June Bloom Day

Yes, I am a little late again but most of these photos were taken last Sunday. I am just now getting around to posting them. I didn't think I would have many blooms to show this month other than ones that I have already posted. The lavatera, bougainvillea, Lion's Tail and others are all still in full bloom. Then I remembered the forgotten plants, the ones I don't think about very much either because I didn't plant them, they just grew, or because they have been in the garden so long that I take them for granted.

Heading the list of those plants that I take for granted are my rose bushes. I started out with six hybrid teas 37 years ago and one of those plants is still there. I think it is called Pink Dreams or something like that. You probably can't get it anymore, but it has the most wonderful smell. The photo at the top is of one of the newer bushes from New Zealand, MACgenev. It also has a wonderful smell and is very disease resistant. When the other bushes get mildew (usually during the June Gloom time), this one doesn't.

Another plant that I not only take for granted, but have actually been thinking of getting rid of is this hydrangea. It is supposed to be purple in color, but this year I didn't get out there in time with an acid soil amendment so the alkaline soil and water of Southern California turned it pink. I will only have a few blooms this year because my gardener, who is unfamiliar with this plant, trimmed it way back last winter before I could stop him. The blooms come on last year's growth, so if you cut all the stems back, you get lots of new leaves, but no blooms.

I once mentioned this plant to a friend and he said, "Hydrangea? As in hydra? As in water?" Yes, this is not a drought tolerant plant. My only excuse was that this plant started out as a container plant on the patio, and when the container disintegrated (it was redwood), I moved the plant once and then again to its current location. It's just not satisfactory where it is. It's close to the house and gets plenty of shade and water runoff from the roof in the winter, but then just as the blooms are coming out in June, the sun hits it and the leaves dry out. It's gotta go.

This second hydrangea is still a lovely blue because it is still in the pot, a gift from a student. Hydrangeas, especially the blue ones, remind me of Nantucket, one of my favorite places.

Over in the herb garden, this plant started coming up and I almost pulled it. I thought the leaf pattern was interesting so I left it and now I remember that it's a chrysanthemum that I just stuck in the ground last fall when I felt the garden needed some fall color. This bud has opened a little early. Hopefully, the plants will survive the summer heat.

Plants that planted themselves include this no-name plant. It blew over from my neighbor's garden. It's very common around here, so I should know the name, but since I didn't plant it, I don't. But I do like the cool blue-purple flowers that come out in June. They make a nice contrast to all the orange flowers I have in the front.

Another plant that just appeared is this bed of gazanias down by the street. It's in an impossible place wedged in between the curb and the cable box and gets water from me only once a week. It got started because I let the fallen leaves from the ficus tree collect there and they made a nice natural mulch. The bright sunshine-yellow flowers are a cheery greeting to visitors.

Aaaargh!

After spending days trying to import my thousands of email messages that I don't want to lose into Microsoft's new Windows Live Mail because they told me that they would no longer support Outlook Express after June 30th, now they tell me they are postponing the date that the switch will become irrevocable, and are looking into updating Outlook Express to accommodate DAV. I guess they got a lot of complaints. Well now I am complaining! Make up your mind, guys!!

Computers drive me nuts. Why do they have to keep updating things? I am tired of wasting time learning new programs or re-learning old programs that have been updated. Quicken forced an update on me just before tax time. They could have planned that better! And to be honest, I don't like the new Windows Live Mail. For one thing, it is slower than Outlook Express and seems to have a few bugs. While it is very similar to Express, there are some differences that I find annoying. I might be able to set it up to work exactly like Express, but that takes time.

I'd much rather spend my time knitting or gardening or blogging.

Snowflakes in June

I had a very busy morning this morning. Got a lot of things done including mailing genealogy stuff to my sister and my cousin, music to my accompanist, and a condolence note to a friend who recently lost her mother. Then I realized that today is the 10th anniversary of my own mother's passing. I felt I needed to commemorate the day and wanted to write a tribute to her. I decided the best thing to do would be to post photos of some of the gazillion crochet projects that she did over the course of her life. I have already posted about the lovely christening dress she made for me which didn't get used until last year by Baby C. I also posted about the last tablecloth she made which she left unfinished when she died at age 86.

So here are some of my favorite pieces. I'll start with the tablecloths she made for me. The first one was made especially for my round table, back when round tablecloths were hard to find, and features a pineapple theme. The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality.

