Survial Instincts of H.F. Inspire me

My H.F. Young clematis vines who live tn the Norhwest corner of my garden (as featured in the image atop this entry) are such an inspiration in perseverance through adversity and I'm also certain they provide pleasure for those whose windows face them.

These vines have been with me for nearly seventeen years and have flourished in spite of many rough weather-related circumstances such as summer heat waves, winter nor'easters, hurricane-related winds, unusually heavy rains as well as drought.

Moreover on two separate occasions, they had to be taken out of their home (container) then dropped into a contractor bag which was tie to the railing surrounding my garden, in order for the surface to be clear for the building owner to do renovations.

The story of these vines surviving these circumstances is somewhat typical for flora who live on a rooftop and it is included in volume two of my hardcover three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.

THE WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

They were introduced in volume one and as I said, in volume two, their story of surviving upheavals in my garden are inspiring.

My H.F. Young's ability to survive many circumstances is an inspiration for me to deal with my dental matter, certain eye conditions, income disruption, and hopefully the vines's tenacity will help me with yet another hurdle: a malfunctioning time machine external drive and a swollen battery in my computer which could be a fire hazard.

The repair is estimated at a little under $500.00 before taxes and    will involve me being without access for my computer during the repair time.

I'm hoping that IF I'm able to have the repair made that I will be able to use an old computer, but that might not be possible re filing for weekly UNE (they will not recognize another device which could cause problems) and working on my articles (compatibility issues).

Little over whelmed here but most grateful (understatement) for the generous phone time out of state RH gave me (last night) in my attempt to work out a solution.

Plus this computer malfunction has affected my ability to use my monitor properly and I have a raging headache from the eye strain.

AND on another note, the fixture to my tub has broken, so I can't turn on the water, hopefully the super will repair it today.

Meanwhile, I'll do my best to get inspiration (re continuing to flourish and grow) from my H.F. Young vines.

My H.F. Clematis Vines are in bloom again...

This Sunday is Mother's Day and like any new mother joyful over moments of her new child's life (such as the first time she sees a smile or hears her child's first utterance), so am I with my H.F. Young Clematis, that I have in my garden. 

I've had them in my garden since the early 2000's and each spring when they are born again after a winter's long nap, my spirits are lifted. 

It's been quite a number of years now that they have come back in the spring, and a few days ago they made their first appearnce for this year of 2021.

Some pictures featuring details of this year's buds and flowers are atop this entry. 

As you can tell, their blooms and buds tend to be nearly as large as the light bulbs on the string lights which hang over my garden.

I've mentioned them prior posts here on Blogger, they are another great find from the greenmarket at Union Square.

The H.F. is in bloom again!

H.F. CLEMATIS IS FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

H.F. CLEMATIS IS FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, and like any new mother joyful over moments of her new child's life (the first time she sees a smile or hears her child's first utterance), so am I with my H.F. Young Clematis that I have in my urban garden. She is another great find from the greenmarket at Union Square.

From the moment a bud first appeared on the vine when she was in my place, and traveled boldly up the pole, to its magnificent unfolding, and I was in love! This H.F. Clematis has been with me since the early 2000's but the pictures atop this entry were taken yesterday. They feature views of her doing her thing — climbing up the utility pole in the Northwest corner of my rooftop garden.

As you can see, she is very photogenic, so I am most grateful that she has allowed me to take pictures of her and share her stories, which are both included in volume two of my book series, Words In Our Beak.

THE WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

The stories are told from the perspective of a female cardinal who is featured on the covers of all of the books. They makes a perfect gift for anyone who loves birds, flowers as well as gardening.

Additionally, Words In Our Beak is a great gift to give to anyone who is a mom on Mother's Day, which is tomorrow, May 12th.

Monday's Musings: The H.F. Flowers are in bloom again...

"WIOB'S"  STORIES TAKE PLACE IN MY GARDEN

My H.F. Young Clematis vine (seen in the lefthand corner in the photograph atop this entry), is on her usual schedule, producing numerous, humongous purple flowers, at this very time in May.

Every time her flowers re-appear (re-bloom), I think of Katharine Hepburn's line (in her role as Terry Randall for Stage Door): "The calla lilies are in bloom again..."

