Backyard Flora

I used to get annoyed with the plants that grew in our yard in places that I might have preferred to grow cultivars with healthy foliage and big showy flowers.

Some of these plants, which heretofore I've called "weeds" grow tenaciously and vigorously, spreading their offspring like dandelions. They seem to grow so well in those places where they're not wanted while I struggle to keep the garden flowers, vegetables and even the lawn growing in defined areas free of weeds. It is sometimes a losing battle - I have bare patches in the lawn, but beautiful green grass growing in the vegetable garden; some of the pretty things like Lily of the Valley, violets and day lilies seem to invade and spread like weeds in the vegetable and flower gardens.

This year, perhaps older and a little wiser, and on an increasingly tight garden budget, I've decided to appreciate the flora provided by mother nature, where ever she decides to plant.

So here is a sample of what nature has provided in our "naturalized" landscape here in our little corner of Connecticut.

White Bluets

Blue Bluets

Vinca

Violet

Lily of the Valley

Canada Mayflower (Wild Lily of the Valley)

Common Fern 

Another Common Fern

Don't know

Don't know

Don't know

Yarrow (I think)

Yarrow (I think)

Smoke Tree (cultivar)

Very Tenacious but I don't know its name

Don't know

Anemone ?

Wild Blueberry

Don't know

Canada Mayflower (Wild Lily of the Valley)

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Falling Like Dominoes

New states for marriage equality are being added to the map faster than I can keep up with: Idaho, Oregon, and today Pennsylvania.

Congratulations to all.

Tired Gardener

I Splurged For This Hibiscus $15 Yikes! But I Like the Color

Haven't been blogging much or reading blogs much now that we have finally got some decent springtime weather in New England. We may have snow next week or floods or scorching heat. I've concluded that the weather is no longer predictable based on my previous 60 plus years' knowledge of the seasons. But this past week or so, except for a day of rain, has been very pleasant. I wanted to make the most of it and get lots of yard work done. Hence: I'm a tired gardener.

Is it me or does it seem that the yard work and gardening gets more difficult every year? The joints and muscles ache more, that's for sure.

The Garden - Before Tilling

Spent one afternoon Roto-tilling the garden. I don't kinow what is more work, using a spade or fighting with Roto-tiller. I guess the Roto-tiller is easier in the long run as the garden is about 40 feet by 11 feet. Here is the garden after tilling and planting. The crops include: 10 tomatoes, 9 Italian frying pepper, 2 hot pepper, 4 classic eggplant, 4 Iciban eggplant, 3 radicchio, 8 broccoli, a row of swiss chard, a double row (4 varieties) of beans, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, parsley, basil, lettuce, endive. I always plant too much in a small space.

I probably spent (or will end up spending) about $75 - $100 on plants and seeds and organic nutrients and organic bug sprays. Used to be that poor people planted gardens. I find garden plants are getting more and more expensive each year. Leon and I are certainly not wealthy by any means, but fortunately I can still afford my garden.

All Planted and Fenced - View From the SW 

View From the NE

I always wonder if the creosote coated utility pole makes all my organic gardening for naught. The fencing is to keep out the rabbits and the dog.

The New Compost Bin Made From Scrap Plywood

The Recycled Fence

No Caption Needed

The Cactus and Iris Garden

I wish I had a dollar for every pound of stone and rock I've hauled or moved in my lifetime. The rocks in the cactus garden and the stone wall and the patio and walkways. At least 15 tons, I what did I get? Another day older and deeper in debt...

I'm not at all happy with the quality of photos I'm getting with the iPhone

We Are Built on Rock

The Hostas are Coming Up

Leon's Work Van and Truck, My Honda Fit

Springtime Fern

Added a Short Commentary to the "Do You Sound Gay?" Post Below...

Do You Sound Gay? An Updated Commentary

Thanks to Wicked Gay Blog for passing this along. The documentary will be produced with backing through Kick-starter, if you are interested in supporting it. (click the the K in the top left corner of the video).

It is a phenomenon I've always wondered about. Is it real? Is it genetic? Do a lot of gay men "sound" gay?




Here's the link if the video won't play here. 

Here is my personal observation:


My own unscientific observation of the phenomenon suggests that there is a "range" of specific vocal types or inflections among many, but perhaps not all, gay men.

But I really don't think most gay men deliberately or unconsciously imitate female inflections or mannerisms - though maybe some do - because the vocal patterns and inflections and mannerisms that are considered "effeminate" are not really "feminine" at all.

