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Grecian Key from 1969.

So, a medlar tastes like a tamarind? In a way, yes. A little bit; like one of the musty, over ripe tamarinds, devoid of any hint of sourness.  That is where my taste bud inventory took me; back to the tamarind tree. But, whether or not  it is more like a floury crab apple or a musty tamarind, or a combination of both, it is assuredly an ancient flavour; in the same way as the flavours of the crab apple and the tamarind belong to the ancient realms.  The medlar’s taste belongs to the ages, and, like the best of fine whisky, or aged cheese, needs to be savoured gently to appreciate its uniqueness. That I can vouch for.

Now that I have thoroughly confused you about the flavour of medlars, here’s a photo with a hint of what I am going to do with them next………

Tree notes: If you would like to know more about the tamarind tree, this link to Kew Gardens provides excellent information  http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Tamarindus-indica.htm

© silkannthreades

Happy Thursday as tomorrow is the start of a long weekend.

Have you made an constant effort to stay active so far?

Engage a trainer to help you achieve your fitness goals or join our Active Kickboxing Fitness Classes!

Valencia is a junior trainer at Active Red and her enthusiasm for fitness is always encouraging. Having gone through her personal weight loss journey during October to December 2011, she has gone on to further her career in the fitness industry. She is passionate about helping others with their personal weight loss and fitness challenges they may have.

Valencia is also trained in kickboxing and teaches all female class! Yes, ladies~ Besides that, she conducts fitness bootcamps where you get motivated to give your all during the workout yet having fun too!

As for most females who prefer female trainers, Valencia’s enthusiasm and cheerful self will make you feel right at home at Active Red!

Check out Valencia’s full profile here.

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I recently travelled to Paris and absolutely fell in love with it. There is something incredible that goes on during springtime in Paris, the flowers are just beginning to bloom, sprouting out of window boxes and rooftop gardens. You can watch the underfed models strut around in their obnoxiously high heels and overly decorated spring coats making you feel horribly self conscious.
The best place to observe Paris in all its hustle and bustle is a cafe. Sitting in a cafe with a leather journal, sipping homemade hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream and newly baked croissant its layers melting together in culinary amazement. From my perch I observed Paris, snapping pictures and jotting down notes of all the beautiful things I saw.
Stepping onto the Champ de Elysses you felt like your life had transformed into an episode of Gossip Girl, “Thats a 50,000 scarf, I can pay that.” when in reality you couldn’t even afford the strings that tied the scarf together. There is just something about Paris that makes you feel like a better version of yourself.
Maybe thats the appeal of Paris, that when you step onto the cobblestone streets you can be anyone you want to be. Paris just gives you a makeover and turns you into a completely different person. Whether your better or worse, you have to take the trip and find out.

xx,
It’s Only Me

The ribbon-like flowers of the native fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus, above) lack heavy substance, so the fragile blooms often decline quickly with extreme warm or cold temperatures that are typical through the spring. But, this year they are fading slowly, losing vigor now because the new foliage is forcing its way in rather than from the cold. Occasionally, I see articles touting the Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus), but I see no benefit in planting this rather than the extraordinary native. Chinese fringetree flowers a few weeks earlier than the native, so if both are planted the garden will have fringetree flowers a few weeks longer, but if the selection must be one or the other, the simple choice should be the native. 

The Rutgers’ hybrid dogwoods (Cornus ‘Rutgan’ Stellar Pink, above) are in full flower, and soon will be fading as the Chinese dogwoods come into bloom. In my garden, the vigorous, upright growing variegated ‘Samaritan’ (Cornus kousa ‘Samaritan’) has refused to bloom for several years (and perhaps it has never flowered, though I can’t recall), while the similar ‘Wolf Eyes’ dogwood flowers dependably. If you care to look back to previous years, I’ve probably written something about the late flowering dogwoods every year, but I’ll spend little time on this today so I can cover it again in more detail in a few days. For now, let it suffice to say that I recommend the hybrids and Chinese dogwoods in addition to planting our superb native, but for cautious gardeners who are concerned by the native’s poor disease resistance, these are excellent substitutes.

