Tuesday, August 31, 2004

It's getting late in the season, but Abbaye de Cluny promises a late flush of flowers.


Lovely, mint-scented agastache: its grey foliage cools down the magenta floral explosion.


But there is nothing cool about the temperature of Zauschneria garrettii, with the piles of orange blossoms set off by masses of chartreuse leaves.


Even the least dedicated dead-header reaps modest rewards as the days shorten.


Iris pallida settles in happily in a sharply drained area, guarded fiercely by the gargoyle. Or maybe the iris's variegated swords defend the gargoyle.


It's a tumble of foliage these days, except for the excessive hydrangeas and persistent roses.


I found an invader this afternoon. I grow no roses of that rather coarse red; the petals of Fancy Pants, above right, are much smaller and are distinctively pale at the base, besides. Maybe the birds brought this present. In that case, I fault their taste, but not their intent.


Although it bothers me not to know names of things, I am increasingly under the spell of the mystery rose as the summer progresses. It has mean thorns and no scent; in the rain, the buds ball up like used Kleenex. Nevertheless, the silvery-pink blossoms and the plant's indefatigability win over even old garden cranks like me.


The miniatures, Carnival Glass at left and Cupcake at right, look set to bloom on for a while. Yes, I had intended to disbud the new roses (of which Carnival Glass is one). But I didn't.


Another, Southern Delight, that I failed to disbud. I may be sorry this winter, when it will be time to hustle around and provide decent protection for these lovelies who should have been allowed simply to strengthen their roots this summer.


Welsh Gold, at left or top, is holding up -- even with its freckles -- better than expected, given its relatively few petals. Molineux, right or below, has more petals, but shares the rounded, cupped form of many other (all other?) David Austin roses.

11:44 PM | 2 comments

Here's what gets me about roses. Even with half or more of my useful mind shot at the moment (although I am still able to parse raw data from logs, if need be, thank you), every day I still see something I never imagined: Veilchenblau, anyone? Whee!

12:37 PM | 0 comments

Be still, my foolish heart! Ashdown rates Golden Wings as hardy to zone 5. Come to mama... (...but not until 2005, apparently...)

12:31 PM | 0 comments

Clair Matin - just my kind of rose. Love those golden stamens. Love the simplex -- well, almost: only 15 petals. And even helpmefind.com, famously conservative in these things, admits that it is hardy to zone 5.

If I haven't plugged them in a while, it's time again to mention the fine folk at Ashdown Roses. And -- and look at this! They've developed a whole page of their offerings that are hardy to at least zone 5. Good resource and absolutely wonderful people to deal with. The north side of this property gets a long shaft of sunlight for more than six hours of the day and, just to take advantage of Ashdown's wonderful roses in these color classes, it strikes me that this might be a fine place for a pink, pink blend, and white rose garden. Theirs are glorious.

12:21 PM | 0 comments

Turns out I just don't have a lot of forbearance.

12:13 PM | 0 comments

What happened to the lost boys of Sudan who were resettled in the United States? More than a dozen, according to one of the comments on the article, are in the Boulder area.

10:17 AM | 0 comments

Has it really been seven years? Finally, an authorized biography is coming out: Some talk as if Diana was the ultimate media Machiavelli, perhaps even the architect of her own disaster. In seven short years, the victim has become the criminal.

The Work Continues

9:54 AM | 0 comments

Whoa! Maybe think about passing on that "whole body scan", which apparently won't do much positive for your health, anyway.

9:42 AM | 0 comments

Monday, August 30, 2004

For the moment, I am forbearing to ask AGI what legitimate business one of their employees has spending an hour perusing my blog today. The "304"s show he's poked around before. I wouldn't think of asking, except for the stupid ad hominem remarks he felt compelled to share with the class. So there are logs, the IP address, and other interesting material. Imagine working for AGI and not being smart enough to cover one's own Web tracks.

11:37 PM | 0 comments

Strep on the march: Streptococcal bacteria use an enzyme called streptokinase to block the blood clotting response and allow themselves to move more freely around the human host's circulatory system. The molecule is so specific, it only works on humans, not on other animals.

9:51 PM | 0 comments

So. There I am minding my own business, walking out of the local with a couple of grocery bags, when what do I see but a darling blonde child wearing what looks, to my old eyes, like a Celtics shirt. I ask her da, "Is that a Celtics shirt?" He looks startled, says yes and asks, "How'd you know?" I laugh and say, "Better them than the Rangers!"

A couple of fans far from home.

9:36 PM | 0 comments

Found another promising looking plant seller on eBay. There are a number of things suited for zone 5 and cooler, and also some choices that should not overpower even a small garden.

9:32 PM | 0 comments

Samples of art work by Jacques Pepin. Love all the references to the French greats of the last century. For something else wonderful at his site, check out his recipe database.

8:19 PM | 0 comments

QT, or not QT? It's an entertaining read, anyway.

8:12 PM | 0 comments

Wanna see some acrimonious feedback on both sides of a recent poll by the Longmont Times Call? The question had to do with the dictrict's recent offer to the teacher's union. The district is coming back to voters for a tax increase and I wish I had a sense of whether it has become more fiscally responsible than it was just a while back.

