Watch the Sego Palm Bloom

For your viewing pleasure, please click on the virus-free, bacteria-free, STD-free link for a gentle rendition of the Pachelbel Canon in D to view the Sego palm add a new chain of fronds.

http://www.mp3music.bz/mp3/view.php?id=9457

If there ever was proof of someone with too much time on her hands, this posting is the evidence. Is watching paint dry too exciting for you? Waiting for Jello to jell speed up the ticker too much? Then this post is for you. I've photo docked the beginning and end of a Sego palm growing a new set of inner fronds. Now don't confuse the Sego palm pictured above with the Queen Anne palm below. The Queen Anne palm is very tall and has withery long palm branches.

My first disclaimer--I did not plant all the Sego palms! The previous owner had a real palm fetish but I've grown to appreciate their tropical beauty.

So, let the adventure begin!

Exhibit One: The Sago Palm

Now, in the very center of all the fronds a nub begins. It is the beginning of the "bloom" or what will be the new circle of fronds. Voila!

In case you missed it, here it is again at a more noticible state.

Do you see the brown wormy-like things rising up and nearly twisting at the top? This is the action!!

Don't miss it now. Look very carefully. There, in the middle of the "worms" are the faint sightings of what will be new green fronds. Observe how soft and fuzzy they look--nothing like the grown fronds with spikey ends that can put an eye out.

The new fronds break free from the worms and shoot upwards, demanding to be seen as the newcomers on the old Sego block. But watch now....

The fronds leave the wormy stuff to dry up and fall back into the center only good to catch dust, insects, dead leaves--the fronds have triumphed.

It is the Revolt of All Captive Young Fronds!!

This entire replenishing project only takes the Sego about one week to complete. It takes some pretty fast camera work to keep up with aggressive frond debut. Notice the new fronds are a slightly lighter, duller shade of green. Here is the final push up to join all the other fronds in making up this particular Sego!!

Monastery Within

After having a 3 year tantrum about living in Bakersfield I decided to take a cue from the monks and explore the idea of the monastery within. The monks' cells don't have windows and I was told that the reason is the monk's cell is to reflect the inward life. Everything in the cell is designed to turn the soul inward, towards prayer, not to be looking outward onto the world. It seems to me the monks don't get the time they really want to be alone, to pray, to contemplate, to do their own spiritual work. Even in the monastery the world comes to their door and they need to go out in the world to earn a living. Apparently peace is costly where ever one tries to find it.

About a year ago I began to start turning our large yard into a space with little nooks and "secret" places. A semi-monastery for someone who does not care to go out much and prefers solitude. Gardening must be one of the most peaceful activities ever invented so with some help from the menfolk with digging holes, I began planting.....and planting......and buying more and more plants. It has taken over a year but the idea is becoming real. I thought I would post a little tour of the places I've tried to carve out of a not-so-friendly environment. The heat takes its toll every year on the plants. Many just shrivel up and go into bare maintenance mode to survive. But then, I have many seasons like that myself. The worst part, so far, was a heavy frost last year where we had 4 successive days of freezing weather. For Californians, especially southern Californians, it was a disaster for plants. We lost much of our mature landscaping and are starting over in too many places.

Perhaps you'd like to follow me through this jumbled, yet not without a plan, garden that soothes my soul.

Our house is close to a manmade lake. I seldom walk to it because water makes me a bit nervous--I don't swim! But the wildlife there is always fun.

Our front yard is bordered by two neighbors and a ravine. I stay out of the ravine--the dogs love it! Our vet bill for removing foxtails is a line-item in the budget!

The entry to our house has an atrium to the right and a smaller entry area to the left. The left is the last to get attention although this year I began the gardenia hedge which has provided a supply of the super-scented flowers for a few weeks now.

The main atrium in front was nearly all destroyed in the frost. The plants are new and seem to be taking to their new environment. I love roses and have lost count of how many have been planted. Before I had 100 roses and I think I'm going to match that number in another year or two.

The back yard is open and looks out to green and trees. Except for a neighbor across the ravine who occasionally likes to aim his binoculars at our bedroom window, the yard is very peaceful and gives me the space I need. I don't use the pool as much as I used to before the breathing problems began but Byrdie swims nearly every day. When you live in a desert environment just looking at water can be calming.

We put in sliding glass doors from our bedroom so we could enjoy the expanse of the back yard and bring the outdoors in. It was the best idea we've had in a house! We added a small patio under the trees and have had nice cups of tea by just stepping out the door.

My favorite hidden garden spot here is the inner atrium off the living room . This atrium connects the living room and bedroom. This is where the mourning doves have chosen to build nests and where there is actually overhead shade from the sun. I have a little fountain and fan in here. The fan keeps the air moving on days when the temperature reaches over 100o. I can hang plants, pot plants and plant plants depending on what looks good at the Home Depot or my favorite nursery, The White Forest. This is the spot that reflects my soul the best.

Hope you enjoyed the tour. Any gardening hints or design suggestions are most welcome. Please do come again and perhaps next time we can have tea. And if you don't like garden tours, come back later and I'll tell you all about the 2nd mourning dove to nest in the atrium. That can really bore the socks off you.