While flowers are the main attraction of the spring garden, there are other delights that must be pointed out. The new foliage of ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’, above) is an annual treat, with the newest leaves an extraordinarily glossy, deep red-purple. The gloss fades as the leaves mature, and by mid summer the color often fades to a mottled green-red that is a considerable disappointment after witnessing the spring foliage.

The variegated foliage of the Sycamore maple ‘Eskimo Sunset’ (Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Eskimo Sunset’, above) fades only slightly from its spring glory as the summer heats up. The splashes of pink turns to green and white variegation, but this is still quite nice. The typical, green leafed Sycamore maple grows to be a large forest tree, but the lack of chlorophyll stunts ‘Eskimo Sunset’ to grow slowly to only thirty feet tall. With a bit of protection from the late afternoon sun the variegation stays stronger, but I have not experienced the burning of leaves that is cautioned about in recommending that ‘Eskimo Sunset’ be given a shaded setting. It would be unfortunate to be distracted by the garden’s many blooms to miss this marvelous foliage.

At a point several years ago I was ready to give up on the weeping Golden Chain trees (Laburnum x watereri ‘Pendula’, above). Their growth was weak and flowers were scarce, and I decided they must not like the Virginia humidity. But, just as I made this pronouncement the two small trees began to grow with vigor, perhaps sensing their imminent demise. In less humid parts I assume this tree grows like a weed, but in my garden it took only a little patience to be rewarded with a fine tree, though it still doesn’t flower heavily.

The purple smoketree (Cotinus coggygria, above) was misplaced in too shaded a spot from the start, but I wanted its darkly colored foliage, and dark, lacy flowers as a contrast to a golden Lawson cypress. Smoketrees have an irregular habit that is best tamed by pruning it severely every year or two, and when left alone and planted in too much shade its branches wind around and over anything in its path to the sun.

This is not the worst mistake I’ve made, but the result is that the foliage of the purple smoke is difficult to see, and the blooms are barely there, the inevitable result of cramming too many good things into too small a space.

Nerium oleander (photo: Ann King Filmer)

Here are photos of two plants taken today (May 22, 2013) in Davis, California — oleander (Nerium oleander) and apricot-flowered poker plant (Kniphofia uvaria ‘Echo Mango’).

Oleander (Nerium oleander) has such beautiful flowers (from white to pink to dark magenta), but the plant is so over-used in California that people no longer bother to stop and look at it. It gets by with very little water.

Two oleander shrubs (photo: Ann King Filmer)

The entire plant is extremely toxic, but that doesn’t stop it from being planted in home gardens and landscapes throughout California. The plant contains cardiac glycosides which can affect the action of heart muscles and disrupt normal heart rhythms (yes, it can be fatal). Initial symptoms are varied — dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and blurred vision. The sap of oleander is also reported to cause skin dermatitis. Enjoy its beauty, but beware its poisons.

Kniphofia uvaria ‘Echo Mango’ (photo: Ann King Filmer)

Poker plant (Kniphofia uvaria ‘Echo Mango’) is native to South Africa, but well adapted to California’s Mediterranean climate. The ‘Echo Mango’ variety in my garden is a beautiful yellow in color, but other varieties can be coral or white. The flowers attract hummingbirds.

The photo here is of a very young plant — it will form a larger, dense clump with multiple flowers.

Kniphofia uvaria ‘Echo Mango’ (photo: Ann King Filmer)

Kniphofia uvaria ‘Echo Mango’ (photo: Ann King Filmer)

This is a UNESCO world heritage site near Rome and yet another reason why I need to go to Italy, ASAP.

Image source: http://www.tripadvisor.com

We went to St Fagans to find out about trees and gardens. We found plants you can eat and identified some trees. We also had a picnic and great fun in the playground.

