Sunday, November 19, 2017

new normals?


It's November 17th was and I'm sitting here in a tank top and summer shorts, barefoot because it's been in the mid-80s all week, the doors and windows open. I heard and saw a huge flock of geese overhead flying north. Many of the spring weeds have already sprouted like the sow thistle and the clover and the stickyweed and the 10 petal anemone 


but oddly, no dandelions. The bluebonnets are growing, not sprouting, growing


as are the little red lilies that generally don't start to appear until late December. 


The baby blue eyes are sprouting and there's a single clasping leaved coneflower blooming in the mini-wildflower meadow. It's November. We haven't even had winter yet. I mean, it's not unusual to be in t-shirt and shorts or jeans and barefoot in November or even December, but not in the 80s. I have volunteer tomatoes growing lushly and putting on fruit. That's not normal. Yesterday, the 18th, the high was 84˚ but a front was blowing in all day and the predicted low was a 40 degree plunge to 45˚. That's actually kinda normal.

You might remember way back when this started as a single 4' x 4' bed for strawberries (dismal failure) and has grown over the years into what it looks like now. I planted those three little banana trees April 2016, 


this is what they look like in November 2017...



totally barging their way through the nice neat border I spent days creating, tossing concrete landscape blocks and brick pavers aside as if they were cardboard. Marc says we'll as in me need to move those banana trees. Yeah, no way those banana trees are going to be moved. Easier to change the shape of that bed to accommodate the trees and their expansion.

So, studio is painted but hasn't been inspected for touch ups yet so everything is still covered over and taped off. Waiting on the last door to arrive to be installed, base moulding still needs to go on, and the floor installed. Then put the fan back together and get the light fixtures and the duct grates and my hooks back up. 



I like the color, I do, it's just that everything is the same color and it's all so...white! We're practically snow blind when we go in there so definitely the molding will get another coat of paint to add some color and definition for the windows and doors and, of course, when I get all my stuff in there it will look very different.



 

12 comments:

  1. Same here. Well, no banana trees, but all the spring bulbs are leafing (no buds, thank goodness). Today brought an end to decent temps, for a while, I suppose. Semi-decent temps for the near future--30's to 40's. Have a good week, working.

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  2. We're supposed to get down into the upper thirties tonight and it hasn't gotten above sixty-something all day. My firespike is still blooming, my bananas are going strong too. Jessie's are just putting out fruit.
    New normal indeed. We bungle our way through it all.
    Your studio is gorgeous!

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  3. Studio looks fab. Bananas too. I once lived in a tropical place with bananas to harvest from behind the kitchen door. I'd give anything to be back there.

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  4. The studio looks great! Weather is so unpredictable anymore, warm today cold tonight!

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  5. It's great seeing how your garden is coming back after all that terrible weather.

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  6. The banana tree's, wow! Will they get banana's? (I think I put that comma in the right place?)That might be a laughable question. But why else would you plant them...well, they are beautiful.

    Ah, green - I miss it so.
    Studio is looking great, bead board was the perfect choice.

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  7. Your green gardens look so beautiful. The strong winds today blew what was left of the leaves off of all our trees.. I was hoping for some color for Thanksgiving but that was not to be. We had a long Indian summer this year so I can’t complain.

    After what you have been through in 2017, Ellen, I hope you have a joyful Thanksgiving. We have to count our blessings this year despite the troubles that surround us.

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  8. Geese flying NORTH?! That's not good. I hope they turn around! Those banana trees probably will freeze back at some point, don't you think? Or have you stopped getting freezes altogether?

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    1. they did freeze down last winter when we had that hard freeze down in the 20s but they are very hardy and always come back. that growth you see is actually from this year only!

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  9. My aunt has a banana tree that she has tried to get rid of, but it's a stubborn old coot. You're right - easier to change the bed shape.

    I like the white - makes the room look brighter. It will be great with all your things in there!

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  10. I was up in the hill country for a couple of days and tried to comment here then. Unfortunately, my iPad demanded that I offer up various passwords, which I didn't have with me. Sigh. I ought to know better, but I didn't.

    Anyway, it was cold up there. I thought it was, anyhow. It got down to 39, which was enough to get my attention. Thank goodness I'm back in the tropics, and safe from freezing temperatures for the time being.

    The studio looks great. I laughed at your snowblindness remark. I remember that from my Iowa days, and it's the perfect metaphor.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Despite it all, we do have a good bit to be grateful for. Enjoy the day, and put your feet up for a while.

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