tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77780349641113523932012-01-26T08:32:04.273-08:00Amateur Bot-ann-istAmateur Bot-ann-ist is not just a garden blog, it's a garden memoir.Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.comBlogger222125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-9579874996895079342012-01-25T13:34:00.000-08:002012-01-25T13:34:30.236-08:002012-01-25T13:34:30.236-08:00Wordless Wednesday: Family Time, California (near Sacramento)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-957987499689507934?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/sZgD4i1QEj4" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com6http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2012/01/wordless-wednesday-family-time.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-21071979325656666522012-01-23T23:57:00.000-08:002012-01-23T23:57:25.571-08:002012-01-23T23:57:25.571-08:00Garden Bloggers Fling, 2011 (Seattle): A Confessional Introduction to an Event Long Past<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>So, as winter creeps into our lives, my posts from the fling are on their way. In anticipation of the great <a href="http://www.gardenshow.com/">Northwest Flower & Garden Show</a>—the fantastic winter event in Seattle that my husband and I attend annually for Valentine's Day—I am posting these to not only get myself excited for next spring, but as a wintertime gift to anyone who happens upon them. </i></div>
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<i>(Additionally, the next <a href="http://gardenbloggersfling.blogspot.com/">Garden Bloggers Fling, 2012</a> will occur in Asheville NC from May 18th-May 20th and I encourage you to go if you are able to do so.)</i></div>
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This past summer I participated in the Garden Bloggers Fling in Seattle, WA. I'll be the first to admit it. It was a first for me, and and although I truly enjoyed the gardens, the plants, the people and the great conversations immensely, I wasn't completely sure what I was doing there. I'm still trying to figure that out now, and the length of time that this whole process has taken, is just, well, kinda ridiculous.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hummingbird in an Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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Here are a few of my most basic thoughts on the matter:<br />
<i>I am not a published garden writer. </i></div>
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<i>I do not write a well-known garden blog. </i></div>
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<i>I am not a garden journalist.</i></div>
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<i>My garden/(s) are neither glossy nor centerfold worthy, and last but not least—</i></div>
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<i>I do not work in the garden industry and do not blog for a company—let along a cause. </i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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Add to this the fact that many of my favorite garden, landscape and/or plant books come from the philosophy, art history, and/or critical theory sections of the bookstore and you really might begin to wonder about me. When I think of gardens, my mind quickly tends to move to land art—you know, stuff like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Jetty">Spiral Jetty</a> by Robert Smithson—and if not there, I mentally begin analyses of social context, race, class, gender, and all that stuff. Once those areas have been buzzed over I move immediately to botany and botanical books in order to catalog as many plants as I can in my mind to know where a garden, and garden designer, are coming from both geographically and stylistically. </div>
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If you're reading this, and you <i>really</i> know me, none of this will be revelatory. </div>
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Some folks may have already stopped reading this, and that's kinda the point I want to get to with all of this right now. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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I've been very slow though to provide any posts here about the Garden Bloggers Fling I attended, mainly because I simply did not understand the rush to do so at the time, and since I tend to think these things over far too long sometimes, I just didn't say anything. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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For me, rushing into grocery lists of plants and trying to say the words "lush", "green", and "beautiful" in as many different ways as I could conceive of just seemed really taxing. I've never been able to write filler and I deeply appreciate those who are able to do so without its unceasing monotony getting to them. I am such a contextualizer that it seems to take me longer and longer to weave together the treads of my garden experiences.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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Sitting on this whole Garden Bloggers experience was a good thing, and now that it's 2012, and I will be up in Seattle soon for the <a href="http://www.gardenshow.com/">Northwest Flower & Garden Show</a>, I'm ready to say what I do here, and how I define my garden blogging.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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I will say it here, and I'll say it loud and proud...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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<i><b>I don't write much about pretty, or perfect. I don't really like pretty or perfect. What I see are the complex social, societal, and emotional relationships between plants, the people who plant them, and the people who select, grow, promote and sell them. I look for the connecting points between information, personal experience, and business transactions and watch these created environments (gardens) as they evolve and as society, and its many stratum, both continue to inform and disrupt the tastes and desires of everyone involved in this complicated little dance—including myself. </b></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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So I hope my little Garden Blog Manifesto was as good for you as it was for me. Yup. I'm one of those. Who let the nerd out into the sunlight? The garden doesn't need any of this pollywuppos, right? </div>
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<i>Au contraire mon ami!</i> (I'm a nerd, remember?) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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One of the greatest works of literature in the Western cannon was a little French novella entitled <i>Candide.</i> Published in 1759, during the Age of Enlightenment, it was written by a man we now call by his pen name, Voltaire. This wildly satirical novel is full of a kind of wit that is rarely, if ever, seen today and at its end, the author of the text leave us with: <i>Il faut cultiver notre jardin.</i> ("We must cultivate our garden.")</div>
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Yes, that famous line, one which even today is still <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2006/nov/16/lost-in-translation/?pagination=false">wildly</a> debated as to its semantic meaning, has only served to remind me recently that as awkward as I feel sometimes in the world of garden bloggers, I belong here. Maybe I don't cultivate and perfect my own garden as often as many other garden bloggers, and I don't rave about designs, nor do I regularly tout the products of one company over another, but I think I am in line with Voltaire when I say about society—years after he wrote it—we <i>still</i> must cultivate our garden. (My husband just reminded me that I should go into Hegel at this point but I promise not to at this time—maybe at a later date when I'm really feeling it. Right now I need to pack for a week in California.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Unidentified 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling Location. Any guesses anyone?</td></tr>
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So that's how I roll, and that's how I <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog">blog</a>. It might not be for everyone, but I felt like I had to define this publicly because ever since the Garden Bloggers Fling I have felt unsure about a lot of what I was thinking, seeing, hearing, and reading—especially from disheartened bloggers I've enjoyed reading who want to throw in their garden writing t(r)owels.<br />
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There has been an attrition in the world of personal garden blogs and this has been occurring as we've simultaneously watched the rise of business/marketing/corporate blogs. Many of those left still writing personal garden blogs are doing so with the hope that somehow, someday, it will lead to monetization or acknowledgement in the form of a mention in a nation gardening magazine, or better yet, a book contract.<br />
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We've even watched as "personal" gardening blogs have become paid content for companies to use as a way to broaden their online presence. This has been an eyeopening experience—to say the least. It may also have been the last straw for this camel as she looked out across the desert landscape, unable to distinguish one branded garden blogger from another—especially since many of them are professional writers seeking to broaden their audiences even more.<br />
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I understand the democratization of this technological process—this is the information age after all—but I sometimes feel as though I am standing around waiting for the next train wreck. As bloggers continue to be held liable in court, and as the publishing and news industries are watching their own cannibalization online, it's kind of a mess around here.<br />
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Gardening should be about finding your voice, and so too should garden blogging. An inauthentic voice heard anywhere, even on a computer screen, should be pruned and composted. I think I went into all of this, and even the event in the Seattle, as a kind of litmus test, seeking my own authenticity and voice. Thanks to Seattle, I've found the voice I'm happy with, and I hope you too may find your own...<br />
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No matter what, I can assure you that there are so many garden bloggers out there you'll be able to find those writers eventually who will suit your taste, even if they aren't the preferred read of your neighbors.<br />
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Call me the Andy Rooney of garden blogging if you want, but personally, I'd much rather be the Anne Sexton of this genre—minus the suicide.</div>
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<b><i>Il faut cultiver notre jardin.</i> </b></div>
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<b>(We must cultivate our garden.)</b></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-2107197932565666652?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/yfwfKWjWcJg" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com6http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2012/01/garden-bloggers-fling-2011-seattle.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-3824750301201354142012-01-19T16:44:00.000-08:002012-01-19T16:44:04.498-08:002012-01-19T16:44:04.498-08:00Winter Awakening and an Assortment of Seeds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Winter snow visited our home and garden this week and I'm happy that it didn't stay for very long because it was really an unexpected event and we weren't prepared for guests. </div>
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It snowed a lot on Tuesday night (January 17th, 2012), and my excitement was remarkable—though I know not why—except to say that up until just last month I would not have been able to stay outside in such cold temperatures for that long. So maybe I do know the reason why, but it is such a personal reason, having more to do with my illness, that I feel I must explain.<br />
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As I write this, the movie <i>Awakenings</i> (1990) is playing on the television. Based on the British neurologist Oliver Sacks's memoir <i>Awakenings</i> (1973) it's a movie about a group of patients who awaken from their catatonic states after being given an experimental treatment in 1969, and over time, the drug that they're given stops being effective, and they return to their catatonia.<br />
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The mother of one of the patients describes never having asked, when her son was born, "Why? Why was my son born healthy?" But after his illness sets in later, she remarks to the doctors that she hasn't stopped asking, "Why? Why is my son unhealthy? Why?" Then she must watch as her son slowly returns to being catatonic again, unable to communicate at all, after having had him back so briefly.<br />
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Chronic illness follows this cycle, and it is for this reason that I garden and grow seeds, finding in their annual return and growth the false confidence that I need, and an additional natural comfort when I need it. Gardening keeps me far away from the Why? questions, and instead, the activity leaves me suspended in a healthy state of awe and speechlessness.<br />
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For the last few weeks I've felt alive again, and I've been afraid to note that here on my blog.<br />
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One of the reasons why is that I am afraid it won't last for very long. I have lived with many chemical windows both opening and closing much like the patients in the film, though not nearly so dramatically, and I live with the ongoing dread that I will run out of options. For the last few weeks I have been doing much better than I have in about 5 years and it scares me. I must admit too that I have been living, and that means I've not been here so much, and that I've been having fun and I've been enjoying the winter and time spent with my husband.<br />
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Taking pictures of the snow at 11pm was just the kind of activity I needed. It filled me with a funny kind of joy and I looked around at the dark homes of our neighbors and wondered why they weren't out there too—just as excited as I was at that hour—and I realized then that my mood had more to do with my most recent "awakening"than anything else. These are often the joyful moments we spend by ourselves and that's alright I suppose, I just hope that all of you remember to have them too.<br />