10:02 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, August 29, 2004

Dream 'n' drool list - especially because I'll be in Santa Fe next week!

9:38 PM | 0 comments

Today's garden scrapbook

Apparently we've had barbarians at the gate: note the gargoyle's broken nose. The wreath of agastache suggests we should have seen how the other fella fared.


Ever wonder how Vera Jameson felt, having this interesting (but slightly odd) plant named for her?


It's still a mystery.



These roses are planted relatively closely to each other, and I enjoy the variations in color and form. Anti-clockwise, from top: Abbaye de Cluny, Welsh Gold, Molineux

6:49 PM | 2 comments

Saturday, August 28, 2004

If one measure of character is the quality of one's enemies, Pius Ncube, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe must have a great character, indeed; Mugabe calls him "an unholy man".

[Archbishop Ncube] answers not to Mr. Mugabe, he said, but to the book on his desk. One recent Saturday, he flipped it open until he found Luke 4:18. "Free the oppressed," he said. "This is our calling."

10:46 PM | 0 comments

Repeat to self 5,000 times: whiskey barrels do not have to be banal. Bookish Gardener has the goods, and they are gorgeous. Don't miss the second barrel; I think it's the queen of show.

Over at www.eatingpeanuts.com/garden/ there are splendid garden shots. Splendid. The milkweed photo (scroll down) deserves special contemplation.

10:39 PM | 2 comments

More Julia Child: the last interview, an urban myth reference page clears up a persistent story, and the mother of all Internet pieces, the Wikipedia article.

10:30 PM | 0 comments

These days I am practically hopping with excitement at the possibility that one of the drugs that is very hard to take because of its problems (memory loss) and restrictions (sunshine) may be reduced another 200 mg next week. It, in combination with the drug I have already ramped up on, has been terrible for my memory. Right now, simply adding a tip to a restaurant bill is almost too hard. If there is any "carrying" involved, it can take several minutes before I'm reasonably sure I've done it right. Even when others do not remind me of my brain's deshabille, life itself presents multiple opportunities in a day for me to recoil at the detritus of my own mind.

I hope, hope, hope that the bad boy gets taken down another 200 mg on Wednesday. If it doesn't, I pray to be more graceful and less whiny.

9:56 PM | 2 comments

'Tis the season for those campaign calls to start coming in. Here's one report. Thanks, Melissa.

9:24 PM | 0 comments

Having a very small garden brings unanticipated joys. Hand watering and even hand weeding is possible -- and likely, because I do not find it arduous. The spent scapes of the hostas and daylilies can be pulled by hand to neaten the borders a bit; there are not too many to wait until the first green shoots emerge next spring. The weeds can be pulled at patiently, so that the roots come whole out of the dirt. One notices the variations between pots of the same plant set out at the same time; this hellebore has whorls of new growth at its base. Another, barely a foot away, looks barely to be holding on. Some jobs, like weeding out a bed of thyme that had grown grassy with neglect, are actually possible. On a larger scale, the whole lot would be simply hoicked out.

In the Battle of the Bindweed, I have a new idea in mind. I'll have to figure out whether RoundUp seizes the roots directly, or whether it has to work down via the foliage. If there is a herbicide that will go to the root of the problem, as it were, this is what I shall do: mix it up, draw it up into a turkey baster, and inject it in the soil at the base of the devil's guts. This idea is sufficiently obvious that it is likely not original, but it is a new and hopeful thought for me.

5:06 PM | 3 comments

It is important for me to remember how much it matters to try to live up to the person I would like to become, instead of living down to circumstances.

4:20 PM | 2 comments

Flutterbye looks like a rose to enjoy. It's a big 'un, maybe 6 - 8 feet, "aggressive enough to use as climbers", one site claims. That sounds somewhat thuggish. It's worrying, too, that only Mary's Plant Farm and the Memphis Rose Society (???!) assert anything about the cold zone for this rose, but the fact that Larry at Northland Rosarium has it is a hopeful sign.

It's a single, it has the glossy dark green foliage that I love, and it is a veritable fountain of flowers in the colors that most enchant me (in the garden) these days. And, like Abbaye de Cluny, it has a venerable parent that I cannot grow in this climate: Mutabilis. (One of Abbaye's parents is Just Joey, which Larry stopped offering when his experience -- rose books be damned -- showed it just was not tough enough. Just Joey, BTW, dates from 1972, long before the "birth" of Joey Tribbiani.)

3:05 PM | 0 comments

Friday, August 27, 2004

Ever heard of Knautia (say: naughtier) macedonia? Me, neither. Sure looks like a kewl plant.

Also on the topic of plants, here's an old Telegraph article about long-flowering plants, something for which I am always on the prowl.

7:25 PM | 0 comments

Germaine Greer weighs in on the Olympics - mostly about Brit coverage of the games, and also on other issues, such as: "...trainers [of the teenage female gymnasts] were mostly older men. When the girls ran to them for congratulation or consolation, they patted and stroked their small, semi-naked bodies. Ugh."

