A Patient Craftsman Creating Exceptional Landscapes
Plants amaze me.
I spend a lot of time and effort making the best possible environment for my landscapes. Then, I’ll be walking through the woods and see a tree growing out of a boulder.
You almost have to go out of your way to kill a plant.
These onions growing in my kitchen are a great example of a plants wish to live.
This morning as I waited for the school bus I noticed my daffodils emerging. It’s been a mild fall and they’re just poking through the soil.
Plants set bud in the fall so they’re ready to go when the warm weather arrives.
Don’t think your plants are the only thing growing in the garden. There’s a class of weeds called winter annuals that germinate in the fall. Now is a great time to pull them.
If the weather stays mild take advantage and do some weeding. It’ll make a huge difference in the spring.
I’m not a houseplant expert but sometimes I get lucky. 🙂
This week my office has been lit up by my Christmas Cactus. I wish I could take all the credit for these beautiful flowers. I have to give credit where it’s due.
Thanks Mother Nature.
After reading about Christmas Cactus I learned I have a Thanksgiving Cactus. You can tell by the pointed lobes on the ‘leaves’ and the early bloom.
Last Monday, November 16th I was cutting back perennials in Trumbull, Connecticut in USDA Hardiness Zone 6b. I noticed a couple of beautiful late season blooming flowers.
We’ve already had several hard frosts. Most of the leaves have fallen off the trees and been cleaned up.
I first noticed a grouping of Honorine Jobert Windflower (Anemone × hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’) flowers glistening in a sunbeam.
A little farther away a Fairy Rose (Rosa ‘The Fairy) was strutting its stuff.
Here’s a picture from a distance.
I admit late season blooming flowers don’t compare to mid-summer. In the cold and gloomy days of late fall I’ll take whatever I can get.
Adobe Audition is a program that mixes and enhances sound tracks. I’m hoping to take my videos to the next level with it.
Today is the second day I’ve tried to learn Adobe Audition.
As a non tech person I find Adobe products very frustrating. You must do things a certain way or you won’t get the results you want. Details that make a project shine are hidden beneath endless twirl down menus.
If you learn Adobe Products, especially keyboard shortcuts, you can create amazing things. The juice is worth the squeeze.
But this post isn’t about Adobe Products.
I went for a walk with Theo this afternoon to get away from Audition (See step 2 below). While walking I thought about my process of learning new things.
For me it looks something like this.
The first day is a throw away day. I’m happy to get equipment to the job and start work.
By the end of the day my mind is formulating a plan for the project. Every job has a unique set of challenges.
By the next morning I have a mental picture of how to complete the job and how long it should take.
The pre-job jitters are gone and I methodically create a beautiful home. I’ve re-adjusted my timeline to match the job. Work continues until job completion.
I’ve got to get back to Audition.
I stepped out of my truck today and viewed gorgeous blue holly (Ilex x meserveae sp.) and bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) growing in a tangled mess.
If you live in a cave you should know that bittersweet is invasive in Connecticut and against the law to plant. You’ll often see it growing along the side of the road.
Here’s a picture with the bittersweet in focus
This is what the beautiful mess looks like
Over time the bittersweet will block light to the holly and wrap around it’s branches strangling it.
Bittersweet and holly do look great together in the fall.
Sugar the cat (15 lb, 15 yrs) and Theo the Great Pyrenees puppy (90 lb, 1 yr) enjoying the warmth of a morning fire.
I just returned from an evening walk with Theo and my forehead burns from a fresh scratch.
Theo walked around a tree four feet from the road. As I went around the back a branch caught me 3 inches above the eyes.
I did have a flashlight. I was looking at the ground for footing and suddenly smack!
This is a great example of why it’s so important to prune lawn trees above people’s heads. Assume folks will be walking in the dark and can’t see where they’re going.
People driving down the street or your driveway also appreciate not having their cars scratched.
A final friendly tip. Don’t leave stubs on a tree, especially at eye height, where someone can lose an eye.
Today I went to the barber to get my hair cut.
Who a barber is has changed for me through the years.
When I was a kid a barber was an Italian man who cut hair and talked about the old country. I started visiting my children’s stylist out of convenience since they were born.
I’ve gone to the local Great Clips for my last few hair cuts. The best I can tell they are a hair styling chain that either trains stylists or hires stylists just out of hair styling school.
I go to Great Clips because I can walk in any weekday and get what’s left of my hair cut in 10-15 minutes. I like the convenience getting my hair cut when the mood hits me.
Today my stylist was a girl with black hair with a purple-pinkish tint. The tint in her hair wasn’t the most striking thing about her.
She was exuding nervous energy.
How could I tell?
First, the station she used was the third from the front. The stylists usually use the station closest to the front door. She sought privacy to focus on her work.
Next, when she grabbed her electric shears the cord got caught in her apron. It was like Christmas lights wound too tightly the year before. She nervously struggled to free the cord through her embarrassment.
I did my best to stay calm and NOT mention how nervous she was.
The worst thing you can do when someone is nervous is tell them they look nervous. Say something positive or say nothing.
I’ve been nervous enough times to know that.
I offered, insisted, on untangling the cord to her shears. I knew she’d feel awkward. I might make her more nervous. I took the risk.
By untangling the cord she’d know how to take care of it next time. She’d be more prepared. More confident.
She commented, “That’s why I’m a stylist.” As she watched me untangle the cord.
The girl began cutting my hair with forced movements. I could feel her fighting her nerves. She pushed her shears against my head with more force than any barber or stylist had before.
Some may wonder why I didn’t get up and walk out. Why I didn’t ask for a different stylist. Why I’m not writing a nasty letter to Great Clips asking for a refund.
The reason may shock you.
Nervous people care about what they’re doing. Nervous people want to do a good job.
My stylist has some work to go to master her trade. Her nervous energy tells me she’s got the perseverance. She will learn and master her trade.
Think about people who fake it till they make it. Contrast a nervous attitude to over-confidence or arrogance.
Thanks for the great clip!