Succulent Ramblings

I like to ramble on about my plants... and other things! My hope is to log the progress of plants and talk about my frustrations with others. So, tune in, turn on, or drop out (if you find it boring!)

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Ouija board...

 On one of these neighborhood forums like NextDoor, someone asked "Do you think Ouija boards are for real?" and then proceeded to tell a story about their experience with one.  I didn't answer it because it's not as simple as yes or no, but here are my thoughts...

I don’t believe in hell or that Satan exists.  I think these are made-up stories BY men to CONTROL the masses.  I won’t say the Bible has no value as there are a lot of stories that are inspiring and can help us navigate issues of morality.  But if you believe in a kind, loving, fatherly God, how can you believe that he would create a being who would torment us, who would tempt us, who would possess us or allow awful things to happen to us?  The answer I often get to that question is that Lucifer was an angel first, who defied God who cast him out.  Which means God created Hell for Lucifer and his followers.  Does a loving God create such a negative place?  If so, why?  He is all-powerful, so why wouldn’t he simply destroy Lucifer and his followers?  A kind and loving God wouldn’t subject his children (us) to the evil that is Satan, right? 

And if you want to be literal, and take the Bible as the truth, then Hell was created to contain and punish Lucifer and his followers, so how would he be able to affect us?  Only if God gave him the power to affect us could he do so, since God is all-powerful.  Would your God do that?  Not mine!  So no, I do not believe  that MY God created a devil to roam Earth and try to lure us into sinning so we could be his minions in Hell.  My God loves every one of his children, none of whom is perfect.  Just as a parent doesn’t stop loving a child who does terrible things, God will love us no matter what.  And when we go home, our “sins” in the physical world will shed with our bodies and God will be there to welcome us home, and probably say something like "I'm so sorry you had to live that terrible life, my child." 

So with no devil, how would a silly man-made board have any power?  The power it has isn’t anything Satanic.  It’s simply the power of the mind of the user(s).  People swear the “planchette” (that little board) moves by itself, and I do believe it can.  But it’s the power of the mind that’s moving it, not the devil.  When you endeavor to use the board, you and your co-user(s) ask questions and expect certain answers, whether it’s truth or what you want to hear or what you fear, your powerful minds, especially when there’s more than one, bring those answers.  You could have two people who expect different answers, and I would suggest that the one with the most powerful desire is the one who controls the answer. 

I just wish that we could evolve enough to quit embracing this idea of a devil.  Do we really need to think that there is an afterlife where some people we deem “evil” will suffer for all of eternity?  I believe we come to earth with nothing but pure, positive energy.  The things that happen to us and around us and the actions of those whose care we rely on is what molds who we become.  What kind of God would send someone here to be raised in circumstances that damage the psyche so bad that they commit what we call “evil acts”, and then punish them with hellfire?  Wouldn’t a gracious kind God give everyone a good home with good people so no one has an “excuse” to do bad things?  In my opinion, God’s plan is simply to let us come here to seek joy in this physical life.  He leaves us alone and if we find our joy, more power to us.  If we don’t and we lose our central purpose and end up hurting ourselves or others, the real hell is living that life, living with guilt, not finding the joy. But when we decide to go home, the slate is wiped clean and we go back into pure, positive energy and once again we are enveloped in God’s love.

And just as an aside, I prefer the word Universe or Source over the word God.  I think “God” conjures up a certain image that has been planted by organized religion.  I think we (our spiritual selves) are all part of Source (or God).  We are all, collectively, the creator.  In my mind, it makes so much more sense than one supreme being playing this big game of “who gets in and who doesn’t”.  Call me defiant, but I don’t want to play that game!

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Always something...

 It's been awhile since I took time to talk about life's goings-on.  Other than the election, it's been just normal every day stuff for the most part.  The election was a disappointment - not so much that I didn't get "my way" as much as a disappointment in "the human condition". It seems human decency be damned - what's really important is the money in our pockets and to get these assholes that want to live the good-life in America the fuck out.  

Yes, I like it when the economy is good.  I like it when a dollar goes further.  But no, I do not think that the economy is Biden's fault.  Everyone on the other side seems to forget that when he took office, we were coming into a pandemic that royally fucked up EVERYthing, including the economy and that kind of thing doesn't right itself quickly.  But now that it's been improving, guess who will take credit for it?  Everything was great when Obama left office, but did he get credit for it?  Nope... Trump took credit for THAT too!  But it doesn't matter... I just need to adjust my thinking like what appears to be the majority and realize that the almighty dollar trumps decency and decorum.  (See what I did there?  Teehee...)

