The Day Lilies of the Field - Why Grow Them?

Let's say "Summer Sunday Cutler Day Lilies" three times fast and I promise I will show you some. I will bring you, virtually, of course, to Cutler Botanical Gardens in Binghamton, New York.

These photos were taken last Sunday, during a spell of hot, humid weather.  But the day lilies didn't mind.  Reason one, perhaps, for growing them.  Reason two: they are so simple to grow, at least in our upstate New York area. (I was sorry, though, to find that deer will eat the flowers.  Thank you, fellow blogger who commented on that.  Other than that-easy to grow and low maintenance.)

Entering the day lily area, this is what you would have seen last Sunday.

There were few name tags, so their beauty will have to speak for themselves.   Shall we count the ways of day lily beauty?  There is the ruffled look...

The "I'm orange and proud of it" look...

The bi-color look....

The "I'm thin and flashy" look...

..and the "I'm so pink, and I know it" look.

So, why would we grow day lilies?  Because - they are so beautiful.

Want more?  Comment below!

Are We Willing to Pay the Price for Free?

Google.  Almost all of us online folks use one or more of their products. Is this a good thing?
 
(Note: This post doesn't even begin to touch on personal data collection, or the other prices we pay for "free" including the possible loss of personal liberty. That could easily be the topic of another post. Rather, I'm talking more about personal inconvenience.)



Today, I thought about just how Googleized (is that a word?) my life has become.  I like (and use) Google Maps (I love the iPhone app), Blogger (yup, the blog you are reading is hosted on Blogger), Google the search engine (I've tried Bing - yes, I like Google way better for searches I do), You Tube, and Gmail. I used to like to waste time with Google Earth, but haven't gotten into it recently. These products are all "free".  But, free has a price. And, it appears, that price has several components:

1. "We are going to waste your time by organizing you whether you like it or not."

Gmail gave me "tabs" for my email even though I didn't ask for them.  I don't want "social" and "promotion" tabs for my email.  Do you want to know how to get rid of those?

Google, give us inboxes or give us...oh, never mind.  But a quick search on...er, Google - reveals I am far from the only one not too happy over this.

2. "You are going to get our ads shoved in your face whether you like it or not."

Gmail has always had ads - after all you must pay for free - but now the ads are in your face.  The first "in your face" ad insisted on me viewing a Facebook link for winning a trip to somewhere I have little interest in visiting. The ad explained it was based on an "email I received".

So, Google,you just confirmed that you really do read my email, or at least keywords.  And I'm at a loss knowing which email I received that mentioned that country.  It could have been a blog post someone I subscribe to wrote about their trip to that country.

I couldn't get rid of the ad entirely, but at least now it's inviting me to download a free spell checker. (I'm not the best speller, and Google must know that.  Well played, Google.)

3. "You are going to start using your Google Plus identity whether you like it or not for sites such as You Tube, and if you don't want to have your real name associated with your You Tube Account, well, lots of luck with that."

My You Tube channel does not have public links.  It is under my blog's name and I want to keep it that way.  My videos are not quite ready for prime time, or any other time, yet. It took me over an hour figuring out how to undo what Google was trying to do unto me, and You Tube whined at me at every turn, insisting I undo the changes.  For now, I've won.  Ask me again next month.

I can see the day where my Blogger blog will insist on me using my Google Plus profile, and that will cause another level of aggravation and time wasting because I do not want my real name directly associated with my blog.  I've written enough about the neighborhood where I live, and I don't want a direct association with my name. Although, because I use Twitter to comment on a lot of blogs, my secret identity is actually not that secret.  Using Google you can...(sigh).

Yes, again, I realize their products are powerful, and they are free. If Google can't use ads and other techniques, their products won't stay free.  So yes, I know that free means "it isn't REALLY free; we just hope you aren't going to find the hidden "yeah, but" in our fine print."

So, each of us must make the decision:  Are we willing to pay the price for free?  So far, I've been.

Are you willing to pay the price for "free"?

Simply Summer - How to Grow Daylilies

Day lilies - for many parts of our country, they are an ideal flower for the beginner.

