to Buy Basic Garden Tools Posted: 21 Aug 2018 05:00 PM PDT You'll need basic garden tools to till soil, manage weeds, and grow plants. Look for tools that will help you manage your small- or large-scale garden, as well as protective equipment. Garden tools are available at most hardware stores, gardening stores, and online. EditBuying Hand Tools - Get a small gardening trowel. A gardening trowel is a versatile tool with a scooped blade that allows you to dig small holes, transfer plants, and uproot weeds. Look for a lightweight model with a rubber grip. A comfortable handle will make the tool easier to use.[1]
- Buy a pair of handheld pruning shears. Pruning shears are a necessary tool for trimming and maintaining plants and shrubs. Look for a small pair with high quality blades to cut through your plants cleanly and easily. They should also have sturdy, easy to grip handles. [2]
- Good quality blades should be made of stainless steel.
- Buy a Japanese hori-hori knife for difficult cutting and digging. The hori-hori is a Japanese gardening knife with 1 sharp side and 1 serrated side. This tool allows you to dig into coarse soil, divide plants, and dig out stubborn weeds without a struggle. Choose a model that is made with stainless steel and has a large, comfortable handle. [3]
- Avoid buying a carbon steel hori-hori knife, which will be heavy and cause strain on your wrist after prolonged use.
- Don't choose an aluminum hori-hori knife, which is more likely to break.
- Obtain a hand rake to help condition soil. A small hand rake will allow you to prepare soil for planting. You can use it to remove weeds, and to turn and smooth out small areas of soil. Make sure to buy a model that is comfortable to grip, which will be important when you are dragging through the soil.[4]
- Purchase a stainless steel hand rake, which will resist rust and breakage.
- Buy an easy-to-fill watering can. A medium-sized watering can that is easy to carry is an ideal choice for watering your flowers. Choose a model that has an easily accessible opening to fill up in a sink or with a garden hose. If you want to use a watering can to apply fertilizer to your plants, buy a second one and keep it separate from your regular watering can.[5]
- Label your second watering can clearly or buy a different color of watering can to differentiate it.
- Buy a sturdy garden hose to water your garden. Purchase a garden hose to reach the perimeters of your garden. Opt for a hose made from rubber, or a rubber/vinyl mix to make sure that it is sturdy enough to resist leaks. Most standard hoses are 50 feet (15.2 meters) long, which should accommodate the length of your garden.[6]
EditPurchasing Long-Handled Tools - Buy a garden rake that is appropriate for your height. Gardening rakes can break up clumps of soil, level the ground, and remove stones, leaves, and other debris from the surface of the soil. Choose a model that has a rake head made of one solid piece of metal that will not bend or break. Look for a rake with a handle that reaches the bridge of your nose, so that you will not have to bend or strain your back while using it. [7]
- A standard gardening rake is 5 feet (152.4 cm) tall, which suits most gardeners. If you need a different size, shop online for specialty models.
- Purchase a round-headed shovel. A sturdy shovel is necessary for digging and moving large amounts of soil. Of all of the options available, the round-headed shovel is the most versatile. Choose a model with a stainless steel head, which won't rust, and a sturdy wooden handle. [8]
- Be sure that you can grip and maneuver the shovel comfortably before purchasing it.
- Get a simple garden fork to cultivate soil. While a garden rake can break up soil, it does not dig deep enough to turn it. Buy a basic but sturdy gardening fork to aerate and replenish soil for planting. Choose a model made of rust-proof stainless steel.[9]
- Your gardening fork should be strong enough to break up thick clumps of soil.
- Get long-handled loppers and shears. These cutting tools are necessary for maintaining trees, bushes, and shrubs. Loppers are great for trimming branches that are out of easy reach or too thick to cut with hand pruners. You can use shears for shaping bushes, shrubs, and hedges.
EditTaking Safety Measures - Buy sturdy gardening gloves. It is important to protect your hand from cuts, scrapes, and splinters while gardening. Shop for thick, durable gloves that will stand up against thorns and sharp twigs. Be sure that the gloves fit well and are not too bulky.[10]
- Get knee pads for long periods of gardening. Spending prolonged periods of time kneeling in the soil can damage knees your knees over time. Buy foam knee pads to wear while you garden so that you can stay comfortable. You can also purchase 1 long foam pad to kneel on top of, protecting your knees the same way.[11]
- Wear a gardening hat while working in the sun. Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause sensitive areas like your scalp, face, and neck to burn. If you garden outside during the day, invest in a hat that will protect your head and neck from UV rays. The hat should be made from a breathable material like cotton to prevent overheating or sweating.[12]
- Be sure to apply sunscreen to other parts of your body and wear protective clothing (such as light, long-sleeved shirts) to ensure that you are totally protected.
