Lighting Dilemma: Solved

More than two years ago, I wondered what to do about the lighting in the front entryway. And now I know that it is easier to convince your better half that the lighting fixture is not "antiquey looking" than it is to actually make the change.

But last weekend, we finally did it. Hence, the new light fixture in the front entryway:


I'm happy with it. Between that and the different paint color on the door, we're going to call this good enough for now. I'd still like to change out the brick-pattern linoleum to something different (slate tiles maybe?). But somehow the linoleum doesn't bother me as much with the old light gone.

Springing forward

I'm a bit concerned.

I think it's way too early for the dappled willow to leaf out. It's early March, not even one-third of the month has past. Yes, the temperature has his 70 oF for the past couple of days, but history has taught us that won't last. If I could, I would advise this little willow would be a smidge more conservative in its photosynthetic choices.

Then again, I'm not a dappled willow. What do I know?

***
We do have some very serious signs of spring here: lots of crocuses and scilla in bloom, the daffodils have flower buds on them, the chives, the daylilies, the tarragon, and the lemon balm are showing signs of life. The forsythia bush (note: the singular use. J. won't admit to it, but I think he mowed over the other bush) and the flowering quince are budding out. And I saw a tulip tree with very young blooms yester day morning.

So I caved yesterday, and started seeds in pots for transfer. I sowed twice as much coleus this year, plus marigolds, basil, morning glory, sweet peas, an ornamental grass, and catnip. Yes, catnip. Who kills catnip? I do, apparently. It died last year in August due to lack of water and attention. E. the cat is still sad about it. She sits in the spot where the catnip bush once thrived and looks mournful. And I may have to start some rosemary too. The rosemary bush looks browner than I remember last late winter, and I'm told that rosemary doesn't always winter over here.

Interlude

After a long absence from blogging, I'm back to report that our first crocus of the year has bloomed. Take that, winter.

Things have been hectic lately, but we have some projects in line for spring and summer. While I don't expect "things" to be any less hectic in the coming months, I hope to, you know, try harder and all that.

Walking in Memphis

We recently returned from Memphis, which is our second trip in less than a year. I seem to be drawn to Memphis. I don't know whether it's the "ya'lls", barbeque, and the feeling of a small but friendly city or the opportunity for professional development. Or both. This time, instead of staying in downtown, we were in the Eastern suburbs for the most the trip. We had great barbeque at Corky's and breakfast at Blue Plate Cafe.

Before we left for our return trip, we spent some time at Mud Island River Park. Mud Island is a peninsula that juts into the Mississippi River. Part of it is affluent-looking condos and the other part is an ampitheater, a museum, and retail space. Unfortunately, it looks like some of the businesses and have moved out. It might be a seasonal thing, but it looked to me like there wasn't quite as much money to be made by this venture and the upkeep is suffering. It's a shame, this could be a really nice facility.

What we like the best of the river park was the scale model of the lower Mississippi River. The model begins around Cape Girardeau, MO and ends in the Gulf of Mexico. The model reminds of a topographical map, but where the contours are vertical accurate. It's about six blocks long in total. The photo below shows one of the bends in the river. Owen is in the distance, near New Madrid, if I remember correctly.

It was a warm day, and we had a great time splashing in the water. His main goal appeared to be finding spots where he could jump accross the river.


And because Owen always challenges himself, he looked for wider, and then wider spots to jump across, until...
...ouch. He was fine, though his confidence and pride were damaged more than his knees.

A few more photos:

In this photo, the model represents Memphis. There's a map of Memphis just to the left (out of frame, but you can see the beginning of it) and the bridge on the left is I-55, which we drove out of Arkansas into Memphis. Doesn't this make you want to take out your little toycars and drive them over those bridges?

This represents the Gulf of Mexico. This is where I could the upkeep was not as good as it probably was in past years. This was filled with algae and debris, and if it weren't I'm sure that there would have been little kids playing in the water. Then again, maybe the algae and debris is intentional?

Last photo: a plaque for Dad to read.

Details

So what's been happening on the DIY front these days? Not much. But we've done a few little projects.

-Last weekend we officially called it quits on the quest for a Japanese maple. Our second try did not survive a late freeze last spring. Instead, we planted a purple leaf sand cherry.

-Over Labor Day we sanded and painted the garage. A tedious job, even with a borrowed orbital sander, but it looks much better than it did.

