It has been a whirlwind indeed, and I have not had time to sort my thoughts, let alone my pictures, such as they are. We are (or probably were by the time anyone is reading this [anyone? At least realism is setting in, ed.] back in Ottawa, eldest offspring in tow, and now boat to be in tow as she and hubby are off to fetch the tow truck … as in the truck that will do the towing. We hope no tow trucks are involved as we take our caravan to the cottage, van with kids and dog, truck with parents and boat, but I did renew our CAA membership before hand, including long distance towing, just to frustrate the gods in their choices of ways to toy with their peeps.
But to tide you over until we get to Sunday at the cottage when the 60th wedding anniversary is over, and I can chill for two seconds, here is a picture of my favourite Quebec place name which also gives you a pretty good idea of yesterday:
And just so you will know I am still alive, me in the morning yesterday, leaning over to help include Mouse, at Les Jardins de La Republique provincial park in New Brunswick:
But now back to the races, or in my case the hobbles … and hope to be Bacq soon. I miss myself.
I hope you have a fruitful Friday …
I should have taken a picture of what is I think if it all pans out going to be my favourite flower, a strange blue hibiscus with a huge diameter flower that a fellow at the local market swore was hardy enough and by golly two stalks came up where there had been one last year and it is now a good foot or so tall and bushy as can be. Hibiscus are probably my favourite flowers too. The colours are stunning and you can get them to bloom all year long inside too. And they make a fine print for swim trunks, etc., just to be random but if you saw the heaps of fabric etc., that I collect and hoard it would be a most in character comment, not to mention the rapid change of topic that makes we wonder why people cannot think faster or exactly like me …
And no, I keep the screws and plate. Thank heavens because I do not want to see the inside of a hospital for a while. Enough is enough. I am stunned at how destroyed my mood became/has become. The cottage will be marvellous I hope!
Good morning. I hadn’t given up on my hibiscus ( a shade of red that I actually like, large in diameter as well, and the intricacy of the flower is amazing…1 day blooms and absolutely 0 maintenance) but had kinda almost forgotten about it. Pulling some of those choker vines off the pine tree in my front yard the other day (which blocks the view of the hibiscus from the living room (aka..command central) I noticed her full on happy and healthy…..Inspiration! Send your photo if/when you can as I am partial to shades of blue.
Pretty sure that I could hang with you on the rapid topic change with the proper amount of
and who knows anyway as confusion feels so normal.
Out to fertilize and whisper nicely to my tomato’s.
Well pump hooked up and pumping, for the drought that always arrives.
w/love. Pete.
Hello all. A few updates. Son and girlfriend are now engaged. Talking maybe August of ’17. I’ve started a new gig to complement my old one. At the same firm I’ll be doing taxes during tax season and financial planning the rest of the year. Feel like a working stiff now.
Stocks are getting iffy, and metals and miners look like death.
The popcorn patch is looking good.
I found a #14 BS&R cast iron skillet at a garage sale for $5. Sucker is 15″ across. Needs some clean up, but I’ve got that system down pat.
Good to see you, xty. Hope you are getting around OK.
Let’s be careful out there.
E
go home will do you well.
tune for the travels.
does your leg feel like it’s getting weaker or stronger?
crutches and cane?
pain subsiding ? did they prescribe any exercises? (and I don’t know how mobile you are) but the ones that I had really helped.
“you never know what you got till it’s gone”
thanks for this place Xty.
We made it to the cottage and arrived in the boat! Excellent offspring and mate of offspring got the mast up and all is well. Niece going to sleep in it as we scored the cabin. Leg getting stronger but I slid backwards last week – thought I was doing more than I was maybe and really lost strength. But everyone has been fattening me up and pushing me – using the cane now instead of walker and crutches. Slow going but much better for walking like I might actually walk normally again. And yes – only exercise helps even though I feel like just curling up into a ball.
Blue flowers are rare – I read all the Nero Wolfe mysteries and he was obsessed with finding a truly black orchid – I tried delphiniums but no luck. Winter too harsh.
And on a different note I have been listening to a podcast that really suits my sense of humour and dark past called Doorway to the Hidden World. http://www.doorwaytothehiddenworld.com/2015/07/episode-twenty-five-they-always-win.html?m=1. I hope the link works. The opening to this episode made me want to post it but I have listened to them all.
this goes with the art. i had to eat something. all of you are amazing and one of a kind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8MYsii4DZY&list=RDg8MYsii4DZY
Parents-in-law feted. Xty inebriated. But still vertical.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PMzffiSfHzI
Becoming my theme song.
