Rosebush 02-26-22

Thirty-five years ago when we moved into this house we re-landscaped the yard.  There were a few roses and we added a dozen more.  I enjoyed the roses and spent time keeping them in good shape.  But after Floyd died I suddenly lost any interest in the yard.  Which was a surprise because I had always longed to have a garden and lots of roses.  I always grew tomatoes, even when I lived in an apartment - I found a way!  So, the roses slowly died and I haven't planted tomatoes for a decade at least.  

i don't know the name of this rose, it is a bush type and was here when we moved in.  When the buds open they are this dusty pink, tinting to lavendar.  But as they open they become more pink until fully open they are a very bright, dark pink.  

Here is the bush, healthy and full of blooms in 2010.  The block wall is 7 feet tall, so you can see it is a very large bush. 

But I have neglected it  - no fertilizer, not enough water, no annual trimming.  Just pitiful.  I decided to prune it back and cut out the suckers, hoping I could get it into good shape again.  I started on the left side and cut away about a third of the overgrowth.  But I am not strong enough to use the loppers on the thick stems.  Fortunately a lady ;posted on Next Door that she prunes roses and fruit trees.  I contacted her and she came to do the job yesterday.   I had sent her this picture so she would know what she was getting into.  

She filled two huge trash bins.  This looks pathetic, but it is much healthier than it was when she started.  She did a very good job using her electric garden saw along with clippers and loppers.  I hope I can get the mow/blow gardener to dig a trench around it to keep the grass out and the water in!  

I propped the yardstick on the right to show how tall it is now -about 50", I think.  I hope Suzanne is available next Jan/Feb to shape it up again.  

Suzanne works in north Orange County.  Contact: 714-595-7990

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Friday Food 02-25-22

A very special brunch on Thursday.  Carol and I went to Toast in Brea, CA.  We have been reading about it for quite a long time, but we always have new places we want to try for lunch and brunch in not on our usual list.  We still went at 11:30am, so was it lunch or brunch?  At any rate it was WONDERFUL.  Rather expensive - two Bacon Avocado Benedicts and two lattes came to $62 with tip.   But we will go again some day.  It was just about the best breakfast I have ever eaten and i think Carol feels the same.  

The English muffin was toasted just right and the eggs were perfectly poached.  I'd like to know what kind of bacon they use as it was soooo tasty and crispy.   The Benedict orders include a "side" and after checking that they prepare their own potatoes so there are no sulfites, I ordered the fries.  Crispy, salty, hot!  They are cut rather small so I had to ask for a spoon as I couldn't spear them with a fork and didn't want greasy hands.  

Carol's "side" was the Arugula Salad with Meyer lemon vinaigrette and freshly grated parmesan.  It was a huge plateful and we shared tastes.  Crisp and just the right amount of acid and oil.  I will be hard pressed to choose a "side" when we go back.  It is a lot of food for either of us, but Benedicts are not something to take home in a doggy box.  I didn't need any dinner that night. 

There are other Toast places around, but I don't know if it is a franchise or a chain.  Whatever, they certainly have a unique menu and looking at other tables I think the quality of whatever you eat is very hight.  What looked like Frence toast served at a nearby table was huge and looked delicious.  They took their leftovers home in a box.   So, save your change and find a Toast near you, I think you will enjoy it. 

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Wordless Wednesday 02-23-22

 

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Susan Else quilts from TCQC 02-21-22

How many times have you heard me say I don't buy quilts that need to be boxed separately - that cannot be rolled?  Well, sometimes I do.  I have two pieces by Susan Else which reside in dedicated boxes when not on display.  Sometimes I can't resist something that "speaks" to me.    So, there are two Susan Else quilts in the Collection and they have their own  boxes.

"Coyote Fence" Susan Else 2001 26"W x 24"L

Cotton, velvet and unknown fabric. Machine quilted (base).

This is so much like the wood fences on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, NM - probably in many different places in the desert.  These are tubes of fabric stuffed and stitched to each other and the rock like base.  When I purchased it there was a lot of questioning about "is it a quilt?"  I have always thought it qualifies.  

"Cold Day"  2011 Susan Else - Santa Cruz, CA  Displayed in an 8"sq. Lucite box.  11-28-13
This came from a completed SAQA Trunk Show in the Lucite box - very cleverly held upright by tiny holes in the bottom through which stitches are taken into the lady's posterior.  I will keep her in the box, somehow it seems appropriate. 
There are four views here, one into each side of the box.  

How does she turn those tiny fingers and toes?
 

 "Cold Day"  2011 Susan Else - Santa Cruz, CA  Displayed in an 8"sq. Lucite box.  

 
"Cold Day"  2011 Susan Else - Santa Cruz, CA  Displayed in an 8"sq. Lucite box. 

"Cold Day"  2011 Susan Else - Santa Cruz, CA  Displayed in an 8"sq. Lucite box.  

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Poinsettias 02-19-22

It is Euphorbia pulcherrima which originated in Mexico and has its common name from the first US ambassador to Mexico Joel Roberts Poinsett who introduced the plant to the US in 1828.   Although we mostly think of it as red, it also comes in white, pink, yellow, and marbled.

Most of us think Poinsettias look like this.  The potted plants forced in greenhouses to bloom just at Christmas time. 

The actual flower is the yellow/gold wad of little balls in the center of the red "petals" which are called bracts, more akin to leaves than flowers. 

Some people in my area of Southern California plant the withering potted plants in their yard and if the soil, light, and water are controlled, those plants grow into shrubs that can grow ten feet tall. 

They bloom in February and last about a month, depending on the weather.

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Wordless Wednesday 02-16-22

 

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Rain! 02-15-22

Lovely , lovely rain, but not enough.   It only rained for a short time between 6:pm and about 6:30pm, but we also had thunder, lightning, hail, and cold.  The temp dropped to 46F at 7pm.  Just think, last week the daytime high was 91F.  Climate change in a week!!

Rain on the Asilomar Calla Lily in the side yard.  

Looking out my garage door into the cul de sac across the street. 

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