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So yesterday the snow melted, and while keeping warm, I finally began my last seed sorting session for the 2011 harvest. Maurice the cat felt like helping too so I let him spend some time with me on the floor while I sorted all of the paper bags and poured the seeds out onto paper plates.<br />
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All of the seeds are now out in the open and I am so happy that I am able to capture them all in one shot. This is only 1/8th or less of what I collected last year so this really is a big deal for me to be so near the end.<br />
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Some of these are from the wild and some are from gardens. How I figured them all out, when some had no plant ID at all, is still a mystery to me. If they're without a name I have no one to blame but myself.<br />
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I just cannot believe that the process is beginning again, since I feel as though I've just woken up a bit myself, and although I am a bit terrified that this new medication may fail me, the garden must grow on and so must I. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-382475030120135414?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/p-i41OkEFpo" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com7http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2012/01/winter-awakening-and-assortment-of.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-54122499622779240982012-01-11T17:09:00.000-08:002012-01-11T17:10:41.883-08:002012-01-11T17:10:41.883-08:00Wordless Wednesday: Some Final Winter Celebration Images<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUsHvUA_2LU/Tw4vek2A98I/AAAAAAAACys/rwrxw-1tcwo/s1600/IMG_6889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUsHvUA_2LU/Tw4vek2A98I/AAAAAAAACys/rwrxw-1tcwo/s400/IMG_6889.JPG" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Epiphany ikebana.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l03WJZKQhps/Tw4vpCTc3sI/AAAAAAAACy0/eU_kJ_yKOck/s1600/IMG_6902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l03WJZKQhps/Tw4vpCTc3sI/AAAAAAAACy0/eU_kJ_yKOck/s400/IMG_6902.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first King Cake was a hit.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sbAA-j0v2Mk/Tw4v0cAO_eI/AAAAAAAACy8/cE5U1WQWSVE/s1600/IMG_6910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sbAA-j0v2Mk/Tw4v0cAO_eI/AAAAAAAACy8/cE5U1WQWSVE/s400/IMG_6910.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A final holiday arrangement.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FGUNSceHgO4/Tw4v7UCIfII/AAAAAAAACzE/ftULerbVPMg/s1600/IMG_6913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FGUNSceHgO4/Tw4v7UCIfII/AAAAAAAACzE/ftULerbVPMg/s400/IMG_6913.JPG" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two happy but very tired people. </td></tr>
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-5412249962277924098?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/rs6aCpx5s5w" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com5http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2012/01/wordless-wednesday-some-final-winter.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-84264363250000804142012-01-05T01:42:00.000-08:002012-01-05T18:53:15.173-08:002012-01-05T18:53:15.173-08:00The Famous Garden Lady (from Digging Deeper: a Series of Gardening Micro-Stories)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QzqfJ33rI80/TwVsJ6K3-2I/AAAAAAAACyE/0n5ZI5JzaCg/s1600/602px-Egon_Schiele_090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="635" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QzqfJ33rI80/TwVsJ6K3-2I/AAAAAAAACyE/0n5ZI5JzaCg/s640/602px-Egon_Schiele_090.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stilisierte Blumen vor dekorativem Hintergrund, Stilleben, 1908<br />
(Stylized flowers before decorative background, still life) by Egon Schiele</td></tr>
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She said she wouldn't listen to the two women unless the word <i>Clematis</i> was pronounced <i>Clem-uh-tis</i> and not <i>Cluh-MAAA-tis</i>.<br />
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(Prescriptivist linguistics do not belong in gardening conversations thought the younger woman. Gardeners—by their very nature—should always be descriptivists, but she didn't want to tangle with the famous garden lady in the tall golden grass surrounding them.)<br />
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The older woman remarked that she didn't want to be confused by having too many <i>Clem-uh-tis</i> vines from too many pruning groups in her large garden because they were too difficult to remember. The famous garden lady became livid and mean. Her face caught fire quickly—matching the chaotic hair crowning her head. </div>
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She barked at the two women, "I refuse to continue speaking to ANYONE who is so prejudiced about <i>Clem-uh-tis</i> vines and their pruning schedules. That is simply<i> ridiculous</i> and I don't have time for this." As she'd been speaking, she appeared to the younger woman to look like hundreds of tiny little firecrackers writhing on the pavement and then it was over. Much like the fireworks, she'd simply burned herself out.<br />
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The two women walked back to the gravel parking lot. Both were a bit shellshocked from the senseless explosion. The older woman crumbled when they reached the car. She'd just finished suffering the humiliation of cancer and had not expected another gardener to be so unkind.</div>
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"You don't treat people like that," she said.</div>
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"That was uncalled for," said the other woman. "You don't even treat plants like that."<br />
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To this day, both women continue to happily garden, and they still call the vines <i>Cluh-MAAA-tis</i> vines.</div>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-8426436325000080414?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/L6QX8ysJ-IU" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com2http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2012/01/digging-deeper-monthly-garden-writing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-48241768484390001802012-01-04T16:50:00.000-08:002012-01-04T16:50:39.829-08:002012-01-04T16:50:39.829-08:00Wordless Wednesday: Self-Portrait of a Gardener in Winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ENTi60s4abs/TwTxR6zoGOI/AAAAAAAACxQ/HKdyko5rpo4/s1600/IMG_6801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ENTi60s4abs/TwTxR6zoGOI/AAAAAAAACxQ/HKdyko5rpo4/s640/IMG_6801.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rearranging houseplants. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w6zMoBNqTgQ/TwTxcJMRQhI/AAAAAAAACxg/jvesenr26QE/s1600/IMG_6806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w6zMoBNqTgQ/TwTxcJMRQhI/AAAAAAAACxg/jvesenr26QE/s640/IMG_6806.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with nature.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uWgtu8J0DHw/TwTxtRdrTJI/AAAAAAAACxw/L4aegDRXjjc/s1600/IMG_6820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uWgtu8J0DHw/TwTxtRdrTJI/AAAAAAAACxw/L4aegDRXjjc/s640/IMG_6820.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ripping out the carpet in the office. Making houseplants happy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RSdNSnybi98/TwTx691hhyI/AAAAAAAACx4/5uHCZtDoUUQ/s1600/IMG_6821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RSdNSnybi98/TwTx691hhyI/AAAAAAAACx4/5uHCZtDoUUQ/s640/IMG_6821.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making more ikebana for my other blog: A Year of Ikebana.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-htiXN52KYqc/TwTxWz34TKI/AAAAAAAACxY/KPpk_qL5hyY/s1600/IMG_6802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-htiXN52KYqc/TwTxWz34TKI/AAAAAAAACxY/KPpk_qL5hyY/s640/IMG_6802.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eldest cat Macavity as she surveys the rearranging.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPEBH3UfSSQ/TwTxhMU_-bI/AAAAAAAACxo/nnC8oth5nIE/s1600/IMG_6808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPEBH3UfSSQ/TwTxhMU_-bI/AAAAAAAACxo/nnC8oth5nIE/s640/IMG_6808.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our largest cat (about 20lbs.) Maurice sleeping with the glow of the LED lit tree—probably dreaming of summer.</td></tr>
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-4824176848439000180?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/aeAwBXg9eBY" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com2http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2012/01/wordless-wednesday-self-portrait-of.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-19745382918210560582012-01-01T14:29:00.000-08:002012-01-01T16:56:01.348-08:002012-01-01T16:56:01.348-08:002012: The Year of Entering the Garden with my Grandma Virginia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3QGn_W5u8fQ/TwDhoUUXdyI/AAAAAAAACwg/Acg3YoOFh1c/s1600/sc0003dff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3QGn_W5u8fQ/TwDhoUUXdyI/AAAAAAAACwg/Acg3YoOFh1c/s400/sc0003dff7.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A statue of St Francis in Grandma Virginia's backyard circa the early 1980s. I have no idea what happened to him, but he stood beside a little water feature that never worked during my lifetime. I imagine Grandma and Grandpa made it when they built their midcentury ranch house together, long before Grandpa Amato passed away on March 3, 1973.<br />
(This photo and the next were both taken with my second camera, a Kodak Instamatic X15. My first was a Brownie—but it never worked.)</td></tr>
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It's another day—a new day in the garden. As usual, I've not made any resolutions for the new year but that's simply because I annually resolve to change things during the autumn, after the harvest, and I did so again in 2011—in preparation for the winter.<br />
<br />
My grandmother's death in September added the resolve that I needed in my life. It was a kind of closure too, but it opened a door for me, and added additional meaning and direction to my life. She was my guiding figure, the person who best reflected and understood my thoughts and feelings. She was my rock. If she'd not heard me, and responded to my metaphorical cries in the dark, I cannot imagine who I would be today. She was the beacon of light in what can only be called the fog of family. If I'd never known her, I would never have understood who I was.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0NERAsA42qY/TwDiAhGEK2I/AAAAAAAACws/2csy7BJNo3A/s1600/sc0003cdac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0NERAsA42qY/TwDiAhGEK2I/AAAAAAAACws/2csy7BJNo3A/s400/sc0003cdac.jpg" width="372" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandma's front lawn looking across her street near Lake Road at the Asti family farm circa the early 1980s. Back when I was a child there were still many small farms in Milwaukie owned by Italian-American truck farmers. Only one or two of these farms are left now, and there are a few not far from where we live in Portland, but my guess is that their days are numbered too. Maybe 2012 will be the year of the traditional produce farm though, and I would like that a lot. </td></tr>
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It was our last conversation though that changed me the most and for the last time. She was very weak, and couldn't talk much, but she wanted me to stay with her. She asked me to give her a tour of my garden in words, with pauses, describing the plants, and flowers. For 20 minutes she held on to my words and my hand, struggling to do so, following me through the garden, and at the end, she only had one question to ask. "Do you have a fountain?" She'd shot right to the one thing I wanted most last year for my garden, but so many other things happened and got in the way—mostly the disorganization caused by chronic illness.<br />
<br />
Her ability to follow me, to hear me, to trust my narration, only showed how deeply she loved me and it was a powerful thing that moved me to the core that afternoon. She knew me because I'd already inherited so much from her. She'd read me like a book, but that's because so many of my thoughts had already been hers before I was even born. Knowing this was always very magical to me and it's why I sought her advice so often. She was an older slightly different version of me and we both knew it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BDPo6LWEOlk/TwDiLhDeu9I/AAAAAAAACw4/C0ZOGWftR6k/s1600/Virginia+Amato+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BDPo6LWEOlk/TwDiLhDeu9I/AAAAAAAACw4/C0ZOGWftR6k/s400/Virginia+Amato+photo.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Grandma Virginia at 18. </td></tr>
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After that conversation, I started to make changes. I resolved then to become the person she always knew, and to grow more in the ways she'd always encouraged me to grow. In some ways I now feel like the plant growing without its gardener, in a garden that is a bit overgrown since she passed, but I must trust myself more, both in the garden and in life, and as always, prune and train as needed.<br />
<br />
I enter the garden in 2012 without my Grandma Virginia for the first time, but in a way, I enter as a new person, a new woman, one with more strength and purpose.<br />
<br />
La vita é bella.<br />
La vita é bella.<br />
I will carry her with me always.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
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<br />
