Silver maples and some red maples (but not Japanese red maples) will drop their seeds early in the growing season. These species do not go dormant, and there is no need for any special treatments. Some red maple trees will not drop seeds until autumn or winter; these require cold stratification. Even the groves that drop seeds early usually have alternate years of good and bad seed production. Seeds of this type will die if they dry out in storage. Plant shortly after you collect them. They should germinate quickly. Place the seeds on moist ground with plenty of leaf litter and other organic material. As long as the soil doesn't dry out, the seeds will require no maintenance. Silver maples grow poorly in shade. Red maples can handle shade for 3–5 years, but may have trouble growing if they remain under the canopy past that point. If some of the seeds fail to germinate, they will often sprout the following year. These are usually a minority of the seeds, but if you haven't had much success it could be worth leaving the area untended for a second season. If very few of the seeds germinate, and the climate has been fairly typical, the seeds most likely died in storage. Plant a new batch next year rather than waiting.
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One-sentence summary -- Collect seeds in late spring or early summer. Plant immediately. Plant on moist ground. Plant in sun or partial shade. Leave bare seedbeds undisturbed (optional).


Sometimes, as a busy parent, it will be nearly impossible for you to make healthy snacks at home.  If you must offer store-bought snacks, choose the healthiest options possible. Chips, candy, and soft drinks are an easy option when your teenager is hungry.  If they are in the house, a teenager will eat them! Though you likely can’t prevent your teen from choosing these options at school or at the movies with their friends, you can provide better options at home. These convenient, portable snacks are often packed with sugar and fat. Most have added some vitamins and nutrients, but the amount of artificial flavorings and chemicals they contain usually outweigh the benefits. These are every bit as convenient as a power bar, but offer a good variety of whole grains, nuts, and fruit. You can also pick up individual trail mix packets with similar ingredients. Greek yogurt offers a lot of protein, but any low-fat yogurt is a good option for teens on the go. You can get these salted or unsalted, in bulk or individually wrapped. Be careful about portion control though, as nuts are high in calories. These are a great option for a teen who tends to grab chips and dip, but they offer much more nutritional value than potato chips. You can also rotate in healthy dip options, such as hummus. These packs come in every variety, from sweet treats to nuts to crackers.  Some offer less nutritional value than others, but they are all portable and very limited in calories. Convenience is key here. Bananas, apples, pears, and oranges are very portable and easy to eat.  If you want your teen to grab celery and carrots and don’t have time to cut them up yourself, you may have to opt for the more expensive pre-cut veggies.
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One-sentence summary -- Banish junk food. Avoid “power” bars. Try trail mix bars. Pick up individual yogurts. Grab mixed nuts. Stock up on multigrain crackers and pita chips. Look for 100-calorie packs. Buy convenient fruits and vegetables.


A huge part of performing punk music happens with what you do around the singing, as much as the singing itself. Good punk singers are like performance artists and stage maniacs, flailing about and getting people whipped into a frenzy. Check out performances by these classic punk performers:  Lux Interior from The Cramps Iggy Pop from The Stooges Darby Crash The Germs Cole Alexander from Black Lips earn to handle the mic. Most of the classic punk vocalists are singers, not singers and guitar players. If you're going to be on stage with nothing but the mic, it's important to learn to handle it, both to get the best sound possible, and look cool doing it.  That spot between your nose and your top lip, where a mustache would be? Jam the microphone into that spot and keep it there while you sing. Don't worry about over-blowing it. Grab the mic as close to the head as possible, like rappers do. Try wrapping the cord around the hand you're holding the mic with, to keep it out of the way for head banging. Don't grab the mic cable and swing the microphone. Sound guys hate this, and it makes you look like a dork. If you want to buck the trend, keep the mic on the mic stand and wrestle with it, swinging it around and bending it to your height, then straight up, then back again. This is strangely compelling. Cheap mics work best for singing punk rock, and if you can dial up a little reverb or gain on the PA that you're singing through, all the better. Try thinking of your voice like another guitar or another instrument on stage: it's there to make sound more than it is there to communicate specific messages. That's what the lyric sheet is for. It's not dancing, it's flailing. Punk vocalists will often perform the songs just as much by moving around. For different vocalists, this might mean hopping around, pumping fists, head-banging, rolling around on the floor, or–as in Iggy Pop's case–smearing peanut butter on your chest. You might not need to go that crazy, but it always helps to get wild when you're performing punk. Practice performing your songs in the dark to help to free yourself and get comfortable. It doesn't matter if you "look cool," speaking strictly. You just need to look uninhibited and free. Punk bands should play at the same level as the audience whenever possible, attempting to blur the line between performer and spectator. If there's a stage at the venue where you're playing, set-up on the floor. Better yet, perform in basements and union halls, or other all ages venues. Avoid lame "classic rock" gestures, like stage diving and other cliches. Punk isn't about acting like some kind of rock god. . Punk style is a controversial topic, for obvious reasons, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Think about it this way: you want to dress in the way that will make you confident to perform punk music. If that means you wear a plain white tee and a pair of Dickies, you'll be in good company, right along with Henry Rollins. If you want a jean jacket and some combat boots, all the better. Leather jacket and pink mohawk? Maybe. Try to match your concept of punk style to the punk scene you're a part of and the aesthetics of your music. Want to learn how to sing punk? Go to shows. Local shows. Buy band tees from local punk bands and rep them whenever you go out. Put on shows and promote the local scene. That's punk.
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One-sentence summary --
Watch the masters. . Distort the mic. Move around. Get down into the crowd. Look like your audience