Musings

Turns out the electricity came back sometime after midnight and before 1AM. I slept through the signal, but the Guru heard the radio playing dance music. We forgot it was on when the power…went.

So, in the interests of recognized continuity, these are the chives I remember from my deep childhood, probably escaped from great-grandmother’s garden maybe shortly before WWII. Maybe. Without a doubt, they have been here a while. Baked potatoes anyone?

Today’s big excitement was picking the 2016 crop of rhubarb and making a simple compote with a bit of water and more sugar than I expected. No photos of the deep crimson compote…none of that greenish, grayish stuff, just a deep red sauce extracted from these jewel-tones…. The fine genes of our rhubarb are from careful husbandry a decade ago (and more) by the Botanist. [Tomorrow’s chore is to weed the (surviving) five rhubarb crowns and give them the gazinta to get through another summer/winter.]

Okay, an artsy shot. The gate has sentinel white lupines. And outside, to the left where you cannot see, is a robust group of lilacs I do not remember from times past. Clearly, my memory is from years ago, and not from, well, last year.

Sometimes, anyway.

Posted at 10:43 PM | 2 Comments »

The apples are showing the inexorable march of time…the petals are almost entirely gone (bits of withered brown tissue remains), and the apples are just beginning to form.

We cheated and purchased some sets yesterday, and put them out today. Just planting is easy. The prepping can be considerable. Today it was. We had to remove all the weeds from the Botanist’s garden mound, and otherwise make it habitable. The plants are a patio cherry tomato, a plum tomato, and two pots of multiple plants of Genovese basil. We got the plants in and watered them in a bit. Then we added the squirrel cage (to keep them plus rabbits, deer, chipmunks, skunks…OUT) and another screen overlay to protect the second tomato and give it a larger space to grow.

Just as we were gathering the tools to go in, it began to lightly sprinkle. Just in time, we said, like we’re weather sages, hah!

Soon after we ate, while the Guru was slogging through kitchen-cleanup, the lights flickered once, then stayed off. Still some daylight outside, despite the now-rain overcast. We figure it was about 7:45P.

Maybe a quarter hour later, we decided we should call the electric company, and had to punch through to the “report a power outage” option, and finally get to a recorded message, which indicated an outage in our general area by mailing address. Hmmm.

So, we decided to take a drive, and see if…well, just be a bit nosy. We made a half-hour loop, including through McMillan (where we found the old county garage with an elegant sign), and never found houses with the lights on. Lots of people have security lights over their driveways, and zippo, no light. That made it easy to gauge.

Our theory by the time we returned to our place was that a good-sized area had lost power…. Another call the the Electric Co after 10P, and a new recording indicated that the outage area was north of “our” lake and south of “the” swamp, plus to the west. That’s a lot of customers.

There was a flicker of on maybe around 9:45P, but no sustained on. So, we lit tea lights and made us each a drink. Great plan!

I COULD have posted on time—that is, on the day of, avoiding a “10:22P” post, by using battery power, but wondering when the electricity would come back was distracting. So, a delayed post, marked as usual by the “10:22P” time-stamp.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Busy, busy

How does it get to be JUNE so quickly? This is a tiny, emerging maize plant, less than an inch tall. Very early for sweet corn here…relatively warm plus enough moisture equals stimulated seeds.

I learned this as pussytoes, but it looks slightly different from the one in my wildflower book. A different species, I suppose. Tried to photo them the other day and failed as the wind kept wobbling the stems.

I love the lake when it’s glassy like this, such a mirror for the sky. Later I could count the mallard’s ducklings: seven; that’s quite a brood.

Posted at 10:22 PM | 1 Comment »

I mean this two ways…

Here’s a sign from our woods trek yesterday. The way we went there was no bridge out. Mystery signage….

We found this lovely sign today. I don’t remember ever seeing one like this. It is very correct. We speculated that it was to inform fisherfolk and canoeists/kayakers who didn’t know much about the out-of-doors, although the fact that it was situated for people on the road suggests our hypothesis is bunk.

It was windy last night and all day. This morning it rained, but the sun came out by mid-afternoon. The waves are a sign of the windiness, roight?

Posted at 8:17 PM | Comments Off on Signs

Since we drove up the Woods Machine, we felt compelled to play hooky from chores and head for the creeks, ponds, lakes, rivers, and forests of the northland. In this lake we found a fine downed log with a half-dozen turtles aboard, their shells blue-black and shiny in the sun.

In the woods we found many of these. I had to look them up: bluebead lily. I have seen the blue fruits/seeds later in the summer, but never associated a flower with them. It’s about time!

We saw several of these showy orchids, pink lady’s slippers. We also saw a single group of small white lady’s slippers. I don’t remember seeing them before. Did we miss more?

I have no recollection of seeing or looking up these distinctive flowers. We saw just one cluster. If I have identified it correctly, it is in the milkwort family (rural folk thought consuming them would up milk production—in humans and cattle), and is Polygala paucifolia, commonly called fringed polygala or gaywings. Neither term is familiar. My guide notes that its bloom “resembles a tiny airplane without a tail;” not sure I would have made that observation….

Posted at 7:19 PM | Comments Off on Learning curve

This fern offers a high level of symmetry and many repeated patterns. So green; so fine—and flanking the entry walkway…I can see the daily growth….

This brilliant red hibiscus is from the neighbor’s garden (thank you!), and offers symmetry through the pair of lily-of-the-valley stems (mostly, not entirely).

The plant world offers both symmetry and asymmetry. And colors—look at that lovely green and the lavish (fulsome?), lively crimson….

Posted at 9:42 PM | Comments Off on Botanical (a)symmetry

Right out my back door: forget-me-nots (knots? haha) and a trillium. Plus bracken ferns (not in photo). Lovely.

And in the orchard: a strolling sandhill crane (brown object in photo center).

Just out the neighbors’ back door: giant apple petals scattered on the lilies-of-the-valley.

Short version: whatta special place, here where the road ends at the lake.

Posted at 9:39 PM | Comments Off on What a neighborhood!

I’ve been seeing lilies for days, and this is one of the most dramatic—bicolor with maroon and yellow. Do not make this the basis of your wardrobe….

Now, orange doesn’t really go with the above, but heck, it’s dramatic, too, so here ya are.

Posted at 7:40 PM | 2 Comments »

Today, I found a few bees…one hiding in this yellow bloom…

…and one strolling about on this pink fleur.

Posted at 9:43 PM | Comments Off on Little bee, big bee

I just want to note that “leaves of three” sometimes is kudzu (say: kooood-zoooo), which causes no dermatological upset (that I am aware of).

Speaking (writing?) of leaves, this is my invented spinach lasagne with bison meat-sauce, and cheese. Made a small container of a non-spinach version for the Vitamin-K-sensitive among us.

Posted at 6:59 PM | Comments Off on Leaf-counting games