More important than phone calls and visits is truthfulness. Be open with your friends so they know the real you, even when you aren't so proud of yourself. Friendships can only grow when honesty is present, so always be yourself. Always honor your friends. If others are gossiping about them, either intervene or walk away. Always keep their secrets. If you tell them that you'll do something, do it without having to be reminded. For instance, if you hear someone talking badly about them, say "Hey, Monica is one of my good friends. I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak like that about her." If you do something wrong to your friends, say you're sorry to them. Friendships are bound to run into the occasional conflict, and that's okay. What's not okay is allowing bitterness to fester and poison your relationship. Call them or pull them aside and say something like "I'm so sorry for making that comment about your mom. I wasn't thinking straight. It won't happen again." Friendships thrive when everyone feels valued. Let your friends know what they mean to you. Tell them how thankful you are to have them in your life and compliment them regularly. Boost them and make them feel lucky to have you, too. Take special moments like birthdays to be appreciative, but let them know you love them on regular days, too. Say something like "You're such a great friend. I don't know what I'd do without you. Thanks for always being there for me." Just like you have your imperfections, know that your friends have them, too. Instead of trying to make them think like you about certain issues, accept their differences. This doesn't mean letting them treat you badly, but do know that they are human and unique. For instance, your friend might be in an unhealthy relationship that you're tired of hearing about. Instead of getting mad at them for staying, continue to love and support them.
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One-sentence summary -- Be honest. Be trustworthy and reliable. Apologize when you mess up. Show appreciation for them. Accept them for who they are.

Rinse the asparagus under cool to lukewarm running water. Gently scrub the spears with your fingers to remove any excess dirt. Alternatively, place the asparagus in a colander and rinse the entire bunch at once. Gently shake the colander as you work to stir the spears and loosen any dirt. Remove the woody, white bottom portion of each spear by snapping or cutting it. To break the end off by hand, firmly hold the asparagus spear in one hand, approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the end of the white section. Grasp onto the white end with your other hand and yank it in a downward movement. To cut the end off, use a sharp serrate knife and saw at the spear just above the end of the white portion. Use a serrated knife to cut the asparagus spears into 2-inch (5-cm) sections, slicing each spear at a slight angle.
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One-sentence summary -- Clean the asparagus. Break off the bottoms. Cut the asparagus into pieces.

To make fake bones you will need old newspapers, masking tape, sheets of plaster cloth, a gallon of water, and several tea bags. You also have the option to paint your bones if desired. Roll up several pieces into a tube shape. Roll others into small balls of various sizes. Make enough newspapers balls and tubes so that the ratio is 4 newspapers to balls to every 1 tube. Place two newspaper balls onto each end of the tube to create the most realistic bone shape. Use tea bags; loose tea is not good for this project because you do not want any tea leaves to get on your finished product. The tea will be used to dye the plaster cloth used in the next step. Plaster cloth is a cloth that hardens into an outer shell when it becomes wet and is then wrapped around a surface (such as your newspaper bones.) Dipping the plaster cloth into the tea will dye the cloth a yellowish grey and will give your bones an aged look. Squeeze the tea out of it by running the cloth between your middle and index fingers. If your plaster cloth is too wet when applied to the newspaper, your newspaper bone might lose some of its shape. Start at one of the ends of the bone and work your way down to the other end. Cover the bone in plaster cloth pieces. When the bone is entirely covered, place it somewhere safe to let it dry. Small bones should take several hours to dry. Larger bones may take up to a day to dry. Test your bones for dryness by touching them. If the plaster cloth still feels wet or slightly sticky, continue to let the bones dry. Only do this if you do not care for the aged coloring that the dyed plaster cloth gives your bones.
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One-sentence summary -- Gather your supplies. Create a bone shape out of several pieces of newspaper. Connect the balls to the tube shape with masking tape. Make tea using a gallon of water. Dip 1 piece of plaster cloth into a bowl of the tea. Remove the plaster cloth from the tea. Smooth the plaster cloth over your newspaper bone. Paint your bones white or some other color. Scatter the bones around your yard or stick them in the ground.

Always begin clipping from the less sensitive areas like the shoulders, going upwards to the neck. Clip in long and overlapping strokes, and always go against the hair growth. Do this one side at a time. Make sure your blades do not overheat, and keep them lubricated with a generous amount of mineral oil (5 to 10 drops). If the blade gets hot, replace it with a fresh set or let it cool down first before using it again. You can prevent cutting these areas by wrapping the tail with bandage, and by pushing the mane with your other hand when you are clipping an area near it. These areas can irritate the horse when clipped. Clip a majority of the hairs using big clippers, and then use smaller clippers on the nooks and ear edges. Move the horse's skin or stretch it using your fingers to reach into nooks and crannies. When you are clipping the face, be careful around the bony edges around the face and eyes. You can cover the eyes with one hand to prevent cut hairs from falling in and irritating the eyes. Additionally, when clipping in this area, make sure that the blades are not hot, because a hot blade can startle the horse. For whiskers, use fine or small clippers. Clipping from the elbows down is a two man job, and you will need an assistant to lift the foreleg of the horse, so that you can stretch and clip the skin behind the elbows. Clipping the hind legs, belly, and trunk, also requires an assistant to make sure that the horse is properly restrained. These areas are ticklish and can startle horses, making them kick. The simple halter restraint discussed earlier may be sufficient. After clipping, wipe the horse with a warm wet sponge, to remove cut hairs that can cause irritation. Any hairs that are left on the horse can prick their skin and cause them to buck and struggle. Dust and brush off all the hairs from the clippers. Remove the blades by unscrewing the tension screws. Clean the blades with oil and cloth, using 5 to 10 drops of mineral oil and wiping it away with a flannel cloth. Clean the hand set of the clipper. Store it in a cool, dry place.
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One-sentence summary --
Maintain a system and pattern when clipping. Check the temperature of the blades and oil the blades every 5 to 10 minutes. Avoid clipping the mane, tail and forelock of the horse. Use big clippers for large surfaces and small clippers for tight areas. Get someone's help to clip the elbows, hind legs, belly, and trunk. Wipe the horse to clean him off. Clean store your clippers and blades.