tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69632519244363115682024-03-27T16:54:52.088-07:00Don't PanicDottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-57421947457378029712024-03-25T16:34:00.000-07:002024-03-25T16:34:19.895-07:00Peaches - 8 March 2021 to 24 March 2024<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7LDo51DlIJkcrBydDWm9Lc_hcDJTg5PcbijWinuc5Ai7wi3KIMk2ImCpW2sovs5OFbUxJnzkgk8PDETm6tMCEPhcPqfAtfVY34pEI9TLNzq464zbKMu3Or66w4jrvTam-4DIL6tsow5P0biCFs6tIXiJUn7vsydZYI1EUC5gpptujna-uA3U6PrSRC_C/s4032/peaches-oct-2023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7LDo51DlIJkcrBydDWm9Lc_hcDJTg5PcbijWinuc5Ai7wi3KIMk2ImCpW2sovs5OFbUxJnzkgk8PDETm6tMCEPhcPqfAtfVY34pEI9TLNzq464zbKMu3Or66w4jrvTam-4DIL6tsow5P0biCFs6tIXiJUn7vsydZYI1EUC5gpptujna-uA3U6PrSRC_C/s320/peaches-oct-2023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October 2023 - molting, fuzzy baby head feathers.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />After 2 or 3 very bad days, Peaches died overnight Saturday night. We said tearful good-byes and tucked her into the ground Sunday. Miss her very much. For this Remembrance, I started backwards through all my photos. A lot happened in three years.</p><p><br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-37413752837427338782024-03-25T16:26:00.000-07:002024-03-25T16:26:22.409-07:00Elm Seed Seaon, aka 4th Winter<p>I am ashamed not to have posted about the glories of spring before now! The crocuses have already come and gone. </p><p>Pansies, catmint, hollyhocks, strawberry plants, stray snapdragons, snow
in summer all wildly alive, cautiously sprouting new growth. If you
look carefully, there are bits of life stirring everywhere.</p><p>This week, there are fluffy sour-apple-candy poofs making a patchwork/ confetti sky over your head. Textbook chartreuse swatches waving like demented wands at the ends of otherwise bare, brown limbs.</p><p>The weather is bouncing violently. From 10 April days in mid-February, to a normal February day or 3 in late March. It's a big unpredictable jumble. And wind. (That's not dust, it's <i>enchantment</i>!)<br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-79596355127853353012023-10-31T17:24:00.000-07:002023-10-31T17:24:09.164-07:00Hard Freeze Last Night<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh5Qdl0fUaB7PJ1FzZFoGbVNVVRvCI5gTrZ3h8uGlZ9ZRr625UoyUDX9ZQGLD1dYbgAqOQA4qhn3uzJHejM1cx_pYLWlTaQmwNgJMuevTM924nfMhTV3NZaRbuDmjePNFfwnQmjvjCQLYbxZaEm5NQUIll2Gqzxr2Vf-abp0RETytAAr2k94FgQLcH3fh/s4032/IMG_8664.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh5Qdl0fUaB7PJ1FzZFoGbVNVVRvCI5gTrZ3h8uGlZ9ZRr625UoyUDX9ZQGLD1dYbgAqOQA4qhn3uzJHejM1cx_pYLWlTaQmwNgJMuevTM924nfMhTV3NZaRbuDmjePNFfwnQmjvjCQLYbxZaEm5NQUIll2Gqzxr2Vf-abp0RETytAAr2k94FgQLcH3fh/s320/IMG_8664.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />After an unseasonably warm October, the 2023 Growing Season came to an abrupt and emphatic end just on the cusp of All Hallows Eve. Yup, it was already 32 at 9:45. 23 degrees when I got up at 6am.<p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEX8igY1D4WaPw2zUfUkO7gXS8KcwubbUA7gp0LyFP7L5eYNUbkDVJEhYf-7MhRGmeuAgp-EtJgfifDhnveqb_zKatZQFh72DnAEYt8384Y7mkeOUkcKS_Fribz4eD2AetXhinFs2a7BShJxnULPAxVMLNhnWegbujrP_wSyh2EpVO8cRip33q_uuOyzy/s4032/IMG_8667.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEX8igY1D4WaPw2zUfUkO7gXS8KcwubbUA7gp0LyFP7L5eYNUbkDVJEhYf-7MhRGmeuAgp-EtJgfifDhnveqb_zKatZQFh72DnAEYt8384Y7mkeOUkcKS_Fribz4eD2AetXhinFs2a7BShJxnULPAxVMLNhnWegbujrP_wSyh2EpVO8cRip33q_uuOyzy/s320/IMG_8667.jpeg" width="320" /></a>Overnight all those cells ruptured. Drooping and bruised.</p><p>And a COLD night for the hens. Especially XBeak and Buffy, who are in the middle of molting. Bare necks and bald spots, poor things.</p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-51294496701219191532023-10-17T11:52:00.002-07:002023-10-31T09:45:25.719-07:00Good-bye Old Busted Chicken - Butterknife 4.17.14 - 10.17.23<p>Butterknife started life as Sophie Buttercup. She was adorable, fluffy and cute. (Those Buff Orpingtons!) :) But into her teens, she developed into a nippy monster: so many little wounds on my legs with no warning. We started calling her Butterknife.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdROCsResZaY9WtzDCRZDf065ZNuaYXxCq4yDfL2b2aC_1uF0G42R03FGhevp7dE_JzFlsv97VU_D7iJ7owuR0JtZtq4gPZZIAWEkxecYufYENup8dcQunNZrym7L3oR1XfS69tH0vLtlY9nyFrZIk2rLjxKEWdSIIJEddkIfSC6Q6gIgJYEf6Bpd3Tjy/s4032/butterknife-march-23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdROCsResZaY9WtzDCRZDf065ZNuaYXxCq4yDfL2b2aC_1uF0G42R03FGhevp7dE_JzFlsv97VU_D7iJ7owuR0JtZtq4gPZZIAWEkxecYufYENup8dcQunNZrym7L3oR1XfS69tH0vLtlY9nyFrZIk2rLjxKEWdSIIJEddkIfSC6Q6gIgJYEf6Bpd3Tjy/s320/butterknife-march-23.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>She lived to a crazy old age. (9 years and 6 months to the day). One tough old bird. Over the course of the long hot summer, she increasingly lost the ability to stand for more than a few sips of water at a time. She wasn't standing up to go to the bathroom, so her poor tail feathers got poopy; she needed help cleaning. She developed some swelling on the left side of her neck, which looked uncomfortable but never got any bigger (?). And still she hung on. I got to the point where she couldn't stand long enough to eat, so I was locking her safely by herself and she ate boiled eggs and bits of Dave's bread while laying on the ground. Yesterday, I added a grape as a special treat (cut into tiny beak-sized pieces) to her food. Spur of the moment. G had left the package out on the counter, and I thought, they do dearly love those. And she did! :) She picked through the entire pile, making sure to gobble up every single bit, leaving a pile of bread and even some boiled egg. :) It turns out that was her last meal. Sometimes you just get lucky.<br /><p></p><p>A Righteous Life and a Merciful Death.<br />I airlifted her out of the nest box this morning. Carried her over to the red water container (the only one she would drink from), and spotted her while she took a few sips. Then put her out in the sun. About an hour later, I went out to get her for breakfast. The pot of zinnias were knocked over, and there a bit of loose dirt. And no chicken. Long story short, the neighbor dog, Beast, (who has never shown the SLIGHTEST INTEREST in the hens) in the space between 7:30 and 9:30, dug under the fence, snatched her out from under it, killed her and took her back home to his house to chew on. Gloria and I are distraught. <br /></p><p>A Remembrance/ Obituary<br />What do you say about a bird friend you love and have a long history with, but with whom you do not share common language? They definitely have opinions. They annoy each other. And there is always that intense, vivid, visceral pecking order. </p><p>She got to the point she was a lot of work, so there will be weird holes all through my day. Get her up. Feed her breakfast. Move her around. Get her some water. Find her a new spot. More water. Then dinner. Then get her out of the way so they don't trample her for her crumbs. And then remember to tuck her in at night, not too early so she feels lonely or punished, but not so late she starts to worry.</p><p>We will miss you. Please, come to meet us when it is our time.<br />Prayer: <a href="https://nibblingpen.blogspot.com/2021/04/to-our-beloved-hen-upon-her-passing.html">To Our Beloved Hen Upon Her Passing</a></p><p><br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-49810077333672040442023-10-03T10:54:00.071-07:002023-10-05T11:53:56.251-07:00Sun + Flower = Sunflower!<p><b>Sunflower</b> (<i><b>Genus - Helianthus)</b></i><br /><br />This summer we had so little rain that our usual crop of hardy, rangy, wild sunflowers was small, concentrated in one spot--hugging the raised beds (to the dismay of the tomato vines). </p>
<table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaR9DnWLkw-JoDgske1bHzwEgPnTLXW8qCJ6BOXsECmnlxKNlOxJRrsDdH5pPFNT0s4mobJKgdkf_bei1sB3eufecDXWopWSayBm8ewmPbXyHrtXsDyaGYCAKpiVuHj5oQif_6pQpLBrqJfP_kP7AOYxvS1BwBwvh019bjdu1oqhhz4pcF5lGD9diZI86y/s4032/IMG_8362.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaR9DnWLkw-JoDgske1bHzwEgPnTLXW8qCJ6BOXsECmnlxKNlOxJRrsDdH5pPFNT0s4mobJKgdkf_bei1sB3eufecDXWopWSayBm8ewmPbXyHrtXsDyaGYCAKpiVuHj5oQif_6pQpLBrqJfP_kP7AOYxvS1BwBwvh019bjdu1oqhhz4pcF5lGD9diZI86y/s320/IMG_8362.JPG" width="320" /></a> </td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnQkDs2HzYmpVzPa3UgN4G5s2z9VeQ_6wEQ_GAXesum3VdJf-gEE4CPc80hWoXNsVefI71zIcfLfOHomCxmoFko5fhBpe202F2le36wr788zE73Jrb8Gol_fKKZW65o3d70zAssJQOtPuBCFxGEJODVAQTK7ANiORjyHrgGFKL3EqJfqz0k2rOX3VM8dB/s4032/IMG_8360.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnQkDs2HzYmpVzPa3UgN4G5s2z9VeQ_6wEQ_GAXesum3VdJf-gEE4CPc80hWoXNsVefI71zIcfLfOHomCxmoFko5fhBpe202F2le36wr788zE73Jrb8Gol_fKKZW65o3d70zAssJQOtPuBCFxGEJODVAQTK7ANiORjyHrgGFKL3EqJfqz0k2rOX3VM8dB/s320/IMG_8360.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-2uJmAGeWnWJepz7CGzgBc6Ls5QsO4fYbytNrvc4bXNUHT20aqFO06rrK6SLW7bEwycA8DqJTJrxycvmf77aHCeeDCvr843VGYltKKZYmjlbOgAsxIUDTv11otQ4CuZFYlr59rGcPaDCpZ-Umx-P7TOUhPgK6vEinXGA6BypeTc4m3DFcTd0gCpZ_OAa/s4032/IMG_8357.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-2uJmAGeWnWJepz7CGzgBc6Ls5QsO4fYbytNrvc4bXNUHT20aqFO06rrK6SLW7bEwycA8DqJTJrxycvmf77aHCeeDCvr843VGYltKKZYmjlbOgAsxIUDTv11otQ4CuZFYlr59rGcPaDCpZ-Umx-P7TOUhPgK6vEinXGA6BypeTc4m3DFcTd0gCpZ_OAa/s320/IMG_8357.JPG" width="320" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUc9qgvumFPCrJxQ5oesVcLPFWnGa2Am7j2QooSSGuzLf6G7Bb-d9u8SDDiItyon64dpQHBo8p1Jp72uHkMRc3Ue5qW4JPpsnQhU4wSbvYnjEnjGHO_7EIKs1gFz3SMo7-hM6S5Q2NGW1QPF7LshJDGiTJRdPdhmkie33kqGxkZygVokh6qQnduFbHdDFL/s4032/IMG_8361.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUc9qgvumFPCrJxQ5oesVcLPFWnGa2Am7j2QooSSGuzLf6G7Bb-d9u8SDDiItyon64dpQHBo8p1Jp72uHkMRc3Ue5qW4JPpsnQhU4wSbvYnjEnjGHO_7EIKs1gFz3SMo7-hM6S5Q2NGW1QPF7LshJDGiTJRdPdhmkie33kqGxkZygVokh6qQnduFbHdDFL/s320/IMG_8361.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>Even in dry years, they pop up everywhere in the Rio Grande Valley--brightening up yards, fields, ditches and roadsides in August and September. But where did they come from? What is their history? What is interesting or noteworthy about them? </p><p>As a random start, I took Sandra Knapp's gorgeous coffee table tome, <i>Plant Discoveries, </i>off the shelf and blew off the dust. I struck gold right off! She has an entire chapter on Sunflowers and Daisies! 11 plates. She is nothing if not one of the foremost western botanical scholars of our day, so I should not have been surprised when the first page of her essay buried me in the scientific names for a massive pile of flower parts: composite, inflorescence, capitulum, floret, fused and elongate, peripheral ray florets, phyllaries, modified bracts, receptacle, sepals, and pappus. And to explain how the familiar sunflower seeds are arranged, she makes a digression into Fibonacci (Pisa 1170-1240/50) and his mathematical recipe for elegant shell and flower spirals.</p><p>Sunflowers are part of a massive composite family, Asteraceae. Aster from the Greek for "star". 25,000 cousins: daisies, sunflowers, thistles (including artichokes), dandelions and chrysanthemums. (1) They originated in the "New World" and were cultivated by early peoples
in Mexico and the U.S. ~5,000 years ago for use as food, as a purple dye
and as a snakebite treatment. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5lb7hfWKZqkFUDZq6HWCAwrge5aWw1DBY0yu4h5Qj8UdD4bfq2fBv_8l8y5HvykVKMr_yc1f-1j7gF40nfosWR7T35n5B9azPZPph3F3q5qEfYwNPrY4eVqD25fNDkFrqBbDkvvlYZURtbXl7BCjSywicHQbI0YM57r-EHvQS1qm7FLiFBTgRyBWE5Ug/s350/sunflower1_aztecs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="350" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5lb7hfWKZqkFUDZq6HWCAwrge5aWw1DBY0yu4h5Qj8UdD4bfq2fBv_8l8y5HvykVKMr_yc1f-1j7gF40nfosWR7T35n5B9azPZPph3F3q5qEfYwNPrY4eVqD25fNDkFrqBbDkvvlYZURtbXl7BCjSywicHQbI0YM57r-EHvQS1qm7FLiFBTgRyBWE5Ug/s320/sunflower1_aztecs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111595" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">From "Getting to the Roots of Sunflower Cultivation</a>"<br />The Aztecs purportedly used them in religious ceremonies.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>According to the National Sunflower Association, "This exotic North American plant was taken to Europe by Spanish explorers some time around 1500." (2) It spread throughout present-day Western Europe mainly as an ornamental, but was also valued for its seeds. "By 1716, an English patent was granted for squeezing oil from sunflower seed." (<a href="https://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/history/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SunflowerNSA</a>)<br /><br />While the Spanish were enjoying them in their gardens, and the English experimenting with their squeezing devices, the Russians dove headlong into large-scale commercial production. Apparently Peter the Great (1682–1725) was very fond of The Low Countries, and spent quite a bit of time there learning the craft of shipbuilding, with the goal of modernizing his homeland. Always on the lookout for interesting new things, he fell in love with sunflowers and brought back seeds. According to Oleg Yegorov, in "<a href="https://www.rbth.com/russian-kitchen/330874-why-russians-love-sunflower-seeds" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Why are Russians obsessed with sunflower seeds</a>": <br /></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">In 1829, a peasant from the region of Voronezh (300 miles south of Moscow) built a press that wrung the oil out of sunflower seeds – and it was an instant hit. Sunflower oil proved to be less expensive than other vegetable oils, so by the end of the 19th century, it was the most popular type of oil used by Russians. (3) <br /></p><p>Not only was it cheaper, but it was a tasty alternative for Lent. The Russian Orthodox Church had a lengthy list of oily foods which could not be consumed during the high holidays: the sunflower was a freebie! (<a href="https://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/history/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SunflowerNSA</a>)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmrGBS1QUuTlxfGTCdN-gKAGiNPvpw_7HSstYgL40LCMx17Vbq2TGUW4orwfEKlyRpv7uSgTWPJMdqgJhl5KGGLhTJG7-dYmZGPx7Uw7_WwQvuKPYMFo46RdtjqVMBeeKE4eEpeObX0NITlDxEBo6Jxt64h3Mn1l1ippRerdyPhHDB1j6bNkqZrVcC68X/s640/journey-of-sunflower.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="640" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmrGBS1QUuTlxfGTCdN-gKAGiNPvpw_7HSstYgL40LCMx17Vbq2TGUW4orwfEKlyRpv7uSgTWPJMdqgJhl5KGGLhTJG7-dYmZGPx7Uw7_WwQvuKPYMFo46RdtjqVMBeeKE4eEpeObX0NITlDxEBo6Jxt64h3Mn1l1ippRerdyPhHDB1j6bNkqZrVcC68X/w387-h289/journey-of-sunflower.jpg" width="387" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kuriositas.com/2011/08/strange-history-of-sunflower.html">https://www.kuriositas.com/2011/08/strange-history-of-sunflower.html</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In the 1880s, these new varieties "Mammoth Russian" sunflowers found their way back across the ocean (probably brought by immigrants and perhaps hyped by American seed sellers). (<a href="https://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/history/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SunflowerNSA</a>).<p>From the New World, to the Old, and back again! The homespun plants in our back yard are part of an old, diverse group of that is surprisingly well-traveled.<br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">References</span></b><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sunflower">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sunflower</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/history/">https://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/history/</a> <br /> > Our nameless author