Ditto.

7:16 PM | 0 comments

The uniform approach to education: If you dress like you’re picking peaches on Sauvie Island, your mind will be off picking peaches on Sauvie Island.

7:10 PM | 0 comments

Local notes: skip this if you're not in the area. Recently tried out (this will sound ridiculous to some of you; some of you will understand and probably go try in yourselves) Whole Foods' meatloaf mix, available in the meat department. I don't remember what they put in it, but it's certainly better than anything I've ever attempted in the genre. Being used by a cook who is lazy or impatient or both, the "meatloaf" became meatballs. I don't like meatballs. I loved these.

Also at Whole Foods, in the bakery, gorgeous "individual" desserts. Wrongmont doesn't have anything remotely like Papa Haydn's, which is a serious strike against the place (though insufficient grounds for returning to Oregon, believe me). But you can find great dessert kit at Whole Foods: big and little. We go for littles, which are usually enough to feed at least two desserters, and often three. Elegant little tortes, melt in your mouth tiramisu, gem-like tarts. Not cheap, but commensurate in price to what one would pay at, say, Papa Haydn's.

Generally it seems to me that the produce at Whole Foods is overrated and that the seafood is less satisfactory than the local's. But their meats and bakery and olive bar -- yum. And if you want to put together a little gift basket for a friend who is unwell or recuperating, the folks in the miles long deli or in the herbs/aromatherapy/other nice smell things departments could not be more helpful.

6:21 PM | 0 comments

Monday evening Janna and I had reservations at the Stanley Hotel's restaurant. The soup was something new to me: avocado and jalapeño, not chilled. This recipe, sans garnish (though I think the garnish would be good and would brighten considerably a not very attractive dish), looks similar to what they served. It was good, but it could have been far more attractive and they could have served less of it -- back to one of my standing complaints about oversize restaurant portions in the USA. Believe me that no one (no one I know, at least) wants a doggy bag for soup!

Another version of the soup makes me nervous because I'm not sure that anything on earth that serves only six to eight people should include eight cups of cream.

6:13 PM | 4 comments

Twenty three years after my father-in-law teased me about my year of TWO labor days, I delight in the blog scribbles, in which a woman describes with aching simplicity what it is like for her, becoming a mother.

6:01 PM | 3 comments

Inimitable P. J. O'Rourke airs his 18 year old, non-partisan grudge.

5:33 PM | 0 comments

Quotations from Elisabeth Kübler Ross, who died this week: We run after values that, at death, become zero.  At the end of your life, nobody asks you how many degrees you have, or how many mansions you built, or how many Rolls Royces you could afford.

5:21 PM | 0 comments

An interesting view of what happened thirty years ago and why it might matter now: George Bush did not receive his party's nomination for what he did over three decades ago, but John Kerry did. That's why we need to get to the bottom of what the swift boat vets are saying. The original exaggeration is not the problem. The current cover-up attempt is, because that goes to the heart of what kind of president we could expect John Kerry to be.

4:56 PM | 0 comments

Rethinking the mission of Catholic primary schools is an article I've had in my bookmarks for a while. The start of the school year seems like a good time to blog it. With only about 15% of Catholic school children being educated in parish schools and with our parishes failing woefully in their poorly resourced efforts to offer faith formation for all children and adults, we gotta ask ourselves: why are we still trying to ride a dead horse? This article offers the reasons and, if not solutions, at least poses the primal question of vision.

2:17 PM | 0 comments

Today's high was supposed to be 60F. Not sure we made it.

2:16 PM | 0 comments

Thursday, August 26, 2004

Kimiko Hirai Soldati, American Olympian in the women's 3 meter springboard, demonstrated convincingly that not winning does not mean you are defeated. Watching her gallant efforts and seeing her cheer along Rachelle Kunkel after it was clear that she herself would not advance from prelims -- it's impossible not to bring up much overused word: awesome. Well done, Kimiko. You did more than winning; you inspired. I'll see your face when I don't feel like going to the gym, when I am disappointed at aspects of my little workouts, when it all seems so impossible. I'll remember your perseverance and your incredible generosity of spirit. You achieved, by my lights, more than a medal. Thank you.

9:09 PM | 0 comments

New data validate the low-glycemic diet: dang.

8:39 PM | 0 comments

Sign for my kitchen from dear Brenda.

8:30 PM | 2 comments

Ben Stein becomes more admirable: I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.... I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human.

8:10 PM | 0 comments

The real conspiracy: Methodists constitute only three percent of the American population, but account for 12 percent of the U.S. Congress.

So there's a Methodist in our madness? *groan*

8:00 PM | 0 comments

Blog essay about about serving with humility and honor: He could draw attention to himself by bringing up his service at every opportunity. He could mention his medals and awards constantly as a way of making himself seem special or specially qualified for leadership. He could assert some sort of privilege because he volunteered at a time when other men were being drafted. But he doesn’t.

Thanks to Jordana for the link.