And yes, immigrants need to come here LEGALLY.  Duh!  No one disagrees with that.  But can we agree with that AND have some empathy for those who want to escape evil dictators, horrific crime, a life of poverty?  This bullshit that they are taking our Social Security... only under very specific circumstances can non-citizens get SSI and you have to have a legal social security account and pay into it to draw SS eventually.  Trust me - there are more Americans sucking on the system than non-citizens.  Why don't we go after THEM?

But here we are, another four years of the obnoxious Orange One.  I'm going to get through it by continuously reminding myself (and this IS absolutely true) that the universe (or God, if you prefer) is looking out for us and all is well.  It may not appear that way, and we may not understand it, but it will all turn out ok. And on a positive note, the late-night comics will have lots of fodder for their routines!

In the column of "things that have NOT pissed me off"...  😄

At long last, I got the kitchen fixed up.  Back in 2013, after we had the main bath completely re-done top-to-bottom, I asked my very excellent painter what it would cost to paint the trim in the kitchen.  This consisted of two doorways and two windows.  Of course, as with any old house, there was s some prep work.  The doorway going to the basement had had a door on it for many years.  We didn't use it much and it was always in the way, and I always wanted it gone, but Mark wanted it to stay.  I eventually won and we got rid of it, so now I wanted that doorway to look like there had never been a door there.  So doorstop wood gone, indents where the hinges went filled in, hardware where the latch went into the woodwork removed and filled in.  He quoted me $2000.  YIKES!  Of course, he had gotten into some serious legal trouble that year and was facing a trial and probable jail time for making illegal fireworks (it was his second offense) and I think he was quoting high to add to his legal fund! To I did a hard pass and decided I'd wait.

So in 2015, we had the tile floor put down in the kitchen.  Then in 2016, they did the backsplash and new counters.  By then, the wallpaper was probably near 20 years old and loose in a couple spots, but also damaged a bit from the new counters/backsplash.  But by then, things were getting a little hairy with Mark's health and I really didn't want to deal with work being done in the house.  I continued to put it off and the kitchen felt "half done" for the next several years. I finally said I've waited long enough!  I'm going to bite the bullet and spend the money to get it fixed up and done!  

At long last, it's done (except for a few finishing touches I'm working on).  This is the east wall with the slider that goes into the GH:

One of the "in the works" finishing touches is a macrame valance that will go at the top of the bamboo shade.  I'm waiting on color samples - it's going to be made by someone on Etsy.com who is from Greece.  I hope to have it in a few weeks.

This one is showing the south wall (which goes into the dining room).  This one shows the best view of the wallpaper.  That wall hanging is something Wes made for Mom back when he was going to college and living with her.  When she came to live with me, I wanted it to have a primo spot because she really loved it.  The copper really works with the gold in the paper!

I think the very subtle teal is kind of hard to see in the photos, but it's just enough to accent the colors in the backsplash, which also (BTW) has little flecks of gold.

This one is looking at the west window and the doorway to the basement:


 


I think the painter did a truly outstanding job of matching the color with the golden oak of the cabinets.  And I really hadn't thought about it until I saw it done, but the color also highlights the gold in the wallpaper.  That clock I've had for nearly 45 years - we brought it back from Guam.  It's very heavy and thankfully, the wallpaper guy didn't mind putting it back up for me.  I managed to get it down, but it's a challenge to get it lined up to rehang, especially when it's so heavy!

And last photo is of the north window that looks out over the back yard:

That corner shelf was in the original kitchen, and that's about all that is original in there!  In the kitchen, my plants seem to thrive despite not get any direct sun.  Many of them even bloom.  And since my massive tree has been gone, it is SO much brighter in there!

The other two "finishing touches" I'd like to do... I want to switch the faucet from chrome to oil-rubbed bronze - I love the old fashioned look of that finish.  And I'm considering one of those more modern single-hole sinks, maybe in white porcelain.  I'm trying to decide how well that would work with not having a dishwasher.  Would it work to have a dish-drainer in one end of it?  Or is it better to have two separate sinks?  I have to do some research and thinking on that one...

Anyway, I'm very happy with how it turned out!  Both painter and wallpaper guy did excellent jobs!

My winter project will be to clean out my cupboards and cabinets, get rid of stuff I don't use.  In fact, I already cleared out the upper shelves of my pantry.  There was LOTS of stuff up there I decided to put in the donate box - like a big turkey roaster.  I can't remember when I bought it, but I think I used it once and haven't since. What's the point of having something that size taking up that much room when you can buy a disposable once every decade?  Silly!  And some stuff that came with Mom.  A Pampered Chef chopper.  I like to cut by hand - it's cathartic.  So I've never used it.  A mini food processor.  Don't use that, either.  A tea kettle, a pretty bowl... A glass cake/casserole pan with a wooden tote.  Gone, gone, gone.  