Posted by Kizzme Mommy

~~~~~~~~~~
Critter Spray for Bugs in the Vegetable Garden!
10 oz. rubbing alcohol
2 Tbs. dish detergent
Combine alcohol and dish detergent in a spray bottle. Fill with water. Shake and spray on those pesky critters.

I muse upon beauty. Partly such musing falls under the pursuit of aesthetics: the world of my garden becomes especially beautiful in spring. The sounds birds make seem beautiful to my ears. Water droplets on emerging leaves appear beautiful in the morning light.

These are phenomena. The world of things I can take in with my senses, process through my body and brain, and create–out of whatever “mind” may be–a concept of the beautiful. The phenomena are not physically affected by my categorization. It is I who am changed, I suppose, by virtue of my aesthetic appreciation of the beautiful.

I am reminded of Kierkegaard:

“Love does not alter the beloved, it alters itself.”

Aesthetic appreciation does not alter the thing-in-itself, it alters the person who finds beauty in the thing-in-itself. If this is so, I am altered by my love of what I deem beautiful.

~

While I was searching the web to find the quote above–I couldn’t quite recall it exactly–I found the Kierkegaard quote on the blog of pastor Jonathan Martin, whose theology I can’t completely get my mind around but whose words (below) reminded me of the Bhagavad Gita:

The most beautiful thing a person will ever see may well also be the most terrifying.

Is this not the nature of true beauty? To not just be soft and delicate, but to be so powerful, so overwhelming, so altogether other from ourselves as to threaten? Beauty does not intimidate, but it can overpower. Beauty is a coup to our senses. It holds an unruly power over us. Beauty can move us, haunt us, carry us, compel us. To feel ourselves beholden to the raw power of something beautiful is to be upended, not just inspired but assaulted.

On the lines of such thinking, we might find beauty in a tsunami, hurricane, earthquake, meteor strike the same way Arjuna feels paralyzed by the awesome beauty of the revealed godhead Krishna.

Perhaps that is why we often find ourselves fascinated by photos of natural disasters. Having lived for a couple of years along the northern end of Tornado Alley in the USA, I fear tornadoes. But they possess a kind of beauty in their awesomeness, if we can remove ourselves from the anguish we feel for people whose livelihoods, homes, and lives are destroyed by the big winds.

I wonder if human beings can ever bear that kind of awe; Martin says it transfigures us, Kierkegaard implies something similar, the Mahabharata and other sacred literature suggest that our bodies and our minds can withstand such revelation but cannot describe or truly comprehend it. It seems to me a kind of spiritual post-traumatic stress disorder! This is the “fear and trembling” of the psyche, whether the mind decides the experience is physical, mental, spiritual, or religious.

And that manner of beauty is not aesthetic.

Martin later writes, “Objectively speaking, the beauty of God is already present in our beloved, whether we recognize it or not. Rather, when we encounter beauty in another person, we are changed–we are transfigured…[those we love] do not become beautiful because we recognize their beauty; rather their beauty makes us beautiful.”

Is this experience awesome or aesthetic? Does the beauty of the azalea, the lilac, make me beautiful because I recognize it as such? Am I altered, fundamentally, in my admiration for an artist’s work, a poet’s words?

~

The first things we saw were some lovely hanging baskets, but I was more interested in another perennial. Two years ago I had purchased a Black-eyed Susan at the Humane Society. It has been blooming ever since. Of course I love my container garden, but how delightful it is to have things come up every year.

A nice lady told us all about the various plants they had: what needed more sunlight, what did well in partial shade. We debated a little, but then I wanted to pick out books before I decided which bloom.

You know me and books. It didn’t take long for me to gather an armful. Then I picked the plant I liked best. Its name escapes me as I write this, but I’ll be able to check before I type it into the computer. It wasn’t one I was familiar with, and it wasn’t in bloom so that will be a nice surprise for me when it does.

Steven and I are always happy to support the Humane Society. When it also enhances my garden and my library, what’s not to like? For more information on the Herkimer County Humane Society, you can visit their website at http://www.herkhumane.org/ or you can like them on Facebook. They post lots of cool animal pictures.