- Compare prices between hardware stores or gardening centers to buy tools at the best possible price.
- If you purchase tools online, read reviews beforehand and comparison shop for good deals.
- Garage sales and yard sales are often great places to find gardening tools.
EditRelated wikiHows EditSources and Citations
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
|
| How to Make Peace With a Friend After a Fight Posted: 21 Aug 2018 09:00 AM PDT Getting into a fight with a friend is an awful feeling. You might feel frustrated and mad at your friend, or you might just want to make up. Even though it can feel like you'll never get back to normal, you may be able to mend the friendship by reaching out to your friend and listening to what they have to say. EditWorking Through Conflict with Your Friend EditTaking Time to Cool Off - Walk away from the argument before it goes too far. When tempers run high, it's easy to say something you don't mean. If you start feeling like you're not in control of your emotions — or your friend isn't in control of theirs — tell your friend you'll talk to them later and walk away.[1]
- Even if your friend says something mean that hurts your feelings, try not to get pulled into the argument again. Tell yourself they're just lashing out and let it go.
- Take several deep breaths to calm down. The first thing you should do after an argument is to calm down. It can be hard to calm down when you're angry, but staying angry isn't good for you and it will keep you from reconciling with your friend[2]
- Slowly inhale through your nose, then exhale through your mouth. Repeat this several times, focusing on calming yourself more with each breath.
- Other things to help you calm down might include a peaceful walk outside, quiet meditation, or eating ice cream right out of the container. Whatever it is, take a little time to clear your head.
- Accept the role you played in the argument. Arguments are almost never one-sided. Think about what you did that played into your fight. Try to imagine the fight from your friend's perspective to get a new point of view on the things you said.[3]
- Have you been feeling stressed out or irritable lately? This may have played a role in your behavior.
- Was your friend trying to communicate something to you that you brushed off? You may have hurt their feelings, leading to the argument.
- Try to see the argument from your friend's perspective. It can be really difficult to step back and see things from someone else's point of view, but being able to empathize will show your friend that you really care about them, and not just about your own feelings.
EditPlanning Your Apology - Keep your feelings to yourself. Don't gossip about your friend or what caused the argument, and definitely don't post about it on social media. This will add more drama to the situation, and it could make things much worse than the original fight.[4]
- Even if you share your feelings with a close friend, word could get back to the friend you're fighting with.
- Make up within a few days of the argument if you can. Leaving an argument hanging in the air could cause resentment to grow. You want to give your friend enough time to cool off, but try to resolve the fight as soon as possible.[5]
- The amount of time this will take is different for everyone. Some friends will make up 5 minutes after an argument, while other friends may need months to recover from hurtful words.
- Wait until you're ready before you apologize. If you rush your apology just because you're tired of fighting, your friend will probably be able to tell that you aren't being sincere.
- You'll know you're ready to apologize when you don't feel angry anymore, or when you care more about getting your friend back then you do about what they said or did that might have hurt your feelings.
- Don't apologize just because you want your friend to say they're sorry. Your friend might not be ready to apologize. You should say you're sorry because you actually feel bad for hurting your friend. Instead, try going into the conversation without expecting anything from your friend.
- Even if your friend isn't ready to apologize in return, you should apologize when you're ready. Just ask them to listen and explain what you're sorry for.
- Plan a time to talk to your friend. A face-to-face meeting will help you and your friend reconnect, and it will be easier for your friend to see that your apology is sincere. Call or text your friend and let them know you want to get together in person to talk. Ask your friend if the time and place you have in mind will work for them. If it doesn't, see if you can find something that fits both of your schedules.[6]
- Try starting the conversation by saying something like, "I really miss talking to you after class," or "I feel really bad about the things I said and I'd like to apologize in person."
- If your friend isn't ready to talk, try giving them a little more time. You could also send a hand-written apology note with an invitation to get together and talk more in person.