American colonists began importing the pineapple from the Caribbean in the 17th century. Due to its seemingly exotic qualities and rareness, the pineapple soon became a symbol of hospitality in early America. Because trade routes between America and Caribbean islands were often slow and perilous, it was considered a significant achievement for a host to procure a ripe pineapple for guests. Similarly, some accounts tell of New England sea captains who, upon returning from trade routes in the Caribbean or Pacific, would place a pineapple outside their homes as a symbol of a safe return.

Due to its association with warmth and friendliness, pineapples in America were often used as the “crowning” piece in large displays of food. Similarly, the pineapple symbol was used frequently in the 18th and 19th centuries to decorate bed posts, tablecloths, napkins—anything associated with welcoming guests. Today, the pineapple remains a fitting symbol for the hospitality industry, and pineapple-themed products still abound. From lamps to candle holders to salt and pepper shakers and beyond, the pineapple motif says "Welcome!"

Another tablecloth she made for me is used when I open the table to its full dimensions with two added leaves. Again, it was hard to find tablecloths for such a large table. (But don't ask me the exact dimensions right now. I have forgotten them.)

The next three photos show doilies. I'm sorry I didn't take the time to press these out so they would look their best. They have been stored away for a long time. The third doilie, with the pineapple pattern, is still starched and pressed as my mother sent it to me. Nobody uses doilies anymore but at one time, doilies were placed under all table lamps, vases, figurines, and anything on display to protect the wood underneath. The backs of stuffed chairs and arm rests were also covered with similar lacy designs. The paper "doilies" that are used sometimes today on a dessert plate are an abomination in my opinion.

She also made a couple of bedspreads and afghans for me and my daughter, but I don't have photos of them. She made dresses, tops, sweaters, and booties for everyone in the family. Here is a photo of a concert black dress she made for me many years ago and a charming dress for my daughter and her dolly. She also made stuffed animals for all the babies in the family and a set of little teddy bears that were mascots for my niece's gymnastics team.

I will not part with any of these creations even though I may not be using some of them right now. But the ones that my children remember the most with fondness are the snowflakes shown at the top of this post. My mother would make these up off the top of her head and send them to everyone. Some I have used as Christmas tree decorations, but the ones in the photo have long black threads attached to them so I can hang them in the window in the wintertime. Pretend snow. Makes me feel like I'm home again.

Another Walk, Different Canyon

I have found a new canyon to walk on Palos Verdes, the George F Canyon. It's another preserve managed by the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy. I can't believe that yesterday was the first time I explored this canyon. Like the Lunada Canyon, there is only one trail about three-quarters of a mile long. This one goes up the hill and then you turn around and go back down. Somehow that is easier to do than the other way round. Like at Lunada there is a creek running through the middle of the canyon, but this one had quite a bit of water in it still. Lunada Canyon is on the south side of the peninsula and has a lovely view of the ocean as you have seen from my photos. The George F is on the lee side of the peninsula and the view from the top, when you get there, is of the Los Angeles Harbor to the east and more canyon to the west.

I heard about this canyon from a friend who has shared her extensive research into the plants of the Palos Verdes Peninsula with me. She had just come back from a hike up this canyon last week when I met with her and after she showed me her photos taken that morning, I decided that I just had to see this canyon for myself. In particular, I wanted to find the wild Southern Honeysuckle that she said grew there.

I found the honeysuckle quite by accident. As I hiked up the trail, I was taking photos right and left, there were so many interesting plants to see. I took a couple of pictures of what I thought was the honeysuckle along the way up. On the way down, I took two photos of this plant but couldn't find the other one again. Turns out, this is the honeysuckle and I still haven't figured out what the other one is. I'll have to get more photos when the buds open up.

Many of the plants were the same ones we have seen at Lunada, so I will only show photos of the interesting new plants that I found. Up top is the lovely, and huge, Matilija Poppy. This plant was obviously one that was planted by the conservancy. I might mention that the George F Canyon has an irrigation system in place, although I don't know how often they use it. One whole hillside was covered with new plantings. While these were all California natives, and probably native to Palos Verdes, it makes it difficult to tell which plants are truly growing wild. The other photos I will show you were taken further up the trail where the chances are greater they got there by themselves.

One patch had several of these Heart-leaved Penstemons. It was growing as a shrub although it can be a climber and is also known as wild honeysuckle. It is native to California and much of the South and Southwest and can be found as far north as Oregon.

