It's azalea time in our garden. The one above is my favorite -- I love that color. It's in a part of the flowerbed that the dog loves to bulldoze through and every year I'm afraid that she's trampled it, but somehow it always survives.
I'm not sure whether this is an azalea or a rhododendron, but it's an unusual color. The flowers always look slightly crinkly.
And then there's this one, which we keep in a pot in one of the flowerbeds. We got it at the beginning of our first pandemic lockdown, when the local garden center was closing and giving away its plants, and it always has two distinctly different flowers -- some deep pink and some with white edges. I think it may actually be two plants. Believe it or not, it's hard to tell. This may be its best blooming year so far.
I had to go to the hospital yesterday morning for a routine blood test. My phlebotomist was from South Asia somewhere and he was very talkative. He told me that although no one likes needles, "this pain is from God," whatever that means. I suppose because it serves a positive purpose? Not very comforting from my perspective, but he was skilled with the needle and didn't cause much pain, hamdu'llah.
He was also very intrigued by the spelling of my name (Stephen), and whether it was pronounced "steffen" or "steven." I told him it was steven and he asked whether my parents or my teacher gave it to me. I said my parents, obviously, and he said in his country the teachers sometimes determine the spelling of a student's name, because the students and their families are illiterate. When the kid says his name, the teacher writes it down and BOOM, that's how it's spelled.
All my life I have been faced with the steffen-vs-steven question. When I was a kid, especially, none of my classmates could fathom why my name was spelled with a PH but pronounced like a V. Even my teachers were never sure. Hence, my shortening it to Steve. My mother never warmed to the shorter version and called me Stephen all her life, as do all of my immediate family, but to everyone else I'm Steve. Apparently I should sign up for blood tests as Steve too!
All I know of rhododendrons and azaleas is that rhododendrons are bigger, less dense, and the flowers look like bundles at the ends of the stems. The orange one sure fits that last description. I love that color. I had classmates named Steven, Stephen, and Stephan when I was a kid. Stephan was pronounced Steffen and the other two were pronounced Steven. I would imagine the spelling could be an annoyance to the owner, like Geoffrey instead of Jeffrey when people insist on pronouncing it Joffrey. I’ve always had people wanted to call me Michael and not Mitchell. A common problem in Spain, but surprisingly common in the States, too.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young I used to think it was Step-Hen, but I soon learned different.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your first name, perhaps you should consider changing it to something else. You could have a competition and voting on this very blog. I am going to suggest Liam which is currently the top boy's name in America but having a name that complements your surname would be a novel idea... Common Reed (Phragmites australis).
ReplyDeleteBoth spellings are common here and you can't guess the spelling, as in Gerry/Jerry or Jeffery/Geoffrey. I can't see how your name could be mispronounced by seeing it. You didn't get called Stephanie at school?
ReplyDeleteThere's no end to how people can get names wrong. I'm often called Lisa. No idea why.
ReplyDeleteThat orange plant looks like a rhododendron a friend used to grow. He bred and and developed them as a hobby.
My family and friends called me Elizabeth. My stepdad Liz. I never went for Lizzie which a couple of people attempted. I've only ever seen Stefan or Stephan for that name and every Steve I've known has been Stephen.
ReplyDeleteYour unique plant from the pandemic and the hospital encounter about your name's pronunciation both highlight the small, memorable moments in life that bring a deeper understanding of personal history and cultural difference
ReplyDeleteI guess because I am native to this country, I have never questioned the pronunciation of Stephen. Our language is full of pronunciation quirks and this is just one of many.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were coming up with names for our children, one of my only rules was that when asked what their name was, nobody would have to ask how to spell it. I didn't want them plagued with that as I see many who have to always spell their names after giving them to someone.
My name is Josef, it gets misspelled all the time as "Joseph".
ReplyDeleteYour flame azalea (that's what my plant ID says it is) looks very much like the one I have which is a native azalea here. Or wild azalea. But definitely azalea which, are all varieties of rhododendrons as far as I can tell. Whatever, it is beautiful, just as whether Stephen or Steven, you are Steve and also beautiful in your very own soul way.
ReplyDeletei've never queried Stephen/Steven either.
