Ta-da! The first-ever flower from my white (really pink) Thanksgiving cactus! This is the one that blog reader Frances sent me as a cutting a couple of years ago. It's never bloomed before now, but it looks like it will have several flowers this season -- at least three. Doesn't it look like it's leaning into the wind? Sort of like a Rolls-Royce hood ornament.
I got a couple of minor tasks accomplished yesterday morning. I put the last of the dahlias in the shed for the winter, and I also inspected the gutter over our front door. When we get a heavy rain, that thing is like Niagara Falls on the front porch, and I thought maybe it was blocked with leaves. I've certainly never cleaned it out. But surprisingly, it's leaf-free, so I guess it just can't quite handle all the water coming off the roof sometimes.
I read some more Dickens and of course, I walked the dog.
We went to the cemetery, where Olga paused near the grave of Russian Grand Duke Michael Michaelovitch and his wife. (We've talked about them before.) I love that bright orange/brown tree lit up by the sun.
The other day when I was walking Olga around the corner, I saw some debris from a building lying on the sidewalk. It looked to me like it had fallen, and it wasn't a small amount -- some bricks and mortar and decorative cornice. Sure enough, I read in the paper yesterday that it struck a woman and almost injured her baby. I've heard of this happening elsewhere and we've seen it around here before too, but never so close to home. The dangers of living around old buildings, I guess.
Anyway, after our cemetery walk, I ate a left over fortune cookie with my coffee. (We only got one cookie with our last order of take-away Chinese, for some reason.)
To which Dave replied, "F*** off!"
28 comments:
Pleased to see that you finally have a flower! I have just commented on Jennifer's blog about you hoping you would get flowers on your new plant! Mine is blooming beautifully at the moment.
Looks like you have a flowering cactus thumb (as opposed to the green one we know you have). I think that’s because you are very expressive & positive in words, act & feeling.
That debris is a bit worrying. How old are these buildings? I wonder if they were shook up in the Blitz or if wild weather is taking its toll. Stay out of range please.
My hometown that I grew up on a farm south of was full of old brick buildings lining Main Street. Then sometimes after I was in high school, they just started falling down into piles of bricks on random occasions. Nobody was ever hurt as they were usually deserted long before then. The city would put up a safety fence around the pile and sometime later, sometime years later, they would get the pile cleaned up in time for another one to come crashing down. I don't know when the last one finally fell but it was probably a couple decades ago. Not a single one of those brick buildings still stand and as a result, our Main Street looks more like a road going through a park than the heart of town. But when you only have 400 people or less in town, it probably isn't that surprising.
I hope that Olga didn't make a wee-wee or a poo-poo at the grave of Russian Grand Duke Michael Michaelovitch and his wife.
I think we used to call those a Christmas Cactus? They are nice in bloom, but take ages to flower.
What Dickens are you reading? I am never sure I like him, and then I get caught up...
I took my Oscar for a first walk since his accident and was overcome with joy that he's coming through - how they get under our skin.
I think had Carlos gotten that fortune I would have responded like Dave!
And, did you ask Dave: Jealous much?
And did he offer you a knuckle sandwich? You know, with him being a chef and all!
LOL sorry ... I just couldn't help myself!
Have a peaceful Sunday!
Well, Dave's response made me laugh. The joys of long term relationships. We have a section of gutter on the house between two peaks where that happens too hard rain just overwhelms the gutter.
That is a lovely flower.
Thank you and Dave for the first laugh of the morning. "F*** off." Perfect.
Love seeing that cactus flower blooming. It is so beautiful. You really are quite the gardener.
I've heard that many people die yearly in Cuba from buildings just collapsing. There has been no money or materials for so many years to do repairs and maintenance. But I guess that buildings can and do just give up after a certain amount of time.
Dave and I have similar mind sets and vocabularies, obviously.
Austerity hits the fortune cookie dispersal- not a good sign.
Dave is my kind of human!
Is the downspout plugged? That's often the issue here.
Dave's response made me laugh out loud.
That bloom is very pretty as is the tree at the cemetery.
Of course I only know you from what you share on this blog, but I think the fortune fits you perfectly! Then again, Dave knows you better than I do. 😉
I also have a "Christmas" cactus that has lots of blooms. I've had it for 5 - 10 years and it finally started blooming last year after I took over the watering.
I envy your ability with the cacti. I buy them, their blossoms promptly fall off, and then they die. Rinse, repeat.
Steve: I had not heard "mackerel sky" before but I looked it up and it means the same thing. Maybe "washboard" is an old midwest term. I learned something new.
That flower is gorgeous -- the pink! Your fortune cookie story cracks me up --
Dave Is A Classic - Olga Girl Looks Great - And No Bricks Bouncing Off The Noggin
Cheers
I was going to say that the fortune was surprisingly accurate, then I read Dave's comment - ha!
The flower is lovely! I'm glad it decided to grace you with its presence.
I am glad the woman and her baby were okay. That was a close one! Reminds me of that building collapse in Florida in 2021. How can cities keep track of all the old buildings! Seems impossible to do!
I think the fortune cookie better describes Dave. He is certainly expressive in words!
I have a Thanksgiving cactus, from my mum, and it's quite pretty right now, lots of blooms despite the cat who likes to pull them off.
I read the article, that poor woman. She's so lucky she wasn't hurt worse and especially lucky her baby wasn't hurt.
The Christmas cactus flower is so beautiful!
Frances: Yes! I was so glad one of them opened! And now I assume the others will too.
Mitchell: I think the cacti only care if I'm expressive with water and sunlight.
Boud: I think it's something that happens especially in damp weather -- which we've been having a lot lately. Dampness loosens the old mortar and seeps into cracks and things come crashing down.
Ed: I've heard that's a common phenomenon in some of those small midwestern towns that are now so depopulated. Sad!
YP: They wouldn't mind.
Bike Shed: I'm reading "Great Expectations." I think a Christmas cactus is slightly different from a Thanksgiving cactus, blooming later and having a slightly different leaf shape. But yeah, I think in the past they were all called Christmas cacti.
Bob: A little cynicism is healthy. :)
Marcia: Ha! Dave cooks up a lot of food but never a knuckle sandwich, fortunately.
Ellen: It think there may be something in the downspout.
Robin: Fortunately they're very easy to grow.
Ms Moon: I've heard that too. I think building collapses are especially likely in damp climates like Cuba (and England!). Water is the enemy.
Linda Sue: Who ever thought we'd see Fortune Cookie austerity?!
Margaret: I think it's very likely. I have no idea how to clear that out, though! I may have to call someone.
Sharon: Dave is quite the card. I don't know where I first learned "mackerel sky." Funny how language works!
Kelly: I have my cynical moments, which I carefully shield from my blog readers. :)
Red: Are you giving it more water, or less? I water mine roughly once a week.
Allison: Well, the blossoms DO fall off after not very long. But they shouldn't die! My salmon cactus is struggling a bit, to be honest.
Elizabeth: Dave is always good for a one-liner.
Padre: No, thankfully!
Bug: Well, maybe Dave was talking about himself! LOL!
Ellen D: Especially in a city like London where buildings are often 100 years old or more. What made that Florida collapse so appalling was the building was only 30-something years old!
Merlot: You should have seen his expression!
Pixie: Yeah, she really was lucky. When I lived in NYC I remember people occasionally being killed by falling cornices.
River: Whether Christmas or Thanksgiving, I agree!
Dave is an educator with a rare ability to know when to cut to the chase. But I'd never have thought that he'd get that aroused over one missing fortune cookie.
Love the fortune cookie! And boy -- that falling debris is a bit scary!
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