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Mount Hood

Petals & Vines is the grow-to place for plants

Local florist Petals & Vines is blooming with beauty 

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌ ‌

Family owned and operated florist shop Petals & Vines has been established in Monmouth since April 2007 ⏤ run by the charming and welcoming mother and daughter duo, Maggie Triplet and Martha Zuck. When it comes to the variety of plants and items available, they have all the bells and whistles for any customer, occasion or budget. Martha describes their inventory as having everything from buying flowers by the stem, “big and bougie” trumpet-style flowers, or “low and lush” arrangements with styles in between that can have glass vases. 

Zuck stated, “I’ve lived and breathed flowers since 1995, it’s second nature to me … I love working with my mom, being involved in the small-town community, and watching customers’ kids grow up through the years,” which is her favorite part about working with her mom.

With Valentine’s Day coming up and spring fast approaching, anyone can roam around in the nearly twenty different types of plants in their shop and soak in the greenery. Daily fresh-cut flowers, blooming bouquets, tropical plants, ferns, air and household plants are just a few choices.

“As Valentine’s Day comes up, wedding and proposal season usually comes right after,” Zuck pointed out.

No matter what the event or season, there are plenty of quality arrangements, plants and gifts like decor, cards, candies and stuffed animals. Dedicated to working with customers and their budgets, Petals & Vines has “$10 Tuesdays” where there are various plants and items available for $10. There are other deals that happen throughout the year, and they also do pickup and delivery services. If there’s ever a plant they don’t have in-store, they’re happy to order it. 

Located at 410 Main St W East in Monmouth, patrons should also keep an eye out for JJ, their friendly orange cat that patrols the neighborhood. Additional details can be found on their Facebook at “Petals & Vines Flowers and Gifts,” and Instagram @petalsandvines. For any other questions or concerns, check out their website, petalsandvinesflorist.com or give them a call at 503-838-1773.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

A preseason event and CDL season postponement

Next month will start the second season of CDL

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌ ‌ ‌

It was recently announced that the second season of Call of Duty League will start off with an opening event, taking place Feb. 11 through 14. CDL took a similar route as other competitive game leagues, and switched to an online format due to COVID-19. The regular season has been announced ⏤ although fans will have to wait for the schedule and matchups, as they have yet to be finalized. On Jan. 23 and 24, the preseason Kickoff Classic took place, where six preseason matches were voted on by fans. At this Kickoff Classic, they discussed the upcoming season and the Stage One Group Selection Show. 

There are other new changes to the season that will come next year, such as the switch to PC and their 4 vs. 4 gameplay mode. Among the 12 CDL teams, the Los Angeles Thieves will be taking the place of Optic Gaming Los Angeles. All of the teams qualify for each major tournament, and it should be noted that the prizing system for 2021 was slightly adjusted.

There’s an impressive $500,000 thousand at stake for each Major and a staggering $2.5 million for the playoffs, with a prize pool of $5 million. The Kickoff Classic, the regular season and the playoff games will be broadcasted live and on-demand at the Call of Duty League YouTube channel. 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Dungeon Delving for Dummies: “Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything”

“‌Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything” is Wizards of the Coast’s best source book 

Stephanie Moschella |‌ ‌Digital Media Manager

Out of all the sourcebooks that Wizards of the Coast has written, “Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything” is the best. This book is the newest in a series of Dungeons and Dragons sourcebooks that contain narrated passages from memorable characters in D&D lore. It first began with “Volo’s Guide to Monsters,” creating a reading atmosphere that made these characters more accessible and even playable. However, Tasha not only brings a female perspective into a male-dominated world, but also a charming personality that makes the reader feel like they’re scrolling through Tasha’s secret art Tumblr. 

There are a bunch of new subclasses, making this book a secondary guide for dungeon masters and players alike. Alongside the “Player’s Handbook 5th Edition,” it bumps the character creation to a new level, and helps DM’s stuff a lot more tricks up their sleeve. Even though some information has been reprinted into this book, it doesn’t cause too much of a problem. Considering the limited respect towards homebrew material and the lack of acceptance of Unearthed Arcana, making anything canon with a big official D&D stamp is a step towards unlimited options. 