Today, I took Mom's biggest travel suitcase to the Stephen's Center (a homeless shelter) full of clothes, shoes.  I've got a smaller one I will now fill and take there as well.  I need to go through all my drawers and closet again.  I still have way to much shit!

More to come...


 


Friday, August 23, 2024

The Painting

 I've been thinking a lot about "down the road".  I mean, for instance, I imagine that sometime in my future, I will have to sell my house and downsize into an apartment, possible "independent living" in one of those senior apartments, maybe even assisted living.  I may not have the "luxury" of dying here like I supposed I would do.  And that takes me to the thoughts of what would I absolutely want to keep and what could I part with?  After all, I have a lifetime of accumulated "stuff".  Which is one of the reasons I have been making it a point to periodically go through closets and drawers and contemplate whether I really want to deal with this thing I haven't needed or used when that time comes.  What a chore that would be!  Mom had diluted her possessions down to what would fit in a tiny 400 SF apartment, and it was still a lot to deal with when she came here.  She ended up giving all of her furniture to Liane, whose daughter was getting ready to move into a place of her own, and there were still drawers of kitchen utensils I didn't need, closets of blankets, bedding, towels and on and on.  All she brought here was her bedroom set and some of her prized possessions... jewelry, favorite wall hangings, clothes.  I have a whole houseful to deal with!

Well, this line of thought brought me to Mom's painting.  She actually gave that to me when she moved out of her house.  I figure Merry will take it when I'm gone, but what after that?  Would the either of Merry's boys want it?  So I decided to write a note and securely attach it to the back of the painting.  I hate the thought of something with such meaning to end up in a dumpster.  That may still happen, but with a little luck, it will still be around in a hundred (or more) years in the hands of a romantic soul touched by it's story.  Here is the note I've composed to attach to it the next time I take it down to clean behind it:

 


The Story Behind The Painting                       August, 2024

    When I was in my late forties, my mother told me that she wanted me to have this painting when she passed because it had sentimental value for her.  I can’t really remember when it showed up on her wall, and I don’t ever remember asking about it.  I guess I always assumed it was one of those original paintings one gets at those “starving artist” shows that come around because Mom wasn’t the type to spend a lot of money on stuff like that.  Of course, she knew she had to now explain its “sentimental” value… That makes this story is second-hand, and since Mom passed in 2023, I’m now wishing she was here to fill in some of the details…

     My parents divorced in 1974 and we moved from our grand-parents’ farm (where I grew up with my brother and sister) to Harlan, Iowa.  Mom chose Harlan because it was a central location to her work, which was selling insurance and annuities to (mostly) school teachers.  Mom was only 32 when they divorced and she dated discretely.  By the time she started dating, I was 16, and Wes and Merry were both younger and we didn’t really meet many of these men and didn’t know about most of them until we were adults.  Which is why I couldn’t tell you exactly when this was painted, but it had to be between 1975 and 1978. 

     Mom met an art teacher who she apparently started to date and became quite close to.  From her description, they were getting close enough to talk about introducing him to us kids and discussing the possibility of marriage when he was tragically killed in a car accident.  Looking back, I realize that this means my mother was secretly grieving a terrible loss as we never knew about this…

     Apparently some time later, Mom was contacted by another art teacher – from the same school?  I’m not sure, but one who apparently was fairly close to her art teacher beau because he knew about the painting.  Her beau had started this painting to give to her and the accident occurred before he finished it.  This other art teacher had taken it upon himself to finish the painting, professionally frame it and present it to her.  I can only imagine the overwhelming feeling of gratitude to the friend who finished it, sadness at what might have been, and pain in having to hide her grief from us.  I don’t remember seeing the painting back then and I suspect that she probably put it away at the time.  Perhaps to a small degree to not have to explain it to us, but probably more because seeing it daily would exacerbate her grief.  What can be a painful reminder after a tragic loss often, after time has passed, becomes a poignant reminder of a beautiful time.

     When Mom moved out of her house to Merry’s when she was in her mid-70’s, she gave me the painting.  I didn’t really have anywhere to put it at the time, so I stored it.  In 2021, my husband passed away and in March 2022, Mom came to live with me.  It was clear that she was “winding down”.  I had spent 6 months renovating the house, turning what was once my husband’s “man cave” into a bright, beautiful “lady cave” where Mom took up residence.  That summer, I had the living room and dining room painted and found the perfect spot for The Painting – a focal spot on the living room wall so that Mom could be reminded of all the wonderful years, all the precious relationships, all the joy of her life.  She passed away about 9 months later, right here at home, after a valiant fight with cancer 3 days after her 82nd birthday.   And now, it is my reminder of the amazing life she led and of her special place in my heart.

