On Saturday nights my girlfriend works at Rocco’s Little Chicago, an independent and totally rad pizza joint. I’m sure you’ve been and I’m sure you loved it, because what’s not to love. Anyway, these are my treasured solo nights where I do the following things: nerd out about this blog and decide what’s coming up next, eat a lot of really crappy and ill-prepared food, such as a can of whole stewed tomatoes covered in melted cheese, and watch some less-than-superb television, namely, Parenthood. I can’t believe I’m recording that last bit in writing for the world to see, but honestly I love it. At least, I loved it until my mate came home early and caught the last half of a recent episode and pointed out some things I can no longer ignore. A – the camera is constantly panning down to the hands of the characters, I guess to emphasize how real and intense their feelings and interactions are. B – as they’re all talking over each other, they’re mostly just repeating a few key words over and over. This last episode I think it was “class,” “pants,” and “printer,” and each were featured dozens of times in a row. C – beyond the repetition, it was pointed out that the dialogue is “laboriously predictable.” Okay, I actually knew that one but it has never phased me too much.
So now my Saturday nights might be reduced to blogging and eating gross food. I might look in to adding a section to the blog about the gross food I prepare and eat. Nothing like a touch of class.
What are your secret solo activities?
Okay, on to some plant stuff!
Clockwise from top left:
Spreading Fleabane – These are lovely, petite, happy spring flowers that look great rambling amidst your other desert plants. Based on what I saw in a friend’s garden, they re-seed readily and do well on very little water. I’m definitely adding this to my wildflower mix later this year (in seed form).
Tufted Evening Primrose – Big, showy flowers like this are somewhat rare in the desert, especially outside of the cactus blooms. There are lots of different kinds of primrose, many native to the West, but this one is a real treasure. The petals look pink before they open, then turn to white, then back to light pink as they close up. Each bloom lasts one day – opening in the afternoon/evening and closing by midday – so you have to get your fill during that window.
Paperflower – This is a super tough native wildflower, found by walking around in the desert areas just adjacent to development in Tucson (and lots of other areas, I’m sure). They have wispy foliage and lemon-yellow flowers, and you can get some started in your own yard just by grabbing a few of the flower heads and waiting for them to dry out before tossing them in a basin with mulch.
Desert Bluebells – Such great color on these! Not a lot of blue to be found in the desert, so these are a real treat when they pop up. They have a pretty decent bloom time at up to a month long, and again are easy to establish by seed (just remember the nooks and crannies thing – almost no seed will get well-established on a flat/hardened/uniform surface).
Have a great Monday, ya’ll. I’m off to install 10,000 lbs of rock, hopefully in 2 days or less. Wish me luck and bodily strength.