The H.F. Young has been doing this ever since she was first planted in my rooftop garden in bygone years (2005 or 2006). I have written about this vine over the course of my years here on Blogger.

Moreover, she is included in both volumes of Cam's Words In Our Beak book series (pictured below).

VOLUME ONE AND TWO

My H.F. is introduced in the first volume, however, in the second volume, many details are given related to some hardships she has endured as a result of growing in an urban garden — yet she continues to thrive!

H.F. CLEMATIS HAS A STORY IN VOLUME 2

H.F. CLEMATIS HAS A STORY IN VOLUME 2

What an inspiration this vine has been to me in my enduring my difficulties (although I've never told her that, nor is it mentioned in the book series).

ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

Hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can be found wherever books are sold.

MY BOOK SERIES

Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books. Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 2021:

When the third volume of the hard-cover version of Words In Our Beak was released, I withdrew from promoting my former versions of Words In Our Beak. 

The very first one is an iBook and went into Apple's book store in 2015.

This was followed by an ePub version...

... that is available on Amazon and was also published in 2015.

Subsequently, Words In Our Beak's digital versions were published as a soft-cover book (with slight variations) by MagCloud in 2017.

Its press release can be read by clicking here.  

Now with the release of BIRD TALES....

... I've been advised to make mention of my early versions of volume one of Words In Our Beak, they do vary ever so slightly in content from the hard-cover version of volume one.

As of this addendum, I do not intend to create digital or soft-cover versions of Words In Our Beak Volume Two or Words In Our Beak Volume Three.

HEY! HEY! HEY! It's Garden Meditation Day!

MY GARDEN IS THE SETTING FOR "WORDS IN OUR BEAK"

Earlier today I posted my tandem tale for the week and since that time it has been brought to my attention that today is Garden Meditation Day.

According to Holiday Insights (HI), "Per C.L, Fornari, the creator of this special day: Garden meditation day honors the fact that when we're working in the landscape we have the opportunity, if we choose to take it, to let the rest of the world fall away." 

Therefore. in honor of Garden Meditation Day, I've posted an image atop this entry which features a partial view of how my rooftop garden looks on this "holiday."

It's May! It's May! (Tuesday's Truths Week 82)

OTHER TULIPS ARE  FEATURED IN VOLUME 1

OTHER TULIPS ARE  FEATURED IN VOLUME 1

Welcome to the eighty-second week of my Tuesday's Truths series, which this week is coinciding with the beginning of the month of May, and as has been the case in bygone years, a song (It's May! It's May!) from Camelot is on my mind.

No Friggatriskaidekaphobia for Monte Orange Tulips! (Just like the H.F. Young Clematis!)

OTHER TULIP TYPES ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME ONE

OTHER TUILP TYPES ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME ONE

Today is Friday the Thirteenth and a cool fact worth remembering, is that when any month begins on a Sunday, the thirteenth of that month will fall on a Friday. It is a date that can occur up to three times a year (at maximum), which is the case for this calendar year of 2018. It is now our second Friday the Thirteenth.

This past January is was when 2018's first Friday the Thirteenth occurred; and the third and the last one, will be in July. The fact that Friday the Thirteenth can occur up to three times a year, may have been how the rumor that "bad things happen in threes" got started — that is if one fears this date.

Many people truly fear it! Their apprehension has been labeled Friggatriskaidekaphobia.

But what if one is born on Friday the 13th? Does this mean he/she is destined to a life of bad luck?

I have heard an array of answers to that question, and my favorite answer is, “aren’t you lucky just to be born?” 

Be that as it may, it has been my observation that when it comes to varieties of flowers, they do not tend to suffer from Friggatriskaidekaphobia, for they are willing to wake up from their long winter's nap on Friday the Thirteenth!

My first mention of this was in a 2011 blog post where I discussed the numerous and humongous H.F.Young Clematis flowers which opened up on a Friday the Thirteenth in May.