cites: Albert A. Schneiter, ed. Sunflower Technology and Production,
(The American Society of Agronomy No. 35, 1997) 1-19. <i>Note: I checked through the online resources of UNM Library, but could not find an electronic version of the article.</i><br /><br /><a href="https://www.kuriositas.com/2011/08/strange-history-of-sunflower.html">https://www.kuriositas.com/2011/08/strange-history-of-sunflower.html</a> A blog by RJ Evans.<i> Note: Nicely written, but no citations. So who knows?</i></p><p>Knapp, Sandra. <i>Plant Discoveries: A Botanist's Voyage Through Plant Exploration.</i> (US Edition.) NY: Firefly Books. 2003. pp. 190-205.<br /></p><p>Yegorov, Oleg. (Aug 27 2019) Russia Beyond. <a href="https://www.rbth.com/russian-kitchen/330874-why-russians-love-sunflower-seeds">https://www.rbth.com/russian-kitchen/330874-why-russians-love-sunflower-seeds</a><br /><br /></p><p>- - - -<br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Notes</span></b><br /><span style="font-size: small;">(1) Well, I sort-of struck gold. Knapps' trot through flower morphology and tidbits about Fibonacci were engaging, but when it comes to uncovering paths of migration and development, she actually explores Chrysanthemums, which originated <i>on the other side of the globe,</i> in China. What geography separates (New World wild sunflower ancestors vs. mum progenitors), taxonomy unites?<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><b>(2) Get your story straight!?!!</b> - As I was poking around on the internet, there seemed to be huge differences in accounts about where and how long ago humans started cultivating sunflowers. I was puzzled. Some places said Tennessee, some Mexico and New Mexico? Reading through the post on kuriositas.com, he (RJ Evans) mentions the Aztecs. That made me curious enough to throw that into Google. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: small;">About Sunflowers and the Aztecs - </span></b><span style="font-size: small;">Lo and behold, in spring of 2008, a group of researchers published a paper challenging the previous narrative which put earliest human cultivation of sunflowers in the Mississippi Valley ~3,200 ya. That version of events postulated that from there these bigger, beefier seeds were spread west and south by the early Spanish explorers. New evidence presented by David Lentz, et. al., </span><span style="font-size: small;">points to 2 separate, independent sites where sunflowers were domesticated -- finding that they were cultivated and used in religious ceremonies by civilizations in Mexico much earlier - 4,600 ya.<br /></span></p><p>New term: sunflower fruits aka <i>seeds</i> = (achenes) </p><p><span style="font-size: small;">(3) According to Yegorov, the Russians continue to produce sunflowers as a serious agricultural crop:<br /></span></p><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">Russia’s love toward sunflower seeds is proven statistically: research
names it the second-biggest producer in the world, outranked only by
Ukraine (both countries inherited the culture of sunflower-growing from
the Russian Empire and the USSR). According to a U.S. Department of
Agriculture<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/263928/production-of-sunflower-seed-since-2000-by-major-countries/"> forecast</a>, in 2018-2019 Russia was expected to produce 12.7 million metric tonnes annually.</div><p style="text-align: center;"> - - - - -<br /></p><p><b></b></p><p><b></b></p><p><b></b></p><p><b></b></p><p><b></b></p><p><b></b></p><p><b><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Rabbit Hole<br />More about the cultivation of sunflowers and pre-Columbian Mexico</span><br /></b><br /><b>Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) as a pre-Columbian domesticate in Mexico by Lentz, Pohl, Alvarado, Tarighat and Bye 2008 Apr 29</b><br /><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2359819/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2359819/<br /></a> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5V02KkdLLmTdbN4sCUdoCc6UgfU6vJ9hgjGZz-QDqOxq56rpTGmQk-c-9Ver8snPX3aohmOgtjaAipPcCqSpPe8LrcV28QKjTGqHhtZQj8GGdFR8fqVF7zcxhAHvtq7HSlrl8peLIp1KjmPCCpAIgkBIGovLe8c3eV-2l-wuXQ4o2ooZl8_R89NJ37iu/s969/fossil-seed.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="511" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5V02KkdLLmTdbN4sCUdoCc6UgfU6vJ9hgjGZz-QDqOxq56rpTGmQk-c-9Ver8snPX3aohmOgtjaAipPcCqSpPe8LrcV28QKjTGqHhtZQj8GGdFR8fqVF7zcxhAHvtq7HSlrl8peLIp1KjmPCCpAIgkBIGovLe8c3eV-2l-wuXQ4o2ooZl8_R89NJ37iu/s320/fossil-seed.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>"Evidence for early (ca. 2600 cal B.C.) domesticated sunflower (Helianthus annuus) at the San Andrés site in Tabasco, Mexico (1, 2), has reopened discussions about the array of domesticated plants in Mesoamerica. This discovery generated controversy because the domesticated sunflower has previously been accepted as a domesticate originating in eastern North America. One scholar suggested that sunflower was unknown in pre-Columbian Mexico and it was introduced from North America by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century, perhaps by the Hernándo de Soto expedition of 1539–1543 (3). In this article we present archaeological, linguistic, ethnographic, and ethnohistorical data that demonstrate a considerable antiquity for the domesticated sunflower in Mexico."<br /><br />"Plants in the genus Helianthus, a relatively primitive Asteraceae group, arose in the southwestern United States during the Cretaceous period ≈50 million years ago (4). The wild diploid annual H. annuus has been flowering and setting seed for the past 500,000 to one million years (5), and during that time it has dispersed broadly across temperate North America. Today, wild sunflowers grow throughout most of the United States (6) and range as far north as southern Canada and as far south as the Transmexican Volcanic Belt in central Mexico (7). " <br /><p></p><p><b>Ancient Sunflower Fuels Debate About Agriculture In The Americas</b> - Science Daily. April 30, 2008 <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm">https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm</a></p><p><br /><b>Getting to the Roots of Sunflower Cultivation</b> <br /><a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111595">https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111595</a> May 22, 2008</p><p></p>"Lentz's sunflower finding in Tabasco's San Andrés archeological site, dated 2600 B.C., prompted a revision of former understandings about sunflower domestication, and pointed to new locations for potential early plant stocks.<br /><br />"Lentz's new research report, published in the <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, </i>confirms his earlier finding that sunflowers were domesticated twice, once in the eastern part of the Mississippi Valley about 3,200 years ago, and independently in Mexico about 4,600 years ago. It also stirs up past controversy surrounding the previous finding.<p></p><p>"Lentz and his co-authors argue that their recently reported discovery of three well-preserved achenes, the fruit of the sunflower that contains the seed, confirms early Mexican domestication.<br /><br />"The achenes, discussed in the team's 2008 report, date from around 300 B.C., that is, 1,800 years before the Spanish Conquest of Mexico led by Hernando Cortez. The achenes, found in a dry cave in Cueva del Gallo, a site in the central Mexican state of Morelos, have unmistakable sunflower traits that blunt criticism of the previous San Andrés finding.<br /><br />"We have the earliest fully domesticated sunflower seeds from Mexico at San Andres and also we have sunflower, huge seeds, from Cueva del Gallo," says Lentz. "A careful examination of the early Spanish literature about Aztec plant uses reinforces this idea, too. The more we look, the more we find. An independent domestication hypothesis is the best explanation for these facts."<br /></p><p>- - - - - - <br />JSTOR Daily - Plant of the Month - Sunflower. Some gorgeous old plates and artwork.<br /><a href="https://daily.jstor.org/plant-of-the-month-sunflower/">https://daily.jstor.org/plant-of-the-month-sunflower/<br /><br /></a>Absolute treasure trove of a site where the article originally appeared.<br />Kristan M. Hanson and Lucas Mertehikian Sept 28, 2022 <a href="https://lab.plant-humanities.org/sunflower/">https://lab.plant-humanities.org/sunflower/</a><br /><br /></p><p><br /><br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-34875470495809413712023-10-02T12:14:00.004-07:002023-10-03T09:19:23.078-07:00First Week of October 2023<p>The last week or 10 days, it's been hot and dry during the day. Low 90s. Though generally very nice after dusk -- lows bouncing between 42 one morning and 61 earlier today. </p><p><b>Black and Yellow Striped Garden Spider</b> - GONE. Her 'lunch' still there
wafting in the breeze. A sad mystery. I saw her one afternoon with a
new kill, a bee all trussed up, ready to eat. Next day the bee was still
there and she was nowhere to be seen? We miss her. And had a dozen questions, but somehow they aren't as fun to pursue staring at an empty web.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvqrdtaw7QQ8yb2dWVZDE2_0qdi4YoOKh0NEW7Mk92nO2_6CJwHbr_s6rwfWfMR1TowL4kqwKXExDX_SolghIuoq1PFzZeekLeRUzkiJuUJCdKV0oBD-uFQ9dsMM433VjjSZqwN_u4YkUUZ9MshNqu3Hn0Pq5TiZmL6bh07TeBkGY39_qUpEg_pGrm_TE/s4032/IMG_8290.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvqrdtaw7QQ8yb2dWVZDE2_0qdi4YoOKh0NEW7Mk92nO2_6CJwHbr_s6rwfWfMR1TowL4kqwKXExDX_SolghIuoq1PFzZeekLeRUzkiJuUJCdKV0oBD-uFQ9dsMM433VjjSZqwN_u4YkUUZ9MshNqu3Hn0Pq5TiZmL6bh07TeBkGY39_qUpEg_pGrm_TE/s320/IMG_8290.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Appeared out of thin air Sept. 7th. <br />Disappeared as suddenly, Sept. 28th.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><b>Pelted with Pods</b> - As in other years, the Black Locust seed pods have attracted a small female Ladderback Woodpecker. Maracas! :) Friday (the very last day of September), the pods started dropping. A very windy day all day Sunday brought down about half -- 5 bushels so far. Update: Monday Oct. was overcast and windy again. 8 bushels picked up, probably another 2 strewn all over.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCj8xLwJfE9_9Bw7BcXSgh9HfGBanknHbhWSt-qMaMUFUs9PHVU2zojzK10gRcVGX3qQIWAoz7IjxHhEbv4IrMzoSHQdfqnOXO_6mzQa2Kk4yf_gWWhvu9vzZxP9Gk9HtrnpGIwfMKFELzYZ6BzYa-NU9TUswQ8ETeOR1vm-dPZjpaUqHTovWi-zMET1P/s4032/IMG_8466.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCj8xLwJfE9_9Bw7BcXSgh9HfGBanknHbhWSt-qMaMUFUs9PHVU2zojzK10gRcVGX3qQIWAoz7IjxHhEbv4IrMzoSHQdfqnOXO_6mzQa2Kk4yf_gWWhvu9vzZxP9Gk9HtrnpGIwfMKFELzYZ6BzYa-NU9TUswQ8ETeOR1vm-dPZjpaUqHTovWi-zMET1P/s320/IMG_8466.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is massive energy devoted to seed production.<br />Wish they were edible!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br />Hummingbirds</b> - Bueno Bye! Haven't heard them in several days? I'm guessing they left the end of last week (roughly the last week of September). Unexpected thing at the hummingbird feeder: we have a plastic cup for water the feeder itself hangs on -- an ant moat. On several occasions lately, I have spotted 2 or 3 Bushtits nearly upside down, drinking from it! :) Not sure if they think that any stray ants are an added bonus?<p><br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-57576573918684954832023-09-25T11:57:00.001-07:002023-09-26T16:17:57.633-07:00Chicken Coop - How old was that roof?<p>Over the weekend, we got the trusty old Ford Ranger cranked up, and made a trip down to Lowe's for new roofing panels to replace the shredded ones. By early afternoon Sunday, the 5 panels on the south side were back in place. Still need to do the north side -- less urgent since there are just 2 small holes in it. It really is a testament to the difference in those two faces. South takes the brunt of the heat, wind and rain (or in this case, hail).<br /> <br />Q: How old was the white, plastic roof on the chicken coop?<br />I had to dig through a pile of old, unlabeled thumb drives (remember those?!). <br /><br />A: THIRTEEN and a HALF YEARS! Time really does get away from you, doesn't it?<br /></p><p>Here it is, April 9th and 10th, 2010. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgx1n9wpezCeH0waW-qrx7meT0quKN-jhIZXnzK6kBNdDskpBFxQnS5WbxvbnPij6wLztWKErwuIbCHVfKufLOAdeN33DS8-mnwW0bj7QQt3zcGc_ldBgPXlRMHqqtS8HYcZ73pb9rU7tT_M4N8vZ6xzryBLtc8su2SpvhvnytsNYbfURJMGlR4fL8YH0/s2592/IMG_5676.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgx1n9wpezCeH0waW-qrx7meT0quKN-jhIZXnzK6kBNdDskpBFxQnS5WbxvbnPij6wLztWKErwuIbCHVfKufLOAdeN33DS8-mnwW0bj7QQt3zcGc_ldBgPXlRMHqqtS8HYcZ73pb9rU7tT_M4N8vZ6xzryBLtc8su2SpvhvnytsNYbfURJMGlR4fL8YH0/s320/IMG_5676.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO29RrP13FP3esGq-nhrrnYzGve-x27OCXmiaX8PkvjYj-2vsauBm9RGhVe3PPgfDW675gfwuiUeAQtNx2s6IAj_nSh1X1dHVbF7lExBqOKRN01CtMo3CEXnakJaEcSLMVvdatTGGFbckFmypgUWEMCeNAnhjok-mp1Xy-UXp_MxbQIbxzGA6T7NE7XGgm/s2592/IMG_5679.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO29RrP13FP3esGq-nhrrnYzGve-x27OCXmiaX8PkvjYj-2vsauBm9RGhVe3PPgfDW675gfwuiUeAQtNx2s6IAj_nSh1X1dHVbF7lExBqOKRN01CtMo3CEXnakJaEcSLMVvdatTGGFbckFmypgUWEMCeNAnhjok-mp1Xy-UXp_MxbQIbxzGA6T7NE7XGgm/s320/IMG_5679.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fast forward to September 2023. I am NOT as limber as I used to be. Though (when)? in the ensuing years I added the "L" inside for expanded sleeping space. The additional supports gave me handy places to wedge my feet, although I am not sure how the overall equation works out. With the "Day Yard" and 6' tangle of Sunchokes, 2 entire walls are no longer easily accessible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb20FqCXneoxcc9rEVZWW81bnQBRmJQt7qu9MdQAA1LsqfCAx1Q1q7gnT_qEvLtfIHIUb-tGvuBTDziBH3NsN65M5acF4XHGxpWzZ0c2sYN4-z1gA1t57TIfVRqi_-jEp25pk4Y8w2vgtyacHz7-8CmJXOcNeoNhrhwZWrNL87HgatCoJtgA-AyNNQOXr/s4032/IMG_8414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb20FqCXneoxcc9rEVZWW81bnQBRmJQt7qu9MdQAA1LsqfCAx1Q1q7gnT_qEvLtfIHIUb-tGvuBTDziBH3NsN65M5acF4XHGxpWzZ0c2sYN4-z1gA1t57TIfVRqi_-jEp25pk4Y8w2vgtyacHz7-8CmJXOcNeoNhrhwZWrNL87HgatCoJtgA-AyNNQOXr/s320/IMG_8414.