Saturday, June 30, 2007

Lefty, these are sooo.... 2006!

Of course I would have the trampiest of the tramps in my collection of scandalous snits. Here I have a portrait depicting the four siblings of the heathen on the right, looking disapprovingly at her in her disheveled state.

Oh, How I Wish

I would really love to learn how to paint. When I take these photos, it inspires me to want to recreate the images...I love the color gradients, the grace and elegance, the sharp contrasts, the veins, the play of sun on the petals and leaves and all the textures. I would really love to capture that with my own hands... Although the following pictures may seem redundant and boring, look closer... The blanket flower below has a center that goes from green to yellow and suddenly to red. The outside of the petals is yellow, yet the inside is nearly a pink - such a color combination is certainly unfashionable in the human world, but it works on this beauty!


These tiger lilies are georgeous. As much as I really dislike orange in many other applications once again, flora can pull it off! It is the subtlety of the change of shading... the staman are yet a darker shade of the same color. This flower, like my beautiful mother, also has freckles. The graceful curves are perfection and the texture is simply divine and mouthwatering!!!







This day lily is a little dry. Mother nature still makes beauty of it. The dryness, as opposed to the tiger lilies, has curled the edges of the petals, yet gives it almost a lacy look. The white center stripes are striking against the lovely peach that darkens as it gets toward the center which surprisingly is a shockingly bright yellow. The veins throughout the petals are a bit darker than the rest of the petal giving it a subtle striping that enhances the entire ensemble.





This flower,though not perfect is beautiful in its grace on its slender stem. I like the contrast of the focused flower against the blurred green and stark white backdrop.
I would love to learn how to paint some day. I would love to capture this all on canvas. The garden is such a living work of art. Everything is in a different stage of its life. Each embracing its own beauty. Such a crowd of color and excitement...

Oh, You Naughty Nymphs!

The red dahlia with its seductive curves and teasingly tight inner petals, just waiting to unveil!


Blanket flowers, one with a bit of a bald spot. But, isn't it beautiful?




The purple coneflower and its geometrical divinity.




The tiger lily temptresses, leaving practically nothing to the imagination!


The coy bud of the hosta, slowly making its debut...


The hydrangea being ravaged by the urgent bee...


A shyer hosta bud...




Black and white really brings out the flowing grace and perfection of the dahlia.





Bee's balm as shown earlier in my blog, is something of a comedian. This is the Phyllis Diller of flowers with its wild mop...






Baby dahlias waking...

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Crabby




Today I woke up crabby. Actually, I should have never checked my test grade at 3 a.m. That doesn't help when the alarm goes off at 5 and I have 2 days of work left. I tried to take a quick shower so I could blog a bit, but I didn't get ready in enough time. I began taking photos tonight to add to my blog, showing the progress of my garden. I think, I'll bet nobody really gives a shit.

Before I began gardening, I couldn't understand the draw. Flowers were never really a big part of my life. The thing is, once you start, you just can't stop - especially perennials.
Then, if you are into photography, flora are wonderful subjects. They have color, often shockingly so, they nearly have personality, they have texture, shades, depth. Many pictures that I have taken of my flowers look surreal. I look at the picture and wonder.






Speaking of personality...The one above is the Phyllis Diller flower - actually called Bee's Balm or Monarda. I will take pictures of this flower later to show you how the personality builds. I like the way the leaves near the bloom actually turn a dark red, too. Highlighted in just the right places.
Columbine. The name should be changed. When ever I say it, I think of the Columbine shootings. I have never seen a white one before this one.


See the surreal bloom? The colors are practically neon.





This is the same flower as the one above, only in a different stage. It is a blanket flower and comes in colors between yellow and red.

Well, I have to unwind. I am tired and venting right now would just wind me up again.

Good night!

Monday, June 11, 2007

Another Storms Passing




I interrupted my studies of DNA/RNA yesterday to take pictures of my favorite types of clouds!~ Mammatus clouds!

I enjoy these "breast" clouds for their surrealness. I associate them with tornadic weather, but apparently this is not always the case. They were constantly evolving from photo to photo.

This is the end of the huge anvil cloud teasing Sioux Falls as the storm grazed us and went to the south. What was really interesting was that I looked at the radar and it was barely moving - just building and building. (Actually for some reason yesterday it did not appear on KELO's Sioux Falls radar, so I had to look at the Huron Radar - I often do this to differentiate precip from ground clutter on the radar) Woe is us - I should have watered!

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Photos

Lacey Dew Lingering on Dahlia Leaves





Downed Branch after Wednesday's non-storm


Contrasting Ajuga and Dead Nettle



Blooming Corner Garden



Contrasting varieties of Dead Nettle. Silver variety in bloom.