Cyber 'Hood

At the risk of sounding like someone with no life I have to admit to a 14 year association with a chat room on the internet. I only know these people by their screen names and what information they choose to reveal. I try to keep in mind that one can say anything in the cybercloak of anonymity but generally, after such a long time, one learns who is on the level and who is a genuine nut case. It might surprise some of you to know that during this time there have been marriages between chatters, a few chat room memorials for those who have died, births, divorces, tragedies and moments of hilarity. In other words, some of us have come to "know" each other and enjoy the company.

This chat room is labeled as a chat forum for Catholics but we get a bit of everything coming through it. I have noticed over the years that many of us are introverts or have some type of health problems that limit our ITRW(In The Real World) activities. So, when I relate the last chat room incident perhaps this will give you a window into the relationships that have developed over more than a decade.

Last night some sick idjit (alternative spellings are often used so the spies on offensive language' who reside in India can't match the word we use against the "bad lingo list" they are given to monitor free speech) came into our chat room and announced the death of a well-liked, long-time chatter. There was some reason to believe the person since the name of the chatter's wife was used and they had information about the chatter--for instance, the dog had recently died. Many of us were quite upset just thinking this could be true. We KNOW not to believe junk like this and of course we all say now that we didn't really believe it--but in fact, it was quite a blow to even consider that a cyberfriend had actually met with a sudden end. Don't bother me with facts--I know I've never met this person or seen him. To me, when I am in the chat room , he is as real as anyone.

Needless to say, the phony post and resulting shock have consumed the chat room for the last 24 hours. The news this morning is that the person was contacted at his work and he is not dead--hallelujah!!! But oh what cybervengence has been riled up. How does one get back at the perp? A cyber hit? A cyber shun? A cyber lawsuit for pain and suffering? We haven't had this before. Well, of course we had one famous member who faked his own death and went so far as to post an obituary for us to read. But hey--that was different. Somehow, that incident fit in. But this seemed real and the worry was real.

I think what I'm trying to say is if our cyber friends can affect us this much, how much more we should treasure our flesh and blood friends. And for those of you who read this and can't even begin to empathize, meet me in cyberspace and let me introduce you to my friends!

My Lord, What a Morning!

The mourning dove I'd been watching on her nest finally revealed a baby bird. These birds never made one sound while using our atrium as a nursery. One morning I heard a little stir out in the camelias and there were the birds learning to fly. By the evening the nest had been abandonned and I haven't seen them since. I'm surprised at how lonely the atrium seems without the birds.



I spent some time taking pictures of ice cubes. I'd forgotten how much fun that is! If you use tap water--not bottled--there will be plenty of air bubbles and lines. No two ice cubes will be exactly alike. Here's an ice cube I particularly liked.

We took advantage of what would probably be the last 'warm but not boiling hot' week-end left of the Spring and headed out to the desert to some four-wheeling. As much as I loved the Minnie, being able to head off-road or just take off on a dirt road that looked good was very freeing! There was no worrying about dead-ends, being able to turn the vehicle around or an impassable road. On the other hand, there was no refrigerator with ice and cold beer and an indoor toilet!


We did our exploring in the Newberry and Roman mountains south of Newberry Springs. These are lava mountains and a beautiful shade of deep red and purple. Of course both dogs went along to look for rabbits and anything else they could chase. Our first sign of life was a Coach snake sunning itself in the road. Immediate 360 in the Jeep--JR to get the snake off the road and me to run it over. He prevailed and with a little tail-kicking got the snake to slowly move off the pavement. Then, for no apparent reason, the snake turned and came towards me very deliberately. That snake did not have all his shields up! I got some good pictures before kicking if off the road. I just wish I had thought to put the camera down on the road and catch the snake at eye level.

We took a dirt road up a hill that took us over a mile high. What a view!!! We could see a hundred miles in all directions. There were cell towers on the top and the wind was howling. After seeing no one the entire day, on the way down three vehicles converged--all of them Jeep Grand Cherokees and all with the women driving. I'd never seen that before.

Back in Bako I've seen the weather turn from nice to very hot. This is usually my favorite time of year here because it means days of swimming and floating in the pool with the pool bar attached to the float. This year I just don't have the spare energy to do much but get dressed and move from bed to couch. It is an eerie feeling to feel not really here--almost transparent. I assume it's because I'm not getting enough oxygen right now but will see doc in San Diego next week. A couple of days in La Jolla should fix just about anything!



For now, I'll just post some pictures and leave it at that. For anyone who wants to leave comments, all you need to do for the account is give your email address and a password. I've not been bothered by any spam or hassles. It's done to keep rude comments from being posted and then not being able to find the perp.

