tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30549302012-01-28T08:54:54.028-06:00Rantor, founding member of the International League of Luddites, headquartered in South Austin, Texas 78704, celebrates National Indignation Week every day of the year.Rantornoreply@blogger.comBlogger29281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-22711767864833008962012-01-28T20:17:00.000-06:002012-01-28T08:54:54.033-06:00

These new arrivals seem to be blooming earlier than usual: Chinese sacred lilies, one black-eyed Susan, and one red anemone. There are more and more Little Marvel pea blossoms and Montopolis narcissi. Nasturtiums have germinated nicely this time around. The calendula continues to be spectacular and is a great attraction for honeybees. We find new larvae of gulf fritillary and monarch butterflies

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-54318686531360702322012-01-23T07:33:00.000-06:002012-01-23T12:34:11.869-06:00

There's no bucksaw in this household, but a crosscut pruning saw with champion-style teeth worked just as well for preparing fallen limbs to be placed at the curb in a week for the City's "large brush collection." Not having a sawbuck or even a sawhorse, I used two plastic stacking chairs as a makeshift substitute. When I went to wipe off stray sawdust, I found that Austin air is dirtier than it

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-40264073269806539982012-01-22T23:17:00.000-06:002012-01-23T12:18:59.471-06:00

I was entertained by the very first photographs of Sarkozy and Merkel together, and I still am. Lately, I find that other people enjoy them just as much. Some publication (I forget which) even predicted in a joking way that they'd run away together in 2012. I'm also fascinated by the way that plastic stacking chairs have found their way around the world and can be seen in photographs taken in the

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-25094396166452304192012-01-21T22:38:00.000-06:002012-01-23T12:42:24.209-06:00

Flatiron, opera hat, cannon, racing car, Scottish terrier, high-top shoe, and battleship. The first three listed are much greater favorites than those following. Those are the favorites from the current set. Where available, the thimble and the wheelbarrow are favorites, also--one and two.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-10372485694985780552011-12-20T11:34:00.003-06:002011-12-20T11:34:38.726-06:00

In the course of a few days, the leaves on the ornamental pear tree turned dark red, bright red, and then golden. Yesterday, they began to fall; today, nearly all are down. The pecan tree has shed its leaves late. The fall began a few days ago and last night's wind and rain have brought nearly all leaves to the ground. The redbuds and roses of Sharon lost theirs last week, as did Turk's cap and

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-43106260596695526192011-12-19T11:04:00.000-06:002011-12-20T11:25:53.002-06:00

(1) After seeing Joseph Schildkraut in the movie "The Tell-Tale Heart" (not seen in years and years) and realizing that he must have been a stage and perhaps silent-movie actor, I ask this question: "What was the career trajectory of Joseph Schildkraut" and what was his later career in particular? (2) After listening to a great many recordings by David Lee Garza 7 Los Musicales and realizing the

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-87936181748012137962011-12-07T09:14:00.001-06:002011-12-07T11:48:49.804-06:00

The creatures' water bowls are lightly iced over this morning, not frozen solid, and the ones on the south side of the house have thicker ice than those on the north side. It's a good thing that we thought to bring tomato seedlings indoors last evening. We may be sorry that we didn't do the same thing for tiny pots of violas. It's likely that four o'clocks will have collapsed by the end of the

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-87402540881518830282011-11-10T15:38:00.001-06:002011-11-10T15:45:15.007-06:00

There are those who continue to believe that this motto belongs to Con Ed, but I know that the squirrels deserve full ownership. It's maddening to find entire pots of lettuce seedlings excavated to the very bottom. We never need to thin anything. Were it not for the squirrels, we'd have many more lettuce plants of many more varieties; there'd be calendulas, nasturtiums, and sweet peas galore,

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-6468383498957336742011-11-06T11:40:00.002-06:002011-11-07T09:31:29.164-06:00

They stayed a long time, right on up until last week, but now they've moved on. Our Turk's caps were the greatest attraction, but they took advantage of every flower. We've had a slight shower this morning, and so have seen no butterflies today. Right through yesterday, we've seen several monarch butterflies each day, along with the occasional gulf fritillary. Honeybees are out working after the

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-53797260781212441222011-10-12T12:33:00.000-05:002011-10-12T12:36:10.368-05:00

We found a clematis flower this morning. The honeybees are busy again. Calendulas are blooming in pots. Fennel flowers are reappearing. Lantanas and Turk's caps are renewed. One oxblood lily remains in bloom. Rain lilies are expected any day now. There are still monarch butterflies and hummingbirds. We're all happy.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-87903564276768553252011-09-28T11:20:00.003-05:002011-09-28T11:21:14.174-05:00

We had a fine view of a very dapper fox yesterday morning at 7:15 exactly. It had been a while since we had see one, although armadillos have been more in evidence than ever. The fox was in fine condition, trotting briskly across the street, ears up and tail floating behind. There has continued to be a profusion of monarch butterflies. Their caterpillars are accounting for many, many milkweed

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-42012668430068886702011-09-23T14:48:00.000-05:002011-09-23T14:48:27.513-05:00

We continue to delight in the aerobatics of black-chinned hummingbirds and of monarch butterflies. At a time when neighbors complain that hummingbirds are not attracted to their feeders, Turk's caps in our yard draw hummingbirds every day, mostly in the mornings and evenings. They also go to pride of Barbados, Bright Lights cosmos, and lantanas, but the eternal favorite is Turk's cap. Every day