NOTE: The plant I purchased was Coreopsis Route 66. I know I only could have edited the above paragraph to include that, but I thought it was kind of funny that I couldn’t remember what I bought.

Some pictures taken at Sissinghurst Gardens in Kent last weekend and edited in the program Publisher. (an assignment for the course Publisher I follow)

Always, within a week of the male Black-chinned hummingbird arriving at our feeders, the female arrives.

Just like clockwork.

]]> http://vagabondvirginia.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/photos-from-the-alii-kula-lavender-farm/ Wed, 22 May 2013 19:35:16 +0000 vagabondvirginia http://vagabondvirginia.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/photos-from-the-alii-kula-lavender-farm/

On the slopes of Haleakala mountain in Maui, Hawaii sits the peaceful Ali’i Kula Lavender Farms.  With relaxing walks through the 40 plus types of lavender and gardens, it is a perfect change up from the beach.  It offers delightful aromas, lush plants, and splendid island views.   Here are some photos I’ve taken from this serene place:

Lavender Fields

Gardens

View

Kula Lodge

Head to the Kula Lodge just down the road from the lavender farms for delicious breakfast and coffee.  It also has  breathtaking island views and beautiful gardens.  Try the banana pancakes with coconut syrup and Kona coffee, a Maui classic!

Click Mitch To See Pythouse Kitchen Garden Website

See Craig Hignight each Wednesday on News 8 at 11.  To be part of the show and to have your question answered live call 309-736-3288.

Here’s a welcome entrance in Las Vegas.

And, here’s the LA version.

Here’s a visual display in Vegas…

And, here’s LA…oh my!!!

Yesterday afternoon was spent at The Getty Museum in Brentwood…home of O.J., Reese, Ben, Marilyn and Arnold. I guess there’s enough drama with their personal lives that the design doesn’t have to be.  Well, that’s not fair.  The design is dramatic but at the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

Here are some architectural shots of The Getty.

And the gardens…

 And, the sculpture of Calder…

And, Henry Moore.

Between J. Paul Getty and Fran & Ray Stark the museum offers an amazing range of works.  But, like my notes about Zarkana in Vegas…the art is arguably upstaged by the architecture and horticultural design.  However, the harmony is clearly evident.  One has to rely on their own aesthetic to bring all of the elements together.

As for food…while I’m so thankful for The Memphis Farmers Market I have to say everything tastes more fresh in California; it’s just amazing.

CANDLELIGHT SUPPER

WEST at Hotel Angelo offered:

Crispy Egg Salad…Braised Pork…Mac and Cheese with Lobster and Truffles…Vanilla infused Scallops with Sweet Pea Risotto

SUNNY BREAKFAST

WEST also offered Lox with all the trimmings and Eggs Benedict…wake up!!!

SIMPLE SUPPER

Monsieur Marcel at The Farmers Market offered:

Santa Barbara Viognier in a really cool “Bag of Ice”…Moules…Coquilles and Frites…Roasted Chicken

Hotel Angeleno et al were lovely and a very relaxing time was had by all!!!

Okay, that’s over and beyond.  The Real Cancun was a really bad documentary.  My project is nothing like that.  Especially with the folks who are helping me to put it together.  But my point is, it feels like I’m making something that’s going to be a failure because of my part.  The process has taken me all over the place and I’m constantly having to find my way back to the path of assurance and productivity.  And I’m not always sure I make it back on time.  With each shoot, I have to remind myself that this is a process.  This is a part of bringing something to mature and fruit.

There’s a certain satisfaction that comes when you put your heart into something.  Raising my children, nurturing my marriage, practicing my spiritual beliefs… it’s a process.  There’s an order and a dedication to see it through.  The delight comes in knowing you put a lot of love, time and consideration into growing something that you one day hope to share with others.

An example of this is my garden.  I started out with absolutely nothing in my plot in the community garden.  But I started my seedlings in my kitchen, visited my plot every other day to enrich the soil and finally when I figured we weren’t going to get any more 30 degree days, I put my tender babies into the ground.  Today, we’re eating arugula for dinner along with some radishes in the salad.  Hopefully our carrots will be ready soon and I’ll bake a carrot cake.

I looked at my daughter who now loves sharing time with me in the garden and realized something.  My garden reminds me to have patience and be confident.  I’m not piece milling anything together.  I have a project, a plan to see it through and a peace to enjoy the process.