Happy New Year, everyone! Let's see what the torrents of rain have brought in the way of blooms recently.
I can't believe my Pink Quill (Tillandsia cyanea) is still blooming. I thought everything would be blown out and faded by now, but as you can see, there is still quite a show going on.
I know it looks dark, but that was the setting I had to go with to get an accurate representation of that purple, and the pink is accurate too. Isn't that a great combination?
Similar in structure, but totally different in pallet is one of my most consistent bloomers, my golden shrimp plant (Pachystachys lutea (hee hee-it sounds like it's related to a pachyderm)).
Well, unlike a pachyderm, the flowers on my polka dot plant are teeny tiny and freakin' hard to focus on when there is any sort of breeze in the yard (which there always is when I'm trying to get my GBBD photos! Not that I'm complaining-it's awfully muggy without it.)
In the same pot and also with great foliage and tiny flowers is my coleus. It's hard to focus on the flowers with such pretty leaves below, but they are an awfully nice purple.
And, speaking of purple, my African Daisy (Osteospermum) still has a few nice blooms on it and even a couple specks of pollen in the middle for contrast.
My bougainvillea is beginning to fade a bit, but I still found one creamy flower very much on display for GBBD.
And, finally, I've shown you what my red ginger (Alpinia purpurata) does when it's done blooming. It starts putting out new foliage to grow new plants...except when it puts out new flowers instead. See the gangly, spent flower coming up out of the middle and falling over toward the left? All the other flowers are coming out from around the base of that one. I haven't yet figured out when it makes foliage and when it makes flowers-anyone out there know?
To see what is going on in other gardens around the world, or to share what is going on in your garden, visit our Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day host, Carol, at May Dreams' Gardens
Well, OK, I guess I'm not really behind on the new year, I'm just not caught up on the old year yet. Here's what I meant to blog about last year that I haven't gotten around to yet:
Books-As close as I can figure, I've got about 15 that I read and never blogged about. I'm thinking about trying to just do a one-sentence summary for each of these. This would be a good exercise in creativity as well as brevity.
Our trip to the mainland-I did cover some of this already-Hubby's paragliding clinic, the Rat Race, and the nice people who let us stay with them in Oregon-but I still haven't told you about our camping in the redwoods and our visit to Yosemite. I'm sure you're all waiting with bated breath-"Ooh, let me guess, I bet there were camp fires and tents and big trees and breathtaking scenery!" Um...well, yeah. Maybe I'll just put up some pictures and call it a day.
Our trip to France-France? How exciting!
Our trip to Venice-This was really just an extension of the France trip, but gondola rides! Old buildings! Lots of water! Huh. I guess that about covers that too...I'll put up some pictures.
Our trip to Molokai...in 2009-I did write about Day 1 and Day 2, but I still want to tell you about our Nature Conservancy hike on Day 3. It was awesome. I'll put up some pictures.
Wow, happy Last GBBD of 2010, everyone! I am super excited because this is the first time that I've been able to show you this: (Please let me know if you are having trouble viewing the photos-I had to link to them differently than I usually do, so it looks OK to me, but I don't know if it will look OK to everyone else. Thanks!)
Pink Quill (Tillandsia cyanea)
Usually it is either just preparing to bloom or has just finished blooming when GBBD rolls around, but this year, I got it!
Next, as if it knew Christmas is right around the corner:
Bleeding Heart (Clerodendrum thomsonae)
The rest of this is probably going to be a little minimalistic since I have to run in less than 30 minutes to get to an appointment, and I'm still drinking my coffee and haven't showered yet. TMI? Sorry.
Shrimp plant (sorry, that's all I have right now)
Mexican Pointsettia (Euphorbia leucocephala)
I noticed several of these little guys on the Euphorbia this morning.
Bouganvillea
African Daisy (Osteospermum)
Scallion-I know this one's not quite blooming yet, but it looked so cute, I thought I should take its picture.
Sweet Alyssum
White spilder lily (Crinum asiaticum)-I almost missed this one today because at first I didn't see it hiding in this mess:
Can you see it? It's tucked away right in the middle.
Variegated Hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) behind a red Euphorbia-that creamy yellow flower will turn a dusky burnt orange color and fall off the tree by the end of the day.
That's it for today, kids! I've got to run-need to leave in less than 10 minutes. Thanks for touring my garden with me. Please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what else is blooming today!
