Musings

This aging stuff is…complicated. Apparently, I’m tough on my teeth due to a combination of genetics and behavior. So, today I went through another step in the Dance of the Root Canal, and acquired my ration of a bio-inert substance, now filling the space where the nerves were in the afflicted tooth. It’s called gutta-percha, and it’s a natural latex from the sap of a Malaysian tree.

Apparently, this latex dries in the open air/sun. This contrasts to the substance that native peoples collected from trees in the Mesoamerican lowlands to make the balls used in the games in those elaborate ballcourts; they set up that latex by mixing the tree-milk with compounds from a plant in the morning glory family.

The Doc who installed my tooth-quota of gutta-percha used a fancy light microscope and other high-tech equipment to do the job (which was pretty darned pain-free—believe it or not). The blanks are pre-shaped into long cones just right for filling those pesky canals.

I love the juxtaposition of a twenty-first-century electronics and tropical plant that lead to my own consignment of set-up plant-sap….

Posted at 5:42 PM | Comments Off on Bio-inert point-tip-needle-spikelets

Some plants I have a very difficult time figuring out what they are when they’re still…unfurling.

Fortunately, my super-botanically aware neighbor came by and identified these as (hybrid) delphiniums…. The specimen is in another neighbors’ gorgeous flower garden….

I do have to mention that delphiniums are in the family Ranunculaceae, which is one of those fine words that r-o-l-l-s off the tongue with sonar elegance.

Posted at 6:31 PM | 2 Comments »

Once upon a time…a princess said….

[needle scratch] (oops)

Once upon a time…spring….

[needle scratch] (oops)

…okay…you compose the…fairy tale….

[Am I a wimp?]

Down here, well, over in Augusta, they’re timing the azaleas. If they have to ice-bag the plants at the golf course to hold the blooms, they happily will. Here, we’re watching them…burgeon.

Posted at 9:35 PM | Comments Off on Sharing?

I spent most of the day with the time goofed up—I’m not sure why. The fine sunshine should have set me straight?

By the time I got to all the webpages in Italian, the discombobulation might have made sense; however, it started in the wee pre-dawn hours.

I’ll give it a try tomorrow and see if reality…matches reality.

Posted at 9:13 PM | Comments Off on Popped poppy

Look at those leetle basil seeds, becoming soft-shelled as they absorb water from the puddle they’re floating in—I think tomorrow I’ll introduce them to potting soil, en route to becoming…pesto….

Posted at 10:11 PM | Comments Off on Floral fuzzy boundaries

Can you figure this out?

Operative words are desarrollo garantizado. That’s development guaranteed, if your Spanish is limited.

And the plate sandwich with the Starbucks stopper? A science experiment on the garantizado assertion….

Posted at 10:21 PM | Comments Off on RU garantizado?

Despite all the recent rain, this sturdier shrub still presents perkily, while the azaleas, with their softer, larger petals, are weighed down by the water.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on Skyward orientation

On this day some years ago, M came into the world. Happy birthday, M! And, here’re some wet azaleas! Just for you—and all my Internet friends—share everyone!

Posted at 6:58 PM | 1 Comment »

Are these flowers…glowing?

The wee hours had all D&S characteristics: it was a dark and stormy night…and we were fine by morning when the rain had quit and there was daylight.

Mid-day we ventured out, under overcast skies and cool temps—cool for us these days. I found this flame azalea (I think) at Piedmont Park, where the lake is fu-u-ull, but not flooding.

On the way back, we stopped at George’s, a bar/restaurant in the neighborhood, because the Guru read a recent glowing review of their burgers. We had the standard burger, and enjoyed it, but didn’t quite feel the glowing part. Because of the non-perfect weather—yet fine for us—we had the patio to ourselves by the time our burgers arrived—unimpeded people-watching!

Posted at 5:38 PM | Comments Off on Post-rain stroll, plus burgers

I figure I’d best interrupt this long series of flower-illustrated posts—just to remind you that the floral cycle-of-life has other stages. And, by the way, this is from this morning.

Posted at 11:12 AM | Comments Off on Shocking, just shocking (mildly, though)