7:46 PM | 0 comments

Everyone can be an example, if only a bad one: This is a woman who gave birth to at least 17 children and abandoned nearly all of them. The state of Montana was left in charge of the rest.

7:21 PM | 0 comments

Katja has a wonderful entry today about her eldest's matriculation.

7:18 PM | 0 comments

Not Frank Sinatra. Trust me.

3:15 PM | 0 comments

Welsh Gold is fully bloomed this morning, and it is a looker. Well worth the winter protection I plan to provide.

11:22 AM | 2 comments

About Catholics and divorce: Ironically enough, faithful Catholics' emphasis on doctrinal study can actually leave them vulnerable to high-minded doubts about their marriages.

10:29 AM | 0 comments

Neat essay about belonging to a Christian cult in the early 70s - I can relate, sort of. Sorry, Aimée. (Cute and only slightly scurrilous paper doll of Aimée Semple McPherson here, with wardrobe and, um, accessories.)

9:48 AM | 0 comments

What is the deal (no pun intended) with these fellas of Southern Baptist extraction?

The editor's take on Deal Hudson's attempt to get a jump on the story about his, um, indiscretion. But here's the real issue: Most of us don’t regularly publicly denounce those whose personal behavior we think deficient; fewer still have the power to get someone fired for maintaining a political Web site because we disagree with its content; or to claim with some validity that we are responsible for getting Catholics appointed to positions of power at the highest levels of government.

Well, yeah.

9:30 AM | 0 comments

About the Getty Garden, from the perspective of gardener Jim Duggan. Photos of the garden, designed by Robert Irwin. You could also stop by Jim Duggan's very interesting bulb nursery, which features flowering bulbs from the Cape Peninsula of South Africa. Not sure how suited any of these would be for the Front Range, but it's always fun to look around. The Telegraph says these are great pot plants, anyway: Exotic South African bulbs are the perfect pot plant for lazy gardeners - they thrive in the worst conditions.

6:25 AM | 0 comments

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Outside in the early evening, I snapped some quick pictures of some things coming on. A sound somewhere between and buzz and whir caused me to look up just as a hummingbird beat its furious way through the air around the agastache, which is shown below.





Above, you can see that I threw over my intention of disbudding the new roses. That's Fancy Pants at the lower left and a bud of Welsh Gold, above right and bottom, middle. helpmefind.com says Welsh Gold is for zone 7 and above; I hope Heirloom Roses' opinion is more accurate. In any case, it looks like it will be wanting some winter protection. Upper left? That's the Mystery Rose. Reading somewhere that Baroness Rothschild has 40 petals makes me think that is is not my msytery solved. And looking at the five photos at helpmefind.com also shows that none of those exemplify the quatrefoil I observe in this rose.

10:14 PM | 0 comments

Kimiko did not break out today for the semi-finals. Well, it was a great run and I'll be tuning in on NBC tonight, regardless.

7:57 AM | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

The Julia Child Heirloom Tomato. Thanks to Tild for the link.

10:46 PM | 0 comments

Planted out the Kniphovia caulescens (Blue-leaf Red Hot Poker) this evening, in a slightly worrying spot (for the effect of the combination) behind the Johnson's Blue geraniums. Needs must...

10:10 PM | 0 comments

If you track such things, Zappo's is having a dandy sale right now.

10:07 PM | 0 comments

Another Kimiko story - this one from an Idaho newspaper. Kimiko Hirai Soldati's father, Gary Hirai, was born in Idaho in 1945.

9:07 PM | 0 comments

Gah. Somebody better go wake him up.

Just checked with the cremation society handling the remains of a relative. They said, "We do show a ____________ resting with us, but we do not have other information."

Resting? RESTING?? That's worse than the TV folks who reported that President Reagan was "laying" in the Capitol rotunda. The latter was an honest mistake, I think.

9:01 PM | 0 comments

It was just the best time.

4:26 PM | 0 comments

Monday, August 23, 2004

Added a new blog to the roll, which I discovered because of the blog profile feature, which identified one other person who shares an affinity that she, too, expresses as "Mozart's Don Giovanni". There is absolutely nothing fuzzy about how blogspot susses out kindred spirits: match the term precisely, or don't expect to meet up. This woman is a writer, publisher, Catholic, and Oregonian, so naturally I'd find her pretty interesting :-)

12:15 PM | 3 comments

Pat L. Keeney, may God be good him.

11:34 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, August 22, 2004

Bait bears with beer, according to this informal study in the State of Washington.

4:00 PM | 0 comments

Mike Phelps probably uses this shower curtain.

3:52 PM | 0 comments

Clever cat? Or feline felon?

12:14 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, August 21, 2004

Needs sunny situation - Success is pleasant and enjoyable, but it's not life-enhancing. You've got to feel not only that you may fail but also that you're going to fail unless you do this right. The fear of failure is much more stimulating than the reward of success.

8:41 PM | 0 comments

Friday, August 20, 2004

Friends, if you haven't done this, MAKE A WILL. I am not kidding. YOU won't care, but your survivors most certainly will. Here's a form to get you started for your meeting with your legal counsel.

