The Library

[Dana]

The Library Our library  is open 24/7; the welcome mat is always out. Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us.

re hand sanitizer....I have 3 different samples.....the oldest which I got at that conference (a year ago) had 70% alcohol, the other two which I got since the pandemic started have 62.5%.  So....who knows anyway if 70% is correct.... its like 8 glasses of water a day...an urban myth maybe, somebody or some paper somewhere said it.....quite a lot of water is a good idea (but not too much), round about 70% of alcohol seems to be a good idea, including moisturizer, but wash your hands too when possible.  But 90% is probably over the top. 

[ginny]

How is everybody doing this fine morning?  Hope none of you are in the path of this new storm Christobal? It seems to have a path going across half the country. With attendant tornadoes.

Thank you Dana, it seems that most products seem to feature this 62.5 percent, I wonder why? That's awfully close to 70. Even these new spray sanitizers which look like pens have the 62.5. When in the car and you can't wash hands immediately it's nice have something you CAN use, whether you make it yourself or buy it.  I drove  through Paneras last week and had found in my suitcases (which have become a veritable Pandora's Box of goodies) a tiny pen like Lysol spray, so I took that, but when they handed the change back it was in a little plastic bag. In other words, if you were ready to eat you need not contaminate your hands with  "filthy lucre," change.   I thought that  was impressive, but as she handed it out she spotted the little Lysol thing and said THAT is so COOL!! . It's nice to finally be "cool."   I can't think it has ever happened before.  hahaa

Simple Pleasures Department:  I had a nice surprise last night at the hen house:    Obviously I have not been checking the nests daily, but that's not bad for 8 year old hens. There were actually 4 eggs, but one broke in transit. (I wasn't expecting  to collect eggs). Also no giant snake either.  A good day.

Happy Monday! 

[BarbStAubrey]

so many wonderful photos of gardens I wish I had a zoom lens for my cell phone because I grow deer and so no flowers and this afternoon the new fawn born last week hidden and well camouflaged under the huge Jasmin bush ventured out while mama is off feeding somewhere - the fawn cautiously explored the yard and was wise enough to stay close to the fence that surrounds the back so that if you did not see it moving you would have missed it as it blended in so well with the wooden fence. For being only a week and days old it is a pretty good size and so I'm expecting to see it running around and across the yard very soon - they go through a period where they race so fast around the yard hopping over anything in their way - fun to watch.   

[bellamarie]

Ginny, how exciting to find the eggs, glad no snakes were lurking around. I grew up on acres of land, in a small rural town, and the one thing I hated were the snakes in the grass.  We had ditches along our country road, and they would come out and bask in the sun, in our yard.  Ewwww..... to this day I hate even the word snake.

Barb, I would love to see pics of that fawn. 

Yesterday my hubby looked out the kitchen window and saw something moving in our pool.  We went out to find a baby bird trying desperately to get out, which in not possible, since the water level is too low.  Hubby scooped him out with the net, and we place him in the sun to dry off and recover from his trauma.  He was shivering.  Later we went out to check on him and he was gone.  That made me happy to know he was able to fly away.  We later saw a bird come to our feeder we have never seen before.  I took a pic and looked it up and it is called a Brown-headed Cow bird. Cowbirds are native to the U.S., they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  They would follow herds of cattle eating the insects off them. So I learned something new today. 



I began a new book of a five book Charming Inn series by Kay Correll, titled One Simple Wish Return to Lighthouse Point.  Her book covers are so beautiful, they just draw me in, and make me want to read the story. I purchased it to read on my ipad, so $4.99 wasn't bad.  If I really enjoy it, I will continue with the series. With all the chaos in the world right now, I need light, relaxing stories for summer reading.

[Frybabe]

Bellamarie, I didn't know cowbirds were a protected bird. I usually see them mixed in with bunches of starlings or other blackbirds, not usually alone. Come to think of it, I haven't seen one in years. My last house had a flat open yard, but this one isn't so open what with privet and white pine in the back yard, and lots of maples near by. The flocks of starlings and others don't seem to care for this yard much. There is one starling family that keeps coming back to my neighbor's upstairs air vent to nest and raise the kids. Other than that, no flocks. Oh, I have wrens in the backyard, but I rarely see them. There are two nests under my back porch. I think only one is being used this year. Most of the birds use my yard as a temporary stopping place on migrations. I don't see a lot of them during the height of summer. The birds I miss the most, which I had regularly years ago when I lived in York County, are mockingbirds, catbirds, and titmice.

I really, really need to thin my white iris this year (didn't get to it last year). The clumps are so big, but not much bloom this year. Since replanting my royal Hosta to the backyard several years ago, they have spread out a lot and also need managing. While mowing the lawn last week I discovered another volunteer holly bush growing. This one is down just under the white pine, the other is out in the open growing where my Colorado blue spruce used to be. I've been busy pulling up lots of tree volunteers. Aside from the tons of maples and sumac that sprout, the squirrels were very busy last fall burying walnut and oak. These things seem to come out of nowhere as I have no clue where there are walnut and oak about. Other frequent volunteers include slippery elm, mulberry, and bird cherry. Last week I dug up a bunch of poison ivy, but I see I missed a plant. Virginia creeper is trying to take over the bottom of the yard just now, and I see a bunch of poke week that needs removed. The bottom of my yard is a veritable cornucopia of wild plants that don't mind all the pine needles.