At the extreme end of the scale, the vocal patterns of gay men are not at all like those of women and girls. In the mid-range of the scale are gay voices that are not considered "effeminate" but still have a quality or characteristic that seems uniquely gay. I guess I am a determinist at heart - I believe in the wide-reaching influence of genetics as the most likely common denominator.

I'm surprised we are not aware of many studies (without  doing a Google search e.g. HERE), of the speech and voices of gay men. The one study I cited seems not to have a definitive conclusion and others I perused seem to obsess about lisping. In my unscientific observation, there are so many gay men who do not have "effeminate" sounding voices or lisps, but who still have a certain "gay" sound; others sound about as "masculine" as one could be.

The current documentary seems to be a subjective study rather than a scientific one: a conversation about one of the aspects of gayness that has been stigmatized and/or celebrated. Should be interesting, nonetheless.

Interesting thread HERE.

17 Years Since Ellen Came Out - On "The Puppy Episode"

Seventeen years ago Ellen DeGeneras and her TV character, Ellen Morgan, made TV history by coming out publicly over an airport public address system.

The video cannot be embedded, but you can go to the link below to view it. It is still both funny and endearing after all these years.

Ellen Comes Out - "The Puppy Episode"

And gay actor Jeremy Piven as Spence Kovak on Ellen's Show is worth a mention here too. I'm sure I remember him as having a hairy chest in one episode when he emerged from a bathtub, I think. You must know him as Mr. Selfridge on the PBS/BBC series.

Earning My Keep or Another Chapter in How To Retire On Next To Nothing And Make Do.

I've decided not to write a commentary about the canonization of JPII and John XXIII. Or about the Harvey Milk commemorative Forever stamp. Or about lesbian Navy veterans. Or about UCC clergy suing for marriage equality.

I am finding that I am not up to such commentary. As a life-long under-achiever, I've never been "well-read" or well informed or particularly adept at teasing out political or social subtleties.

So for today I'll stick to frugality. Maybe I should write the book on how to retire on next to nothing. No, I'll do that tomorrow.

When the trellis was new

Today's project was repairing (jury-rigging) for the third time, the garden trellis that has served as our outdoor shower for at least eight years.

A couple of years ago - still looking good

The trellis is made of wood - obviously not pressure treated, but it has stood up to water and weather pretty well. Last spring it was beginning to fall apart at the glued joints and some of the wood was showing signs of rot.

I repaired (jury-rigged) it last spring and figured that it would have lasted through the season. This spring the whole thing fell over in the wind and was in about a dozen pieces.

So today's project was to put it back together - to rebuild it, better, stronger than before...

So I gathered up my tools and any scrap wood that I thought could be used and some wood glue and staples and screws and I put the darn thing back together. I re-glued the spindles and then fastened them with screws and staples, then reinforced the arch with wood pieces on the back. Then reinforced the whole trellis which was so lopsided. And rebuilt the planters on the sides.

It will last through this summer. Granted it doesn't look as good as it did when new, but I priced out some new models, none of which have that kind of Zen Garden look. And I was blown away by the prices.

Finished Project

Ours cost about $39 in 2006 - I think it came from Ocean State Job Lot. Eight years later, Home Depot and other retailers have trellises for $160 to over $500. OSJL doesn't have them anymore.

So we don't need to go out and spend anything and I earned my keep for the day.

I had to find some old photos and came across this one.

Wasn't just the trellis that looked better in 2006 

Deleted 2 Posts and Trying to Stay Out of a Rut

I deleted the last two posts as they were lazy and unthinking - I made no effort to research or do commentary. And I don't want to pass on a link even if it is from the New York Times, if the author has been discredited by other, more intelligent commentators than me. Russ pointed out that my last link may not have been entirely credible.

As I said to Russ, I think it best to stick to stuff I really care about and want to comment on - my own personal interests and perspectives. And lately, except for our trip to New Mexico, there is little I feel like commenting on.

Our vacation was great and I climbed out of my rut briefly - and I don't want to fall back in. 

As far as writing goes, my heart is not in it (blogging) at this point - at least when I have nothing new to say. I was not away from it long enough to really disengage from the political-religionist-opinionated-popcultural dominated babble.

I find that the blogosphere just gets me down too much. As much as I want to keep informed, I am coming to the realization that TMI is detrimental to my health and well being. There is substance for sure on the internet but so much is People magazine and Entertainment Tonight - to my way of thinking, drivel. 