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-1974538291821056058?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/XXHVYmMNJ4A" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com6http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2012/01/2012-year-of-entering-garden-with-my.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-12425010724184940282011-12-28T10:38:00.000-08:002012-01-04T16:51:13.044-08:002012-01-04T16:51:13.044-08:00Wordless Wednesday: The Red Balloon in Our Winter Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2731p6o5gY/TvthbVGUBNI/AAAAAAAACwM/K8jjGweo2y8/s1600/IMG_6792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2731p6o5gY/TvthbVGUBNI/AAAAAAAACwM/K8jjGweo2y8/s640/IMG_6792.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jSuUBaOvGnU/TvthlpEff_I/AAAAAAAACwU/8YsXtIZZIaY/s1600/IMG_6793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jSuUBaOvGnU/TvthlpEff_I/AAAAAAAACwU/8YsXtIZZIaY/s640/IMG_6793.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-1242501072418494028?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/LmiHMm4IiXQ" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com1http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/wordless-wednesday-red-balloon-in-our.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-69434487880672750512011-12-25T12:04:00.000-08:002011-12-25T17:16:35.381-08:002011-12-25T17:16:35.381-08:00Merry Christmas: Here's to Planting the Seeds of Celebration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Several years ago my husband and I pruned off the old Christmas Eve celebration I'd participated in annually with my family. To some this may seem harsh, but I'm a gardener and am optimistic about such things, because change is good, and it almost always means growth and renewal in a garden.</div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__TAt0pDq58/Tvd4f1J2WUI/AAAAAAAACuM/CLSHVJQu0J4/s1600/IMG_6732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__TAt0pDq58/Tvd4f1J2WUI/AAAAAAAACuM/CLSHVJQu0J4/s640/IMG_6732.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unfinished felt cactus ornament on one of the many houseplant holiday trees with our first real Christmas tree behind it.</td></tr>
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Gardening has taught me that you can use many of its lessons in your own life and that the values found in each and every one of these lessons can add a rich hue to your life that is as enriching as any organic fertilizer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dEAUI33xhKQ/Tvd5QWBPSQI/AAAAAAAACu0/RbH3ksENNYQ/s1600/IMG_6748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dEAUI33xhKQ/Tvd5QWBPSQI/AAAAAAAACu0/RbH3ksENNYQ/s640/IMG_6748.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first vintage Christmas has added immensely to the holiday feeling on our urban street.</td></tr>
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Good pruning is about learning how a plant grows, knowing its needs, anticipating them, and then creating a plan to foster the best growth based upon this knowledge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jpKLrEQuSNo/Tvd5nGwPppI/AAAAAAAACvE/Zs9p5XPgC1Y/s1600/IMG_6755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jpKLrEQuSNo/Tvd5nGwPppI/AAAAAAAACvE/Zs9p5XPgC1Y/s640/IMG_6755.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with more materials.</td></tr>
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We can use this system for people too, and performing these tasks on our own lives is commonplace whenever we hit a wall, but I want to posit that you should do it seasonally—just as you would do for your garden plants. </div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WK7Aob53keM/Tvd5z6HrPdI/AAAAAAAACvM/GkAoPerkrZY/s1600/IMG_6761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WK7Aob53keM/Tvd5z6HrPdI/AAAAAAAACvM/GkAoPerkrZY/s640/IMG_6761.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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For we also have our own seasons for growth, and traditionally, many of us have grown during the dark winter months in unexpected ways as we plant the seeds of celebration with those we appreciate having in our lives. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The table was set for 14 this Christmas Eve and much merriment was made. </td></tr>
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It is for these people we give thanks, and as we celebrate, we support one another. At this time of year we are allowed to close our eyes and let go knowing that we have people in our lives who will catch us if we fall, and they will feed us if we are hungry, or they will give us water if our soil is dry, and best of all, they give us the light we need to survive and to keep going—but we must provide light for them too and you cannot do so if you are not at your best.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_luieF66PVU/Tvd6EMbGYsI/AAAAAAAACvc/zZj9liTmSe4/s1600/IMG_6774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_luieF66PVU/Tvd6EMbGYsI/AAAAAAAACvc/zZj9liTmSe4/s640/IMG_6774.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Amaryllis to rebloom. I did it! Whew!</td></tr>
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The most difficult part though is that we must reexamine our own lives as the new year is upon us, and we must measure our growth, take stock in our stores, and we must rejuvenate ourselves with a light pruning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RCwMWSJr47U/Tvd6Pr2Hw6I/AAAAAAAACvk/ov7j9P-A_-8/s1600/IMG_6775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RCwMWSJr47U/Tvd6Pr2Hw6I/AAAAAAAACvk/ov7j9P-A_-8/s640/IMG_6775.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Amaryllis was much taller this year than last year.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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This is how many of us are able to avoid that gnawing depression which can eat at our roots and rot us to our innermost core. If we do not prune, taking into consideration what is best for ourselves, what will give us the greatest integrity to grow our strongest, we will weaken over time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jFIE26MwB-4/Tvd6jUnSK2I/AAAAAAAACvs/mPhpK1fdk6s/s1600/IMG_6788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jFIE26MwB-4/Tvd6jUnSK2I/AAAAAAAACvs/mPhpK1fdk6s/s640/IMG_6788.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first giant floral installation.</td></tr>
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Sometimes you're the seed that fell upon foreign ground, growing up in an environment that couldn't allow you to be your best. Often, you weren't in your best light and you never bloomed much, kind of like a lot of houseplants I know who struggle to do what they can in far off foreign places.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RDKowtT2llI/Tvd7FVWG-YI/AAAAAAAACv4/ilvkAfk2WLQ/s1600/IMG_6767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RDKowtT2llI/Tvd7FVWG-YI/AAAAAAAACv4/ilvkAfk2WLQ/s640/IMG_6767.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Christmas Day reading arrived in the mail on Christmas Eve.</td></tr>
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Unlike houseplants we can get up though, dragging our weakened roots behind us, and we can wander until we're able to find the home where we're meant to grow, blooming repeatedly, living in an environment that no longer threatens our growth.<br />
<br />
So this season, if you are feeling a bit alone in the Wilderness, I want to wish you the best and let you know you're not the only one. I also want to encourage you to dust off your shovel and pruners a bit and revisit what it means to be you. If you're not ready yet to move on, at least trim off what you're able to let go of and take a good hard look at your roots. Make the adjustments needed and just like a plant in your garden, return to the problem in a few months time to reconsider your options.<br />
<br />
I did it and survived and this Christmas was one of the best I've ever had simply because I felt free to be who I really am.<br />
<br />
Happy Holidays!<br />
<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-6943448788067275051?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/I6pot5keIAo" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com3http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-heres-to-planting-seeds.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-55009132830643055172011-12-21T12:30:00.000-08:002011-12-21T12:30:34.506-08:002011-12-21T12:30:34.506-08:00Wordless Wednesday: My Garden and Life through the Eyes of a Therapeutic Foster Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KPwT5owWOLI/TvI79yKqnDI/AAAAAAAACr4/vTSw9X-Z8XQ/s1600/1007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KPwT5owWOLI/TvI79yKqnDI/AAAAAAAACr4/vTSw9X-Z8XQ/s400/1007.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rosa</i> "Golden Showers".</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6MNrSggSEM/TvI7-fb2RyI/AAAAAAAACsA/hJ0MfFjetHw/s1600/1020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6MNrSggSEM/TvI7-fb2RyI/AAAAAAAACsA/hJ0MfFjetHw/s400/1020.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese Snowbell Tree, <i>Styrax japonicus</i>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tt3YNvRe9GY/TvI7_9rM5cI/AAAAAAAACsQ/R-sn4TFBxNY/s1600/2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tt3YNvRe9GY/TvI7_9rM5cI/AAAAAAAACsQ/R-sn4TFBxNY/s400/2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific or Western Bleeding Heart, <i>Dicentra formosa</i>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5141_VMm0hE/TvI8Bm4ua-I/AAAAAAAACsg/WE6X-pHCbWE/s1600/3002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5141_VMm0hE/TvI8Bm4ua-I/AAAAAAAACsg/WE6X-pHCbWE/s400/3002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multnomah Falls. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_bM9Gk8jUok/TvI8CYh3m5I/AAAAAAAACso/kWb9uSRqiyo/s1600/4025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_bM9Gk8jUok/TvI8CYh3m5I/AAAAAAAACso/kWb9uSRqiyo/s400/4025.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trees in the Columbia River Gorge. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eqiKkfB3a1U/TvI8DHt9WsI/AAAAAAAACsw/hzzDssJABY8/s1600/5004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eqiKkfB3a1U/TvI8DHt9WsI/AAAAAAAACsw/hzzDssJABY8/s400/5004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rosa rugosa</i>. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0nTWO57Iexw/TvI8DomQ7fI/AAAAAAAACs4/2J2ZdlJoINw/s1600/5013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0nTWO57Iexw/TvI8DomQ7fI/AAAAAAAACs4/2J2ZdlJoINw/s400/5013.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evergreen Huckleberry, <i>Vaccinium ovatum</i>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_D0gVfXG6Hc/TvI8Eu7dzLI/AAAAAAAACtA/z57t_teHtCA/s1600/5016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_D0gVfXG6Hc/TvI8Eu7dzLI/AAAAAAAACtA/z57t_teHtCA/s400/5016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Clematis</i> "Josephine".</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p-vSLzYFaPU/TvI8FSYDWYI/AAAAAAAACtI/tVqHkOC2Ago/s1600/5017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p-vSLzYFaPU/TvI8FSYDWYI/AAAAAAAACtI/tVqHkOC2Ago/s400/5017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopard's Bane, <i>Doronicum orientale.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zLcD8aY3dbM/TvI8GZVvjnI/AAAAAAAACtQ/WG5zQ8sz24g/s1600/5020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zLcD8aY3dbM/TvI8GZVvjnI/AAAAAAAACtQ/WG5zQ8sz24g/s400/5020.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living wreath. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MK6qRd5t_C0/TvI8HD4DnAI/AAAAAAAACtY/7SRGD1IC6O0/s1600/5027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MK6qRd5t_C0/TvI8HD4DnAI/AAAAAAAACtY/7SRGD1IC6O0/s400/5027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance shade garden near the street and sidewalk. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3gm-8CMUt-4/TvI8Hybe5YI/AAAAAAAACtg/ix7RhsRirSw/s1600/5039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3gm-8CMUt-4/TvI8Hybe5YI/AAAAAAAACtg/ix7RhsRirSw/s400/5039.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Columbine, <i>Aquilegia vulgaris</i>. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knIiI7uIUpc/TvI8Is-mWcI/AAAAAAAACto/ywteWyktrCU/s1600/5045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knIiI7uIUpc/TvI8Is-mWcI/AAAAAAAACto/ywteWyktrCU/s400/5045.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with box.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bvf1TmNbDCM/TvI8JJ53eOI/AAAAAAAACtw/00_9ItSOLm0/s1600/6027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bvf1TmNbDCM/TvI8JJ53eOI/AAAAAAAACtw/00_9ItSOLm0/s400/6027.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macavity—the old lady black cat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O6iKpidoACU/TvI8Jr2J2yI/AAAAAAAACt4/84LCBb49qSM/s1600/6045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O6iKpidoACU/TvI8Jr2J2yI/AAAAAAAACt4/84LCBb49qSM/s400/6045.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peace Lily,<i> Spathiphyllum</i>. </td></tr>
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-5500913283064305517?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/Hzs3bOpl0mA" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com3http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/wordless-wednesday-my-garden-and-life.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-2718140400251023612011-12-20T14:35:00.000-08:002011-12-21T12:32:56.191-08:002011-12-21T12:32:56.191-08:00Vita Sackville-West on the Humble or Sensitive Plant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last night I couldn't sleep so I grabbed a book from the bedside bookcase. I've been reading Sackville-West's <i>In Your Garden Again</i> off and on for the past few weeks and it has all kinds of things I always mean to mention here but, by the time I've finally fallen asleep and come to in the morning—I've totally forgotten whatever it was I was thinking about sharing!<br />
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The sections of the book are divided into the twelve months of the year and are filled with articles she contributed to Sunday editions of <i>The Observer</i> between February 18, 1951 to March 8, 1953.<br />
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When I read this last night I knew I had to share this on my blog. As a foster parent who works in the garden with kids, this cracked me up and I hope you enjoy it too:<br />
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<i><b>February 17, 1952</b></i><br />
<b> Amongst other seeds for spring sowing I order a sixpenny packet of <i>Mimosa pudica</i>, the Humble Plant.... So humble is the Humble Plant, so bashful, that a mere touch of the finger or a puff of breath blown across it will cause it to collapse instantly into a woebegone heap.... One grows it purely for the purpose of amusing the children. The normal child, if not an insufferable prig, thoroughly enjoys being unkind to something; so here is a harmless outlet for this instinct in the human young. Shrieks of delight are evoked, enhanced by the sadistic pleasure of doing it over and over again. 'Let's go back and see if it has sat up yet.' It probably has, for it seems to be endowed with endless patience under such mischievous persecution.</b><br />
