Summarize the following:
Snip the corner off a bag of soil to create a narrow spout. Starting with the edges, go around the frame and pour in the soil until it just touches the underside of the hardware cloth. Give the frame an occasional shake while you work to level off the soil and help it distribute more evenly.  You can also add a small amount of fertilizer to the potting soil to promote the health of new plants. Look for nitrogen-rich fertilizers and mix a light sprinkling into the fresh soil before you fill the frame. Formulate your own soil specifically for succulent plants by mixing two parts moist soil from your yard or garden with one part sand and small pebbles. Use a chopstick, screwdriver or slender wooden dowel to burrow into the soil about 1-1.5” deep. This will create a series of small holes that will make planting the seeds and cuttings much more expedient. Dig one hole for each plant you intend to grow.  Make sure the holes are relatively narrow and that the soil around the opening isn’t cracked or loose. Be careful not to make the holes so deep that you reach the plywood backing. Confirm that the holes you dig are wide enough to accommodate the root bulbs of larger succulent species. Insert the cuttings through the wire screen of the hardware cloth root-side down. They should fit perfectly into the holes you just opened up. After all the cuttings are in place, pat the soil around the visible portion of the plants to anchor them.  At this point, you should begin thinking about how you want your finished living picture to look. This will give you an idea of what type of planting pattern will work best. Plant leaf cuttings at an angle to the soil, with the trimmed end below the surface. You won’t hang your living picture right away. Seeds and young cuttings will need two to four weeks of constant sunlight and daily watering to begin growing. When the roots have spread and found traction in the soil, the plants will be resilient enough to mount without coming loose. For the first week or so, aim to water your plants once a day. Simply wet the top of the soil around each of the plants. As they develop, they’ll require less and less water and general maintenance. Once the roots have secured themselves in the soil, you'll be able to mount the frame with no fear of the plants coming dislodged. Attach the hook or wire hanger to the upper portion of the plywood backing and display it in a well-lit section of your living room, kitchen, patio or garden. Take the frame down whenever you need to water the plants or add new fertilizer to the soil.  You can also water the plants using a spray bottle. Give them a generous misting once or twice a day, and be sure to saturate the soil as well as the foliage. Make sure the soil is adequately drained before rehanging the living picture.

summary: Fill the living picture frame with potting soil. Poke small holes in the soil. Press the plant cuttings into the holes. Give the plants time to take root. Hang and care for your living picture.


Summarize the following:
Use warm water and your favorite cleanser to wash away makeup and dirt. Gently pat your face dry with a towel. Pour a small amount of astringent onto the cotton ball, enough to make the top of the ball moist but not soaked through. You may rub it in gently, but do not scrub.  If you have combination skin, try dabbing the astringent only in your oily areas (often the forehead, nose, and chin). Skip over any dry areas. Some astringents also come in spray bottles that you can lightly mist over your face without using a cotton ball. Wait for your astringent to absorb slightly. Then, apply a moisturizer that contains an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen. Choose a light moisturizer or one formulated for oily skin.  You may think adding moisturizer to oily skin will only make things worse, but drying out your skin too much can cause even more oil production. It’s best to keep your skin balanced with a light moisturizer.  Sunscreen is helpful since your skin is more likely to be sensitive to light after using astringent. Apply your astringent once per day, after you wash your face in the morning. Skip the astringent after cleansing your skin in the evening. If desired, you may use toner in the evening in place of astringent. Even the mildest of astringents can burn if you put them on an open cut or scratch on your face. It’s best to avoid these areas and wait to apply astringent until the skin is healthy again. If you feel a burning sensation or your face becomes red after applying astringent, stop using it. Calm your skin by applying moisturizer. Try a more soothing astringent, or switch to using toner instead.

summary: Wash your face with your favorite cleanser or soap and pat dry. Put a small amount of astringent on a cotton ball and dab on your face. Apply an SPF 30 light moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp. Apply your astringent once per day. Avoid cuts and abrasions when you apply your astringent. Switch to a milder astringent if your face becomes red or irritated.


Summarize the following:
Typically, a male turtle will be more colorful and more outgoing than a female.   Males have a flat or concave plastron (bottom shell), and females have a flat or convex plastron, which allows more space for eggs. Females will also almost always be larger.  Among water turtles, size is also a good indicator:  males are smaller than their female counterparts.  Also, male sliders have long claws on their front legs. When it comes to box turtles, males generally have bigger, fatter tails, and a vent (cloaca) that's further from the shell than the female's. Turtles are not able to breed until they've reached sexual maturity.  When it comes to water turtles, males should be at least three years old, and females need to be about five years old.  Neither male nor female box turtles will breed before they're at least five years old. Don't plan to breed a recently acquired turtle.  Wait at least a year. To increase the chances for successful breeding, it's suggested that you cool your turtles.  Nesting season can run from March through June, so the cooling period actually needs to take place January into February for water turtles and December through February for box turtles.  Keep turtles at a temperature between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit for six to eight weeks for water turtles and eight to 12 weeks for box turtles. Leave the turtles alone during this period.  You can make food available, but they'll eat little or nothing at all. If your turtles live in an outdoor pond, you can take advantage of the natural cooling that wintertime offers and allow them to hibernate. After the cooling period has ended, return your turtles' habitat to its regular temperature. It's particularly important that your turtles eat well during the breeding season.  In addition to their regular diet, be sure the females get enough calcium and Vitamin D3.  A healthy diet for a water turtle will contain some combination of:  earthworms, snails, well-washed butter lettuce, melon, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, vegetable scraps, peas, tomatoes, cooked sweet potatoes, dandelion flowers and leaves and mulberry leaves. A box turtle has the same basic diet as a water turtle, but the menu could also include  whole feeder goldfish, crickets, kale, boiled egg, corn on the cob, chopped and steamed broccoli and lots of green leafy vegetables. You can meet your turtles' need for calcium but putting a Cuttle fish bone to be nibbled on in the their habitat, or you can feed them calcium supplements. Turtles that are kept outdoors don't need additional Vitamin D3; they make plenty of their own.  But indoor turtles need exposure to a full spectrum reptile light or a D3 supplement.
summary: Be sure you have a male and a female turtle. Be sure your turtles are sexually mature. Cool your turtles. Feed your turtles well.