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Today is not about art.
Tomorrow marks FIFTEEN YEARS of blogging, five days a week. Day after day, blah blah blah, this is what I do, what I did, what I’m planning to do, yadda yadda yadda, I went here, saw this, and did that, want to buy some art/a book/some cards? I learned something, I have questions, I have thoughts.
“Blog”. Weird word. This is an online journal, a log on the web, a web log, web-log, weblog, blog.
And I can’t seem to stop.
Today is not about art. It is just showing you some photos from my life, which seems normal to me, but is probably peculiar to you.
I took my car, Fernando, for an oil change. While Mark from Foreign Auto (559-734-8285, Honda, Toyota, Lexus, and Acura only) was taking care of Fernando, I walked to downtown Visalia. Mill Creek is flowing. This is what keeps those valley oaks alive. Quercus lobata is the name of these oaks, the largest in the country. (There is a black and white cat in the first picture.)
The next day, Trail Guy and I climbed up on the bank behind the house to cut a dead live oak. Doesn’t that sound weird? “Dead live oak”.
It felt wrong to smash the wildflowers.
My job was to help get the wood down to the neighbor’s driveway so we could load it into the back of the pick’em-up truck. Mostly I dragged, endoed, or rolled the heavy limbs so Trail Guy could use his superior strength to pitch them off the hill.
And then my work was done, so I went ogling things in bloom in the yard. Some years I miss this calla lily, but everything is slower this year so I caught this guy in its prime. It is called Dragon Arum. Finally learned, using a plant identification app called PictureThis. It is free but tries to trick you into subscribing by hiding the word “Cancel” in the upper righthand corner, almost invisible.
And that’s all I have for today, another glorious cool green flowery spring day in Three Rivers when I am supposed to be working but keep finding interesting things to do instead.
8 Comments
I’m SO impressed with your calls lily! It is beautiful!
Nikki, “Dragon Arum” is a name unworthy of this lily. Thank you! I still don’t know where it came from.
Congratulations, Jana! Here’s to at LEAST 15 more interesting, beautiful, creative, productive years! 🙂
Thank you, Laurie! I appreciate your enthusiasm and optimism.
Thank you for sharing your learning, thoughts, and questions lo, these many years. Your faithful readers appreciate your efforts. And pictures. Yes, especially the pictures!
It sounds like you have been very productive. While I had no dead live oaks to toss, I had to relinquish my unnamed vehicle to the body hospital due to a minor traffic accident. “Minor” meaning it will only cost $2-3,000, probably. Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em!
P.S. Not that is there is ANYTHING WRONG with going to Santa Clarita. . . .
Sharon, I thought of you when mentioning Santa Clarita. Nothing wrong with the place (besides its proximity to LA) other than it is a rather circuitous route to get from Three Rivers to Exeter.
Bummer about your car. I wonder if you will keep the unnamed vehicle to the same stage as Fernando with plenty of scars and no plans for cosmetic surgery.
But it’s far enough away to avoid the Los Angeles nastiness. So far.
Unnamed vehicle is undrivable, and is currently at the car hospital awaiting diagnosis from an insurance adjuster. I don’t mind scars, but when all sorts of warning lights flash before your eyes, that’s something you don’t want to mess with!
Sharon, last night I was driving home from Visalia and the dashboard of my car looked like a carnival: blue high-beams, green cruise control, yellow Antilock Braking System (been out for years), and red Seatbelt Restraint System (also out for years). But whenever a new light appears, I immediately call Mark My Mechanic. So, I get it.
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