EditMaking Amends - Offer a sincere and specific apology. Don't just offer a blanket "I'm sorry." Think carefully about what you are really apologizing for, and be specific when you say you're sorry.[7]
- If you know you hurt your friend's feelings, apologize for what you said. Say something like, "I'm really sorry I called you stupid. I respect you way more than that and my words were careless and rude."
- You might say, "I'm sorry that I waited so long to call you after the fight," if you honestly don't think the argument was your fault.
- Give your friend a chance to tell their side of the story. After you apologize, let your friend talk. Listen carefully to what your friend has to say, and try not to be defensive when they tell you what they think about the fight. You might have done something to hurt or upset them that you don't even realize.[8]
- Share your thoughts about the argument. You can talk about what happened, but don't use this as an excuse to rehash the fight itself. Focus on using "I" statements that focus on your perspective rather than "you" statements that are centered on blame.[9]
- You could say something like, "I was feeling stressed out already that day and I lost my temper, and I shouldn't have done that" or "I felt really frustrated when you weren't listening to me, but I shouldn't have snapped at you."
- Don't make excuses for your behavior. It's okay to explain how you were feeling, but be sure to take responsibility for your words and actions.
- Accept your friend's apology if they say they're sorry. A lot of times, once you've apologized, your friend will say "I'm sorry too." If they do, let them know you accept their apology and you're ready to get things back to normal.[10]
- If your friend doesn't apologize, ask yourself whether it's more important to hear them say they're sorry or to have your friend back.
- Give your friend more time if they're still angry. Your friend may not be ready to forgive you or even to end the argument. Respect your friend's emotions, but don't let them pull you back into the fight.[11]
- If your friend is still mad, ask what you can do to make it better. If they give you an answer, try to do that. If they say nothing, your friend may need more time, or they may want to end the friendship.[12]
- Try to be patient with your friend as they take the time to heal after your argument. They may need more time than you do, and that's okay.
- End on a positive note. Whether you and your friend have repaired the friendship or your friend is still upset, try to end the conversation positively.[13]
- If you've made up, leave with a big hug and plans to hang out soon.
- If your friend is still upset, close the conversation by saying something like, "I still love you and I'll be here if you want to talk."
EditSources and Citations
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
|
| How to Get Inspired to Write Posted: 21 Aug 2018 01:00 AM PDT All writers need to refresh their inspiration from time to time. Daily life is full of writing inspiration, and inspiration can be found in books and stories as well. Boosting your creativity will help generate fresh ideas and beat writer's block. Almost anything can be a muse, so try different methods and inspirations to get inspired for your next masterpiece! EditHelp with Starting to Write EditFinding Daily Inspiration - Carry a writing journal or a recorder with you at all times. If you always have your journal and recorder, you'll be prepared for any time time inspiration strikes. You can jot down a note when inspiration comes, and you can record interesting dialogue you overhear.
- Record things like interviews with interesting people, unique dialogue suggestions, or personal notes to revisit later.
- Select a notebook that suits your style, whether simple and plain or fancy and elaborate.
- Keep a page just for quotes.
- List writing prompts or themes you'd like to write about to come back to later.
- Journal every day to use your writing muscles and find inspiration.[1]
- Change your scenery or environment to freshen things up. Switching up your environment can boost your imagination and loosen up ideas. Make small changes, like in writing location, or travel somewhere different. This will give you a fresh perspective and offer new ideas.[2]
- Work in another room of your house, visit a nearby coffee shop, or go outside and write.
- If you write on your computer, you can change your desktop background.
- Write about what you observe. If you are lacking inspiration, picking something in your environment is a good place to start.Whether in public of private, pick an item or an interaction and write about it. Include details on who, what, why, how, and when. Mention as much detail as possible.
- Writing about what you see helps put you in the present moment and works on your attention to detail.
- Choose an object in the room, like a grandfather clock. Write about the appearance of the clock, about the history of the clock, and about the clock's origins.
- Visit a busy place and people-watch for ideas. Human beings can be great writing inspiration, and they are easy to find in a busy, public setting. Travel to a public place, find interesting characters, and watch them for inspiration. Write about their appearance, actions, and words.[3]
- Visit places like an airport, shopping mall, or outdoor park.