I thought of those H.F. flowers this morning, when I saw a Monte Orange Tulip in the process of waking up from her "winterized womb," and I have featured my discovery in the images atop this entry, where a wrapped "box" full of this particular tulip type can be seen. (The Monte Orange whom I saw rising from her sleep, is indicated by a circle that I've affixed to the second image.)

A few hours after I took pictures of this Monte Orange Tulip, who seem to have disregarded any negative associations with Friday the Thirteenth, embraced the sunshine, as seen in the following set of photographs.

OTHER TULIP TYPES ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME ONE

OTHER TULIP TYPES ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME ONE

OTHER TULIP TYPES ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME ONE

I'm excited to see the fearless tulips pop up today!

Tuesday's Truths WK 69: "Dreary Days and Mondays..."

STORIES IN "WORDS IN OUR BEAK ARE SET IN MY GARDEN"

As of now, Verizon has fixed the Internet snafus that have been occurring, so, I'm back to my posting here on Blogger, and I'm just in time for week seventy-one of my Tuesday's Truths series.

I come to it with this thought: a well known pop song, Rainy Days and Mondays, which was sung by the late Karen Carpenter is on my mind, because yesterday was a very dreary Monday in NYC.

Part of the lyrics in Carpenter's song state, "... Hangin' around Nothin' to do but frown. Rainy days and Mondays always get me down..."

While it wasn't rainy in NYC yesterday, it certainly was dreary (and still is today), but I couldn't afford to let dreary days and Mondays get me down, or let any day get me down for that matter; and that is this  truth for my seventy-first posting in this series!

Thursday's Test

The photograph atop this entry (featuring an aerial view of my rooftop garden) was taken by Juan V on June 1st 2017.

And the next picture was taken by him on June 15th 2017.

By comparing the images, dear reader, can you spot the changes in my garden?

Here are the answers:

The number one is indicating a Rosemary "Tree" that was planted on that day. It is in the spot where my 'Tamukeyama' (AKA Japanese Maple) used to be. This particular tree's container had cracked, therefore, re-potting was warranted. Moreover, the 'Tamukeyama' needed a larger pot, which it now has. The 'Tamukeyama' has been moved to where my Fagus sylvatica (AKA Beech Tree) used to be as indicated by the number two.

My Fagus sylvatica (Beech Tree) has been moved to the location where my Canadian Palm once stood, which is indicated by the number three. It was time to discard that exotic man made tree!

Today, July the sixth, a few more changes were made in my garden. Can you spot them in the following picture which was also taken by Juan V?

Here are the answers:

My H.F. Young Clematis has a couple of new flowers (and this is indicated by the number one). I have a new bird house which can be seen directly below the number two. Number three is indicating another variety of Heuchera which was planted today, while number four is referencing a new green plant whose name is Melianthus Honey Flower.

And there you have it, Thursdays Test of your powers of observation! How did you do, dear reader?

Tuesday's Truths WK 44-B: It's National Gardening Exercise Day

Earlier today in an entry for my Tuesday's Truths series, I posted a poem in honor of D-Day, which occurred on June 6th, 1944. And, now, before I let this Tuesday pass, I want to state another truth:

Today (according to Holiday Insights AKA HI), is National Gardening Exercise Day. Re this event, HI states: "Everyone knows gardening is therapeutic.  It's good for the mind, body, and soul. Gardening Exercise Day gives us an opportunity to go out and burn off calories and have fun doing it. National Gardening Exercise Day is intended to recognize the important physical health benefits of gardening.

In reality, gardening is exercise. Experts say the various activities and tasks of gardening ultimately uses all of the major muscle groups. In addition, strenuous gardening activities such as raking, hoeing, and digging is both aerobic and muscle strengthening."

Furthermore, HI suggests that on this particular holiday, one "go out and exercise with, and among, (their) plants." 

Going out into my rooftop garden, to exercise with, and among my plants may not be an option for me today as it is raining heavily in NYC. However, rainfall, is not a deterrent for doing some exercising in my indoor succulent garden. Humpty Dumpty, seen in the photo atop this entry, is exercising in it by climbing the wall adjacent to my succulent garden.

Oh, the weather outside's been frightful! (BUT....)