Hardy in a range of approximately zone 3 to zone 9 (sorry, parts of Florida), it doesn't take much more than choosing your color and height and planting them in a sunny spot - and then spending the rest of your busy day on something else.  Yes, it's that easy.

These are not true lilies, but who cares?  Lots of color combinations. Spider type, striped type, fringed type.  Some are fragrant. No pruning needed, no insect pests, few diseases - the only care they will need, besides your love, is making sure they have sufficient water (yes, they will grow in semi-desert areas) and dividing them every few years.  Oh yes, fertilize them yearly with some compost.  Some people recommend mulching them before their first winter, but in my zone 5, I've never found that to be necessary.

Groundhogs don't bother them (and I should know). They are said to be deer-resistant, but since I don't have much of a deer problem (knock on my garden fence) I can't confirm that.

But what a reward you get for your few minutes of care.  These are daylilies from my yards. I got the first three from a plant sale last year at Binghamton, New York's Cutler Botanical Gardens and they are in my front yard.  The woman who sold these to us told my spouse and me that these came from a garden in Pennsylvania - and they didn't know the varieties - or, in some cases - even the colors.

The price, though, was right.  As it turned out, these are shorter varieties and I may have to replant them in slightly different locations when it's time to divide them.

This and the photo below have not been shared previously on my blog.

This third one ended up being buried.  It will definitely have to be moved.

Here are some more of my daylilies.  This first one is (somehow) growing in my oregano bed.

The next two below I've had for years.

This last one is a taller, larger variety and is magnificent near my back yard fence.

Alas, the one drawback of day lilies is: they are well named. Each bloom lasts for a single day.  These would not be the best choice for cut flowers.

Yes, in upstate New York, July isn't July without a few - or a lot - of day lilies.

What s your favorite go-to flower?

The 100th Anniversary of the Binghamton Clothing Company Fire -When History Comes Alive

All of us are scared of fire. It is an instinctive fear, I believe.  Fire has the power to heat our houses, to cook our food - and to destroy our lives in a matter of minutes. Or, to scar us terribly, physically or emotionally.  For many of us, fire is part of our deepest nightmares.

Sometimes, those nightmares come true.

Many Americans have heard of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of March 25, 2011, that took the lives of 146 workers in New York City as thousands of onlookers watched, helpless, in horror.  Many of the dead were Jewish and Italian immigrant women trying to make a living for their families.

Not as many people have heard of the Binghamton Clothing Company Fire of July 22, 1913, one hundred years ago yesterday, and over two years after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. This fire took the lives of 31 more workers, again, mostly women, working in a four story building that was destroyed in less than 20 minutes. The fire escape was inadequate and there was no continuous staircase for the workers to escape from.  At least two of the dead, a man, and a woman, died heroically trying to save their co-workers.

Many of the dead were buried in a mass grave in Binghamton.

These two fires, combined, led to badly needed fire safety reform.

It is amazing, in a way, to read the account published in the New York Times on July 23, 1913, and the early, damning results of the investigation into the fire. (note, these two links lead to PDF's which will need Adobe Acrobat reader or similar to read.)

Descendents of  the dead still live in this area and they, the former historian of our county, and firemen, gathered yesterday to commemorate the anniversary.  To quote from our local paper (I am doing this, in addition to providing a link, because our paper charges for online subscriptions and I feel this information needs to be shared in honor of the affected families ):

The Rev. Charles Connor — whose great-great-aunt Nellie Theresa Connor died in the blaze after saving many of her co-workers — read the names of each victim.
As the crowd bowed their heads, the whine of a lone bagpiper playing “Amazing Grace” broke the silence .. A wreath of white flowers with gold writing that read “100th Anniversary” sat beside a table with black-and-white pictures of the fire’s aftermath.

Gerald Smith, former Broome County historian, retold the horrific story from a century ago, when more than 100 workers frantically tried to escape the burning four-story brick building.

If you read comments on this blog post, you will see comments from descendents of the victims - a link to history that is thrilling.