Instead of spending lots of time reading, these last three or four days I have been busy with digging out things to get rid of, put together a new microwave table (and knocked down the old one), and relocated several storage cabinets. The cats, of course, have been very "helpful".

[rosemarykaye]

Hello everyone, from an increasingly cloudy Deeside. I went for my walk earlier today, along the river, but no sign of the heron, whom I have not seen for some days. I hope s/he is OK.

I'm afraid the next paragraph is going to be a moan...so skip it if you like! The entire path was full of cyclists. I try to be tolerant but I have come to the conclusion that it would take a saint to put up with this lot. They never ring bells (which I think are a legal requirement here), they never move over, they are frequently riding at least 2 abreast. Add to them various family groups with small children on bikes - I do understand they are as entitled as I am to use the paths, but when their adoring parents then run into another family whom they know - as had clearly happened this morning - there are dogs, bikes, children and goodness knows what all over a path that is maybe 4 feet wide at best - parents so busy admiring each other's offspring that they seem oblivious to the fact that walkers would quite like to pass with more than an inch between them and us!  So anyway - the walk was concluded with my inadvertently treading in some dog poo. My day was complete. Have been out in the back garden disinfecting and hosing down my trainers.   Tomorrow will, I'm sure, be better!

I am very much enjoying the book I am reading - The Last Hillwalker by John D Burns. I think anyone who is interested in 1970s Britain, the Lake District, the Pennines and the Scottish Highlands would like it, and the numerous mistakes and mishaps that befall Burns and his friends are very entertaining. I have just read about their first foray into the Alps - Mont Blanc - which is when they finally bought proper ice axes and decided they were no longer just hill walkers but real mountaineers. I would hate to do any of the things they do - you feel very cosy in your nice warm bed when you are reading about ice forming on the inside of their apology for a tent in Scotland in January.

We are thinking about whether it will be OK to book a self-catering holiday in late September or not. We don't mind if cafes and such like are still closed, but we don't want to pay and then find we are not allowed to travel. We are thinking of the west coast - probably Wester Ross, the Knoydart peninsula, Torridon area. It is pretty wild over there, but if we book a really nice property we will enjoy going for unambitious walks and then sitting in front of the fire reading.

My garden is bursting into colour now, it's amazing how plants grow and spread when you turn your back.  Frybabe - I wanted to get something to grow up the fence that David has finally repaired, and on my way into the supermarket i saw they had some Virginia Creeper plants. I decided to look this up on the Royal Horticultural Society website before I bought one, and I'm glad that I did - it said this plant is now classified by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as 'invasive' and although it is not yet officially banned from being imported, anyone who already has it planted must do all they can to contain its spread. I think I can do without that added responsibility!

I am half way through my review of Miss Blaine's Prefect so I had better get on and do it.

Have a good day all,

Rosemary

[ginny]

Gosh, how kind you are to rescue the little bird, Bellamarie, but cowbirds here are pretty much despised. They don't bother making a nest, they invade the nests of others and since their progeny are bigger and more demanding than the other babies, they starve/ force them out of the nest. Not a good bird, I'm afraid. Still, a kind act.

Rosemary: Cyclists!! The problem here is they are on the country  roads themselves, there being no bicycle paths to speak of out in the country, and often taking the middle  of the road: how dangerous it is.  I admire cyclists, for their  exercise, health, and wanting to  get outside, but if they are driving in the middle of the road and that road has many  dead man curves then truly it's extremely dangerous to suddenly turn a corner and be confronted with  them.  Apparently for  some reason they love to come out here,  because of the hills, it's good training for those mountain types of races, and for the reflexes and nerves of the drivers who have to deal with them, too.  I know some cyclists and they are wonderful people, and they do say this is the best place to train, and they do get serious with me and say "share the road,"  but mercy! Very very dangerous. I am totally in favor of separate bike paths.

Frybabe, I didn't know you gardened, too! On top of everything else.   Instead of spending my time reading...  Me, too. I'm watching a lot more on the computer and TV than I ever did, and I'm not sure why.

I did finally read  Lucia and the Eighth Commandment, a short story from 2018 by Tom Holt in the Mapp and Lucia vein which is on kindle and I enjoyed it. I hope he expands it and the one on Humility into a new book, which he may in fact be doing. That's the way he started before.

I have a lot of trouble reading on kindle, however, and I have no idea why. I want a book, a real book in my hands, somehow the pleasure is somewhat diminished otherwise. And I am a real nut about the paper, the type face, the binding of the book as well...if it's well done it adds to the pleasure of the book, for me. Maybe that's my problem with kindle.

Rosemary,  the Last Hillwalker sounds like a really good book, I'll look for it.

Is anybody  finding that it's difficult to concentrate now as you once did in  reading?

[bellamarie]

Ginny, yes the Cow bird is what they call parasitic, meaning they invade other nests, with their larger eggs to cover the smaller eggs already in the nest.  The mother bird does not always distinguish they are not her eggs, and are the Cow bird's eggs, so she sits on them, and her actual eggs get neglected.  I agree, not a nice bird to have around.  The baby bird we rescued was actually a sparrow, as best as I could determine.

I am with you Ginny, when it comes to preferring holding a book, opposed to reading on my ipad.  I truly love the book covers, and the smell of a book.  Nothing will ever take the place of a hard cover book for me. Yes, I am finding it more and more difficult to concentrate not only on reading, but even having the TV on.  With 24/7 coverage of the covid19 virus, and now the protestors, along with my original shows all either finished for the season, or they have run out of new content and have gone into repeats, I am keeping the TV off more and more.  I hear Jeopardy will be using repeats in a week or so. 