This white, lacy plant may be Poison Hemlock, the stuff they used to kill Socrates. If it is, it will have purple spots on the stems. Unfortunately, I didn't get much of the stem in my photo. I'll have to go back for a second look. Poison Hemlock is known to grow on PV.

Next comes Snowberry or Symphoricarpos mollis. The frosty-looking berries will turn pure white by fall. This is another member of the honeysuckle family.

I found this one lone Clarkia, Clarkia purpurea. It is also known as Farewell to Spring, which may be why I only found one.

I thought this wild pea plant was very striking and was disappointed to learn that it is not a native. It is from southern Europe and is considered invasive. I only found two plants. It is called Everlasting Pea or Lathyrus latifolia. There is a species of Everlasting Pea that is native to California and Baja California, Lathyrus splendens or the Pride of California. It is an endangered species in Baja but is stable in our state where it has been known to hybridize with latifolia. Hmm...

And last but not least, the canyon was full of Toyon, California Holly, Heteromeles arbutifolia, the bush that some say gave Hollywood its name. Right now the bushes are covered with blooms, by fall they will be covered with berries. There were several very tall plants in the canyon which suggests they have been there a long time.

Addendum - July 20, 2008

It has been brought to my attention that the last photo is not Toyon, but Mexican Elderberry, Sambucus mexicana. Both plants grow in the George F Canyon and both were in bloom at the time of my walk. By now both probably have berries which would make identification much easier. The Toyon will have green berries which turn red in the fall, and the elderberry has beautiful frosty blue-gray berries. I have recently seen both of these plants with berries at Oak Canyon, so I am learning to tell them apart.

ax - by = 1

That title should assure that many people won't read this blog entry (not that many people are reading my blog anyway). Someone somewhere said that for every equation in a published book, readership is lost. My one big disappointment with The Teaching Company lectures is that they try to sell math and science courses without the dreaded equations in the lectures. The lecturer will do everthing but stand on his head to avoid giving out an equation. What's the big problem? I never could understand that.

I could never understand the supposed gap in math scores between girls and boys either. A recent issue of Science magazine (May 30) should put that notion to rest. A study was done that showed that in countries where gender-equal societies are the norm, girls not only close the gap in math scores, but they also do even better than the boys in reading which was supposed to be their strong area anyway.

Th[e] evidence suggests that intra-gender performance differences in reading versus mathematics and in arithmetic versus geometry are not eliminated in a more gender-equal culture. By contrast, girls' underperformance in math relative to boys is eliminated in more gender-equal cultures. In more gender-equal societies, girls perform as well as boys in mathematics and much better than them in reading.

So the gender gap in geometry (where boys have the advantage) and arithmetic (where girls do better) does not change, but the overall performance of girls is improved if they live in a society that values their brains. Gee, geometry was my favorite subject.

Recently I have become immersed in two new Teaching Company lecture series. One is An Introduction to Number Theory, taught by Edward B. Burger in which he actually uses equations but keeps assuring us that we need not get into a panic over them. The other is a fantastic series on Dark Matter, Dark Energy: The Dark Side of the Universe taught by Sean Carroll of Cal Tech. This one is a winner. Professor Carroll speaks clearly, but rapidly, and non-stop. He is not reading from a prompter and only occasionally glances at his notes. He really knows his stuff. And he is not afraid to give us the nitty-gritty. Although he does not go into the details of Einstein's equation of general relativity or the Friedmann Equation which is the application of general relativity to a rapidly expanding universe, he does give the equations and explains what each term means.

I am learning all kinds of new stuff and understanding it better than when I read books by people like Brian Greene and even Stephen Hawking. But then I believe in the spiral theory of learning. You go round and round, repeating the same material over and over that you learned before, but each time at a much higher level. I'd like to tackle a book with all the gory equations included next to see if I can follow it.

P.S. These courses were on sale when I bought them. If they are no longer on sale, just wait. At some point during the year they will be back on sale.

Planetarium Show

Last night's South Bay Astronomical Society's meeting was another winner. The club meets in the small planetarium at El Camino College, a junior college in Torrance. I didn't realize it, but having such a planetarium on a college campus, let alone a junior college, is a rare treat. Apparently California leads the way in this regard and last night we got to see the planetarium in action.