Soulless by Gail Carriger-I first heard about this book from Jennie at Biblio File, and I'm going to suggest you go there to read her review because A) I agree with everything she said, B) I think she probably did a better job of it than I would and C) I'm SOOO behind on my reviews right now. I need to wrap this up quickly and move on!
I will give you a couple quick snippets to give you an idea of why I liked this book. Okay, so Alexia Tarabotti is a young lady without a soul in Victorian London. Also traipsing about London are vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and supernatural creatures of that sort. They have been completely integrated into London society-think "True Blood" but with more respect from the general public.
At a party one evening Alexia has a run in with a vampire who doesn't play at all by the standard rules of society. He just attacks her. Without even asking! As a result this unfortunate being meets his demise.
The creature stood stock-still, a look of intense surprise on his handsome face. Then he fell backward onto the much-abused plate of treacle tart, flopping in a limp-overcooked-asparagus kind of way. His alabaster face turned a yellowish gray, as though he were afflicted with the jaundice, and he went still. Alexia's books called this end of the vampire life cycle dissanimation. Alexia, who thought the action astoundingly similar to a soufflé going flat, decided at that moment to call it the Grand Collapse.
I love that she is cool enough immediately after a vampire attack to not only objectively observe and analyze the vampire death process but to give it a name that is just more fun to say. As part of the ensuing investigation by alpha werewolf, Lord Maccon, and his second, Professor Lyall:
Alexia interjected, "He seemed perfectly sane to me--aside from the attacking part, of course. He was able to carry on a decent conversation. He even tried to charm me. Must have been quite a young vampire. And"--she paused dramatically, lowered her voice, and said in sepulchral tones--"he had a fang-lisp."
Professor Lyall looked shocked and blinked largely at her through the asymmetrical lenses; among vampires, lisping was the height of vulgarity.
Although Professor Lyall is a werewolf, he is not a beast. He is quite aware of the delicate sensibilities of those around him.
While the population of the greater London area, in specific, and the British Isle, in general, had learned well enough to accept werewolves on principle, to be faced with one engaging in the act of conversion was an entirely different matter. Professor Lyall considered himself rather good at the change--elegant and graceful despite the pain. Youngsters of the pack were prone to excessive writhing and spinal gyrations and sometimes a whimper or two. Professor Lyall simply melted smoothly from one form to the next. But the change was, at its root, not natural. Mind you, there was no glow, no mist, no magic about it. Skin, bone, and fur simply rearranged itself, but that was usually enough to give most daylight folk a large dose of the screaming heebie-jeebies. Screaming being the operative word.
Finally, there is Lord Akeldama, a very old, very gossipy vampire with a flair for fashion, whom I couldn't help but picture as Austin Scarlett, ("Project Runway," Season 1 contestant and designer of beautiful clothes). I don't have any quotes for him, I just enjoyed the idea of Austin Scarlett running around Victorian London as a vampire.
I have the next book in the series, Changeless, on hold at my local library, and I'm very excited because the last time I checked (which was about a week ago), they didn't even have it yet. So, yay! Maybe by this time next year I will have read it and reviewed it.
Chronicle Books is asking readers to create a wish list of books worth up to $500, and one lucky winner will win all the books on that list! Blogger bonus: Anyone who comments on the winning blogger's wish list will also be eligible to win those same books! So, if you'd like to create your own wish list, visit Chronicle Books Haul-idays page to enter. If you'd like a chance to win the books I've listed below, please leave a comment here. If you're not crazy about my list you can visit the Chronicle Books site for a list of other bloggers who have submitted wish lists, and you can comment on any or all of their wish lists for a chance to win their books as well. Better hurry though, the contest only runs through December 10th. Whew! Got all that?
Okay, so first off, I have to tell you a freaky story. I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but I finally decided to do it now because I was lying in bed, wide awake at 1:30 in the morning, and, well, now seemed as good a time as any. Before I got up, I was thinking about what I would title this post, and I thought of the above title, which reminded me of Saturday Night Live's old Sprockets skits.
You may remember Mike Myers as Dieter, Sprockets' host. "Now's the time on Sprockets when we dance."
Although disturbing, that's not the freaky part. The freaky part is, I came into the office, brought the computer up out of sleep mode, and I heard a few random sounds-computer starty-up noises, some bell tones, a phone ringing-and then, no kidding, Mike Myers' voice saying, "Welcome to Sprockets. I am your host, Dieter." You guys. I almost had a heart attack. Turns out our iTunes was running, and, among the 5, 833 items in our collection, we have a series of random sound clips that it was running through at the moment that I turned it on, and it happened to land on "Welcome to Sprockets. I am your host, Dieter." Are you kidding me? I had no idea that we even had a Dieter clip. HOW WEIRD IS THAT??