- People-watch interesting, unique people and simple, normal humans. Both can give you inspiration.
- Listen to others' dialogue when in public. Innocent eavesdropping can make for great writing inspiration. When you are in a public place like a mall, restaurant, or movie theater, listen for interesting lines people say. Write them down and use them in your next story.[4]
- For example, if you overhear a couple fighting, use this for your own story.
- If you hear someone passionately ranting about politics, jot down some of their lines to revisit later.
EditStimulating Your Creativity - Try word association to get the ideas flowing. This will help you think of different ideas and work your imagination. Open a dictionary, pick a word at random, and write down everything that comes to mind on the topic.[5]
- Choose something like "freedom," and write everything that reminds you of freedom, such as birds, flying, or open sky.
- Freewrite to generate ideas. Freewriting helps you get words on the page, regardless of theme or intention of the piece. Choose a topic, open up to a fresh page, and write. Don't worry about what you are writing, just focus on filling the page. You can come back to your writing and expand upon it later, or do this just get the gears turning for your next piece.[6]
- Write a narrative or free associations.
- You can write for a certain amount of time or until you fill up a certain number of pages. This is your choice.
- An example includes writing on tigers. Write everything that comes to mind about tigers, such as when you saw them at the zoo when you were 5, or what it would be like to be a tiger in the jungle. Perhaps you use this for a blog post on tigers, or simply to get ideas for your new novel.
- Listen to music to think of new ideas. Music can help you concentrate as well as give your mind space to think of new ideas. Turn on your favorite music, or try a new genre, like folk, classical, or instrumental. [7]
- Use headphones for an intimate listening experience, or turn up the volume on your home speakers.
- Sometimes giving your mind the space be, rather than to think about words, helps you think creatively.
- Use writing prompts to get you started. Writing prompts help you get focused when you are lacking ideas. Choose a prompt that interests you, write down the prompt, set a timer for 30 minutes, and write in reference to the prompt. After the time is up, go back and polish up what you wrote.[8]
- Feel free to set your timer for shorter or longer time increments.
- Use these prompts to write a poem, short story, article--whatever inspires you.
- Writing prompt ideas include "The best day of my life was…" or "Write about the color black."
- Write about your hobbies and interests. Write about sports, art, animals, travel, medicine, cars, people--anything that strikes you. Write a fictional account or a true piece. Using things you already enjoy makes for easy inspiration because you are already interested in the topic. [9]
- For a fictional story, write about your favorite sports hero as if you were them.
- For a blog post, expand upon your favorite recipe. Describe the ingredients used, cooking time and temperature, and why you the dish.
- For a nonfiction piece, write a biographic account about your backpacking trip.
- Reflect on a past memory or event for ideas. Writing about past experiences is a great place to find inspiration because it gets you thinking. Revisit past experiences to find creative inspiration.
- Remember a time when you were so angry you could burst.
- Write about that time you broke your arm on the monkey bars.
- Write from various perspectives, like animals and inanimate objects. Instead of writing from your perspective or the perspective of another human, try animals, insects, or objects. Think about what they would think, feel, hear, or say, and use these to describe your piece.
- Write a story from the perspective of a household item, like a stapler or thumb tack.
- Tell a tale from your pet dog or cat's perspective.
EditUsing Books or Stories for Inspiration - Find a news story for inspiration. If you can't think of your own story topic, open up a newspaper or Google an interesting subject. Find a headline and read the story. Write an entirely new story based on this topic, or use this existing story in a new, creative way.
- Ask questions like, "Who was the man and why did he act this way?" or "What about our current political system made this new policy change?" and write your responses.
- Expand upon the story by writing your own take of what happened.[10]
- Read a book, blog, or magazine for new ideas. Read other work to find new topics to write about or angles on similar topics. Then write a poem about what you've learned. Learning about something new is great writing inspiration, and seeing what inspires others may inspire you. [11]
- Read works by writers you love or hate, or by writers you've never heard of.
- Find a magazine on a topic you are interested in, and skim the pages.
- Open up a copy of National Geographic and look for a new discovery.
- Read one of your favorite poems and look at it with a fresh perspective.
- Pick out a book from your library. Skim the pages to get an idea of the theme and characters. See what ideas you generate based off of this unread book.
