Sunday, December 4, 2022

Camellias, Cuties, Crabs, And Camaros


I have been keeping a close eye on the camellias so as not to miss the beginnings of their blooming. I only have one bush which has any flowers on it so far and they are higher up than I can reach to pick or to photograph but this morning I saw that one closer down to my level had opened. I thought to take its picture but the light was not good. It was gray and gloomy but I kept an eye on it and a few hours later, I saw that the sun, now out, was filtering through its delicate pink petals and so I went out with my phone and despite the fact that I could barely see what I was shooting due to the sunlight, the iPhone knew what to do and that's what happened. 
Camellias. 
Sigh. 

It's been an easy day. I made a breakfast for us, I did some laundry. Vergil came out to help Glen with something related to the tuning of his project car which involves a computer and he brought August and Levon as Mama was at work. They were quite jolly boys today and ready to jump into play. Well, actually, they wanted to watch TV and August even used signing alphabet to demonstrate a T and a V and then we went through the entire alphabet and I hope he was impressed with my knowledge of it. When I was a little girl I had a book about Helen Keller and in the back was an illustration of how to form all the letters and I memorized them and my hands still know how to do it but I do not read it at all well when someone spells something out to me. 
Which means I am useless at communication but do have a smart hand. 

We read the Christmas version of the Jolly Postman and then they wanted to play a game and we ended up playing kids' rummy with a deck of cards that I got somewhere. The cards have rather creepy pictures on them of children doing all sorts of sportsy things like skin diving and playing tennis and doing gymnastics. We also did a lot of joking and talking. Before they left I made them pose for pictures. I say "made" them because I told them that the only way they were getting their bye-bye treats was to do my bidding in the matter. 
I don't think they minded too much. 




Crazy boys. And they got their bye-bye treats. Five peanut M&M's, a few nuts and raisins apiece. 

And then off they drove with their daddy for more adventures. 

I actually got the garlic in the ground. Tom had brought me a paper bag with sprouting cloves of elephant garlic a few weeks ago and he would have been so disappointed in me if I hadn't planted it. I probably did it all wrong. You'd think after all my years of growing things I'd know what I was doing in the garden but I really don't. And we've only grown garlic a few years. I still have some massive weeding to do and I swear- THIS WEEK! 

Mr. Moon did not catch any fish yesterday but he did stop by the seafood market and brought home shrimp and STONE CRAB CLAWS which are worth their weight in gold both metaphorically and really. They are only harvestable for a few short weeks of the year and the crabs can regrow those claws so supposedly they are a very sustainable gourmet delight although I doubt the crabs themselves are too happy to find themselves back in the water with only one claw when just a few moments ago they had two. 

Trust me when I say that we shall honor and respect the crabs who gave up their claws for our extreme gustatory pleasure and we will be hoping that the creatures who grew them are fine and relatively happy, creeping along doing whatever stone crabs do, already putting out new claw cells that will grow into the fierce weapons and grabbers they are meant to be.

And oh! Here's Mr. Moon's Camero that he has put together with the body of one car and the engine from another. I call it the Frankenstein Project. 


You should hear it rumble when he starts it up. "I am alive!" it says, and so it is. 

Love...Ms. Moon

40 comments:

  1. I have a girlfriend who once took a used manual transmission Camero to settle a bill. She drove it for years. It was considerably older than Mr. M's, and subject of racing taunts, which she generally won. Her mechanic boyfriend maintained "The Beast", but one day he said "This car is getting pretty old" and to his surprise, Pam agreed. And that's the reason she has a new Jeep in her yard, for the proceeds of the old Camero.

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    1. Excellent! Mr. Moon also has an older Camero, vintage we might say, that he has had and has been working on for years. Someday he may get it restored. I am not holding my breath.

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  2. How do you get a vehicle like that registered? Does it have a VIN or rather can you get a VIN? Anyway I have been thinking about your chickens or lack of same. If you try again, and I hope that you do, you should get an out door dog to guard the coop. Or even better maybe Mr. Moon can build something that would bark and turn on lights like those lights that respond to movement.

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    1. Mr. Moon is a licensed car dealer and so knows all the ins and outs of getting cars registered. I do not know the details but I know he's had to send off for certain information.
      Your idea about the dog is good but there is no way I'm getting a dog. Just not going to happen. They are too needy for me. I used to have them. We had four dogs when he moved into this house and after they lived for many, many years and finally peacefully departed, I was done.

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  3. Woops forgot to change to google for above anonymous comment.

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  4. I need a car- think I will go out back and build one, said no one ever- WOW! Glen is genius! Who builds a car?? The same guy that builds an airplane I suppose. Some live to tell the tale.
    Camellia , so pretty!!! Great shot!

