T he author, borne in Salto, Uruguay, in 1878, had some personality trends, close, familiar to your favorite bloguer. However, the reason to suggest this book is that Quiroga, like Edgar Allan Poe were masters of the short story, my favorite kind of reading.
I encountered Horacio, half a life ago, while in college. Besides gardening, the whole court, reading in English or Spanish have made life bearable and worth while.
Horacio Quiroga's, 'Anaconda', Editorial Losada, Buenos Aires, deals with nature, flora, fauna and men. Let the record show that our 'Anaconda' has nothing to do with that Hollywood trash film with similar tittle.
It tells the story from the perspective, focus, of two different types of snakes, those with venom and the others. Their relation with animals, horses, dogs and men.
The structure, interaction of its elements, dialogues, setting, atmosphere, moods,
weather conditions, plot, climax and epilogue are really out of the ordinary, at least from my experience of five decades as a reader.
At sixty, it is hard to find captivating stories, particularly one so pertinent and related to the environment, without becoming a treatise or documentary.
Everything one needs to know about snakes; hunting, aesthetics, colors, form, botanical names, habits, dislike for each other, perception of men, and their environmental surroundings, is provided in 'Anaconda' from their 'own' view, with botanical, geographical accuracy, but with literary rigor, never a documentary or paper.
In brief 'Anaconda' (over 70 years old) and others from Horacio Quiroga, deserve some attention today, considering the narrative and dialogue vitality irreversible damage to the environment, flora and fauna, water, soil, air in the whole wild world.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
ORCHARD REPORT
A s time goes by, my conviction, is not that I am better than the populace, but I certainly move at another step, other orbits, never complacent, always skeptical and searching with new eyes.
It becomes more firm, titanium like. I find amazing the lack of criterion in general. It does not matter if it is gardening or architecture or hot sauce.
Everyjuan seems to be expecting some other juan do the biting and the chewing, if you get me drift. Well, not around here.
The Carica papayas shown, the one with
fruits, lives next door, the other in me yard. Ten feet apart. Both offspring from the first tree, RIP, featured here a year ago. That pioneer had 17 papayas mostly used in fruit salad, some were given away.
The Passiflora edulis, in 2010, had approximately 80, shared with Rengui and Nydia, garden fans and collaborators. It is on her last ones, but still beautiful, providing shade, nectar mostly for hummingbirds and beetles.
Manihot esculenta, this legendary tuber will not be allowed to grow twenty five feet as the previous one. The original cut stems were a present from Crispin, who unfortunately did not pass the test of time, as most people around here.
Capsicum florescens. Aji picante, This healthy, productive plant is one out of two, growing along this grafted Citrus aurantifolia. Them aji seeds were a present from Rengui. Your humble servant is drying some pods for seeds. They are really hot, not for timid taste buds, going on the second crop in 3 months.
A relative capsicum, also featured a while ago, round in shape and somewhat sweet, used to grow in one of the gardens. Not planted again for the pain in the ars white flies. I had to spray me secret insecticide formula every other day. Too much time, energy and effort,
for little. However, since this variety is doing so well along the Citrus aurantifolia, it may explain the absence of the pest, at least, that is all I need to know.
Beans. Again Rengui, is the culprit. I am not so fond of their taste, so I planted them, next door, the abandoned house. One note for the cautious. This vine and leaves will cause irritating discomfort in thy skin.
Be careful. I got rid of it. It tends to grow too thick, creating aesthetic problems.
Malpighia glabra. Planted a 12 months ago, will provide with some fruit in a couple of years. It is one of those rare fruit trees that not many people have in their yards. It has some architectural beauty, not requiring much space or maintenance. A definite conversation piece for the knowledgeable.
It becomes more firm, titanium like. I find amazing the lack of criterion in general. It does not matter if it is gardening or architecture or hot sauce.
Everyjuan seems to be expecting some other juan do the biting and the chewing, if you get me drift. Well, not around here.
The Carica papayas shown, the one with
fruits, lives next door, the other in me yard. Ten feet apart. Both offspring from the first tree, RIP, featured here a year ago. That pioneer had 17 papayas mostly used in fruit salad, some were given away.
The Passiflora edulis, in 2010, had approximately 80, shared with Rengui and Nydia, garden fans and collaborators. It is on her last ones, but still beautiful, providing shade, nectar mostly for hummingbirds and beetles.