Never forget that history is the story of You and Me - and we forget history at our peril.  Indeed, quoting again from the local coverage:

Ricky O’Connor, 16, traveled from Atlanta, Ga., with his father, Kevin, to attend the anniversary. He recalled growing up with stories about his ancestor, Nellie Connor. “I think it’s good that I have a hero in the family I can relate to,” O’ Connor said, standing beside his father and other relatives, including Rev. Charles Connor, who attended from Maryland.“She is the cornerstone of our family,” he added.

Do you have a family link to the history of your local area?

The Perfect Plant

I love coleus.  It is almost the perfect plant.

I purchased the coleus in this hanging basket last fall at the Ithaca, New York, farmers market.  It was reduced (my favorite kind of find) and in a little hanging basket.  I took it right to my office and it thrived there.

Now, it is thriving in a shady spot on my porch that I would consider full shade.  I've taken a number of cuttings, for other containers I have, and it roots readily in water - takes only about a week.  I gave cuttings to my son for his tiny garden.  I'll be taking cuttings son to root and put back into the hanging basket I bought it in, and back to my desk at work it will go.

So, why should you grow coleus?
1. It comes in tens of color combinations - see what this garden blogger has done with hers. (Thank you, Cosmos and Cleome, for the inspiration to write this post.
2. Coleus is deer resistant and groundhogs (the bane of our home garden) don't seem to bother them, either.
3. Most varieties thrive in part shade to shade.  Some newer coleus tolerate full sun.
4.  They do well in containers.  Some, like the one I have, are trailing plants.
5.  Up to now anyway, I've never had problems with insect pests on coleus.

The only downside I know of -they aren't hardy in areas with frost. But, you can grow them indoors in winter from cuttings.

If flowers appear, snip them off immediately.  The flowers are insignificant, and will drain energy from the plant.
Can you imagine using coleus in a garden mosaic?  If you look at this gallery of photos, you can easily imagine coleus art. Maybe one day I will try that.

Do you have a favorite "go to" plant that is ideal for you?

Civil War Sunday - The "Other" John Brown and the Battle of Fayetteville, AR

After an over 25 year absence, my spouse and I plan to return to Arkansas, the site of our failed homesteading adventure and the location of my future "chicken memoir".

(I've tried to write some more of the memoir during this month's Camp NaNoWriMo session. I keep getting sidetracked, and I will be blogging soon about my experience. And, yes, the Civil War in Arkansas had a tiny bit to do with it. )  But, now, back to Civil War Sunday.

Arkansas, during the Civil War, was part of the Confederate States of America, but was occupied by Union troops for part of the war.   Fayetteville and the surrounding area within Washington County, Arkansas, were part of that occupation by 1863.

The Western battles in this war tend to be neglected by many - so many times it seems we concentrate on the action on the East Coast.  Battles in Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas and other more western states deserve more attention.

The Civil War was in my consciousness, even all those years ago.  I was in my 30's, and my entire focus was on trying (and failing) to "live off the land".

I lived not that far (as a bird would fly) from the sites of two 1862 Civil War battles - Prairie Grove Battlefield Park and the Cane Hill battleground.  For all I know, one or both armies - Union and/or Confederate - traveled across  the land we owned.  I wonder if the Washington County, Arkansas historian could help me find out. 

One thing I never realized is that Fayetteville, the city in Northwest Arkansas that I lived in for several months, and worked in for over four years, had its own John Brown.

No, not John Brown the abolitionist of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia fame.

No, this John Brown was about as different as "that" John Brown could be.  Fayetteville's John Brown was John Henry Brown, a Texan, who eventually became the mayor of Dallas, Texas after the war.

Brown served in the Confederate Army and, for a time, was stationed in Fayetteville.  While he was there he published a Fayetteville paper called The War Bulletin. This paper, to put it mildly, was pro-secessionist. 

Brown also printed money for the Fayetteville area on his printing press.

In 1863, a small battle, the Battle of Fayetteville, was fought (a failed attempt by the Confederates to liberate Fayetteville from Federal occupation) at what is now a major intersection of Fayetteville.  A commemoration of its 150th anniversary was held on April 18.  This newsletter has an interesting account, with photos, of the 100th anniversary commemoration in 1963.