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<b>Vita Sackville-West, <i>In Your Garden Again</i></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8xWp9yWz9-w/TvEtVmCeSGI/AAAAAAAACrw/UAr-ZeXMZoo/s1600/Vita_sackville-west.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8xWp9yWz9-w/TvEtVmCeSGI/AAAAAAAACrw/UAr-ZeXMZoo/s320/Vita_sackville-west.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vita Sackville-West, by William Strang</td></tr>
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-271814040025102361?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/m-aHOTnbVdU" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com4http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/vita-sackville-west-on-humble-or.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-78218200464394044102011-12-19T09:45:00.000-08:002011-12-19T09:45:16.561-08:002011-12-19T09:45:16.561-08:00The Willow Arbor in Winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A week or so ago my husband trimmed up our willow arbor in the back garden. It is a task that we neglected to do last year and we paid heavily for it this year. Much of the growth that could have been harnessed for the structure's integrity was lost, but next year, this won't be the case. The arbor has been streamlined. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TecqhThqxyw/Tu9z4VYf_mI/AAAAAAAACrg/DHe5KghAf7Y/s1600/IMG_6571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TecqhThqxyw/Tu9z4VYf_mI/AAAAAAAACrg/DHe5KghAf7Y/s640/IMG_6571.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I've ordered a super sized tarp to temporarily cover the arbor for a spell this winter. We have so little space indoors at times, and only a small front porch, so it seemed important to do so. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-INknH42OZVA/Tu9xqtsgubI/AAAAAAAACrQ/fEU0PHwghbI/s1600/IMG_6639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-INknH42OZVA/Tu9xqtsgubI/AAAAAAAACrQ/fEU0PHwghbI/s640/IMG_6639.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The tarp will be red. I love the color and it always looks nice with green. I just did not want a blue tarp. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HVsONi5MpGI/Tu9x29ASPOI/AAAAAAAACrY/QKjqkpqslIc/s1600/IMG_6640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HVsONi5MpGI/Tu9x29ASPOI/AAAAAAAACrY/QKjqkpqslIc/s640/IMG_6640.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Maybe if I pull out the fire pit I can sit beside it and warm up as I work on winter garden tasks. I've been so busy indoors that I am beginning to want to go back outside again. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c--cv0LVrBg/Tu9xSp_jrbI/AAAAAAAACrA/gDudFvAhQco/s1600/IMG_6637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c--cv0LVrBg/Tu9xSp_jrbI/AAAAAAAACrA/gDudFvAhQco/s640/IMG_6637.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next year, my plan is to have a nice fence to block more of the apartment building from our view. I am not a big fan of having folks that close. My childhood, surrounded by woods and water, spoiled me. </div>
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I love out willow arbor, don't you? It's 10' x 10' and the heart of our garden. Maybe it was a bit ugly for a few years, but when it's covered in Clematis blooms and the branches sway and block the bright sun, it's simply heavenly. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-7821820046439404410?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/5Dn-C6UYXIE" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com4http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/willow-arbor-in-winter.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-18584268318022245752011-12-05T00:01:00.000-08:002011-12-05T00:01:01.819-08:002011-12-05T00:01:01.819-08:00Why I ♥ My Garden Journal (Made by Attic Journals)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is not my first garden journal/notebook, nor is it my only garden journal, but currently, it's the <i>most special</i> garden journal in my collection. If you need a journal, or if you'd like to give one as a gift this holiday season, I highly recommend those made by <a href="http://atticjournals.com/">Attic Journals</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kyFh9IjlG4I/TtxVKugKu4I/AAAAAAAACmk/48DmcHqVRa8/s1600/IMG_6553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kyFh9IjlG4I/TtxVKugKu4I/AAAAAAAACmk/48DmcHqVRa8/s640/IMG_6553.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
I know for a fact that it was made with a lot of love. That's because I know the folks who made it.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-abpX86Z6Fls/TtxVVq6g1vI/AAAAAAAACms/AUnC5Tp5OaM/s1600/IMG_6555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-abpX86Z6Fls/TtxVVq6g1vI/AAAAAAAACms/AUnC5Tp5OaM/s640/IMG_6555.JPG" width="640" /></a>They are a local (and extremely hard-working) Portland, OR company who inspire everyone they meet. I know I was inspired and I 'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.</div>
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My garden journal has fulfilled all of the requirements I have for an ideal garden journal. </div>
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It has been used as a sketchbook and as a place for me to write garden quotes.<br />
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There are collages I've pasted onto its pages with ideas I've liked from gardening magazines.<br />
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It also has inspirational art I've collected for ideas, and design shapes for things I might make in the future, or, for things I <i>will</i> make in the future.<br />
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The journal is full of lists too, but I didn't want to bore you with images of those. (I don't have the handwriting of an architect if you catch my drift.)<br />
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And why, oh why, do I just adore my journal * * * t h i s m u c h * * *?<br />
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Well, it might have something to do with the fact that my Etsy shops would never have been created if I hadn't had a chance encounter with <a href="http://atticjournals.com/">Attic Journals</a> back when I was looking for someone to walk with from time to time in the neighborhood.<br />
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Every time I touch this journal, dreaming my dreams of creation and artistry, I remember those days before <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MiltonsGrdnMenagerie">Milton's Garden Menagerie</a> and I know that I will never go back.<br />
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Now I want everyone out there to feel as good as I do, and to have their own journal to flip through, to fill with their own hopes, dreams, tasks and designs. You too can forge your own future, and never have to go back, not unless you want to, but it all begins with a recycled vintage book journal—followed by a few blank pages. <br />
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O Pioneers! Onward!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-1858426831802224575?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/oj11jl-bSyg" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com3http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-i-my-garden-journal-made-by-attic.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-60380887115875647002011-12-03T10:48:00.001-08:002011-12-03T16:33:44.148-08:002011-12-03T16:33:44.148-08:00In the Weeds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This has never been a how-to garden blog, but maybe in this case, I'll make a grand sweeping exception. If there is one thing I can teach <i>all</i> of you to do, it's how to be in the weeds in your garden. With the grace of my rough and rebellious American hand we'll brush off the argument that my garden is a mess, and I'll show you how to do so from the zero gravity chair I pretty much live in for the majority of the gardening year. So yes, today, I am playing as the armchair garden philosopher. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1u2H1FVMe8w/TtpyYZlMP1I/AAAAAAAACmU/bq_9pBOROVE/s1600/IMG_6519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1u2H1FVMe8w/TtpyYZlMP1I/AAAAAAAACmU/bq_9pBOROVE/s640/IMG_6519.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our passion vine (<i>Passiflora caerula</i> 'Blue Crown') is a bit wild. I blame all of those young adult mystery books I read as a child. I think this might be called Scooby Doo Chic. </td></tr>
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If there's one thing I've always been good at it's been taking on far too much. As a kid, I'd often have to give up an activity or two, but up until the last decade, I'd usually toss everything up into the air and over time, it would all work out.<br />
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When I was in college this nasty little habit of mine helped me to get my work done. Integrating unrelated information worked for me, but in the art history department I pushed beyond its unstaid envelope everyday and not all of the other students enjoyed or understood my work, and a few of the professors tended to think of my presentations more as mental acrobatics than as real academic work. And to this day, I will never understand why not a single art history professor ever assigned a philosophy book. Since the entire field has its origin in aesthetics, this was always very sad to me, but the same thing goes for garden design. Yup, it too is based on aesthetic theory and philosophy too. (Don't groan. I can hear you and the chorus of other groaners out there.)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ly3wqYCcVds/TtpyPdJ9CPI/AAAAAAAACmM/-rK7s585xOA/s1600/IMG_6517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ly3wqYCcVds/TtpyPdJ9CPI/AAAAAAAACmM/-rK7s585xOA/s640/IMG_6517.JPG" width="496" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am in the weeds.</td></tr>
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And here we go, I'm at it again. I'm about to wrap this egg roll right up though so hold on tight.</div>
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I realize now that stasis (in a Greek philosophical sense) has always been important to me, but I didn't know what to call it until I was introduced to Giovanni Bellini's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Francis_in_Ecstasy">St Francis in Ecstasy</a> and the study of ontology in high school. I could write a tome about this painting, but I will attempt to resist in this post, and save that for later. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bqa7Upvorm0/TtqVG02z_iI/AAAAAAAACmc/3UAkx-In16A/s1600/683px-Giovanni_Bellini_St_Francis_in_Ecstasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="561" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bqa7Upvorm0/TtqVG02z_iI/AAAAAAAACmc/3UAkx-In16A/s640/683px-Giovanni_Bellini_St_Francis_in_Ecstasy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was able to go on a little pilgrimage to <a href="http://www.frick.org/">The Frick Collection</a> to see this painting with an art history classmate while she was still living in New Jersey. She'd moved to the NYC area to pursue her graduate studies and I am so proud of how far she's gone in her career. (I am also happy she's now a gardener.) </td></tr>
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I find that I now tire of the same thing in garden design that I used to find dull and problematic when I studied art history and that it's not just illness and broken fingers which has led me to being in the weeds. Instead, what's been holding me back is my inner battle with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimesis">mimesis</a>.<br />
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Internally, yes, I struggle, and with this post, as well as a few others, I've exposed myself as a bit of a navel gazer who prefers to build her castles in the sky rather than on dry land, but that's because of my struggle with beauty, representation, design, art and reason. </div>
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Like that overwhelmed server in a busy restaurant, I am so far behind in my garden that our green customers have overwhelmed me and are attacking. Well, so what if I'm in the weeds in my garden? Maybe I want to be the oldest kind of garden designer of all, not a farmer, but the kind of person who let's nature grow up against her. It just so happens I'm in a city though, but I'm not afraid of the chaos of nature and you shouldn't be either. We've been mimicking her since to dawn of man and I'd rather mimic her than the newest garden design fads.<br />