ReplyDeleteYour azaleas are beautiful. There are many in our neighbourhood, as well as rhododendrons. The forestry workers and volunteers have worked hard in recent years to overcome the invasive rhododendrons and open up the woodlands.
What an interesting conversation you had with the phlebotomist. It reminds me that a young girl I work with has only one name. She was born in India I believe. Our systems require two names so they put "fnu" in place of the first name. It stands for first name unknown. I had never seen that done before.
ReplyDeleteI love all the blooms in your garden!
The flowers are gorgeous. I've never been able to pull off an azalea but I love them. Suh a burst of color in early spring. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone called "Steffen" except in an occasional movie but know of loads of "Stephen" and "Steven" people. I wonder if he thinks Stephen Spielberg is Steffen Spielberg? Interesting about the name spelling, much like early immigration records.
ReplyDeleteThe flowers are so lovely, Steve. I love those vibrant colors!
ReplyDeleteOne of my grandson's name is Stephen and he is always called Stephen.
Such beautiful flowers regardless of what they are!
ReplyDeleteNames are curious things ... mine is usually pronounced as Marsha, however, I pronounce mine as Mar-see-ah!
Stephen is Steffin- Like Stephanie. But your blood doesn't care- Steve, Steven, Stephen- all the same. I get asked to spell my name, the simplest name ever invented- some folks are not sure- "Is that with a "Y" or an "I"?
ReplyDeleteThe Azalea in the pot is the prettiest EVER!
I've always wondered about the Steven-Steffen spelling. Keith gets mangles sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize you were a Stephen. The English language is a confusing, complicated language.
ReplyDeleteThose azaleas are gorgeous.
Your flowering shrubs are outstanding bloomers. The flower with the white stripe on the petal edge is most unusual. I've seen lilies that look like it. It's exotic and a keeper.
ReplyDeleteOlga bulldozing through the shrubs makes me laugh. They always spring back so it's not so bad. My Caesar lays on shady garden spaces and at 150 lbs., I've lost a few plants but only for one season. The dog's rule. No question there.
I remember once (answering phones and doing customer service) a man called and gave his first name as 'Quits'. I told him it was an unusual name and asked him if he was the youngest. He was so tickled that I got it so quickly. He was the youngest of 12 and his mama called it quits after he was born.
ReplyDeleteOur azaleas bloomed like mad this year and now they're done. I miss all that color.
ReplyDeleteI think that Azaleas are deciduous...and smaller...
ReplyDeleteYour orange azalea looks very much like the Flame Azalea we have in our garden. Ours is deciduous.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin is named Stephen and I have never thought about any alternative pronunciation. Sometimes my first name gets people tongue tied.
Rhodies are bigger but azaleas are a type of them, so ?? I love the orange one; I'm a huge fan of that color. My only rhody is called Old Copper and it's coral/orangish with a pink throat. I've never thought to pronounce Stephen as Steffen but perhaps that's a cultural thing?
ReplyDeleteI love azaleas and I love that orange, but have never seen one that color around here (and I live in the south where azaleas dominate!!). Did you see the post with my daughter's azaleas last week? They were stunning.
ReplyDeleteStephan can be pronounced "stef-AHN" like Steve Urkel's alter-ego! 😂
I’d say the orange is more azalea
ReplyDeleteOkay, I learned so much today. Azaleas are part of the rhododendron family? Wikipedia agrees: azaleas are in the genus Rhododendron. Stephen is not automatically pronounced Steven by everyone? I searched for "ph" pronounced as "v" and found virtually nothing, so the question was completely understandable, so why did I never wonder about that? Lastly, teachers determine the spelling of kids names in some places? Well, it's certainly practical, but maybe also sad, but maybe also hopeful, because at least the kids are in school and have a better chance to know how to spell their own children's names if/when they have kids. This has been a highly informative post - thank you for that :)
ReplyDeleteJudy said today that it's time to head out and buy some herbs, some flowers and some tomato plants! I was so happy, thinking maybe this was the year that it was not to be. But you can't keep a good gardener down. She said the tomato plant(s) may counteract the ridiculous tariffs on Mexican vegetables.
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