Our white Japanese anemones are finally blooming. Normally they flower right around the start of the school year -- Dave and I always joke that's how we know it's time to go back to work. This year, they're a month behind. It's a good thing we didn't go by their calendar -- we'd have been fired.
And while doing a quick search to make sure I hadn't already blogged about white anemones this year, I came across this post from last October. Can you BELIEVE how good my dahlias looked? And at that time of year?
In order to absorb the full impact of that photo you'd have to see what they look like now, and frankly I'm ashamed to show you. Several I've cut back entirely, and the others have scraggly-looking stems that until yesterday were loaded with dead leaves on their lower parts. I know I've said this before, but I let them dry out too much this year, partly because of crappy compost.
A couple of them are still blooming, like the "Dalaya Dark Aruna" variety that I also showed you about a week ago, but you can see the cursed powdery mildew on the leaves.
OK, I know I'm getting repetitive, and I'm sure you're thinking WILL YOU SHUT UP ABOUT THE DAHLIAS ALREADY. Sorry about that. I just can't believe what a dismal year they've had, and after I laboriously repotted most of them in the spring!
I harvested not only a couple more tomatoes but also our miniature mandarin orange yesterday. The orange was about the size of a large-ish gumball, the kind that used to stain our teeth blue when we were kids. I cut it open and Dave and I each had half. It was about the sourest little thing I've ever eaten -- more like a lemon with a whiff of orange aroma. It would have made a better cocktail garnish than a snack.
I finished "City of Night" yesterday, so that's finally off the table. I also read a New Yorker profile of Pam Bondi that I've been meaning to get to, since she's from my hometown and we have friends in common. (It sounds so weird, to think I have friends in common with the Attorney General of the United States, though I don't think they're still friends with her.) We both attended the same university at the same time so it's entirely possible I crossed paths with her there, but if so I don't remember it. My parents would almost certainly have known her father, since they all worked at the university. She grew up in a household of Democrats and I think most people are mystified by her hard-right turn. Many seem to chalk it up to ambition more than any deeply held personal convictions.
Speaking of the White House, Dave and I are watching "The Residence" on Netflix and enjoying it. I know we're a bit late to this comedic murder mystery but hey, better late than never. We're also watching "Platonic" on Apple TV, yet another Seth Rogen show. If you need some laughs -- and don't we all, nowadays -- both of these are good options.
Is it possible the mini mandarin is actually a cumquat? They are sour and often used to make marmalade. The earlier dahlias were glorious. But the current ones are still beautiful.
ReplyDeleteNo, I've had kumquats and they're sweeter than this was.
DeleteI‘ve been seeing The Residence on my list of recommendations on Netflix, too; maybe I‘ll start watching it when I return home (but I have to finish the 2nd series of Wednesday first).
ReplyDeleteIt's worth watching. Lots of good performances.
DeleteBoth the anemone and the dahlia are suffering because of water supply..how we garden has to change. And yes, compost with no heart in it is a problem..and anything with peat in a definite no no !
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to research what was the use of that specific type of mandarin...could be for oil... definitely for cooking
I realize peat is an ecological no-no, but compost producers are obviously struggling to find a workable substitute. Many peat-free composts are just not up to snuff.
Delete"Crappy" is one of my favourite brands. In fact, I have shares in the company.
ReplyDeleteRegarding dahlias and other flowering plants, you can bang on about them as much as you like as this is your blog and you can write about what you want... even Pam Barbie who is as qualified to be America's Attorney General as I am to be the CEO of "Crappy".
Just because I can write about them doesn't mean I should write about them, at least not if I want any readers. LOL
DeleteAs someone who grows fruits and vegetables, I know we can have terrific crops some years due to our care and the weather and other years, despite doing everything right, the crops can be less than par. I expect your dahlias follow the same path.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is so unusual for children brought up in certain families to turn in completely different directions as their parents. I know several kids of ministers that certainly aren't worthy of the cloth today. There are countless examples of the children/siblings of presidents going off in what might be considered embarrassing ways by their parents. I myself grew up in a family of a long line of farmers and neither my brother and I are farmers. So I don't find it to surprising that Bondi grew up in a house of liberals. I think there is something about raising children under a narrow (not sure this is the best word to use but I can't think of a better one right now) philosophy that causes them to reject that philosophy or at least seek other philosophies.
Yeah, some years are better than others for sure. I really think the combination of low rainfall and substandard compost was a twin evil this year.
DeleteAnd yes, young people seem predisposed to rebel against their parents.
I’ll be interested to read your opinion of The Residence after it’s done. That powdery mildew is definitely annoying. Hope you have more pleasure from the dahlias next year. Still, the flowers have been beautiful. It sounds like City of Night was in all, for you, simply something to finish.
ReplyDeleteOh, I enjoyed it overall. I just got frustrated with myself for taking so long to finish it! I was a little bothered by an apparent lack of progression in the lead character's internal journey up until the very end -- and that denouement, in which he wrestles with the ideas of love and vulnerability what he wants, seemed rather forced.
DeleteBondi works whatever side gets her somewhere; no soul, no conscience. When and if this regime implodes I imagine she'll be the first with a book to peddle.
ReplyDeleteIt is weird that you have friends in common with Pam Bondi. In my household, both my parents were Republicans. My sister and I are both Democrats and my brother is a Republican, but not a Trumper. I often wonder how my father would have viewed #45/47. I am just beginning to watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV, and I like it a lot. My sister told me that I would love the show, but it has taken me a bit of time to get around to watching it.
ReplyDeleteYou were brave to eat your homegrown mandarin. We've never tried ours, suspecting that they would be less than palatable.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we all need to rethink our gardening with the changes we're seeing.
ReplyDeleteMy dahlias are blooming again and it's ironic because, as you know, I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to gardening. I don't use special soil and sometimes I water too much or forget to water. But they are looking terrific! Quite a surprise to me. :)
ReplyDeleteI've always said that none of my children turned out to be Republicans or got into religion and so I have done my job! We're all raging liberals. And we vote.
ReplyDeleteSome years are just not good for some plants. I do believe that's true. I got about three carrots last year. Still, hope springs eternal and I bought another packet of seeds this year. And for whatever reason, our field peas have never been more prolific. The aphids have not bothered them and usually, they're all over the plants. So who knows?
Not me.
Ah. The grim satisfaction of finishing a book that was not not a joy to read. DONE!
My college roommate ended up being George W. Bush's Secretary of the Interior. How weird is that? She was also the state Attorney General for Colorado for awhile.
I got her stoned for the first time. She loved it. I have no idea how she turned into a Republican. She was quite vocally liberal in college. And here we are, back to becoming a Republican.