Saturday, August 30, 2008

Sedums, lavendars and sages


Oh, how I love the hardy, sturdy survival-type perennials - sedums, lavendars and sages. Over the last 12 years I've accumulated a large assortment for a rocky slope that substitutes for a "lawn" in front of my house. That first trip to the garden center, I was entranced by a plant with thick, hardy leaves that reminded me of a cactus but wasn't, really. A common "Autumn Joy," I was delighted to see it turn pink in fall and attract so many butterflies and bees.

As winter thrashed our New England home, and plows drove up and down the street, I'd shiver inside and sometimes think "those plants outside surely cannot survive this." But in spring there were little circular arrangements peeping up out of the soil, and the sedums grew back even more vigorously! I've since then collected numerous varieties including Matrona, the royal Queen of Sedums, and various creepers and stonecrops. I can't go to a plant show without stopping near anything of the succulent family. And what can go better with them than fragrant lavendars and sages, especially Russian sage and Salvia. This photo is some trimmings of a strawberry flowered stonecrop sedum, some English Munstead lavendar prunings, and a branch of late season purple basil gone to flower. It looks like a wedding bouquet!

Sedums are also "green" plantings - they are wonderful in xeriscapes and can survive without the need of constant watering throughout the season.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Mushrooms at Mashantucket


Today's experiment will be adding a slide show from Flickr.com. I took a walk with my lunch buddies Nancy and Deb on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation where we work. We've been noticing abundant varieties of mushrooms and fungi in stunning varieties of color, shape, size and habit. The fungiscape changes on a daily basis! Nancy tells us that the picture mushroom at left is called an "Indian Pipe."
Today was a great sunny day to combine our exercise with some mushroom hunting. But beware! Unless you are an expert, never eat a wild mushroom. Some are very poisonous.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Farewell to a wonderful Yoga Teacher and Hello to my first Headstand!



Thursday night at Blissworks Yoga of New London, was a night of sadness and light. Sadness because the most wonderful vinyasa teacher, Constance Kendros, taught her last Thursday evening class. Light, because Constance assisted my 50 year old bod into its first supported headstand! I have some physical limitations but don't let them limit my mental approach to vinyasa. Instead, I modify and work around poses that are outside my scope. Often my modus operandi is to do the preliminary pose and then marinate in it, relishing the benefits of those baby steps while the class does the grown-up versions of asana such as headstand and crow.

Whenever the teacher announced the next asana was headstand, my baby steps version consisted of:

~ accepting myself as I am
~ measuring out the arm distance and placing my head between the triangle forearms
~ assuming Dolphin pose
~ walking the feet in as far as possible and relishing the deep spinal and side body stretches
~ getting used to feeling the top of my skull on the mat and the pressure on it

Recently the thought flashed in my mind while doing Baby Headstand - "I think I can do this." I wrote to Constance after learning she was leaving, and told her! Well lsat night she compared our final Thursday vinyasa flow to our own Olympics, and encouraged us to really push, to go for the gold in our last lap. And for headstand she saw me pull my mat to the wall and said "You wrote me that you are ready!" And with her coaxing and help holding one foot to the wall, up I went! TWICE! Bent knees the first time and straight the second.

It feels WONDERFUL to be upside down. I'm still high, 24 hours later. Thank you, Constance, for turning my world upside down - best wishes in your new career and I hope to see you on the mat at Bliss.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - camera shy!

At various points this day I've attempted to capture images of this lovely visitor to my butterfly bush. He seems to know when I peek around the corner with camera in hand, for he will delicately rise from his feast and float over the stockade fence, lighter than light itself. Yet when I amble toward him without a camera, he stretches his wings and combs through the buddlaea buds, drinking minute drops of nectar. First photo is a fleeting image of Mr. Eastern Tiger with his swallowtail wings folded, sipping from my butterfly bush. The second photo, for identification, is courtesy www.botany.wisc.edu/spalding/naturephotos and actually depicts a female Eastern Tiger.

At one point I was out there trimming back plants and Mr. Eastern was prostrated, resting on the bush as two brilliant orange monarchs feasted beside him.