Vicki Lane's Blog, page 567

Irrational Orrery Lust

I don't want more stuff.  Our house is full to overflowing with odds and ends -- family memorabilia, trinkets, lovely things we've been given, odd things I've picked up here and there (literally picked up, as in rocks, snake skins, bones, feather, driftwood, shells . . .
So why do I find myself thinking an orrery would be a nice thing to possess? I mean, I already know about the solar system -- I don't need one of these nifty gizmos to convince me that the planets rotate round the sun and...

Tough (Plant) Love

The area just below our deck -- surrounding the little goldfish pool -- was meant to be a sort of Appalachian version of a Japanese garden. There are azaleas -- all white for a serene feeling, a red lthread-leaved Japanese maple, forsythia, Japanese boxwoods, a yew, a crabapple and any number of dwarf evergreens in a dazzling array of green, yellow, and silver foliage types.

At least, when I bought and planted those evergreens twenty some years ago, they were labeled 'dwarf.' But they've...

The Cow

Well, technically, Marigold is still a heifer -- she won't be a cow till she gives birth. But she's showing signs that she's been bred : her belly's bigger and her udder's beginning to develop --'making a bag' as they say around here.  As the birth date approaches and the udder gets bigger, she'll be 'baggin' up.'

If all goes well -- or, again, as they say around here 'if nothing don't happen,' we hope to enjoy rich Jersey milk, cream, butter and cheese beginning this fall! 
Here's a poem b...

No Antiques Road Show for You!

A blessed gentle rain was falling yesterday morning so I had to postpone finishing the plant repotting. (Still not done; the green house has a whole wealth of amaryllis and orchid cactus and Christmas cactus in need  of roomier accomodation.)
This inside job was calling me. The blue paint on the  doors of our corner cupboard has been bubbled for some time now and it was time to repaint.

Yes, I know that collectors prefer the original paint. Anyone who's ever watched Antiques Roadshow knows...

When Will It Ever End?

Memorial Day, in the United States, was begun just after the Civil War as a day of remembrance for those who died in that conflict. It now honors all U.S. military who died in action.
Here's a translation by Arthur Waley of a Chinese poem from about 124 B.C.

Fighting South of the Castle
                                        They fought south of the castle,                                        They died north of the wall.                                         They died in the moors and...

Working on the List

I have a huge, multi-headed list of Things That Need To Be Done Around Here and one of those things was to re-pot all my potted plants.  It sounds a lady-like occupation that might involve a pot or two of ferns or African violets but the truth is otherwise. Some of my potted plants are twenty or even thirty years old  and some are too heavy for me to lift. 
Justin brought me this nice load of composted manure from our pasture and John helped to haul out the large ficus trees and the...

Second Grade - 1924 - Sepia Saturday

My mother was an only child and my grandmother kept wonderful scrapbooks documenting her every achievement.  I love the clothes and the rather jaunty young teacher in this first photo, taken in 1924 in Lakeland, Florida.

And just look at the rainbow fairies, ready for the May Day celebration! Mostly a glum bunch -- but my mother (front row, second from right) looks optimistic.

The scrapbook contains samples of Virginia's school work from each grade -- this was in an envelope marked first...

Spiderwort and the Lewd Arum

I stopped in at my favorite plant nursery on Wednesday to  pick up some eggplant starts and was seduced by this gorgeous chartreuse-leaved spiderwort.  Sure, spiderwort grows wild around here but it doesn't look like this.
Spiderwort's 'real' name is Tradescantia, in honor of the Tradescants (father and son), English naturalists who introduced the plant to England back in the early 1600s.
Their friend John Smith (yes, the Pocahontas one) brought them many plant specimens and tradescantia...

Dissipation and Riotous Living

Freed from the laptop -- I've not yet heard back from Herself (my editor) -- I have embarked on a course of Riotous Living. 

Sooner or later I'll have to deal with Under the Skin again -- anything from a total rewrite and expunging of characters (no, I haven't forgotten having to get rid of Myrna Lou in The Day of Small Things) to quite a bit of tweaking.  But until I hear back from Herself, I'm squeezing in as much fun as possible.

Normally I don't watch TV or movies. But, as I mentioned...

Garden Daze

Monday and Tuesday were a blur of garden activity. I finished planting the little box garden below. . .
And, with John's help, the lower bit of garden was finished -- corn, beans, more lettuce, beets, and nasturtiums sowed, tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers set out -- whew! That orange stuff along two of the tiers is plastic netting to deter the crows from pulling up the corn when it sprouts.
John is my hero. Not only did he put out soaker hose for the tomatoes, the blueberries, and the...