     So to anyone who acquires this painting in the future, please keep this note with it so that the story lives on because you having it means that everyone who knew and loved my mother is gone…

 

How I wish I had more details.  What was his name?  Where did he live?  Did he have children?  If he did, it could be a wonderful thing to leave it to them... I mean, if he was anywhere near Mom's age, his children would have been pretty young when he died.  It could be quite a special thing for them to have it.  I don't think there's anyone left who may have been aware of the relationship.  Aunt Judy probably knew about it, but I can't image she would remember his name.  I should probably ask, just in case she does...

But that's it for today.  Just wanted to pop in and get this down while it was in my head...

 

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Cool days

It's an awesome morning - about 7:45 and only 57 degrees!  Today's high is supposed to be only 75.  How great is that?!  It's been nice for a few days, which got me thinking about the summer of 2004, which was a very temperate year.  I remember it specifically for two reasons - first, I got my very first, SUV which was also my very first vehicle with a sun roof that year and got to use it quite a bit. It was a Saturn Vue - it was my third Saturn as I'd had very good luck with them.  I bought my first sedan in 1996, and about 4 years later, I traded it in for another but this time I leased since we could run it through the business.  Then I did a second lease on the Vue - I really loved that vehicle!

The other significant event that summer was my dad passing.  I got the call from my cousin, Larry, right around just about now 20 years ago - he had found Dad dead on his kitchen floor and the coroner (which, in a small town, is just one of the local doctors who take turns playing this role...) said it looked like he had been dead about a week or so.  Middle of (a thankfully cool) summer, no A/C - it was probably not a pretty scene.  I could tell in my cousin's voice that it was traumatizing... I called the sheriff's office to ask if they planned to do an autopsy, and he floundered a bit and said no, there appeared to be no foul play, but if we wanted to pay for one, we could (to the tune of about $3000...)  Honestly, the tone and after talking a little more to my cousin, I think the real answer was probably there isn't much left to autopsy, but he probably didn't want to be that blunt with a grieving daughter.  So Wes came back from Indy and we had Dad cremated and a few days later, we had a little get together that included the few friends Dad still had some contact with - Norman Pierson, who was his best friend since high school and Peggy Weston and her kids.  Mom and Peggy had been best friends since high school and Dad and her husband, Walt, had become very close over the years.  Walt had died a few years earlier...  We got together at his favorite camping park, Pilot Grove Park, and scattered his ashes from a bridge into a pond there.  But what I remember most about that day is that it was downright COLD!  Even with a jacket, the breeze had an uncomfortable bite to it... in AUGUST!!  It was weird!  And here we are, 20 years later almost to the day, with a cool spell in August. Makes me say, "I haven't thought much about you in a long time, Dad...  I appreciate the reminder..."

Most people wouldn't want a reminder of a sad time.  But it was that sadness that kind of forced me give our relationship - or lack thereof - some real thought.  I hadn't seen Dad in probably 8 years before he died.  He made it pretty clear at some point that he'd really rather just be left alone.  It was around the time that Wes and Sally moved to Indy in 1996.  Before that, we (Wes, Merry & I) had made an effort to see Dad maybe once a year.  Wes went more often, but I think it was his effort that got all three of us to go meet with Dad somewhere for lunch occasionally. And it was always pleasant enough, though he often looked (and smelled) like a hobo.  Which calls for an explanation...

Dad had mental issues.  Not diagnosed - he would never see a shrink or do anything that would present the opportunity for a diagnosis or any kind of medicinal intervention.  But it was clear he had issues.  He talked to himself a lot.  Of course, we all do that somewhat.  But his was more conversational, like there was someone there.  He was terribly passive aggressive at times.  Extremely insecure and socially inept.  He drank a lot, I think, to squelch the feelings of inadequacy and, I suspect, to quiet the "voices" in his head.  But the biggest outward sign was the way he lived.  He let Wes come in the house sometimes and he would only describe it as "dirty" without much more detail.  When we planned to go to the house after his death to see if he had a will (which Wes thought he did) and to find important papers, like bank accounts and such, Wes said we needed to get disposable coveralls and booties.  I told him, "I have no plans on going anywhere near the kitchen, so I don't think that will be necessary."  He said, "Oh, yes, you're going to want them, trust me."  And so we all showed up in those white flimsy overalls and booties and he was right.  "Dirty" does not begin to describe what we found.  "Filth" doesn't even come close.  It was like everything was covered in this black greasy film. And the smell... OMG. I think what used to be carpet was probably more or less a mire of dog urine and probably some poop, too.  Oh but wait... I poked my head upstairs and those formerly beautiful hardwood floors were about 3"+ deep with dog poop... Was that all dog poop?  I asked Wes - did he send the dogs upstairs to poop?  WTH?  He said, no, I think he scooped it up with a dustpan and threw it up there.  That made no sense to me - why wouldn't he just step outside and throw it out there? Thus the mind of a mentally ill person, I guess.  The toilet hadn't worked in years.  The shower as well.  I think he still got water from the kitchen sink, but that was it for running water.  He was living like an animal...