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-72905092074655501352011-09-08T11:43:00.001-05:002011-09-08T11:44:00.156-05:00

We've been trying to water at least two hours on each of the two permitted watering days per week (now down to one day allowed, beginning this week). We have only two hoses (and therefore two sprinklers), and they must be moved about. Water pressure is extremely low this year. It takes some thinking to settle on the spots that need the water the most. Our efforts have had something to do with

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-74141214448487974402011-08-23T21:39:00.003-05:002011-08-26T12:18:29.698-05:00

Today brought our first open oxblood lilies! Other flowers are rose of Sharon, Turk's cap, lantana, tithonia (Mexican sunflower), ruellia (Mexican petunia), morning glories, asclepias (milkweed in two colors), pride of Barbados, fennel, hyacinth beans, Bright Lights cosmos, wild sunflowers, bolted lettuce, and one calendula in a pot. Volunteer plants just appearing are chiles (probably serrano)

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-21830701903757217712011-08-22T22:47:00.001-05:002011-08-26T11:03:29.290-05:00

The band had better arrangements than ever, and there's nothing like singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" to live accompaniment as a star-spangled woman rides around the ring in a spotlight waving the flag. It was fun when the band struck up backing chords from "My Girl" and a large part of the audience sang along very loudly, recognizing the tune and knowing the words. Segways were employed

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-34402907017396008532011-08-09T06:24:00.001-05:002011-08-09T12:02:08.437-05:00

We're trying to keep everything alive, but it's tough with just two watering days a week. Neighbors complain that low water pressure keeps them from running two sprinklers at once. We do run two twirlers during some of the permitted hours if we happen to wake up, but they both twirl very slowly. I suspect that a reason for the low pressure is all those who have irrigation systems and run them

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-79888727771821970182011-06-13T18:36:00.002-05:002011-06-13T19:04:11.462-05:00

And now they're here. At last, there are flowers on the Pride of Barbados plants, all of which froze back to the ground and were very slow in returning this year. This morning, we saw our first hummingbirds of the season. This evening, they're still here. Their favorite flowers are Turk's caps. The female looks like all female hummingbirds; the male seems to be a black-chinned hummingbird.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-34620759835135656002011-05-31T20:47:00.001-05:002011-08-09T12:04:29.221-05:00

Today brought us a flower from a one-dollar clematis that we've never heretofore seen bloom. The flower is not as large as some, and it's a beautiful dark red (crimson). There's nothing pink or magenta about it. There are also black-eyed Susan (rudbeckia) flowers in strange places. In shady places, we're enjoying blue spiderwort (tradescantia) and purple heart flowers.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-86491823800934830272011-05-29T11:59:00.004-05:002011-05-29T12:13:09.629-05:00

My old black espadrilles with optional laces have seen better days, and they're no longer available from the original source. The Soludos site came to the rescue. The price is the most reasonable found (although I do believe that it's gone up a tiny bit since they were featured in some brief magazine blurb). The rope soles are coated in rubber or a similar substance in order to prolong their

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-37859863508546702012011-05-28T23:10:00.004-05:002011-08-09T12:14:34.270-05:00

Three birds seldom seen here visited last week: ovenbird, redstart, and Blackburnian warbler. The figs grow larger with each day, but are not yet ripe enough or sweet enough to attract the creatures. We've been harvesting yellow wax beans, and they're delicious. Poppies are nearly finished. Hyacinth beans, Turk's caps, and lantanas are blooming profusely. We still see a few poppies. Bachelor

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-91959633374194575102011-05-25T20:10:00.005-05:002011-05-26T17:05:03.530-05:00

The schedule has been deliberately and aggressively cleared to make room for movies. This was accomplished too late to catch Circo at the new Violet Crown, but these are the movies seen since the resolution was put into action: Jane Eyre, True Legend, The Lincoln Lawyer, Your Highness, and Jumping the Broom, all of which were more than worth the price of admission. Next up are Thor, Bridesmaids,

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-29822453457852225902011-05-24T21:54:00.001-05:002011-05-26T15:09:51.184-05:00

We always used to find Green Comet broccoli at the South Austin Farmers Market of fond memory. Those who grew it always said that it was difficult to find the seed. It's happy news to find the broccoli at the HOPE Farmers Market, courtesy of Johnson's Backyard Garden, and it's just as delicious as it ever was. We don't know where the seed came from, but have found this on-line A&M article about

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-37315248420847761152011-04-28T06:38:00.000-05:002011-04-28T09:50:28.430-05:00

We still have a few anemones: white, red-and-white fringed and striated, and blue. Thalia and iphieon were among the last to remain in bloom. All leaves from springtime bulbs are dying back. We do still have an amazing display of various sweet peas, some smelling too soapy and others good and spicy. For the first time, there are very striated pink ones, tending toward coral. Morning glories of

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-51947689388588554512011-04-13T12:02:00.005-05:002011-04-13T15:52:17.000-05:00

heritage irisesThese irises don't appear every year. They are the most beautiful, subtle color. They smell of licorice or anise. They came to us in a gift sack of narcissus bulbs, but we can't remember whether they came from Bastrop or from next door. White irises are the most common ones to be seen in old yards in Austin or nearby. Either these or yellow ones seem to be second-most common.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-5222278717633417262011-04-12T22:57:00.001-05:002011-04-13T15:23:10.129-05:00

