The garden is essentially done for the year, though there will be color until the first hard freeze. Here’s a look back at this year’s experiments.
Horticultural year in review
Today’s quote
… highbrow literature fought the hero, but the hero won—albeit in the genre sections of the bookstore.
Gioia’s article, a chapter of his study of “the secret origins of musicology,” is of particular interest to those who listen to Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and others of that ilk.
Dark times ahead
There will be an annular solar eclipse October 14, a week from Saturday. That will be followed by a total eclipse next year on April 8. The paths of both eclipses cross the USA, intersecting in south Texas not far from San Antonio. Here in Kansas I should have a pretty good view of both, assuming the weather is cooperative.
NASA has maps of the paths at various resolutions that you can download here.
What the Helck
Upon David Breitenbeck’s recommendation, I’ve been watching Spy x Family. It’s been fun so far, but I wasn’t expecting a Chaim Witz cameo.
Recent snapshots, mainly of aerialists
Butterflies are plentiful right now. Here are some I spotted in gardens and fields around town.
Notes on life offline
Some new neighbors have moved in the next street over.
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Most of the plants I started this year are perennials which will take a year or two to reach blooming size. However, a number have flowered already. Currently, Helianthus mollis, the “ashy sunflower,” is putting on a good show. The plant has a more refined appearance than most sunflowers. According to what I’ve read it’s inclined to be rambunctious, so I’ve got it in the dry far corner of the yard where its aggressiveness will be a virtue.
The polls return
It’s been years since I last ran a poll. The WordPress establishment has improved its “CrowdSignal” plugin to the point of utter uselessness, so let’s see how well the free version of “Poll Maker” works.
(For context, see here. You may need to scroll down to the “nerd fight.”)
Vintage port
Congratulations to Robbo on fifteen years of The Port Stands at Your Elbow. You might want to put another bottle of fortified wine aside for November, when he will celebrate a full twenty years of blogging at TPSaYE and earlier at The LLama Butchers. A year ago I linked to a couple of his whimsical LLB pieces, well worth reading like most everything else at all his websites.
Congratulations to Robbo also with his success with the cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum, a nine-foot-plus relative of the sunflower. I’d like to grow it myself in the arid reaches of my backyard, but it prefers more water than I can conveniently give it.1
Today’s question
On what basis did we as a society decide that the ideal way to spend a childhood was to attend government institutions 5 days a week, 7 hours a day, 9 months a year, for 12 years? That most of that time should be spent sitting at a desk, with say one hour for lunch and one for recess?
(Via Isegoria.)
Joseph Moore has a notion why that happened. (Moore has quite a bit to say about modern education on his website, all of it worth reading.)
Historical humor, 1925-1950
More ancient New Yorker cartoons, all of which are probably older than any of my visitors. Click to embiggen.
Hot stuff up north
The Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland was quiet for 800 years, but it’s awake now. The third eruption there in as many years has begun. I’m suspending my “no YouTube” rule this once to post this video of the eruption’s beginning. For more information, check the recent posts and comments at Volcano Café.
Update: See also here.
Update IIb: This eruption is over, but there’ll be more soon.
Update III: The Greatest Show on Earth:
Fresh “art”
Just wondering
Is there anything that isn’t carcinogenic in California?
Notes from another garden
Back in ancient times, there were no such things as “memes.” Instead, there were New Yorker cartoons, such as this one. Click on the picture to enlarge it.
Chickens, dogs, banjos and bagpipes
Alan Arkin died a few days ago. You can find plenty of encomiums to this unique, legendary, etc. artist online3. Back in 1958, long before Peter Falk yelled “Serpentine” at him, he wrote a minor classic science fiction story, “People Soup.”4 You can read it here.
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There’s an exhibition of Komar & Melamid’s art in New Jersey. I’d like to see it, but it’s a bit far to pedal. I wrote briefly about the duo here. The New Criterion article, worth reading though it is, omits one noteworthy project of theirs, a collaboration with composer David Soldier to produce examples of the “most wanted” and “least wanted” pieces of music. The “most wanted” song is inevitably drivel that not even Vernon Reid’s guitar can redeem, but people do like drivel, as I constantly rediscover. The “least wanted” song, however, is simultaneously wonderful and horrible and is worth hearing all the way though at least once.
Progress report
Spring was unusually dry, but June rains have made up for it. The garden overall is doing well. Nearly all the foxgloves are blooming or will be soon. These are “Camelot mix” hybrids I started indoors earlier. So far all the flowers have been lavender, but there should eventually be a few other colors.