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So that's enough for now. We'll flog this not yet dead horse again soon. </div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-6038088711587564700?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/hZTWREj_y74" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com4http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/in-weeds.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-63786456304341149422011-11-30T17:50:00.001-08:002011-11-30T17:52:50.579-08:002011-11-30T17:52:50.579-08:00Wordless Wednesday: The Calm Before the Storm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h6UPEM8kldE/TtbdWMN36PI/AAAAAAAACmE/qbO9EJ-whiw/s1600/IMG_5994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h6UPEM8kldE/TtbdWMN36PI/AAAAAAAACmE/qbO9EJ-whiw/s640/IMG_5994.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-6378645630434114942?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/D6mDOt88GtI" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com1http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/11/wordless-wednesday-calm-before-storm.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-51577822109628814492011-11-26T13:03:00.000-08:002011-11-26T13:05:48.239-08:002011-11-26T13:05:48.239-08:00Things Fall Apart, Rereading the Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UjXk9NYQH7w/TtE7VWyE88I/AAAAAAAACl8/6OtVcVn65Wg/s1600/IMG_6379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UjXk9NYQH7w/TtE7VWyE88I/AAAAAAAACl8/6OtVcVn65Wg/s640/IMG_6379.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our willow arbor is beginning to fall apart.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was introduced to the book <i>Things Fall Apart </i>by the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe many years ago when I was a freshman at Lewis & Clark College. Surprisingly, the book was not assigned, but instead, it was recommended to me by my boyfriend at the time, my first serious boyfriend, someone who'd lived in Nigeria for several years with his family and had greatly admired the book. Believe it or not, I often think of this book when I consider my garden. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In summary, the book examines the life of one African man as his traditional tribal culture rubs up against the culture of white Europeans and Christianity in his realm. The events that occur become increasingly more painful for the reader to read as the story progresses, and in the end, you are there, on the stage with them, confronted. Few books have ever left me so radically changed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Things Fall Apart</i> has stuck with me for many years, and I return to it often, especially whenever I feel stuck between conflicting realities. Let's say radically so. Often, nowadays, I stand between the world of the healthy and the world of the ill and as much as you may believe these two places are the same, they are not. If you are healthy you can physically work and earn money or else take care of things like your health and possessions. If you are currently unemployed, that is not even close to being the same as unemployable. If you are ill you struggle with money, time, personal expectations you've placed on yourself, schedules and then there is always that nagging responsibility you feel to lessen the stress for those who care for you. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We all have to put on a productive happy mask, but what lies beneath it is <i>always</i> what matters most because beneath the mask and its design is what we call its integrity. That's what makes some books great, while others miss the mark. It's the unseen emotive element in design—and it exists even in garden design. Not surprisingly the designs with the most integrity are also those which inspire us the most, that's why we say great works have soul. They live and breathe apart from us. It's for this reason Dr. Frankenstein, like so may others, created his monster. Unlike them, I am not a literalist, or for that matter, a copyist. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When it comes to our garden, I am often asked what style it is, and up until right now, I haven't really had an answer. It wears no mask, at least not one that fits into any traditional category—and we like it that way. When we get around to affixing a mask to it, I will let you know, but until then, I think I may begin to tell inquisitors that it is in the Style of Illness. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-5157782210962881449?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/YZ7GHfmE2sU" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com3http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/11/things-fall-apart-rereading-garden.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-1010418210077594622011-11-19T00:30:00.000-08:002011-11-19T00:30:01.823-08:002011-11-19T00:30:01.823-08:00Thoughts on My Own Personal Garden Therapy Program and Treatment Plan During Crisis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b>Warning</b>: This is a post about a crisis—not an emergency—and its subject matter concerns </i><i>living </i><i>with an illness more than living with plants; but the conclusion will be that no </i><i>matter </i><i>what, </i><i>if </i><i>you live </i><i>with an ongoing illness that causes crises (or whatever it is</i><i> in </i><i>your case), even when you are </i><i>a wreck, </i><i>and </i><i>you don't really care as </i><i>much </i><i>about </i><i>your </i><i>plants as you usually do (or whatever it is for you), that's ok. So don't let me—or </i><i>this </i><i>post </i><i>of mine—get you down...I am doing just fine.</i></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sPlLr0vNzzY/TsGxlbd6sxI/AAAAAAAAClc/jmP4eQAhPAY/s1600/IMG_5161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sPlLr0vNzzY/TsGxlbd6sxI/AAAAAAAAClc/jmP4eQAhPAY/s640/IMG_5161.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Mt. Konocti as seen from Walker Ridge Road in Lake County, CA. If I hadn't walked up that peak on the left, I probably wouldn't be here writing this post right now. Do I regret the steep walk uphill? Uhm, HELL NO! I already want to do it again, but with better attention paid to the additional necessary precautions in order to prevent more heath scares. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For some time I've been trying to locate and define the line I cross when illness makes my life so difficult that the subjects of gardening and plants cannot immediately resuscitate me. Then, suddenly last week—but maybe it wasn't that unexpected–I found that line again, and Thud! I was knocked out fair and square by the indwelling opponent I hadn't really been keeping an eye on recently. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last week my larynx nearly closed and it was terrifying. Since it had happened in the past I knew what it was and what to do, but I was home alone and terrified. For many with Hereditary Angioedema, this is our worst nightmare and up until only recently, this is how many people died from this disease. What many physicians still do not understand is that this is not an allergic swelling and that what we actually need is not corticosteroids or antihistimines but instead, fresh frozen plasma, or sometimes even more expensive treatments. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That night I faced a difficult decision and worse still was that I was alone. I could stay home and use the old treatment of anabolic steroids, hoping that it would help my body produce more of the C1 complement factor I needed in my blood, or else I could run the risk that my own hospital might actually deny my treatment in the emergency <b>r</b>oom. Being without my handy advocate, I chose not to attempt to fight the system that evening, and overall, that made me really angry. No one should have to put off potentially lifesaving treatment because they don't want to argue with an emergency room doctor. You heard me correctly, and yes, this probably does not make sense.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Luckily, the old anabolic treatment kind of worked. I stayed up all night just in case, making sure that the swelling didn't worsen or spread. If it had, I was committed to calling 911, so I wasn't being too unreasonable. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gX0dDpnLnik/TsFTO_ESb9I/AAAAAAAAClM/zX938nho8cI/s1600/IMG_6193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gX0dDpnLnik/TsFTO_ESb9I/AAAAAAAAClM/zX938nho8cI/s640/IMG_6193.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showy Milkweed, <i>Asclepias speciosa</i>. Garden booty from my recent road trip to California.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This experience reminded me that I've not yet won the recognition of a diagnosis I've lived with for almost 10 years from my own medical insurer, and that's solely due to the fact of its potential expense. I live knowing that I cannot get the help I need because the quality of my life does not matter as much as their Bottom Line. To say that this is a heavy weight to carry on my back is an understatement. Unbelievable still is that my interest in plants and gardens could paper over the indignity of the healthcare nightmare I am so sick of living.<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Many other patients already qualify for brand new expensive treatments that our large advocacy group fought hard for, but as of right now, I still do not qualify. There are several Types of HAE and I have now fallen into the Type III category that's not only a catchall, but it's also the least understood group and is currently still more theoretical. So, I wait, and if a study comes up and they need me, I will go, but until then, on paper, my own insurer will not accept the diagnosis. Scientifically, statistically, mathematically, symptomatically, they will only treat me in an emergency room based upon the symptoms as they are observed. To treat me with plasma would open up the door to my petitioning and potentially suing them in order to get special new treatments. This is sick. It is a sick system. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Each year my doctor writes a new letter describing why I need a treatment and why her diagnosis does not fit their criteria. Going to your insurance company repeatedly to ask for help, while being repeatedly denied, is really quite humbling. Even though I am basically too sick to work full-time, I am not ill enough. If I could get treatment, I could actually have some kind of life again. Instead, I am told no, and then am instructed to stick with the old treatment until more research has been completed. I think this round I will dig deeper. I might even fight back.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At least last week I knew exactly what I have, and although it is mysterious, I was informed enough to understand what it was and I can now see how I'd created the perfect storm for a health crisis during my trip to California. When I returned home and noticed I was physically shaking a lot, I knew something was going to happen but I was hoping it wasn't going to involve my throat. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
In the past my doctors and I had discussed a way to try again with the committee and had created a plan to re-petition but it was a long shot. At that time, I gave up because I couldn't take any more, but I am ready now—even if it means having to make myself sick again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQ5bdTZLkcc/TsI0kaOXngI/AAAAAAAAClk/4O5fK6KOPIQ/s1600/IMG_4980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQ5bdTZLkcc/TsI0kaOXngI/AAAAAAAAClk/4O5fK6KOPIQ/s640/IMG_4980.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last week's experience was a tipping point in my life. Seeing massive old growth native Californian oak trees has inspired me to want to see more and I cannot do so unless I seek the medical attention I need to prevent attacks like the one I had. Walking around staring at plants in the wilderness felt more normal to me than anything I've felt in ages. For a time, I felt free.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWo8sQgDkZg/TsFTXfX_kjI/AAAAAAAAClU/7lRPt9ND0Nc/s1600/IMG_6203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWo8sQgDkZg/TsFTXfX_kjI/AAAAAAAAClU/7lRPt9ND0Nc/s640/IMG_6203.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safflower,<i> Carthamus tinctorius.</i> One of the blooms used in some arrangements I've been making this past week.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Luckily, while everything else has recently been a struggle, I have somehow successfully kept up with a daily Ikebana post on the other blog. After weeks of arrangements, I am <i>really</i> satisfied with the piece "<a href="http://ayearofikebana.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/trapped/">Trapped</a>" because it beautifully showed how I was feeling. What it made me realize too was that I needed to write this post. What's important right now is my own personal growth and rebuilding, the plants that have papered over my frustration can rest a bit, and I will tend to that garden I have inside, just as we all do, and what's left of the garden and plants I've neglected this year can come along with me and we'll go at it again. Differently. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't want the plants to be papering over anything anymore. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The tide has turned. My weight has shifted. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>"My blog will always be primarily about gardening, and my love of seeds and growing </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>oddball ornamental plants from seed, but today, I wanted to write an illness post because </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>if if weren't for my rare hereditary blood disease, I doubt I ever would have ended up </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>here and I would have been doing something else." </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our hummingbirds striking its best Ikebana pose...</td></tr>
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-101041821007759462?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/Zh6EFNrb0b8" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com6http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/11/thoughts-on-my-own-personal-garden.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-81510840529052361692011-11-06T14:10:00.000-08:002012-01-07T22:54:28.464-08:002012-01-07T22:54:28.464-08:00San Francisco: Wine Deliveries, Lunch, and Flora Grubb Gardens (Again)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mv3AdqlEoMc/Tq2NWFB5f6I/AAAAAAAACiE/dWqsXjZhwVk/s1600/IMG_4787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mv3AdqlEoMc/Tq2NWFB5f6I/AAAAAAAACiE/dWqsXjZhwVk/s640/IMG_4787.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Crimson Passionflower, <i>Passiflora vitifolia,</i> at Flora Grubb Gardens.</td></tr>
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On my first full day with my husband in Lake County, CA we had to get up early and head to San Francisco. Another long day in the car wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was worth it. Mr. B was going to attend a day-long industry-only wine tasting and I'd planned to take in some sights.<br />
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From the time he woke up he started feeling unwell so we adjusted our plan a bit. During harvest and crush, he really gets worn down so a rest day was in order and we were both kind of excited about visiting SF together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PyXRza0ly6I/Tq2HsTtNaUI/AAAAAAAACec/SY2ua33OiYI/s1600/IMG_4785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PyXRza0ly6I/Tq2HsTtNaUI/AAAAAAAACec/SY2ua33OiYI/s640/IMG_4785.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ficus microcarpa</i> 'Nitida'. </td></tr>
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Other than an early dinner date with a new garden writer friend up in Marin, the city was very briefly our oyster that day. Our only serious task was to deliver some cases of wine, and while waiting in the car at one of those stops, I shot this picture of a typical street somewhere in SF.</div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cKXCjg0-nis/Tq2G2WHVvEI/AAAAAAAACcU/jcvXkb5bUWk/s1600/IMG_4760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cKXCjg0-nis/Tq2G2WHVvEI/AAAAAAAACcU/jcvXkb5bUWk/s640/IMG_4760.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the dirty windshield but note that a weekday drive into San Francisco from Marin can be pretty painless during October just so long as you wait until after all the morning traffic. </td></tr>