-We solved one of the issues that has been bugging me, which is our house numbers above the front door. The previous owners installed new flashing (and for that we say thank you) and the flashing is low and covers the house numbers. This created an interesting problem. House numbers generally come in two standard sizes: 4" and 6". The space above the door is 3".

Thus began the search for custom house numbers. The appropriately-sized choices I found fell into two categories: ugly and no way I'm paying that much for house accessories. That is, until I found Horton Brasses, Inc. Horton Brasses is a fourth-generation family-owned and operated business, specializing in brass and iron hardware reproductions. Check 'em out if you're in the market for hardware, from what I've seen, they are great products and it's not just brass. And although these house numbers were not cast by the Horton company on site (they import them), many of their products are.
And here's our new 2 3/4" brass house numbers, at a cost of $3 per number per shipping. Looks good, although the pizza delivery guy probably disagrees.

-Have a mentioned I dig found objects as art? I can take very little credit for this little project, I mostly nodded and encouraged. Uncle J. found this (oh, help, I going to mangle this) rotary cultivator disc (?). He gave it to Dad who, in a way that I lack the imagination to visualize, removed it from the axle. Dad was also tapconned the disc into the bricks outside our backdoor.
Looks nifty, I think, like a very spiky dangerous sun.

-And last, a new addition to the castle. Mom and Dad visited in August to help during my Sweden trip. One of Dad's project was to add a roof to O.'s castle. The frame for the roof was complete (the photo show the topmost beam) and the idea is to install a tarp for the roof.

But try explaining this to O., and here goes the logic: the roof of the castle creates a ceiling. What goes on a ceiling? Why a ceiling fan, of course. Lately, he's become a bit obsessed with them, and building fans of various shapes and sizes out of legos, tinker toys, sticks found in the yard, flatware, you name it. And because we are those parents who encourage these temporary fetises, of course, he had to have a fan.

Laying Low

Just a couple of quick photos from recent weekend adventures...

We took O. to his first carnival a few weekends ago. A few of the rides were his size. He had a great time, but rode them very, very seriously.

That same weekend, there was hot air balloon festival nearby. We attended the balloon glow, which is what the balloons look like when the pilot creates flares at night. None of my night shots turned out, but one of the dusky shots was okay.

They also had margaritas.
And last, the extent of the tree damage from hurricane Ike. We really lucked out with a mid-sized pile of branches and power out for only 3-4 hours. Several of our neighbors were not so lucky with major damage to their trees. I can still find power poles that are snapped in two.


O. was excellent help with the yard clean up. We decided that we were making a treenest for him, and then he was happy to pick up branches.

Sweden: skol!

Well, this post took a bit longer than I expected. I traveled to Sweden a few weeks ago for a workshop. I came back two days before classes began, and then had a grant to write, and then, and then, and you get the idea. I had wanted to write something in the same scope as the Finland trip last year, but even though I had a great time, and in many ways, I enjoyed this trip more than the Finland trip, I feel less inspired to write about this trip. So, I'm hitting "publish post" as-is.

I was able to spend two days in Stockholm before heading out to a field station for the workshop. Most of the photos are from Stockholm, because I didn't take many at the field station.

Stockholm is situated on an archipelago that bridges Lake Malaren and the Baltic Sea. Every where you turn, there is another island surrounded by dramatic cliffs and sparkling water. They tell the tourists that no fishing license is required, and that the water is clean enough that you could live off the fish you caught in the city.

An example of one of the little islands, with a government building on it.


Day one consisted of arriving in Stockholm at 8 AM local time (1 AM my time). We (I convinced a friend from grad school to make this trip with me) couldn't check into the hotel, so we did a boat tour in the morning. It was a great way to start the trip, because it's a quick orientation to Stockholm and you don't they don't mind if you fall asleep on the boat! That night, we ate tapas and crashed.

The next day, after the jetlag had been addressed, we went to Gamla Stan, which translates to "Old Town." We visited the Stockholm Castle. We saw the changing of the guard (well, I *heard* the changing of the guard) and the crown jewels. Next, we hit the Nobel Museum which was fascinating, but no pictures were allowed.

A star within a star at Stockholm Castle.

Gamla Stan is a very touristy portion of Stockholm, but a good way to introduce yourself to the city if you've never been. I also did some shopping, ate lunch (meatballs with lignonberries).
Here's a square on Gamla Stan. The Nobel Museum is just to right, out of frame.