The planetarium has a 30-foot dome with a $400,000.00 projector made by Goto of Japan (in case you were thinking of buying one of your very own) that was installed in 2005. It is called the Chronos Space Simulator and let me say that it does just that. Leaning back in the not so comfortable office chairs and gazing up at the dome, you could easily convince yourself you were looking at the night sky, except for the Exit signs glaring on the left and right. The projector can be programmed for just about anything and last night's operator, astronomy professor Perry Hacking, chose to show us the night sky as we see it now in order to point out what interesting things we might go look for with our own telescopes. Of course, this was a sky without any light pollution and he could also turn off the moon and the sun to give us the best possible viewing conditions.

Makes one want to get out there and do some viewing.

The evening began with a short lecture by one of our members, Michael Harrison, who is taking Hacking's Astronomy 13 class on how to make your own telescope. Harrison is an astrophysicist who works in the space industry here in Southern California. We are so fortunate to have such knowledgeable people as regular members of our club. But even though he was trained at MIT as an astrophysicist, he had never looked through a telescope which is why he joined our club. After coming to our observing sessions and watching us struggle with setting up our scopes (some of the members have very large scopes that require two people to set up), he decided to take up Hacking's challenge that anyone could make a telescope with better optics than what you can buy. He also wanted to build a scope that would easily fit in the back of his car. He built a six-inch Newtonian scope that disassembles for portability and the first time he used it, he managed to see the International Space Station transit the moon!

Makes one want to go out, buy a mirror blank, and sign up for the course.

Clean Up, Clean Up, Everyone, Clean Up!

That's the little chant my daughter sings to get Toddler C. to help with cleaning up his toys. She makes a game of it and it works! He helps to fill the toy box and the plastic bins with a smile and a song. I've been chanting that little ditty all morning and all last week, too. I was way behind in getting rid of the clutter around here. But since I want to have my other grandson come and stay with me for a week this summer, I have to clean up what used to be his father's bedroom and what is now the den.

I started with the books. There are books everywhere in this house due to the fact that I am a biblioholic. My husband had his fair share, but I way outstripped him. When my son's bedroom became the den, we installed huge bookcases along one wall. I thought I would never fill them. Hah! They are overflowing as you can see. Most of the shelves have books behind the visible books. And I am ashamed to admit, all those books are mine except for one lone shelf way at the end up at the top where my husband had a few books. But to be fair, he had an office at work where he could hoard his stash and I have found boxes out in the garage filled with his college textbooks. We also shared many interests, so the books on astronomy, birds, and quantum mechanics were read by both of us.

I even have books in the pantry—cookbooks, what else? Now that I am a low-carber, I don't have shelves and shelves of packaged goods like cereals, cookies, crackers, etc. anymore, so I filled the shelves with cookbooks. Then they are handy when I need them. The living room has a fancy bookcase filled with art books. I never could resist buying the beautiful coffee-table-type books they sell at exhibitions on the exhibition. I will have much more restraint in the future because now there is no more room.

OK, I know the obvious is to throw some away, or give some away (to whom?) I am doing that. Just this morning, I threw away about five books I bought in 1973 on how to get yourself published. Blogging on the Internet has taken care of that urge. In fact, the Internet has taken care of a lot of research problems. I don't need any of the directories or encyclopedic type books anymore, because I get that information from the web now. Besides, those kinds of books are out of date before they even get printed. And now there's Google Books.com, where you can find all kinds of goodies. I recently found some out-of-print genealogy books there that I was able to download as PDFs. I am keeping my huge, unabridged Random House dictionary, though. I don't want to have to fire up the computer just to look up one little word.

Speaking of the computer, I am cleaning that up, too. Literally. Here is a link to Microsoft's tips on cleaning your computer. At first, I thought they meant disk cleaning and de-fragging, but they mean actually opening the thing up and using a Q-tip to clean the dust out of the inside. But I am doing the disk-cleaning and de-fragging, too. It's so much easier than other types of cleaning. You just click the mouse on OK and the computer does the rest.

Once you get started, says my daughter throwing things away gets easier. I'm not so sure. It isn't as easy as it used to be to throw things away. I feel obligated to re-cycle, and then there is hazardous waste to consider. You can't just throw things in the garbage bin anymore and be done with it. In fact, I have a book on how to simplify your life by Scaling Down, which tells you what to do with your stuff. Even though I have no plans to move anywhere, I found the book helpful. Reading it also allowed me to procrastinate a bit longer. But now, where do I put the book?

The garden needs cleaning up, too. The spring growth has made many plants too large, so they need pruning and cutting back, and the weeds have taken over my herb garden. But that's another post.

Did I mention all the music I have collected over the years?