Fayetteville, Arkansas has changed tremendously since I lived and worked there in the early 1980's.  It has more than doubled in population and there has been a lot of new development.  I look forward to visiting later this year after over 25 years of last being there, and - yes, learning more about its Civil War history.

Sustainable Saturday - The Farmers Market Manager

I've had the pleasure, the last two weeks, of being able to chat with Abigail Stevens, the manager of the Otsiningo Park farmers market on the outskirts of Binghamton, New York, an upstate New York city of about 47,000 residents.  She's set up a booth at the Otsiningo Park farmers market to talk to the public - something that she calls "her passion". 

She is knowledgeable, energetic and an excellent spokesperson for local farmers' markets.

We are soon to get a year round indoor farmers market (greatly needed in this land of winters that sometimes give us over 100 inches of snow in a year) and construction will begin next month.

Ms. Stevens assured me (contrary to rumors) that the market will not endanger the nearby community gardens we've participated in for many years (at least for the next three years) although our parking area will change.  If the market must be moved, she assured me that it would be relocated to a different part of Otsiningo Park, a county park.

The best part of our talk, though, was finding out that Ms. Stevens is also managing the Binghamton downtown farmers market this year.  As I've blogged about before, this downtown market is dwindling and action is needed.  I discussed some of my concerns, as expressed in the blog. 

Unlike the requirement Otsiningo Park's market has of everything coming from a 50 mile radius of the market, the Binghamton downtown market does not have a similar requirement.  Ms. Stevens did speak to that (this is something that won't change in the immediate future for reasons she shared with me) but assured me that, as part of her job as manager, she visits the farm of every vendor in both markets.

Most of all, Ms. Stevens noted the downtown Binghamton market, while she works to improve it, needs the support of everyone who works, lives or shops in downtown Binghamton.

So, what else is going on at the Otsiningo market?

Today - shitake mushrooms and blueberries....(I hope we can pick blueberries tomorrow)

Last week, potatoes...

...and local cheese.

Between last week and this, we bought local garlic, lemon thyme MooVache, lettuce, eggs. Other produce, right now, we are getting from our community garden.  I am grateful that I have the financial resources to shop at farmers markets.

Were you able to support your local farmer this week?

The Rattlesnake Master of Manhattan

Two weeks ago last Friday, on another hot Friday afternoon, my spouse and I walked the High Line, an elevated park in Manhattan, in New York City.  Come along with me on a virtual walk and you will see a "rattlesnake master."  But first...

Clethra barbinervis

 These pictures were taken near the Gansevoort Street entry point of the High Line.  The Clethra
 might not be hardy where I live in upstate New York but, I think it is attractive.  It's supposed to have good fall color, too.

Clerodendrum trichotomum

Eryngium yuccifolium

This last plant above is commonly called rattlesnake master.  There's even a run in Illinois named after this prairie plant.  It was named out of a belief that its root could be used to treat rattlesnake bite. (For my European readers, rattlesnakes are a poisonous snake of North and South America.) From my research, this doesn't appear to grow in upstate New York, but could possibly grow in the New York City area.  I've certain never seen this here.

Thanks to the bloom guide on the High Line website, I was able to identify the flowers in this post.

Ruellia humilis

Finally, deviating from the white theme - a flower I have not seen in years (I don't think) - wild petunia.

Only strange people like me, I guess, visit Manhattan to see wildflowers.  But, in the annals of strange, I'm sure this doesn't even rate.

Do you visit places known mainly for one thing, to see something totally different?

Local Vs. Chain - It Can Be Two Shades of Grey

I am all for supporting local businesses.  But sometimes the choice isn't, as we like to say in this country, "black or white".

What happens when you want to eat out and your choices are a large restaurant chain employing local people vs. a local restaurant business?   The answer may not be as clearcut as you might think - no black and white here, but perhaps two shades of grey.

Last week, I ate out two days in a row.  Please help me judge my experiences.

Experience One
I was in a party of eight.  We were seated promptly and efficiently by two servers, who combined to serve our table efficiently.  Both servers were personable and made sure water was refilled and salad (included with the meal) kept coming.  The menus were professionally printed and gave us the information we needed to make our choices.

