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Random letter Tuesday, Oct 23 2012
Historical Events letters 16:43
When Helen (Yale Smith Ellsworth) was travelling in Europe in 1873, she wrote to and received letters from her friends as well as family. One of the larger and more entertaining collections, 43 in total, is from Edward B. Hooker*, a close friend.
Here he describes a dancing lesson:
“I have become a dancing teacher! Who would have thought! In the first place who would have imagined I could do such a thing, and in the next place that I would. The members of the noble class of ’74 do not all know how to dance, so we go up to the hall on Friday afternoons and practice. I have the honor to be the instructor, and have begun Polka and Lanciers*….The polka boys are making fine progress and will soon be able to make miserable any girl of ordinary ability, by stepping on her toes and ramming their knees against her…I did not learn the polka of Mr. Reilly* and only know how he teaches it from observation. It created considerable amusement to see those fine boys, with coats off, standing on one foot and hopping.”
*from the Hooker family, prominent at the time on the Connecticut literary/theatre scene.
*a type of quadrille, I think!
*a former instructor judging by the rest of the context.
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American Beech (Photo of the Day) Monday, Oct 22 2012
Modern Photos and Trees photography 14:14
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Fall Sunday, Oct 21 2012
Uncategorized poetry 19:27
In October the days shorten, the last ragged golden filigree is stripped from the trees, and the clouds chase the light. The foreknowledge of November’s wild darkness makes the last, glorious life of October even more vivid.
I watched the sun set on its day.
The mockery it made
Of my owned hours.
It vanished from my eye
Regardless of the time
I had yet to run.
The last cloud shattered light
Burnt out the hurrying leaves
Falling down to night.
Critters! Saturday, Oct 20 2012
Julie's Pond ecology 19:42
I am not totally sure that I like tadpoles with bodies nearly as big as golf balls…. The pond was absolutely swarming with them, in the shallow sunny section near the dam. I’d estimate one to the inch quite confidently, over a 20 foot by 3 foot section. They ranged in size from the expected tadpole size to the aforementioned golf ball size. Why we have fall tadpoles, I am not sure. It says good things about the water quality, even better things can be said about the sighting of a Yellow-spotted black salamander happily swimming in a shallow section.
skittish critters though, I think something must be hunting them; they would react to the slightest shadow or vibration.
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Croci! Thursday, Oct 18 2012
gardening and Projects gardening 19:22
Around about a thousand or so….Actually, I only got 500 in the ground today. This is a continuation of the fence-line project, which is about 120 feet of fence at the top of the meadow planted out with daylilies. Last fall I put in a 1000 crocus, but I soon determined that wasn’t enough. So double it… It appears that daylilies and crocus will happily coexist; but that the common violets, which hitched a ride with the daylilies, are greedy buggers. Anywhere there was a mature clump of violets, I could count on there not being any crocus directly underneath. And I do mean ‘clump’, violets form a solid ball of rhizomes about the size of a base-ball if they like the spot. I am letting some violets continue, of course, for the butterflies; but I’ll be keeping a closer watch on them. I am also planting the spine of the bed with white daffodils, of the poeticus and tazetta types. We will see how they behave. In the daylily/daffodil bank they have overtaken the lilies quite completely.*
Hopefully, it will eventually be a river of lavender with points of white and blue, and a rare flash of gold from a mixed crocus vernus collection. Of course…one does wonder, why? There are only three people likely to see it in person. Our infrequent guests never appear in March! But then, one doesn’t garden for that reason.
*Those however are the mystery daffodils: I dug several bushels of what I was sure were Poeticus type (judging by the very few flowers) from the woods, but were mostly clumps of over-crowded bulbs planted well over a century past….I ended up with a bank of pure gold trumpet daffodils, nary a Poeticus in sight. They may be true King Alfreds, so no complaints.
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Precious metals Wednesday, Oct 17 2012
Uncategorized 15:41
I have no doubt that the leaf peepers have been somewhat disappointed this year: summer’s drought has been followed by high winds and rain, at all the wrong times. Many trees have been stripped quickly, ruthlessly. And yet… Some years the woods are a blaze of colour, all red and orange. This year is a golden year, with even the red maples leaning towards yellow. Beaten gold, with shades of copper, brass, and bronze . The lane was so bright it almost hurt to look at it. The witchhazel and spicebushes were a shining gold understory, as fog might creep in the woods. Arching above them, the beeches were a pure, sharp yellow; the maples shifted from bronze to copper to gold; the hickories were a glint of brass. And, of course, the trunks…silver and iron. And all backlit by the blazing blue sky.
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Letters Tuesday, Oct 16 2012
Historical Events letters 15:51
Julie writing to her daughter Helen (Yale Ellsworth). Helen was travelling in Europe, Julie was going in between Hartford and Esperanza on a regular basis at the end of this second full summer at the house. October, 1873:
“The leaves are falling from the Magnolia tree before the window. The two iron chairs stand in the little nook, tomorrow I shall take down the faded greens from the mantle and I am going to hang your picture there with Esperanza leaves all around it where I can see it every time I sit and rock before the fire. Darling, how I love you. You will never know till you have a Nell of your own to torment you and comfort you and occupy your thoughts and time, and fill up all the little nooks in your heart. Ned and Lucy went to a Beethoven concert last night, they quarrel a good deal but I believe are quite good friends after all. Mrs. Hooker has come out with a queer book about women. Your Mama, Julie.
Summer’s last flowers Monday, Oct 15 2012
gardening and Modern Photos gardening, photography 15:01
There are, of course, plenty of asters, mums, and other hardy perennials still going. But the first frost was a killing one, so dahlias, coleus, and a confused Easter lily (on its second round of flowers for the year) got cut for a bouquet.
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Fallen Giants Sunday, Oct 14 2012
Julie's Pond and Modern Photos photography 19:03
This old maple has since rolled over, but there is something wonderfully animalistic about the trunk here…
a bit of size perspective, one could duck and walk under the arch.
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Acair Fearann 