Rosemary, it is so difficult to deal with small walkways, when others crowd them, with no thought of those needing to pass by.  I avoid our park pathways, for this very reason, especially the bikers, who are coming at a pretty good pace. It can be a hazard as Ginny points out even on the roads.   

Oh goodness, excuse me for giggling about the dog poo.  I hope your sneakers are okay.  Your vacation plans sound wonderful!  I too have been longing to book a stay in the upper peninsula of Michigan.  We have talked about going to Harbor Springs for years, I really thought this would be the year we finally made it there.  Michigan has been on a much more strict, longer quarantine than us Ohioans, so just not sure if I should attempt anything in that state just yet.  There is also a place I have had my eye on called Gervasi Vineyard, for a year now, and it looks like the perfect place for my hubby and I to go for a short getaway, which I am more comfortable with.  You can watch how they make wine, walk through the vineyards, and enjoy all their beautiful Tuscan surroundings.  Being Italian, I long to visit Italy, but this just might satisfy me, for now.  Here's a little sneak peek.  It is in Canton Ohio, about three hours away from Toledo, where I live.  If we book a villa, it will be in late July.

 https://youtu.be/LfsoAyPwsyg

If you are looking for a climbing flower, I would recommend the Trumpet plant.  I planted three of them last summer.  I placed them near my fences, so they will climb up them, then I will put like an arbor at the top for them to spread.  They attract so many birds, especially the Hummingbird, and I like that they flower close to the end of summer, into the Fall.  This is my goal in a few years for my Trumpet plants.



Frybabe, I did not have many Irises this year either, I think as you mentioned, I need to separate the clumps. Your yard sounds wonderful! I don't think I have ever seen a Mockingbird, but after looking them up, I wonder if I've heard them, and not known what they were. I'll pay closer attention, now that I am aware of what to look and listen for.

Well, my friend called yesterday, wanting to have a small self distancing lunch with me and our other good friend.  She suggested we pick up drive through at Chik-fil-a, and pull over at the mall and sit in lawn chairs to visit.  I suggested they come to my house and sit in my backyard, since I have plenty of space and chairs, and they can enjoy my flowers.  We all share the love of gardening, so we are going to give it a try.  It's suppose to cool down by Thursday when they come.  Today is going to be in the 90s, so I intend to stay in the AC and maybe catch up on some reading.

Ya'll have a great day!

[BarbStAubrey]

June 9, 1870: Charles Dickens Dies

[PatH]

Oh, dear.  Now we'll never find out who murdered Edwin Drood!

[PatH]

150 years, and we're still reading him eagerly.  Not bad.

[Frybabe]

Bellamarie, Trumpet vines don't seem to be very popular anymore. Not sure why. They are good sturdy vines that people used to train up along their porches. The few I still see around here provide lots of shade for the porch and lots of blooms for the birds.

Mockingbirds are the craziest birds I ever encountered. One particular bird would holler down a neighbor's wood stove flue. It took them a while to figure out what was causing the racket. The same bird would park itself out on my back deck almost every morning and stare into the dinning room waiting for me to let Sammy Katz out to play with it. Every morning they would play catch-me-if-you-can. The bird also could distinguish Sammy from a neighbor cat (suspected of being Sammy's dad). It would dive bomb Dingy every chance it got. This behavior went on for about three years. I think that is about the average life span for a bird, but I suspect it got hit by a car.

Another bird that frequented my yard in York County was the catbird. A shy bird, it usually only showed up around dawn and dusk. For several years I also spotted a rare sighting of a Baltimore Oriole. Oh, and lots of swallows showed up to feast on insects in the evening. Evening Grosbeaks also stopped by during their migrations. And so many different sparrows and finches. Oh, my, I am missing that yard. The one bird I never saw was the Martin. The Agnes flood of 1972 must have wiped out a large population or nesting sites at just the wrong time. I don't think very many people put up Martin houses since then.

Oops, got to run. I have company coming soon. 

[PatH]

I think the last time I saw a trumpet vine was on my mother in law's porch, and she passed on in 1989.

I don't do the kind of gardening some of you do, but when I'm in Portland, I have access to a world class garden--the Japanese Garden.  It's been closed for the coronavirus, so they've been consoling people with a series of one minute looks.  You can scroll along the thumbnails on the right side and pick ones you want to see, and you can expand them to full screen..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTLoLyANEnI&list=PLAhIwNgUL79-OTgaWKCB1YEmOh_CDYBAP&index=1

My only complaint is that it's mostly the wilder parts of the garden, which are actually balanced with some more formal sections.

[ginny]

Apart from the inscribed urn? or....whatever that is,  that could be a film of part of our pond.

Portland is also home to a famous Rose Garden, have you been there?  I've always wanted to visit it, it may not still exist,  but here are some images of it: https://www.shutterstock.com/search/portland+rose+garden?kw=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhsGx-tH36QIVBOiGCh1TxgWeEAAYASAAEgK_6fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I love rose gardens, especially the ones where the roses are labelled.

Wildflower gardens are really in vogue now, Rosemary, very big here.

Yesterday I saw at Lowe's entire upright columns of established vines and gorgeous flowers  which were at least 10 feet tall, with about a 4 inch, not a hibiscus but a  trumpet like flower,  I used to have them and can't recall the names of them?  In Edit: Mandevilla.  They seemed to come in red or  white and were gorgeous,  an instant  garden for sale in  themselves.  Just plant them or put them in a decorative pot next to an arch and voila! If it weren't 90 degrees here I might be tempted.

