Well … so much for Summer.
Temperatures have cooled off a little more than a bit.
Last friday, as the heat spell began to break, Mark was sitting at the table downstairs gazing out the window to the north just after the sun came up and before the temperature began to rise. The north windows were open, as were the upstairs windows, and he noted that although there was no breeze blowing there was cool air flowing in via the north windows and most likely out the upstairs windows.
His observation made me smile. That was part of the heating/cooling system built into this house. Too bad the “envelope” house never seems to have caught on and been further developed.
I recall seeing pictures of a house somewhere in Scandinavia where the idea was taken to the extreme by actually building a house inside a greenhouse.
It is still a good idea. The concept worked for us for over forty years, although not perfectly … partially due to our lack of architectural training.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_envelope_house
But back to current weather.
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The volunteer rambling rose just outside the backdoor is coming into bloom. Small blossoms but such a vivid red.
I also have a two-toned bronze iris in bloom which came to me (by way of my friend Carole’s family’s gardens) from Red Bluff through Redding and finally from Carole’s place here on Hammond Ranch. Mark plans to take a few corms from those iris, as well as some of the “Michael” iris, to add to the iris bed at the church. I’m hoping to locate the black iris John gave me so it too can find a new home. Somehow the iris which was white with bright blue, thin “blanket” stitch edging which had been given to me by my Daddy’s cousin Isabel too many years ago to count, disappeared during the move north.
Oh well …
And so far no blossoms on the catalpa. Maybe it is deciding not to bloom this year.
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Last friday, after an unproductive day, I began watching a tv series titled “The Haunting of Bly Manor”. First episode was really scary.
Who has read Henry James’ “Turn of the Screw”? I found a way to read it on line … free, and am finding it difficult reading.
The lesson with the printed word may be to stop expecting today’s speakers and writers of “English” to write and speak by the rules of grammar which I learned in school more than seventy years ago because Henry James, who wrote in the late 1800s, wasn’t writing by those rules either.
Story evaluation will have to wait until I finish reading and watching this latest telly version.
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Last week I had an “Iris” adventure in addition to, or maybe because of, the previously mentioned involvement of Mark in expanding the iris collection at his church. Quite by accident I saw a photo of an iris, ostensibly taken in a garden somewhere west of Baltimore. It was striking! Shades of teal highlighted by shades of pink. Most of the time I am hyper-aware of PhotoShopped colours … but I know teal is one of Mark’s favorite colours. Naturally, I thought a start of that particular iris would make a nice gift for him and so started searching the web for access.
I researched all the iris corm retailers I could find … without success. As a last resort I turned to Facebook. There are “friends” I follow on Facebook who live on different continents in differing weather zones. Thinking the iris I was seeking might be specific to a certain area, I put out a broad ranging request asking if anyone had seen or knew of it. I used the snip and sketch feature to copy and post the picture I had seen.
I received several responses. Many people were intrigued. Many suggested I try some of the retailers I had already tried. But no one had a solid lead.
However, one of my contacts in the UK suggested a mail order source for which the address was in Nevada. They had the picture of the iris in their online “buymore” ad. It seemed a bit strange since they advertised “seeds” and I had never heard of raising iris from seeds. But I decided to give it a look (reminding myself to not give out personal information, especially not financial information).
When I called the phone number given, a recording said the number was either busy or out of order. I should try again later.
Another part of their online presence advertised “Cape Jasmine” seeds using a picture of what was obviously a gardenia bush.
Something was out of whack.
So I called a reliable iris garden in Oregon and was told they had never seen or heard of that colour in iris. Many hues and mixes of blues, purples, greens, yellow, reds, whites, etc. but nary a blue-green such as teal.
By then it was obvious I was on a wild goose chase but I was intrigued.
It turned out the Nevada site had copied the same PhotoShopped picture I had seen and added it to their scam site.
Final information … someone in China is running a fairly successful scam (judging from the negative comments from folks who invested hundreds of dollars in their “rare” seeds). They are using a legal mail forwarding site for their sales.
Oh well … it was an interesting way to spend an afternoon.
And by the way … iris can be grown from seeds. It is a complicated, tedious, and lengthy process employed mostly by dedicated hybridizers so there is the wild card chance that someday there will be a teal and pink iris.
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It seems last week was stuffed with adventures.
Have you ever heard of the Trocks, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo? They are an all male ballet company, all of whom are excellent dancers. They dance all the classic roles, i.e. both male and female roles (the ballerina roles are danced en pointe).
In addition, they are fun jokesters. They honor classical choreography but with tongue in cheek. Check out the high point of Swan Lake here …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcHxW82Eeik&ab_channel=LesBalletsTrockaderodeMonteCarlo
Well … (to quote a cousin)“long story short” as I head around the back forty to tell you this story …
The end of last week I discovered the Trocks will be doing a one-nighter in Palm Desert (near Palm Springs) next 31 January.
I have cousins who live in Palm Desert.
I was sure they’d be willing to get tickets for me (I’ll be living in southern California by then) so I emailed asking that when tickets go on sale …
Within minutes I got a reply … “We were just in time. Only six tickets now still available. We’re second row balcony.”
Seems a lot of folks know, or know of, the Trocks. Tickets sold out the first few days in June for a performance not until the end of January !
Reference here is EXCITEMENT.
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As you see, I have added pictures. I still need to learn how to size them.
It rained last night.
The new season of Miss Fisher’s Mysteries began monday on Acorn telly.
I may currently be in a manic phase, a mild manic phase.
However, as an excuse I offer …
The calendar recently said I am 91 … that’s not true. I am actually 19 with 72 years experience.
So ‘til next week …