8:39 PM | 0 comments

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Media vita in mortua sumus: for the repose of the soul of Pat Keeney, let us pray to the Lord.

Eternal rest grant to him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine on him.

8:09 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Look who's here!

7:47 PM | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Caskets for less at Costco, to which David Walkinshaw, spokesman for the National Funeral Directors Association, says: "Nosiree, this doesn't change things a bit. Nope, not one bit."

I'm struck by his assumption that we'll continue dealing with death the way the American funeral industry has told us to for a century or so. People are looking for "peace of mind and comfort" in "moments of death"? Big clue for ya, bud: the least comfort I ever got was haggling over the price of putting lipstick on poor dead Auntie Free. Wouldn't have bothered me a bit to run around to different stores, although I would like to suggest that my survivors would be well served to call on the Trappists for a container to hold this shell in its decay. (No hurry on that, I hope.)

Thanks to Kathleen for the link.

8:41 PM | 0 comments

The berberis really does set off the agastache the way I'd hoped. Berberis thunbergii known to be invasive in the NE and some other areas -- though not here, yet, as far as I know. At right, the first bloom of Kateryna, even lovelier than hoped. This is a rose from Roses Unlimited, the friendly own root nursery with the exceptional packaging of its roses.

7:34 PM | 0 comments

This is the kind of stuff you have no idea is being made in the world until you have some reason to go looking for it. (No, friend, it's nobody in Longmont.) Only an engineer could market something as 4" Foam Mattress with Cloth Cover with provisions for women's anatomy.

12:46 AM | 0 comments

Monday, August 16, 2004

Compare and contrast - a probably over-simplified line up of Bush - Kerry views on a host of subjects. Interesting. Where they agree, it tends to be my opinion that they are both wrong: on the death penalty, on Cuba, on malpractice suits, on immigration controls. Bush is wrong about religion in government and gun control. Kerry is wrong about abortion, taxes, and environmental issues.

And that's all I have to say about that.

8:45 PM | 0 comments

Top: finally, somewhat decent shots of the agastache (more and more I am thinking it is 'Desert Sunrise') and a Cupcake blossom. Cupcake was introduced in 1981. Next, another view of Abbaye de Cluny.

Other garden notes this evening: the lysimachia nummularia is showing new growth at the crowns of the plants put out three weeks ago. The paxistima canbyi (rat stripper) is spreading out satisfying and it went in only last week. There must be a good bit of sand in the dirt where I planted Griff's Red, Kateryna, and Alice Pat, because they suck water like a black hole. The blossom on the Carnival Glass miniature rose is lasting a long time. Finally cut down some of the spent hosta bracts; could have done this sooner, but I don't mind a little dissoluteness in the garden. Excessive tidiness there worries me.

6:50 PM | 0 comments

My brother is beginning to develop wonderful taste; this is his current favorite from my back garden.

3:00 PM | 0 comments

Phyllis the Good has moved up to fifth position in the American Quarter Horse Association Handicapping contest.

10:16 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, August 15, 2004

Today I had the privilege of being advised by the marvelous Marilyn Raff, author and plantswoman, at Timberline Gardens. On the Amazon page, there is a seriously bitchy little review of her fine book, The Intuitive Gardener. Scroll down to a more intelligent and insightful review (yes, that one would be by moi -- why hide one's brightest light when it can help others find their way?). What a delight to talk plants with this lively, knowledgeable woman. If you see her at Timberline, watch out! She has a special feeling for about everything in the place and her enthusiam COULD interfere with your attempts to be selective for your small space *grin*

4:38 PM | 0 comments

Q: How do you know that the OotFPs have been a Catholic family for less than 24 years?
A: Because today is our 24th wedding anniversary.

That answer will make sense instantly to Catholics and, to most others, will be nonsense.

4:37 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Follow Kimiko Hirai Soldati's Olympic diary.

10:06 PM | 0 comments

I ask you. What business does a nursery located in Fort Collins, Colorado have selling this as a perennial? "Rarely needs maintenance", indeed. The only work this plant requires after a Front Range winter is yanking up and heaving onto the compost pile. It's a great plant - in ENGLAND. Gulley Greenhouse needs to rethink the Blooms of Bressingham they sell here.

9:46 PM | 0 comments

Plus ça change...

9:19 PM | 2 comments

Plant lust is an awful thing... follow the link to my current craving: Kniphofia caulescens. I'm mildly concerned about the fact that many sites show zone 6 as being the lowest this baby will go, but High Country Gardens insists it'll go to 5. So who do you think I'm gonna believe? That's right...

8:51 PM | 0 comments

About curing garlic

8:47 PM | 0 comments

John Vlazny, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, introduces the "new" General Instructions with comments about how they will be applied in the Northwest.

8:37 PM | 0 comments

Lake Oswego attorney takes an "upscale" jaunt to Africa - instead, she got a look at the largely invisible rural poverty that is the reality for the vast majority of Africans.