"Trending" is the latest word I dislike. It says so much about our society: nothing is permanent - or even long-lasting - or even briefly important. Everything is a flash, a burst of light and sound and then it just evaporates into the void. What is real? What is worth keeping? 

I'm not sure what the correct balance is for me. I've spent some time writing a memoir because I felt compelled to do so. It may be published in September. Since completing that, I've tried to write again, but don't seem to have anything I want to say. My writers' group encourages fiction writing, but I'm not a great story teller. So I'm stuck there.

But it is finally spring and I would hate to spend these lovely days in front of my computer. 

I once thought that blogging would give me chance to write and see if anyone thought my writing was any good. I've had some good feedback now and then - but I think I have only about 20 followers (some are relatives and friends who don't really follow, so they don't count). My most popular post is about a big black lump that grew on our late Bruno's (our dog) head. So for what it's worth.

I've been here before. It reminds me of high school. I was in Advanced Placement English class - and pretty much hated it. I'm one of those under-acheivers - smart enough to know I'll never be as smart as the kid next to me.

Thanks for visiting.

Albuquerque Old and New, Petroglyphs and Other Stuff

I will not post much tonight, one, because we are flying out very early tomorrow and two, because this Ramada has crappy WiFi.

Albuquerque is a sprawling city with suburbs totaling nearly 1 million people. We have nothing like this in Connecticut or New England for that matter, not even Boston or New York have the kind of expansive, single level housing like you find here.

The Old Town is less refined than Santa Fe but very charming. We spent a good part of a day there.

Then went to see some old bridge that Leon had to see ... on the old Route 66. It was, how shall I put this, unremarkable.

Today we took a Breaking Bad Tour on our own - the big Car Wash was the highlight of that tour. The house where Hank and Marie lived is right at the start of a great hiking trail, so we had a nice hike this morning. Then we drove over to Petroglyphs National Monument and took another long hike to see the rock art. Leon called them hydroglyphs.

My theory on these is not that they were carved to commemorate any ancient astronaut events or that they have any special spiritual significance. I think they were drawn by some ancestral teenagers who had nothing better to do, and who told their friends,

"You know those black rocks over by where they're going to make a National Park? If you scratch them with a sharp rock you can draw on them. We made some neat drawings and so did some guys from the tribe down around the hill. But ours are better than theirs. Ours were best until that gang from past the flat sandy land came and carved out some real kooky designs. So we went back and out did them. You know, we can copy them on hides and blankets and stuff and sell stuff to tourists in a few thousand years."

Anyhow, I'll have photos later in the week and maybe a bit more travelogue.

P.S. Sorry guys, I haven't been keeping up with reading your blogs ... just not enough time when traveling.

Wednesday night update: we're home and here are a few more pics:

Checking out one more house in Santa Fe 

Down the street - some Bling?

Isn't my honey a cutie?

Old Town Albuquerque

The Car Wash from "Breaking Bad"

The tourist magazine for Albuquerque touted a trip on Route 66 to see an historic bridge.

We drove out of town on Route 66 for this?

Petroglyphs

Aliens?

Space Ships

Or just some Indian kids making graffiti?

A tree near, but not on, the Rio Grande in Albuquerque

I have to comment on the cuisine, and I'm not likely to make any friends in doing so. I don't care much for Mexican/TexMex/NewMexican cuisine. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, chimichangas, tortillas, empanadas, emphysemas (just to see if you're paying attention) quesadillas, (did I miss any?) - all taste the same to me. Lots of chili sauce and chopped iceburg lettuce and tomatoes, shredded cheese, guacamole, some kind of meat or eggs and refried beans with more beans on the side; all flavored with cilantro (yuck) or cumin (yuck).

Despite the fact that I don't care for the cuisine that much, The Burrito Co. in Santa Fe is very good. We had been there years ago and we went there for breakfast, last week.

The breakfast burrito at "The Burrito Co." Santa Fe

Huevos Rancheros at "The Burrito Co." Santa Fe 

I can eat the stuff once in a while, but not as a steady diet.

That's why we went for Chinese one night. That's why we went to Olive Garden on Sunday night - I needed a good (OK, mediocre) pasta and tomato sauce fix.

That's why we went to Applebee's last night (it was close to the airport hotel) and why it warmed my heart to see an entire Mexican family, some of whom had just returned from Mexico, seated in the large booth next to us and ordering some good (OK mediocre) All-American food. 

Apparently even (New) Mexicans need a break from beans and chili.