After we left, it was like we were all stunned.  Now I understood why he wanted to be left alone.  He had enough sense to be ashamed of how he was living and didn't want Merry or I to see what Wes knew about.  Wes said he always acted embarrassed about it, somewhat, but he knew Wes wouldn't judge him.  He thought Merry and I would.  The irony is that of the three of us, Wes is probably the freakiest about things being clean.  Maybe that's why, who knows?  Once we started talking about it, Mom seemed to come to a conclusion about the dog poop thing, which was the most bewildering for me.  She explained... 

Jon (Larry's older brother) stole my Dad's inheritance back in 1993 by having our 90-year-old grandfather, who had dementia, sign over the majority of the farm to him.  Dad had worked for his parents his whole life as a farmhand, a greatly underpaid farmhand, with the promise of the vast majority of the farm as his reward.  We tried to fight it legally, but it was too expensive, so he got away with it.  Well, the house Dad lived in was part of the land that Jon stole, so the house was Jon's property.  Mom believes that throwing the poop upstairs was Dad's way of saying, "Shit on you, Jon" for what he did to him.  Mom says Dad would never confront anyone (including her) directly, but would find a passive-aggressive way to show his disdain.  Apparently, he was particularly fond of the "piss on you" approach.  She talked about how he would walk by the bathroom and pee in the kitchen sink!  I asked how she knew and she said she would find yellow droplets on her pans that she would let air dry in the sink and she eventually caught him once.  It would force her to rewash, which she was convinced was his way of "getting back" at her for some imagined slight.  One time, when Aunt Judy was there, she says they had words about something and he went upstairs.  We didn't use the 2nd floor of our house because it wasn't heated.  And part of it was older and maybe even a little dangerous (or so they would have us believe...)  Dad apparently went into one of those rooms, knowing this would be above where Mom and Aunt Judy were sitting, and peed on the floor.  A few minutes later, the ceiling was dripping, and a droplet landed on Aunt Judy's head!  Oh yuck.  Like I said... he had some mental issues.

His sister, my Aunt Caroline, was diagnosed as a teenager with schizophrenia. We have always suspected Dad had the same, although he was much more functional.  Aunt Caroline had four boys, all of whom were mostly raised by my grandparents.  Those two (Grandma "Dogs" & Grandpa Lester) managed to fuck up a lot of people!  Dad and Aunt Caroline... Jon, who everyone thinks is a saint, managed to screw my Dad (his uncle) and his mother, and ultimately the three of us and his 3 brothers, out of any inheritance.  Larry lived a lot like my Dad, though he found a woman to marry him a few years ago and appears to be living a relatively normal life.  (I haven't seen him in years, so I'm only surmising this from what I see on FB.)  I don't know much about Rick (Rick and Larry were born 11 months apart) except that he had a moving business for awhile and married some young girl - like 16 or something - when he was in his 30s.  And Tony, the youngest, is the one that "made it out."  He fled as soon as he got out of HS, far far away from this family.  He lives in the Pacific Northwest, last I heard, and he changed his last name from Whitehead to something Hispanic.  His Dad, I understand, was Mexican.  I don't think they ever married, so he had her latest last name.  Anyway, Wes found him once and communicated with him long enough to find out he's had a good life with success.  Good for him!

That was a long ramble.  TMI, maybe.  Sometimes, you just gotta get shit out there!  LOL...

****

I started this on Friday.  Today, it's Sunday and just as cool.  They're predicting rain today, though it sounds most likely to occur this evening.  It'll give me a chance to get some repotting done and maybe some deck clean up.  The pot that still has my old Jade that was destroyed in a hail storm a couple years ago is on the back deck.  When the roots were still strong, I couldn't get the old stump out of the pot (it's a nice ceramic pot).  I'm hoping that enough time has passed that the old roots are soft and rotted so it will come out.  I want to put one of my biggest Crown of Thorns in that pot as it is in a plastic pot that blows over every time we have wind.  It'll be a challenge!

Last weekend was the Des Moines show & sale (well, display and sale is what we call it now that they are too small to be judged shows).  I had a dozen or so plants in the display, but the one that garnered the most attention was the Ceropegia with the weirdly bizarre flowers, and it had several.  I think I posted this pic recently, but here it is again:

I sold a few plants and bought a few.  I'm sure I spent more than I made, but at least I "defrayed" the spending!  I got an Aloe, a Gasteraloe, a Hoya I shouldn't have (variegated aff burtoniae) and a crazy-little "Devil's Backbone"...