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-i2ifi_TJVK2_zIg-tXs6hvd_fgwaNlHPHHsSn0zMCxzsBRWETGd4VtcnXOBeuIqC4lvhGYu8fEMHfpSQ0GexWa2XHrpC4fOztyFM_PlPA4vkWv5-7WD1BXKzRKUduvW_q_1M3Sp34TMQ14uAVdQnxEx18lcS4U16DZIFUIR-7sqCIAvaiUTMSD7oJeC/s4032/IMG_8427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-i2ifi_TJVK2_zIg-tXs6hvd_fgwaNlHPHHsSn0zMCxzsBRWETGd4VtcnXOBeuIqC4lvhGYu8fEMHfpSQ0GexWa2XHrpC4fOztyFM_PlPA4vkWv5-7WD1BXKzRKUduvW_q_1M3Sp34TMQ14uAVdQnxEx18lcS4U16DZIFUIR-7sqCIAvaiUTMSD7oJeC/s320/IMG_8427.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo is taken from roughly <br />the same spot as the original.<br />The changes <i>do</i> add up, don't they.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Efu0wxmcwDh1pIwa0GMO1j7ESnuYhLpP1UynxqPGjsKj4v0ZVkVnCJS0q3VgP2NgFjHuavaD0PJmq4oUp8iHJEl41kXBngTb4zDJMPNf0dtpEM-XJNHW4acV3rgdPGTQyaqmtXAE1IjrudFwbva8sCtFd5bPDBiXUUaB5hzeeTNuK03qA0SKTiZ28edr/s4032/IMG_8428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Efu0wxmcwDh1pIwa0GMO1j7ESnuYhLpP1UynxqPGjsKj4v0ZVkVnCJS0q3VgP2NgFjHuavaD0PJmq4oUp8iHJEl41kXBngTb4zDJMPNf0dtpEM-XJNHW4acV3rgdPGTQyaqmtXAE1IjrudFwbva8sCtFd5bPDBiXUUaB5hzeeTNuK03qA0SKTiZ28edr/s320/IMG_8428.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NEW MISTAKES.<br />Argh! Look at the bubble/wobble along<br />the bottom right edge.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />Since I still need to do the north side, I left the ridge cap (the long silver thing that sits on top and keeps the rain out of the seams at the top). We threw the tarp over it, just because. Bungeed it down. When I came out to tend to food and water after lunch, I noticed the tension had pulled the bottom edge of our new roof down at a 45-degree angle. As I hurried to undo the bungees and release the tension, it occurred to me that I had put the DARK BROWN side up, instead of the silver side. The tarp was so hot I could barely touch it, to toss it up and out of the way. Stupid! And shocking, in a hindsight is 20/20 sort of way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I do think the panels I bought this time are not as thick, and not made out of the same stuff as the previous ones (at the risk of sounding like one of those 'they don't make things like they used to' folks). If you go inside and look up, the old panels block out twice as much sun as the new ones. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was probably just as well I don't have time to deal with it until next weekend. Already, after only 24hrs have passed, I am thinking I will go spend another $40 for 2 more panels, cut off the wavy chunks and splice in some new.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That and NEVER PUT A DARK BROWN TARP on anything plastic ever again!<br /></div><br />Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-53175711715393536082023-09-20T10:22:00.024-07:002023-09-22T08:18:06.634-07:00Hail -- TWICE in 7 days!<p>Sept 13, Wednesday ~2:30<br />Hail!?!! There was a chance of rain, but the hail was unexpected. Weird and startling, but it did come as part of a desperately needed break in the heat. The rain was brief and the hail pellets small. And we really needed the precipitation.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DVl6bv_rW-1yzKQt5OeHsGPOkVUb0cUw7MH1KrnBs93jePY97PlY7ZUQknVb13ESxSKxMz0-oANwEsZN3SfACsxPJ2IgxNdagjaMmT_lBKsBeJXQ36q2i7F6EKGZTz7TzVM6RTgMM1N7TzWV8fZP-TjcQU_AxrzHRVmzfAwvlxC6h_XaY2ktN1f-Pkby/s4032/IMG_8338.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DVl6bv_rW-1yzKQt5OeHsGPOkVUb0cUw7MH1KrnBs93jePY97PlY7ZUQknVb13ESxSKxMz0-oANwEsZN3SfACsxPJ2IgxNdagjaMmT_lBKsBeJXQ36q2i7F6EKGZTz7TzVM6RTgMM1N7TzWV8fZP-TjcQU_AxrzHRVmzfAwvlxC6h_XaY2ktN1f-Pkby/s320/IMG_8338.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />That episode did NOT prepare us for the pounding we got Monday afternoon. ~3:45 I was on day one, getting back to walking during my late lunch hour (after 2 months of emergency heat mitigation). There were some rain clouds SW, but over the weekend I sat and watched as a very promising batch of juicy rain clouds got ALMOST overhead (thunder rumbling), then sidled around us with not so much as a drop. I thought about getting my huge, fabulous golfing umbrella. Then thought, "<b><i>Stupid</i></b> weather. Come and get me." >Note: it ALMOST did.<p></p><p>On the way back from my walk along the ditch, with 4 block to go, I started hearing a strange noise from the south. Like a train along the tracks, which we do have here, but straight east towards the interstate and the mountains. I picked up my pace. By the time I broke the treeline, I could see that the sky to the south was an eerie color. Yellow-gray-white. The wind picked up. Started lashing the trees. The sound was getting louder. Then a stray raindrop. I reached up to hold my hat on and started running. Had to waste precious seconds fumbling with the latch on the gate. By the time I made it to the little overhang by the front door, the sound was a roar. Whatever this was -- IT WAS COMING FOR US.</p><p>Gloria met me at the door. "What is that sound?" And about this time, hail started bouncing off the walkway. And it got bigger. And faster. Started hitting harder. It was ferocious. It was terrifying. It was shredding everything in sight, and there was nothing we could do but watch and swear.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHWYVoKclusvD0FykaVOmXB74Tt8DlVMiFefKxK0oA6t-jRzkoONgNzIpejw2uIg79J03jOmnXp4lzz-4O0EesrR1qrNj3p47jpvuDiIF5P6EUAX1yRKltOqAy9zW3fWBugg35dKN7_u7VERF4Mjf4ethHqsWxrMyFNPZ2OOF1t4FrahbBlpHppfYF_oK/s4032/IMG_8379.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHWYVoKclusvD0FykaVOmXB74Tt8DlVMiFefKxK0oA6t-jRzkoONgNzIpejw2uIg79J03jOmnXp4lzz-4O0EesrR1qrNj3p47jpvuDiIF5P6EUAX1yRKltOqAy9zW3fWBugg35dKN7_u7VERF4Mjf4ethHqsWxrMyFNPZ2OOF1t4FrahbBlpHppfYF_oK/s320/IMG_8379.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0IrdkA66zh-MQq9bPRE6olkOpNr0nMzvc2Cf0mU0CRNz_h1xRpLYj_gK_nGR6bPlcxdoN9bSjT2U2fu2ZDM0XbIDntteOhkaNb1F_RNahnYGQUJ3p0HJz-fNf8pkQGa9dI8J56BSIpAKHKDaKNgaApNXEhKs0G-hlSB7znt-dIEPQq1EMaSufWaVBpE9/s4032/IMG_8377.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0IrdkA66zh-MQq9bPRE6olkOpNr0nMzvc2Cf0mU0CRNz_h1xRpLYj_gK_nGR6bPlcxdoN9bSjT2U2fu2ZDM0XbIDntteOhkaNb1F_RNahnYGQUJ3p0HJz-fNf8pkQGa9dI8J56BSIpAKHKDaKNgaApNXEhKs0G-hlSB7znt-dIEPQq1EMaSufWaVBpE9/s320/IMG_8377.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXXcoEUCOMktb5RAmSoH0YQuIDg6eNwMM4g7K2b_F9IN0tDXgydZzOZQKz2oV-TBEeSLrHB1zuE_4snDWjLs2QGU30xiPKFCxj-YUp_d0jhI6Erz2SxDOfZfDJI9C7T4D5CJ-EK0IqJW_nowbeldFhD_CvL0aYl0OrFv3bLCCImN4jBxiPdTTboC32esI/s4032/IMG_8378.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXXcoEUCOMktb5RAmSoH0YQuIDg6eNwMM4g7K2b_F9IN0tDXgydZzOZQKz2oV-TBEeSLrHB1zuE_4snDWjLs2QGU30xiPKFCxj-YUp_d0jhI6Erz2SxDOfZfDJI9C7T4D5CJ-EK0IqJW_nowbeldFhD_CvL0aYl0OrFv3bLCCImN4jBxiPdTTboC32esI/s320/IMG_8378.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9eM51LNYTYZs8dQ7ks45NMDqTdfo-wBmiHmpI1is8c1xLSlJvPZuNfr3GUWiFzLR40UdB9rCtequ5rhaRqASX81pq2B8WxnqDitC84agt49dRHteh_ZinHT1Q4FsJeO87l7TaLi2YPMlYfQF7pFWNzB6kwN2jk20w_imvs5hTIF5fMP1cb29ETh4rA0X/s4032/IMG_8376.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9eM51LNYTYZs8dQ7ks45NMDqTdfo-wBmiHmpI1is8c1xLSlJvPZuNfr3GUWiFzLR40UdB9rCtequ5rhaRqASX81pq2B8WxnqDitC84agt49dRHteh_ZinHT1Q4FsJeO87l7TaLi2YPMlYfQF7pFWNzB6kwN2jk20w_imvs5hTIF5fMP1cb29ETh4rA0X/s320/IMG_8376.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p>Most important: no deaths or casualties!<br />The chickens were all under the makeshift tent of heavy duty shade cloth. They got wet, but were not hit or hurt by the ice bullets. </p><p>It was over in 20 minutes.<br />Aftermath.<br />Taking stock.<br />Picking up the pieces.<br />Poking through the wreckage.<br /><br />The south side of the coop roof was destroyed. There were shards of brittle plastic roofing everywhere. The yellow begonia on the front stoop--decimated by wood snails 6 weeks ago, <b><i>finally</i></b> about to bloom: shredded. And the rest of the yard--a similar heartbreak.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJqejgU6-u85vM9CTZXgpMEgR1jF-PLujL6en7IoDYPG-rfgPly10nfILZYYAQ0zO1SmAlb_PMXuL8Ws_84eD5CHAiD9PSR6HGkHDKofU6xIF4Iv-4u0J73S93-8hSfbDc8yxmaeLt67R4jx8U8Vt_-WJ2q_1PYMiJlw61X5sC1e77I6KfJ6Ar3PhjrsU/s4032/IMG_8382.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJqejgU6-u85vM9CTZXgpMEgR1jF-PLujL6en7IoDYPG-rfgPly10nfILZYYAQ0zO1SmAlb_PMXuL8Ws_84eD5CHAiD9PSR6HGkHDKofU6xIF4Iv-4u0J73S93-8hSfbDc8yxmaeLt67R4jx8U8Vt_-WJ2q_1PYMiJlw61X5sC1e77I6KfJ6Ar3PhjrsU/s320/IMG_8382.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her first bloom, ripped down. Leaves in tatters.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ejgz-JnsaP6ivBMtZB324MGObMo-3KXj9IGvjJHMZVYfhjW1o_EwGaJCqNPUkFJcpPGW4I5F9IYAV_Xgqdtr65QsZggvg8HK7Gg9GTdSWZ8T01TPKbi6540rdEXEqv9KDfyfuk4GTSy2c2Davh1nP1O6l_U41H380kmLDCbpUG_0I8x5MN7hLwsKieCY/s4032/IMG_8381.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ejgz-JnsaP6ivBMtZB324MGObMo-3KXj9IGvjJHMZVYfhjW1o_EwGaJCqNPUkFJcpPGW4I5F9IYAV_Xgqdtr65QsZggvg8HK7Gg9GTdSWZ8T01TPKbi6540rdEXEqv9KDfyfuk4GTSy2c2Davh1nP1O6l_U41H380kmLDCbpUG_0I8x5MN7hLwsKieCY/s320/IMG_8381.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS6OAKMqnSXVR8x5JqogATOdeOlrsj4dEEfUncEBvhiJjh7VcuOnq0hrl9JCga3l-O52cVAKfe_5hXjuCfqtlCcZw0m1_HSgy4OacgUIzY-0LgcN8ggqlJjQvn9TJEwWsBOYNRAVP1CGBmaC_Zg0w-LIdvTrbw1KTn5f41uZFPSv2ApFs5t9FiEAcKr_w/s4032/IMG_8386.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS6OAKMqnSXVR8x5JqogATOdeOlrsj4dEEfUncEBvhiJjh7VcuOnq0hrl9JCga3l-O52cVAKfe_5hXjuCfqtlCcZw0m1_HSgy4OacgUIzY-0LgcN8ggqlJjQvn9TJEwWsBOYNRAVP1CGBmaC_Zg0w-LIdvTrbw1KTn5f41uZFPSv2ApFs5t9FiEAcKr_w/s320/IMG_8386.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a small surface area, and in motion. How<br />is it even possible the hail snapped this off?! <br />And it got one in the front too?!<br />We no longer have any functioning wind gauges.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6wfQj67orUOBWPtUFSxS2Gt3GOl-8rmuVAZjny_t5y_6aX-dzf4_jUcFIFAgM4lU9I_q2VbO9QGEMrQW0CbqCRRVqS9H7RlHbRYnPm6bO0dcL5IkhXbv6tapmDhHM70bKK7L0O50ie8UK1pRFcFLbfJ7rC7VzXQ7XDPWeGTQxvdY0fe-m_xmvhioh-Xx/s4032/IMG_8388.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6wfQj67orUOBWPtUFSxS2Gt3GOl-8rmuVAZjny_t5y_6aX-dzf4_jUcFIFAgM4lU9I_q2VbO9QGEMrQW0CbqCRRVqS9H7RlHbRYnPm6bO0dcL5IkhXbv6tapmDhHM70bKK7L0O50ie8UK1pRFcFLbfJ7rC7VzXQ7XDPWeGTQxvdY0fe-m_xmvhioh-Xx/s320/IMG_8388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-Vb6Xhohq1srYAVVfwXQJUwaYJBb0abcH3mIIRyqjctnTaZ8wBbbCbPqB4wN85kAp4f2Eo30GEO9-HT76-5AxhzuevrC6gybnUqSzuxcz8LAtLfToXufQzOjmcAbMUH3DvrsIS4j-Ihhsu2H4TwhBmVGcl0eq0dzB_31n7UeEDh2-YyWxgENjgxn1Beu/s4032/IMG_8389.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-Vb6Xhohq1srYAVVfwXQJUwaYJBb0abcH3mIIRyqjctnTaZ8wBbbCbPqB4wN85kAp4f2Eo30GEO9-HT76-5AxhzuevrC6gybnUqSzuxcz8LAtLfToXufQzOjmcAbMUH3DvrsIS4j-Ihhsu2H4TwhBmVGcl0eq0dzB_31n7UeEDh2-YyWxgENjgxn1Beu/s320/IMG_8389.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somehow, the black and yellow striped garden spider<br />survived. Her web already mended, she is back <br />in business. (How? What did she do? Where<br />did she go to get through the storm?)<br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-24211461750450322652023-09-06T10:37:00.010-07:002023-09-06T11:44:10.681-07:00Idalia threatens the west coast of Florida - Aug 28-29-30, 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqHGhGZ4UkUKHtXFz_yq45Gvc7MpMzLsQwH-IBghQ5mgIvf1BKlEJBZvRol3n2Lpt2vGhn-lzj4x379aiqRI6dQ3H8__UgwykydwldFzObSorifvDeoCrwHv8_AsdAmRJY9UTfwT7PRYGiYomRTGQJS3jt0xF12Jey5rnklQqa_B8Gk1y-9nyYcn9iBFfD/s1157/2023-08-29-hurricane-idalia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="1157" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqHGhGZ4UkUKHtXFz_yq45Gvc7MpMzLsQwH-IBghQ5mgIvf1BKlEJBZvRol3n2Lpt2vGhn-lzj4x379aiqRI6dQ3H8__UgwykydwldFzObSorifvDeoCrwHv8_AsdAmRJY9UTfwT7PRYGiYomRTGQJS3jt0xF12Jey5rnklQqa_B8Gk1y-9nyYcn9iBFfD/w400-h349/2023-08-29-hurricane-idalia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Whut?! Idalia kind-of sneaked up on me, marching up from the Yucatan.<br />I was plunged into an uneasy, dark, worrisome case of deja vu.<br />When was that <i>other </i>one?! Everyone taking shelter at Dad and Sharon's, Greg in Tarpon by himself, Kelly crying, the wind howling. The power out. Watching and waiting.</p><p>QUESTIONS<br />What year was that?! What was the name of the hurricane? And, it devastated whole communities down south? I couldn't even remember the names of the towns. (For some reason, that area was one I was not familiar with... maybe never been there.) Leslie's sister and brother-in-law have a house in Ft Myers which was damaged. They left and took refuge with her mother in Bradenton. Sharon has friends whose house on Sanibel was totaled.<br /></p><p>ANSWERS<br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ian" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ian</a>. And it was JUST LAST YEAR. Cat. 5, 160mph winds. September 27, 28, 29 2022. And after blasting Cuba, it came ashore by Ft Myers / Cape Coral -- Costa Caya Island. Massive flooding. Massive damage. The bridge to Sanibel Island shredded. Then it moved diagonally up the peninsula, dumping huge amounts of rain on the Orlando area. Knocking out power for Robert et. al. for days. (His was out the longest.) Aunt Betty had been evacuated. Greg and Kelly, for whom we feared the most, actually fared the best of everyone.</p><p>IDALIA<br />Storm surges and a King Tide brought the water 8' up into Greg and Kelly's yard before starting to recede. The highest water level they had seen in their 14yrs there. Lots of lowland coastal flodding -- in Tampa, Clearwater, St Pete, and Dunedin. Skip and Darlene, a street back from the water in downtown Dunedin had it get as far as their garage. The rest of the house was spared. For everyone else, roofs intact, trees still in the ground where they belong. Massive relief after a long couple of days watching and waiting.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SQ4PXR7VbTJhoKpONdBH3ac2kHYrhgT0b1ny6bQ9Eh-mVRUd9OrAsCpkrDKQfhy6u6b2wS4Srj9fGJavbUeZbaRv9MU5fLK3jHV2J6x9dd58YX1C5TrjBWPZ-toXrXUkr9YCNT29pw-2IwpFpFyYS5wFjncBKMPE2lYOz9SeYYA32gLUe1oXSSnsh05d/s2048/IMG_1575.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SQ4PXR7VbTJhoKpONdBH3ac2kHYrhgT0b1ny6bQ9Eh-mVRUd9OrAsCpkrDKQfhy6u6b2wS4Srj9fGJavbUeZbaRv9MU5fLK3jHV2J6x9dd58YX1C5TrjBWPZ-toXrXUkr9YCNT29pw-2IwpFpFyYS5wFjncBKMPE2lYOz9SeYYA32gLUe1oXSSnsh05d/s320/IMG_1575.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CWcJwlYTYyDBQN56YUVE9TywtvnAENRq2s99hgYvvAanP5DHpBhcTQE3qce1A_onpBGlxExoKmgbpncM_ePl8iobXPBJWlGzy1gt3673CJAkj32zMbGDMnIXxthBjud6ntWIuBFu6xOK1QCBiGjU0CHMOwnK2iafQKY8W1SWqacsvHvV54k2yLfBrSom/s2048/IMG_1576.