Manihot esculenta, this legendary tuber will not be allowed to grow twenty five feet as the previous one. The original cut stems were a present from Crispin, who unfortunately did not pass the test of time, as most people around here.
Capsicum florescens. Aji picante, This healthy, productive plant is one out of two, growing along this grafted Citrus aurantifolia. Them aji seeds were a present from Rengui. Your humble servant is drying some pods for seeds. They are really hot, not for timid taste buds, going on the second crop in 3 months.
A relative capsicum, also featured a while ago, round in shape and somewhat sweet, used to grow in one of the gardens. Not planted again for the pain in the ars white flies. I had to spray me secret insecticide formula every other day. Too much time, energy and effort,
for little. However, since this variety is doing so well along the Citrus aurantifolia, it may explain the absence of the pest, at least, that is all I need to know.
Beans. Again Rengui, is the culprit. I am not so fond of their taste, so I planted them, next door, the abandoned house. One note for the cautious. This vine and leaves will cause irritating discomfort in thy skin.
Be careful. I got rid of it. It tends to grow too thick, creating aesthetic problems.
Malpighia glabra. Planted a 12 months ago, will provide with some fruit in a couple of years. It is one of those rare fruit trees that not many people have in their yards. It has some architectural beauty, not requiring much space or maintenance. A definite conversation piece for the knowledgeable.
that is that
EDITORS NOTE
Orchard as in a stretched fashion,
Ok?
EDITORS NOTE
Orchard as in a stretched fashion,
Ok?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
PABLO MARCANO GARCIA THE PAINTER OR THE SELECTIVE MEMORY SYNDROME
I do not know about you reader, dear or not, but my innate anger, like a geyser, tends to expand in situations violating any logical explanation, in terms of human interaction or neurological diseases, If I may.
Check this out. ONE know this black fellow since high school, (Gautier Benitez High) between 1966-69, when he, our painter hero, was a popular, successful negro track and field star from Gurabo City, a town next door. Luis Aguilu, RIP, was also a lighter skin track and field club member from those years.
We all went to the same college. Cayey City UPR, campus. Pablo had a nice looking sister, Luz Delia, for whom I called to find out if she she was dead or alive today. But I will get to that later.
Since the lord work in dark and mysterious ways, Pablo Marcano Garcia, went to Mexico, got a Masters and returned to the concrete/asphalt isle.
I am writing about the 70's, you remember: Vietnam, Nixon, Chile, and Pablo our hero, painter, kidnapped with other fools, the consul from that long, excellent wine producer, south American country, for some political issues that evade me memory, the subject of this post.
Well, what would you know? Pablo Marcano Garcia, found guilty as charged, went to a nice, cozy federal prison in Ottisville, New York, for five years or so.
Meanwhile the most humble, productive, original blogger in his neck of the woods, was doing time in Northampton, MA, where I herd the news of Pablo's darkie painter from Gurabo City, doing time in Ottisville.
I had at the time some black and white pictures, taken in 1969, our last high school field day. I, a lousy basketball player, does not show in them photos, but Luis Aguilu, Miguel Lozada and others, did.
I found the prison address for Pablo Marcano, sending him a letter with the pictures, wishing him the best, while I was self exiled in Northampton, as stated before.
Pablo, the scum bag answered the first letter out of duty. Meanwhile, learning to draw/paint from one of our greatest artists, Carlos Irizarry, a weirdo, also imprisoned in the same federal golden cage. This guy would paint huge portraits of Marx and Engels, real works of art, but
who would hang them in their living room or hotel lobby?
To make the so fun and different, short story amusing, let the record show that when I call Pablo, the darkie painter today and asked about 'tu hermana que esta/estaba bien buena', the moder sucker, Celso Barbosa look alike, stated that he did/could not understand/refer to his female relatives as I was. CABRON.
But as my readers may infer, know I was a serious student of linguistics, not the academic kind, but the curious...When I changed the utterance to: Well, what about your cute, handsome sister..Then the expensive, darkie, with nice signature paintings uttered the most stupid cliche: She is surviving. CABRON!