Anyway, that sealed the deal in my mind. The time for this post is now!
So, all that is to say this:
If you have been surfing the internet at all lately, and I'll bet you have, you may have seen ads for Gary West Smoked Meats popping up all over the place. Even if you haven't, I have, and my reaction is always, "Yay! Gary West Smoked Meats!" I realized that's not the normal reaction to an internet ad, but I know the people who own the store, and they are super nice people, and they have really great products, so I'm happy to see them, hopefully, garnering some internet traffic.
How do I know these people? Remember when I told you about the Rat Race in Oregon? Well, what I didn't tell you was that we stayed with Paul and Whitney Murdoch, the owners of Gary West Smoked Meats. Paul and Whitney, whom we had never met before, who didn't know us from Adam, who already had five other visiting pilots as house guests in addition to their own two kids who had all of their freinds coming and going, who were in the middle of preparing for the grand re-opening of the bar and grill that is attached to their store, welcomed us with open arms all because they are some of the nicest people in the world.
They fed us, housed us, and let us be a part of their awesome family for the three or four days that we were there. In return, we used their washer and dryer, took over their bathroom, ate all their food, and bumbled around their store, trying to help but also trying stay out of the way as much as possible. Seriously, these people deserve a medal.
Gary R. West Meats (as the sign outside their store says) is located in Jacksonville, OR, which has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is the cutest little town ever. They have all kinds of meats, but they are known largely for their jerkies (Gary West, not Jacksonville), which are awesome. These are not the little packs of dried out leather that you buy at the gas station, but hefty packs of chewy, meaty goodness made from buffalo, elk, and beef. They have several different flavors, nitrite-free versions and they even have dog jerky (uh, just to clarify, that's jerky made FOR dogs, not FROM dogs), which comes complete with a picture of their awesome dog, Gus, on the package.
If you have a lot of people to feed this holiday season and are thinking, Gosh, I wish I could just order a meal in a box this year, you might consider the West Family Feast. I haven't sampled this myself, but I'm tempted after reading this description from their website:
A huge and handsomely packaged gift box arrives stuffed with treats; One Whole Hickory Smoked Turkey and half a succulent and lean Yuletide Ham. Handmade German, Bratwurst and our trademark Summer Sausage. Papa Liebe's hand-tied Pepper Sticks and Smoked Wild Alaska Salmon. Savory Oregon Blue Cheese and Rogue Creamery's new Touvelle Gouda. Rise-up! Bakery's Ciabatta bread and Brandied Cranberry Garnish. Half a pound of our award-winning jerky, as well as fudge and our Sweet Hot Mustard. A very impressive smorgasbord of local Oregon treats.
That might be more food than you need, but you can also check out their other ham- and turkey-based gift items. If smoked meats aren't your thing, don't despair; they have plenty of other great items to choose from. They have gourmet cheeses and sausages, wine, condiments, and one of my favorite new discoveries hulless caramel corn. I don't know how they do it, I think it's some kind of scientific miracle. If you love caramel corn but hate all those little kernels and hulls that manage to hide out in your gums for days on end, this product is for you! Science never tasted this good when I was a kid!
I didn't take a lot of pictures while we were in the store, but I did take one of their honey display because I thought it was so pretty with the sun shining through those decorative bottles.
So, have I convinced you yet? If you are in the Jacksonville area, stop by the store, have a burger at the grill-they are also awesome-and say, "Hi!" to Paul and Whitney if you see them around. If you're not in the area, please consider making a purchase from their online store. They are nice people and they have a great product. In case that isn't enough, I will bribe you with a picture of Gus, their real-life sweet-heart of a dog who actually exists. (He's the sleepy-looking old guy in front. Awwwww.)
Little Bee: A Novel by Chris Cleave-If you're aware of this book, then you're probably aware of the mystique surrounding it. Maybe mystique is too strong, a word, but the author or publisher or somebody essentially decided to part with the standard practice of telling readers what the book is about; instead, they decided to say:
We don't want to tell you WHAT HAPPENS in this book.
It is a truly SPECIAL STORY and we dont' want to spoil it.
[...]
Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.
Was Don Draper involved in this? Because, I have to say, I kind of think this is marketing genius, not to mention just a little bit ballsy. I mean, you have to be pretty sure you have a good product if you're going to go with the word-of-mouth marketing ploy, especially with a book. It seems to have paid off-I've heard nothing but good things, and I did manage to go this long without knowing what the book is actually about, so who am I to part with tradition at this point?
