Sunday, August 17, 2008

Gold and Glory

It's a good thing I gave you a one day break from the morning glories, because they sure figure prominantly today. But look at these colors and decide if you can blame me.

Once again, I am running a day behind and these are photos from Saturday morning's garden.

We had a late-night party at work (I expect that often sounds more fun than it is, though this was not an unpleasant evening by most accounts), so I didn't actually get out of there until well past midnight...and then stopped in briefly at a friend's house party, so my arrival at home was rather late and I really wasn't up for posting at that particular hour.

I didn't even get to watch much in the way of Olympic coverage yesterday, though I was finished with my shift in time to catch the medals ceremony for the US Swim Team, including wonder-aquaman Michael Phelps, who earned his eighth gold for these games, breaking Marc Spitz' old record of seven at the Munich Games in 1972.

(thanks to Afod for IMing me in the office as the shift wound down to let me know of Phelps' latest victory!)

Is it strange that I remember that? I think '72 was the first time I watched the Olympics. I'd have been seven years old at the time. Of course, those games were marred by awful things, so perhaps that burned it in my young memory, as well. But I remember Mark Spitz' poolside moments, too.

In an interesting bit of foreshadowing of Phelps' Olympic glory perhaps (because it's always easy to see the foreshadowing the next day), one of the sulphur cosmos plants - which had previously only been producing blooms in electric orange - began blooming in yellow...or maybe we should say, gold.


The garden is a wild patch of chaos still. No amount of deadheading will change that, though at least I can keep the blooming going.

Any serious attempts to weed things out at this point would probably leave big patches of emptiness and cause instability for the plants that would remain, as everything has grown together into something larger than themselves.

Which is fine by me: between work and life there's plenty to keep me occupied away from the business of obsessive garden tending. I'm afraid every August finds me leaving it to its own devices to some extent.


I have now harvested the first couple of Early Girl tomatoes, since they had finally come on with some nice color. I haven't tasted them yet, though, so I'll have to wait to give you the remainder of my review of them...and we'll see if mine are any tastier than other garden bloggers' reports.

Finally, I'll deflect your attention away from the garden for a moment, to show off my African violet, which is merrily blooming its little head off by my bedroom window.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

14 comments:

Marc said...

Love, love, love those African violets and the morning glories are lovely. I hope the Early Girls are good! We just had BLTs today with the one of the Brandywine and one of the Big Beef tomatoes from my garden. I should have taken pics but didn't...oh, well. But they were delicious!

Have a lovely rest of the weekend!

lostlandscape said...

Woohoo! Early Girl tomatoes! (In August?--Good you didn't go for a full-season variety!) Although I generally haven't found mine of this variety to be the best-tasting, some fruits actually have been pretty good, and all have been better than what you'd get in the store.

And that August thing of letting the garden do its own thing...I'm starting to feel that too. Even the nurseries look a little scrappy around here. Too late for spring planting and too early for the fall.

Time to just sit back an enjoy things?

Joie Mayfield said...

Much like you remember the Munich '72 games, I remember the Seoul '88 games. I was 7. Then, thinking the international harmony still existed on TV like in the 'Limpiks (like I called and spelled it), I remember seeing Tiananmen Square, and the devastation there. It's funny what and why we remember it. :)

I love your blog. I'll be adding a link to you on my blog.

Jess said...

I vaguely remember (I was 6 years old) that being an Olympic year of horrible contrasts, particularly in a Jewish family. The horror, of course, came from the massacre (not that one needed to be Jewish to be horrified!). The contrast was seeing a Jewish athlete (Mr. Spitz) winning all those medals. While there have been other successful Jewish athletes, athletic endeavors aren't something for which we're usually revered!

So Mr. Phelps has now taken the record. So be it. He seems like a decent kid (not that being a prick would disqualify him). By the way, did you know that his father is Fred Phelps? Okay, not that Fred Phelps, but there's a name I wouldn't want these days!

Java said...

You have flowers blooming all over the place. Such beauty. Bless you dear

Greg said...

Hey Marc, glad to hear those Earthboxes are producing for you! Those sandwiches sound great. My first EG was pretty tasty...certainly - as James said - better than the store offers!

James, definitely time to sit back and enjoy the show, as the cosmos get ready to take the stage! (Oh, and you should try to find some basket chairs!)

Oh, Joie, you were seven for Seoul? Way to make me feel old (well, nice try, anyway-I still don't)...I was 24 and seriously crushing on Greg Louganis by then! Welcome to the garden.

Jess, despite that other (Rev) Phelps and his crazy family, the name "Fred" is still a classic - just think Astaire, MacMurray, Mertz or my grandpa!!

Java, with luck there's flowers in any direction!! : )

The Hunky Gardener said...

At the greenhouse I can get the African Violets to grow well but in my house I don't have good luck with them. Maybe I will try them under my grow lights in my winter garden this year. Yep you have inspired me to give it a try! Speaking of winter garden I better order my seeds soon..

Joie Mayfield said...

Greg, I was about to turn eight. ;)

Gill said...

Slice those tomatoes, then slice me some cheddar, then put lots of black pepper, and pile it all ontop of a toasted bagel.

There. Now doesn't that sound good?
xoxo

Greg said...

HunkyG, glad I've inspired you! Can't wait to see how it works out--remember not to get the leaves wet. That seems to be the key. This one's in a southern exposure window, but I've had luck in any bright locale.

Joie, thanks--feel much better now.

Gill, that sounds tastu...I think I'll have to make two and join you!

Greg said...

Tasty, that is.

Anonymous said...

Great capture of those African Violets. I could go with the gold color rather than the yellow in observance of the Olympics. I actually felt VERY, VERY guilty IMing you and telling you as if I spoiled the surprise of who won. Just like telling somebody how a movie ends. It was right after I hit that ENTER key that I thwapped myself right upside the head.

Anonymous said...

I was so pleased to hear that you basically abandon your garden in August. I am the same way...except for water (I'm in the desert) but this year we've had rain every few days...little watering. So rare that happens. I love the photo of the black-eyed susans and morning glories. That color combination is luscious.

Also your African violet is elegant and so profuse. I have to start growing them again. I've missed them for a few years now. Used to have windowsills lined with them in Maine. My living room is like a mini rainforest. Plants sitting in every bit of light. :) Some I've had for years and years. Like old friends. :)

Jess said...

Greg, I wasn't talking about being named Fred. Nothing wrong with that! I was talking about being named Fred Phelps! It's the full name that's not a good thing!