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    1. Whooooo, boy, Linda Sue, there are a mess of people in the world who would do just that. I'm married to one of them myself.

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    2. It's true. There are guys (and probably some women) who can indeed built a car although this one was more like doing an engine transplant. Of course there was a lot more involved than just putting one engine into another car.
      And by the way- I used to know a man who was GOING TO BUILD AN AIRPLANE! He actually drove all the way from here to your part of the world to collect what he needed and drove it back. He did this after a cancer diagnosis and I think it was something he'd always wanted to do. He was a pilot. Unfortunately, he died before he got that plane built but he sure tried. I loved him tremendously and miss him so much.

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  5. It’s alive!! Mr. Moon should be very proud. Reminds me of the Johnny Cash song “One piece at a time “. Jealous of your stone crab claws, they are so very expensive this year. Enjoy!
    Xoxo
    Barbara

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    1. I think Mr. Moon is pleased as punch.
      Dang, those stone crabs were delicious.

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  6. That camellia is so beautiful and the color so delicate!

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  7. That camellia is lovely, worth the time and tries. About cars I know nothing but I guess they're not interchangeable so it's very good to put one engine with another body? I think Mr moon wouldn't feel properly appreciated around me!

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    1. They were both the same model car. One had been in an accident and the body was totaled but the engine was good and the other had had its engine stolen! Can you believe that? So that was the story there.

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  8. That's a pretty nice looking car. Well done Mr. Moon.

    And the camellia is beautiful.

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    1. He says he plans to sell the car in order to fund a new project which will be buying a '55 or '57 Chevy and restoring that.
      The man does love a project.

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  9. That car looks sleek and new to me. I’m so impressed.

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    1. The car WAS new when someone stole the engine out of it!

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  10. That is one fine looking car! The camelia is very pretty. The boys are beautiful and growing so tall now. I planted garlic and the shoots grew straight and tall for about six inches then overnight they collapsed and vanished a day or so later. Like everything else edible that I try to grow in this patch. Luckily the supermarket is only two blocks away, so I won't need to go without.

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    1. As Hank said to me the other day, "There is no shortage of garlic." He is right! That's so sad that your garlic fell over and died. Do you have any idea why?

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    2. Probably drowned in the deluge we laughingly called winter. our state doesn't usually see so much rain, we had more in a couple of days than we usually get in months! And it went on for weeks!

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  11. I'm with the other commenters- don't know a thing about sports cars other than they're shiny, go vroom, but that looks like a work of art he's accomplished there, for sure.

    Oh my golly, those boys.

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    1. This one definitely does go vroom. Loudly.
      Aren't the boys little beauties? I think so but then again, I may be slightly prejudiced.

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  12. Those boys are charming, and you had a good day! Love that car if only I could drive it, but the Mr. will enjoy it I'm sure!

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    1. The boys are charming. They are so funny.
      Mr. Moon's not going to be driving it for long. He wants to sell it to fund another car restoration project. And so it goes.

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    2. Now I am curious about the next restoration.

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  13. I would not have even known that was a Camaro. I think I was picturing something much older, the Camaro in my memory which is probably c. 1970!

    Love the camellia and the photos of the boys. The iPhone sometimes handles direct sun really well and sometimes not. (Maybe the new ones do it better.)

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    1. Well- he DOES have a Camaro of that vintage. It may even be a '70. He's owned that and been working on it for years and years. You would definitely recognize that as a Camaro.
      The newer iPhone cameras are really good. At least to my eye.

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  14. Those boys are just beautiful.

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  15. Those Grandsons are beyond Adorable!

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  16. Oh your pictures are beautiful. And that car!!!! Clever man indeed!

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    1. He is a very clever man and knows how to do so many things. He is still astonishing me.

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  17. I am surprised that Mr Moon hasn't paid for a fancy paint job on the side of that car... something like "The Moonmobile", "Moon Landing" or "You're being followed by a Moon Shadow!"

    Love to see those two boys. They will be friends for life and one day, when they are men, they will reminisce fondly about Mer and Boppy and the great times they had out at Lloyd.

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    1. Well, he plans on selling the car so he doesn't need to personalize it overmuch.
      Aren't those boys growing? I sure hope that all of my grandchildren have Mer and Bop stories they want to tell and laugh about when they get older. That would make me so happy.

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  18. I am amazed at how well your grandkids get along with their siblings. My two were constantly at each other when us parents were around and Sarah's kids fought all the time. It was the boy really, he has such a hate on for the twins. I figure it's because as the first born he was the star then the twins came along and grabbed all the attention.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.