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CWcJwlYTYyDBQN56YUVE9TywtvnAENRq2s99hgYvvAanP5DHpBhcTQE3qce1A_onpBGlxExoKmgbpncM_ePl8iobXPBJWlGzy1gt3673CJAkj32zMbGDMnIXxthBjud6ntWIuBFu6xOK1QCBiGjU0CHMOwnK2iafQKY8W1SWqacsvHvV54k2yLfBrSom/s320/IMG_1576.JPEG" width="240" /></a></div><p> </p><p><br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-25551279727987748862023-09-06T10:34:00.003-07:002023-09-07T07:54:03.474-07:00Estate Sale Stampede<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOUAJoQY6KTvPeYAEw7yaB1o1lk5Wn88akFXVkv7Hp64YKoauSGh_YRLZMIU2awnzWvBXgqokB6E2LHFD6HNsx9uEEelOUrngWgbtjwbd24fmDjBFiAPuKS-9yqTaIkAJMCY1XFxPcQcTR1UNF63khDrQwPfF6lExJAhnxvfYnI89Djb42QAQ9pVwnvHB/s4032/IMG_8245.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOUAJoQY6KTvPeYAEw7yaB1o1lk5Wn88akFXVkv7Hp64YKoauSGh_YRLZMIU2awnzWvBXgqokB6E2LHFD6HNsx9uEEelOUrngWgbtjwbd24fmDjBFiAPuKS-9yqTaIkAJMCY1XFxPcQcTR1UNF63khDrQwPfF6lExJAhnxvfYnI89Djb42QAQ9pVwnvHB/w400-h300/IMG_8245.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>The Estate Sale signs suddenly turned a shady, sleepy street into a stadium parking lot after a home team loss. </p><p>The Trough of Zero Value<br />Geoffrey's precious collection of heirloom crystal inherited from her mother and grandmother. Proudly, prominently displayed in a very expensive display case. We heard 'the kids' were selling it all off. And this news struck us as painful and melancholy. Both her surviving children are well-off, and doubtless have large, expensive, probably ostentatious houses. And probably 2 OR 3 car garages. By which I mean, oh come on, take it and store it somewhere?! Your children or your grandchildren may really want it, knowing as we do that fashions change. As a crystal sugar bowl ages, turns 100 or 150, it will "suddenly" becomes more precious and intriguing. </p><p>If I was a wise person, what would I glean from all this? On the bookcase next to my bed, I have several very pretty gold medals my Grandmother Webb won at rifle matches when she was dating my grandfather. (And probably during the early years of their marriage?) When I look at them, from time to time, I smile and think of her -- how spirited and energetic she was. She was "a force." Pretty and stylish and smart and funny. </p><p>She was executor for the estate of a good friend, Carol Tate. Carol and Andy. In their stylish red sports car, top down, she, a large woman with a black lace scarf looped over her head to keep her hair in place, he, small, energetic, with a rakish mustache and goatee. Originally from Canada? How on earth did they get here? How did my grandparents come to know them? I want to say that she had been a ballerina? Prodigious intellect. Books of hers with her handwriting in the margins. Fine manners. My grandmother ended up with a small wicker suitcase of Carol's things, which I was asked to sort through to select anything I might want. So next to my grandmother's medals, is a marvelous and utterly mysterious broach. Beveled glass and brass around the portraits of two venerable gentlemen. Two-sided, you could wear it so that you show off one. Then the next day, the other. I have NO idea who they are. Or how old it is. I assume it was hers? Maybe it was his relatives? <br /><br />I do treasure it. But I do so without it evoking dense layers of family mythology. For me, they represent the volumes of things gone by, and in the end, the mystery and randomness of it all. And since I, like she, am childless, I don't have anyone to pass it along to. <br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CpDhWxBvdSrbfuxN6DienZGSl0D8l-r2-LlPKbVYhi0KMYjtEduIRK1T4OFtbRmAbW9s0hV_MjTHjWAazV1FpFTku0ycKXGcxxJx982I81TNk8sE9j-l4QqOeCcaAT8dM1LcH_hhnQUEr4p1pR_RTJwTp-DWNO7JGsEpGQlt5Z5KjhVK-f9th3iXGRHJ/s4032/IMG_8281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CpDhWxBvdSrbfuxN6DienZGSl0D8l-r2-LlPKbVYhi0KMYjtEduIRK1T4OFtbRmAbW9s0hV_MjTHjWAazV1FpFTku0ycKXGcxxJx982I81TNk8sE9j-l4QqOeCcaAT8dM1LcH_hhnQUEr4p1pR_RTJwTp-DWNO7JGsEpGQlt5Z5KjhVK-f9th3iXGRHJ/w400-h300/IMG_8281.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nanny's (Ruth Douglas Webb's) target shooting medals, and<br />the enigmatic two-sided miniature portrait brooch from <br />the estate of Carol Tate. <br /><br />Photo: Nanny, Dad (David B. Webb) and Sharon Rice Webb<br />taken outside the Webb's Wholesale Nursery Inc. office<br />April 30, 1999.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-18394014634783138412023-09-05T08:40:00.000-07:002023-09-07T07:46:41.926-07:00Yard & Garden - First week of September<p>Dry, dry, dry<br />Ditch water turned off<br />More shade cloth<br />(Back to "normal" hot. Not terribly windy. Humidity back up, by and large. Cooling off overnight, so that mornings are glorious.)<br /><br />Rotten banana seed pods and the Ladderback Woodpecker at his castanets.<br /><br />Harvesting the peaches (how could I say something as utterly sensuous and yummy as they are without being cliche on one side, and obscure and unintelligible on the other?)</p><p>Zinnias - spectacular. Still a few stray Painted Ladies flitting around.</p><p>Lace vine and garlic flowers in full swing. Glorious, and thick with bees thank god.<br /></p><p>The plum tree ravaged, while I stand helpless, unable to take decisive action to try and save her.</p><p>Ice. Ice. Making ice. Ice water.<br />Chicken poo and small wormy windfall apples piling up<br />Stray feathers - a few black and white ones, a few reds, a few whites and all of a sudden, Brahma feathers<br /></p><p>Gloria and I are getting tired, running out of stamina</p><p><br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-51194014655834399222023-08-11T08:15:00.011-07:002023-08-11T09:10:47.402-07:00Sudden Respite for Us, Record Highs for Florida<p>I can't seem to keep up with what is happening this season?! We have had crushing-hot temperatures day after day after day. On the last day of July, I found a fascinating essay about <a href="https://www.weather.gov/abq/clifeatures_100degrees" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">100° Temperatures in Albuquerque</a>, which said, hey -- by August -- the worst is over. I felt my hopes stir a little. But what actually happened the first week of August was another massive blast of heat.</p><p>Depressing. Worrisome. Dispiriting. Exhausting.<br /></p><p>Then Tuesday afternoon, when the forecast called for something inconsequential like, 30% chance of rain, one particular batch of clouds headed STRAIGHT for us and it poured! We got .69"! It came down so hard and fast, it knocked out some of the footings for the bridge over the interstate at San Pedro (our secret, favorite route to Jo's house for puzzle night every Thursday).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoX5zXAHXTgifnKV2dof1HrA-5XYt7xV2WrKR-E0DCuQC_GQPsmlz6WpEPw0u2Z23XGJ6YM8alxbnhQWbZfhtuoZrs-iaxF_7PtGH6r8nqVrvaV-x2O61QxBaBy-VoUyw4qK1eeOiVadiSkZHhia9RkOtEJ5CSkpCAa3mxNLFrImQZv63BLsSB_LXHni9/s414/2023-08-08_-2pm-rain.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="414" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoX5zXAHXTgifnKV2dof1HrA-5XYt7xV2WrKR-E0DCuQC_GQPsmlz6WpEPw0u2Z23XGJ6YM8alxbnhQWbZfhtuoZrs-iaxF_7PtGH6r8nqVrvaV-x2O61QxBaBy-VoUyw4qK1eeOiVadiSkZHhia9RkOtEJ5CSkpCAa3mxNLFrImQZv63BLsSB_LXHni9/s320/2023-08-08_-2pm-rain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuesday, August 8th, 2023 2pm<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We were all stunned. Rain in a dry climate always knocks the heat down. It was utterly unexpected and shocking and delicious! We went from 96° to 67° in the space of an hour. And with some light cloud cover, it stayed in the low 70s the rest of the afternoon and evening. We threw open the windows! </p><p>I did have to laugh REALLY hard: wet hens.Why don't they get out of the rain?! Quon was soggy. Like an old kitchen sponge. Ellie and Sistah Gurl were hilarious! <br /></p>
<div style="padding: 56.25% 0px 0px; position: relative;"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/853481778?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" title="Wet Hens"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>
<p>Our temperatures since then, have actually subsided. Since that crazy Tuesday, we have been experiencing what I would consider 'normal' (manageable) heat: Wednesday - 98°, yesterday (Thursday) - 99°, (93° or 94° at the Airport). A pattern of late afternoon clouds and a breeze knock it down about the time it feels unbearable. What a mercy.<br /></p>
<p>BUT what seems to have happened is that that hideous, oppressive, heat dome has inched its way east. In our place, Mom and Robert and Sharon and Greg/ Kelly are being tortured (assaulted/ fried). Again, it is hard to wrap my head around it. Robert said they were in for it through the weekend. My heart really goes out to them: all you can do is hide inside. Feel guilty and fret about the fact that your air conditioner is adding to the problem -- a heat pump belching more BTUs into the air in your neighborhood.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwBjTg_zQyLO_KQXaE4zxYJN7MsstX_JYrdWc2I7T80d0-3N5CHSPabFgYMh8KbrceYGfeEZc7pO28Jh9ejAajph6VVIFYhsTzHyBxr1Pvuc74n6VqVp3dTajqokdnCkzh2En5VsRA-oILgR-RdUTpKCZ4PHX0bH47n15OdGDrbXXhHEqa4OzAPqHGjbU/s808/2023-08-07_florida-gets-hit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="808" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwBjTg_zQyLO_KQXaE4zxYJN7MsstX_JYrdWc2I7T80d0-3N5CHSPabFgYMh8KbrceYGfeEZc7pO28Jh9ejAajph6VVIFYhsTzHyBxr1Pvuc74n6VqVp3dTajqokdnCkzh2En5VsRA-oILgR-RdUTpKCZ4PHX0bH47n15OdGDrbXXhHEqa4OzAPqHGjbU/w436-h166/2023-08-07_florida-gets-hit.jpg" width="436" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Weather.gov - US map header "Dangerous Heat Continues in the Southern and Southwest U.S. - An extremely dangerous heat wave will continue over the Southwest U.S. well into next week, with oppressive heat indices remaining across the south-central and southeast U.S. through at least early this weekend. Approximately 80 million people should experience an air temperature or heat index above 105 degrees through this weekend, with dozens of daily record high temperatures possible."</span></i></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-1340990075337818512023-08-07T15:28:00.004-07:002023-08-08T09:47:57.451-07:00Sunday morning, before the heat sets in<p> Another scary-hot weekend. Temps hit and stayed at 109 out back for several hours both days. 30# of ice for the chickens. And several rounds spraying everything to try and knock down the heat. But unlike the cursed land around Phoenix, the heat did subside overnight, so it is 61 or 63 at 6am. You can actually throw open the windows and doors until 8:30 or 9am. </p><p>For that, we are profoundly grateful.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EhuqR9UNY2pg12bw2q2yePcR2aqf0XiRGuNcWkuAwwktOv7zohpl6kabaRxIvGRSdL7xQnuEsvxcCShGp8oO-kGHkl9uhwR3vRFAgcutxzclG9ldBSlnbBMMmHi7j3xLMZWGJCvtdAj10MJMfc7gO-A5X_WIaJpsV1XMVJaUWqpIgTWbzKxnoI-M9nho/s4032/IMG_7994.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EhuqR9UNY2pg12bw2q2yePcR2aqf0XiRGuNcWkuAwwktOv7zohpl6kabaRxIvGRSdL7xQnuEsvxcCShGp8oO-kGHkl9uhwR3vRFAgcutxzclG9ldBSlnbBMMmHi7j3xLMZWGJCvtdAj10MJMfc7gO-A5X_WIaJpsV1XMVJaUWqpIgTWbzKxnoI-M9nho/s320/IMG_7994.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An arresting creature, encountered upon stepping<br />out the front door at 6am, hauling the bin of chicken<br />feed. ?! <b>Bee-mimic Robber Fly (Mallophora fautrix)</b><br />Says Bosque field guide (216), "prefers bees and wasps<br />as prey." Eek!<br /><i><br /></i><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"><i><b>"'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, <br />going out of your door</b>,'
he [Bilbo] used to say. <br />'You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your
feet, <br />there is no telling where you might be swept off to. '"</i><br /><br /></span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwF7ol0lc3hId7Zsti9V24emeG0tnntyARpjafoNN4SxOw70IAKVPMHVzOwVjeTkRma935DxBSeCAVM8nLDkZgO2waSmlFCdfdA9oEOWIH91fZEkadrOob2WDuJ7i96dasB1uXlmRf5ry8ujLF51TyJnZkTxs-_HQaIA2UhJ62VZt2-nbjZbjzz8900EE/s4032/IMG_7995.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwF7ol0lc3hId7Zsti9V24emeG0tnntyARpjafoNN4SxOw70IAKVPMHVzOwVjeTkRma935DxBSeCAVM8nLDkZgO2waSmlFCdfdA9oEOWIH91fZEkadrOob2WDuJ7i96dasB1uXlmRf5ry8ujLF51TyJnZkTxs-_HQaIA2UhJ62VZt2-nbjZbjzz8900EE/s320/IMG_7995.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georgia O'Keeffe, in her later years,<br /><a href="https://collections.okeeffemuseum.org/object/44/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">turned to painting clouds</a>. (I remember<br />looking at those large canvases<br />in the O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe<br />a few years ago. They were memorable. "Above<br />the Clouds, I" 1962-63.)<br />I admired ours this morning.<br />You stop, and say, wow. Look at those<br />colors. Those shapes. Just tossed up<br />there. Passing through. Gone the next<br />time you glance up.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24c7YMdQIBmJ28EDjwaJCIb_KFT7u6F2OlbeKVRF6jwRie88IWQL3Gi90wif_iHGi95Z44nEB3vzWhdZMinexk6v-mzONVCNkjxYZGXmTRcNnXobwRRyPLGraw5D5wPuGGLR5FHa4vbD8HWECTTITzDN4v9ahTEmCecjq5eH4vnWfXhf3lq3zkwko-wPn/s320/IMG_7998.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only one little patch out of <b><i>all</i></b> the sunflowers I planted<br />did well. Four plants: <a href="https://www.botanicalinterests.com/products/goldy-honey-bear-sunflower-seeds" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Goldy Honey Bear seeds<br />from Botanical Interests</a>. (Helianthus annuus) <br />I'm really excited to see what they look like! :)<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcQi2isxYRfqPF49CfcMw5sxvbMFmScvahPWZnqrkxdegPHqMWSkxaqpaiTZWwcjwdykLXXVk8BS0lmoBpEnaiPIKmEStoJEM9_rGVwnaw9IpbkzFcIPI8mxoFLV7pvil3I9byYiK3_uFbf-7O2Or6QlhP-i06TRNiBIJuyMVR1faJxAwwTS9xXRlffzX/s4032/IMG_7999.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcQi2isxYRfqPF49CfcMw5sxvbMFmScvahPWZnqrkxdegPHqMWSkxaqpaiTZWwcjwdykLXXVk8BS0lmoBpEnaiPIKmEStoJEM9_rGVwnaw9IpbkzFcIPI8mxoFLV7pvil3I9byYiK3_uFbf-7O2Or6QlhP-i06TRNiBIJuyMVR1faJxAwwTS9xXRlffzX/s320/IMG_7999.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't get a photo to do the zinnias justice<br />as a group. Grown from seed. They are quite <br />stunning. (Build on your successes, right?)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24c7YMdQIBmJ28EDjwaJCIb_KFT7u6F2OlbeKVRF6jwRie88IWQL3Gi90wif_iHGi95Z44nEB3vzWhdZMinexk6v-mzONVCNkjxYZGXmTRcNnXobwRRyPLGraw5D5wPuGGLR5FHa4vbD8HWECTTITzDN4v9ahTEmCecjq5eH4vnWfXhf3lq3zkwko-wPn/s4032/IMG_7998.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCslWKsJTAbbOtS2dPtX5NQ7OT_V-VpiFt2yLDpDMCvrfT_ud-yvOgGJF5dmOeMMzty1gSetuyqKHAsQst2G45ap2WoD4zmxObak_zgTBXqyj4S5Qyp4FO3ZbGD_-2wspvFG-yYr2A-GOxZfnm24QKBpV4RENJsup-GNew_Q9AF8UWTNdu7zvX_RiCAX5j/s320/IMG_8001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Need to find the seed packet. Cactus blend?<br />Really, one fabulous color after another.