With group patrons and the plethora of new spells, this book feels and reads like an actual guide, accompanying players through tons of optional class features. For someone that has been playing for years, it’s refreshing to create a ranger that doesn’t need to be a beast master (even though I still won’t ever play one).

For DM’s like myself, this sourcebook is a must-buy. It literally gives readers freebies with tons of puzzle options and magic items including magical tattoos. There is even an expanded set of rules for sidekicks that’ll provide entertaining twists at the table. The book also has official safeguards for DM’s regarding boundaries. From Tasha herself, “establish boundaries. And if anyone crosses them, speak up. If they don’t listen, there’s always cloudkill…” 

Overall Review: This article reads like an advertisement for this book, and honestly, I would do it for Wizards of the Coast for free. 10/10 would recommend to players and DM’s alike!

Contact the author at howldigitalmediamanger@mail.wou.edu

‌Five online game sites to get lost in

Five websites with online games to help with boredom 

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌

Online games have long been a staple of the internet ⏤ with dress-up and makeover flash games, car racing, cooking competitions and many that come from shows like “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” “Spongebob” and “Tom and Jerry.” Online games such as these can be a good way to burn some time alone; or, if the kids are bored at home and need something new to do, let them explore early internet games. 

There used to be many other options for playing these types of games, but because of security threats in the Flash Player, Adobe heavily suggests that it be uninstalled. As of Jan.12, Adobe blocked Flash content from running the Flash Player, since the program is at the end of its life. It’s always smart to play it safe and be cautious of clicking weird ads, links or installing unknown things onto the computer. All things considered, here are some sites that will let anyone play some fun games:

  1. Right off the bat, igrezadecu.com has ones like “Zack and Cody Pizza Party Pickup Game,” “Tom and Jerry Cheese Swipe,” “Spongebob Mini Golf” and “Spongebob Rock Collector.” 
  2. httml5games.com has “Smarty Bubbles,” “Badland,” “8 Ball Billiards Classic,” “Crazy Caves,” “Jungle Run,” “Archery World Tour,” “Solitaire Klondike,” “Diamond Rush” and pages worth of other choices. 
  3. Over at funnygames.org, there’s “Fireboy and Watergirl 5,” “Tiles,” “Phase 10,” “Gold Strike” and “Master Chess.” Check this site out for other games too under categories such as adventure and platform, action and fighting, brain and cards, skills and multiplayer and cards. 
  4. gameforge.com holds browser and free games, plus plenty of MMORPG’s (massively multiplayer online role-playing games). There are many alternative categories such as bowling, scary, strategy and memory games.
  5. Finally, gamesheep.com is home to “Garden Bloom,” “My Little City,” “Mad Racer,” “Yeti Sensation” and my personal favorite, “Super Onion Boy.” 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Grammy Awards rescheduled until March

The Grammy Awards has been delayed to March 

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌ ‌ ‌

Due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, the 2021 Grammy Awards has been rescheduled to Sunday, March 14. Thankfully, there will still be ways to tune into the 63rd Grammy Awards. The Premiere Ceremony will be streamed live on Grammy.com; tune in to watch the majority of the various categories of awards be handed out, and some live performances too. 

The 63rd annual award ceremony can be watched on CBS and CBS All Access; it will be interesting to see who comes out on top out of their 83 categories in the completed nominee list. Some categories include Pop, General Field, Rock, Alternative and a list chock-full of talented artists. Some nominees under the General Field for Record Of The Year include: “Black Parade” by Beyoncé, “everything i wanted” by Billie Eilish, “Rockstar” by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch, “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa and “Circles” by Post Malone. This Grammy is a cross-genre award given to the song’s recording artist, the producers, recording engineers and mixers as well as the mastering engineers.

Explaining in-depth about the postponement on their official website, a joint statement was released from Harvey Mason Jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy; Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS; and Ben Winston, Grammy Awards Executive Producer, Fulwell 73 Productions:

“The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.”