I won't tell you what the book is about, but I will share with you a few parts that I liked. Early on, Little Bee gives a great example of how different the same language can be between two speakers.
I am only alive at all because I learned the Queen's English. Maybe you are thinking, that isn't so hard. After all, English is the official language of my country, Nigeria. Yes, but the trouble is that back home we speak it so much better than you. To talk the Queen's English, I had to forget all the best tricks of my mother tongue. For example, the Queen could never say, There was plenty wahala, that girl done use her bottom power to engage my number one son and anyone could see she would end in the bad bush. Instead the Queen must say, My late daughter-in-law used her feminine charms to become engaged to my heir, and one might have foreseen that it wouldn't end well. It is all a little sad, don't you think? Learning the Queen's English is like scrubbing off the bright red varnish from your toenails, the morning after a dance.
I love her view of her language, and this example made me laugh because it reminded me a lot of the pidgin that is spoken here. I liked Little Bee's view on a lot of things.
On the girl's brown legs there were many small white scars. I was thinking, Do those scars cover the whole of you, like the stars and the moons on your dress? I thought that would be pretty too, and I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived.
Obviously, Little Bee is referring to scars resulting from violence, but this made me think of the scars left behind by things like cancer, scars that people might try to hide because they think they are ugly or embarrassing and my hope is that everyone with such a scar can adopt Little Bee's philosophy on beauty and strength.
One of Little Bee's habits is to figure out how she would kill herself in any given location. This sounds morose, but she has her reasons, and I had to laugh at some of her solutions.
One day [they] gave all of us a copy of a book called LIFE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. It explains the history of your country and how to fit in. I planned how I would kill myself in the time of Churchill (stand under bombs), Victoria (throw myself under a horse), and Henry the Eighth (marry Henry the Eighth).
I had to read the following passage a couple of times before I finally read it correctly.
Everything was happiness and singing when I was a little girl. There was plenty of time for it. We did not have hurry.
I kept thinking that there had been a typo and it was supposed to be, We did not have to hurry or perhaps, We did not hurry. The addition or subtraction of just one tiny word makes such a huge difference, and I think it's this kind of nuance throughout the book that makes it so successful.
So, overall, I'm on board with everyone else who read and loved this book...but with one caveat. Little Bee's story is entwined with a woman named Sarah, and for me their story worked well. The problem for me came anytime the men in Sarah's life entered the picture. I don't know if Sarah's one of those people who is just attracted to complete losers or if these men were simply caught up in situations for which they found themselves unprepared, and as a result didn't act as well as they could have, but I found their handling of certain situations to be not only distasteful but just downright unbelievable at times. I suppose that both men could be said to be representative of certain failings in society, and maybe that was the author's intent, but they both just made me want to throw the book at a wall a few times. Gah
I don't know if Heather J.'s was the first review I saw for this book, but, according to my notes, it does seem to be the one that finally made me get off the fence and decide that I wanted to read this book. So, thanks Heather!
Other reviews (Warning: The more you read, the more you are going to know about this story!):
Trish at Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'? gives a few more details about the story here. Florinda at The Three R's Blog was not impressed by the withholding of information about this book. How do you feel? Raych at books i done read had some mixed feelings but mostly loved it.
According to Books on the Nightstand listeners and readers, Little Bee was one of the top books of 2009.
In a guest post at My Friend Amy, Mary Sharratt thinks that Little Bee would have been considered women's fiction and thus not taken as seriously had it been written by a woman. Interesting. Is she right? Sheila at Book Journey read this for her book club. Although the club as a whole didn't love the book, Sheila says, "While it was not the book I thought I was going to be reading, it was the book I was meant to read." You gotta love it when that happens! Bellezza at Dolce Bellezza says, "There is nothing like a book such as this to point out to me my incredible naivety." Indeed.
I'm sure there are plenty of other reviews out there. If you've reviewed this book, let me know and I'll add a link to your review.
by Gail Carriger-I first heard about this book from 
, on hold at my local library, and I'm very excited because the last time I checked (which was about a week ago), they didn't even have it yet. So, yay! Maybe by this time next year I will have read it and reviewed it. 
by Chris Cleave-If you're aware of this book, then you're probably aware of the mystique surrounding it. Maybe mystique is too strong, a word, but the author or publisher or somebody essentially decided to part with the standard practice of telling readers what the book is about; instead, they decided to say: