Now, not just "Yard" piddling but piddling of all kinds.
Archive for May, 2007
Sunday, May 27th, 2007
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Indians to the north of me.
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Indians to the south.
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| I am surrounded by the Hemerocallis, i.e. Daylily, and I have none to defend me. Each of my neighbors has them in bloom and I have none, but I am going to change that, this year. I am going to outdo the doers. {pause} {breathe} Am I coming across a little competitive? Well, maybe I am and although I am acting up somewhat for the blog I will tell you this, when I drive down the street, I notice. I notice who has what and I notice that I do not have the best looking yard. Not yet. However I am about to retire and there is going to be some manure slinging going on. I mean it. Literally. I have seen these old retired folks piddling in their yards as I go to work. It just aint fair. It’s cheating. Well, I’m going to cheat also. I’m going to retire and become old. Just you wait and see.
A Daylily is not a true lily but is in the lily family. It is a "clump-forming, herbaceous perennial with fibrous or somewhat tuberous roots", so says Bloomin Designs. They have a lot more to say about the plant including the following. The Daylilies range in height from 8 inches to 5 feet and do well in a wide range of soil dampness. They don’t seem to require a lot of care and may even bloom the year planted. If you plant from seeds then be prepared for a surprise as seedlings may differ from the parents. If you search the web be sure to search on the spelling "Daylilly" also. That last thought is mine; guess how I came to it.
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Posted in Yards | 1 Comment »
Sunday, May 27th, 2007
Jeanne and I have new-to-us recumbent bikes; got them last week,
and we live within a mile of the 40 mile Longleaf Trace. Nice. |
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| We headed to the trace Saturday but took a break on the USM campus on the way. Well, TWO of us needed a rest! I’m thinking to myself, “If we aren’t even to the trace and already tired … “. OK, to be fair, this was my 3rd trip and their first so let’s not be smug; also their first time on a bike in a long time. In addition we had just pushed the bikes a lot and there was some grade, i.e. hills. Pushed? Yes, I didn’t want them getting their bike legs with traffic around. In any event they acclimated quickly once we started riding. On the trace Jeanne led the way, the whole way. The photo above shows the view I had the entire time. We loved it. It was so relaxing. (And we felt good afterwards. Sleep was so welcome last night. Of course the pig-out at Barnhills with friends put the tail on the donkey.) You get the idea that we loved the Longleaf Trace, and the recumbents? Even now looking at the pictures I feel relaxed. I am really looking forward to retirement (next summer). This summer I am off and, thus, it serves as a preview. |
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| The Longleaf Trace is a wonderful ride. It is a reclaimed rail path and is very straight with gradual grades and turns. There are rest areas and small towns along the way. I hear that stopping off in Sumrall for a snowball treat is a must, and that dinner at the Country Kitchen buffet in Prentiss is highly recommended. It will be a while before we are up to the 40 mile trek from Hattiesburg to Prentiss but I look forward to it. The plan is to go up one day, spend the night, and come back the next. |
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Jeanne finds a penny,
we already felt lucky. |
We turn around just past the Interstate 59 overpass. |
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| You know how a regular bike seat hurts, a lot; and how your wrists and hands get really tired from bearing your weight; and you remember that nagging bent over position on the 10-speeds? Not on these bikes. This is our first exposure to recumbents but already we love them. We bought two, one for me and one for Jeanne. At the time kurt was not sure he wanted one and Moore’s Bikes, a local shop, only had two used ones. We went for a ride on the trace Saturday partly to help Kurt decide on a bike for himself. He rode mine and I rode an old upright. Success! Kurt decided, he wants a recumbent. I called a shop near the Jackson airport, “Ride South”, and they have some used recumbents. So we will go Thuesday when we take a friend to catch a flight to Europe. I’ll update as we learn more about recumbent biking and about the Longleaf Trace.
Post Script: At the USM gateway we met a guy that lives and works close to the trace. He travels it for just about every where he needs to go for approximately 45 miles per day, over 1,000 miles a month. He rides an upright and his main complaint was that his hands get numb and wrists get sore. He was very interested in the recumbents. |
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Posted in Hattiesburg, Yards | No Comments »
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
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What am I to do?
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| I told her I wanted a pair of flamingos which was apparently not funny. Hattiesburg is having a swan festival this year. Why have swans all over town? Why swans? I have no idea. I have never thought of relating Hattiesburg with swans. Maybe the city just didn’t want cows (as did Chicago and New York) or catfish (as with the Jackson festival). Our festival is an “appreciation of art” thingy. They are even planning a special play performance. Guess which play. Swan lake of course! Here is a little more about it. Why am I researching this? As I said, Jeanne wants a swan in the front yard. I have not yet told her that it costs $2500 to sponsor one (i.e. get one). Maybe we can find a concrete swan at a garden shop. Maybe not, ha ha. |
Saturday Photo Hunt - March 26, Colorful
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Posted in Hattiesburg, PhotoHunt, Yards | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
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“It just ain’t fair.” |
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| However, it is me that says it about my neighbor’s roses. |
Posted in Yards | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
I love this story; it makes me feel not so bad, not so old. And I love you too, Jen. I am 64 and she is 50+. Read on.
My oldest sister Jen was looking for her cell phone and couldn’t find it, so she got the idea to call from the house phone (I’v done that). So she calls, hears the ring, notices the location and hangs up. Cell phone found!
Later, on the patio, she notices that she has one missed call so she does a call back. The call goes through but just then she gets a call on the house phone so she walks back toward the house to answer it, closing the cell phone on the way. However, whoever it was didn’t wait and the house phone stopped ringing. By her count she did this 6 times before figuring it out. Thanks for sharing that sis, and you should have know I would blog it.
And Jeanne and I and Kurt really enjoyed our visit this last weekend.
Love Gary
Posted in Yards | 3 Comments »
Friday, May 18th, 2007
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Cooking pizza on a portable grill after Katrina.
Sunday, October 23, 2005, 1:14:18 PM
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Posted in PhotoHunt, Yards | 3 Comments »
Friday, May 18th, 2007
| The Century Plant (Maguey or Agave americana) lives in my neighborhood. There are at least 3 that bloom within a few blocks of my house. |
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I have no idea where the name comes from but it is not from a 100 year blooming cycle. The average life-span is about 25 years and although it "takes a while" to start blooming it then blooms "occasionally". Sounds like you can not set your watch by it.
So, I have no idea where the name comes from. Read more about the Century Plant on Wikipedia. You will read that it is harvested for a number of products including food and drink, even mezcal (after fermentation and distillation). |
Posted in Yards | 1 Comment »
Friday, May 4th, 2007
Office hours started at 12:00 and I left home at
12:01, did not speed or take any short cuts. |
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Started backing out of my drive. |
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On campus. Caught the two lights just right. |
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Parked . A little slower on campus but I break for students. |
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At the side entrance to my building. |
and in the "School of Computing" office by 12:06. Walking takes a little longer, but not much.
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