Arrived home in the midwest in time to witness extreme thunderstorms, lose my best oak tree to lightning strike and retrieve my poor pitiful puppy from kennel hell, complete with pneumonia. Sick as a dog - now I get it. Those people have not heard the last of me, and I'll tell everyone I know with a dog to never ever use them.
Anyway, home now, problems back at the homeland are not solved, but are no worse. So it goes. My problems here are manageable, the tree will become firewood, the dog will heal and the laundry piles will get smaller. Until then, here are a few photos of lovely things I saw this week. It's good to be back. I missed my internet friends and my online life.
I saw a fabulous orchid exhibit at the National Observatory and the most amazing bonsai at the National Arboretum. The tree in the last picture has been in training since the 1850's. I think I just found a new hobby....
The bonsai trees in bloom are just amazing! They immediately reminded me of my trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens in 2008 and the 112 year old Japanese maple I saw there...
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Welcome home!
I tried when living in Hawaii to learn Bonsai. My lovely Japanese neighbor was a Master at turning little twigs into magnificent examples. Off I went to buy the special round handled clippers, the copper wire - he told me later to ask the telephone repairmen for their bag of leftover snippets of wire - and there was a place in Honolulu called The Monkey Bar with an incredible lanai filled with bonsai trees.
ReplyDeleteSo what happened? - as if you really want to know this - happened that you couldn't bring any plant from Hawaii into the Mainland in those days without a quarantine. After having finally achieved a modest success, of nearly 50 plants only about 8 survived - I wasn't about to leave those in quarantine at the entry port while moving to the East Coast.
Then of course I began to look at Bonsai with a jaded eye. I was "foot binding" a tree! Of course I wasn't but once someone said that, the kiss of death was given. It is addictive, it takes tons of patience and tons of books, it wouldn't hurt to have a Japanese neighbor who is the god of Bonsai to shake his head at you when you twist the wire up instead of down, and in general something to do in Hawaii where lanais are a plenty, where you would always find a volunteer to come and mist the trees while you were away for twenty minutes but if I have to do it all over again, this time I wouldn't move back to the Mainland and disregard the comment about binding the tree's feet. Or maybe I would stick to Ikebana with its many schools to keep me busy.
The photos are sensational and thank you for bringing some color into this dark and gloomy day. Hugs from here.
Glad you are back and all safe and sound. Sorry to hear about your dog.
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SB
I saw that Orchid exhibit! Remarkable. Each flower is like a funny little person--smiling, scowling, or just observing.
ReplyDeleteMel- I swear- I have tried THREE times to comment and have screwed every one up.
ReplyDeleteBut. What I wanted to say was- welcome back! And we missed you and the pictures are lovely. AND if that is you and your husband, you are exactly the same heights as Mr. Moon and I.
And I call Bonsai "Guilt In A Dish" because I kill every one I get and that makes me weep.
I almost bbought a bonsai for mr. curry a few weeks back, but it was too pricey.
ReplyDeletei'm glad you are back, and i know so well the feeling of trying to tackle problems that won't be tackled. xo
Kennel cough stinks. As do fallen trees.
ReplyDeleteMissed you
We missed you too.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back.
Love the photos.
So sorry about your doggie. That's distressing. Is it kennel cough? They should've insisted the dog be vaccinated before boarding. Argh!
I love the look of bonsai and am fascinated by them but feel the same way Allegra does, as if it's unnatural and restrictive, like clipping a bird's wings.
Hello friends, thanks for the lovely comments.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think bonsai is a little cruel for the nurturer in me, I think I'll focus on miniatures instead, and I'm getting a terrarium itch again!
The poor puppy has his bordatella vaccine almost a month before pneumonia, he just picked up a nasty viral or fungal infection that got out of control. It has been a trying saga that may be a month of antibiotics resolving. aargh to that and thanks againg for stopping by.
type much? again i meant
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