One soup was not what was ordered, and the correct soup was quickly brought.  Otherwise, all the dinners were well prepared, and everyone (including my brother in law, who is developmentally disabled) had a nice time.

Experience Two
I was in a party of two. This was a lunch during our lunch periods at work, so my co worker and I had a limited time to spend at lunch.  Two menus were brought to each of us, a "express" menu and a lunch menu.  Each of our express menus were blurry, and part of the margin was cut off. In other words, some of the menu was cut off and it was also almost unreadable.  (My co worker, who is younger than I am, had the same comment about the blurriness.)

My meal, chosen from the express menu, gave a "choice of toppings".    One of the toppings was sour cream. The waiter explained the menu was wrong; there was no choice. I asked if it could be left off.  The waiter said no, because "this was the express menu". I asked if the sour cream could, then, at least be served on the side.  The waiter said he would see what he could do (it did come on the side.)

The service was very slow but this seems to be the case at a lot of downtown Binghamton restaurants, not just this one.

When it was time for us to leave, both of us had food on our plates.  The server brought boxes, then decided my companion's dinner needed a smaller box,and disappeared.  And didn't return.  We didn't have our checks yet so we just had to wait...and wait.  Finally he reappeared, with a smaller box and the check.  He said he would be back "in a few minutes" to take our payment, and disappeared again. We were very late, so we just left money on the table, and left.

Did I complain?  See below.

Questions
1.  Which of the restaurants would you eat at again?
2.  Which of the restaurants was a chain and which was local?

Answers
1.  The restaurant of Experience One.
2.   Experience One was a national chain (Olive Garden, to be exact) and Experience Two was a popular local Binghamton restaurant.

I wasn't even going to complain to Experience Two but a couple of my co-workers told me the owners deserved to know about my experience.  "Perhaps they would make it right", said one of them. 


The restaurant has a website with a contact email. This experience occurred Thursday.  I emailed them last Friday and last night got a brief response acknowledging that he received the email and he would respond.  Fair enough, he has to investigate, although if he has an email contact on his website he might want to monitor it more frequently in order to stay in touch with his customers.  But, I must have to say, at this point in time I don't plan to return and neither does my co-worker.

Have you ever had a disappointing experience at a local business and given your business to a comparable national chain instead?

Simply Summer - Hot and Flowery

July. It's hot in upstate New York. We've reached 90 or above for the fourth day this year. (some of you in other climes may be saying "so what's the big deal?".  One thing it's done is jump start the plants that were languishing because of our cool, rainy weather earlier this year.  It's also giving the soil a chance to dry out.

Here are some flowers blooming today in the Binghamton/Johnson City area.

Eggplant.  Yes, eggplants have flowers, and they hang down - but I think they have a special charm.  This plant is growing in an Earthbox in my backyard.

Crocosmias.  I love these flowers, both open and closed.  These are survivors - there's a long story behind these and I only wish I had more of them.  They really need to be in a large, close bunch.

Scarlet runner bean plants - you can just see the scarlet flowers here.  We've gotten no beans, though - maybe it's too hot for them?

Our glads are starting to put up flower spikes-I haven't grown them in many years (except one year which was "sort of an accident")  and I can't wait to see them bloom.

And last but not least, we found this lily during our exercise walk in Binghamton yesterday.  My guess is it's an Asiatic lily - but I am no lily expert.  There are so many hybrids out there, I sometimes just don't know.

Are you in the Northeast United States heatwave?  How has your weather been recently?

Jazzing Up Binghamton

Got jazz?

Last Friday morning, I approached downtown Binghamton, New York, and, to my delight, found potted flowering plants lined up around a temporary stage.

It was time for July Fest - a street festival and downtown Binghamton's opportunity to shine.

(2012 sign created by July Fest participants courtesy of the Magic Paintbrush Project, which provides art opportunities for disabled children and adults )

Perry Building, 89 Court St., Binghamton, NY

 This year, I walked around with a relative who spends a lot of time in New York City.  She took pictures of several of the historic buildings of downtown Binghamton - for example, the Perry Building.

This time, Court Street was packed with booths, food vendors, and live entertainment.