My Hoya elliptica is once more proving to be a pain in the ass.  I was so excited when it started to perk up (it had been looking rather sad) and then actually put on a peduncle that budded up.  I wish I had documented it here when it start to bud because the bud grew and then staying in the unopened position for weeks.  I eventually decided that what I thought was unopened was just a different kind of flower.  Here's what it looked like:

Marco and I talked about it and he commented as well that they looked unopened, but I've never had a flower sit unopened for that long - they usually just blast if they won't open.  So I plucked one off and messed with it and found that yes, it does look like every other Hoya flower when you pry the petals open, so it WAS still developing!  It had been weeks and weeks!  And now a new bud was forming.  Then we had a few unbearably hot days near 100... stifling heat.  And one day, there was the plant dehydrating and the buds fallen.  I was so mad!  I thought I'd finally broken the code on how to grow elliptica!  So I whacked it back and put the pieces in perlite to see if they'll rehydrate and root, and right now, what's left looks... well, better.  And the cuttings are thin but still alive.  We'll see...

*****

I held out to publish just because I wanted to show a few more things that have caught my interest lately.  It's Tuesday the 13th now...

One of the plants I couldn't resist buying at the DM show/sale was a "Devil's Backbone".  I already grow this, which is bonanically Pedilanthus tithymaloides.  But it looks like this:

This is a photo from the web... mine grows with a little more space between the leaves which highlights the "zig-zag" appearance of the midrib or stem.  And that stem is about the thickness of skinny pencil, leaves about an inch or so long. Well, here's the one I bought:


 


This has little, very closely placed leaves so there is no appearance of a "zig-zag" stem.  Most of the photo online are like this rather than like the other photo, which I think was what I used to find when looking at photos of this plant online. I'm wondering if they are really the same thing at all!  Is this just a dwarf form?  If so, why not call it that?  Is it a seedling that just hasn't developed all of its  adult properties?  If so, why are there so many photos that looks just like this with no mention of that?  If Chuck Hanson was alive, I'd be sending him this inquiry and getting his opinion.  Oh, and one more thing - in some places they call it Euphorbia tithymoides!  I'm confused!

Hoya cv. Noelle bloomed.  I think this might have been the first time.  If the flowers were less typical, I'd remember for sure, but in this case, I think the leaves outshine the flowers.  Here are the flowers:


Nice but pretty ordinary as far as Hoya flowers go.  The plant has big, roundish, succulent leaves, slightly cupped under and here you see two extraordinarily huge leaves that are just eye-popping!

I can't seem to get a photo that really catches its essence - it's one that really brings me a lot of pride and joy!  Which is why it is the first one an observant person would see when they walk in the door.  I say it that way because for most people, their eye is drawn to the sunroom full of plants as they walk in the door, and this one sits on a shelf that's in the front window...

And one more... my Hoya macrophylla variegata (which they've thrown into latifolia - grrr).  I've been trying to keep my oldest one more hydrated to see if it would inspire new growth and it seems to be working.  But I got two of the most interesting leaves, like I've never seen on any other variegated plant.  I'm not sure how to describe them exactly:

'Krimson Queen" gets pure white leaves - well, they usually come in pink then turn all white.  This isn't what this is.  It's almost like a green leaf with an overlay of variegation.  Notice how you can see a green hue, and more distinct green veins.  It has a third one (lowest one on the table) that is a little more green but still has a look as if it's got a layer of lighter color over it.  It's so odd!  I love it!

 And with that, I publish!

Friday, July 26, 2024

Always something...

...to give thought to in this world. Biden dropped out of the race and, at first, I thought it could hurt the dem side.  Are older Americans ready for a woman president?  A NOT WHITE woman president?  Ok, we've had a black president and I think he was generally accepted except by extremists.  I think he did a fine job (pubs would disagree because there is NO good dem) and he was civilized, he was dignified, he was a good speaker, he was a fine diplomat - he was everything DT is NOT.  It was a stark contrast going from Obama to Trump.  Biden has been a decent president (again, pubs would disagree) but he WAS showing his age.  And that awful debate destroyed a lot of confidence in his ability to get through the next 4 years.  I mean, let's face it - being president is a severely aging job, and he can't afford to age anymore!

Anyway, it turns out that it seems Harris coming forward as the candidate has garnered a lot of enthusiasm for the party.  No, she doesn't have a lot of political experience, but I suspect that might be something on the plus side of the scale.  She's smart, so she will surround herself with people who excel where she lacks experience.  That's what smart people do!  And honestly, I think she can outshine Trump in enough areas that the pubs who have come to their senses about Trump will secretly vote for her.  Yes, the hard-core pubs, the radical gun-toting militia-loving extremists will still vote for him.  But I think as Donald continues to dig his hole, and as his new VP choice, who is as much a prick as he is, carries on that same undignified assault on... well, everyone!... it's a no-brainer that she's going to win. YAY!