Check this out. ONE know this black fellow since high school, (Gautier Benitez High) between 1966-69, when he, our painter hero, was a popular, successful negro track and field star from Gurabo City, a town next door. Luis Aguilu, RIP, was also a lighter skin track and field club member from those years.
We all went to the same college. Cayey City UPR, campus. Pablo had a nice looking sister, Luz Delia, for whom I called to find out if she she was dead or alive today. But I will get to that later.
Since the lord work in dark and mysterious ways, Pablo Marcano Garcia, went to Mexico, got a Masters and returned to the concrete/asphalt isle.
I am writing about the 70's, you remember: Vietnam, Nixon, Chile, and Pablo our hero, painter, kidnapped with other fools, the consul from that long, excellent wine producer, south American country, for some political issues that evade me memory, the subject of this post.
Well, what would you know? Pablo Marcano Garcia, found guilty as charged, went to a nice, cozy federal prison in Ottisville, New York, for five years or so.
Meanwhile the most humble, productive, original blogger in his neck of the woods, was doing time in Northampton, MA, where I herd the news of Pablo's darkie painter from Gurabo City, doing time in Ottisville.
I had at the time some black and white pictures, taken in 1969, our last high school field day. I, a lousy basketball player, does not show in them photos, but Luis Aguilu, Miguel Lozada and others, did.
I found the prison address for Pablo Marcano, sending him a letter with the pictures, wishing him the best, while I was self exiled in Northampton, as stated before.
Pablo, the scum bag answered the first letter out of duty. Meanwhile, learning to draw/paint from one of our greatest artists, Carlos Irizarry, a weirdo, also imprisoned in the same federal golden cage. This guy would paint huge portraits of Marx and Engels, real works of art, but
who would hang them in their living room or hotel lobby?
To make the so fun and different, short story amusing, let the record show that when I call Pablo, the darkie painter today and asked about 'tu hermana que esta/estaba bien buena', the moder sucker, Celso Barbosa look alike, stated that he did/could not understand/refer to his female relatives as I was. CABRON.
But as my readers may infer, know I was a serious student of linguistics, not the academic kind, but the curious...When I changed the utterance to: Well, what about your cute, handsome sister..Then the expensive, darkie, with nice signature paintings uttered the most stupid cliche: She is surviving. CABRON!
Monday, January 24, 2011
PARQUE DONHA INES LUIS MUNHOZ MARIN FOUNDATION A RIP OFF IN PICTURES
WHAT can I say or write? Besides the very strange, unusual funds management sort of money laundering and sinister finances, (would they open their books?), tax evasion that has taken place in Parque Donha Ines and Luis Munhoz Marin Foundation for the last decade? Foreigners and natives ripping off the island resources, banks have been the greatest collaborators in the scam. Doral Bank and Banco Popular have donated over two million bucks for this perfect scam, a decade old.
Never herd of it? Check my previous posts about this park here, still more like a private country club, with tons of concrete and asphalt, no web pages informing anything to anyone except activities in exchange for money.
Never herd of it? Check my previous posts about this park here, still more like a private country club, with tons of concrete and asphalt, no web pages informing anything to anyone except activities in exchange for money.
STORIES
found under
Parque Donha Ines
Luis Munhoz Marin Foundation in:
anglospanoreview.blogspot.com
avocadobreadfruit.blogspot.com
and
the daddy of them all, endemismotrasnochado.blogspot.com
If you would like to know WHAT is planted in Parque Donha Ines, their
botanical inventory in alphabetical order, a record of fertilizers, pesticides used as Federal law requires, flora and fauna inventory before and after the destruction, soil analysis before and after please call:
787-755-4506/7979
or write to any of the following:
dlozada@flmm.org
jquiros@flmm.org
aareces@parquedonaines.org
Perhaps they could explain WHY, no serious information is on the WEB, after a decade. At least, like your humble servant, for 8 million bucks, I would have the botanical inventory for the curious.
that is that.
I will have to finish this story in puertorrikenhadasinmostaza. This post made me walk probably five miles round trip. It will end withn the Capetillo fecal waters arriving to Laguna San Jose in Santurce.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
MISSING MOCK INTERVIEW
BY
POPULAR
DEMAND?
LILIANA
Museo de Arte
CAMILE MATOJO ROLDAN
El Nuevo Dia
GUEST STARS
INTERVIEWERS
LILIANA
Museo de Arte
CAMILE MATOJO ROLDAN
El Nuevo Dia
GUEST STARS
INTERVIEWERS
L/CMR: Why do you 'write' in English?