Frybabe, we are missing a lot of our migratory birds. One bird I have not seen in years is a  Baltimore Oriole. I always thought they were the most gorgeous birds. I like to go out and water some of the new plants and  sit in the shade in the mornings (and evenings) and look at the flowers.  Last  night out of the corner of my eye I saw  movement and discovered that  practically right in front of me in the dogwood where my little grandson used to swing was a nest of baby birds and the mother and father were bringing food. No idea on what kind of bird,  all I can tell is they are small birds. hahaha  But the birdsong at night is incredibly beautiful out there. Very peaceful here.

[bellamarie]

Frybabe, I think you are right, it took me awhile to locate Trumpet plants last year.  The greenhouses, and other local garden markets did not have any.  I called around after spending so much time going from one place to another, and got lucky and found the last three at a greenhouse in Ida, Michigan.  It's only about fifteen minutes from my house over the Ohio line, and the drive is always nice because it's country roads, and lots of open fields. 

Pat., WOW not since 1989.  My sister gave me a clipping of her Trumpet plant, which she started from our brother's, a few years back, but I pulled it out because I was worried it would over take my Rose of Sharon.  Silly, me..... all I really had to do was just dig it up and place it further away.  Oh well, live and learn. That video of Everlasting Peace is absolutely breath taking.  I could spend hours there. 

Ginny, those pics of the Portland Rose Garden remind me of our Toledo Botanical Gardens.  We are so fortunate to have such beauty around us.

Frybabe, I am smiling just imagining the fun between the Mockingbird and your Sammy Katz.  I've never heard of a Cat bird.  Just looked it up and it's beautiful!  I had a Baltimore Oriole come last year, but only once and have never had another one.  I hope to attract them.  Just hearing you say you miss your yard, makes me know I would miss mine if we ever moved.  Our kids talk to us about moving closer to them in Perrysburg, Ohio (just 30 minutes from our house), my granddaughter is constantly sending me pics of houses for sale, telling me this one would be perfect for us, but I love where we live, close to the Michigan line which keeps me close to all my siblings in Michigan, and our neighborhood is still prime.  The neighbor behind us placed a "coming For Sale" sign in their yard, and the house sold like the next day.  They were not even expecting to move that quickly.  Luckily they had their sites on a condo near their kids and grandkids in Perrysburg, so it worked out great for them.  Our house is perfect for a family, so I told my hubby, if and when we ever do decide to put the house up for sale, we better have one we are ready to move into, because I know ours would sell in a flash.  I'm a person who does not like change, and I love my house, flowers, church and neighbors, so I intend to stay here for awhile.

I had a horrible sleepless night, so I am going to be lounging around today.
Ya'll have a great day!

[jane]

Bellamarie...Gervasi Vineyard is beautiful.  You and your hubby will love it.  My Sister and BIL went to high school with Ted Swaldo, the owner, and they took us to dinner there.  It's quite a complex and probably even bigger than when we were there several years ago. Gorgeous!  ENJOY!

jane

[ginny]

 Frybabe and Bellamarie:

I am not sure this is the same plant, but is this the same flower we are talking about?

I had just looked out the window after reading your posts and saw these red flowers all over the juniper bank and asked my husband what are those red flowers in the bank  and he said I think they are called  trumpet vine. Talk about coincidence.

Are they the same thing?

[JoanK]

I miss birds, too. Here in California we had a drought several years ago and they all disappeared! This year saw a hummingbird for the first time. No more mockingbirds and I love them. I had one once that learned to sing Mozart by listening to my recording.

[ginny]

JOANK!!! Is that YOU!!!??? We are so glad to see you again! You were the very person I thought of when our bird discussion began, because you always knew so much about them!

Welcome BACK! We have REALLY missed you!

[BarbStAubrey]

JOAN... Wow - so glad to see your post - lovely - just when I Thought the day was going bust and there is the treat of the day, a post from you - I Remember a photo you shared of birds in a protected area not far from your home when you were living in southern California - you provided us with nice memories -

[JoanK]

I hope I've finally mastered my kindle enough to be able to enjoy posting again. Ginny, it's worth the effort. I have two virtual library cards: thousands of books at my fingertips. Plus free access to "The Great Couses"series.

[JoanK]

PS, it's great to "see"you all again! Path as kept me up to date on what's happening.

[bellamarie]

Joan, what a nice surprise to see you back with us.  I can't even begin to imagine a Mockingbird singing Mozart.  That would be something to record for lasting memories. I'm glad you have mastered your Kindle, we will look forward to more posts from you.  Joan has assured us you have been doing well.

Jane, now you make me even more excited than ever to book a couple of nights at Gervasi.  I know one day or night will not be enough for me, once I get there.  I'm hoping for my birthday in July.

Ginny, YES indeed that is a Trumpet vine.  How beautiful, and you didn't even realize you have it right there among your juniper bank.  It flowers from June - Sept.  I think my friend's does not bloom til later in the summer, which may be due to us being further north. I bought a red, orange and yellow one.  I probably won't see flowers for at least three years.  Hummingbirds love the tubular flowers, so keep your eyes perched for them visiting, especially around the end of the day.


