Drama Queen....

When it comes to the botanical world....I love myself some drama. Sure it can be said that everything doesn't have to be all showy....take a look at vegetables. Great for you...good looking? Not so much. Although, I do like the look of carrot tops, for some reason.

Nope. For me, the bigger the drama, the more I usually like it. I like the unique, I like the colorful, fragrance.....I have never really been into smell. In fact, if it "smells" I probably won't like it, with a few exceptions. Roses? Sure, they are pretty to look at, but the smell turns me off of growing them. It's too powerful, don't like it. Marigolds have a double whammy against them, as do geraniums--in my book. It may be the reason is that everyone and their Aunt Gertrude has them, I don't really like the tiny petals and I think they reek. They stink to my nose parts.

These above are zinnias, but not ones that I have ever grown. I like them because they aren't trying to be showy. I know I just said I like showy, but I am capricious, I can change on a dime, at the drop of a hat. I might like this in a flower garden of just green flowers. For....wait for it...the dramatic impact of a variety of flowers all in the same color family.
This one I believe is called something like "Angel's Halo". It is a green bush/tree that has a wispy-flowery-stem-y thing most of the summer. Then in fall, the berries arrive in this floating halo configuration. I really like it, it makes me want to eat the juicy berries, but I would probably die. Actually I have no idea if they are poisonous, I just wanted you to think I live on the edge of danger most of the time...even on my walks.
These are globe amaranth. I just like them because they look like Dr. Seuss flowers. Or gumdrops. Or both. I like their compact simplicity.
I can't remember what these are, I looked at the label tags that you can see, but have since forgotten. I like the drama of a mass of color. Bright, obnoxious color. The kind you can't ignore.
Here's are some up closer. I want to say Mexican something something for the name, but who knows? I cold be totally making it up. Wouldn't be the first time.
This is one of my all time faves. Morning glories. They bloom in the morning and are a vine that crawls over anything and everything. It is pretty much a weed. But I like it.
This is a variety of hibiscus that can grown here and weather the winter. I don't know that I would choose white if it were going into my garden, but it might be kind of cool if it glowed in the night light.

I really don't like most flowers that smell. Except lavender, I do like lavender. And wisteria. In small doses. I don't know what it is about smells. I hate, hate, hate going down the laundry detergent aisle at the store. All the scented stuff. I have to breathe through my mouth.

Air fresheners. Don't get me started. I get car sick when I am in my dad's car because he always has some sort of air freshener hanging somewhere.

Drama. If I can't find it, I create it.

A Good Day.

No one says that anymore. "A good day to you, sir." "It was a good day." Today...today was a good day. For no particular reason, which is the best kind of good days. I walked with my mom and her friend this morning--a beautiful morn, crisp-ish, fall weather, yet warm enough to wear shorts, bright sun, fall leaves beginning to appear yet summer flowers sort of still blooming. Then I went to the co-op to buy bread flour because we are out and they sell it in bulk. I love the bulk food section at the co-op. All these things that I might like to try, but you know what.........I don't have to buy a big honking bag of it. I can take a taste size portion. It just makes so much sense.

Then to the cobbler. No one says cobbler anymore unless they are talking about desserts. I am here to bring it back. It just seems so much more civilized to say cobbler rather than shoe repair guy. Then, home to clean, roast more peppers, cook steel cut oatmeal for the week (We reheat it each morning: supes dupes good.), pickled some eggs (I hope these turn out better than the last...they were gross. Way too sweet, like there was a cinnamon or clove flavor or something. Ish.), still doing laundry, work on the powerball project, went to the goodwill to drop some stuff off, made pizza dough for supper, dug up the rosemary plant from the garden to pot so I can have it indoors this winter, walked Sophs, and just in general puttered. Tonight, we eat homemade pizza with homemade pepperoni and fresh mozzarella and roasted peppers. Then, we'll maybe watch a movie and just enjoy the evening. Tomorrow we are off to Fargo for family portraits, so it is good I got all that done. I am gonna gag pretty soon with all this positiveness oozing from me. But I do love me a productive day of puttering. Things that needed to be done, but that I was in the mood to do; serendipity, my friends, serendipity.

You can bet your sweet ass I made a list, though.

Grown Home

This is a grown house, designed by Lois Walpole for the place where I do some of my walking. It is really quite interesting. Obviously for decoration here, not for actual living. Most everything is living and formed into the shape of something you might find in an actual home. Such as a bed. Like deeeees:

Or a table and chairs, like so:

I find it all interesting because I picture fairies and elf-ish type characters (fun fairy tale ones, not the Hobbitt-y ones) living in places like this for real. I picture myself shrinking down so that this would be from their perspective, and I would be fairy sized and this could really be my home. And my fairy friends could come over and have tea and crumpets at this table and it would all be so very wonderful.

Do you think I should cut back on the cold medicine or the gin first?

Time Travel

If you could time travel for real, 'when' would you go to? This may or may not be the social studies nerd in me to even be asking the question. I have a couple times: I couldn't pick one. And these are in no particular order. And this wouldn't be just a jump back in time and then return. You'd have to get a real feel for it; if you wanted to, I might consider letting you stay in that time if you really liked it. I'm cool like that.

--Roarin' 20s for sure. Just to see all the things going on; new inventions (cars, movies, radio, telephone, light bulbs, electricity--all that was brand new and changing fast), Great Gatsby type parties (Yeah, I am pretty sure I would be part of the upper class....right. I am now?? It's like the version of everybody thinking they were someone famous in a former life...if you are into thining you had a former life), plus changes for women with the vote and fashion and new freedoms in society. I would just want to see it all unfolding.