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzrHLcm2YbjEk0OOIqPrvvhUcSu5m75vLu1FdKL2Af9FfjALEe8po6RFNWqPHdOim6C0pNeE-qV7ymacEhCqcFsanDYYfSAkC-LPHXYgG9wvaOMvmOkz5vSPNUg0SyPW9t6SY2DfioZlM78JrWTRAUy_ddy7WIjdwzzAl1x23jjA8k0EXud2rbnNQj3Kh/s320/IMG_8004.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Balloon Flowers are a total joy. Simple<br />and elegant. I'm so happy they are perennials!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jOHSa2tDiquakTkTvslcCo0Sgx3bf5AEvlWCVGuLk7FeDF7R_A5wHOGOE0g9GbbHREbLEyCvLwBtKD563i2D7pDMdMZ7HTvzCnjXghavsUurNVNNIV3WQDhnZbOVMMPxwNhuq_w5fpSi2vsgSuWRHGScYSDAwB_uCR65cXJUvWaxtWvBi-9aOaWCVRt9/s4032/IMG_8005.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jOHSa2tDiquakTkTvslcCo0Sgx3bf5AEvlWCVGuLk7FeDF7R_A5wHOGOE0g9GbbHREbLEyCvLwBtKD563i2D7pDMdMZ7HTvzCnjXghavsUurNVNNIV3WQDhnZbOVMMPxwNhuq_w5fpSi2vsgSuWRHGScYSDAwB_uCR65cXJUvWaxtWvBi-9aOaWCVRt9/s320/IMG_8005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right on schedule: the first of the society garlic blooms.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAD1_LRIxIwXL65LynBxVGarmcNwP6VKqmNJvyczq1q4Q64o2INmql_PgRGg5sBYzIOVA_ZsbNpclirA8_hPFmIMh_4Z-Lwb2zNi84nDfPFs0leAIkfprH3spi2h1-5PhX3KpmMmGBKRPTx8g9WZGvUOLR9Wix2MTsDr_UR5N_T5gc84xCD3W606ZqHhMU/s4032/IMG_8006.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAD1_LRIxIwXL65LynBxVGarmcNwP6VKqmNJvyczq1q4Q64o2INmql_PgRGg5sBYzIOVA_ZsbNpclirA8_hPFmIMh_4Z-Lwb2zNi84nDfPFs0leAIkfprH3spi2h1-5PhX3KpmMmGBKRPTx8g9WZGvUOLR9Wix2MTsDr_UR5N_T5gc84xCD3W606ZqHhMU/s320/IMG_8006.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4tW1DU2Syk0hOWjV6l_E8tf1UzGoDIqB7FfkUY7iQsf0S7y88Qto500ovqv11flcTREqXAfIotbJjWcseW5ElRfsZbrG4xP4iLA36YFyJyarqYrQwE1aGwhwtXhn83_QcQnt1zSj9cpat-yqXJgpEcj_buYEASgGUXb9lSQVxbQUItg-deFcVtldST51/s4032/IMG_8008.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4tW1DU2Syk0hOWjV6l_E8tf1UzGoDIqB7FfkUY7iQsf0S7y88Qto500ovqv11flcTREqXAfIotbJjWcseW5ElRfsZbrG4xP4iLA36YFyJyarqYrQwE1aGwhwtXhn83_QcQnt1zSj9cpat-yqXJgpEcj_buYEASgGUXb9lSQVxbQUItg-deFcVtldST51/s320/IMG_8008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heartbreak: the first real crop from our youngest<br />plum tree -- falling off before they are ripe.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffQGfzY-aNzhtEeUgWzvSh2HA-Aqu70McENH2DDjlT00Jn33GGJMJ07t1RX6w4iuug6tuwyFugt7j9t8W9SzjtB-Uxa8fH5OENrJ8QECIz5a9uy52b307vDuMPX4gCkU2nh-LM98gbszAKTne-zt8bFm6t0Qg50rbK73vcOzkI8zEzCBEO7dZc1qyO7WK/s4032/IMG_8009.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffQGfzY-aNzhtEeUgWzvSh2HA-Aqu70McENH2DDjlT00Jn33GGJMJ07t1RX6w4iuug6tuwyFugt7j9t8W9SzjtB-Uxa8fH5OENrJ8QECIz5a9uy52b307vDuMPX4gCkU2nh-LM98gbszAKTne-zt8bFm6t0Qg50rbK73vcOzkI8zEzCBEO7dZc1qyO7WK/s320/IMG_8009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small green coleus finally got their stalks<br />under them and filled in. The red and pink<br />from Jericho is thriving. And behind: a couple <br />of lusty boisterous basil plants.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadrpF0Mg8p-2dLrH5v8rCmmxNTGJubm2rY1WbKlOQ1-pb8MCNexidovH5kgzRfz9--GW7DiDQr1-08Nro5qF22PR93-YiujwjTry5PDf1esvQSZ7CuZGvA4ZykihjUdmiSmIwlw5f7i19PfVfjCHF5ZbQFW9cu0TjabEGOKiDVJRCnHuN6XcEwWGRZSKT/s4032/IMG_8012.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadrpF0Mg8p-2dLrH5v8rCmmxNTGJubm2rY1WbKlOQ1-pb8MCNexidovH5kgzRfz9--GW7DiDQr1-08Nro5qF22PR93-YiujwjTry5PDf1esvQSZ7CuZGvA4ZykihjUdmiSmIwlw5f7i19PfVfjCHF5ZbQFW9cu0TjabEGOKiDVJRCnHuN6XcEwWGRZSKT/s320/IMG_8012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really trying not to take my chicks and hens for granted.<br />I think I was under-watering them (I didn't know I<br />was even capable of such a thing!) To be safe,<br />I broke off and transplanted a couple of them. <br />Lo and behold, this one looks like it will throw out<br />flower stalks!?! I hope it has enough roots<br />to support them?!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /> </div><br /><br /><br /><p></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-32663272506173889152023-08-04T15:45:00.012-07:002023-08-18T11:25:21.695-07:00Unexpected Delight - a sudden batch of Painted Ladies<p>All of a sudden, roughly the 3rd week of July, we had half a dozen bright orange moth/butterfly things nervously flitting all over the yard. They were particularly fond of our stand of hearty stand of Echinacea, and the long teaming row of Zinnias.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVN_vmVMP8zTd8mows9nm-x9QjYPL0Cvf5vbotDUr19F7NmgCHiAkHVMO7_DaS_ZqV56EftjOQ7OygHDHcYrT29TaHDQphPe1gxx1Zt7funtZLynnJB0X3qijgGM84EFrBgkKRQw4s6sIUXzFTBk1XHmmaeWqf1IsUluKrlBwDx9SqWvhRMi6_tXFpa4i8/s3520/IMG_7883.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1980" data-original-width="3520" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVN_vmVMP8zTd8mows9nm-x9QjYPL0Cvf5vbotDUr19F7NmgCHiAkHVMO7_DaS_ZqV56EftjOQ7OygHDHcYrT29TaHDQphPe1gxx1Zt7funtZLynnJB0X3qijgGM84EFrBgkKRQw4s6sIUXzFTBk1XHmmaeWqf1IsUluKrlBwDx9SqWvhRMi6_tXFpa4i8/s320/IMG_7883.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin-left: 40px;">
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<p style="text-align: left;">What ARE they?<br />A: Vanessa cardui - commonly referred to as Painted Lady butterflies.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Where did they come from?<br />A: That one is harder. Since they only live 2-4 weeks in the wild, from egg to adult, this batch was probably "born" nearby. A site in Texas says that in the SW USA they feed and lay their eggs on plants from the Malvaceae family. (Another round of internet searching to hunt that down. :)) In our yard, the Hollyhocks and Desert GlobeMallow.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In the big picture, the answer blew my mind. As a species, they are THE MOST WIDESPREAD of all the butterflies: a quick web search turned up blog posts about their life cycle from Pakistan, a huge citizen group from Barcelona studying their migration habits, and white papers about them from a dozen states. <br /></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/853007823?h=19500e8a3f" width="640"></iframe>
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<tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZvwpIsR2V5Ve_JoW3dLlhAkwTKRxwH1c1itduLpn7F3IAvvMJ_IgLcgCv9Np-5Qi7X8HUvzDSyat77WSFVdo8bXAc6gyI_xFOZ8C7QDNLEWhn8K3cWQ5sGhPOT6jyTSzYhM5VQt0_6-7ATD0c_uLF-Koug6dVEyfoAk_ar8YS4GGutLDvtxjOSzf1913/s3366/painted-lady-on-orange-zinnia.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2580" data-original-width="3366" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZvwpIsR2V5Ve_JoW3dLlhAkwTKRxwH1c1itduLpn7F3IAvvMJ_IgLcgCv9Np-5Qi7X8HUvzDSyat77WSFVdo8bXAc6gyI_xFOZ8C7QDNLEWhn8K3cWQ5sGhPOT6jyTSzYhM5VQt0_6-7ATD0c_uLF-Koug6dVEyfoAk_ar8YS4GGutLDvtxjOSzf1913/s320/painted-lady-on-orange-zinnia.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br />
<p>References</p><p>https://www.massaudubon.org/nature-wildlife/insects-arachnids/butterfly-atlas/find-a-butterfly?id=90</p><p> <br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-56331183185756904952023-08-04T14:54:00.000-07:002023-08-04T14:54:05.250-07:00Heat Waves Exact an Emotional Toll<p> How does it feel struggling along in the blazing heat, freaking out about the plants and chickens with no end in sight?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHpc6tvGyBwztRp5ALIRcOEoqH8Vf_M88FNZqQFwF_HZbScFPT_MLTTELDa794I-3ndpBlhxN6YGpgjoNcm3b5htnkHgc5w6ISt2erinvB5Q64XwdG7A4B6g77Mj_WCtSWDH_aWqtYYWmmGdRq1DvyWlfs86wok7V8G6WYXAxfpvIFmEs0gvy2YBSVNqa/s4032/chard-chewed-up.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHpc6tvGyBwztRp5ALIRcOEoqH8Vf_M88FNZqQFwF_HZbScFPT_MLTTELDa794I-3ndpBlhxN6YGpgjoNcm3b5htnkHgc5w6ISt2erinvB5Q64XwdG7A4B6g77Mj_WCtSWDH_aWqtYYWmmGdRq1DvyWlfs86wok7V8G6WYXAxfpvIFmEs0gvy2YBSVNqa/s320/chard-chewed-up.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chewed up. Shredded. Beaten down.<br />Just barely getting by</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxV1LWubSF91o7tn5PdpNeDDoslMwG7tsG8fVFZCQB0iTlEOOqCrTeGieSOYZpZdN3T-36drlQpMRWDHgd5NUZP9P0iqtiHolf8RHdS-Ub2RU_nvjqLlKGaOrKxSj0FrdJhl2zhFAehNU6sfvmV9ee3y-oPHHz3dNfJzS-LmHF_xXU0Di8MEhOFquFtEF/s850/endless-glaring-heat-icons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="850" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxV1LWubSF91o7tn5PdpNeDDoslMwG7tsG8fVFZCQB0iTlEOOqCrTeGieSOYZpZdN3T-36drlQpMRWDHgd5NUZP9P0iqtiHolf8RHdS-Ub2RU_nvjqLlKGaOrKxSj0FrdJhl2zhFAehNU6sfvmV9ee3y-oPHHz3dNfJzS-LmHF_xXU0Di8MEhOFquFtEF/w393-h236/endless-glaring-heat-icons.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFumeSvrcPvyhg66z2p0yKlM4Xka9zQTLuraTsDmYhcc19o342PgrMrJV8huGAoxRuUYUHadQi9rkO0rWncHnx57kC7zWj_oU19Mx67re2AIDa5YhA2A7FWB1JY_dU6JxaycSBXg8mLgbxRsUClwmuDYKkptdLqp1o4Z59s35YFiyNlE72f_gpXhnuXJ4/s4032/cracked-empty-sign.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFumeSvrcPvyhg66z2p0yKlM4Xka9zQTLuraTsDmYhcc19o342PgrMrJV8huGAoxRuUYUHadQi9rkO0rWncHnx57kC7zWj_oU19Mx67re2AIDa5YhA2A7FWB1JY_dU6JxaycSBXg8mLgbxRsUClwmuDYKkptdLqp1o4Z59s35YFiyNlE72f_gpXhnuXJ4/s320/cracked-empty-sign.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parched. Cracked. Empty.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br><br>
Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-44849241605940273132023-07-19T10:23:00.004-07:002023-07-20T08:53:43.944-07:00Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot<p>This has been a brutal stretch. (How long now?!) Recording-breaking heat * Heat Warnings * Extreme Heat Warnings * Killing heat</p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbD1i_gNd6pttfcbwCX9lED3_qcGfz_t9mReJDCQr-vLVvq9YsTCPE4Sl23Tldu_grnuNeXLMrPfPlMpiFbEpv6f36shgVWw2Rv4cIKyExwk3Eh7H0R23Nfy-XbFLLtAA2rpTQ3S78gzuKC-i4_mXEH1GL4Ii-tbn2mdvNH-LlZCqTn8U5E6nt5JYRqqt/s4032/IMG_7802.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbD1i_gNd6pttfcbwCX9lED3_qcGfz_t9mReJDCQr-vLVvq9YsTCPE4Sl23Tldu_grnuNeXLMrPfPlMpiFbEpv6f36shgVWw2Rv4cIKyExwk3Eh7H0R23Nfy-XbFLLtAA2rpTQ3S78gzuKC-i4_mXEH1GL4Ii-tbn2mdvNH-LlZCqTn8U5E6nt5JYRqqt/s320/IMG_7802.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday - 16 July 2023<br />After a week of 'making ice' for the chickens, I broke down and bought <br />a cooler. We commenced making daily trips to CostCo (cooler used to store it <br />through the afternoon). The cube design lets<br />the chickens eat bits more easily than homemade.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyxLWpXUn_oMHlfQBz1YtUfkzXHFtK8ojLIj452E4P79jbdPyCS1THSzg1F4mJyYI5UsqB6CC6VGifrAkJwgpZhXP4tQ-msDeQ54CtwTYyfc8I3vp6pE-EtFov8CoYxv3MJDRpr2W7d__hsREc5ubjSjQP8dkgjWdko22fdVMb4IOb9LbyqTdEiqytMnD/s320/petunia-16-july-23.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petunia, cooling her feet. <i>Note: this is <b>before</b> the new<br />super heavy-duty shade cloth. See how much brighter<br />it is vs the photo further down.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyxLWpXUn_oMHlfQBz1YtUfkzXHFtK8ojLIj452E4P79jbdPyCS1THSzg1F4mJyYI5UsqB6CC6VGifrAkJwgpZhXP4tQ-msDeQ54CtwTYyfc8I3vp6pE-EtFov8CoYxv3MJDRpr2W7d__hsREc5ubjSjQP8dkgjWdko22fdVMb4IOb9LbyqTdEiqytMnD/s4032/petunia-16-july-23.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ztz1CzjnRFY3EShVVp00zpbn3qHKrlTLYkELeZcqSSVjIjdnMut4qR9259BGdPiWZzNadjLBU7WJ-HigFAnZqs5VRgxe1Cz2ZN_BQSNIRIHU3tpueto5ioc4hag3Diot278om9LmLruJhUrUT-BQuVaBZPTDWVUz6IMEWH-UCQ_fggcUTsMvlHMQzj6D/s4032/90uv-shade-cloth.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ztz1CzjnRFY3EShVVp00zpbn3qHKrlTLYkELeZcqSSVjIjdnMut4qR9259BGdPiWZzNadjLBU7WJ-HigFAnZqs5VRgxe1Cz2ZN_BQSNIRIHU3tpueto5ioc4hag3Diot278om9LmLruJhUrUT-BQuVaBZPTDWVUz6IMEWH-UCQ_fggcUTsMvlHMQzj6D/s320/90uv-shade-cloth.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also Sunday 16 July - Box Store Blitz <br />Went to Lowe's looking for an extra plastic mister. Those were <br />long gone, but they did actually STILL have shade cloth. <br />I thought, gosh, this is expensive ($35/ 6'x15'), <br />but I was desperate. Brought it home, draped it over the fence<br /> and was stunned -- it blocked SO MUCH MORE SUN!<br />Looked more carefully at the package: 90% UV block.<br />I went right back & got 3 more. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRipeUap1A4-dHM1n-qnyZBiXDTbrE5tqHGv1TQjtuV8MR_zDRwpnN-CV2IKvcOYKG4eZwzfFKG24cRxMaRkaq5VZqJUMCgPOBJIBldNWqYPRKjIaljVcjyePtzq6w-qFO36TyPXoIHotQPwZ1cQJcwvsIkIM2VcMvqOTlbjLZYIwJ5OU4i61p-ocNkSv/s4032/tarp-city-west-view-16-july-23.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRipeUap1A4-dHM1n-qnyZBiXDTbrE5tqHGv1TQjtuV8MR_zDRwpnN-CV2IKvcOYKG4eZwzfFKG24cRxMaRkaq5VZqJUMCgPOBJIBldNWqYPRKjIaljVcjyePtzq6w-qFO36TyPXoIHotQPwZ1cQJcwvsIkIM2VcMvqOTlbjLZYIwJ5OU4i61p-ocNkSv/s320/tarp-city-west-view-16-july-23.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As of a week ago, we dragged out every single scrap<br />of shade cloth we could find in the shed, and<br />clothes-pinned it up somewhere. Let's think of it<br />as 'colorful' ... and gosh, don't they love their chickens.<br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkcedP0njxmM1S2m_sgYXB98v0p13OX4QLsnRZ9QLL1VKHRdrwIKwMUKJ-IE0JmDz7ZGydkv_qSC8IkZ4pzPmjv4lf7Yun7ZiVGuy2YNp34hNsN_0r7BPWblHdsrKSIp8ytdPAwptSTSOrXGVPVonohwPOuCwgk2WVowCbhhiUygVoQs4YUnq0407J2id/s4032/tarp-city-16-july-23.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkcedP0njxmM1S2m_sgYXB98v0p13OX4QLsnRZ9QLL1VKHRdrwIKwMUKJ-IE0JmDz7ZGydkv_qSC8IkZ4pzPmjv4lf7Yun7ZiVGuy2YNp34hNsN_0r7BPWblHdsrKSIp8ytdPAwptSTSOrXGVPVonohwPOuCwgk2WVowCbhhiUygVoQs4YUnq0407J2id/s320/tarp-city-16-july-23.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">None of the new cloth is "installed" ... but just draped <br />on top of what we had, it is making a HUGE difference. <br />Note: requires a new set of muscle groups bending over<br />to clean their water and bring ice. :)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><p>If at first you don't succeed, try, try again: <br />Blue ice packs (adventures trying to cool the roost box with it)<br /><br />Our lovely Buff Brahmas, Quon and Nora, have been freaking me out at nights, panting in this horrible raspy voice, audibly, loudly, suffering from the heat. So, I thought, what if I put the blue ice pack things in their sleeping area? Tried on Sunday night. Conclusion - putting it on the bottom of their roost area is too far from them. How do I get it closer to the pole and their feet?</p><p>Last night -- first mistake -- went out after they were already 'in bed,' -- meaning that I didn't have much room for reaching in and under. Found the plastic jug I use to scoop bedding, and stuffed that in and roughly under her. Then wiggled the blue ice pack (wrapped in a plastic bag to keep it clean) on top of it. Went off to do something, and when I came back a few minutes later, she was freaking out. She was nearly shoving the tettery, ancient Butterknife off the pole in the annex in her attempt to escape whatever that EVIL thing was. You should have SEEN the looks she threw at me through the window! </p><p>Third time is the charm? <br />G suggested that I go out BEFORE they are in bed, and just lean them against the back wall (and maybe one on top of the nest box). Stay-tuned.