- Watch a movie for inspiration. Look for characters to build off of, dialogue to work with, or landscapes to set your stories in. Then, use these elements to write your own story or novel. Movies can offer great ideas on dialogue, characters, or scenery. [12]
- Watch a movie of your choice and look for details to write about. Is there a particularly interesting character? Are there artful camera angles that inspire you to look at something a new way?
- Look at a piece of art and write about how it makes you feel. View artwork in person or online, and write out details of the artwork. Include your thoughts and feelings. Then, expand upon what you wrote in a short story or poem.[13]
- Visit a nearby art museum or search of famous art pieces online. Contemplate the artwork. How does it make you feel? How does the subjects of the piece feel?
- Writing about another creative medium can help trigger your own inspiration.
- Try creating "blackout poetry" from a page of text. Select a page from a newspaper, magazine, or book and grab a black permanent marker. Glace at the page, and look for words that strike you. Make a line through the words you don't want to use with your marker, leaving just a few words. The remaining words make up your poem.[14]
- You can experiment with blacking out many words to make short poems, or only blacking out some words to make longer poems.
- You can write a broad narrative using nouns, verbs, and adjectives, or create a more coherent story using words like "is," "of," and "the."
EditBeating Writer's Block - Set a deadline for your writing. Sometimes it is easier to find inspiration when you are under pressure. Make yourself accountable by setting your own deadlines. Sticking to your deadlines helps keep you writing![15]
- Set the goal to write 1,000 words a day, one article a week, or one poem a day--whatever works for you and your goals.
- Exercise to stimulate blood flow and generate ideas. Exercise boosts brain activity by increasing blood flow, which is helpful when looking for inspiration to write. Giving yourself a break to get moving will help your subconscious make connections, so when you are finished you are full of fresh ideas.
- Try running, swimming, cycling, or yoga. Play a sport like tennis or soccer.[16]
- Meditate for 5 or 10 minutes to clear your mind. Take deep breaths, focusing on your inhale and exhale. Step back and relax so you can approach your writing focused and attentive. Give your mind space to reduce stress and increase your focus. The less stressed you are, the easier it will be for your mind to focus on writing.[17]
- Immerse yourself in nature to find peace and inspiration. Taking a step back and changing your perspective will help you focus when you return. Nature can promote intelligence and creativity, offering you a space for connection and reflection.[18]
- Go for a walk or hike in a nearby park, focusing on the trees, landscape, and animals.
- Daydream to gain a new perspective. Let your mind wander on new subjects and ideas to refresh your perspective. Find somewhere quiet, close your eyes, and let your mind generate scenarios of different people and places. Focus on the images that arise rather than associating words with them.[19]
- Think about that interesting character you sat next to in the airport. Imagine what their life is like. Where do they live? What do they do for a living?
- Contemplate what it would be like to be an insect. Think about what it would be like to live in a hive and how strong you would be.
- Join a writing group to find like-minded people. Discussing work with other writers is helpful because it helps you think of subjects to explore. You can also receive feedback for your previous work, so you can expand upon.
- Search for writing communities in your area, or gather peers interested in writing.
- Meet up at a local coffee shop or cafe and discuss your writing ideas. Exchange work for feedback.[20]
- Learn about your favorite writers and their writing habits. Some writers always write in the same location, drink a lot of coffee, or research butterflies. Regardless of the particular habit, many writers found their own ways to get inspired and be productive. Research some of your writing role models to find out what worked for them.[21]
- For example, Ernest Hemingway used to write first thing every morning. Kurt Vonnegut used to do sit ups and push ups in between his writing.[22]
- Start writing a new story if you are stuck. Sometimes a fresh start is all you need to get the creative gears turning. Open up to a new page and work on something else.
- Instead of writing your autobiography, write about the interesting man you met in the supermarket.
- If you are stuck on the ending to your murder mystery, try writing an inspiring account of your hero.
- Experiment with different writing mediums. Your brain will think in different structures when you use different writing mediums, which helps inspiration flow.
- If you have been working on a novel, try to write a poem instead.
- Instead of completing your poetry collection, try writing a short story about your recent vacation.
EditWriting Help - Plagiarism is morally unacceptable, and in some cases, it can land you in court fighting a copyright case. Always remember to credit your sources.
EditRelated wikiHows EditSources and Citations EditQuick Summary
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
|
No comments:
Post a Comment