AC: For the same reasons Juan Marse, a Catalonian, wrote in Spanish.
L/CMR: Are you comparing yourself to that original author?
AC: The truth? I could care less, any language is useful for different reasons. Take one Spanish word, al reves, just one. In English you need three: upside down, inside out and backwards. But let the record show that i noticed writing in quotes, as if what I do is not. Jack Kerouak, a typist as he defined himself was original, said what he had to write without much thought to what others may/may not expect regarding his output.
L/CMR: Meaning?
AC: Well, this blog aims to set trends. When I started, only Paco, from Venezuela, and Amilcar Garcia, author of el artededesaparecer, from Savarona, bothered to comment in endemismotrasnochado, the landmark blog. Having crossed the Rio Grande de Loiza, Rubicon, Potomac or Mississipipi, take your pick, I could care less whatever anyjuan thinks. One thing I do, guarantee, my optics, perspective focus will not become the average joe sixpack regarding horticulture or anything else I feel like discussing/presenting/arguing.
L/CMR: We got your drift. That means you do not write with a reader in mind, compliments or recognition?
AC: To be brutally honest, what makes me respect my peers is not their opinion of this proved humble servant, haja bilingual laugh...but what their colors, gardens, not flowers out of context, collection show.
If they have palms, hedges, LAWNS,
ferns, bromeliads, gingers, heliconias, alpinias,
orchids, in significant numbers...What can your humble servant declare? I do not need any
acceptance from people with wishy-washy, debatable environmentally incorrect installations and maintenance practice.
L/CMR: Could we add "screw them", in this interview?
AC: Why not LRC and CMR? Screw them and you, too.
that is that..
What about the footer picture?
That is the north garden aerial view from the east, garage roof. The concrete is taking less space as time goes by.
apaga i vamonoh.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
GARDENING SEX AND YOU
T he incredible amount of overrated sex activity in film, television, printed media and the web is really nauseating.
This could be fought, balanced with 24/7, equal time, public service announcements.
Me first significant sex activity, after the first pubic hair sight, was about the same time I had already propagated: Bauhinia, Cannavis and Ficus pumila.
It seems that not having available choices for entertainment, to use time creatively, leads to drugs or sex, both or the first, apparently even more pulling.
Woody Allen was probably the one who put it better: Masturbation is the best sex, because is sex with the one I love.
Sex is a selfish activity when you think of it. The amount of lies, pretending, adultery, masked with love, just to get laid.
In this respect gardening is very different, besides bringing a l o n g,
l a s t i n g pleasure.. The climax of the fragrance, beauty of a flower, taste of a fruit, a tuber, the raw and the cooked.
Like sex, gardening demands/requires protection. Gloves, hats, sun screen. You could get nasty diseases too, as I did recently on me skin; digging, result of ancient cat poop in one moment of being careless.
Unlike sex, gardening, I assume, for a majority of its practitioners requires a shower after, not before the carnal exchange, when is welcome.
Gardening like foreplay is more effective if all tools, a cushion are organized before digging, pruning and triming.
Unlike sex, mistakes in gardening are often resolved with time, waiting, watching juat japens, without much expense. Think pregnancy or disease
for not wearing condoms. The wrong
or sick plant/tree, is just pulled out.
Regarding abstinence, sex wise you may follow Woody's advice or go with the Catholic or fundamentalist fashion. On the other hand, weeds will certainly dominate your surroundings following this mode.
In terms of exercise gardening beats the crap out of sex, depending on your age,
stamina, health and shape. This practice demands functional, (not like Sergio Oliva), arms, hands, shoulders, back, knees and ankles. With the advantage of no Viagra or generics to perform.
If fond of the missionary position all the above is less pertinent than if following the doggy or sixtynine units manners.
In essence, gardening and the practice of any kind of horticulture, could resolve many social ills. However, water is necessary and some soil. This leaves half the world out of my definite solution to this over sexed world.
This could be fought, balanced with 24/7, equal time, public service announcements.
Me first significant sex activity, after the first pubic hair sight, was about the same time I had already propagated: Bauhinia, Cannavis and Ficus pumila.