The image atop this entry was taken by Juan V when he was here eleven days ago on May 9th, on his third visit for the 2017 growing season. I featured it in an entry on TLLG's FB page at that time; and I discussed certain attributes of the H.F. Young Clematis vine. This particular vine climbs up a pole which in the northwest corner of my rooftop garden. It produces strikingly beautiful purple flowers which can be seen in Juan's image. Moreover, I have a number of close-ups of this vine's blooms within my May 9th entry here on Blogger. Unfortunately, only four days after Juan worked with me in my garden, and after my publishing posts re the flowers of my H.F. Young clematis, a Nor'Easter struck NYC and surrounding areas.

Last Saturday, May 13th 2016, "a moisture-packed coastal storm that hit the New Jersey region on Saturday dumped almost a month's worth of rain in just one day in parts of the area." I've been try to find out how much rain fell in the NYC area.

Tuesday's Truths WK 40: H.F. YOUNG is Queen of the Vines!

The photograph atop this blog entry features details of two of the many H.F. Young Clematis flowers that are currently thriving in my rooftop garden. Welcome to week forty in my Tuesday's Truths series with a post dedicated to this particular flora variety, which is known to be Queen of the Vines.

Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINALLY springing? (PART FOUR of FIVE) ASK THE VINES!

Happy May Day, dear reader, and, as you might recall, I've blogged about this "special holiday" of May Day here on Blogger in bygone years, including a post which you may refer to by clicking here. 

And, with my opening salutation, I offer you a few "scenes" (posted above) from my garden on this first day of what Guinevere (from Camelot) called a "merry merry month." 

There were a number of "scenes" on this bright May Day and the ones above show a bud from my Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony), which is about to give birth, my sweet Cam enjoying a spring snack, and two mourning doves soaking up the sun whilst nibbling from a feeder near my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines), two vines that are scheduled to be featured in today's post: part four of my series (which I introduced this past Friday on Blogger) where the things I grow are assisting me in answering the question: Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINLLY springing?

Discovery Day

Today many folks in the United States are celebrating Columbus Day, which basically means that schools, post offices and banks are closed. I wish it meant that construction on Columbus Avenue, less than a block from where I live (and have my terrace — roof extension — garden), would cease, because the jack hammer is deafening! But hammer away it is, and the noise is quite distracting to yours truly, even though the sweet house finches are trying to drown it out with their songs as they go about their activities; which mostly include eating, as seen in this image posted above.

The First Day of Fall in 2012: It is the "BEST of TIMES" (AND) it is the "WORST of TIMES . . . "

September 2011

Second Tuesday in September 2012

Third Thursday in September 2012

Today, September 22nd 2012, is "offically" the first day of autumn; and I'm spending it in the throes of the upheaval in my rooftop garden (located in NYC) an upheaval that has interrupted my life, as well as the lives of the 80+ things which I grow here, and the lives of the occasional bee, loner cardinal (who I've now named Cam), and Cam's entourage of House finches, Mourning doves and House sparrows.

The disruption has thrown my Blogger posting schedule off a bit; and I apologize if you visited me here on days I've agreed to post only to find nothing new; but, as you read along, I'm sure you will realize why this occurred, for, as you know, under most circumstances I keep a schedule I've committed to!

Be that as it may, you my recall that in my last entry here on Blogger, which was Friday, September the Fourteenth, I posted an entry where I discussed a few of the things which I had lost in my garden due to their dying or their need to be relocated.

Mother's Day 2012

I have done volunteer work nearly every Sunday since 2003 (or has it been since 2002) at an assisted living center, a fact I've mentioned a few times here on TLLG (including a post which you may refer to by clicking here), and since today is Mother's Day, all the residents of The Home wished me a Happy Mother's Day today, knowing I am not a mother of any children, although sometimes growing up I felt like a mother to my own mother, as you may recall in one of my past  blog entries here on TLLG — which you may refer to by clicking here. 

On my way home, I ran into a young woman who asked me, "Are you a mother?" 