Days of Our Lives

Sands of Time--newly-forming sand dune in Newberry Springs





It's interesting to watch a sand dune form. The wind has been pretty fierce this year and regularly blows across the roads in Newberry. The road crews have to come along and sweep the sand off the roads back to the sides. Then slowly plants take root and already existing plants begin to start holding down the sand--which, in turn, begins to hold more sand. There is a critical time when it's really a whole lot of fun to take a good four-wheel drive out and tear up the sand and fishtail all over the place!!!! Besides a longer growing season being one of the effects of so-called global warming, the creation of more desert and therefore, more sand dunes will be a great side effect. This is a very convenient truth!

I am living the wee things that make up life. The best news is that a mourning dove has made her nest in the eaves of our atrium. She has been on her nest without a single break for water or food for weeks now. Even when the dogs would come out with me when I would water she just held completely still--never abandoned her post. Now that I've discovered her I'm keeping the dogs away and trying to be very, very quiet when I go out there. What does a mourning dove think about for all that time? Is it morning dove or mourning dove? I guess they can't think--they can only do. And sit on the nest 24/7 is what she does.

The Monastery

Our Lady Searcher for the Lost




We spent last week-end at Holy Resurrection Monastery. The temperatures suddenly zoomed from warm to 100o in one day! That is when the desert stops being one's friend. I took pictures of the monks and Brother John, the new novice. I thought I'd post them on this blog. Anyone interested in spending some time at the Monastery can contact Abbot Nicholas. So, meet our friends.

Fr Basil, Abbot Nicholas, Br John



Fr Deacon Moses, chef extrordinaire and wearer of funny hats





Fr Maximos taking his turn at fixing dinner--which was delicious!

The monks earn their living by running a bakery in Big Bear Lake, CA. It's called The Monks' Oven and they bake breads and goodies and sell them to local businesses and several Farmer's Markets in the area. It's a two-hour commute each way from HRM and can get quite tricky in the winter snow. Matins is at 4:30am week-day mornings and after that two hour service, they take turns going up the mountain to bake.

The monks have Vespers every evening at 6pm. This is a lovely service with beautiful canticles and mostly by candlelight. They're still working on getting the music right.

Br John confused by Fr Maximos' choice of psalms

Fr Basil and Fr Nicholas arguing over who gets the songbook that's in English.

Fr Nicholas leaving Fr Basil holding the candle while Br John gets ready to grab service book away from Fr Maximos

Fr Nicholas painting scarlet letter on Fr Basil's forehead for winning tug-of-war over the songbook.

One of three monastery cats. This is the 'mutant' with double feet(not paws, feet) on her front legs. She has her ears back because I interferred with her stalking some birds that were stealing the cats' food from the bowl.

Right now Fr Basil is doing most of the work of maintaining the grounds and gardens around the monastery. The desert is a harsh environment and getting anything green or with flowers to grow is a constant challenge. All of us lost plants this winter during our unusal long run of below-freezing nights. Of course global warming was the unexpected culprit but the truth of it is that many plants have had to be replaced. The yellow broom both looks great and smells wonderful. He is also working on rock path markers, tree trimming and extending the watering system.

There was a short but strong wind storm which put even more sand into the rig. I drove it back Sunday night and spent 5 hours at the RV fix-it place today waiting for new vents and vent covers to be put on the roof. I am beginning to see how RVing works: before one takes a trip, the rig must go in for pre-trip checks. Result: spend money. Then the trip. Then one needs to take the rig back into the shop to have all the problems fixed that developed on the trip. Result: spend money. I filled up the tank after leaving the fix-it place and the cost was $167.45. This might be too rich for our blood.

Parallel worlds

The mass I attended yesterday could be described as "only in America!" It's a mission church and not very well-off. The congregation was about 80% Hispanic, i.e., Mexican, and the dress of choice was jeans and sweater/hoodie. The priest is Korean and offers masses in English, Spanish and Korean. This mass was in English. They had a wonderful Korean children's choir of about 30 voices who sang in English and Latin! Every word was clearly enunciated. At one point the different universes collided when I noticed nearly all Mexicans going up for Holy Communion from a Korean English-speaking priest while the Korean children sang "Panis Angelicus" in Latin. Wow!!! One could get windburn from the whizzing back and forth between cultures.

Roses Roses and azaleas

Byrdie back in her own environs doing what she loves best!

While I was battling snow, sleet, hail, rain, tornado watches and 60 mph winds, Spring came to Bakersfield. I arrived to find the back half of the first bloom and color everywhere! This is one of two times a year when roses in Bakersfield are fantastic. In the early spring until the first real heat they bloom their little hearts out. Then the bad heat hits and they fry and appear to have given up on life. Then, at the end of summer hope is renewed and they go through a second full flowering that lasts for a couple of months. There are many rose growers here including one of Jackson and Perkins largest growing fields so the area is very friendly to roses.

I spent today getting reacquainted with my plants. There was a lot of pruning to do since some of them had gone past their first bloom in my absence. There are diseases to kill off and insects to obliterate. While I'm doing my work in the killing fields, I'll leave these pictures to brighten up this blog and hopefully, anyone who happens to enjoy looking at roses.

This first picture I call "rose echo". I didn't even see the other rose in the shadowed background. It is an English rose: Gertrude Jaekle

Abe Lincoln and Olympiads

azaleas

Veterans' Rose