Barb, how is your back doing?  I have been keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

[BarbStAubrey]

thanks Bellamarie - getting there faster than I thought- hardly any pain but then for a bit last week I thought for sure it was going to take a trip to the spine doctor along with an MRI - but while walking from one room to the other I pressed hard on the area of my hip where the pain was severe, that was also causing me not to walk properly - what ever I seemed to have popped something and as my nurse daughter-in-law suggested something may have been pinching a nerve and I made a difference. Can sit longer and longer without any discomfort my big issue is standing - I can stand now without holding on but I need to get back to the point where I can stand long enough to at least cook a meal. Think this weekend I will start walking back and forth across the front porch where I can hold on - so not bad for 4 weeks.

Been trying to find a knitting pattern for an elongated cowl/scarf/shawl - I have this lovely blend of yarn wool/silk/mohair but not enough to really do what the patterns I'm finding all call for - I so prefer to knit in the round like making socks and If I can only figure out how many stitches to the inch and how many inches to what I am envisioning I may make my own pattern with simply cables - I did find some mohair I forgot I had so I may see how wide a piece with the combo yarn and then add the hank of mohair and then finish up with the other hank of the combo yarn - been researching since last night and I'm thinking another book of knitting patterns may be just as frustrating and so use my head and go for it.

Decided to download a copy of Marcus Aurelius Meditations - my plan was to read one a day however before the meditations even started there is a long introduction that includes his entire life history and much of the history of Rome at the time. Fascinating some war in 174 there was a battle against the Quadi (have no clue, have to look them up now) but the fascinating bit - during the battle a great storm with lightening and thunder strikes = the barbarians are terrorized and they rout. The Roman army is filled with Christians whose prayers they give credit to for the fierce storm and so they rename the legion Thundering Legion.

Looks like for 49 cents I'm getting my money's worth from this kindle copy of the Meditations   

[Frybabe]

Yea! JoanK is back.

Barb, glad to hear your back has improved. I've had Meditations on my book shelf for years and still haven't read it. The Quadi were a Germanic tribe from an area now called Moravia. They apparently associated themselves with the Macromanni in their war against Rome, then later, with the Vandals and Alans.  I don't think much is known about them except for what the Romans reported. Now I am going to have to look up the link for the History of Bulgaria that I lost when Microsoft killed my darn Asus laptop. There may be mention of them in there, although I don't remember seeing any. 

Lovely pix of the trumpet vines, Ginny.

[bellamarie]

Barb, I am so glad to hear you are having less pain, sitting now, and attempting to walk.  As the saying goes, "Inch by inch, life's a cinch, yard by yard it's very hard."  A little progress each day, and then rest.  I loved knitting while the kids were little, it's such a peaceful pastime hobby.  I know I have a few unfinished projects in my knitting basket.  I think you'll figure out a pattern that will work.  Trial and error, has created many a scarfs for me. I have quite a few books on meditation, which I simply love picking up and turning to a page at random, just to see a message for the day.

I guess you could say I'm pretty excited about having two of my best friends coming over for a self distance lunch in my backyard today, I woke up at 6:00 a.m., and am ready to tackle a few things before they get here.  I have so missed having my gal friends to talk with.  We share the love of gardening, and I was so hoping my Asiatic Lilies and my roses would have bloomed for them to see, but it's a bit chilly after the storm yesterday, so like Mimi said, if they aren't in bloom, we'll just have to come again to see them.

Okay, off to get my coffee, you all have a great day!

[ginny]

That sounds like a lot of fun, Bellamarie, I am sure you will enjoy it.

Joan K, I woke up thinking about you and your Mozart Mockingbirds, that's a wonderful story.



Flora and  Fauna Division of the Library:

Frybabe mentioned purple martins. We have them and we have one of those martin towers, but I keep forgetting to look and see if it has any birds in it. I don't think it does, actually.

I think you have to clean out those tower nests  yearly, you crank the thing down to get to it,  and I have not. Ditto with cleaning out  the bluebirds nests, but this year my husband was not able to get their boxes cleaned out but to his surprise they are all well filled with bluebirds, they must return year after year to the same box anyway.  Gorgeous birds. I know cardinals return. One of the bluebird boxes  is right near one of the driveway sensors and it goes off constantly, so we know that one is well filled.

As far as not knowing the trumpet vine, we have a lot of wildflowers here, and  I actually have no idea what half of them are.  We have a rose, a tiny creeping rose which once a year makes a perfect waterfall cascade over that same juniper bank. I have had to defend its right to do that, too, as my children think it should be eradicated as it's ruining the juniper bank with its long runners. I thought it was Lady  Banksia, wrong color, this one is pink and white. I thought it was the Confederate rose, wrong color,  and it's double.   It only blooms once, early on in the spring but this year it was a glory. We need to send a photo of it  next spring to the Clemson Extension Service  to see if they can identify it because if it's as unusual  as I think it is, those Antique Rose Emporium people in Texas might be interested in it, they like to collect old forgotten roses and  propagate them.

We have several other species here which are rare. We have a "False" something or other in the woods which is extremely rare, we had a row of  6 of the only 7 trees of something in the US?  or was it State? Whatever it was they made a huge fuss over it. It  bore what looked like blackberries, was not mulberries though,  and I had them cut down because of the hideous thorns, the thing would send out invasive roots with long new growth bristling with 2"  thorns bursting from the ground  on it,  and it spread everywhere.  Right into the vineyard, as well. Could puncture a tire or a foot.  Now we have some odd  trees in the fringes of the woods  with strange edible fruit on them which Clemson did identify, they look like red  raspberries, but their leaf is not what it should be for that variety,  causing a bit of disagreement.

One positive  benefit of this coronavirus  distancing thing is the renewed appreciation of nature here, for me, and that's a  real  plus.


I'm glad you're feeling better,  Barbara, it sounds like it's going to take quite a while. Your book does sound like a great investment.


Anybody reading anything else  interesting?

We're having a lovely discussion of walking in the Movies area, spurred on by Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series,  come on down before you leave. https://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=77.msg385191#msg385191

[rosemarykaye]

Ginny - I finished The Last Hillwalker last night and I was so sorry to get to the end (and I don’t feel that way about many books).  I tweeted about it, and the author, John Burns, replied. We had a great conversation. I love it when writers engage with their readers on social media and don’t just push their books all the time.

I’m still on my ‘20 Books of Summer’ and my place names projects, so I’m about to start Rebecca Tope’s A Cotswold Killing.

Last night I watched a programme about a rapper from Edinburgh called Stevie Creed, Of course I had never heard of him, but it was an interesting programme. He is a young white man from a very traditional part of West Lothian (Broxburn). He used to work in Slater’s Menswear in George St in Edinburgh, but got into rapping and While still a teenager - took himself off to New York - not actually to do music but to train as a boxer in a famous gym in East NY. He arrived in NY knowing no-one and booked himself into the Galaxy Hotel, having no idea what it was (an establishment renting rooms by the hour...). When the penny dropped, he tried to find another room and ended up contacting a black landlord who worked with his 2 sons in the Brooklyn area.  This man took him under his wing and let him stay in his own home until they could find him somewhere - he got to know the two sons, one of whom was also a rapper, and they started to work together. Creed had to return to Scotland, but they stayed in touch, and  in this programme he was going back to NY to record an album with the son and various other musicians. It is a world about which I know nothing so it was fascinating to see it in action. Thesre guys really do speak another language. I dared my husband to get the word ‘dope’  - as in ‘it was so dope’ (= very good, apparently) into one of his Google meetings today 

I’m just back from a lovely walk with a friend at Drum Castle, a National Trust for Scotland property near here. The estate itself is closed but we found plenty of paths round about. It was the first time I’ve seen any of my friends in the flesh since mid-March. We had a great chat. I hope we’ll soon be able once again to end our walks in a tea shop with a coffee and a scone, but till then just having the company was wonderful. Hoping to walk with another local friend next week. Our FM said today that the R number is now well below 1 and falling, so if it continues in the right direction she should be able to announce further lifting of some of the rules next Thursday. For me it’s not been so bad, but for some people, especially those on their own, it’s been very hard. And as my (long divorced) friend remarked today, it must be ten times worse for people stuck indoors with abusive partners. My elder daughter is now planning her return to London for the end of July; she has found a new flat share in Balham with two girls who seem very nice.

Have a good day everyone,

Rosemary

[JoanK]

I'm reading a book you may have already found. The History of the World in 100 Objects by the British Museum. By far my favorite object so far, a PREHISTORIC carving of a man and a woman
 the author compares to Roden's sculpture "the kiss." So much for dumb cavemen!

[Frybabe]

I wonder if you have a multiflora rose, Ginny. https://extension.psu.edu/multiflora-rose  When I lived in York County (PA), these were growing along the road side of the yard. I liked them, but they did need trimmed back in the yard otherwise they would form great thick mounds, both tall and broad. I think that is why I had so many catbirds and others who nest in bushes or along fence rows. The dense growth with all those thorns made it more difficult for bird eating critters to get to them. I was not about to try to get rid of them for that reason. I am at a loss as to why our extension says they reduce wildlife diversity enough (if at all) to reduce other wildlife populations. Something to look into if I think of it later on.

[ginny]

Oh I thought you had it for a minute, Frybabe, but there's no pink and it's single. Some of those "noxious weeds," as it's been apparently dubbed by the state of PA, are very beautiful.

I'm always grateful anything blooms for me. I note the article says the reason it IS a noxious weed is that people don't remove it for aesthetic reasons. I doubt I would, either.

Rosemary, how totally exciting, to engage in conversation with the author John Burns!!! Especially since you just read his book and enjoyed it so much!! I love books on walking, and it's definitely on my list now. How does he differ from Bill Bryson?

Your own walk to Drum Castle is exactly what I'm talking about...oh to set out and walk to Drum Castle!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JoanK,  I have heard about that book, and the podcasts, and I am glad to hear from somebody reading it. I have to say one of the most exciting things that happened to me last year  was hearing a lecture by Ian Jenkins, Senior Curator of the British Museum.

Did they mention the faces of The Kiss have no facial features? It's all about the motion.  He talked about "The Thinker," which was not intended to be "The Thinker" at all.  " This famous figure from The Gates of Hell initially represented Minos, judge of the damned in the Divine Comedy, and was later supposed to represent the poet Dante. It was given the name The Thinker not by the artist, but by foundry workers, who thought it looked similar to a statue of Lorenzo de Medici by Michelangelo nicknamed Il Penseroso (The Thinker)."

The Gates of Hell by Rodin with "The Thinker" on top of it,  or one cast of it in progress is currently in the  Musée d'Orsay .

And he said SO much  more which was startling.

I almost never get to hear any of these lectures by curators,  much less this one, I'm only  in London a short time each year,   and kind of stumbled by some miracle into that one and somehow managed to get a ticket.... (full house, I had no idea that under the British Museum is a tremendous  or so it seemed to me, old timey lecture hall) and it was electric: a day I will never forget.