Here, jazz singer Glenda Davenport performs in the Binghamton Music and Jazz Festival which brought July Fest back "from the brink" several years ago.  Now, it is an integral part of the festival.

This is a short video taken towards the end of her set.  Enjoy!

We are only at the beginning of various public performances of jazz and other music in Binghamton, and all of these are free: (I'm not even listing weekly performances in various parks throughout the area) - although I say "free" a lot of volunteer work goes into these, and some accept donations or have fundraisers.

Rec Park Music Fest
Chris Thater Music Festival (part of a fantastic bicycle racing event - a MUST VIEW)
Blues on the Bridge

Do you have a lot of music events where you live?

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - July 2013 Hot! Hot! Hot!

Summertime, and the living is - hot.  Here in upstate New York, it's the late afternoon of July 15 and it's time for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  After you visit my blog, please visit other flower gardens from around the world using the links on May Dream Gardens, who hosts this event every month.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, at least for plants here.  Plentiful rain (too much, actually) and now, nature has turned up the heat.

So, what plants are soaking up the 90 degree heat in my Binghamton/Johnson City, New York area yard?  Here are some of them.

The first several photos are day lillies.  The first couple are types I've had for many years, and their names are lost in the mists of time. (Actually, if I had planted them last week, their names would have been lost in the mists of time, too.) So let's just call this one "fragrant orange striped".

Purple

These next two were plants picked up at a cooperative plant sale last week.  They were dug from a Pennsylvania garden, and they didn't have names of most of the plants.  That must have been a gardener with the same philosophies as I do.  So let's call this one "yellow".

I love this one.

My hostas (also a variety I've had for many years) are having a great year.

My first dahlia flower showed itself a couple of days ago.  This was given to me by a co-worker some 25 years ago - she passed in 1990 from melanoma, and I think of her every time I see the first

And now some edibles.  Tangerine Gem marigolds are thriving.

Scarlet runner bean flowers, which we are growing in a pot in our front yard.

Alaska nasturtium.

And finally, in our back yard, an onion flower. We don't have official onion beds (we do grow onions in our community garden plot in Binghamton) but this one escaped our compost heap.

Do you garden? What's happening in your garden or in your area? (and if the answer is "winter", no worries.  Our turn will be here before we know it, alas.)

Please consider joining the fun and link up if you flower garden or have indoor flowers - and if not, please look at the other gardens and their blooms. 

Civil War Sunday - The New York Draft Riots

The location where it started, 677 Third Avenue, isn't that far from Grand Central Station in midtown Manhattan. There, thousands of commuters pass each day, most unaware of the terrible historical events that occurred over four days. The start was 150 years ago yesterday.

One year ago yesterday, July 13, 1863, was a hot, muggy day, much like the day New York City (and where I live in upstate New York) is having today.


The pay system of the Union and the Confederate States was somewhat complex and beyond the scope of this layperson's blog.

The Union Army had suffered great losses in its effort to keep states that had seceded from the Union from breaking away, and they needed more soldiers. In March of 1863, a National Conscription Act was passed. But, men could buy their way out by hiring a substitute for $300.  $300, in 1863, was a sum only a rich man could afford.

Working people were, to put it mildly, upset at the prospect of being drafted into the Civil War, and they were ready to demonstrate their opposition to the National Conscription Act. 

Working people, knowing the rich were buying substitutions, were ready to protest when the drafts were implemented in July of 1863. 

July 13 was the second day of the draft lottery.

What started out as a draft protest quickly went out of control (with others, not quite interested in protesting the draft but more interested in racial violence, joining in) and turned into the largest civil insurrection in the history of our nation, and a race riot.  Whites were the aggressors, and blacks were the victims. 

One of the "highlights" (or low lights, as you will) was the burning of the Colored Orphan Asylum
a few blocks from the draft lottery office. Amazingly, over 200 black orphans escaped due the heroics of staff and several New York City firemen, and the Asylum was eventually reestablished elsewhere.

Finally, Federal troops, some fresh from fighting at Gettysburg, PA at the beginning of July, suppressed the "draft riots". There are a lot of recent resources online to read more about these riots.

An especially eye opening website shows European reaction to the riots in New York City.