The Royal Church on Riddarholmen. Generations of Swedish royalty are buried here.

The train station. Great public transit in Sweden.

A plaza on Riddarholmen, where I had a cup of tea. The building across the water is the Stockholm's city hall (Stadshuset).

An alley I liked on Riddarholmen.

It's not every day that I sit in an outdoor cafe in Stockholm, drinking a Coke costing 35 SEK (~$5.50). So, I photographed it.

I stayed at the Nordic Sea Hotel which houses the Absolute Icebar. The Absolute Icebar is essentially a refrigerated room with walls, seats, and bar of carved iced. Even the cocktail glasses are made of ice. You're given heavy coats at the front door and you're only allowed 45 minutes in the bar. I stayed long enough to drink lignonberry-vanilla vodka cocktail and take a few photos.

What can I say? It was cool.

After two days in Stockholm, I took a bus to the workshop, which was held at Tovetorp Research Station. The station supports many zoological research projects.

Some phlox (?) in the front of one of the research buildings. The red colored building is common in the farming areas.

Sven, who is the director at the research station. Sven knows more about sperm competition than anyone I've every met before.

Me with a fallow (tame) deer.

The Little Plants that Could

I think the plants that I admire the most are the ones that seem to defy the odds. Sometimes I have begrudging admiration for even pesky plants that manage to trudge along and find their way despite of less-that-perfect circumstances.

For example, I planted three caladium bulbs under the giant bonsai tree this spring. And I watered and waited. And nothing happened. I figured they were goners, and filed them in the "plants that don't survive in my yard" box and forgot about them.

Then, in mid-July, I saw a spike of growth coming out of the ground. A few days later, this emerged:
One of the other caladium bulbs managed too:

Surprise Lilies; the name says it all. They produce thick foliage in the spring and then appear to die back. Then, in August, just when you think they're goners, they bloom beautifully. I fall for it every time. They even smell nice, too.

I started these coleus from seed this spring. They are now taller than O. This is the first time I've found a good spot for coleus, because they seem happy in a spot with lots of morning and early afternoon sun but protection from the late-day heat. This finding has inspired me to fill out this flower bed more, and I hope to try some additional varieties of coleus next year.

I planted the barberry below last fall to replace the thuja that died last summer. This barberry is supposed to about 5 feet tall and doesn't branch out much, which is why I thought it was appropriate for this spot. Unfortunately, this spot is just off the patio in the backyard, where O. like to play, and he tends to run right through this spot, crushing tiny shrubs in his path. We placed the fence you see in the photo around the barberry last fall, but O. insisted that it was a great thing to make shapes with. We gave him his own fence, saying that one fence was for him and one was for the barberry, but the urge to create hexagons was too great, and he ripped the second fence out of the ground as soon as we weren't looking.

Winter came, I thought this would be help; less time outside for O. which would give the barberry a fighting chance. But the ice storm of 2008 proved, once again, too tempting for O., and before I could scream "NOOOOOO!" he snapped the little barberry off at its base. He liked to like the sound of the ice breaking off the branches and clinking on the ice-covered snow. I can't say I blame him for that, but the bad news was that by spring, the barberry was down to a one inch stub above the ground.


And look at it now: the tallest spike is ten inches at least, and still going. O. is doing a better job of staying away from it, too.

And in other news, yesterday O. decided that he was a baby bird. A grey and blue jay, in fact, as noted in his choice of t-shirt and wash cloths. He flapped around the yard, hopped on rocks, and slept in his nest (the castle) most of yesterday morning. J. and I convinced him to do his best fledgling blue jay imitation:
A decent imitation in my opinion.

The Front Door

I finished painting the inside and outside of the front door this weekend. We chose Valspar exterior latex paint, "Betsy's Linen" for color, with a satin finish. Truth be told, I don't think I matched the whites quite right. The new color looks more creamy in comparison to the white in the trim and the white in the storm door on the outside. But the color is a better match on the inside, where the trim is a bit creamy in color.
Another project, mostly finished. A few details remain. We'd like to replace the numbers above the door with ones that actually fit the space (I need to order some non-standardized sized numbers, the space is only 3" high). And someday, we'd like to replace the hardware, but since that's a minor aesthetic issue, we'll hold off until we're ready to re-key a couple of other doors. On the inside, where the door leads to the foyer, I'd still like to replace the overhead light and the linoleum (that fake red brick pattern isn't my favorite). Then maybe add a side table to add a little storage-and-bric-brac space and a lamp for more light. The trick will be to find one that's narrow enough for the entry way. Or maybe not, maybe it's better as is.

