Cabbage palm fronds with summer phlox. I love that combination. It's like...so Florida. Old fashioned native flowers with our state tree. I planted the phlox all over this yard when we moved in, having dug up some I had at my old house given to me by my neighbor. Those above are in a bed between the little kitchen area garden and the shed.
These are in the kitchen garden itself.
And finally, here are the ones in front of the old kitchen, the area that I still have not gotten all cleared out.
They're perennials and once you get them started, you're done. Drought, shade, sun, heat...nothing seems to bother them overmuch although as I reported earlier this year, some of them are showing powdery mildew and I should probably do something about that but I have so many! I've also planted some out front by the fence but the mildew is the worst on them and they are not looking very happy. None of the blooms seems as lush and full as they generally do. Maybe they are tired. Maybe they're worn out, having given me twenty years of summer beauty.
I've almost entirely recovered from the shingles vaccine but the mango rash is still having its way with my face. It doesn't seem to be as itchy but it does seem to be moving upwards. It started out down by my chin and now it's almost to my eyes. It's not really a problem, just a little nuisance and it really does not like it when I got hot, aka, go outside. So I've been hanging out indoors mostly, being lazy. I did some work on my jigsaw puzzle and then Mr. Moon and I watched a few episodes of "Bad Monkey" on Apple TV. We both listened to the book recently, written by Carl Hiaasen and it's an enjoyable series with Vince Vaughn as the protagonist. Hiaasen is Florida's writer, really, a native son, and all of his books are set in the state, all of his villains are land developers, and all of his heroes are vastly imperfect and seem to enjoy rich sex lives. Mostly. Unless they're not. He has a recurring character named Skink who, as the story goes, was once the governor of Florida who believed deeply in the protection of Florida's natural wild areas and animals and waterways and thought that if he could get elected, he could make a difference. This turned out to not be so and thus, Skink disappeared into the still wild and vast jungles and wetlands which no one has yet managed to tame, living mostly off road kill, and showing up at times when he is needed to set something right. His only connection to the outside world is a former Florida state trouper who would die before he gave up Skink's identity or location.
Skink doesn't show up in all of Hiaasen's books and I don't think he makes an appearance in "Bad Monkey" but there are plenty of other quirky, interesting characters and so far, we think they've done a good job with the series.
Phew. Didn't mean to get off on that tangent but that's how it goes.
While we were watching TV (do we still call it that?) I hemmed some more of my cheesecloth cloths. This is still bringing me a lot of enjoyment. I know that I'm going to be using these cloths for as long as they last for all kinds of things and I am going to appreciate them each and every time I use one. I've been thinking that it may be a very natural thing for women to like things that can be used to dry whatever needs drying, to staunch blood and clean wounds, to clean off faces and wipe butts, to absorb menstrual blood and the many liquids that childbirth can produce, to dry and wrap the newborn infants, and then to use as diapers for those babies. Towels, washcloths, dishcloths, cleaning cloths, polishing cloths...these are all important.
So honestly, I am not ashamed of the time I have spent hemming these excellent cloths so that they will not fray but will stay whole for as long as possible. I believe it comes from the same place that my love of bowls and bags and baskets come from and it is a very old place which I respect.
Mr. Moon has just returned from picking up the lawnmower which he had to take to a repair guy. That is a very unusual thing for Glen to do- to take something to a mechanic to be fixed but I believe he's so focused on the cabin that he doesn't have the time or energy to spend on a lawnmower at the moment.
Anyway, I better go make some supper. Fish and grits, tomato and avocado salad. The fish is snapper that the man caught, the tomatoes, of course, from the garden.
See you tomorrow.
Anyway, I better go make some supper. Fish and grits, tomato and avocado salad. The fish is snapper that the man caught, the tomatoes, of course, from the garden.
See you tomorrow.
Love...Ms. Moon
Your white house is such a perfect backdrop for the photos of your garden, its visual poetry. I’m following the lake house renovations with interest; you say Mr Moon loves a project and by golly he’s got himself a project now. Your detachment is a gift but I suspect you’re going to be pleasantly surprised along the way. Glad you’re reviving from the shingles shot and hope the rash also goes soon. That green roof in the previous post looks spectacular by the way. Owen will always be able to say he helped build that.
ReplyDeleteYour flower pics (phlox and palms) are so beautiful. Off subject next:
ReplyDeleteDo you remember a character from Key West called 'Bum Farto'? Yep, I believe that was his name. I think he had been the major of Key West and then...poof...disappeared? When I lived in Miami people talked about him all the time. He may have disappeared with some $$? I even saw T-shirts for sale, "Where's Bum Farto?" Wonder whatever happened to him?
How's Mr. Moon's dock with a house coming along? Those alligators scared the bejeezus out of me!
Paranormal John
Glad you are recovering from the Shingles Vax, it is uncomfortable after getting it, but once you recover, you'll be fine. I Hope that the Rash also resolves itself.
ReplyDeleteYou live in a lush green place. Even if it has mildew from time to time. Your supper sounds wonderful. Perhaps you need to remind Mr. Moon of the wisdom of the late, great Hoyt Axton. "Work your fingers to the bone...what do you get? Boney fingers!"
ReplyDelete"While we were watching TV.........a place I respect." Those two paragraphs say so much. I wonder, if you have had a past life, you might have been the "Medicine Woman" of the tribe/clan, with the birthing, caring and nurturing that goes along with all that. The bowls that mixed and cooked and carried foodstuffs and other medicinal concoctions, the baskets that held the "healing" herbs you gathered.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED the series Bad Monkey, but cannot find the book at a price I can afford. I vaguely remember the Skink character from other Carl Hiaasen stories, I have them on my kindle plus a couple on a shelf somewhere.
I would think after twenty years the phlox is definitely tired and perhaps you could "thin the herd" and later plant a new batch.
I've enjoyed the Carl Hiaasen books I've read. The phrase "he tried to murder someone with a frozen lizard" still sticks in my mind! It tickled me pink!
ReplyDeleteHope the mango reaction disappears. The phlox and palm are beautiful together. All I remember about phlox is that it should be divided every few years. Ha! Good for Mr. Moon, letting someone else do some work.
ReplyDelete