New Year’s Day, our one and only ritual of the year. Why? Because it gives us license to get drunk in the morning. Well, not drunk but definitely tipsy with a nap forthcoming and then watching part of the Japanese Godzilla movies marathon. At some point during the day Rocky and Melissa came by and brought us dinner. They do that occasionally when Melissa has been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.
New Year’s Eve was louder than usual, many many long strings of firecrackers punctuated with emptying the magazines of guns (where the fuck do they think those bullets go shot into the air?). I never once looked out the window to see if there were skyworks, dog disappeared with the first string of firecrackers and didn’t emerge til well after 2 AM. I was in bed asleep before midnight.
My talavera birdbath did not survive the night. Something landed on or jumped on it Sunday night and the dish crashed to the ground though it might have survived if it had fallen in the other direction. The pedestal now becomes a plant stand and I need a new birdbath for the little backyard.
Now day 2 my waking thoughts were to get off my ass and start doing stuff, taking care of all the things I have let slide and to start my yoga routine in the mornings again. I’ve been very bad about that since my sister died. And so I did start my day with yoga. Well, not actually the first thing but close. So, clear off the two work tables and my desk, package up the pecans and send them out to a couple of people, box up all those glass jewels and lenses and send them off to the friend I’ve been promising them to for months, and get in the studio and start making stuff or watercolor painting.
So, Happy New Year, the time of the year when we dismiss the crap of the previous year and pledge to have a better one. OK, works for me. Though this new year will be a break or make year for democracy here. For now at least. And here is a link to Jeff Tiedrich’s post yesterday because the guy has no problem saying what must be said
I was going to save this for another post but here it is anyway. My yellow angel trumpet started blooming about a week ago. Last year it sent out buds around the same time of year and then an arctic blast sat on us for two weeks and I had to cut off the branches so that I could cover it (froze to the ground anyway but came back from the roots) and surprisingly, they all bloomed inside while in a vase of water and then they rooted and I was able to share the new plants. The year before that it didn't even bud out.
I need a new birdbath too. The neighbor's fat orange cat landed on it from the pecan tree and the dish hit the stones around the tree and busted into small pieces. It's amazing how many people own guns on New Years and July 4th. You don't know until the one day they believe they have to go out and fire it at the night sky. Typical stupid.
ReplyDeleteeverybody owns guns out here except for me I guess though they don't all shoot them off. just the idiots.
DeleteHope you find a good replacement bird bath. Sorry it broke. Love the trumpet flowers. Yes, we have to work on the political side of life this year, as unsavory as it may be, and definitely have ways to de-stress from that work.
ReplyDeleteI have two others that are concrete. I'll probably move one of them where the one that broke is because that's where the bird feeder is.
DeleteSad about the birdbath - that thing was pretty! Well, it will make a nice plant stand & I have faith that your next birdbath will be lovely too.
ReplyDeleteyes, it was pretty but there was something about the paint/glaze that caused black scum to form in the dish and it was a pain in the butt to keep clean.
DeleteHappy new year Ellen. I am looking forward to your new birdbath solution. Enjoy the yoga routine.
ReplyDeleteOur birdbaths are overflowing with rain and one will probably break under the weight. Is this the usual time for trumpet flowers to bud in your part of the world? Here, clematis are starting to bud, three months early. The roses have been flowering since last summer without a break. Some days, I think I am in a sci-fi movie.
we have definitely entered the sci-fi stage. I don't know what the deal is with this trumpet flower. it's in a pot and freezes back when we have a hard freeze. I meant to put it in the ground last spring. I have one in the ground over at the shop that never gets very big but it flowers off and on all year. I don't know why this big one in the pot wants to bloom in December. it that last year too only I had to cut the branches off with the buds in order to wrap it up for the hard freeze we got.
DeleteShame about the bird bath. I was going to blame a stray bullet, but I don't see an obvious hole. That trumpet vine is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure something jumped on it. possum maybe.
DeleteWhat an amazing flower! that blooms now? where do you live? in the tropics? I guess Texas is the tropics when looking south from where i am.
ReplyDeleteIt should really bloom off and on all summer but for some reason this one in a pot only wants to bloom in December. I meant to put in in the ground last spring but never got around to it.
DeleteSince a bird bath is an integral and patently essential of any garden worth a second glance I hope you find a sturdy replacement soon! All the best for 2024, with a cool summer (a forlorn wish, I am sure!). David
ReplyDeleteI have two others, one in the front and one in the big backyard. I'll probably move that one to the little backyard as that's where the bird feeder is.
DeleteOh, sad little Talavera birdbath!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your giving us the link to Jeff Tiedrich's posts a few months ago. I read him daily now.
I've really been going through a slump when it comes to getting things done around here, tending to that which needs tending. It's either too cold or raining and I know I'm just using those as excuses because it's not really always one of those two things.
Your trumpet flowers are, of course, gorgeous whenever they bloom.
I'm slowly leaning into getting some stuff done. trying to get just get two or three things on the horribly long list done a day.
DeleteOh, those flowers are lovely, Ellen. Thanks for posting them and for the link to Jeff T.
ReplyDeleteJeff is hilarious and always on point.
DeleteHappy New Year, Ellen! Love seeing those beautiful trumpet flowers. What a lovely sight to start the year. I'm so hoping this year will be better than the one we just had. I always think of the guy on the Jon Stewart show who would say, "Keep false hope alive, Jon." Yup. (NewRobin13)
ReplyDeletefalse hope is better than no hope I guess. keeps us from despairing.
DeleteI love that angel trumpet. It's amazing how robust some plants (particularly tropical ones) can be. Bummer about your birdbath, though! Do you think the culprit was a raccoon?
ReplyDeleteracoon or possum. the dish was fairly lightweight and to tell the truth I expected it to get broken. I had already found it on the ground once before but it didn't break then.
DeleteI know I left a comment, because I mentioned losing my birdbath, too. Might be in spam.
ReplyDeletethere were plenty in the spam folder but none from you. the last comment from you that has shown up was on the ways I miss my sister.
DeleteI just lost my water bowl last week. The squirrels took it out while chasing one another. I think mating season must be here, because they're far more active than usual, running after one another through the trees like crazy. Your angel trumpet is gorgeous. I just noticed some bougainvillea blooming again in the neighborhood. They're predicting some really cold weather for later in the month, so consider this a first warning.
ReplyDeleteps: my comment didn't go into spam. I got interrupted by a phone call when I was writing it, and I forgot that I hadn't hit 'publish.' We can call this one operator error!
I had planted a small bougainvillea last fall and then we had that horrible two weeks of 20˚ weather last December and it froze to the ground. I had given up on it coming back. I think it was June or July before it surprised me with one new branch which is now about 24 - 30" long.
DeleteI don't know what happened to all out squirrels but I rarely see one since out long hot horrible summer. I'm seeing some evidence of perfectly shelled pecans with one or two small bites out of it on the ground. really squirrel? all that effort and you take one or two small bites and throw it away?
I want to get another bird bath and think I should make one. I put water out for the bees, too. I connected to Jeff T and read it to HeWho every night. I am baffled at all the idiots out there!!
ReplyDeleteI have several ponds with water plants that the bees drink from, also I see them in the other bird baths at the edges of the water. I first ran across Jeff on Twitter I think. Now I'm on his email list.
DeleteSorry your lovely Talavera Birdbath was a Casualty of the Night. Yes, those shooting in the Air have no thought as to where the projectiles go that could cause fatalities so randomly and recklessly. We spent it quietly and secure at Home too, best way to IMO. Happy New Year, may 2024 hold much Promise for us all.
ReplyDelete