</p><p>Update - They didn't freak out, so that seems like an improvement. But the cloud cover sealed in the heat -- it was a hot night. Maybe it made a difference? Hard to judge.<br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-60501785328354497102023-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:002023-07-06T12:00:07.998-07:00The faintest ink is better than the strongest memory.<p>Good thing I still have the seed packet, and took a snapshot the day I planted these seeds. I was grumbling to myself that the white and red cosmos were not turning out to be true to type! What I had totally forgotten was that SECOND package of seeds I bought at Jack-O-Lope the day we chose a new pot to live under the umbrellas.</p><p>July 3, 2023 What I have:<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2cQ-_qy90coFyMl6pMdupf2eoY1whgFYYhmzwncY1OF5fADn9YGiLdmsw5LBft4thnyfBe4boj26iJi1xh2jNvtywfti672IFm0KhCJ6kwLcppIIHzS8MaQm_MzF6J1NbTEFA_GpPOZGUCMMBAfWVJNuOGkOmEmY9WSt_sxzl5lPjjly18LkmY6_lruV/s2600/pale-purple-frilly-cosmo-cropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1880" data-original-width="2600" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2cQ-_qy90coFyMl6pMdupf2eoY1whgFYYhmzwncY1OF5fADn9YGiLdmsw5LBft4thnyfBe4boj26iJi1xh2jNvtywfti672IFm0KhCJ6kwLcppIIHzS8MaQm_MzF6J1NbTEFA_GpPOZGUCMMBAfWVJNuOGkOmEmY9WSt_sxzl5lPjjly18LkmY6_lruV/s320/pale-purple-frilly-cosmo-cropped.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PaFnPTQFiGrc9NHBSzm_j4KA6lpqVDd2JwCsFYbg_Dz6-g0MrY0izyKZ9FxrRN0rCusQnJ_hhBYuLGgRcKqn1IUk5VlS6M9jXH9FZQxW63e3zHzBqyA4UpncitW5nldiAau4EwyFPMfuEE72_itNCs3x3UmgQ-VzfZ4dHHIeONbWhg-oMKRiRwN4Bkj1/s757/frilly-cosmos-seeds-cropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PaFnPTQFiGrc9NHBSzm_j4KA6lpqVDd2JwCsFYbg_Dz6-g0MrY0izyKZ9FxrRN0rCusQnJ_hhBYuLGgRcKqn1IUk5VlS6M9jXH9FZQxW63e3zHzBqyA4UpncitW5nldiAau4EwyFPMfuEE72_itNCs3x3UmgQ-VzfZ4dHHIeONbWhg-oMKRiRwN4Bkj1/s320/frilly-cosmos-seeds-cropped.JPG" width="279" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What the package says: <br />"Double Click Blend"</td></tr></tbody></table>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-49448998900701269312023-06-28T15:49:00.002-07:002023-07-06T07:45:48.611-07:00Beguiled by Begonias<p><br />16 April 2023 - Got the Costco/ Longwood Gardens batch put in.</p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-WmGVb78Wyg-Vcj11CbfVHmHg-q1xuKv2tbOdNcbegimQbwqQJIxM7h6t_JuYccItM32bWDU6hp5oQ6KrHdOH4i0KwbTL8r75L71f9Bv4xQOw2vvjZPoHx-cZvB27TZi6hxQhLG3DUGuJ2q0VESM1zEUqvPURArHm4dV7FwxlI0NGf_yPacP4CVJXB59/s4032/begonia-tubers-16apr23.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-WmGVb78Wyg-Vcj11CbfVHmHg-q1xuKv2tbOdNcbegimQbwqQJIxM7h6t_JuYccItM32bWDU6hp5oQ6KrHdOH4i0KwbTL8r75L71f9Bv4xQOw2vvjZPoHx-cZvB27TZi6hxQhLG3DUGuJ2q0VESM1zEUqvPURArHm4dV7FwxlI0NGf_yPacP4CVJXB59/s320/begonia-tubers-16apr23.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p>28 June 2023 - They are about to bloom! :) So roughly two and a half months. At the pond supply/ nursery over on Candalaria, the clerk looked at the bags of tubers I was purchasing and said, they LOVE/ need the heat to bloom. And she was right.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2kHLYCd6gdTHIA3UibdvahklgTjU6JmvlIVaabr4Zqlz2WvYhpJcOpDVCk2y5lFReCexTIAZXMEtSdE2i-g_WNv5S5M5SfZF1HUqnAfTVpPeezGAv73zmm9T9LPlIOjxLViCp-ab6GyS8rOxMd3Ak9uR-qPstP7AsXrwKGF5LKhVgijbkEobzpBpYiP5/s4032/wht-pink-begoina-28jun23.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2kHLYCd6gdTHIA3UibdvahklgTjU6JmvlIVaabr4Zqlz2WvYhpJcOpDVCk2y5lFReCexTIAZXMEtSdE2i-g_WNv5S5M5SfZF1HUqnAfTVpPeezGAv73zmm9T9LPlIOjxLViCp-ab6GyS8rOxMd3Ak9uR-qPstP7AsXrwKGF5LKhVgijbkEobzpBpYiP5/s320/wht-pink-begoina-28jun23.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikr0hV3l3pkEYlMaQaAlCq__yDNFvsmmJW9AT6BkMXNh3_K-m6wDRvioyx70t3KXkLtT99LTvphvWP21cKFWOFuPChb_22194x4lFdMwW5PnMgF4zZK_OPfpBZfXYAAfkT8zJJOpQFXQDrBZ1gHQ2vmXNSyPzSrKvDnd6hYiFVOHeXQ_pc5L9WdzTmnuny/s4032/dk-pink-begoina-28june23.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikr0hV3l3pkEYlMaQaAlCq__yDNFvsmmJW9AT6BkMXNh3_K-m6wDRvioyx70t3KXkLtT99LTvphvWP21cKFWOFuPChb_22194x4lFdMwW5PnMgF4zZK_OPfpBZfXYAAfkT8zJJOpQFXQDrBZ1gHQ2vmXNSyPzSrKvDnd6hYiFVOHeXQ_pc5L9WdzTmnuny/s320/dk-pink-begoina-28june23.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-2258545506609774782023-06-12T08:52:00.006-07:002023-06-13T15:44:14.424-07:00June 2023 - Good-bye Oh Perky, Jaunty Juliette<p><b>April 25, 2017 - June 12, 2023</b><br />Died overnight last night, after a pretty rotten 4 days. </p><p>We buried her along the back, wrapped in an old shirt I dearly loved. With a small bouquet from the yard -- an orange yellow nasturtium, a sprig of lavender blossoms, a green plum and part of a chard leaf. </p><p>She was named for my dear long-time friend Julia Mummert, who as a good godmother, followed her escapades. :)</p><p>She had curly toenails! Because I was a bad mom and took a long time
before getting up the nerve to try trimming them. She was small.
Compact. And of all the hens, memorable for turning her head to look at
me... I think she thought humans were goofy, and was trying to figure
us out. </p><p><b><br />April 25th, 2017</b> - We got 6 chicks that year - Juliette and Ping, Pong and
Petunia, Earheart & her deformed sister :( She was 5 and change.
She was preceded in death by the chick with the terribly deformed beak,
Earheart and Pong. She is survived by her sisters Petunia and Ping.</p><p>Now for Buff Orpingtons, there are 3. The ancient Butterknife (just turned 9!), the limping but lovely Ping (also 5), and our only youngster, Buffy (now ~2).<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAmUuGK_L3FBWFfb7agaas0UGgdsGGd1xWaJ-EHLs-XP7KGIw6NwtAF5zQIhASxS3LtCpnCjpF3qr6o_bQ_6yowOtQWQW8C_zo9GnoF680zEwPalBL_wbk1wSueMgF7pT4GHGCbVQ2lTOy5T8uEg-d4RSl9K_nGWjlNrKqBDOttr8KNoyPSYCt27jug/s700/juliette_cropped.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="700" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAmUuGK_L3FBWFfb7agaas0UGgdsGGd1xWaJ-EHLs-XP7KGIw6NwtAF5zQIhASxS3LtCpnCjpF3qr6o_bQ_6yowOtQWQW8C_zo9GnoF680zEwPalBL_wbk1wSueMgF7pT4GHGCbVQ2lTOy5T8uEg-d4RSl9K_nGWjlNrKqBDOttr8KNoyPSYCt27jug/s320/juliette_cropped.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-73707003858296949142023-05-30T11:32:00.003-07:002023-05-30T11:51:14.967-07:00Spring 2023<p><i><span style="font-size: medium;">... and there they made for themselves a living place. </span></i><br /></p><p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY23m6728vTfJShv_dlFlfTsYE3-F84u0TPF3W0EBDeg-6NWfkFvaS53Q-RPaIY9PVGjdhQnlOWIOFuhPmq_BL9ShttWhAQBim7UD1kIA3UGUNrZKXHJdtZ7sdfg6T6RabSgy8WJ78r0TZ_MCxRL3gntNb4BTh-oQ-Y5gJDs80gFxjcyTMi7Zq6ArXKA/s418/2023-decorative-pots.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="418" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY23m6728vTfJShv_dlFlfTsYE3-F84u0TPF3W0EBDeg-6NWfkFvaS53Q-RPaIY9PVGjdhQnlOWIOFuhPmq_BL9ShttWhAQBim7UD1kIA3UGUNrZKXHJdtZ7sdfg6T6RabSgy8WJ78r0TZ_MCxRL3gntNb4BTh-oQ-Y5gJDs80gFxjcyTMi7Zq6ArXKA/s320/2023-decorative-pots.jpg" width="320" /></a>POTS - GARDEN POTS - GLAZED POTS<br />Buying new garden pots with my birthday money. <br />We went to the import store on the corner of 4th and Montano > Aguirre's Imports Got a large round, a smaller rectangular with saucer, a chicken, and a turquoise metal flying pig! <br /><br /> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3heH_I8BLHSVzXrzu6DcdY3VficHD5JiTlEpvZiYwpHlPISc_m2duiS0c8gNulQx3VUNZx6cTCi2yv2DIs6Zn7mkkCf7l6-AHXY3bYVocBpLK_GbyqkGytxXjPS-bl-ER3s6cGZRZNvffDX_ROJNqZwYbAcL3sUeLc_Pmu3BcO3sDKqwArKIt_rdJBA/s4032/IMG_7138.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3heH_I8BLHSVzXrzu6DcdY3VficHD5JiTlEpvZiYwpHlPISc_m2duiS0c8gNulQx3VUNZx6cTCi2yv2DIs6Zn7mkkCf7l6-AHXY3bYVocBpLK_GbyqkGytxXjPS-bl-ER3s6cGZRZNvffDX_ROJNqZwYbAcL3sUeLc_Pmu3BcO3sDKqwArKIt_rdJBA/s320/IMG_7138.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzeWW-lILrfr-TsaswW23vX-Vn9kzCZouzIUaCRtwuHf4S8fFui3zNQ7K9osXJE3lDc2qaHXTm4NwG6cAQ5KPP9sLQlK3kiLuP67j68DG1bXxaXFAta1w2DhBd4lNZFJBj2MyA6kAAELbBMb_EDhi8elzmiPBtwXu-Nw7sB6q3hOMbriRny1f6DRl0A/s4032/IMG_7141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzeWW-lILrfr-TsaswW23vX-Vn9kzCZouzIUaCRtwuHf4S8fFui3zNQ7K9osXJE3lDc2qaHXTm4NwG6cAQ5KPP9sLQlK3kiLuP67j68DG1bXxaXFAta1w2DhBd4lNZFJBj2MyA6kAAELbBMb_EDhi8elzmiPBtwXu-Nw7sB6q3hOMbriRny1f6DRl0A/s320/IMG_7141.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p> </p><p>Then to > Albuquerque Water Gardens & Nursery. 2 white terra cottas, 2 reds in a lovely straight tapered shape. G wanted something plant-wise. What was it? Oh, I got the orange Nasturtiums with the variegated leaves. (How many trips now?) G - small penstemon with dainty white flowers<br /></p><br /><p>Also went to Jackalope. Their lot is huge, as always. And intimidating. Architectural stuff. Very expensive. After MUCH debate, bought a large, low stylish green pot for our sitting area. It's gorgeous. Funny -- Sharon Webb shrieked about the Sprengeri (< Looked it up. That is the correct spelling). Apparently in FL they are borderline invasive.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7ocTjgRN3MhIxayY46_WeIz0qvgJEffaf1LD3uoVxsNpqiD5Tvgw3VImVh73rPTNEKKXrw-NSFtVRdOTurOfdTNtI8SYxYhyXHaYfd_U9B5C2nrLYC5a9reFQ9bdqY40bbHclYulg5pmEEj6XKoeQILjUv2Gust-Y8g48ijX6hFPwW7JpJCxWDjZ4Q/s4032/IMG_7143.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7ocTjgRN3MhIxayY46_WeIz0qvgJEffaf1LD3uoVxsNpqiD5Tvgw3VImVh73rPTNEKKXrw-NSFtVRdOTurOfdTNtI8SYxYhyXHaYfd_U9B5C2nrLYC5a9reFQ9bdqY40bbHclYulg5pmEEj6XKoeQILjUv2Gust-Y8g48ijX6hFPwW7JpJCxWDjZ4Q/s320/IMG_7143.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br /></p><p>Lowes, of course. Mangled "Stock" White alyssum. </p><p>Alameda Greenhouse - on Mother's Day. $$ gallon pot of baby's breath. 4 tiny lavender impatiens. 2 fascinating things -- up front. </p><p>Co-op<br />Something frilly that went in the ground between the raised garlic bed and the NM Holly. Dill?<br /></p><p>The grocery store. lol. Smiths<br />The tags on them said $40, sale $34.95. But then it rang up as $29.99/ 30 bucks. I need to go back to Lowe's and look again, but I'm pretty sure that was a decent price for 3 gal, thick, high-fire glazed ceramic pots. Saturday morning, I dashed back and got 2 more, first thing. What are you going to put in them? Don't know. But they are nice looking, a good size, and I thought, why don't you get a set of 4 before they are gone.</p><p>Where did I get the variegated aptenia? <br /></p><p> "Neighbors" Ellie and Sistah Gurl</p><p> </p><p>Seed packages. And Begonia tubers. <br />Costco Shame on me, I left the balloon flower bulbs too long and one entire pack rotted to nothing.<br />Longwood gardens? <br /><br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-3529650411883840252022-10-11T09:19:00.016-07:002023-06-13T07:38:22.111-07:00May 2022 - Swept away suddenly - Goodbye my dear Sophie and Katniss<p> It breaks our hearts every time. <a href="http://nibblingpen.blogspot.com/2021/04/to-our-beloved-hen-upon-her-passing.html" target="_blank">To Our Beloved Hen Upon Her Passing</a>.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2-mpNIYhNpzf0x77hftD0HcEceZ9u02L_jVtsveClSKCPCOSknG2dOmWDYpURAKmYenxcfpMyg-PYffrUKMHudvr3cDx9EVWmOhklbGZliU1HmoPoh36wGTpE9n9h7jeHM3yUdw2--WrqQzKbhSDd_E94qW_H-VVnj6vzz04AfQr-N530RipT7tnUg/s4032/IMG_2780.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2-mpNIYhNpzf0x77hftD0HcEceZ9u02L_jVtsveClSKCPCOSknG2dOmWDYpURAKmYenxcfpMyg-PYffrUKMHudvr3cDx9EVWmOhklbGZliU1HmoPoh36wGTpE9n9h7jeHM3yUdw2--WrqQzKbhSDd_E94qW_H-VVnj6vzz04AfQr-N530RipT7tnUg/s320/IMG_2780.JPG" width="320" /></a></b></div><p><br /><b>Sophie - (17 April 2014 - 7 May 2022 )</b> <br />Sophie, our matron Australorp, took sick Friday May 6th, and was dead by Sunday morning May 7th. She was a venerable 8 years and change. Had some tiny white feathers on her head in her old age (who knew?!) From our second batch of chicks, she is survived only by Butterknife. (In the Great Beyond, she joins her sisters Rosa, Flavia, Starbuck and Maude). Such soft feathers. She was often broody, stuck panting and miserable in the nest box in the blazing heat of summer--a breed trait. She was pleasant company, and all things considered, very tolerant of the waves of youngsters we foisted on her. We will miss you. </p><p>What can you ask for? A righteous life and a merciful death, and she had both.<br /><br /></p><p><b>Katniss - (8 March 2021 - 29 May 2022. Sunday morning)</b><br />Katniss, the very spunky, nippy little Buff Orpington died suddenly and unexpectedly. She wasn't even two. :( Saturday, whe was fine in the morning. By late afternoon, something about her body language as she rested under the little apple tree didn't look right. She looked miserable, her breathing labored. And she didn't come out for evening treats. At dusk, when I went out to tuck everyone in, she had not moved. I picked her up and put her in the 'hospital run.' I just couldn't bear to leave her "outside," and this kept her away from the others in case she was contagious), but let me lock her in the day yard. She was dead, and stiff, when I went out the next morning. We were terribly upset. And could only console ourselves by repeating that she did not suffer. A short life, but as far as we could make it--a very happy one. (Shown below - Left - with Butterknife and Flo-Moe.) </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRD7_sUvzBsitjauIAM1PXUKFXCpCRa-O0LRnC_7sQqnKm6Hvc_AWHGfUG-k4k-ZL3W5EGPf5WfNVZeeO7PzzAtbI83sjCu3r0gj1DKrBuyhr2U3ECqUrD5Drs4CmbHqvqOCfpw_XRvVXlYvsNVNt3cdX1FZ-lGTkP_0xGgjR4swi4J7N0Yflv3Pei4g/s4032/IMG_3463.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRD7_sUvzBsitjauIAM1PXUKFXCpCRa-O0LRnC_7sQqnKm6Hvc_AWHGfUG-k4k-ZL3W5EGPf5WfNVZeeO7PzzAtbI83sjCu3r0gj1DKrBuyhr2U3ECqUrD5Drs4CmbHqvqOCfpw_XRvVXlYvsNVNt3cdX1FZ-lGTkP_0xGgjR4swi4J7N0Yflv3Pei4g/w251-h188/IMG_3463.JPG" width="251" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKM_Vsk5V0wf0yobUQECWj9Wb_EyGEDHo4hZx3h_0qL0EaBQG5Z-eCrsTkXYQGyjHYr5Ag8ynnzBZblas_1s_SFxidx1e4I-YtzVPmLsDgzY6xLpBfsl7ExqgAnjf0CjtUUETpJmmkjv5u_7TevX4SKf5oLyNZmKoQQ8UYlyhMwt4PODfW7l7pjdPJg/s4032/IMG_3493.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKM_Vsk5V0wf0yobUQECWj9Wb_EyGEDHo4hZx3h_0qL0EaBQG5Z-eCrsTkXYQGyjHYr5Ag8ynnzBZblas_1s_SFxidx1e4I-YtzVPmLsDgzY6xLpBfsl7ExqgAnjf0CjtUUETpJmmkjv5u_7TevX4SKf5oLyNZmKoQQ8UYlyhMwt4PODfW7l7pjdPJg/w254-h190/IMG_3493.JPG" width="254" /></a></p><p>I have posted a video below. Under other circumstances, I'd have titled it: "It's
only funny because it's not me...." Now that Katniss is gone, it feels a
little like a cautionary tale -- always be kind to others. You never
know when you will be swept away and the last images anyone took of you captured you being naughty! :) BAD CHICKEN! lol. </p><p></p>
<div style="padding: 56.25% 0px 0px; position: relative;"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/759246365?h=0bd969c31e&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" title="Unfortunate final footage"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>