8:26 PM | 0 comments

Friday, August 13, 2004

How Julia Child inspired an adolescent Catholic girl - I associate her presence with the invitation offered by Vatican II to lead an expansive personal life. Thanks to Santificarnos for the link.

10:56 PM | 0 comments

Julia Child dies. She and James Beard immeasurably raised the standards and broadened the horizons for good food in America. May she rest in peace.

It's worth googling news to bring up some of the marvelous images of her.

9:03 PM | 0 comments

Once in a while, things work out just the way you hope.


And this, dear reader, is the reason to get down on your belly and slither around the garden. You never know what you'll find on the lowest level: tonight, unexpected phlox blossoms.


It's poor form to gasp at one's own photos, especially when the subject is as imperfect as the above Abbaye de Cluny blossom, but isn't it pretty?




Views of the garden at dusk. See how much Mr OotFP's work on our little patch of grass adds to the effects? "Working" on grass is a new idea for us since moving to the Front Range, but it looks like he is getting the hang of it -- and with a modest water bill, to boot.

8:10 PM | 0 comments

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Wow. I think I just did my fall bulb order on eBay. This seller has wonderful feedback and really great stuff: lots of species bulbs, which naturalize more readily and return more reliably. I had already done a fair bit of comparison shopping, and the prices here are outrageously good. Probably I'll still pop for Muscari 'Mount Hood', but otherwise the bulb order is about in. Well, of course I wouldn't be sorry to find some lovely Iris reticulata...

9:43 PM | 5 comments

Wonkette - I'm completely down with anything that looks entertaining after my hour of power with the hamster wheel.

1:54 PM | 0 comments

Trying to save Portland's trashiest trailer park - That Portland has trashy trailer parks will surprise no one who followed the saga of poor Tonya Harding. Here's an interesting story of some guys trying to turn hell around. Be sure to play through to the first person narrative that concludes the article. Some teacher, huh?

9:09 AM | 0 comments

Yes, thank you, I have taken my medications today. I am simply swatting a few gnats that squeezed through my very fine annoyance screen.

On my way to Boulder (natch) yesterday, I spy this bumper sticker on a Japanese SUV piloted by a young-ish middle-aged matron: War has never accomplished anything that peace cannot do

Bzzzzt. Wrong. Think it over, lady. Think it over, in fact, simply in terms of your own consumer choices and not in terms of the great moral crises of the last century.

8:44 AM | 0 comments

Something a recent houseguest said has been bothering me. Sorry, Mary Ann; I would have said it to you straight up if I had remembered to do so whilst you were here.

Belonging to an international organization, she says, affects her views of American politics because of she is more aware of international feeling about US politics. I think that's plain wrong. Without in any sense defending the current administration or any other administration, I never find it reasonable to let international views shape American opinion. It assumes these folks have access to complete, accurate information on which to base their views (an assumption which fails utterly on a number of counts). It assumes that they have thoughtfully reflected upon (not simply reacted to) such material as is available to them. And it assumes that they somehow can know more about the beliefs, processes, and actions of our own government whether here or abroad than Americans know. Wrong, again.

One more thing. Citizens of what nations regularly allow themselves to be informed by American opinion?

Let the flames begin.

8:33 AM | 2 comments

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

They've lowered the price again, and it does not seem to be helping. One thought would be to do a little staging. The need for that is not so obvious in the still photos, but in the 360 degree views, yikes.

9:10 PM | 3 comments

We must make a sash of honor for The Mighty Cathirine. Tomorrow is one week since the removal of her left breast (the lumpectomy some weeks back did not suffice). She was home the next day and when I stopped by on Sunday, she was fully dressed, animated as ever, and very curious about the little bites and tastes I'd brought over from Boulder. Cathirine receives gracefully and with delight. And she does so, she says, because she has come to understand that she will have an opportunity to pass on the blessings. I wonder if Cathirine knows: she is a blessing.

MollyRose, a dear friend to us both, received with equanimity the news of Cathirine's surgery. "She likes the taste of a nice wine," MollyRose offered. "I think I'll take her a nice bottle of wine."

Cathirine's gallantry and MollyRose's gracious and unsentimental comfort again remind me: here I meet extraordinary women.

8:01 PM | 0 comments

It's astonishing how quickly these violas are settling in and blooming. One of the best things about Colorado's Plant Select program is how well it identifies perennials that will flower for months and months.


Hydrangeas have never done much more me, especially the white ones. But the pattern of bloom on this one is beautiful.


Salvia argentea - love the color; love the huge, furry foliage. More charm and way less trouble than lamb's ears (stachys lanata).

6:27 PM | 0 comments

A collection of material about the social and political history of the Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement - more than 100 oral histories with leaders and shapers of the disability rights and independent living movement from the 1960s onward and an extensive archive of personal papers of activists and records of key organizations Via Katja. Take a look and a listen.

10:01 AM | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Some nice photos of the old 'hood, although a couple are not actually in the 7th.

8:11 PM | 0 comments

Getting Back on Track When Sidetracked - a short article on Kimiko's site.