--But, I'd want to get back here before 1929 and all the whole Great Depression thing that comes after. That I will keep in the history books, please and thank you.

--1860s with Westward Expansion...everyone moving west to claim their homestead. The conflicts, the hope, the new beginnings. I want to see a town spring up overnight and see how people survived out on the prairie. The American Dream, right? I'd love to be there to chronicle it all from the immigrants' perspective, the Native Americans' perspective, the older than first generation Americans' perspective.....go sit in a Mercantile General Store somewhere and just people watch.

I think that is why I like playing this mind game of "What would you..." or "What if...". In this case, I like watching people and making up their stories for myself. It would be fun to add in the factor of a different era.

---Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome. Of course, again, as part of the upper class. Why make it miserable? Sure, I could get that perspective as well, but why not dream big, yeah?

---The 60s in the United States. All the changes, all the conflict, all the upheaval, all the drama. I love drama and change. They might or might not be two of my favorite pastimes, it could be argued. Plus, again, with the people watching.

---Victorian England. Just because. I am not a huge fan of conventionality, strict moral edicts, restricted society or that ilk. But it would be cool to be walking around in it knowing that I could leave.

If I Were a Melon..

How sweet would this be? If I were a melon, this is how I would want it to play out. Hanging around, in my hammock, soaking up some rays, getting all fat and juicy. No dirt napping for moi. I love the idea of trellising melons (if you are dyslexic and transpose the "m" and the "l", you get lemons. How fun is that?). Watermelon is my favorite fruit. I might have to try this in my garden next year. I am hoping to be in our next house by planting season, cross your fingers, K? I have big plans. My first successful year with tomatoes has motivated me more than I thought it would. The canning/freezing trend is one I see continuing at our house. I'd like to branch out and am truly considering seed catalogs this winter to peruse in the snowy tundra of Minnesota. I shall read them and pine for spring. But for right now, it is 7:05 pm and still 74 degrees....it is absolutely beautiful out. Later.

Ah, Italia...

Fashion choices aside (hey it was the early 90s...man, those shorts are high waisted.), I like this picture. It is one of our day trips to Venice when I was working in Padova. Maybe 20 minutes east on a train and you are in Venice, or at least the train station. Then, you either walk across a bridge, hop a vaporetto (basically a city bus...except for the the fact that it is a boat.) or catch a water taxi and you can go anywhere in Venice.

I love Venice. Simply because there are very few places like it on earth, and it is my favorite water city simply for that fact and the fact that it is in Italy. We would go for the day when we lived in Padova. I felt very cosmopolitan. It became a common, normal thing to do:

"What do you want to do on our day off this week?" "I dunno. I guess we could go to Venice again." Who says that???

You go, you walk around, you shop a little, you people watch, you cannot get lost people. It is an island. I mean you can get disoriented---sure, you can get frustrated if you are actually trying to find something...but dollar for dollar, you cannot find a better place to just meamble, I mean--meander. I actually like meamble better. You are ambling and meandering: walking at a slow, but steady gait, sort of with a purpose but in no general direction. A perfect description of how to best take in Venice on your first trip.

Venice at Carnivale was the only time in my life I have been physically picked up and moved without my consent. There were so, so, soooo many people in the Piazza San Marco (Where this picture was taken in the spring time after Carnivale had come and gone). People were pushing and not really shoving...but trying to move. I was literally picked up off my feet and moved about 2 feet. I can't imagine the claustrophobia if I were short. Seriously. You wouldn't be able to breathe. But it was worth it; the costumes, the drama, the people watching. Everything. I heart it. I love it.

Efalumps and Woozles.

Winnie the Pooh video, I think...I can 't remember who I was babysitting or nannying years ago, but they loved this video that had the Efalumps and Woozles song on it. I watched it approximately a bajillion times. A rather dark and scary, psychedelic bad LSD trip video. Where some character (I can't even be sure if it was Pooh) was being chased down by the Ephalumps and the Woozles. I am surprised more children who view it aren't scarred for life.

This tree always makes me sing the song that is the soundtrack for that part of the video. I think it reminds me of Dr. Seuss and something that he would have drawn as a tree...and it has come to life. "Form of a Tree, Shape of an Elephant"---I realize that it was always some form of water, and never a tree...but that would not necessarily work here. I live by my own rules, people.

Maybe because it reminds me of Snufalufagus from Sesame Street? I have warped my childhood elephants all into one: Horton (Who Heard a Hoot, apparently) and The Efalump, and Snufalufagus. I am surprised Dumbo didn't make an appearance; although, not really. I never really cared for Dumbo. I mean the character is fine, I just never really got into the movie. (I hated the part where they dressed him up as a baby clown and made him deal with the fire flames.)

I had a bunch of Babar books when I was little that my mom would read to me or I would just look at, but they never really put a hook in me. He seemed nice, but kinda snootysville. Wow. Where was I?

Anyway, this tree is on my walk that I occasionally take, and I always end up singing a few bars in my head as I walk by. I have a couple things going for me regarding this:

1.) I am singing in my head and not out loud.

2.) You are the only ones that know about this, so far.

3.) I understand it is a tree and not some scary monster come to life. Which could be troubling if I were writing about that. I can pretty much predict a drop in readership should that ever happen. Or.....maybe a rise---checking in on the nut job who thinks trees are elephants.