Farewell, Lux Minute Minder; hello, Lux Minute Minder. The old one's done for. The spring may have broken, or just become detached, but I couldn't open the rusty back of the case to find out which. Here's a link to an image of a light-blue timer of the same vintage; my old timer is the standard white. The old one is branded "Robertshaw" on the bottom left, "Lux" on the bottom right, "Minute

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-86048409302625719982011-03-24T19:33:00.001-05:002011-03-25T14:41:39.921-05:00

It's unseasonably warm, but the spring flowers continue to appear. There are many colors of ranunculus today. Joining all the other irises, are some that are entirely yellow. We have our first spiderwort and our first bachelor button. A second kind of ornamental allium is beginning to bloom. It's shorter and more delicate than the old-time variety that's found in all the older gardens in Austin.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-11351337201959806212011-03-23T06:59:00.001-05:002011-03-23T12:43:46.633-05:00

This is a catch-up entry about goings-on in the pleasure grounds. This morning when it was already light we saw a half-grown opossum and one of its parents. These must be responsible for the holes grubbed in the dirt the past few days. There is also a titmouse habitation established in the hollow "T" at the top of the old-fashioned metal clothespole close to the sun porch. Turk's cap is returning

Rantornoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-23096555411406571662011-03-12T10:17:00.000-06:002011-03-23T10:33:51.038-05:00

I've been reading Classics for Pleasure, by Michael Dirda, and the brief commentaries are lots of fun. They can be read aloud to entertain someone who's working. I've read most of the books mentioned, although I have not read H. Rider Haggard. Dirda loves She; most people I've talked to prefer King Solomon's Mines. The book makes me want to return to Thomas Love Peacock. I've read (and own

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-80553328247024580052011-03-10T07:24:00.001-06:002011-03-10T16:14:23.448-06:00

Trevithian is blooming profusely and making a very showy display, with a scent that, combined with that of hyacinths, is heady indeed. Newcomers include the first pea-blossom, pink-and-white clusiana species tulip, Minnow, several mystery narcissi and daffodils, and two colors of trailing nasturtium, one a handsome dark brownish red.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-21605618203895550302011-03-09T21:44:00.000-06:002011-03-10T15:15:32.375-06:00

Anchor Stone building sets are synthetic stone blocks made from quartz sand, linseed oil, and chalk. The soft colors are a sort of slate blue, a creamy sandstone-like tone, and a rosy red that somewhat resembles our local pink granite before it's polished. The first ones I knew were from the nineteenth century and had survived as a large and intact set, just like new and complete with the booklet

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-19820745912228175982011-03-08T06:22:00.000-06:002011-03-10T14:42:18.721-06:00

The sticky note matchbooks are sold by a novelty outfit called Kikkerland.They were impossible to resist, right there at the cashier's desk at the south Whole Earth Provision Company, and for about two dollars. Four little matchbook-style fold-over covers, each in a different color, contain stapled-in blocks of small yellow stickies, with a tear-off performation. They're wonderful for temporarily

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-1260252521124156932011-03-06T17:22:00.000-06:002011-03-07T14:30:30.177-06:00

This morning, there were none to be seen; by late afternoon, flowers of ornamental pear were opening all over the tree, just in time to accompany the redbud flowers, now beginning to drop. The first Lilac Wonder tulips (tulipa Bakeri) are blooming. Pink oxalis is blooming again. Today brought the first Thalia flowers this spring. Mrs. Backhouse is lasting a long time.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-9163658164371435312011-03-03T18:23:00.000-06:002011-03-04T13:25:25.808-06:00

Fennel is returning everywhere from the root. Fig leaves are unfolding from the bud. Clamatis has returned all at once and within a day. There are even some signs that the lawn is awaking from dormancy. Ours is not, however, one of those St. Augustine lawns that's green all over; those are the ones with weeds.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-57590729904064410872011-03-02T07:32:00.000-06:002011-03-02T14:32:58.408-06:00

Did we ever buy one of these specifically? Has it appeared before? Could it have been in an old Wild Flower Farm unlabeled southern bulb mix? I don't care for doubled flowers and I don't care for those of uncharacteristic color, but I must admit that it's a pleasure to see Mrs. R. O. Backhouse making an appearance in Mack's yard. The link is to a page with a photograph that seems to best capture

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-11888746791442723482011-03-01T06:44:00.000-06:002011-03-01T08:48:27.126-06:00

This morning's first of the season is a beautiful clump of profusely blooming old-fashioned jonquils. There's not a sign of bud blast anywhere. If they never did bloom, they'd be worth growing just for the quill-like clumps of leaves against the dormant grass.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-54582394719874646852011-02-28T07:11:00.000-06:002011-02-28T11:43:12.385-06:00

We're now enjoying grape hyacinths, more blue Dutch hyacinths, and deep-blue Dutch irises, all in the blue spectrum. We continue to see more and more volunteers of one or more varieties of morning glory. Other newcomers are Sun Disc, Grand Primo, and poet's narcissus. Pink wood hyacinths shot up leaves and then flowers in under a week on the oak motte. All spring bulbs mentioned previously

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-63106860713627275062011-02-26T13:24:00.003-06:002011-02-26T13:43:29.117-06:00

Daffodils large and tiny Originally uploaded by odoublegood. These are Fortune daffodils with tiny miniature daffodils of unknown variety blooming in proximity. Visitors to Flickr will see other toy-camera shots taken today. Thank you, Concord 1500 camera, plastic and held together by an elastic band (no; I didn't pay the price shown at the linked page; it cost under $20). We find more

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-36313910141359734202011-02-25T07:29:00.002-06:002011-02-25T17:05:04.042-06:00

Redbud trees were in bloom by suppertime yesterday, or at least some were. All will be out by evening today. They were attracting clouds of honeybees. We are seeing a second kind of leucojums in bloom now; they're new ones, purchased from a bargain bin in the fall. They have shorter stems, larger flowers, and points that are curved. It's highly unlikely that there will be any flowers, although

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-20013436748826729302011-02-22T07:06:00.001-06:002011-02-22T10:10:30.203-06:00

This morning we found, for the first time this season, many Flower Record daffodils, Avalanche narcissi, and our first leucojum. Flower Record is a returnee. We love this variety, but some years it doesn't return at all and at other times it returns for a few years and then is not seen again until replanted.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-21544448678690756002011-02-21T07:37:00.001-06:002011-02-21T15:45:26.947-06:00

These were this morning in bloom for the first time this season: Carlton, Geranium, Jetfire, Montopolis and Bastrop narcissi (many, many to a stalk), and Fortissimo. There are more and more Fortune and Ice Follies flowers, along with several mysteries among daffodils, narcissi, and jonquils. There are three kinds of Dutch hyacinths opening everywhere: the magenta-ish variety and two handsome

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-8507500551489887722011-02-17T07:16:00.000-06:002011-02-17T14:41:17.431-06:00

Before the frost that truly killed, we were enjoying flowering paperwhite narcissus, Chinese sacred lily, two varieties of asclepias, nasturtium, clockvine, pink oxalis, a few wild sunflowers and lantana flowers, and perhaps other blossoms that I can't now remember. We failed to pick the bud stalks of paperwhites, Ice Follies, and Chinese sacred lilies that were about to open, and they truly

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-43362172252369275462011-01-03T19:47:00.006-06:002011-01-04T16:12:54.995-06:00

This is the closest reference I found on line in a quick search for the song about the river of rum (the song called "Happy Land" on a page about the Berkshire Boys Camp). Here are the words as we learned them:Have you ever beenIn the land of ginWhere the river of rum flows by, Where the little gin rickeysGrow in the treesAnd the highballs grow on the ground?The singers begin, say, at G (or "sol"

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-50862752814173711422011-01-01T17:54:00.001-06:002011-03-01T00:03:01.611-06:00

Mambo Fever - a compilation from Verve / Universal Music many artists, mostly mid-'60s; several gemsInsatisfecha - Diana Reyes 10 very lively tracks to not sit still to, including long-ago Chelo Silva hit "La Lampara"; crackerjack banda duranguense15 authentic hits; 20 years 1966-1986 CBS Sony Javier Solis RMK-82811 2-1053 great singer, great songs, luxurious arrangements and accompanimentEntre

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-43844767767370109682010-12-27T16:29:00.003-06:002010-12-27T16:46:11.604-06:00

This morning was the second in a row following a night during which the temperature dropped to the vicinity of 32 degrees. Vehicles parked under trees had no frost on their windshields; those left in more exposed positions did. Hyacinth beans in some locations are finished for the season. The same is true for cosmos and lantanas. Lantanas and hyacinth beans in more sheltered spots are fine. Chile

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-53835896685720336142010-12-25T23:48:00.001-06:002010-12-27T16:27:55.937-06:00

Because all radio stations have been playing what we don't want to hear, we've resorted to some of the old standbys:1. A Nonesuch Christmas H-712322. Michael Praetorius: Polychoral Christmas Music Nonesuch H-712423. Symphonies and Fanfares for the King's Supper Nonesuch H-710094. The Baroque Lute Nonesuch H-712295. Boulez dirige Debussy vol. II; Images pour orchestre; Danses, sacree et profane;

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-61712408405296096742010-12-01T07:11:00.001-06:002010-12-01T16:25:27.332-06:00

So now we've had two nights of supposedly below-freezing temperatures. On both these nights, we ferried pots of torenia and a couple of the largest chile plants indoors and then returned them to the open air the following morning. One of the chiles has a few blossoms, perhaps from being indoors and somewhat warmer. Not even the basil in pots has been tinged by whatever the coolest temperatures

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-29103300122416298152010-11-28T12:19:00.004-06:002010-11-29T16:07:50.934-06:00

This poor scan of a tee-shirt is part of the continuing scan-o-rama series (click on image for larger version). It's from back when the conjunto fest was very small and intimate, under the trees at Parque Zaragoza. The legend says: "Brown Distributing * La Pena * Parque Zaragoza proudly present CONJUNTO PESADO heavy-duty conjunto." I can't find my little poster these days and am unable to read

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-46962658950034394222010-11-24T21:14:00.002-06:002010-11-27T18:15:49.417-06:00

Thank you, Johnson Woolen Mills, home of the famous greenie wool work trousers and many other treasures. Johnson Woolen Mills, a Vermont institution since 1842, offers these hats, and in exact sizes and several colors. The printed catalogue shows two more colors than the on-line shop does, so it may pay to call. We settled on the traditional green. There are other headgear items out there labeled

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-73047725759741157822010-11-20T11:07:00.003-06:002010-11-20T11:39:55.064-06:00

We're very surprised to find clockvine (thunbergia alata). The vines must have been there all along, just holding their own, and are now encouraged by the cooler weather to bloom. Both kinds of flowers seen so far have black centers. We're also finding nasturtiums springing up in very strange places, although only one has bloomed so far. Some creature is smart enough to extract seeds of hyacinth

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-76820123699680000082010-11-13T15:11:00.002-06:002010-11-13T15:43:33.046-06:00

We've heard warblers passing through this week, but haven't sighted them. All our milkweed (mostly in pots) began again from seed this year since not one plant survived last winter's cold to have a jump on the spring. Only now are both varieties (all-yellow ones and those producing flowers that are part yellow and part red-orange) beginning to reach the stage of producing seedpods. For several

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-78384918078956358462010-11-12T20:08:00.000-06:002010-11-13T15:11:38.270-06:00

There have never been more acorns, or larger ones, than the oaks have produced this year. Joining those scavengers who smite the pecan trees to bring down nuts that haven't fallen are people scooping up acorns to take to their deer leases. They are so large this year and so numerous that they produce a contant report, as though of gunfire, as they strike vehicles and the ever more popular metal

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-30662721870438595302010-11-09T06:02:00.001-06:002010-11-09T14:42:44.563-06:00

Austin Public Library has been very busy clearing its inventory of actual books. I'm glad that I read the novels of Sybille Bedford when they were there; only one copy of one novel remains. Some time ago, I found a sale copy of The Sudden View: a Mexican Journey (1953; republished as A Visit to Don Otavio: a Traveller's Tale from Mexico). My copy is from Counterpoint and bears the republished

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-68879432434009058972010-10-26T21:20:00.001-05:002010-11-06T13:54:21.666-05:00

Thanks to a catalogue from the Duluth Trading Company, I learned that Stormy Kromer caps are still being made, and in these United States. By Duluth, they're billed as "flexible fit," meaning small, medium/large, and so forth, and Duluth does not appear to offer the exact sizing of days gone by. Bean's, however, does seem to offer the traditional sizes, as does the Stormy Kromer site selling

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-17568267252202084732010-10-25T06:29:00.003-05:002010-11-05T14:57:00.025-05:00

According to an on-line search, the suppliant on the teeter-totter no longer seems to call upon Mister Mustard, but upon Charlie Brown, Farmer Brown, or Mrs. Brown. "Mister Mustard, Mister Mustard, please let me down" was for those times when a heavier kid kept a lighter-weight one up in the air on a teeter-totter and then demanded a reward for bringing the one aloft back down to terra firma,

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-6707914084159271292010-10-24T23:12:00.001-05:002010-11-03T11:19:29.295-05:00

"I don't know when it will happen again. I can't believe you missed it." There's an initial beneath, but I'm not sure what it is (perhaps a "V"?). This is written on the sort of stationery item that salespeople of pharmaceuticals give away free to medical people, and promotes AstraZeneca and Crestor. I found this within the pages of Dreaming in Chinese, borrowed from the library. I'll always

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-85882521974807873942010-10-23T15:57:00.002-05:002010-10-29T16:07:14.512-05:00

This is an emblem from within "His Service Record." The paper is wavy and blotchy. The streaming ribbon or banner in the eagle's beak contains no motto. The graphic is on the very first page and serves as a sort of frontispiece. This image is part of the intermittent scan-o-rama series.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-73423994609402974422010-10-22T12:51:00.007-05:002010-10-27T13:48:04.086-05:00

This is letterpress work on textured paper that has turned a bit yellow. Depicted are symbols representing the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Army Air Corps, along with a tank, a ship, and airborne planes. "This Book is published for the purpose of being filled in by a relative or friend of a man who is serving his country. When it has been completed, it will serve as a record of his experiences

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-63521312005391506732010-10-21T07:43:00.005-05:002010-10-21T11:05:28.189-05:00

The paler blue morning glories, very pentagonal in shape and with "spokes" of a darker blue, are growing on a tomato tower set in a terra cotta pot along the Disco Highway (also known as part of the paved driveway). The second image depicts Bright Lights cosmos, along with Heavenly Blue morning glories. In the mix, although not prominent in this photograph, are zinnias, hyacinth beans, Turk's

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-16578428584502271782010-10-18T05:36:00.002-05:002010-10-18T15:48:41.463-05:00

Leaves of paperwhite narcissi emerged overnight, visible from the catio. These are from the contents of pot of bulbs forced indoors and unceremoniously dumped outdoors years ago. Apart from anemone leaves, now visible everywhere, including in spots where the squirrels moved them, these are the first signs of "spring" flowers. The appearances of these leaves are true signs of the season. All

Rantornoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-50931917838743785752010-10-14T06:40:00.002-05:002010-10-14T15:02:47.124-05:00

These packages show a sense of humor. Each is for a different "masque" and displays instructions in English, French, and Spanish. Someone bought them for me at H-E-B because they're eye-catching and funny. The sales slip didn't accompany them. The company is called Montagne Jeunesse, and the home page shows many products in these little packets (chocolate mud masque, apricot scrub, passion

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-34207325766224367962010-10-08T14:58:00.002-05:002010-10-08T15:16:01.073-05:00

Day before yesterday brought us what's probably the last flower stalk from the oxblood lilies. Spider lilies (lycoris radiata) continue to bloom in unlikely places, giving us the best show in years. Already the first leaves are appearing in places where the spider lilies did not flower this year. The torenia and nasturtium in pots are blooming for the first time this fall. We've even seen five

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-22107290401356557112010-09-16T18:18:00.003-05:002010-09-18T14:35:46.192-05:00

At lunchtime today, we saw another monarch butterfly. We observe no more spider lilies on the way, but there are a few straggler oxblood lilies and the oxblood-lily leaves are beginning to shoot up. In tall St. Augustine we have found three sets of leaves of the ornamental anemone that blooms with a double row of magenta petals and a dark center. These leaves are very creased and deeply cut. This

