Here we see my big aloe, the Red Hot Poker. It did pretty well this year--this picture was taken on the "downside" of the blooming. It did well because I remembered to put on tons of Osmocote when it was raining in January. In front of the aloe is a potful of echeverrias, almost my favorite plant because they are blue.
Back in the background is the parent plant of the beautiful plant my sister has grown in San Antonio. I do not know the name of this plant and frankly do not know how to find it out. I don't know how to describe it on the web. I do believe the plant is Hawaiian of origin. Maybe I should start there. Yes, I will.
I always like to know the names of plants. I do not try for the Latin names because the taxonomists are always changing them. My brain is too cluttered with almost 82 years' worth of shaky facts to try to remember things that may change tomorrow, like the price of silver or the Latin name of a plant. I became alienated years ago when the Schefflera turned out not to be the Schefflera after all, and now I am a confirmed common name person.
When I first went up to Northern New York State, I'd ask: What's that? And, What's the name of that plant, bush, tree, flower, shrub, weed, wildflower? Nobody ever seemed to know. I want to know what my trees are, and I want to name names. They deserve that much respect in a thoughtless world.
Same thing, in South Texas...nobody knew what anything was, much. Of course, it does depend on whom you're asking. My family was so-so on the subject. Some things they knew, some things they didn't. The little pink wildflowers we called "buttercups," are now in seed catalogues as "Evening Primroses." And of course everyone knew Bluebonnets and Indian Blankets. I love all those flowers and am four years old again when I think about them.
The echeverrias, are, of course, Hens and Chickens. There are many variants of those nesting plants and I love 'em all. I can take some pictures of different kinds in my yard. Some look like red-and-green roses carved out of wood, and the amount of water they are receiving alters their appearance drastically.
Thursday as marked above is indeed dark and gray. Theo has driven off in the gloom to get a heart test. The biggest challenge in that is getting there in the morning freeway traffic and getting a parking place near enough to the heart testing place that your heart doesn't give out getting in there. It says we may get rain today but I am afraid we have gotten into the "May Gray" part of our year a bit early, and are now doomed to a series of gray rainless days until June Gloom comes in to take its place. A bad season for white shorts and capri's, girls. They just don't look right yet.
Benjamin my youngest son comes tomorrow to spend Easter with us. We are planning to move the computer to a spot in the house where my messy conflammeration of papers, notes, gluesticks, pencils, and so forth does not dominate the living room. It will be a relief, but it may involve a hiatus in the writing of this blog. I have been good about writing it daily for a person with ADD, you all just don't know. He comes in the afternoon so I'll be on in the morning...so, HASTA MAñANA, my friends. YAZZYBEL
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