Sunday, December 5, 2021

Simplicity


This, my darlings, is a sea-foam camellia. It doesn't even look exactly real, does it? I think it looks as if it were made of meringue. As if it might melt on your tongue. I have a few other white camellias and they are lovely but none compare to the sea-foam. 

Here's another beauty. 


After doing a guided search, I think this one may be a Shirotama-Hoshu variety. Can you see the differences? 
Of course you can. 

I had another day of staying home. I felt when I woke up as though I'd been living an entire other life so I was content to be back within the walls of daytime reality. Such a dream it had been! I would be too embarrassed to relate it although it really wasn't very wicked. In some ways it was rather sweet and every time I've thought about it today, it's made me smile. So that was amusing. 
I did some more mending on my overalls and watched some more TV. Because the overalls are white, I have thrown them in bleach loads forever and now I wish I hadn't because in a few places the fabric has become weakened to the point of tearing like paper. But I'm doing my best to fix them up and as I sewed today I finished watching a rather distressing movie that I started last night. "The Closer" with Julia Roberts and Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen. 
Natalie Portman plays a stripper, Julia Roberts plays a photographer who cries a lot, everyone plays people who cheat and lie, tell the truth, and fall in and out of love (and not in a comedic way but in a tragic way) except for Natalie, the stripper, who is the most honest and forthright about her actions. 
It was...interesting. To a degree. 

Here are some more pictures I took while having a yard walk-around. 




The Japanese maple continues to enchant me. Soon, it will be naught but a carpet of scarlet on the ground. 


The Bradford pears are coloring up nicely and have grown so large that they over-droop the roof. 
Dammit.
Every year we promise ourselves that this is the winter we shall cut them down. Seventeen years later, the job has only become far more difficult. If we did cut them down (and they are an invasive, non-native species and no, we did not plant them) we could possibly grow some dang citrus trees back there. 
Mr. Moon and I will be discussing this more when he gets home. He seems to be very happy in Tennessee. That is his Roseland as he was raised near Nashville. It's strange in that my parents were both from Tennessee, although I was born in El Paso. My mother and father were raised on Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga. I believe the story goes that they met in first grade and my father vowed then he would marry my mother and although this sounds like a charming story, it probably would have been best for all concerned if he'd completely ignored her for the 12 years of their education. No, I would never have been born but then again- so what? It's not like I would have known, much less cared.  

But that's another story and it's been told before. The point is, is that my husband is enjoying his time where he grew up with people that he knew in high school and I am happy for that. I know how important it is to visit the places where we were rootlings, where we were born and cradled, and learned most of what we know, whether we are aware of that or not. 

I have plans tomorrow to actually leave Lloyd and go meet Liz of the West for Tom Kha Gai soup which is one of my very favorite foods on earth and if that magical soup and getting to visit and be with magical Liz doesn't heal me, there is no hope for me. It will have been a week since I've left the house to go farther than the dump which is about a block away. 

Tonight's menu is leftover spicy mustard shrimp with rice with yet another salad from the garden. The one I made last night was absolutely one of the best things I've ever eaten. The mixed greens including mustards and arugula with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and grated parmesan is something I imagine I will remember fondly on my death bed. It was that good. 

I wish I could make that salad for all of you. 

Love...Ms. Moon






25 comments:

  1. I had to look up that soup and discovered that I make it. Who knew? And you're right, it's delicious.

    I've been sick all day and now have to face the night, which is endless when you're sick.

    The flowers are gorgeous.

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    1. Oh, I hope you got some good sleep!
      I have got to start making my own Tom Kha soup. It's just the best.

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  2. That sea foam Camilla is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen! Now I’m off to Google them to see if they’ll grow here on the Gulf Coast. It’s so gorgeous that looking at it is emotional for me. Sounds weird, but somehow I trust you’ll understand…

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    1. Oh, I DO understand, Catrina! I would certainly imagine that they would grow on the Gulf coast! Prolifically and happily! I think your soul needs one!

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  3. The flowers are amazing, so exotic. I don't think they'd flourish here in the north, so I'll have to rely on your pictures.

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    1. No, probably not. They are cold tolerant but since they bloom in the late fall and winter, your freezing temperatures would probably nip off all the buds and blossoms.

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  4. camilla delicious! And the branches of leaves over house are just so pretty. I am probably the only person in the world who does not appreciate Julia Roberts , I avoid her movies. My loss I suppose.

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    1. I can't bear her, so there's at least one other person!

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    2. Julia Roberts is not my favorite but she is not one of those actors I avoid. Jim Carrey on the other hand...

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  5. I always think you have such beautiful flora where you live (not to mention the beaches!!!!). Lucky you - and lucky you having such sweet dreams. I had a nightmare about my ex-husband last night!

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    1. Oh dear. I'm so sorry. My dreams about my ex are always a bit tinged with sadness.

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  6. The petals of the sea foam camellia turn over at the edges, whereas the Shirotama-Hoshu petals do not. Also the former possesses more individual petals than the latter. They are both beauties.

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    1. Yes, the sea foam has cupped petals and more of them. There is such a huge variety of camellias and I've never seen one I didn't like.

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  7. You and I love the same salad. Were we rabbits together in a former life?

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  8. Those are beautiful camellias. Everytime you post pictures of them I tell myself I must get more. My one only gave me two flowers this year. It had a terrible infestation of whitefly which I didn't discover until it was all over the poor thing.

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    1. Dang, Ellen! Should I send you a memo? "But Camellias." "Treat whitefly."

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  9. Lovely flowers! So perfectly beautiful!
    You do a wonderful job of describing the food you love! You always makes it sound so fabulous! You do seem to really enjoy many of the dishes you make and eat. I love that!

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    1. I just love to eat. And thankfully, to cook as well.

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  10. I never knew there were so many kinds of camellias...all of the are beautiful.

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    1. I just looked it up- there are over 250 known varieties of camellias. Some people spend their lives breeding new ones. Some are quite old. I love that.

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  11. your white camelias are stunning.....but you know me, I go for the pink perfection! Glad you seem to be feeling better and can visit with Liz today....healing visit, healing soup.......... and have a good evening!
    Susan M

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    1. The pink perfection is hard to beat for sheer gorgeousness. I think the white foam comes close though.

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  12. I love your camellias, and your Japanese maple looks like it's about where ours was a month ago. Ours is now completely bare.

    I hope visiting with Liz heals you!

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.