The Felling of Tithonia 1-2-3

Remember that Tithonia that was just wrong? Too tall and no blooms and a rampant gangly thing? Well, after several recent rain falls and ever-skyward aspirations, I deemed it had gone too far, with too little result. I chopped down three in one bed, and three in another. Look at the size of the hole that monster left when I yanked it from the ground! I felt like Paul Bunyan.

Here's the mighty pile of leaves that resulted from my handiwork. And you know what? I sure don't miss them! The asters and dahlias and other denizens of this particular border seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

This is a shot for scale: Jules is a medium to large retriever mix and that pile of plant is big. Bob measured one out at at least 9 feet! I did leave one alone, to see if it would actually throw a few late season blooms. But here it is, September 26th and not a bud in sight. I did manage to knab a few seed heads from the Tithonia growing- and flowering!- in front of a local real estate agent's office. Next year I hope to have the real thing and not this mutant pretender!

Population Explosion

That's my "artistic" shot for the day... sorry! I'll get out of the way now. (I do enjoy these shots of me in the picture, casting a shadow. I have a whole series- unintentionally! in my blog history).
Bob discovered a wild colony of mushrooms inhabiting a tree stump (oak?) in our horse pasture. He called my attention to it and I got the camera. There's hundreds of them.

They look like foam or alien life forms or fake! Neither Bob nor I are mushroom experts and so while Bob is tempted to think they're edible, he's smart enough to resist the urge to gnosh and die. My grandmother, who lived to be late 90 something, frequently went mushroom harvesting in the woods behind her home. They didn't kill her! But I wouldn't recommend it unless very certain of what's what. Some venerable mushroom expert just died a few years back from a single "mistake".
Here's another shot; an overview.

And there's more! Several other near-by stumps sported the same colonies and there were little satellite 'shrooms heading off in lovely drifts, following the buried and decaying root systems. They remind me of the arms of spiraling galaxies... or Bob's sculpture! I am of course referencing "Quartz Migration".

Glue Factory Here We Come!

I often make temporary pastures for Crispin out on the lawn. I make sure to check up on him a few times a day to be certain he hasn't escaped or "gotten in trouble" or, well... died. Witness the above photo- down for the count! The first time I caught him napping like this, I thought I'd killed him like he'd eaten poisonous lawn ingredients or something. Horses have notoriously sensitive digestive systems. But he was merely getting a bit of shut eye. (He is fortunate to be so relaxed! Very unusual for him!!)
He was actually snoring and twitching like some gigantic dog. I went back to the house, secured the camera, snuck over to him and snapped the below sequence. I think he was basking in the wonderful warm late summer sun...

He woke up and shook off his sleepiness, much as you or I would do...

All 900 or so pounds of horse rolled to one side and then rocked back...

Sort of centered himself and then...

lurched to his feet, looking very pleased with his little snooze.
Too bad that Crispin and I have had such a rocky relationship! But we're like the classic couple in which neither partner is bad but together it just doesn't work anymore. I am hoping that I have arranged a good conclusion.
On Wednesday a woman that I met who owns a horse farm is bringing me another horse, Maggie by name. Crispin is going back to Dayville in her place, perhaps as a beautiful and lasting solutionculminating in equal exchange. I think Crispin will be happier with other horses around, in a "school" setting, where there is order and routine. I think he needs a secure environment. I am really hoping that Maggie the Horse is destined to become my little trail buddy. I'll let you know what happens!

What Time is it Anyway?

A favorite pass time when I can't sleep is to play on the computer and make blog entries.( I'm obviously being ironic as not sleeping is definitely not my idea of a good time!)  But Bob read somewhere that the worst thing anyone can do is attempt to force sleep on one's self and it is preferable to get up and do another activity such as read.
I therefore find myself looking at redundant emails and yesterday's Facebook messages and staring at the clock. And that leads to the point (if there is one) of this blog posting.
For the past month or so, I have experienced an odd and remarkable phenomenon: whenever i check the time, it's a symmetrical reading as in the above. At work the other afternoon, it was 3:33 when I looked. In the kitchen on Sunday morning, it was 11:11. When I awoke this morning, unable to return to sleep, it was 1:11. And now it's 2:22.
Doesn't mean a bloody thing, but it's interesting!