7:12 PM | 1 comments

So. How did the rat stripper get its name? Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association chose it as the December 2002 Plant of the Month. Their site (currently unavailable; I found this in the google cache) includes an article in which Cameron Smith allows that "It would probably be best if this beautiful, interesting and under-used plant were marketed under a common name other than Rat Stripper." Maybe.

6:52 PM | 0 comments

Went out to Ute Trail Greenhouse this afternoon to pick up two more Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'. They were out of winecups (Callirhoe involucrata), but of course there were a "few" other things on offer. I snagged three Linum perenne 'Sapphire' (sometimes called blue flax) which will look lovely around the Molineux rose, two Paxistima canbyi (called Mountain Lover by the Colorado Extension Service and Rat Stripper elsewhere), and a Raoulia australis (right), which bears the unappealing common name of New Zealand Scabwort.

4:05 PM | 0 comments

Another Colorado magazine with some online stuff

4:01 PM | 0 comments

Monday, August 09, 2004

It was a sad thing, but I was also grateful when I overhead Mr OotFP quietly explain, "She doesn't have good memory." Sometimes people talk to me in the way that Americans are noted for speaking to those of other languages: louder and louder, over and over. It doesn't get through and it simply makes me want to cover my ears and hide my head.

Now we are trying to lower the dose of a med that is a known "bad actor" for memory. Perhaps mine will become stronger. But it seems doubtful that I will recover what, from these recent years, I never remembered.

9:04 PM | 1 comments

Another thing about Mystery Rose. The bugs, so ravenous for Abbaye de Cluny, abjure her. Surely they do not avoid her simply because I do not know her name?

7:38 PM | 0 comments

The Mystery Rose, left, continues to delight even more than it baffles. Once the miniature Carnival Glass surreptitiously set a bud, I had not the heart to follow my firm intention of disbudding all new roses. Oh, well.


These daylilies are nearly at an end, but what a glorious end in the twilight.


Cupcake is coming back into bloom, complemented by salvia officianalis. Above, right, the agastache nearly knocks me over with its minty exuberance. Below, left: those tiny yellow dots in the distance are wild sunflowers peeking over the fence. Finally, the orange sphaeralcea threaten to make me overuse the adjective "enchanting". It's a small plant, but absolutely charming.

7:18 PM | 0 comments

Herculean Effort, an Olympic knit-along organized by the creative and enterprising blogmistress of knitabit. I won't be watching much other than Kimiko Hirai Soldati's diving, but what a nifty idea.

12:47 PM | 0 comments

Yesterday a quick visit with dear friend The Mighty Cathirine reminded me of the football obsequies, so when I returned home I turned on ESPN to wait for the Prince of Denver to make his toothy, blonde appearance. Barry Sanders: what a reminder to the world that small packages can produce nuclear results.

And then it was all Elway: a charming daughter and a father who was graceful in every respect except for his failure to acknowledge one member of his family. It's true that they are divorced, and rather recently. It's true that his new honey was sitting by his mom. But it is also true that Janet Elway, the mother of his children, reared those beautiful children during Elway's long NFL career. She has comported herself with dignity and discretion during the recent domestic chaos. Good for her. And a big wet raspberry for her ex-husband, who even made up to Dan Reeves in the speech.

Kudos to Woody Paige for noting this omission. I did not think anyone in the lionizing Denver press would pick up on it.

Post script: The story of Janet Elway: Congratulations, John. I’ve enjoyed those fourth-quarter comebacks you could engineer with such skill. And I hope you have planned something special for Janet.

11:55 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, August 08, 2004

I've cracked the code: it's rubbish, says Christopher Howse. See also: Code hounds on pilgrimage and Pure escapism from sad reality. Heh.

5:24 PM | 2 comments

Saturday, August 07, 2004

Mary Ann Strain, C.P., another satisfied customer in the Rockies

11:31 PM | 0 comments

Friday, August 06, 2004

Slow news is good news? Retiring Great Falls postmaster discusses career: Q: There's been a lot of changes during your career. What stands out the most? A: Automation. When I started everything was manual and now almost everything is automated.

3:10 PM | 0 comments

AARoads.com - a site that not only tells, but SHOWS and describes in detail what various highways look like, including signage for various exits. Does not go to all 50 states, but here's a guide to roads we find familiar.

7:34 AM | 0 comments

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Looking up zone information on a perennial the other day (a veronica, I think), I came across Perennial Gardening on the Prairies, Web site of Maureen and Glenn in Regina, Saskatchewan. Lots of photos and the site has been fairly recently (June, 2004) updated.

8:58 PM | 0 comments

Geese provide nest egg for Polish town

8:51 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

On the evening that I plant a rose celebrating the friendship of my mother and her dear friend Pat, I run across an article about the joy and the juju of women's friendships

8:39 PM | 0 comments

I have been haunting the post office waiting for roses to arrive for late planting, anxious not to have them in the care of the USPS any longer than necessary. The order from Roses Unlimited arrived today and the packaging blew me away. I have never seen such efficient, effective bundling up of gallon plants.

