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Feel free to ignore Saturday, Oct 11 2014
Uncategorized 18:01
(my politics probably don’t match yours) (once in awhile, the fact that this is my blog as well as the house’s will be asserted)
If one more F*!$#@! person or media thing tells me the recession is over, employment is climbing, inflation is not happening, and Obamacare will not cause my health insurance to double in cost (and cover less)….well I won’t scream, I won’t hit them, but I will consider them to be in need of serious, immediate psychiatric care or to be immoral F*@#$!, depending on how charitable I am not.
My hours are cut, the two businesses I am connected with (one retail, one media) are practicing scuba diving, and yes my insurance has gone up by another $100 a month.* We won’t consider the lie that is the Federal inflation calculator, you know, the one that does not include food?
*I haven’t gone to a doctor in 15 years, either.
Asters Friday, Oct 10 2014
gardening and Landscapes gardening, photography 22:50
Even following a dry season, the fall asters are much happier with the shasta daisies brought under control. As are the blueberries, which had a nice touch of red to balance the dusky blue. The tall dry seed heads are the remains of the pink aster; the tall ones to the left are the goldenrods. Of course, what really makes the garden work is the bench!
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A pleasant valley Wednesday, Oct 8 2014
Landscapes and Modern Photos connecticut, northwest Connecticut, photography 12:21
Fall in southern New England, and for once no trout fishermen in view! No complaint on the trout fishermen, but they often aren’t photogenic. This location is one of the better pools on the river. And a nice bridge, not one of our modern decaying concrete box beams.
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The Green Truck Monday, Oct 6 2014
Uncategorized 19:49
Had a must enjoyable day on Sunday, my dad and I took the green truck (Chevrolet, C10, 1970, long bed with step sides) down to the local car show. It isn’t actually ‘just’ a local show, it is open to everyone with about 500 cars participating, no awards; one can see some really unusual things there, which are there just for the sake of it; it’s more of a ‘car appreciation’ event than a ‘show’.
The green truck required chasing out the mice and inflating the tires; I didn’t even have time to wash it. It is essentially stock, a working truck. The last time we had it out was to collect trash for the land trust. The thing is though that the show illustrated several variants: work, show, modified, museum.
A work truck is never modified for the sake of modification nor for aesthetics. If it runs, it runs. If it is modified, it is modified to make it more usable: adding a tow hitch, changing the mirrors, the shifter, the angle of the brake pedal. Show is restored to what it would have looked like on the show room floor. Ideally, the serial numbers match, but more importantly it looks like it just rolled off the floor. Modified is the hot rod: hot rods are modified for use, but the use is essentially a luxury concept. Hot rods are toys, toys a few people can make a living off of, but toys nonetheless. Museum is restored but only if it doesn’t erase what has happened to it. Work and museum tend to overlap; but the museum piece is frozen, no more change can occur.
Or something along those lines, which are all easily erased, challenged, and ignored!
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New garden picture Saturday, Oct 4 2014
gardening and Projects gardening, native plants 10:13
A new view! From left to right: inkberry, ninebark, russian cyprus, witch-hazel, itea (hiding), enkianthus. The bright yellow in the mid ground are some chrysanthemums, to the right of them are the azaleas and double-file viburnums; the rose garden (which will be quite happy to have more sun) is mid-ground left.
What is that little building? Thursday, Oct 2 2014
Esperanza and Landscapes history 16:19
It is likely obvious to most of my readers 🙂 but it occurred to me that some might be intrigued by the little building with its lovely diamond paned casements in the previous post. An awfully fancy tool shed! For it is a tool shed these days and potting shed. But actually it is the Little Kitchen, a peculiarly Esperanza (Esperanzonian?) term. Built in the late 1880’s (its windows match the diamond panes found elsewhere from that period, notably the Butler’s Pantry) it was a summer kitchen. Now, the main kitchen was used as well since the cook was usually cooking for around ten people; but the Little Kitchen was used for making jams, jellies, preserves, etc. Anything that would tie up the main cook stove all day long. With a massive vegetable garden and orchard, it is probable that it was in use almost daily throughout the summer.
It is a remarkably well built structure, we did have to square it up a few years back, but otherwise!
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Bleeding trees! Wednesday, Oct 1 2014
gardening and Landscapes and Modern Photos gardening, native plants, virginia creeper, woodbine 22:13
and buildings!
Well not really, actually. The woodbine (virginia creeper) is particularly happy this year. These pictures don’t do justice to the one growing in the hemlock at all, nor to festooned chimney on the little house (not visible in the first picture). But take note of the gingko tree in the background, the woodbine has quite quietly established itself in it.
I know, a bit overgrown…
Woodbine in the gingko:
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Hmmm Tuesday, Sep 30 2014
It is great to buy bulbs in June (when the early bird discount applies and you can see all the holes in the spring planting) and then completely lose the email invoice. I wonder did I? or did I just think about it? If I did, what are they? And when might they show up? I could call the company but that would take all the fun out of it!
What I do know, is I had a Plan. Capitals please note. Back when the ground wasn’t baked rock hard, when I remembered what needed more where, when I wasn’t rather too busy with other things, and beyond behind on still others, and so forth.
Sometimes gardens get ahead of one. This actually isn’t a bad thing. If they didn’t attempt to get out of control, aided and abetted by the gardener, we probably would never do anything to them. We would just sit there and smell the roses.
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Continuing creativity Sunday, Sep 28 2014
Esperanza 20:00
If you happen (I don’t think any of my readers are, or if they are they already know) to be in the area…Esperanza’s reputation as a creative center continues: this watercolor by Holly Hall, resident of Esperanza, is currently one of several on display at the Jerram Winery in New Hartford, Ct, a nearby location.
The amaryllis in question is, naturally, one of ours as well.
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Acair Fearann 