Fizzled Storms and Nightmares

Oh, what a week... Work has been so busy and disappointing. My new database is live and working pretty well. Just as I am crosstraining into another function for two months... I had to train my coworker on this and with this coworker, it requires a great deal of patience. There is a bit of a language barrier and a different way of thinking. I tend to think more laterally and she more sporadically. It always throws the rest of us. The top of her desk throws us as well. Not everyone is neat, but the top of her desk is tornadic! This is also the coworker that we helped move on my birthday several years ago. They were moving from an apartment into a house and had NOTHING packed. She and her husband are both clueless in this world. Raising their children is laughable to hear about. She is confused about the school system and believes that the teachers should know her children intimately and take care of their behavior issues. She and her husband went to parenting classes awhile ago, and this made me quite happy. They weren't doing well at the time.
She is originally from Hong Kong and has had a different life than just the culture would suppose. Her husband is quite a bit older than her and sports back, neck and shoulder hair that would make java man jealous. She is an attractive girl and what attracted her to him in the first place - not to mention the implications involved with having his children - confounds us all.
Shortly after they moved into their home, he set up his computer with a cable modem for the first time. When she finally went on, she noticed that a porn-site was on his home page. He told her that it came that way. When she told us that, we clarified that, no, ISP home pages do not automatically have porn-sites.
After the doctor told her to go ahead and switch her son to regular milk instead of formula, she heeded his advice, but wouldn't let the formula go to waste. She brought it to work and drank it herself. She is also notorious for, when finding out someone is pregnant, having her first question be: are you going to breastfeed? She has been quite slow in learning these cultural nuances. But she is herself and quite a character at that!

Okay, the storms... When I went on storm-chasers' blogs last week, it was sounding quite exciting! There was snow to the west, a cold front coming in and moisture from the gulf. One of the chasers said that the set up was "insane". I was up late that night, of course, and what the heck, it fizzled just to the southwest of us. Damn! As I used to say, "We need a heavy-metal kickass storm!" A few windows rattling and sharp white lightning, with pounding loud thunder would be nice. But, the forecast seems to show that all the storms are on my class nights. Thanks! I am trying to talk my teacher into going to spotter training. He is from Lebanon and they didn't have exciting weather there at all. He said no one watched the weather because in the summer they knew it would heat up one degree each day and in the winter it would cool down one degree each day. The weather, I suppose was the least of their worries!

I experienced one heck of a night last night. The 'hood was crazy. The dogs were going apeshit! People were walking through all hours of the night loud and probaby drunk! Noises that I really didn't want to investigate! Screeching tires and honking. I think there must be a new shipment in! Between these wakeful moments I slept a most unrestful sleep. My dreams were horrid! I was dreaming of the wind that just kept blowing. My flowers were sagging in their planters and in the ground, but it didn't do any good to water them because they would just dry out again. Houses were blowing apart because of the wind. The house, although all shut up was still breezy because of the fierce wind. It just kept blowing and blowing. I also had scorpions all over the house. They were in my bed, under my bed, in the doorways and all over! They were red like lobsters, which offset the black of the huge black long-legged spiders. These were spiders that you couldn't possibly step on they were huge and their exoskeletons were so hard. I couldn't get away from it. As soon as I left a room they were in, I walked into another and they were crawling under the doors and out from the darkened corners.

Obviously my mind is busy. I think I will clean the house today and see if I can't get some studying done and maybe take a nap - just in case tonight is like last night. I really couldn't call the police and say that the neighborhood was wild - because it was all transient. I feel like I should talk to someone there and see what in the heck is going on!?! Is it a full moon? Statistically that isn't supposed to matter. Whatever it is, it is really leaving me and the dogs on edge.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

If you look really hard...

This is baby's first unaided funnel cloud sighting. No radio, no tv, no warning whatsoever that I knew of. I just used my skills from spotter training and lo and behold, I spotted a funnel cloud. Like I say, if you look really hard you can see it. It is on the bottom left side of the photo, just to the right of the rain line. It is a thin funnel cloud. After I was forced to go inside, we turned KELO on and found out that there was a funnel cloud sighted (officially) and we were under a tornado warning. What fun!

Catching up

What a week. I am simply exhausted!! But, hopefully it was fruitful.

I haven't had time to blog much on the meeting between M. Cooper, R. Sorenson and myself. They basically let me know the progress of the Mayor's Conservation plan, invited me to be on the task force committee, and asked for my input.

My input is this:

1. Provide classes:
a. home maintenance - many people purchase homes without any idea of what it will take to keep it up, or even what the ordinances are they they need to adhere to.
b. gardening - landscaping can add a lot to a home. Many people are not aware of what types of plants to use where. Tips are readily available for free by greenhouses. The problem is, these are often held at the greenhouses themselves. Another issue is that people in the suburbs have different issues than those in central Sioux Falls. Rich soil is characteristic of the central city, however things like parkway issues and shade are often problematic.
c. babysitting - several teenagers reside in the central city and have no experience taking care of younger children. These courses provide these teens with life-saving skills and a means to make the extra money.
d. community leadership - leadership is there for the taking, but how do you organize? How do you maintain interest in your cause? What resources are available?
e. finance - so many homes are in foreclosure right now. Options are available. What can the average person do to plan to purchase a home, save a home in peril, commit the resources needed for average upkeep.

