Saturday, 10 April 2010
Today began the arc of our 2010 veggie garden. So far, it’s tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. Went with Rutgers again for the bulk of the tomatoes (turned out to be a nine-pack not a six-pack!—may have to cull them later). Last year the pear tomatoes were a hit, but I didn’t see any (yet); I’ll save a space for one….
Friday, 9 April 2010
Rain yesterday has taken the pollen edge off. What a gorgeous afternoon!
Today once again seemed spring-like. The bulbs are nearly finished, just dried husks atop the greenery. The redbuds and dogwoods and fruit trees are the current stars!
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Gerbera daisy, sometimes gerber daisy…. Still, it has, doncha know: “a large capitulum with striking, two-lipped ray florets”.
(Thanks, Sue and Bob!)
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Today, the pollen got me; I’ve been moseying around all day like I had lead weights on my limbs and encumbering my brain. And this is after a hit of allergy med*.
* C22H23ClN2O2, according to Wiki-Pee.
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Our redbud, in the photograph, is almost a week behind the neighbors’, which is already beginning to lose petals. Not suprisingly, the two are different varieties….
Meanwhile, the garden needs rain and the pollen is here in force, a yellow cast to every slick-painted vehicle, and more…, so we need rain to wash it away, too.
Monday, 5 April 2010
Something about early spring dandelions—they look almost pretty…but then, by late summer, they get a weedy, stalker cast….
No lion* at all, though….
* “Dandelion” is corruption of medieval Latin dens leonis “lion’s tooth,” referring to the outline of the leaves and not to the blooms.
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Lazy midday, including admiring these nascent peaches after brunch (thanks! to our hosts)….
Our early evening was interrupted by news of sloshing swimming pool water in SoCal, but not from a San Andreas slip. The big one is now estimated at 7.2, and south of the border, with many sizable aftershocks still trickling in, including at least two higher than 5.0. That’s shaky ground!
Meanwhile, we’re checking out the capabilities of our new device. The download speed is far in excess of any other machines we have around here. Holding it without wrist cramps is the biggest downside I’ve noticed. As a web device, and for browsing photos—superb.
Still exploring, though….
Saturday, 3 April 2010
So, the Pres self-identifies as “Black, African Am., or Negro” on his census form….
I have to say, the 2010 form shows some awareness of the complexity of the race/ethnicity issue by the choices it offers. However, it manages to avoid the fact that “race” is not a fixed thing, but socially identified—and that the individual and the people around him/her may categorize a person differently. I think for now “race” substitutes for “give us some indication of your socio-economic status”—They’ll combine it with your address for an indication of your position in society….
What I find really interesting is that there has been no comparable discussion about the “name” block. That shows little awareness of the cross-cultural complexity of “name.” Even in mainstream USA, people may have more names that fit the set of blanks the census presents.
Yes, TD is here (arrived about 3 pm—pretty darned late). TD is way cool. Look to others for effusion, however…. (Not that I’m not feeling it, just that I’m not going to effuse on it. Today, anyway.)
Side note: iPhoto finally finished its face recognition activity. I discovered that whatever it did, it did NOT tag them by name. Hrrrumph. And it confused JCB and his dad a couple of times….
Friday, 2 April 2010
Just to report: we mailed our census form yesterday. I figured we don’t have a good record on predicting the future, and although we thought we could be sure what our household’s head count would be on April first, we thought we’d stick to an accurate report rather than a prognostication.
Taxes. Hmm. Real excitement for the coming weekend….
Perhaps I can balance that with a foray to buy some plants and put them out.
And the wee photo? Someone near-and-dear has decided where to matriculate next year, as reflected on new sweatshirt….
Meanwhile, my iPhoto is still “munching” through place- and face-recognition on the thousands of images it contains—and has been all day. So far, it has six pictures it locates in Tibet, including one of a pair of small propane tanks, like for a BBQ grill.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
I think maybe this is a pink fringe tree (Chionanthus species)—C. virginicus, or white fringe trees, are native to the North American South and East, unlike many of our ornamentals. I dunno what part of the world this one comes from, perhaps Asia.
Another gorgeous day. Almost too gorgeous, though, since it almost seems like summer—meaning my body wonders if we’re skipping spring—at least in terms of temperature….