H.F. Clematis Flower Teams Up With 'Mindia'

As one of the many, many purple flowers (seen here — without my other H.F. comrades — in the left portion of the image above this blog entry, an image you may recognize from Youngquist's post on nybg — New York Botanical Gardens' tumblr) that belong to the H.F. Young Clematis Family, a vine which grows in Youngquist's (your blogger) urban (NYC) garden, I am thrilled to be here today to assist in authoring this post on TLLG.

Remembering Hitchcock's Rear Window

Image Credit  for Rear Window Poster is Here

Nearly fifty-eight years ago in the month of September,  the famous Alfred Hitchcock film, Rear Window, was released. The film's movie poster can be seen at the top of today's blog entry in an image credited with Wiki. Wiki's intro to the film's plot is this, "after breaking his leg during a dangerous assignment, professional photographer L.B. "Jeff' Jefferies (James Stewart) is confined in his Greenwich Village apartment, using a wheelchair as he recuperates. His rear window looks onto a small courtyard and several other apartments. During a summer heat wave, he passes the time by watching his neighbors, who keep their windows open to stay cool . . . " 

Like "Jeff", I have a rear window in New York City, and like "Jeff", my window faces a small courtyard and several other apartments. The apartments that I face are in a high-rise building directly north of where I live, and the rear windows of that building are in close proximity to my rooftop garden, as seen in the image below which shows a partial view of my garden as it looked this past September. I have included it here to give you a perspective.

During the growing season my garden is always lush and thriving, so I rarely think about what my neighbors are doing behind their rear windows. Aside from the fact that what they are doing is not my business, I don't have the time or inclination to think about it, as my work and my gardening are extremely time consuming. Moreover, I have very poor eye-sight and would not be able to see what they are doing even if I wanted to.

"My September Baccalaureate": Journey Towards Elegant Lighting

Last week, at this very time, I was preparing for a hurricane who has ben named Hurricane Irene, which I discussed in this past Saturday's post, and in the conclusion of that entry, I reported that, in regards to Irene, I'd return to blogging with "hopefully little damage to report."

Thankfully, that was the case, as I've already indicated earlier this week. I am very grateful to God — though I don't express it nearly as much as I should. In fact, since I sleep on a foam pad — which is directly atop of my floor, I often don't kneel when I say prayers before going to sleep, although I did (as is the standard) kneel at mass yesterday, with thanksgiving that, in terms of Irene, I was unscathed; especially given the damage which Hurricane Irene did cause for many people, including those who live  on or near the Jersey Shore, a place, where I took the photograph (posted above) in late July, of a shore town's resident's garden fence with the affirmation, God Answers Knee-Mail. 

Since the place where I took this photograph is very near the ocean, I hope the folks who own the property as well as their surrounding neighbors did not sustain too much damage, but, whatever the case turned out to be, I am fairly certain they relied on their knee-mail to God to see them through the situation.

And speaking of God; are you, dear reader, familiar with the adage, If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans" ?

Well, what has happened, dear reader, is that I've recently discovered this very same  thing that happens with a muse. If you want to amuse your muse, tell him/her what you intend to write about. 

For as you may recall, dear reader, last Saturday I confessed that I had planed to write about my "journey towards elegant garden lighting", but my preparation for Irene took precedence. I did promise to return to my garden lighting epiphany today, but I admit that (because I have now been writing this entry in my head for over a week) my insights do not seem as poignant as they did last week, and I am tempted to renege on my promise; not out of an unwillingness to fulfill a task — but out of a bit of pride — that I may not sound as prolific in cyberspace as I do in my head, when it comes to the insights which I thought the new lighting system in my urban garden had taught me.

"Make New Friends, Keep the OLD; ONE is SILVER the OTHER is GOLD"

For me, and perhaps you as well, dear reader, there is nothing like nature to be reminded of the message indicated in the traditional Girl Scout song, "Make New Friends But Keep the Old; One is Silver; the Other is Gold."

If you would like to hear an instrumental rendition of this song, please click here.

Meanwhile as of today's blog entry, in my urban terrace garden my yellow roses are blooming again for the fourth time this season, and I am not complaining. The yellow roses are aways a joy to behold; and as you may recall, one of my yellow roses authored a post about itself; and told of its life experiences in my terrace garden in a blog entry this past May, which you may refer to by clicking here.