By the way, this painting project represents the last of the interesting color choices made by the previous owners. (The door, prior to painting, was an off-lime green, which can be seen here and here. ) It took two years and too many gallons of paint to mention to come to this point, but having the walls and doors colors we chose, for better or worse, makes it seem like home, finally.

In other news, potty training is occurring in the house. I'll spare you the details, but it's safe to say that we now need to find other uses for diapers. Enter Princess Diaper Head:

Morning in the Backyard

For the past few days, I've traipsed around the backyard still wet with morning dew, plastic cup of suds in hand. It's not like it sounds: the beetle last week was not a loner, and we have an problem. The beetles have completely defoliated the roses in the bed next to the road, and now they're starting on the crepe myrtle, the knockout roses by the barbeque, and the big elm tree. The elm may be a problem. It's loosing leaves quickly, like it's autumn, even. All we can do is hope that the beetle's life cycle ends soon and that our poor elm tree that we rely on for shade has a chance to recover.

But I can do something about the roses and the crepe myrtle. Each morning I greet the beetles with a nice warm cup of dish soap (a bath for the beetles, I tell O.). The beetles are more lethargic in the morning, less likely to fly away, and I can shake them into the cup. They drown, and dispose of them in the garbage (interesting note, you shouldn't squish them; they release a pheromone that attracts more beetles).

This morning I was out giving the beetles their death bath, when I spied this little guy, peering at me over a rose.

A side view. Some sort of wasp or hornet. Here's to hoping that it likes to dine on beetles, I could use a little help.This morning I also spied what I think is a juvenile blue jay. It was being stalked by our neighbor's cat when I heard the "EEPS" of a bird who was not happy. I think it is pre-fledgling or near-fledging, because wasn't trying to fly away, but a sturdy hopper.

I stayed back, but it followed me, vocalizing "EEEP!" constantly. I suspect that it's looking for its parent, like a certain kid I know trying to find me. "EEEP!" must be blue jay for "Mom?"

"MOM?!?""MOOOOOMMMM!!!"

Summer Hibernation

We had the first heat index above 100 oF yesterday, which means that summer hibernation has begun. Define summer hibernation? It's that time of year when you minimize the amount of time spent outside due to high heat. I personally tend to revert back to winter-type activities, but with a summer twist. For example, I've been filling the fridge with various "fruits of the summer" preserves:

In the photo above, a couple bags of corn, peachsauce (just like applesauce, but with peaches, great on pancakes), and basil pesto. The corn, peaches, and the basil are locally grown, and some the basil was from my own herb garden. I hope to do another batch of the pesto this weekend; you can't have too much pesto in my opinion.

The blackberries have been outstanding lately:

They're huge! One might think they were overcompensating for something.

And last, a photo of a bumblebee about ready to land on my lavender.

Ready for Storms

Our number 3 project in the queue is finally complete. Well, mostly complete. More on that in a minute.


J. and my father-in-law installed a Larson Classic Elegance 36"storm door in white with brass trim. It features a full-size removeable screen, which we can replace with full glass in the winter. Whether or not we'll actually swap them remains to be seen. We tried the swap once before the door was installed, and it's definitely a short straw job.

We still have a few things to complete. The doorbell doesn't sit correctly with the frame of the new door, so we'll replace that. There's some trim pieces to snap into place and the door closer too install too. And the strike plate for the lock will be installed, too, but we're waiting on a replacement for the "latch side Z-bar", which is the thing that you mount to the door frame so that the door will latch shut. At the moment, the holes for the latch don't line up with the latch on the door. I suspect that J. and his dad made a nonreversable error in cutting that piece from their sheepish behavior, but we're allowing the smokescreen of "I think the company sent us the wrong piece." And I still need to paint the front door white to match the storm door. After that, we'll call it good.

And that makes, oh, four months between purchase of door and (near) complete installation? New rule: thou shalt not purchase renovation supplies without solid plan for installation.

...
Meanwhile, on the other storm (the sliding door that leads to the back yard), we appear to have a little interspecies buggy lovin'.



It's also possible that this little beetle crawled up there thinking it was meeting its maker, the Great Big Bug in the Sky, because it died shortly afterwards.

I wouldn't feel too sorry for it, though. Its friends are busy skeletalizing the cannas.