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-23014432544307987742010-09-13T07:26:00.001-05:002010-09-13T15:18:10.523-05:00

This morning brought us five of the beautiful small yellow rain lilies. Before the skies brightened with the sunrise, Orion was visible and seemed very close to Earth. At last there are bi-colored milkweeds, not that there's anything wrong with the all-yellow variety of asclepias. We saw two hummingbirds at once in Mack's yard.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-62965676043201679452010-09-10T07:08:00.000-05:002010-09-10T16:20:27.257-05:00

Yesterday, we saw two monarch butterflies during the noon hour. Today, we found a great many monarch eggs on various milkweed plants. The grand total of spider lilies is now fourteen. The oxblood lilies keep appearing, now several bloom stalks to a bulb. All quarters of the pleasure grounds have now checked in: five different shows out front (one on each side of the front walk, and also in the

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-16898025182574266482010-09-08T06:22:00.000-05:002010-09-08T11:35:26.170-05:00

Our beautiful small pink rain liles that arrive complete with leaves have been found depicted in one of six photographs on the cover of Bulbs for Warm Climates, by Thad M. Howard. No photograph can convey its beauty. It's Zephyranthes rosea, with a notation "Lindley 1824" and a report that it's native to the mountains of Cuba. Elsewhere on line it's identified as the Cuban zephyrlily, or

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-19879082466055477512010-09-02T07:18:00.001-05:002010-09-02T10:46:05.421-05:00

We are seeing more and more oxblood lilies, in four locations so far. For the first time in years, there will be spider lily flowers (lycoris radiata) on the oak motte; nine stalks have appeared thus far. The leaves appear without fail, but the flowers sometimes arrive and more often don't. Common white rain liles are everywhere. The diminutive yellow rain lilies are Jones rain liles. Today we

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-57383980228265909892010-08-26T21:01:00.003-05:002010-08-28T16:15:47.361-05:00

Appearing in profusion now are white rain lilies. Joining them today were two all-yellow rain lilies. These are smaller than the white ones and not so tall. They usually last for two days, not the white lilies' customary one day only. We are seeing new shoots of oxblood lilies each day, and tomorrow at least one of them will be open and providing some red accents in the yard. This year's first

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-45496069585380726952010-08-15T12:58:00.002-05:002010-08-15T13:01:56.535-05:00

Our figs are like most of the figs in the yards around here: green on the outside and pinky-brown on the inside. We had just one remaining and we found it yesterday morning with big jagged bite marks but only half consumed. By yesterday evening, it was gone entirely. These figs are great favorites of squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and blue jays. A neighbor used to try to beat the creatures to

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-18541405017759543362010-08-05T14:03:00.002-05:002010-08-05T14:17:22.430-05:00

We have seen more queen butterflies this year than ever before, even though we have fewer asclepias or milkweed flowers than usual. All our milkweed froze during the winter, and only the all-yellow variety has returned as volunteers, both in pots and in the ground. We become used to the predominance of gulf fritillaries and don't always pay as much attention to the spectacular swallowtails and

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-32258419580418159992010-07-13T19:19:00.000-05:002010-07-14T14:25:16.993-05:00

It's a black-chinned male, and we've seen him almost every day for two weeks. He prefers the Turk's cap flowers, but doesn't disdain the pride of Barbados or lantana. He flies quite close and sometimes at eye level, but the light always seems to be behind him. His preferred perch is in a lower limb of the pecan tree. It's such a shame for people to uproot Turk's cap and then put out those ugly

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-91802279421403629432010-07-03T13:10:00.003-05:002010-07-03T14:09:22.293-05:00

Our greatest discovery today was a beautiful yellow rain lily with a very slight apricot tinge on the outside of the outer petals (zephyranthus). This is appearing in a new place, near the fig tree. Should we thank the squirrels? We know that we should thank the downpours of these past several days. We are seeing the first flowers on the hyacinth beans. Yesterday brought us the first two ruellia

Rantornoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-26649342641779868982010-06-04T06:17:00.000-05:002010-06-04T15:29:00.106-05:00

More of my hand is working again. Thanks to a near-lethal intersection of a trash cart, some dog excrement, and me, I've been hors de combat for a while, at least when it comes to doing some of my favorite things. Sometimes it's a challenge to find activities for a left-handed person using the right hand only fairly well, even if better than most are able to do with the non-dominant hand. So I

Rantornoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-21179719679570412642010-04-25T17:58:00.002-05:002010-04-25T17:59:31.871-05:00

passion flower Originally uploaded by odoublegood. This image is rather impressionistic (meaning "blurry"), since I stood too close to the flower for my toy camera. One passion vine has never produced any flowers at all until today, and at the other location we've seen no flowers for at least three years. We were inspired to buy the seeds one year after seeing a spectacular display

Rantornoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-22172149987073199442010-04-24T13:37:00.010-05:002010-04-24T14:09:30.836-05:00

The above provides a comparison between a printed image of a pen (in an illustration appearing in last Sunday's NYT magazine) and a scan of an actual pen in my possession, a pen used for decades and decades by a member of my family, and then for quite some time by me. The pen in the picture appears to be "golden pearl," while the actual pen scanned for the image is "azure pearl." These are Parker

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-2434000261513860232010-04-22T05:25:00.000-05:002010-04-22T16:11:42.344-05:00