Fête galante?
🙂
Les Plaisirs du Bal – Jean-Antoine Watteau
Good morning.
Did your humming birds return to the cabin?
Is this what you have? I’ve seen these around my area. The one that I have appears to completely die off and makes me think it’s gone but seems super happy this year despite a brutal winter.
Perhaps I planted it in the perfect spot and at the perfect depth and …….who knows?
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rose-of-sharon/blue-hibiscus-information.htm
Hello you lovely folks. You cannot imagine how much I appreciate you and hope you continue to fill our mutual weird cyber diary.
Yes, that does look like the flower I remember from last fall. But the zone information says 5 to 8 and we are in a 3 I think if I have things right. The plant has funky leaves and I will see if I can find a picture on the web.
And that cat is one lean slut. And I mean that in the nicest way.
Feeling nostalgic and Jackson Browne has always been in my fallback zone. Good tune that didn’t get much exposure. Hi.
Ok, so this is what I was trying to figure out about your blue hibiscus. do the stalks completely die off every year? does it repopulate with many more stalks the following year? does it look like in will eventually become a bush? and get to 6′ 8 ‘?
I’m just wondering if that is what is being discussed in that link. A very different variety than ones that I’ve seen.
‘
What’s your weather like WoodPecker? Weird as hell ain’t it?
no doubt about it Pete. i’d even go as far as profoundly weird. the jet stream has been in a wild pattern going on three years now. an immediate observation is that it is hardly even worth the effort to grow tomatoes here anymore.
thanks for the nice words Xty.
hey all, an old friend has reappeared. check out
http://www.indigosun7.com/under-the-sun/
My tomatoes and me:
Mountain Pride: Holding 11 tomatoes, numerous flowers and filling in well, found it’s groove I think.
Cherry: Getting to be over 6′ now, going ape do-do really, tomatoes, flowers galore. Seems to be loving life lately. Didn’t you mention pollen WoodPecker? She’s covered in that.
And a rescue, which certainly should qualify me for hero status in todays world.
2) Better Bush: Ecstatic about some huge potential initially but so far not much. They’re struggling. Can’t seem to find their way. And I planted them too close to the larger ones so they are losing the turf war. Maybe a happy late summer surprise.
I checked out Haze’s link, looks like he’s put a lot into it. I’ll register soon.
Love to all. Pete.
add; song I heard today from a band that I didn’t realize I liked so much.
I’m certainly partial anyway…and/but this is an awesome version of this.
Always loved the lyrics and thought you might also WoodPecker.
asking the rain god for more rain. scorched earth and the promised cold front must have evaporated.
Song dedicated to whats left of my herb
Blue Moon Weekend. (double full moons…right?) hi!
had Münchner Weisswurst Saturday night (Munich style white sausage) and then Bangers Sunday morning with breakfast. another wonderful old world deli has been scratched off my bucket list…
http://kramarczuks.com/about
Good morning. Not sure where to begin, other than sorry to keep ruining things by getting sick. It was Friday (not Saturday) that I ended up in hospital – I lost a day. Most brutal but the worst is over, and oddly my leg seems quite a bit better. Stiff now from days in bed but much stronger than before we left on this hellish venture. Delayed the trip home but are going to tackle it today, with me stuffed to the gills with gravol.
Yes, my hibiscus was one stalk, and it dies off completely which the guy told me because he said it comes up a little late so you want to mark where it was, and this year two large stalks have appeared. But I don’t think it can turn into a bush because it died off so completely.
And yes the hummingbird was there and what’s more, my daughter spotted her (not male because no ruby throat) nest, right above where we hang the feeder and I managed to get a pretty sweet shot.
I had to shrink them to post but isn’t that a cool nest? A tea-cup with camp-bunting.
Very cool nest indeed and the first time I’ve ever seen one.
Hoping the blue hibiscus is what I’m hoping it is and then I’ll try to find one.
Repeat tune that I seem to like a lot lately.
very, very cool nest.
here’s an illustration of some stuff i’ve been pondering…
i know, it’s confusing as hell. you may want to consult
.