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During the drive, I discovered something funny about harvest. Once all the grapes are in their tanks fermenting, the whole valley in Sonoma actually smells of fermenting grapes. (Mr. B said Napa is even worse.) Coming from beer central, I should have realized this was possible but I just had never really thought about it. What an experience for the nose!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z73EZyzbsu0/Tq2G4tYqH-I/AAAAAAAACcc/Bv0Aq6P1VFo/s1600/IMG_4761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z73EZyzbsu0/Tq2G4tYqH-I/AAAAAAAACcc/Bv0Aq6P1VFo/s640/IMG_4761.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the city you get to pay your $6 toll. I never get to take pictures of the tollbooths, so I was happy this time with Mr B driving. They are designed to match the bridge and I think they're the prettiest tollbooths I've ever had to go through. </td></tr>
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After we paid our toll we had no plans and for me that was unusual—but welcome. Usually when I drive into SF I have some idea of where I am going since otherwise I'd still get lost very easily. In this case, I just sat back and enjoyed the view.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cGb3MDTsUx8/Tq2G6wP61LI/AAAAAAAACck/RPzbcP6qBLU/s1600/IMG_4763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cGb3MDTsUx8/Tq2G6wP61LI/AAAAAAAACck/RPzbcP6qBLU/s640/IMG_4763.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alcatraz as seen from Hwy 101 just past the tollbooths. </td></tr>
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The first thing I saw, of course, was Alcatraz in the distance. It's now such a large part of my Ikebana project it made me smile. Finding my own metaphorical escape from the imprisonment of chronic illness has become such a game for me and gardening and plants are such an integral part of my strategy. I think for some of us, making the battle less personal is key to our survival. We need that distance to feel more comfort and less fearful. We need that space to heal. In a way, I've tried to leave a lot of my troubles on that island and I think it's been working.<br />
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For lunch Mr. B decided to take me to the <a href="http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/">Ferry Building Marketplace</a>. What a great little shopping area they have there! (I now know what Portland wants to have in its plan to create our <a href="http://www.portlandpublicmarket.com/">James Beard Public Market</a>. Shopping before your ride home is a such a great idea!)</div>
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So the first business that truly caught my eye because of its regionally accurate "shop locally" distinction was <a href="http://mcevoyranch.com/">McEvoy Ranch</a>. Could you have a store dedicated to olive oil and its many products anywhere else? I think not! That's what they do. They're olive ranchers.<br />
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To say that I felt envious is an understatement. I want to be an olive rancher too. (When my husband met me he was shocked that I cooked everything in olive oil. That still includes things like fried eggs and pancakes.)<br />
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I think I may have been an olive oil life-stylist long before we discussed and marketed things called "lifestyles" to consumers. My dad used to crack up when I was a girl because I'd use our jugs of olive oil to concoct rosemary and olive oil leave-in conditioners for my thick dry hair. (I still use olive oil soap but it's usually the kind made in the Middle East.)<br />
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But oh how I now want to be an olive rancher...<br />
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Speaking of lifestyles, the gardening lifestyle is not an uncommon one to find in San Francisco either. <a href="http://www.kingdomofherbs.com/">Kingdom of Herbs</a> was actually kind of nice to visit because it had upscale fun stuff mixed in with other odds and ends that all related to a love of all things plant material.<br />
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As someone who's known for picking seeds wherever I go my husband and I giggled quite a bit about how I'd fit a few of these into my pockets. Not likely.</div>
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They had a lot of nice hats too.<br />
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And then there were plants...<br />
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and preserved plants and wood products. (Next year I really hope to preserve my boxwood cuttings. I really love these wreaths but they're a bit pricey.)<br />
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After we grabbed some take-out from a deli, we wandered outside to watch the foot ferries while we ate. (This ferry takes commuters back and forth across the bay to Marin County.)<br />
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On our way out we stopped by <a href="http://www.thegardener.com/">The Gardener</a>. It is a small local chain in the Bay Area and I was a bit less enthused by what it had to offer since it had far less to do with gardening.<br />
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I liked their display though of Japanese gardening tools. Reminded me a bit of a little piece of art I could hang on my own wall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--5WX14l7OF0/Tq2Hxxmhj2I/AAAAAAAACek/iqelY-0O_ig/s1600/IMG_4788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--5WX14l7OF0/Tq2Hxxmhj2I/AAAAAAAACek/iqelY-0O_ig/s640/IMG_4788.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Flame Vine<i>, Senecio confusus</i>. This is a plant I've tried to grow from seed once or twice with little success. </td></tr>
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Later, after the deliveries we went to <a href="http://floragrubb.com/">Flora Grubb Gardens</a>. I was embarrassed that I'd already been there four times this year, but since it was going to be my husband's first visit, it somehow seemed necessary.<br />
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I was not disappointed. He was truly blown away by the displays and by the plants. As usual, I obsessively noted every change I could and thought about plants I may want in the future. (If <i>only</i> I could have that second garden in California.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C2znpKYIP4s/Tq2H8IhT_kI/AAAAAAAACe0/EY3NFJLGuLU/s1600/IMG_4791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C2znpKYIP4s/Tq2H8IhT_kI/AAAAAAAACe0/EY3NFJLGuLU/s640/IMG_4791.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queensland Silver Wattle or Pearl Acacia, <i>Acacia podalyriifolia</i>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A3uiWsxS3Yc/Tq2IBVNn8wI/AAAAAAAACe8/c9Et4ha7fTE/s1600/IMG_4794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A3uiWsxS3Yc/Tq2IBVNn8wI/AAAAAAAACe8/c9Et4ha7fTE/s640/IMG_4794.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kangaroo Paw, <i>Anigozanthos</i> 'Bush Dawn'.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-na7S-8MZKqE/Tq2IGGEMqxI/AAAAAAAACfE/5VVJjRpZXhU/s1600/IMG_4797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-na7S-8MZKqE/Tq2IGGEMqxI/AAAAAAAACfE/5VVJjRpZXhU/s640/IMG_4797.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr B staring at an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics">aquaponics</a> display. Maybe I could convince him to do this if we could grow our own sushi. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-op_-54xDAJM/Tq2IJUEuTpI/AAAAAAAACfM/tLhOrTLYlV4/s1600/IMG_4799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-op_-54xDAJM/Tq2IJUEuTpI/AAAAAAAACfM/tLhOrTLYlV4/s640/IMG_4799.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley Oak, <i>Quercus lobata</i>. It's endemic to California and is the largest of the North American Oaks. Some mature specimens can be nearly 600 years old, and can reach almost 100 feet in height. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u7TUfbqn1tY/Tq2IQfBFoZI/AAAAAAAACfc/EVlmywcVNFo/s1600/IMG_4805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u7TUfbqn1tY/Tq2IQfBFoZI/AAAAAAAACfc/EVlmywcVNFo/s640/IMG_4805.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hibiscus</i> 'Haight Ashbury'.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFC9k_PQMy0/Tq2ITGm1-DI/AAAAAAAACfk/IP48PNGQC1Q/s1600/IMG_4807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFC9k_PQMy0/Tq2ITGm1-DI/AAAAAAAACfk/IP48PNGQC1Q/s640/IMG_4807.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Bush Sage, <i>Salvia leucantha</i> 'Midnight'.</td></tr>
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I love all the colors and you may have noticed that incredible blue sky?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ei09pBM2IDw/Tq2InL9NXjI/AAAAAAAACgM/MdADdC9Oa3I/s1600/IMG_4814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ei09pBM2IDw/Tq2InL9NXjI/AAAAAAAACgM/MdADdC9Oa3I/s640/IMG_4814.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Groundsel, <i>Senecio mandraliscae</i> and <i>Sedum</i> 'Ogon' behind it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xq9OHv4ofo/Tq2I2CfWlwI/AAAAAAAACgs/U-EFHfZnA_o/s1600/IMG_4820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xq9OHv4ofo/Tq2I2CfWlwI/AAAAAAAACgs/U-EFHfZnA_o/s640/IMG_4820.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> Aloe</i> 'Pink Blush'. What an incredible hybrid!</td></tr>
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Then there are the exterior/interior design ideas that Flora Grubb is so famous for. I still haven't made my Sedum masterpiece, but that's probably because I am still stuck on that Jackson Pollock flowerbed idea. (More on that next season. I've made some progress with this idea this year.)<br />
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I am not sure if the wire baskets are oyster baskets, but they sure look like they could be. These little decorative wall items are kinds cute and I hope to make some this winter. I so love anything with gilding.<br />
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Last time I don't think I added a picture of their suspended <a href="http://www.woollypocket.com/">Woollypocket</a> display.<br />
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This geometric bear head is great too. After all it is California and they do have that silly bear on their flag, so why not!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h66pea4V9Mc/Tq2Ja4ULrXI/AAAAAAAAChk/khiqEpNsE8U/s1600/IMG_4833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h66pea4V9Mc/Tq2Ja4ULrXI/AAAAAAAAChk/khiqEpNsE8U/s640/IMG_4833.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Begonia</i> 'Irene Nuss'.</td></tr>
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Just before we left I discovered these two Begonias. Glad I did too because one of them I can grow from seed. It is really amazing how much leaf variation exists in this group. I truly am in love with all of them, but the Grape Leaf Begonia might just be my new favorite.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qNAo2hRYtLU/Tq2JfrqjvYI/AAAAAAAAChs/LyqOX2HUVi0/s1600/IMG_4836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qNAo2hRYtLU/Tq2JfrqjvYI/AAAAAAAAChs/LyqOX2HUVi0/s640/IMG_4836.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grape Leaf Begonia, <i>Begonia reniformis</i> or <i>Begonia vitifolia.</i> </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grape Leaf Begonia, <i>Begonia reniformis</i> or <i>Begonia vitifolia.</i> </td></tr>
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-8151084052905236169?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/C_8Myl4A4NQ" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com7http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/11/san-francisco-wine-deliveries-lunch-and.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-47440040657592166052011-11-02T11:03:00.000-07:002011-11-02T11:03:04.661-07:002011-11-02T11:03:04.661-07:00Wordless Wednesday: Autumn in the Redwoods of NorCal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IDdi_CGx0xw/TrGEcPIPKlI/AAAAAAAACj0/_x9GMg6s5-s/s1600/IMG_5653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IDdi_CGx0xw/TrGEcPIPKlI/AAAAAAAACj0/_x9GMg6s5-s/s640/IMG_5653.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F0TInY-lWvc/TrGEvSkaRGI/AAAAAAAACj8/x4ejK8CeoFo/s1600/IMG_5656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F0TInY-lWvc/TrGEvSkaRGI/AAAAAAAACj8/x4ejK8CeoFo/s640/IMG_5656.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xwF-8ywaBSU/TrGFBPpUXSI/AAAAAAAACkE/fTa8HgHYAj0/s1600/IMG_5658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xwF-8ywaBSU/TrGFBPpUXSI/AAAAAAAACkE/fTa8HgHYAj0/s640/IMG_5658.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VbVh5x9ywi0/TrGFNBLAZlI/AAAAAAAACkM/LhtlrpUzdtg/s1600/IMG_5659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VbVh5x9ywi0/TrGFNBLAZlI/AAAAAAAACkM/LhtlrpUzdtg/s640/IMG_5659.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2fV8_lqQII/TrGER6V0cMI/AAAAAAAACjs/CVJg5EluAiQ/s1600/IMG_5652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2fV8_lqQII/TrGER6V0cMI/AAAAAAAACjs/CVJg5EluAiQ/s640/IMG_5652.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4oA979yJCM0/TrGEEFG6H2I/AAAAAAAACjk/tAidVISyFls/s1600/IMG_5651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4oA979yJCM0/TrGEEFG6H2I/AAAAAAAACjk/tAidVISyFls/s640/IMG_5651.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JXQ91rlP1YY/TrGFYGmCpAI/AAAAAAAACkU/G-Q-dQXE_7s/s1600/IMG_5660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JXQ91rlP1YY/TrGFYGmCpAI/AAAAAAAACkU/G-Q-dQXE_7s/s640/IMG_5660.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-4744004065759216605?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/sHhCJVt7nzs" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com1http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/11/wordless-wednesday-autumn-in-redwoods.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-68689157904945555032011-10-31T12:07:00.000-07:002011-10-31T12:08:02.927-07:002011-10-31T12:08:02.927-07:00What's Your Botanical Learning Style?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd wanted to have a nice long post for today, but my brain is really, seriously, quite tired. Right now I should be sleeping, but instead, I am up and exhausted from staying up late to read more and more about plants. You see, I have a long drive home now, and there are more plants to come, in different kinds of places, that have different kinds of ecosystems, and already, my brain and eyes are spinning because of plants—but not really. Otherwise I wouldn't be here writing this post. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-78UyEMjv4Z4/Tq5Pbi-HeAI/AAAAAAAACiU/nx5MyBNrw4w/s1600/IMG_4853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-78UyEMjv4Z4/Tq5Pbi-HeAI/AAAAAAAACiU/nx5MyBNrw4w/s640/IMG_4853.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking at the wine grapes took work since I wish I could identify the different kinds just by looking at them, but I am not that talented. This shouldn't stress me out, but it does. Right now I don't have the energy to begin learning about any other plants since I am still being overwhelmed with the native plants of California!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C9oVXRuDUpI/Tq5PepJgGII/AAAAAAAACic/sG6pa6bnvdc/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C9oVXRuDUpI/Tq5PepJgGII/AAAAAAAACic/sG6pa6bnvdc/s640/IMG_4972.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a good example. Entering into this native ancient oak grove truly blew me away. The side effect though is that I have a lot more to read now. I love to go on vacation but it is so odd to return home with homework. (This was near the top when I climbed Mt. Konocti with our friend Tom.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5WyNtVVzCSc/Tq5Pg1OWk-I/AAAAAAAACik/jnICvqxSyuU/s1600/IMG_5005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5WyNtVVzCSc/Tq5Pg1OWk-I/AAAAAAAACik/jnICvqxSyuU/s640/IMG_5005.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After that shock to the botanical senses, before we reached the peak, we were able to look out and see Mt. St. Helena in Napa. (It's the flat-headed mountain out there near the center of the picture.) It was hard for me to believe we could see it, but we could. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RzQWoCWP6wU/Tq5PjML7SUI/AAAAAAAACis/TfH2CVvDcGw/s1600/IMG_5034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RzQWoCWP6wU/Tq5PjML7SUI/AAAAAAAACis/TfH2CVvDcGw/s640/IMG_5034.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Identifying plants along the way became more complicated that day, but I was really happy to have found this <i>Cirsium occidentale. </i>I knew what it was immediately, but I have so many more plants to memorize before I walk through the chaparral of Lake County, CA again. Everything is simply too new to me here still.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KmVomJFXV-o/Tq5PlxhTFDI/AAAAAAAACi0/N804dTmzUwo/s1600/IMG_5055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KmVomJFXV-o/Tq5PlxhTFDI/AAAAAAAACi0/N804dTmzUwo/s640/IMG_5055.JPG" width="572" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While I went off to explore each day my husband had to work. The grapes need to be harvested and processed quickly so that nothing sits around in the heat for long. It is strange to come back to your spouse as they work at a job you've never actually seen them do. I've heard about the whole process for years, but seeing it was like seeing someone new who I didn't totally know. When he works the field, pruning and planting new vines, I understand that, but this part was new to me even though it's similar to a popular activity in the NW called, "beer brewing." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Right now you may be wondering about my relationship to our famous Oregon Pinot Noir, but I have never been interested in the whole lifestyle it entails in my state due to the cult of the grape that began in the 1970s when I was a girl. It has always seemed somewhat foreign to our region, and yes, Californian. Oddly enough, we don't have a native grape vine the way California does and I think that's telling in a way. Wine really fits into the landscape here in a way that it doesn't in Oregon. That's just <i>my</i> opinion, and I know it tastes great, but it has altered Oregon in a funny way. (I know, hops aren't native either, but at least they seem to fit in well and they grow so well in the Willamette Valley.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VsyEC5amMk4/Tq5PowJHpWI/AAAAAAAACi8/aZwblXI22pY/s1600/IMG_5150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VsyEC5amMk4/Tq5PowJHpWI/AAAAAAAACi8/aZwblXI22pY/s640/IMG_5150.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, back to plants, on another day I drove about 80 miles into a <i>very</i> remote area of Lake County by myself. (You can see the road along the ridge in the picture. It's the wavy line and it was amazing to drive along!) This may not have been the wisest decision, but it made me feel brave. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-opugPxLNgjs/Tq5Pr-fhlVI/AAAAAAAACjE/kqnyJ-MTzq8/s1600/IMG_5161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-opugPxLNgjs/Tq5Pr-fhlVI/AAAAAAAACjE/kqnyJ-MTzq8/s640/IMG_5161.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From that remote area I could look over at Mt. Konocti again and ponder how I could have ever climbed to the top! Oddly enough though I felt safe-ish as I ventured deeper into the wilderness since I could hear a lot of traffic in the air flying over the Mendocino National Forest. This is harvest season after all and I think many of you know exactly what the Feds were looking for at this time of the year. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9WBhxKTb8y0/Tq5PvuREabI/AAAAAAAACjM/-5I9UgzP5Fw/s1600/IMG_5595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9WBhxKTb8y0/Tq5PvuREabI/AAAAAAAACjM/-5I9UgzP5Fw/s640/IMG_5595.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few days ago I landed back in San Francisco before heading south to the burbs. Seeing 1/8 or so of the San Francisco Botanical Garden was another amazing and yet visually confusing mess. I am still recovering from that walk but maybe after I visit it again once or twice a year for 10 years I'll know all of the plants! (Bromeliads grow there "wherever".)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fdB4Ws3Hbkk/Tq5P0IDh3jI/AAAAAAAACjU/2nWqHVw4lKI/s1600/IMG_5611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fdB4Ws3Hbkk/Tq5P0IDh3jI/AAAAAAAACjU/2nWqHVw4lKI/s640/IMG_5611.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wish I could wander the streets of San Francisco just looking for these amazing little gardens. I had never seen a Standard Fuchsia tree quite like this one before and it truly surprised me too. The streets of San Francisco are so rich with flora year-round.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GavBYn7AW28/Tq5PZdmlZ2I/AAAAAAAACiM/-G_xPipGEC8/s1600/IMG_4213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GavBYn7AW28/Tq5PZdmlZ2I/AAAAAAAACiM/-G_xPipGEC8/s640/IMG_4213.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>So as I drive home, I will endeavor to keep my eyeballs straight and not to tire myself out with all of this seeing and looking but that's truly how I memorize plants and I put a lot of energy into it. Today's Halloween though, and it's the day I head north again, so wish me luck as I enter back into the sphere of plant life I am familiar with already. I have a lifetime to learn about Californian plants and I will just have to accept that it will take that long to learn them. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-6868915790494555503?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/jnjEIUc_iOE" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com1http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/10/whats-your-botanical-learning-style.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-84908379449825456422011-10-28T10:11:00.000-07:002011-10-28T10:11:32.081-07:002011-10-28T10:11:32.081-07:00Greetings from an Amateur Botanist in CA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Leading up to this trip I didn't say much. I've had a lot on my mind, and additionally, my broken finger recovering took a slide due to my swelling disease. Coaxing them both back into splints was all we could do and it really slowed me down again.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BonuNWksn-s/Tqlw1tG-3FI/AAAAAAAACXU/YGu4Cmmk1Jo/s1600/IMG_4516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BonuNWksn-s/Tqlw1tG-3FI/AAAAAAAACXU/YGu4Cmmk1Jo/s640/IMG_4516.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rogue River in Southern Oregon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Just a few days ago I drove down to California alone, to see my husband and to witness the wine harvest and crush for the first time. It's the least I could do as his wife and it was my birthday gift to him. I had to be brave to drive I-5 alone and to stay in a yurt right off the highway when virtually few others were doing so. Driving the whole 10 hours in a day—by myself—was just not possible. The two-day drive was amazing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PBrCQ1gKyqs/TqlxJwOSUGI/AAAAAAAACXc/Yo4lHcLBqTo/s1600/IMG_4531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PBrCQ1gKyqs/TqlxJwOSUGI/AAAAAAAACXc/Yo4lHcLBqTo/s640/IMG_4531.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Redbud, <i>Cercis occidentalis, </i>in a rest stop near Lake Shasta.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t7iXVMsFo0k/TqlxXPHPlGI/AAAAAAAACXk/XGasIn1X_0c/s1600/IMG_4533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t7iXVMsFo0k/TqlxXPHPlGI/AAAAAAAACXk/XGasIn1X_0c/s640/IMG_4533.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Arctostaphylos</i> in a rest stop near Mt. Shasta.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>As for botanizing, my main goal during this trip is to more deeply familiarize myself with the native flora in the chaparral of California. I will be doing some coastal exploration too, but most of my activities will be centered around Lake County where my husband is during the growing season.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FhB3fPRAu_c/Tqlxf2_FZiI/AAAAAAAACXs/oL59yYU_7Ok/s1600/IMG_4660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FhB3fPRAu_c/Tqlxf2_FZiI/AAAAAAAACXs/oL59yYU_7Ok/s640/IMG_4660.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ahmc7ithJbs/TqlxtKeCJWI/AAAAAAAACX0/jmGatAYNDJ0/s1600/IMG_4664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ahmc7ithJbs/TqlxtKeCJWI/AAAAAAAACX0/jmGatAYNDJ0/s640/IMG_4664.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>While stopping in Redding to visit <a href="http://www.turtlebay.org/gardens">McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Garden</a> I caught some folks fishing for salmon in the Sacramento River. The flyfisherman who'd waded all the way out in the riffles was fun to watch but I was disappointed that he didn't know how to cast. (Sometime I will have my husband take a picture of me casting. It's the only fishing skill I retained from my upbringing.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HJWjoSlgoFc/Tqlx3NPiH8I/AAAAAAAACX8/mAwLzNN-TwY/s1600/IMG_4709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HJWjoSlgoFc/Tqlx3NPiH8I/AAAAAAAACX8/mAwLzNN-TwY/s640/IMG_4709.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>After Redding I drove south toward Sacramento and San Francisco before heading west on Hwy 20 into Lake County, CA. From the point on, I was far happier with the gorgeous scenery and I was excited to see what my husband was doing. When I arrived, he hopped up the ladder and began to punch down the fermenting grapes in the tank. I have to say, it was impressive and the smell was incredible. It was both good and bad at the same time!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeYf3UIGh2k/TqlyC4t9QqI/AAAAAAAACYE/mV1oJbTBEzk/s1600/IMG_4711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeYf3UIGh2k/TqlyC4t9QqI/AAAAAAAACYE/mV1oJbTBEzk/s640/IMG_4711.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6SYLBgQCAvQ/TqlyLOTXteI/AAAAAAAACYM/d36GBVEKZsU/s1600/IMG_4712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6SYLBgQCAvQ/TqlyLOTXteI/AAAAAAAACYM/d36GBVEKZsU/s640/IMG_4712.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>I looked at the color of the grapes, took the picture, and then as I was on the ladder I laughed when I noticed the labels on the tank.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DIAjhyMsgLk/TqlyaTmQNLI/AAAAAAAACYU/tCgEzMPBXh8/s1600/IMG_4715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DIAjhyMsgLk/TqlyaTmQNLI/AAAAAAAACYU/tCgEzMPBXh8/s640/IMG_4715.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>When he finished we walked through the olive orchard.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kevxpKE4pxE/TqlykGqPIaI/AAAAAAAACYc/dOA5YgkacVQ/s1600/IMG_4717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kevxpKE4pxE/TqlykGqPIaI/AAAAAAAACYc/dOA5YgkacVQ/s640/IMG_4717.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>We were both surprised that the pomegranate tree had actually produced this year despite the funny weather.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8uy_5B33cG8/Tqlyq6RB9oI/AAAAAAAACYk/8nR81GeLqnc/s1600/IMG_4721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8uy_5B33cG8/Tqlyq6RB9oI/AAAAAAAACYk/8nR81GeLqnc/s640/IMG_4721.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Then he showed me what the weather had done to some of the grapes. With the heavy rains and low temperatures we've had this season all along the West Coast, you're going to get some rotten grapes. This is what they can look like and you just have to let them go.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3plZbjOLDak/Tqly2whDbkI/AAAAAAAACYs/fOMfB-Yb7VA/s1600/IMG_4723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3plZbjOLDak/Tqly2whDbkI/AAAAAAAACYs/fOMfB-Yb7VA/s640/IMG_4723.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>And this is what grapes in a vineyard look like when they're not pruned. This row was going to be grafted with something else but when the time to do so passed because the weather wasn't right, they just let the grapes go. It's only one row, but it really shows you how much pruning is necessary to make all the vineyards look so pretty. They really prune to improve the air and sun exposure for the grapes and to ensure that they have consistency in overall quality and quantity. The whole process is really interesting to me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1YArd___qsI/TqlzCDECrkI/AAAAAAAACY0/dyX7dGzo8ao/s1600/IMG_4728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1YArd___qsI/TqlzCDECrkI/AAAAAAAACY0/dyX7dGzo8ao/s640/IMG_4728.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>While we perambulated, we were being watched. I shot this picture and admired Mt Konocti behind the mighty raptor. That's because at that moment, I had not yet climbed to its top. Tomorrow, I'll let you know how that went because right now, I'm off to collect some more plant materials just north of here...<br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-8490837944982545642?