And, a New York Times blog post is a good source of information regarding the life of blacks in New York City in that time era.

Again, history is never clean.  It is always more complicated than we want to think, and sometimes goes in directions never expected. 

Another episode in the epic story of the war that tore our nation apart from 1861-1865.

Sustainable Saturday - Pictures at a Community Garden

Today is an almost-wordless Saturday.  I am going to let some pictures from my spouse's community garden plot do the blogging today, as I have fun with some out of town visitors. 

Our first zucchini (taken July 7) - the stony soil we garden in is visible here.

Not all flowers in a garden belong to ornamentals.  Here are white bean flowers.

And finally, produce we got today from that garden, including - our first tomatoes (Juliet) of the year! July tomatoes are a big thing in upstate New York. (Not shown:  our first green and purple beans.)

We are so fortunate to be able to have a community garden plot as there isn't much room to grow at our house.

Is it gardening season where you live?  If so, and you have a garden, what's ready to pick?

Monday:  Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, and you'll see what's blooming at my upstate New York house.

The Story of Jessie

Interesting things happen on the elevated New York City park called the High Line. 
 
Does this remind you of a woman who has, perhaps, doused herself in water to escape the July heat?

No. This isn't a woman who decided to drench herself in water to escape the heat.

It is public art.  Here's the biography of "Jessie":

And now, look what happens when another artist, Jeff Greenspan, puts a tip jar in front of this statue.  The video lasts only a little more than a minute, and has gathered over 1,277,000 views on You Tube.

Poor Jessie.  The subject of a psychological experiment?  A trick played on tourists?  A public art performance?

It makes me wonder, though - what happened to the money the artist collected?  I hope, at least, that he donated it to the High Line.

If you had been there, what do you think you would have done?

Busted! on the High Line

Well, that should get my blog fans and friends to talking.

No, dear friends, I was not arrested on the High Line, an elevated park located on the West Side of Manhattan, which was formerly used by freight trains. Note the "!" in the title.

After I got past the initial rush of being surrounded by flowers and trees on the West Side of Manhattan, I noticed something was looking at me.

A bust.

"Busted" is an exhibition of  pieces of public art, which will run into next year.  Not all of them, technically, are busts.  But, they are there until next April, for our enjoyment. 

This is a bust of Colin Powell, former four-star general and Secretary of State of the United States. (He was even offered the chance of running for President but declined.) He was born in Harlem but raised in my native Bronx.

Yes, Colin Powell has been Busted!

Here's one called "Untitled-Top Gates Mask".

And its sign.

One empty pedestal was left empty on purpose, so people could vote on a 10th "bust". It would be made of the winner of the vote.

The people have spoken.  And, alas, it wasn't me.  Just as well - I'm sure the pigeons would have loved the opportunity.

Would you want to have a piece of public art created in your image?

Simply Summer - Six Cups of Water

Radiation treatment is not fun, not at any season of the year, but especially not in summer. 

When a member of a local community chorus in the New York City borough of Brooklyn was diagnosed with cancer, he didn't take it lying down.  OK, he did have to take it lying down, but his voice wasn't going to be stilled.

Partially out of boredom and partially to entertain his fellow patients undergoing radiation treatment, this man, my friend of many years, decided to write and sing songs while undergoing his treatments.

Hence, something we can call Six Cups of Water in Three Variations.  Why six cups of water?  My friend must drink six cups of water before the treatment begins.  And, then, hold it in until the treatment ends.

He's passed his halfway point and "only has 20 more treatments to go."
The video above came out the best, probably because I finally figured out that the lighting was all wrong in the first two.  Remember, I am just starting out in my video career.

So without further ado...Six Cups of Water.

My friend graciously (OK, eagerly) sang all three songs in the series.  The third video (the first one I shot) didn't come out that well (don't ask why part of it is sideways-you really don't want to know), but the audio is fine - I just don't have the knowledge or software to fix the video portion up.  So VERTIGO WARNING close your eyes and just listen to the music on this third one.

And remember, you might have to pay good money one day to hear him sing!  Just think if these take off and go viral....probably not but we can dream.

If you like what you heard please show my friend some blog love, and tell him so in the comments!