I'm going to look into that book, thanks so much for mentioning it.

[bellamarie]

Rosemary, I'm so glad you got to go on a walk with your friend.  I too, got to visit with two of my very good friends for the first time in ages.  They came to my house, we sat out on my patio, ate lunch, and enjoyed my flowers.  My friend Mimi brought me a bucket full of her pink Widow's Tears plant for my flower garden.  She gave me a purple one a few years back and it is enormous now.  While sitting out on the patio a Hummingbird came within feet of us to the feeder, and a Cardinal showed up as well.  It did my soul good to spend some girl time with my friends.  Pictures of Widow's Tears...



Joan, That book sounds interesting. I found this link that shows all 100 objects.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/british-museum-objects/

Ginny, I can understand people not wanting to remove the noxious weeds, due to aesthetic purposes.   I was surprised to see how many are considered noxious weeds on this link.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pics+of+noxious+weeds&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS722US722&sxsrf=ALeKk01QiY1w3UgTZRYFbZ3t-3ozZHz3VA:1591990497589&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=jV5AzmHTnhwzXM%253A%252C0pIO4BNAPXbzRM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSCKPoONnQDmE_F1hAH2Bl8SAsY2A&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi9p-Dggv3pAhWQRTABHWJFBZAQ9QEwAXoECAwQGg&biw=1229&bih=578#imgrc=jV5AzmHTnhwzXM:

I love going for drives in the countryside and seeing so many of the flowers growing up out of no where.  I call them God's gifts, that add to the beautiful landscapes.

Rosemary, it's good to hear your leveling off of the virus is happening, and looser restrictions may be coming.  I'm hearing now about a possible second wave in some states here, that have reopened businesses.  I have to wonder if that is in fact true, and if so, then what can we expect in the weeks to come, after thousands upon thousands of protestors were jammed in with each other in many cities, for days.  Only time will tell.

Hubby and I did some more landscaping in the backyard today, after planting the Widow's Tears, now we are inside and feeling tired.  I may just snuggle up with my dog and read the rest of the afternoon.



 

[JoanK]

Thanks for the pictures, Bellamarie. The one problem with reading the book on kindle is that the pictures are too small.
   Ginny, in the prehistoric carving, the figures have no facial features either.

[nlhome]

Pleasant to read about all the flowers and friends. One of my friends called and said she was bringing a bottle of wine and some crackers and cheese to our deck, and we had a pleasant time chatting and then walking around the yard inspecting our garden. Not much in bloom now, as the peonies and iris are done, the lilies not quite open, but there were perennial bachelor buttons and yellow primrose in one corner, and blossoms on one balsam plant were just opening. Enough to make it interesting. And she was happy to take some lettuce home.

Rosemary, I read A Cotswold Ordeal last fall, and then I didn't read any more in the series. I think that was because we left on our trip to Germany right after, and of course then I lost trace. I see our library has others. We can order them for pick up, but cannot explore the stacks yet.

[BarbStAubrey]

Well I succumbed - had downloaded the free bit that Amazon provides of The Last Hillwalker: A sideways look at forty years in Britain's Mountains - which took me enjoyably through to the middle of chapter 3 and as much as I promised myself, no more purchasing books till I finish at least 10 of those I have already purchased - my good intention went by the board and I went for the kindle edition...

It is a wonderful read - has me glued as much as any adventure story could possibly entice, seduce or incite to further curiosity not only the experiences but the life messages those experiences engender.

Had started reading On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor, who does make connections to bits of life's wisdom as he hikes the many trails that he sees as historical ancient routes and how successive levels of civilization have either changed, added or by-passed these ancient routes as well as, a wonderful observation of hiking for instance in fog so that all a walk in fog consists of is head down, step by step following these routes or trails.

Reminds me of life - the future and past are enveloped by a fog that we keep trying to penetrate as if we can place our walk through life if we only knew what we cannot see when all any of us have is the trail where we are walking.

Reading of the trails and climbs chosen by John Burns shows courage in the face of fear but also, moving ahead with no guarantees - I've been there and see all sorts of analogies to taking the paths not traveled by the many, even the experienced many with all their latest safety equipment.

Both books are wonderful reads and I am reading them simultaneously - thanks Rosemary I would never have chosen either had you not brought the John Burns book to our attention.     

[bellamarie]

nlhome, Oh doesn't it do your soul good to spend just a little time with your friend, flowers, wine, cheese and crackers.  PRIMROSE!!!  Yes, I could not for the life of me remember the name of my yellow flowers in bloom, reading your post I googled pictures of primrose and alas, that is what I have blooming.  Thank you!

Barb, your book sounds very interesting....the paths we take, and those we chose not to.  It really makes me think of all the times throughout my grandkids lives growing up, I write in their cards...follow God's path, and if you find you've strayed, get back on.  You'll know you've strayed off, when your happiness turns to chaos.

I know life can't be a bowl of cherries all the time, but one thing I think I've personally come to learn is, when all has gone amuck, chances are, I've lost my path God has chosen for me, and I'm trying a path of my own.  Never works for me.

