White Noise Solo

Hi! How are you?

I am fine.

And I would have told you that before now had the need to keep an eye on my garden not intervened.

I strongly suspect that someone has been oiling my sundial on the sly but I can't seem to ever catch them in the act.

*Sigh*

In other garden news, I've been keeping an eye on my first ever crop of fall lettuce. I planted it on August 24, first noticed it growing above ground on August 29, and thinned it for the first time on September 6. Now the race is on between it becoming something significant enough to harvest and the end of the growing season a month or so from now. Lettuce is pretty tolerant of the cold - I've actually had my spring crop survive being buried by snow! - but there will of course come a day when not even cold-tolerant crops will survive here in Ohio. How much will I be able to pop into my mouth before that day comes? Place your bets!

If you've ever spent time watching a garden yourself, you probably know that the mind tends to wander while the eye stays more or less alert. Here are some of the things my mind has wandered back to recently:

Quote of the Month: "China has plans for 22 new stratospheric skyscrapers in the next five years. But with the exception of the new 1 World Trade Center and the just begun 2 World Trade Center, no super-tall buildings are planned for the U.S." (Charles Osgood, CBS News Sunday Morning, Skyscrapers on the Rise Around The World, Sept 4, 2011)

Oddest Superstition: According to Anthony Everitt's Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor, Augustus carried a piece of sealskin with him in the belief that it would keep him safe from lightning. (In his defense, can you name anyone who has ever been hit by lightning while carrying sealskin? Hmmm?)

My New Favorite Name For A Woman: Vipsania. (That was the name of Tiberius's beloved first wife. I don't know if he ever called her Vippie but it makes me smile to think of him doing so.)

Helpful Household Hint Found Online That Actually Worked: Have a white plastic bowl that's been stained yellow by the French's mustard you put in your potato salad? Soak that bowl in a gallon of water and half a cup of chlorine bleach for 30 minutes. The yellow will magically disappear! (And by "magically" I of course mean chemically.)


Ok, now that I've scared away all the casual readers with that white noise I can share with you (the worthy reader) what really must be said:

The elephant ear leaf that was 14" by 20" on August 13 grew to be 16" by 24" by Sept 7 - and expanded to a full 19" by 27" as of Sept 17.

I've been afraid to check it since then.

I think I can actually hear it swelling and swelling and SWELLING in the day-long rain we've had today.

If you never hear from me again, please tell Jeff Lynne that I kinda liked the music he made during his ELO days.