<p>To remind myself: there is more to be said, about graves, that they need tending. About thinking you will remember where you laid them to rest, then you don't?! And pondering "The last time anyone speaks your name" ... the many deaths. </p><p><a href="https://nibblingpen.blogspot.com/2021/04/to-our-beloved-hen-upon-her-passing.html">"May you always be the first one through the gate into the garden, and may there still be tender greens...."</a> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-61258007944108807952022-10-10T17:32:00.002-07:002022-10-11T16:13:10.590-07:00About putting a box in the recycle bin...<p>March 9th, 2021<br />I will never forget how worried and upset we were, sitting in front of the post office waiting for this particular box. COVID was rampant. And the postal service, like everyone and everything, was struggling to keep going amid the chaos and craziness. There were horror stories about packages taking weeks to arrive, or disappearing altogether. </p><p>Our tracking number for this little carton said that it hadn't left the hub in Cleveland. The box could still be sitting in a cold cargo warehouse at an airport in Ohio?! The clerk at the window inside looked at all the information she had, and shook her head. We trudged back to the car to wait for the truck to bring the airport freight for the day. </p><p>It was dark, chilly, misting rain with a cold breeze. The flag on the pole in front of the building was whipping around. We turned on the car and ran the heater, compulsively hitting Refresh on the tracking information. The moments dragged past. No new entries. No updates. All of a sudden, the clerk burst out of the doors clutching it. When Gloria settled it on her lap, there were faint little bird sounds.</p>
<p>All 10 of them survived the ordeal. </p><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="506" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/758918551?h=e5710ba199&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479" title="10 Wobbly Chicks - 36 hrs old" width="900"></iframe><p>Fast-forward a year and a half. I have had the box perching on a pile in my tiny, crowded office all this time. It's an unusual shape--interesting to look at, with its symmetrical air holes, cantilevered sides, tight-fitting lid and bright labels. And poignant to think all 10 of them were crammed into it, huddled next to a hand warmer, being tossed around as baggage. A symbol of survival? An artifact that stands for epic journeys, most of which we don't ask for and only if we are lucky manage to navigate? A startling reminder of how much we have grown and changed?! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmP7DtLONUXfuoetJnXp7VbgOUGLr20Fmskavw82KWwX_2Yas-EyK-rn3mxp270g6D38eFpLvJYZO8qibFb2BkAqomIoisE_6VFk9bnEUThg660pZgIEObZFSwG4e_aTdhEts_dFvV1m6tvOV1SjQOxv2goEuGwuuBFi4iOXgw1Ak9Sghssaq3DDw0A/s4032/IMG_5523.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmP7DtLONUXfuoetJnXp7VbgOUGLr20Fmskavw82KWwX_2Yas-EyK-rn3mxp270g6D38eFpLvJYZO8qibFb2BkAqomIoisE_6VFk9bnEUThg660pZgIEObZFSwG4e_aTdhEts_dFvV1m6tvOV1SjQOxv2goEuGwuuBFi4iOXgw1Ak9Sghssaq3DDw0A/w242-h181/IMG_5523.JPG" width="242" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJ_Jx0ntQIQJBlojqjf0JbOZm8eA-ITI2ZG8OTieABrPSL-RMMGCCM7cASmmMm_bZW3Z3wcsm8DFJJjcb8qiFsHm5TGqPlnOLzx024fEmy8VJKu2yqzr7x8GZyaHL75SfqLwe7dPIbXMCkhQGNZvLxLDFPGS0UAHqubRQIW-btofEZR9od9GyvE3NDg/s4032/IMG_5520.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJ_Jx0ntQIQJBlojqjf0JbOZm8eA-ITI2ZG8OTieABrPSL-RMMGCCM7cASmmMm_bZW3Z3wcsm8DFJJjcb8qiFsHm5TGqPlnOLzx024fEmy8VJKu2yqzr7x8GZyaHL75SfqLwe7dPIbXMCkhQGNZvLxLDFPGS0UAHqubRQIW-btofEZR9od9GyvE3NDg/w245-h184/IMG_5520.JPG" width="245" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>COVID is still with us, but it has subsided. They all grew up, moved defiantly out of the bathroom, outgrew the house, and took the chicken yard by storm. Frankie and Flo-Moe, Calamity and Peaches, Mildred and XBeak, Quon and Nora, Buffy and Katniss. They have been a TON of work and worry. And boundless joy. They are our friends. Today. In this moment. Out in the yard milling around hoping for treats which I generally provide after work. </p><p>I think it's okay to recycle the box. <br /></p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-24476331499050624642022-08-06T18:33:00.008-07:002022-08-10T12:36:40.498-07:00"Everyone had hollyhocks."<p><span _mce_style="color: #008000; font-size: 130%;" style="color: green; font-size: 130%;"><b>Hollyhocks - Alcea rosea (Varas de San José - Staff of Joseph)</b></span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 120px; text-align: left;">Flowers have of countenance as much as men or animals. Some seem to
smile, some have a sad expression, some are pensive and diffident,
others are plain, honest and upright like the broad-faced sunflower and
the hollyhock." <br />-Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 - March 8, 1887)</p>
<p style="margin-left: 120px; text-align: left;">"I am very busy picking up stems and stamens as the hollyhocks leave
their clothes around." - Emily Dickinson (December 10, 1830 - May 15,
1886) </p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>Last year, I blanked completely on the name of these--and all Gloria
could think of was 'Varas de San José.' I was stunned at the sudden hole
in my memory, and a bit dismayed. It was weeks before HOLLYHOCK finally
bubbled up out of the muck. This season, as soon as I saw the cluster
of young plants I knew their names, comfortable and familiar: hollyhocks, hollyhocks, hollyhocks! But what I couldn't dredge up --
what color were they/ are they going to be? (I am now in my mid-60s and
nervously watching myself for the early signs of memory loss, and
fretting about the shrinking world it would bring with it.) This, I thought, is one worry I can address! I can do a quick blog
post that has photos, so that next year (provided I remember to consult
the blog), I will know in a flash what to expect where. The cluster between the raised
bed, the New Mexico Honeysuckle that friends gave us as a housewarming
gift, and the recent grave of our 8 yr-old hen Sophie, will be lovely hot pinks, a delicate pale
pink and a stray white.</p><p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0H5Yvk4bc6tuoBJan-d4xU9Reey5WLbtwgJx40mk1XGkXDrMMNLYVG9TcSKFzQYnLkk9cu7DsYstEz0DRIyKnPIdC3B52Iia6UpVP7-oZvDHnfwLMmiL1CW5F0aHbiNEeOMV_j06NO52DVyG9vfBjW7yFf811meCutcscl_Nk84xR3VMPFp_VyTRqg/s4032/hollyhock-med-pink-2022.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0H5Yvk4bc6tuoBJan-d4xU9Reey5WLbtwgJx40mk1XGkXDrMMNLYVG9TcSKFzQYnLkk9cu7DsYstEz0DRIyKnPIdC3B52Iia6UpVP7-oZvDHnfwLMmiL1CW5F0aHbiNEeOMV_j06NO52DVyG9vfBjW7yFf811meCutcscl_Nk84xR3VMPFp_VyTRqg/s320/hollyhock-med-pink-2022.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqOWtaHLowDUNC02LW3ilEokLSzxv2zfLpKdsWQwlP40AjrElqkv4qRc4s9XK1rQQj1qN8hpzTuypXpV3JWc19yFfeU18f0uCZjFaB9cK26z9rYTN2d6nJ6eLNU-5BmzQfJcCQcjkiFiu8jpfQu-pzIcKJ6O1K9t6AYimjSknWrzjWeqUBXF5KJr0BQ/s4032/hollyhocks-nearsophie-27june2022.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqOWtaHLowDUNC02LW3ilEokLSzxv2zfLpKdsWQwlP40AjrElqkv4qRc4s9XK1rQQj1qN8hpzTuypXpV3JWc19yFfeU18f0uCZjFaB9cK26z9rYTN2d6nJ6eLNU-5BmzQfJcCQcjkiFiu8jpfQu-pzIcKJ6O1K9t6AYimjSknWrzjWeqUBXF5KJr0BQ/s320/hollyhocks-nearsophie-27june2022.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylLFohmiJEIXbGBVbimurIuAd7_8ys9qHR9nlc6_4l99wWnO2ZS4yvfqUett29oVlFD2trH0jQAdyq11xi4QF3axYReEBcyFKIzqvhqlpkId9IgeCATORiA7ZeqQa_BJwXs5CRvFqphBZPsyN3ANdonY3VLyV8sSo3kQl37f8HPtzMgsEQvj_z-MMCQ/s4032/hollyhocks-nearsophie-27june2022-palepink.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylLFohmiJEIXbGBVbimurIuAd7_8ys9qHR9nlc6_4l99wWnO2ZS4yvfqUett29oVlFD2trH0jQAdyq11xi4QF3axYReEBcyFKIzqvhqlpkId9IgeCATORiA7ZeqQa_BJwXs5CRvFqphBZPsyN3ANdonY3VLyV8sSo3kQl37f8HPtzMgsEQvj_z-MMCQ/s320/hollyhocks-nearsophie-27june2022-palepink.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Thee white is in the background on the left. <br />Small plant/ lovely blossoms.)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p>The complete inventory includes 3 more plants--small, badly chewed by
the bugs but still standing, having found and claimed little puddles of
sun, and held their own against the sprawling Wisteria: a pale pink and a medium red, and over near the Lambs Ears by the bird bath, a second red.</p>
<p>What we might have in 2024 (two years from now, since they are biennials)? <br />Pale yellows next to the small clump of irises that were transplanted from Abuelo's house before they sold it last year. </p><p>This is how it happens<br />Taking walks in the afternoon during my
lunch break, I admired a splendid stand my neighbor has
growing all along her front fence by the road. Yellows, whites, pinks
and reds--all the traditional colors--blooming brightly between her
sunny tiger lilies. The pale yellows were so unusual and appealing, I
couldn't resist. I reached through the chain links, snapped off a nob
of seeds, and slipped them nonchalantly into my pocket. Then showing
what for me is impressive speed and determination, I actually got them into the
ground and watered by the end of the week. </p><p><i>Note: April and May were
brutally hot and dry this year, with wildfires ranging all around the
state. I suspect that our neighbor does not hand water them; the plants were smaller and
leaner than in better seasons. I do not know how that will affect the
viability/ vitality of the seeds I snitched and planted?</i> </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZZ0TopaTZGKF6eDtcKI2eN-J_k_BPbM8VB-V1e6wFpkJUHPJUoftJ3Jj7EF2isd_q0MlVkK49UdNubZA0XWd4J9DU90UEuIxOOxgynVt_TdtlEI9d6akkpDxIbgXyNQm0MEucWs5r6D_IQ5W6_CvGiUMlskwcpXApoYPhf8QGFGp8r_8-a7i0ZPicA/s1522/1881-botanical-print.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1522" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZZ0TopaTZGKF6eDtcKI2eN-J_k_BPbM8VB-V1e6wFpkJUHPJUoftJ3Jj7EF2isd_q0MlVkK49UdNubZA0XWd4J9DU90UEuIxOOxgynVt_TdtlEI9d6akkpDxIbgXyNQm0MEucWs5r6D_IQ5W6_CvGiUMlskwcpXApoYPhf8QGFGp8r_8-a7i0ZPicA/s320/1881-botanical-print.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailgardenseeds/28475337146" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1881 Botanische wandplanten<br />Illustrators - Ant. Hartinger und G. v. Beck</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>I think there is a larger point here, illustrating the role of
flowers in facilitating seed dispersal? :) And it is a busy intersection! I
suddenly see an image of my grandfather pulling a napkin out of his
suit coat pocket and carefully folding a few seeds into it. (We were at
any number of lush, old gardens in Britain at the time.) What was
Michael Pollan's thesis in <i>The Botany of Desire,</i> that plants MAY be using us as surely as we think we are using them?</p>
<p>Apparently, hollyhocks have charmed and
hitched rides with scores of people for several thousand years. In <i>Plants in Garden History,</i>
British gardening giant, Penelope Hobhouse says they were probably
among the many plants collected by Assyrian King Tiglath-Pilesar
(1114-1026 BC) (<i>PGH, </i>17). He, like many generations of
Assyrian royalty, is thought to have had private courtyard gardens
inside the palace--geometric affairs with fountains and flowers and
fruit trees. A succession of rulers had their agents out ceaselessly combing
the outer reaches of the empire, in search of the next <i>new</i> new thing (ancient plant hunters in flowing robes with deep pockets and whatever the ancient equivalent of the dinner napkin might have been.) </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictf3vf01hFU_5eCDl7rvv091TgrOkhVGv4KBw7dS29kJGTYZPf-R1W3TJGMM-LmMicn4O2Qn2mzQxLCQNdiHNMLtulNH0NY5FBQ29rFnZPM8L1oCGa-urMSqdIdpImrXeyP_vWFSiHvCwEIMFlRNyTdsdByoazYoc5-7-shh26IAnEY9J5CZKm-S8Ig/s1024/Bas-Relief-of-HangingGarden-AncientAssyria.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="1024" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictf3vf01hFU_5eCDl7rvv091TgrOkhVGv4KBw7dS29kJGTYZPf-R1W3TJGMM-LmMicn4O2Qn2mzQxLCQNdiHNMLtulNH0NY5FBQ29rFnZPM8L1oCGa-urMSqdIdpImrXeyP_vWFSiHvCwEIMFlRNyTdsdByoazYoc5-7-shh26IAnEY9J5CZKm-S8Ig/s320/Bas-Relief-of-HangingGarden-AncientAssyria.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-lost-gardens-of-babylon-video-who-built-hanging-gardens-of-babylon-deciphering-ancient-cuneiform-text/1167/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bas Relief depiction of Assyrian Hanging Gardens</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />A couple of accounts I read (none with decent bibliographic
citations) suggest that the genus Alcea, which contains roughly 60
species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvacaeae, was originally native
to Asia. <a _mce_href="https://santafebotanicalgarden.org/november-2014/" href="https://santafebotanicalgarden.org/november-2014/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Susan Bruneni</a>
asserts that they "were first mentioned in England in [the] “Grete
Herbal” by John Gerard in 1597 as arriving in Britain in 1573,
probably from China by way of Palestine." <a _mce_href="https://www.gardencluboftaos.org/Hollyhocks" href="https://www.gardencluboftaos.org/Hollyhocks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ruth L. Fish</a> references a slightly earlier date, citing it in a manuscript from 1548: <br />
<p></p><p _mce_style="margin-left: 40px;" style="margin-left: 40px;">Its
genaeological background is long and interesting. Its botanical name is
Althea rosea, a genus of the Mallow Family, and a cousin to the exotic
hibiscus of the tropics, as well as to the practical okra and cottons of
the temperate zones. Its common name derives from Hocys Bengaida, a
name given in Wales to the Malva benedictus, "holy mallow" of medieval
Latin literature. Wedgewood, an English botanist, says that it was
called "holy" because the first of the plants brought to southern Europe
came from the Holy Land, to which it had been transplanted from China,
its original home. Its characteristic of survival in all climates and
soils had caused it to be transplanted to all parts of the civilized
world during the Middle Ages, and it is mentioned as "holy-hoke," an
adaptation of the Welsh name, in a British horticultural treatise of
1548.<br /></p>
<p>Penelope Hobhouse dates their arrival even earlier, stating that
hollyhocks were "introduced from Spain by Eleanor of Castile in 1255" (<i>PGH</i>
78). My history is woefully fuzzy, but it seems very plausible that
they were first brought north and west by the Moors in the eighth
century. As she laments, "Except for those made by the Moors in Spain,
no actual garden made in the period which covers the withdrawal and
conquest of the Roman empire in the fifth century until after 1500
exists today in Europe" (<i>PGH</i> 70). Nor, unfortunately, has
there been much research by archeologists. What little we know has been
drawn from copies of manuscripts and bits of pictorial evidence.