2. Volunteer Activities
a. landscaping parkways - show that they are entering a neighborhood that cares. Often that is all that is needed to keep thugs away.
b. picking up garbage around the neighborhood - benefits us all! Kids can get in on this, too but with guidelines on how to handle (or not) certain types of garbage. Provide some sort of treat and/or gathering afterwards.
c. home maintenance - many elderly people live in the neighborhood and need things done that they are unable to do themselves. Some people don't have the skills to make simple repairs, or for that matter more skilled ones. With all the builders in the S.F. area, surely we could ask for a day or two here or there to help.
d. graffiti removal - this one irks me. Right now the city holds the homeowner responsible for clean up of graffiti on their property - whether they are 30 and financially stable and physically fit, or 90 on a limited income with physical impairment. This is bogus. This is a city problem, there should be other means.
e. summer activities - keep young children busy and out of trouble!
f. piano lessons - same as above, also music has been proven to improve educational ability as well.
g. acting classes - fun!
h. tutoring - the city now has many expensive tutoring businesses. Lets find some volunteers to assist with children in families of limited income!
i. peanut butter and jelly - many disadvantaged children don't get 3 meals a day. Churches and other organizations could assist by providing sandwiches at noon.
j. troubleshooting
1. lighting - have people walk through the neighborhood at night and assess lighting issues
2. crime areas - identify problem areas and take steps to change them
3. blight - same as above.

3. Community Activities
a. book clubs
b. garden clubs
c. theater
d. art classes
e. photography
f. teas
g. dog training
h. architectural walks
i. quilting
j. card playing
k. think tanks

4. Outside Involvement
a. Sanford - In the last year its been all about them, but what about the surrounding neighborhood. Will they build a fence?
b. Area colleges and high schools - people with the willingness to learn and the resources to help
c. Realtor association
d. Home Builders

That is the list that I provided at the meeting. Now I need help in getting these things started. I need a spark, or I am the spark and I need the fuel. I feel like a bad salesman in a way. I have vision and knowledge but cannot close the sale!

Friday, June 01, 2007

N. Watch Block Captains Meeting

Last night was my final (hopefully) night of meetings. The meat of the meeting consisted of the usual...N.W. night out August 7. (First Tuesday of the month, as usual). As usual, they told us where to get blockades and permits to block off the streets for the gathering. Once again, dogs barking and that now Animal Control is under the P.D. (Call 911) D. Simmons gave the gang presentation. New gang in town, clashing with the old. We now have 3 major ones. Wh. Fence is the main one. Has to do with the fact that one city back when tried to fence off the gang instead of eliminating it. Then there are the G. Disciples and the L. Kings. Native American gangs are also on the move. New gang symbols as the police get used to the old ones. Alphabetical references. Ex: 11, 12. 11=L, 12=K. 74: 7=G, 4=D. New dress code. White t-shirt and khaki pants, plus the old with the numbers referencing. Basically nothing that you can't find when looking up your favorite anti-gang website. (Excuse all the abbreviations. If I don't abbreviate, I find myself the first reference in Google searches on these topics)

I talked with the guys afterwards and learned of the strategies de jour. Apparently an officer was supposed to contact me. Excuse my conceit, but I find it laughable that of all the captains at the meeting last night, I was the only one that wasn't contacted by their neighborhood officer contact. In a way, I feel like saying, what do you want to know?

Apparently after all the problems the city has had with the camera on 10th and Minnesota, they will not be putting any cameras up in my neighborhood. I extended an open invitation for any of the officers to come sit on my porch and watch the traffic. After this statement, one of the officers pointed to the number on the board for the traffic officers, and another one said, "no, she means drug traffic". Yes, I have been here for awhile and speeding cars are the least of our worries.

I mentioned some gang signs that I have seen in pictures of Brandon kids. D. Simmons had quite a bit to say about Brandon. For one, he arrested two sons of the school board president, and more affiliated with the same. He said that Brandon is very quiet about their large drug problem. People that are the creme de la creme of their school age groups are involved. Laura keeps telling J. that Sioux Falls is dangerous...

Another thing that I learned is some of the political stuff. For example, there are some on the pd that won't take cases that are small potatoes. Others, for example the rookies trying to prove themselves, will take anything. I need to e-mail one of the officers about the traffic I am seeing. Apparently I will be able to get a private number that I can call when the traffic gets heavy.