Love Me or Leaf Me

I confess that I'm plant addicted. I readily admit that I can't pass by a nursery or garden center or even a building supply emporium or grocery store without wondering if they have a particular cultivar or a sale on plant material. I have a serious problem; ask Bob. I experience physical symptoms like sweaty palms and rolling eyes and the only relief comes from purchase. I'll buy almost any plant and give it a good home.
But today it occurred on me that it isn't always about buying the plant to plant it; I think my issue is weirder. I like to drive around with plants in the car with me. Witness the above picture.
I immediately felt better- nay, elated- when I spotted this Cytisus scoparius "Moonlight" at an Agway on the way to visit my mother. Boy, will that look good in my new garden bed and even better, it likes dry soils AND it's 60% off. I lugged my find out to the car and strapped it in and we were off.
With my new found friend and co-pilot, I somehow felt on a mission. I was showing it a good time and giving it a taste of the bigger world before it came to live in our garden. The plant gave me an oxygen-enriched environment in which to ride out a serious traffic slow-down, a sort of rolling green house. Plants pretty much stay in the same spot once you bring them home. But on the way to your house, they're quite congenial travel companions. They never contradict you or offer critiques on your driving abilities. And how often does anyone think to simply take them for a spin? Personally, I think they enjoy it.

What We Did Over the Summer Part 1

(And no, it wasn't taking a long and leisurely vacation to some fabulous seaside resort!)

Here's a picture of a hole in the side of our house. Unlike many that I have shared with you, this hole was intentional. Allow me to share the details...
Last year, we were so preoccupied with the devastatingly harsh and prolonged winter weather that we never considered that we'd have a summer, complete with hot, steamy nights. Besides, we were contemplating the construction of our chimney which would facilitate heating the house. So, ideas about how to handle the heat just seemed to consist of us moaning just how really truly HOT the bedroom became in June and July and August. We kept reiterating as to how we really should do something. Like install an air conditioner.
But that's not so simple as we have exceptionally narrow windows. Very narrow and they're all the same size, so standard air conditioning units were out of the question. (We even have a million year old air conditioner that we could have used, had the windows cooperated). We did investigate free-standing units, but they were pricey and we'd heard not very efficient. Bob and I actually spent several especially uncomfortable nights dragging blankets and sheets and sleeping bags downstairs to my studio, as it was the coolest room in the house with the door opening directly onto the garden. But who wants to buy a house and then have to sleep on the floor?
But that was last year. This year, we suffered through a few stuffy, brain-damage-inducing nights before resolving to DO SOMETHING. That something entailed calling our good friend Joe (aka Richmond) and asking whether he'd lend a hand in the air conditioner installation event. He saved our lives.

So on the fourth of July, no less, on one of the hottest days, Bob and Joe knocked a hole in the wall of our bedroom and installed an air conditioning unit that Joe had rescued from a house clean out he had worked on. Joe's always such a good sport and he's generous with time and energy. (You will remember that he and Bob built 90% of the chimney. I helped with the low end/underground part!)

It works like a charm. We have been able to perform simple tasks (like think!) when the temperatures soar and even Jules the Dog waits outside the bedroom door on hot days. Systems that heat and cool are so essential to a life worth living!

Post Party Posting

Well I am happy to report that the party Bob and I gave was a smashing, rousing success! Wonderful, well attired (matching striped togs no less!) interesting denizens of our art world (and beyond) milled and mingled on our manicured lawns, consuming red wines and white and sampling exotic dishes in plastic bowls. To a one, the reports of fun had and conversations indulged in were all raves.

This morning, I crept outside a bit later than "normal" (about 6:oo typically) and began to document the waste laid and the piles left. there were some impressive remains.  I like the aftermath of a good social function!

I also perversely enjoy the accidental marriage of the edible and the not. My studio table bore some pretty handsome mash-ups.

Several outdoor chairs bore mute testimony to the post-party tiredness that overcomes us. Bob and I (and even Jules the Dog) snuck upstairs for a well-deserved nap this afternoon.

Today's Event

In just a few hours, these chairs (and many others) will contain people- the people stylish and savvy enough to attend our End of Summer Party. It is perfect weather: dry, warm and sunny and the long weekend gives us an extra day to recover afterwards!
Friends aversion to "rsvping" is puzzling. We discussed that with our good friend Roberta at her (and Phillip's) delightful garden party of several weeks past. I inquired as to how many people were slated to attend and Roberta replied that she had no idea! This is typical and unfortunate as it makes planning problematic. Is a single bottle of beer sufficient? Or should one spring for the six pack? I am not an imbiber of beer, so this is a moot point but you get my drift. We can only take a deep breath and hope that "pot luck" means something... When I was asked how many people were attending, I posited "Somewhere between 10 and 1000". I thinks that's reasonable/
In any event, the yard looks great and I'm certain that a good time will be had by all.