Providing a tantalizing glimpse, a painting by an unknown Rhenish artist
(Rhineland) c. 1410 actually depicts TWO varieties of hollyhocks in
the upper right-hand corner.<br /> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-rhg2cREjxqBsjvEv0TYaMOzjXDJ9ALbleJaA87D5e8GmwcWQ7B13UK-41Y0BH-836E4SlpvDixYhi6r9w5u2OCUnwRGuGj0XDcgsvogyIZg2Nhx_Guc5j9i0k811teL0HvGJH4mlkfxKwEEfDwHvAflCYCD95bL6CKdbqZzhJzBMgOchHdGDlHu6A/s906/medieval-garden-of-paradise.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="855" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-rhg2cREjxqBsjvEv0TYaMOzjXDJ9ALbleJaA87D5e8GmwcWQ7B13UK-41Y0BH-836E4SlpvDixYhi6r9w5u2OCUnwRGuGj0XDcgsvogyIZg2Nhx_Guc5j9i0k811teL0HvGJH4mlkfxKwEEfDwHvAflCYCD95bL6CKdbqZzhJzBMgOchHdGDlHu6A/s320/medieval-garden-of-paradise.png" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">History of Art - Gothic Art<br /><a _mce_href="http://www.all-art.org/gothic_era/08.html" href="http://www.all-art.org/gothic_era/08.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.all-art.org/gothic_era/08.html</a> </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Jump ahead a couple of centuries, and plant historians find
hollyhocks making their way to 'The New World' in the pockets of the
Puritans (<i>PGH</i> 257) and in the saddlebags of the Spaniards. <a _mce_href="https://www.gardencluboftaos.org/Hollyhocks" href="https://www.gardencluboftaos.org/Hollyhocks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ruth L. Fish</a> tracks the flowers on their way north from Mexico, heading for what is now northern New Mexico:<br />
<p></p><p _mce_style="margin-left: 40px;" style="margin-left: 40px;">To the
Spanish, the plant was generally known as Las Varas de San Jose, "rods
(or staffs) of St. Joseph," and as such it was pictured in many early
paintings of St. Joseph in southern Europe, its quality of enduring all
manner of circumstances in all climates and soils typifying God's love
and mercy for mankind. In this way, it came to have a very special
meaning for our Spanish colonists who brought the seed from the Mother
Country in the earliest years of settlement. The Spanish people have
ever been lovers of flowers, and even in arid New Mexico, the doñas and
their gardeners soon had flowers lining their portales and bordering
their adobe walls.</p>
<p><a _mce_href="https://www.gardencluboftaos.org/Hollyhocks" href="https://www.gardencluboftaos.org/Hollyhocks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fish's account</a>
is a reminder that migration and seed dispersal are not unilateral.
In terms of the North American continent, waves of invading newcomers
came from a variety of different directions, often widely separated by
boundaries of language, culture (history, geography and religion) and
time.</p>
<p>Based on the history of our little yard, <a _mce_href="https://www.gardencluboftaos.org/Hollyhocks" href="https://www.gardencluboftaos.org/Hollyhocks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">she is utterly correct</a>:
"The hollyhocks survived when many more tender plants could not abide
the rigors of late spring and early autumn frosts, burning noon-day
sun, and persistent drought; and so they became the favorites; seed was
shared; and soon, as one of my aged neighbors has said, 'Everyone had
hollyhocks.'" My grandfather would be so proud.</p><p><br /></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zrOVk67DMvktAgL4Cca_q7DNU0Ztrjmopm7NjjNqQgn8bGElKhn_8lb8NMFgb1EdTd6E2BRKMSm9w5X4TDN0R6QL-75q8rxR4_M0CvC7p4EILNnxLIQfl-D24f2Pby0UBpXnd8IarwpJBmjNKoQ7e6lzFpcbZd6ij3I2ewV7stWI-08iXSutcJCNHQ/s4032/hollyhocks-near-sophie.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zrOVk67DMvktAgL4Cca_q7DNU0Ztrjmopm7NjjNqQgn8bGElKhn_8lb8NMFgb1EdTd6E2BRKMSm9w5X4TDN0R6QL-75q8rxR4_M0CvC7p4EILNnxLIQfl-D24f2Pby0UBpXnd8IarwpJBmjNKoQ7e6lzFpcbZd6ij3I2ewV7stWI-08iXSutcJCNHQ/s320/hollyhocks-near-sophie.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late July, early August - seeds ready for gleaning.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br />Bibliography<div><a href="https://santafebotanicalgarden.org/november-2014/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bruneni, Susan. "NOVEMBER: Hollyhock: Alcea rosea" </a><a href="https://santafebotanicalgarden.org/november-2014/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Santa Fe Botanical Garden</a><a href="https://santafebotanicalgarden.org/november-2014/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">.</a> </div><div><br /><a href="https://www.gardencluboftaos.org/Hollyhocks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fish, Ruth L. "Hollyhock History: How & When the Hollyhock Came to Taos." Los Jardineros - Garden Club of Taos. July 1963.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Hobhouse, Penelope. <i>Plants in Garden History.</i> London: Pavilion Books, 1992.</div>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-81287722763630241302022-07-30T16:35:00.000-07:002022-07-30T16:35:10.000-07:00May 25th -- Bosque Fire -- Too Close for Comfort<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCQVfIwRNcMCE8uKn1TI_tDTPR5T_JxR47tPn7f1b3GsdsZmK7biRvjlF50LSK6PCd54TIJq2bT-VvVJ48vieJNyEIoxAn862VmDoh9frgLhOmGnNFlPuXNS1yl9wYVxDd18_VXLf0-ELe4R-T7gQGXmlYMyHzZ1TxhSH80ew817yH9mXf-5gU39BMw/s4032/IMG_4390.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCQVfIwRNcMCE8uKn1TI_tDTPR5T_JxR47tPn7f1b3GsdsZmK7biRvjlF50LSK6PCd54TIJq2bT-VvVJ48vieJNyEIoxAn862VmDoh9frgLhOmGnNFlPuXNS1yl9wYVxDd18_VXLf0-ELe4R-T7gQGXmlYMyHzZ1TxhSH80ew817yH9mXf-5gU39BMw/w320-h240/IMG_4390.JPG" title="view from our kitchen window" width="320" /></a></div><p><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">May 25, 2022</span></span></b></p>5ish? Gloria was putting some dishes in the sink, and yelped. I came running in from the other room, and she pointed at the huge, greasy gray plume of smoke straight out the kitchen window. Ominously close.
<p>Our first thought was a house on fire, so Gloria walked down the street to see what she could see. That's when she decided it was probably in the Bosque. </p><p>6:30 I texted Trina and Laurel "Smoke from the Bosque near us. Eek!" </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSWbIY2hs7Chj67xwaC6UlAYh4s63i4V0qgMsX-N8bHLilz27XoXxABDx1qnwgUWfgnqZuKr1RWwaeBg7uxMwT8k3ZhXbfkAlKmkCqKz3JsoDsd5iPOKMdubXnn6GUFizpUALTwDYFSVn0eCznEDhV6DEIcBRLQ1izuE8WZhyzjHudklGbA8uR0gYOw/s4032/IMG_4391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSWbIY2hs7Chj67xwaC6UlAYh4s63i4V0qgMsX-N8bHLilz27XoXxABDx1qnwgUWfgnqZuKr1RWwaeBg7uxMwT8k3ZhXbfkAlKmkCqKz3JsoDsd5iPOKMdubXnn6GUFizpUALTwDYFSVn0eCznEDhV6DEIcBRLQ1izuE8WZhyzjHudklGbA8uR0gYOw/s320/IMG_4391.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>Trina: "Oh fuck!" "Stepped outside and we can see it. Hear helicopters." </p><p>Me: "The main plume we can see from our kitchen window. Things are sooooooo dry. There go our fire engines." Very unnerving: for at least the first hour, we could not find any information about it online for on tv--nothing?! It was very windy--about 20-25mph straight for us. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnY_1ASkgpTLl8kd_U1oJ9hZaP4MksYaa5u-CRkOBP9nxFkxDaPZQFlKJhhVDk1K5kyB41yW-DVHj1Ik64dLoV2AEBnQddPDUCofbrF8iL7pfG7iNtNMJosLcRE3Q-JWBXcdZLuPdp61Qvkm6OHAPN-BYJ9pRVC85e7LQtiYnmo_-X1bkSxx_mFlymtA/s1628/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-27%20at%2012.52.32%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1628" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnY_1ASkgpTLl8kd_U1oJ9hZaP4MksYaa5u-CRkOBP9nxFkxDaPZQFlKJhhVDk1K5kyB41yW-DVHj1Ik64dLoV2AEBnQddPDUCofbrF8iL7pfG7iNtNMJosLcRE3Q-JWBXcdZLuPdp61Qvkm6OHAPN-BYJ9pRVC85e7LQtiYnmo_-X1bkSxx_mFlymtA/w254-h141/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-27%20at%2012.52.32%20PM.png" width="254" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicAobu-KS7vV4aXAf2CgEYPgjIMDSuRb8vv8YVwbGYuzmBx4AyStLU32geKptf1SwK6aQy0UUzww_hDemvneVrD3plGi-nNnXeQlr0VY1PNwGYzm8vtwQz0UQ8t50bz5tuRPC4tJSsCkEXOw4lj-OStnnjXYbyRWbxYDHK3l6Zz2Ir2rVeBAKeu34PA/s1628/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-27%20at%2012.53.49%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1628" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicAobu-KS7vV4aXAf2CgEYPgjIMDSuRb8vv8YVwbGYuzmBx4AyStLU32geKptf1SwK6aQy0UUzww_hDemvneVrD3plGi-nNnXeQlr0VY1PNwGYzm8vtwQz0UQ8t50bz5tuRPC4tJSsCkEXOw4lj-OStnnjXYbyRWbxYDHK3l6Zz2Ir2rVeBAKeu34PA/w256-h142/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-27%20at%2012.53.49%20PM.png" width="256" /></a></p><p>Trina and Laurel eventually walked over to the nature center, and could see it looking back N and W (marching towards us).</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzVarYMHzBIHYB5Fk5miOyOS81GwXQla2AImhVGHiVn8Xgwsi_g67OklkpedhVL_rYo4KQqh54DY254L0QkkIbYezf4H7v8N5PVaq9T7_CpmiNgmmFpFVLmBLCt-5ad7h_9iU7IdiwrIpikmMU0jrlWIztnq08gGes8bF2RcDyscysGW5OHYMofUrSg/s4032/IMG_0737.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzVarYMHzBIHYB5Fk5miOyOS81GwXQla2AImhVGHiVn8Xgwsi_g67OklkpedhVL_rYo4KQqh54DY254L0QkkIbYezf4H7v8N5PVaq9T7_CpmiNgmmFpFVLmBLCt-5ad7h_9iU7IdiwrIpikmMU0jrlWIztnq08gGes8bF2RcDyscysGW5OHYMofUrSg/s320/IMG_0737.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bSBoTToXyW49fVDBojC_BbhwMyrSEixOcNSZP0XlKUV6Syn0mGTAwXfY5dM2pcIB-76sTsDHHtV2b_vJ_K_EFAg7lJP7ldej71qlRwD20E-IIVQjQ5OmLkm0z2S3-Nj7nKVWrBGNlODou-l5JqR84hzANxsDixrqibykbf041sAIO2XVfWhea6ZB-g/s4032/IMG_0738.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bSBoTToXyW49fVDBojC_BbhwMyrSEixOcNSZP0XlKUV6Syn0mGTAwXfY5dM2pcIB-76sTsDHHtV2b_vJ_K_EFAg7lJP7ldej71qlRwD20E-IIVQjQ5OmLkm0z2S3-Nj7nKVWrBGNlODou-l5JqR84hzANxsDixrqibykbf041sAIO2XVfWhea6ZB-g/s320/IMG_0738.jpeg" width="320" /></a>Trina - 7:45 "We heard it's on both sides of the river now. :("</p><p>Me: 8:00 - "It feels like it is headed straight at us. I got out our pet carriers and emergency cash, etc."</p><p>Trina: "Good call. Pack a Go Bag if you don't have one already. We just heard it is spreading east."</p><p>I am a deer in the headlights. I grab my stack of laptops and external hard drives. Cash. Our passports. Get the pet carriers out and keep nervously trying to plan who goes where and how we get dogs, cats and hens into our two cars. And when would you know to grab them and start packing up? We nervously listened for updates. Yes, it was on our side of the river. Exactly where? And what are the chances it could jump Rio Grande (roughly four lanes of asphalt if it was happening where we thought it was). We had the tv on using our rabbit ears, watched for updates and waited. >We were lucky. The wind died down as it got dark (8:45?). Apparently there were helicopters making bucket drops on the flames... flying. up river, scooping up water and ferrying it back down.</p><p>Me: 9:25 "Phew really happy the evacuation has been lifted and the winds have subsided. That was frightening."</p><p>Trina: "Seriously!"</p><p>Me: May need to get one more crate. It was going to be a tight fit for the chickens.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgMiy3qdFLMUwAu73lSUpsEDlpzw-roEwuQmyEYaWoWgMoc28GWtyL4fQ3oM-fcpgt8mqZy6Jgxkq9RuEOvwpY9UJg5Fb4fNnmG9LrZlA2l7hHZ8z1KyT1_1Ag-EOwfZdQQjVf5idBWQBki11JL_PdQ8dAUYQ2vX5B2fqfDbrgGqrVFRjEMXIVAONSA/s4032/IMG_4392.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgMiy3qdFLMUwAu73lSUpsEDlpzw-roEwuQmyEYaWoWgMoc28GWtyL4fQ3oM-fcpgt8mqZy6Jgxkq9RuEOvwpY9UJg5Fb4fNnmG9LrZlA2l7hHZ8z1KyT1_1Ag-EOwfZdQQjVf5idBWQBki11JL_PdQ8dAUYQ2vX5B2fqfDbrgGqrVFRjEMXIVAONSA/w264-h198/IMG_4392.JPG" width="264" /></a> </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p></p><p><br /> </p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963251924436311568.post-11681602606060007272022-07-15T17:18:00.004-07:002022-07-15T17:23:43.993-07:00Ecstatic bee, millipede crossing the trail, wood snail on the screen<p> There's a LOT of livin' goin' on.</p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/730354922?h=8491dcb229&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479" title="Ecstatic bee" width="500"></iframe>
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<p>After the lovely 10 days of rain and cool temperatures, an appalling, army of flies.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4P-kkKhEOq2BhxiuNs7hx041n7rcm7Nyx46syTtZx0Qq0A9twmvJgAU5HP-vcR_iHkFGufwIW_Aytc7uo96xMHtAq8QNabUOz7FeE_5ixGfFES73wLUPS9lBivTBy8v9grkjLB4qF71CdmHidWot-HEbsjn7qVTb41PV34wQ71bIGRGJvLcfHFAbSjw/s4032/8A83DE3C-FDF0-41BC-9A8C-85719D9C7E74.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4P-kkKhEOq2BhxiuNs7hx041n7rcm7Nyx46syTtZx0Qq0A9twmvJgAU5HP-vcR_iHkFGufwIW_Aytc7uo96xMHtAq8QNabUOz7FeE_5ixGfFES73wLUPS9lBivTBy8v9grkjLB4qF71CdmHidWot-HEbsjn7qVTb41PV34wQ71bIGRGJvLcfHFAbSjw/s320/8A83DE3C-FDF0-41BC-9A8C-85719D9C7E74.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vuLf2O-cpioeV-Mw6mQWSNZH94T8XoGPJj4QHGBz_5kHrGT7tGOiTy2pPNDjFglnKszQqkogzZES_7Eq67tWlYfD1sWDyhZYLt9v1AWSXnV4WYLpM3LOADizuEOPoKGT5naGAmT8riqPoZPuYG6Vj9PWpNSf0mdfXfJCn4EFIsYDRE8SSdYbcFXkZg/s4032/AEED12B3-C1E7-407E-9075-1DA8B8285CFE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vuLf2O-cpioeV-Mw6mQWSNZH94T8XoGPJj4QHGBz_5kHrGT7tGOiTy2pPNDjFglnKszQqkogzZES_7Eq67tWlYfD1sWDyhZYLt9v1AWSXnV4WYLpM3LOADizuEOPoKGT5naGAmT8riqPoZPuYG6Vj9PWpNSf0mdfXfJCn4EFIsYDRE8SSdYbcFXkZg/s320/AEED12B3-C1E7-407E-9075-1DA8B8285CFE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>They DO sleep. And in passing I wondered where they all would be overnight. Yesterday morning early, when assessing what needed watering and admiring the deep purple of an Echinacea bloom that had just opened (not been bleached by the sun)... I noticed tiny dark spots on the petals.</p><p>OMG?! Fly poop!</p><p>OMG -- and the flies were still lounging, two-three-four per flower. YUCK! (I mean, fascinating.) AND YUCK!</p>Dottie Webbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02674906792666507523noreply@blogger.com0