Although fans have to wait a bit for the highly anticipated event to take place, people can spend time exploring the ranging categories and nominated artists. When the ceremony rolls around, there will be plenty of safe ways to enjoy it with friends and family ⏤ such as a virtual viewing party, share prediction lists on who will win or make a playlist featuring nominated artists.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Review: “Bridgerton”

Released on Netflix, upper-class society in “Bridgerton” gets saucy 

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌

Netflix’s latest hit “Bridgerton” follows the peculiar family of the same name, showcasing the adventures of the eight siblings and their search for love and happiness. Inspired by Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels, this romantic drama was released Dec. 25, 2020. Starring Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor as main leads Simon Basset and Daphne Bridgerton respectfully, the debut season ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 for good reason — imagine Gossip Girl meets Pride and Prejudice. 

Bridgerton showcases life in London’s high-society in a fictional post-racial Regency era. Audiences can find elaborate sets and costumes, quick-witted characters and steamy scenes which make it a quintessential romance drama. One of the biggest puzzles in this show is in discovering the identity of Lady Whistledown ⏤ the character narrated by Julie Andrews ⏤ who acts as the town’s anonymous author of a scandalous tabloid. 

Most of the themes present in the show were paired with fairly historic views of status and class, gender roles, marriage and love. There was plenty of humor throughout the show that kept the episodes well-paced, but there is a larger discussion to be had with certain themes that come up, and some parts where viewer discretion is advised. For example, episode six contains scenes of sexual assault and rape. 

With their high-class lifestyle comes murder and mystery ⏤ all displayed in elegant ballrooms, sprawling gardens and quaint drawing room parlors. Netflix goes one extra step by taking these details of elite life in London and pairs modern music made classical by the Vitamin String Quartet — like Billie Eilish’s “the bad guy,” Shawn Mendes’s “In My Blood” and Maroon 5’s “Girl Like You.” 

The storyline is developed enough to hold the audience’s attention while leaving wiggle room for a possible next season, and has enough gossip to keep the viewer intrigued. The big reveal of Lady Bridgerton could have been saved for future seasons, as it apparently was in the books, but it was worth it to know in the end. 

Overall Review: A strong 3.8/5 because of the wardrobe choices and the treats they eat look ridiculously good, but there’s always room for improvement.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Review: “Mushrooming Without Fear”

Be a fun-gi and safely forage for mushrooms with this field guide

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌

Nature-lovers alike can appreciate any field guide that is safety-oriented ⏤ especially one that is in-depth and provides full-color pictures. This quick read by Alexander Schwab is full of thorough information; “Mushrooming Without Fear: The Beginner’s Guide to Collecting Safe and Delicious Mushrooms” includes detailed steps on the proper way to hunt for these hidden gems in the area. 

Throughout the three main sections, the reader can explore the components of a mushroom and how to tell the difference in its anatomies — such as its gills, tubes, spines and ridges. Since there is such a variety of species and toxicity levels, it is important to go through Schwab’s recommended steps for positive identification. The guide breaks into sections for different types of fungi, which has a full overview and highly stresses their “safe method,” and consists of these guidelines:

  1. When first starting off, leave most mushrooms alone.
  2. Closely evaluate which specific markings are present, and keep in mind which identifiers are absent.
  3. Follow the rules and take the identification process step-by-step.

This safety method ensures that the forager will avoid deadly species or ones that can cause permanent damage, such as ones with gills, which are highly poisonous and should be avoided completely. Further in the book, there are eight rules that should also be studied before picking or consuming. 

Aside from the bounty of safety information found in this guide, readers can also check out the twelve types of mushrooms and their species — like the King Bolete, Chanterelles, Common Puffballs, Hen of the Woods and Bay Boletes. One especially useful part of the positive identification checklist is a scale of colors along the top of the page, which represents the correct color the cap should be when picked.

Other details on the checklists include the average size across the cap, what time of the year they make an appearance, their location and other tips. 

With the identification checklist readily available for each type of mushroom, there are also plenty of details for how to handle, store, season and cook them. Out of all the field guides out there on the market, this one is very beginner-friendly, affordable and definitely worth taking along while foraging. 

Rating 4/5 because I will now be spending all of my money on mushroom field guides. 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

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Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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