With various distractions I planted only one tonight, the much longed-for "Alice Pat" floribunda (right). The dirt on this lot ranges between pure clay and waterlogged clay and I set off on my little chore with a sense of expediency, but nothing like anticipation. At the south side of the house, I carefully scraped away the mulch, cut out a big circle of the landscape cloth, and dug in. Behold! something never seen by me on this lot: an earthworm. SEVERAL earthworms. It was actually like soil! Of course, I still amended with well broken down compost, but I was stunned to know that there is any dirt like this on the lot. It seemed like a gift from my mother.

7:47 PM | 0 comments

Whoa! Crazies outnumber alcoholics -- at least in the USA.

7:58 AM | 0 comments

Grey lady (RR) article on restaurant critic Mimi Sheraton: I don't want to hear about a chef's intentions. Call me when it's good.

7:21 AM | 0 comments

Never "got" this until recently:Science is not just evidence, but intuition. It is not just procedures, but creativity. Its conclusions are not set in stone, but ever-changing and open to question as part of a dynamic social enterprise.

7:10 AM | 0 comments

Stop talking sense!

7:06 AM | 0 comments

Adding: inflight correction

7:02 AM | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

What's the lowest hardiness zone for veronica  'Waterperry Blue'? Forestfarm says Zone 6. Weston Gardens says Zone 5. P. Allen Smith says Zone 4. The Perennial Gardening on the Prairies site says Zone 4 and adds that gardeners "should find this easy to grow" in Zone 3. Any occupation based as entirely on empiricism as gardening is bound to have some puzzles in its epistemology.

8:58 PM | 0 comments

Yes, in fact, Monet did stop by my garden this evening.

8:54 PM | 0 comments

*grumble* Here's a question. What did movie and TV producers do before they could send their minions out to trawl the Web for images they wanted to use? Why don't they do that now?

6:20 PM | 0 comments

It's a good life, not a perfect one.

11:54 AM | 0 comments

This is cool: the site for Forestfarm in Williams, Oregon offers searches by genus, common name, plant ID (not sure what that is), or zone. Williams is also home to Arborsmith Studios, Goodwin Creek Gardens, and Sow Organic Seed.

8:32 AM | 0 comments

Synopsis tanked after announcing a bad quarter, so we all must suffer. For quite a while I have thought Synopsis price inflated, but this has been a sudden and drastic beginning to the correction -- as they often are for EDA companies (and others in the tech sector).

7:33 AM | 0 comments

FYI, the attack cat pictured below is inexpensive to feed (perhaps because it is an "outside" cat) and has not required shots or "fixing".

7:30 AM | 2 comments

Monday, August 02, 2004

And I thought I was the only one looking at Teresa Heinz Kerry and thinking, "Evita!"

11:21 PM | 0 comments

Here's a question I'm puzzling over. What determines a plant's hardiness? Could aspects of hardiness be fiddled with?

Certain cellular structures will not, I know, recover from a freeze. Some will die back only above ground, but others turn up their toes, entirely. Some cellular structures will put up with a freeze or two, but the continuous freeze-thaw cycle that we have most winters here on the Front Range breaks down the cells of a lot of plants: turns 'em to mush -- okay, compost -- sooner or later.

So what is it about the plants that don't turn to mush?

8:44 PM | 0 comments

Blossom count of 17 in the back garden tonight. That's certainly the most I've had in this garden.

7:29 PM | 0 comments

Callirhoe involucrata, Sphaeralcea munroana, Agastache - I think this may be Desert Sunrise.

7:00 PM | 2 comments

Weather Pixie has been moved to the bottom of the right hand blog roll until it gets back from being under the weather. Added What Do I Know. Changed email link. Fixed some trouble I was causing myself with the style sheets: Yee-haw!

3:36 PM | 2 comments

Heh. I've hit 400 helpful votes.

3:08 PM | 0 comments

Bought the 4Him "Hymns, a Place of Worship" on iTunes last night, based on a couple of clips I liked. Sorry to say that it is waaaaaaaay over-orchestrated. I thought I was getting something much more acoustic which, with their voices, would have been nice. I'll pro'ly give this group a pass in the future -- at least until they can get over The Joy of Synthesizers. They have nice voices (although the falsetto is a trip, and not a pleasant one), and the back only detracts from them.

8:51 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Anagallis: expensive compost. This might have worked out better treated more like impatiens; the stems are similar. Well, when they're not dead.


The mystery rose carries on; Abbaye de Cluny begins again.


Going to add some more Corsican Violets. The latest daylily in the garden.

10:30 PM | 0 comments

Do you need music for the State song? It's controversial, you know, because it does not contain the word "Colorado". Word.

5:22 PM | 0 comments

So. What are YOU doing to celebrate Colorado Day?

Here's a short history of Colorado's journey to statehood and the Rocky's lovely millennium edition, all about the Centennial State. And you can always check out "just the facts" at infoplease, which claims to have all the knowledge you need.

And here's a page on the state's symbols and emblems. My favorite is the state motto: Nil Sine Numine, best translated as Nothing Without Providence.

I love this state.

1:02 PM | 0 comments