We hear warblers every morning, but so far we've caught a good glimpse of only one: a yellow warbler shooting across a small open space. Very much to our surprise, this morning we found bud stalks on many amaryllis plants (hippeastrum), some in pots and some in the ground. Coreopsis is now in bloom, and so is a mauve poppy opening from large buds on very tall plants with light silver-green and

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-17116279009177061302010-04-15T12:21:00.003-05:002010-04-15T13:29:25.152-05:00

mystery rose Originally uploaded by odoublegood. There are more flowers on this mystery rosebush than there have been in years. The flowers are scented, semi-double, and dark red with brassy centers. Today also brought us three calendula flowers, one with a brown center and two entirely yellow. We have rudbeckia flowers (black-eyed Susan) and towering mauve poppies with silvery-green

Rantornoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-42246786001436190792010-04-10T12:14:00.003-05:002010-08-13T11:32:40.168-05:00

poppies, delphiniums, firewheels Originally uploaded by odoublegood. People are stopping to take photographs of these, people who are not I. Theft out front continues. Remaining anemones there were stolen in one big batch. One poppy plant was uprooted. We still have various sorts of poppy (true, corn, Shirley, Iceland), ranunculus, pink or red bluebonnets, bachelor buttons in every color,

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-32262821445618639222010-04-03T11:09:00.003-05:002010-04-03T11:19:40.171-05:00

All season long there have been thefts of flowers from the front yard. The most recent to go, along with some other flowers, was our sole Dutch tulip, a surprise returnee from many years ago, a true flower, not the sort of almost-a-flower that sometimes reappears. It's no wonder that we plant more and more along the side of the house and in back of it and add nothing to the front. We are enjoying

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-16292665491161774492010-04-01T06:13:00.000-05:002010-04-01T10:51:54.154-05:00

Newcomers to the pleasure grounds include a red bluebonnet (not seen for a while), several Johnny jump-ups from volunteer seed popping up and blooming in strange places, several kinds of lettuce volunteers in odd locations, a handsome deep pink Dutch tulip benefiting from the winter chills, many colors of ranunculus, the fancier and shorter kind of allium with the green center, the first

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-82780588860430492792010-03-26T06:14:00.000-05:002010-03-26T11:19:24.481-05:00

We have Tubergen's Gems at last, and it appears that there will be many. The Lilac Wonder tulips were beaten up some in this weather and so lost their petals early. The red-and-white Clusiana tulips are few but sweet. And we have a Dutch tulip returnee from years ago that has surprised us with a but for an actual bloom. It's too early to tell much about the color, but the bud is not one of those

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-34836521227828362742010-03-20T16:19:00.003-05:002010-03-20T18:10:04.650-05:00

There are buds, many buds, on the one-dollar clematis plants. No color is showing yet, but there were no flower buds yesterday. There are also some ranunculus buds for the first time, but no color is showing yet. Turk's cap leaves are showing for the first time since the run of cold weather that caused Turk's cap plants to drop their old leaves. All pear flowers went down in the winds, and so did

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-79624391654263847122010-03-18T06:50:00.000-05:002010-03-18T11:09:24.236-05:00

This morning showed us the missing grape hyacinths. We also have our first delphiniums open, along with many new blue Dutch irises. The blue hyacinths are nearing their end, but are still here. The same is true of blue anemone blanda and blue anemone de Caen. We've been losing too many flowers to theft and we prefer to see them when we're outdoors and from the windows, so we seldom bring any into

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-61025616824642929452010-03-15T17:56:00.002-05:002010-03-15T18:06:46.305-05:00

We have four species tulips in bloom, three of them red-and-white clusiana and one a Lilac Wonder. There's one California poppy. Those plants were doing well until they were touched once too many times too strongly by the winter cold. Sun Disc is holding up particularly well in the warmer weather, and so, surprisingly, are the red anemones. We're seeing more poet's narcissus of various types and

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-71558351242859102492010-03-14T16:52:00.003-05:002010-03-14T17:04:32.379-05:00

As the earliest hyacinths begin to shoot up and then topple over, we can still smell them and some of them are still upright. Everything else that has been here is still here and blooming, but the earliest examples of everything are suffering in the heat and beginning to dry and fade away (I love the Spanish verb marchitar. I first heard it, I think, in the words to a song on a Ramon Ayala record

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-85129809370788729512010-03-12T06:51:00.001-06:002010-03-12T09:07:47.951-06:00

There are now at least two shades of pink hyacinths and one creamy variety, midway between white and yellow, joining all the various blue and purple ones. Baby Moon has survived. No picture ever conveys Baby Moon's diminutive scale or does justice to its shape and color. There are two Thalias open in the side yard. For the first time, there is evidence that we'll have at least a few Dutch iris

Rantornoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-20870372018506910722010-03-10T06:43:00.000-06:002010-03-10T16:05:40.716-06:00

Roses of Sharon are joining the fig tree in leafing out. There are flowers on the pink oxalis. Overnight, the clematis has reappeared and is climbing fast.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-30881412639365454152010-03-09T06:38:00.001-06:002010-03-09T16:30:29.566-06:00

Yesterday, we saw our first groups of Sun Disc. These have multiplied estensively since last spring. The flowers look beautiful scattered in clumps all over the dormant lawn in Mack's yard. The first of the Ice Follies flowers are fading, but many more are on the way. We're now seeing many blue anemone blanda blowers amid the white ones, and the waves of Anemone St. Brigid and Anemone de Caen

Rantornoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-89942325561236006012010-03-06T13:08:00.002-06:002010-03-06T13:11:26.456-06:00

Under the protection of the humid and cloudy skies, redbuds are now showing a hazy pink halo that will be flowers for real tomorrow. Also since this morning's tour, several nasturtiums of at least three varieties have germinated in pots, having been pressed into the dirt last weekend in order to replace the volunteers and the earlier deliberate plantings that did not take well to nights of

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-57909628896679482622010-03-06T10:07:00.005-06:002010-03-06T13:31:02.796-06:00

daffodils, narcissi, anemones, and more Originally uploaded by odoublegood. This picture from the toy camera shows one clump among many. We are enjoying about ten different kinds of daffodils and narcissi right now, of all sizes except the large-trumpet daffodils. We have three colors of hyacinths. There are both flowers and leaves opening on the pear tree, but redbuds that we see are not

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-76143984839764692152010-02-24T21:28:00.003-06:002010-04-10T12:21:14.695-05:00

Things are pretty much the same as they were before the snow. Nothing new has succumbed to cold weather or to the weight of frozen precipitation. We have our first pink hyacinth. Each day, there are more narcissi and daffodils and anemones. We have noticed that the flower buds are swelling on the ornamental pear tree. We are seeing and hearing mourning doves.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-53678728263080011972010-02-22T17:10:00.002-06:002010-02-22T17:17:40.009-06:00

This morning for the first time there were several Fortissimo daffodils (medium in size, with bright cups of orange and bright petals or perianths of yellow). This is at least the second year for these. We seem to remember that they came from a bargain bin at the end of the season and that they were put into the ground quite late. At any rate, they are returnees, of however long a duration.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-78968955384993064532010-02-21T16:48:00.001-06:002010-02-21T16:50:16.718-06:00

There are blue Dutch hyacinths in the dormant grass all over the oak motte. The variety is the deep blue with a white stripe bisecting each petal of each floret. They look beautiful under cloudy skies and beautiful when the sun strikes them. We are seeing Minnow flowers now, also.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-69634947699665052622010-02-20T13:33:00.003-06:002010-02-20T18:11:03.726-06:00

This is a wonderful year for anemone blanda; the flowers are quite large, and they are everywhere. Some people think of these as weeds, but we think of them as beautiful miniatures. We're seeing more Ice Follies and more Carlton daffodils every day. In additino to the earlier anemones (lipstick red with a white ring in the ceter and fringed edges and blue-wiolet with very cut or fringed petals),

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-88213474309757412602010-02-14T11:41:00.002-06:002010-02-14T11:45:18.018-06:00

There will be no Ice Follies daffodils to steal for Valentine's offerings. There were none last night and there will be none tonight. It appears that a select few will open late tomorrow. Every spring is different, but this one has not presented us with many flowers yet. We're enjoying red fringed anemones with a white ring toward the center, blue-violet or violet-blue very fringed anemones,

Rantornoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-70833198576863613922010-02-13T05:38:00.000-06:002010-02-14T11:41:08.076-06:00

It took someone to write these (or perhaps dictate them) and at least one other person to overlook them when copy-editing: "half-inch" knot learned by the Boy Scouts ("half-hitch" knot, anyone?) and "Zina Loa" for the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-57333089442020935752010-02-08T22:29:00.002-06:002010-02-09T15:51:20.424-06:00

In keeping with my intention to read books new to me instead of returning to favorites of the past, I've been making good use of the library, having just finished reading a novel that has received fine reviews, A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore. It's intelligent and has a narrative that is quite a page-turner, but I find it sad that even Knopf doesn't do a good job of copy-editing. It's not

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-42616423540847703192010-02-07T21:45:00.003-06:002010-02-09T10:11:22.483-06:00

I found some hand-me-downs. I think they were from the old Army-Navy store on Congress downtown. One is a chino twill tan workshirt, cotton and polyester, made in the U.S.A., brand HIT EM HARD. I find nothing on line about this registered brand. The other is a poplin tan workshirt, all cotton, made in the U.S.A., brand Creighton, green lettering on label. I still find a maker of uniforms called

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-61535557158636048432010-02-02T20:34:00.000-06:002010-02-03T08:45:52.182-06:00

"Planish" came floating up into the counscious mind. I'm always trying to think of possible one-word domain names, but I'm beginning to believe that they've all been taken. Certainly, this one has been. How did this word first come into my vocabulary? I'm speculating that it was via Johnny Tremaine (by Esther Forbes). The copy that I read was on somebody else's shelves, and it still had its dust

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-1452186995560119452010-02-01T18:07:00.002-06:002010-02-02T16:11:16.795-06:00

There are more and more hyacinth leaves appearing, and visible in the center of the first-appearing rings of leaves are flower stalks. These are not so full as they are some years, but they're not going to be scanty, either. We continue to see more and more flowers on the English peas, and more and more Grand Primo and Montopolis narcissi shooting up flower stalks and delighting us with clusters

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3054930.post-33495443237045283492010-01-31T15:18:00.003-06:002010-01-31T16:08:24.695-06:00

Well; perhaps we should call them "intentions." Instead of reading mostly works from past eras and not for the first time. I've exposed myself to some of the book-club perennials of the past few years and didn't think much of them. The three best books read thus far are Little Bird of Heaven (Joyce Carol Oates), Cloudsplitter (Russell Banks), and Old Filth (Jane Gardam). The links go to fair and

Rantornoreply@blogger.com0