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/099bgGjGNbs" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com3http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/10/greetings-from-amateur-botanist-in-ca.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-86074221201628411462011-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:002011-10-26T00:01:01.190-07:002011-10-26T00:01:01.190-07:00Wordless Wednesday: My Eldest Niece Rockin' Out with a Rake Back in the 90s<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ehFJ4Hr8SW8/TqB2VedjU6I/AAAAAAAACTs/E-vHL53Lym8/s1600/sc0004080f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ehFJ4Hr8SW8/TqB2VedjU6I/AAAAAAAACTs/E-vHL53Lym8/s640/sc0004080f.jpg" width="458" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-8607422120162841146?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/KEX7rPwI77Y" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com5http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/10/wordless-wednesday-my-eldest-niece.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-76622639947060966302011-10-23T00:01:00.000-07:002011-10-23T00:01:02.357-07:002011-10-23T00:01:02.357-07:00Ikebana International Chrysanthemum Exhibition: celebrating Kiku Matsuri<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday I attend <a href="http://www.iiportlandchapter47.com/">Ikebana International Portland Chapter 47</a>'s annual Chrysanthemum Exhibition at the <a href="http://japanesegarden.com/">Portland Japanese Garden</a>. As expected, it was amazing, and I truly enjoyed viewing all of the different arrangements. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Following are a few of my favorites from the show. (My Sensai's is the last arrangement in the Sogetsu School section at the end of the post.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Saga Goryu School</b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i78xdvS0eh8/TqN3Agj4wdI/AAAAAAAACXI/ea8Fn3KPcT0/s1600/IMG_4410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i78xdvS0eh8/TqN3Agj4wdI/AAAAAAAACXI/ea8Fn3KPcT0/s640/IMG_4410.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by David Komeiji</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2o35dVLHaMo/TqNzMe2KjLI/AAAAAAAACUQ/WiRtJbX1vLk/s1600/IMG_4358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2o35dVLHaMo/TqNzMe2KjLI/AAAAAAAACUQ/WiRtJbX1vLk/s640/IMG_4358.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Mieko Heriford</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8gmkueR6U1k/TqNzv7QQ1eI/AAAAAAAACUo/d5Bj1wzd8iE/s1600/IMG_4364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8gmkueR6U1k/TqNzv7QQ1eI/AAAAAAAACUo/d5Bj1wzd8iE/s640/IMG_4364.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Wako Henjyoji</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2_LKR9fv-Ew/TqNz8UEFauI/AAAAAAAACUw/Cmp-f7LEiAI/s1600/IMG_4366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2_LKR9fv-Ew/TqNz8UEFauI/AAAAAAAACUw/Cmp-f7LEiAI/s640/IMG_4366.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Luci Bachelor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ohara School </b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vCouJJqHnSs/TqN0SvIsBzI/AAAAAAAACVA/aInMTCcphrk/s1600/IMG_4370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vCouJJqHnSs/TqN0SvIsBzI/AAAAAAAACVA/aInMTCcphrk/s640/IMG_4370.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Selina Lechner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_LY0IqT56KI/TqN0eOqss8I/AAAAAAAACVI/rz2j6i-xHEo/s1600/IMG_4372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_LY0IqT56KI/TqN0eOqss8I/AAAAAAAACVI/rz2j6i-xHEo/s640/IMG_4372.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Betty Robinson</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8DDMaSCrQo/TqN0oTn3IPI/AAAAAAAACVQ/Xc5Rf0rJSrk/s1600/IMG_4374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8DDMaSCrQo/TqN0oTn3IPI/AAAAAAAACVQ/Xc5Rf0rJSrk/s640/IMG_4374.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Ruby Warren</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Ryusei-Ha School</b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXnTfwR1WzI/TqN1Doa9jJI/AAAAAAAACVo/uUXU793EUqo/s1600/IMG_4382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXnTfwR1WzI/TqN1Doa9jJI/AAAAAAAACVo/uUXU793EUqo/s640/IMG_4382.JPG" width="594" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Reiko Grenade<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DEn7aj3BbfU/TqN1MoCUHSI/AAAAAAAACVw/aR3RWzIRywA/s1600/IMG_4384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DEn7aj3BbfU/TqN1MoCUHSI/AAAAAAAACVw/aR3RWzIRywA/s640/IMG_4384.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Kathleen Birchfield</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F9RdOK0enXs/TqN09ykX4nI/AAAAAAAACVg/CYK0Nr5EZy8/s1600/IMG_4379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F9RdOK0enXs/TqN09ykX4nI/AAAAAAAACVg/CYK0Nr5EZy8/s640/IMG_4379.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Judy Harpel<br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ikenobo School </b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yms1FgTVRFo/TqN1Ze_-CRI/AAAAAAAACV4/e_he6-iX1Dg/s1600/IMG_4386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yms1FgTVRFo/TqN1Ze_-CRI/AAAAAAAACV4/e_he6-iX1Dg/s640/IMG_4386.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Dr James Skog</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KEvw1miiQa8/TqN1llR_J6I/AAAAAAAACWA/pFXd0NKkY0M/s1600/IMG_4388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KEvw1miiQa8/TqN1llR_J6I/AAAAAAAACWA/pFXd0NKkY0M/s640/IMG_4388.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Elly Heitmeyer</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IlIpANhvnGI/TqN2FLOYmRI/AAAAAAAACWY/OFF38O4yNes/s1600/IMG_4394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IlIpANhvnGI/TqN2FLOYmRI/AAAAAAAACWY/OFF38O4yNes/s640/IMG_4394.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Jack Smeckar</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> Sogetsu School</b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Flcd0v_WZVQ/TqN2Xq2cfCI/AAAAAAAACWo/8MtaR60TTvo/s1600/IMG_4398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Flcd0v_WZVQ/TqN2Xq2cfCI/AAAAAAAACWo/8MtaR60TTvo/s640/IMG_4398.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Diantha Knott</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W25fiWoYz4c/TqN2p4sqY_I/AAAAAAAACW4/Bm9E0c6h1nM/s1600/IMG_4404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W25fiWoYz4c/TqN2p4sqY_I/AAAAAAAACW4/Bm9E0c6h1nM/s640/IMG_4404.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> by Keiko Kodachi</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-7662263994706096630?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/J62rFkHwlnQ" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com1http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/10/ikebana-international-chrysanthemum.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-81990976735216787212011-10-21T09:58:00.000-07:002011-10-21T09:58:44.739-07:002011-10-21T09:58:44.739-07:00The Little Foster Boy Who Loved Seeds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last weekend I was surprised by a 9-year-old foster respite boy—but it was a pleasant surprise. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7288lnAw960/Tp0hXMLV_OI/AAAAAAAACSM/Kt71C5RGcts/s1600/IMG_4186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7288lnAw960/Tp0hXMLV_OI/AAAAAAAACSM/Kt71C5RGcts/s640/IMG_4186.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">False Yucca Seeds, <i>Hesperaloe parviflora</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Usually on Friday nights kids don't want to watch me sitting at the table sifting through seeds. Our kids are usually fairly emotional and like to have us right there with them, watching a program with them, or participating in their play.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kf5ymHaognk/Tp0hgKl1DwI/AAAAAAAACSU/IFj7_qmq9H0/s1600/IMG_4187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kf5ymHaognk/Tp0hgKl1DwI/AAAAAAAACSU/IFj7_qmq9H0/s640/IMG_4187.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardinal Flower Seeds, <i>Lobelia cardinalis</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Last weekend I was left alone in the evening. It felt kind of odd and a twinge of guilt crept up, but then I squashed it because I liked being able to work quietly after dinner without any major interruptions.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4r4qyle5gG8/Tp0hoD3CToI/AAAAAAAACSc/Gn7WFAtwX_o/s1600/IMG_4189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="470" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4r4qyle5gG8/Tp0hoD3CToI/AAAAAAAACSc/Gn7WFAtwX_o/s640/IMG_4189.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">False Freesia, <i>Anomatheca laxa</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I was sorting and sorting and didn't notice when the room became silent.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nFikYmZ8Eto/Tp0hygF2rqI/AAAAAAAACSk/EcCvGIS_JoM/s1600/IMG_4190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nFikYmZ8Eto/Tp0hygF2rqI/AAAAAAAACSk/EcCvGIS_JoM/s640/IMG_4190.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My little helper hiding behind the lamp to preserve his anonymity. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Then I felt his eyes on me and he drew nearer. There were a few questions about how to do it, and why I do it, and then he sat his toys down. He was mesmerized by the process and before I knew it he was sitting beside me sorting too.<br />
<br />
And that was Friday night! Ahhhhh.....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4S3pDygjYAM/Tp0iGnb62BI/AAAAAAAACSs/bVc4tE5awIA/s1600/IMG_4202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4S3pDygjYAM/Tp0iGnb62BI/AAAAAAAACSs/bVc4tE5awIA/s640/IMG_4202.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elms in the Park Blocks of Portland, Oregon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Due to his anxiety issues, running errands for my upcoming trip required some planning, but all that really meant was that he needed park breaks in the city so that he could forget about all the people. Near Powell's he as able to run around in this playground in the park blocks. I admired the elm trees while he let it all out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dnx15IDmP2Q/Tp0iTcSPIFI/AAAAAAAACS0/-YQWh3bfYUo/s1600/IMG_4203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dnx15IDmP2Q/Tp0iTcSPIFI/AAAAAAAACS0/-YQWh3bfYUo/s640/IMG_4203.jpg" width="576" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Licorice Ferns, <i>Polypodium glycyrrhiza</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Before we left to go to the store I showed him how the epiphytic Licorice Fern grows on trees whenever possible in our area. He stood there on the sidewalk staring up at that tree for much longer than I'd expected.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOet5weJZ1M/Tp0icjBUFvI/AAAAAAAACS8/RLYL_h5NQvk/s1600/IMG_4207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOet5weJZ1M/Tp0icjBUFvI/AAAAAAAACS8/RLYL_h5NQvk/s640/IMG_4207.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lily at a flower stall captivated my little weekend visitor. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>At the market in NW Portland we stopped to buy flowers for my daily Ikebana.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TxjTYX3MEm0/Tp0inCPe6BI/AAAAAAAACTE/WFOhf3ZmcuI/s1600/IMG_4208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TxjTYX3MEm0/Tp0inCPe6BI/AAAAAAAACTE/WFOhf3ZmcuI/s640/IMG_4208.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pumpkin Stick Tree,<i> Solanum integrifolium</i>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>I let him pick what he wanted for a Halloween theme and we talked about the flowers he really liked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1X2mq1x0gKs/Tp0iuRkbhRI/AAAAAAAACTM/libQD5dmoSI/s1600/IMG_4210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1X2mq1x0gKs/Tp0iuRkbhRI/AAAAAAAACTM/libQD5dmoSI/s640/IMG_4210.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkshood, possibly <i>Aconitum carmichaelii</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This was the first Monkshood he'd ever seen and he couldn't stop looking at it. He wanted to call it a Hoodie Flower and that made me laugh.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4njs4AVEiMw/Tp0i1NIE0iI/AAAAAAAACTU/t-mWb3lNb0s/s1600/IMG_4212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4njs4AVEiMw/Tp0i1NIE0iI/AAAAAAAACTU/t-mWb3lNb0s/s640/IMG_4212.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Once we were back home he posed with our purchases and then we started working on Halloween cookies. Until he left on Monday he continued to sort seeds with me and he asked me many questions. He opened up a lot during this time and when he left it was hard for me to say goodbye. Part of me felt ashamed though to have been so biased in my feelings for him just because he loved seeds but I totally fell for him.<br />
<br />
I am currently still sorting outdoor plants before I take off for my next plant and seed hunting trip in California.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jUENUSYx2iE/Tp0i_R_F5cI/AAAAAAAACTc/TaNPNWEJ510/s1600/IMG_4260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jUENUSYx2iE/Tp0i_R_F5cI/AAAAAAAACTc/TaNPNWEJ510/s640/IMG_4260.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>I wanted to post that I have many winners and losers and these are examples of each. Both are hard to find plants, but only one made it. The <i>Dicentra</i> would have made it if I hadn't neglected it, but so it goes...</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-8199097673521678721?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/m4R0uag5tCk" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com10http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/10/little-foster-boy-who-loved-seeds.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7778034964111352393.post-57990483856210485922011-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:002011-10-19T00:01:00.178-07:002011-10-19T00:01:00.178-07:00Wordless Wednesday: My Great-Grandma—the family's other feminist—Mary Wells Mowing Her Lawn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CpceaHtC4m0/Tp5bpYdrQDI/AAAAAAAACTk/071K7NwTR8s/s1600/sc0001c522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CpceaHtC4m0/Tp5bpYdrQDI/AAAAAAAACTk/071K7NwTR8s/s640/sc0001c522.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7778034964111352393-5799048385621048592?l=seedcollector.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AmateurBotannist/~4/ZOMHnfBzZeQ" height="1" width="1"/>Ann, aka Amateur Bot-ann-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08720485909592974251noreply@blogger.com7http://seedcollector.blogspot.com/2011/10/wordless-wednesday-my-great-grandmathe.html