We spent Sunday at my son and dil's house with our two youngest grandchildren, Zak and Zoey.  I've mentioned how close we have been in their lives, and Zak especially is close to me, while Zoey is Papa's girl.  Zak and I had some fun shooting hoops, he was teaching me how to correctly position my hands on the basketball, and how to put lift in my shot.  I said, "Zak, I can't make a basket."  He replied, "Nonnie, you know how you tell me you believe in me, and that I can do anything, well, I believe in you, and you have to believe in you, because I know you can do it."  I shot the ball and into the hoop it went!  We both high fived and he said, "See all you have to do is believe in yourself, like you believe in me." Oh how my heart melted, and I had to hide the tears.  When it was time to leave neither of them wanted us to go.  I promised them we would see how things are in a couple of weeks, and we could possibly resume our sleepovers.  They were so excited, and Zak said, "Nonnie, that would be so much fun, but you be sure you are comfortable with it." This twelve year old, is wise beyond his years. 

I am vowing to read today, since I haven't picked up a book in over a week.

Ya'll have a great day!

[rosemarykaye]

Hi everyone - I have been off here as i was so behind with my reviewing that I knew I just had to get my head down.

I am so glad people are enjoying (or hoping to enjoy) The Last Hillwalker, apart from anything else John Burns seems like such a nice person.

nlhome - do you remember if you enjoyed the Rebecca Tope (Cotswold) mystery that you read?  So many people do like her - and she is one of those writers who is hugely popular in libraries - that I do wonder if the Cotswold series improves after the first one, which I am not especially impressed with. It is OK (at least not full of mistakes like the dreadful GM Malliet book, In Priors' Wood, that I read the other day) but I just can't identify with any of the characters, least of all the annoying Thea (especially now she has not taken her poor injured spaniel to the vet but just left her to get better, even though she keeps going on about how important the dog is in her life), who 'can't help looking like Kristen Scott Thomas' 

It's been so damp and foggy here for days, my walks have been atmospheric to say the least!  But this afternoon the sun has finally appeared again.

Right, back to the review pile.

Have a good day all,

Rosemary

[jane]

Rosemary...a question about the reviews when you're able to surface again from the pile, do you get any negative feedback from the author or publisher when you have to be honest in a less-than-glowing review of a work?

jane

[rosemarykaye]

Hi Jane

To be honest, if I have really loathed something I tend not to review it.  The main publisher I receive books from is Saraband, and I haven't yet had a 'bad' book from them, though some are better than others, obviously. If something is so-so, I try to find the good points and maybe just mention the parts that i think could have been better. I have never had anyone contact me to complain. I've just been asked to review a self-published book in the fantasy genre, and having read the synopsis I have declined, as it is just not my type of thing. Sara Hunt, who runs Saraband and whom I have known for some time, more or less asks me to choose which books I'd like to review, so i just take a look at their website from time to time and send her a list. Occasionally she will ask me to try something else - hence I read (and loved) Mr Todd's Reckoning and The Scribbler, both by Iain Maitland - they are very chilling psychological thrillers, and I would never in a million years have chosen them, but she was right, they were brilliant. It is good to have a working relationship with a publisher, I think, and Sara would never ask me to write something I didn't agree with.

This is a growing problem in the arts in general though - in fact I was discussing it with someone just the other day. I have noticed it most at the Edinburgh Fringe, where people putting on plays (in particular) seem to think it is their right (i) to get lots of reviews (ii) to get only 5* ones. I am sorry to say I find this is almost exclusively restricted to younger people; they are by no means all like this, but I think many have grown up being told that they are perfect, can do no wrong, and will always succeed. They simply do not know how to accept constructive criticism, and take it as a personal insult and also as a failing in the reviewer, who must be stupid. I was actually at a Fringe Central meeting a couple of years ago, and a fellow reviewer said he was irritated by the fact that, in a play he had seen (which he did not name), the members of the orchestra were sitting knitting. It turned out that one of the people involved in the play was also there - she was very cross and also very patronising - 'it was MEANT to signify...[I've forgotten what!]' she snapped, clearly implying that the reviewer was too stupid to 'get' it. I have never forgotten this, as in my opinion if an experienced reviewer (and this guy is) can't 'get' it, what hope does the general public have? Also it seemed just so rude to respond in that way.  Most reviewers at the festivals run around like demented bluebottles throughout August, trying to see as much as possible, then dashing home to write it all up late at night.We do not get paid for this. And most of us also have 'proper' jobs. We don't deliberately ignore people, and we want their productions to go well, but if we can't make any critical remarks at all, what is the point? And I know that professional reviewers in the national papers are more and more reluctant to stick their heads above the parapet.

The guy I was discussing this with is a poet who had entered an international competition.  He did not win, and he was fine with that, but some of the other people whose work was not chosen were furious, and one started issuing physical threats to the judges, saying that they would be infected with coronavirus, and all sorts of other horrible things, as they just had not appreciated his submissions.

Interesting, isn't it?

Rosemary

[bellamarie]

Rosemary, Oh my heavens, I can't imagine someone getting so upset for their poem not getting selected, they would threaten physical harm, or wish this virus on a judge.  What has this world come to, it seems the answer to everything is violence and hate. 

I submitted two different poems to the International Library of Poetry, a few years back hoping to be chosen to be published in their anthology book.  I was overwhelmed when not one poem was accepted, but then a few years later a second one was also accepted.  I was invited to attend and speak in Washington, at their annual convention, but at the time I was not able to accept the invitation.  They did send me a copy of each book my poem was printed in.  When I opened the "Timeless Voices" anthology book, I was shocked to see my poem was placed first in the book.  As a writer, you always like being validated by fellow authors and publishers. 

Here is a copy of one of my poems published, Copyright 2006 by International Library of Poetry:

Wandering Mind