And what is with that guy?  Why did he pick HIM?  At least Pence seemed to be an honorable human being.  He appeared to have class and dignity.  He was a stark contrast to Trump.  When Trump won, I thought, well with a little luck, maybe he will drop dead and Pence will take the reigns.  Yes, I actually thought that!  I'm not really proud of it, but one has to wonder how in the world, with all the choices, the pubs chose such a low-class, mean-spirited, ego maniacal bully to put on the ticket.  TWICE now!  If this is the best they can do, it might be time to reformat the party... And no, I don't think that is the best they can do.  They had some perfectly decent candidates to choose from before the primary.  I would LOVE to have the option of a decent pub to vote for!  

That's about all I have to say right now on that subject.  It's been getting hotter and next week looks like a doozy.  Heat index well over 100.  Yuck.  Next weekend is the Des Moines cactus club display and sale.  Seems like neither of our clubs can work up enough plants for a real "show" anymore.  All the old experienced growers are dying off and it's not much of a show with 4 or 5 people providing all the plants. Back before it got like this, we would bring in judges from other clubs - I was actually one of the judges (they usually bring in 3) at a DM show before I became a member.  And one of the reasons I became a member was that our club had quit doing shows and DM was still doing them, and this was my chance to keep showing.  So much for that!  I think this is their 3rd year of doing just a display.  It's probably been 6 or more years since out club quit doing shows.  We don't even have a formal display and sale anymore...

Above is my Aloe nobilis in bloom.  It's my biggest Aloe and I keep it in check by periodically  whacking it back and re-rooting it, which I did this last winter.  Typical of Aloes, the oldest lower leaves eventually die off and the stem becomes longer which means eventually, it starts to creep out of the pot and over the edge.  So the whacking comes at that point and I just start with fresh soil and fill the pot, setting the plant so the leaves rest on the edge of the pot and hold the old stem into the soil.  It roots fast this way.  And it doesn't seem to affect the annual blooming.  Here is a closeup of the inflorescence...


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just love the flowers on this one!  Reminds me of a flame...

Also blooming today is a teeny-tiny succulent that Kathy describes as "a little Joshua tree".  I got mine a couple years ago from a club member, and I put it in a tiny 3x4" bonsai pot.  I don't think it's grown an iota since I got it, but here it is with two of these cute little flowers that are about an inch across:

The botanical name is Sarcocaulon vandereitae, and since mine is so tiny, I'll just put a photo from the web for reference to show the tiny leaves:
 

I've had a dove on my back porch every single time I go out there the last few days.  I was starting to think she had built a nest right there on the porch, but I can't find it if she did.  She often sits there if I don't move too fast, and watches me.  I talk to her in a gentle voice, hoping she'll get used to me.  I wish I knew why she's hanging so close...

I'm trying to get a lot of stuff potted up to get sold before fall sets in.  Whatever I don't sell, I will donate.  Every early September, Holy Cross has a festival and they have a plant booth.  One of my neighbors, Melody, who has been here a couple years longer than us, started asking me about 20 years ago if I had plants to donate.  And I always have, except one year - the year (2022) that the hail took out so many of my plants.  This year, I will have a LOT of plants for her!  I did last year as well.  She (Michelle, the organizer) says my plants sell better than any of the others she gets.  She has a little GH herself and lives a few blocks from me, in the very NICE Morton Meadows.  I figure we're about the same age as she just retired last year.  She has several sales every summer, selling plants and other things in a garage sale.  I think she probably enjoys it as much as I do!

I suppose I should get back to my newsletter.  I need to have it done and out Sunday evening.  More later, probably after the display/sale weekend...

Saturday, July 20, 2024

Deism

Crazy as it sounds, my daily crossword puzzle led to an epiphany this morning.  The clue was "certain believer in God" and I had the first letter, a "D".  I had to fill it in to get the answer, which was "diest".  Now I know the word "diety" as in "God" or at least "a god".  Part of what I like about doing puzzles is looking up words I don't know or fully understand or people I don't recognize so I can learn something new, so I looked it up and guess what?... I'M  A DIEST!!  Finally, a word that describes my place in the "religious" community!  And because I tend to have a bit of the forgetful mind these days, I'm going to quote Wiki so that I can refer back here until it's firmly entrenched in my mind...

