Wren and her best friend, Judy came to see me and that was a wonderful visit. Wren moved to Ann Arbor right after I moved to Chicago so we’ve been online buddies more than anything, although we did enjoy lunch in Chicago a year or so ago. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her via the blog neighborhood because we share common interests and she’s like a link to the good life in Ann Arbor. But true to my experience in these matters, we get along famously in person, too and I loved meeting her college roommate. We went to Florida Native Orchids, my favorite little (but very extensive) quirky orchid place ever. With 3 big greenhouses there are always many beautiful plants in bloom and I love that they are growing many of their own cross species. We adopted a few and one of mine smells especially sweet.
Then we went down to Boyd Hill and I had the pleasure of sharing my raptor buddies with them. Jane took many photos so go bug her to post them.
For the past few days there’s been a stench about the place that has had Rich and me looking at each other with wrinkled noses and curled lips. It’s been getting worse and worse even as we changed out the litter box completely, took out all trash, cleaned the frig, cleaned everything. Still, the stench. I was about to start smearing Vicks under my nose like they do on CSI when I discovered this: I saw it first, growing in a little pot that holds a slash pine they were giving away at the park. I had set it in the shady part of the yard, thinking I might take it to Asheville and plant it. As I got closer, to investigate, I almost fell over. But for you, my friends (and because I haven’t posted for several weeks) I buried my nose in my sleeve and carried it to the porch to photograph. I’d never seen anything like it but my 82 year old neighbor came by and said, “Oh, that’s what they call…” Do you know what it is?
(Complete with slime and flies.)
One reason I’m not posting much is because I am very very busy in my new profession. Hah! I still feel like a poser but I’m having fun getting ready for a big exhibition and teaching. I’ve made several beautiful things recently, if I do say so myself, and I’ve had one consistently frustrating failure as bags and bags of wool bite the dust. I’ll share photos soon.
The other reason I’m not posting much is we have some potentially wonderful things on the horizon but it’s too soon to really put it in writing. Don’t want to jinx anything.
Here’s one really cool item. PBS did a video of NOMO and it’s great! If you’ve wondered about what I’m talking about when I make mention of Daniel’s life as a musician you can both hear and see right here.
(Update: Yes, FC and Jeff- it IS a stinkhorn. It’s Clathrus archeri, also known as Devil’s Fingers -as in “Idle hands are the Devil’s Workshop, cuz I haven’t touched my yard since our big cold snap a couple weeks ago and it definitely needs some tending…and Jeff, here is a photo of one that I believe is the same in it’s infancy. They start out like puffballs and then explode into the fungus from hell. FC- I do remember your stinkhorn posts, but really- are yours THIS vile? I think we need a Stinkhorn throwdown…)
(Even stinkhorns start out relatively cute you could say.)
“I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.” Frank LLoyd Wright
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