Diesm is the philisophical position and rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge and asserts that empirical reason and observation of the natural world are exclusively logical, reliable, and sufficient to determine the existence of a Supreme Being as a creator of the universe. More simply stated, Deism is the belief in the existence of God (often, but not necessarily, a God who does not intervene with the universe after creating it), solely based on rational thought without any reliance on revealed religions or religious authority. Deism emphasizes the concept of natural theology —that is, God's existence is revealed through nature.

It then goes into the history of Diesm, which is interesting but a bit of a snooze.  But here's some more interesting stuff I can relate to...

Enlightenment Deism consisted of two philosophical assertions: (1) reason, along with features of the natural world, is a valid source of religious knowledge, and (2) revelation is not a valid source of religious knowledge. Different Deist philosophers expanded on these two assertions to create what Leslie Stephen later termed the "constructive" and "critical" aspects of Deism. "Constructive" assertions—assertions that deist writers felt were justified by appeals to reason and features of the natural world (or perhaps were intuitively obvious or common notions)—included:

  • God exists and created the universe.
  • God gave humans the ability to reason.

"Critical" assertions—assertions that followed from the denial of revelation as a valid source of religious knowledge—were much more numerous, and included:

  • Rejection of all books (including the Quran and the Bible) that claimed to contain divine revelation.
  • Rejection of the incomprehensible notion of the Trinity and other religious "mysteries".
  • Rejection of reports of miracles, prophecies, etc.

(These assertions truly hit home for me!  I've thought for a long time that the Bible really should be tossed out because it causes more havoc and division than any other single thing in this world.  I think that Jesus was a great man whose singular message was love, but the son of God?  No more than any of the rest of us. Died for our sins?  A ridiculous concept.  If "sin" is a thing, and I can point to the fact that Jesus died for my sins, why not sin on?  I am the only person who is responsible for my actions and no other person has the power to atone for what I do.  And I don't think that miracles are from God.  I think they occur from the power of wanting - the power of our own minds.  If they are from God, what makes this guy "worthy" of a miracle and the next not "worthy"? Where does the saying, "The good die young" come from? It highlights the unfairness that the religious concept of good and evil don't seem to be at play when good things happen to/for bad people and good people seem to get the shaft...)  

A central premise of Deism was that the religions of their day were corruptions of an original religion that was pure, natural, simple, and rational. Humanity lost this original religion when it was subsequently corrupted by priests who manipulated it for personal gain and for the class interests of the priesthood, and encrusted it with superstitions and "mysteries"—irrational theological doctrines. Deists referred to this manipulation of religious doctrine as "priestcraft", a derogatory term. For deists, this corruption of natural religion was designed to keep laypeople baffled by "mysteries" and dependent on the priesthood for information about the requirements for salvation. This gave the priesthood a great deal of power, which the Deists believed the priesthood worked to maintain and increase. Deists saw it as their mission to strip away "priestcraft" and "mysteries". Tindal, perhaps the most prominent deist writer, claimed that this was the proper, original role of the Christian Church.

One implication of this premise was that current-day primitive societies, or societies that existed in the distant past, should have religious beliefs less infused with superstitions and closer to those of natural theology. This position became less and less plausible as thinkers such as David Hume began studying the natural history of religion and suggested that the origin of religion was not in reason but in emotions, such as the fear of the unknown. 

Different Deists had different beliefs about the immortality of the soul, about the existence of Hell and damnation to punish the wicked, and the existence of Heaven to reward the virtuous. Anthony Collins, Bolingbroke, Thomas Chubb, and Peter Annet were materialists and either denied or doubted the immortality of the soul.  Benjamin Franklin believed in reincarnation or resurrection. Lord Herbert of Cherbury and William Wollaston held that souls exist, survive death, and in the afterlife are rewarded or punished by God for their behavior in life. Thomas Paine believed in the "probability" of the immortality of the soul. 

Yes, I believe that our "soul" or inner being, spirit...whatever you want to call it, goes on when our body dies.  I think we go into "source" or God and continue on both collectively and ever the individual.  But I don't believe that there is either punishment or reward, because we are born as pure, positive energy and we return into pure, positive energy - when we leave these bodies behind, our spirit is once again pure, positive energy and all that negativity is GONE.  Coming here is about learning and seeking joy.  If we screw that up, it's because we have gotten far from source, become out of alignment with our inner being and the punishment is here on earth - it's the negativity in our lives that is the result of that.  It manifests in degrees of unhappiness and hopelessness, broken relationships, seeming "bad luck", not getting our desires, health issues from mild to severe, a feeling of disconnection... any negative experience or emotion is the "punishment" brought on by our actions that occur from a place of misalignment.

Anyway, I'll be looking into this further.  I've spent a lifetime of sifting and sorting through belief systems to find what feels right and logical to me and this so closely describes what makes the most sense to me.  It's comforting to know that there are other people out there who reject the status quo and think freely, without the constraints of their Bible-based roots.