It seems that not having available choices for entertainment, to use time creatively, leads to drugs or sex, both or the first, apparently even more pulling.
Woody Allen was probably the one who put it better: Masturbation is the best sex, because is sex with the one I love.
Sex is a selfish activity when you think of it. The amount of lies, pretending, adultery, masked with love, just to get laid.
In this respect gardening is very different, besides bringing a l o n g,
l a s t i n g pleasure.. The climax of the fragrance, beauty of a flower, taste of a fruit, a tuber, the raw and the cooked.
Like sex, gardening demands/requires protection. Gloves, hats, sun screen. You could get nasty diseases too, as I did recently on me skin; digging, result of ancient cat poop in one moment of being careless.
Unlike sex, gardening, I assume, for a majority of its practitioners requires a shower after, not before the carnal exchange, when is welcome.
Gardening like foreplay is more effective if all tools, a cushion are organized before digging, pruning and triming.
Unlike sex, mistakes in gardening are often resolved with time, waiting, watching juat japens, without much expense. Think pregnancy or disease
for not wearing condoms. The wrong
or sick plant/tree, is just pulled out.
Regarding abstinence, sex wise you may follow Woody's advice or go with the Catholic or fundamentalist fashion. On the other hand, weeds will certainly dominate your surroundings following this mode.
In terms of exercise gardening beats the crap out of sex, depending on your age,
stamina, health and shape. This practice demands functional, (not like Sergio Oliva), arms, hands, shoulders, back, knees and ankles. With the advantage of no Viagra or generics to perform.
If fond of the missionary position all the above is less pertinent than if following the doggy or sixtynine units manners.
In essence, gardening and the practice of any kind of horticulture, could resolve many social ills. However, water is necessary and some soil. This leaves half the world out of my definite solution to this over sexed world.
BONUS
Some decades ago, down by the Caribbean, our multi-ethnic cultures, (too mixed for some), had one women aesthetic standard.
A well symmetrically rounded, firm butt as beauty standard.
All was peace and quiet for arses, until USA, Uncle Sam, infected the whole wild world with theirs:
XXX D cups breasts.
These rugby, tennis and soft ball like implants have become the rule.
But they do not fool your set trend favorite blogger. Not only they look like crap, when you squeeze it feels just like them balls.
that is that.
apaga i vamonoh.
Hurray for gardening!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
WET OR DRY SUSTAINABILITY?
It is very distracting listening to someone defend an argument dropping numbers or stats as if nature, the environment was an investment in securities, banking or real estate.
El Yunque our standard-bearer environmental symbol is visited by a million people. So what? Isn't Yellowstone visited with five or six times that number?
Nature can not/should not be seen as a Walt Disney World entertainment for profit amusement park. Numbers do not matter since huge amounts of people trampling the soil and vegetation will destroy it. The traffic jams disturb the flora and fauna with noise and fumes.
What is wrong with keeping a balance in terms of attracting tourism? The Guanica Dry Forest in my view, is as interesting or more than El Yunque. It should be ranked along this wet, cool, forest that some think is the only worth while vegetated space in Puerto Rico.
The Sierra Club has kept a campaign to 'protect' the rain forest and its surroundings from the mortal, powerful enemies: Association of Home Builders and the Blues and Reds, political parties sharing the bounty, rip off of our resources every four years.
While all the focus is directed toward this space, as if nothing else matters, what about the rest of the island?
Is it thinking on tourists only? Making some money? It is evident that concrete/asphalt lobbyists would not mind giving the shot of grace to our surroundings.
Let the record show that Puerto Rico, is more than El Yunque Rain Forest. And forgive the editorial tone, I can not help looking at the whole instead of its parts, dismembered.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
ANTIGONUM CAJAN VIRTUAL REALITY TOUR CERVECERIA CORONA
I offered earlier to share this hidden, quiet, limited income neighborhood, since I found an oasis for a beer and a shot, or multiple ones, in the middle of nowhere. This place is really odd and hidden.
This long walk is for machos, viriles, masculinos, buahaja bilingual laugh. Just joking. The entrance, after you see the two Pithelobiums in the footer, on Concepcion Street and Callejon Progreso, may put the not exposed or insecure in an edgy state of mind since
once you enter, that is that, no way to run or escape any misfortune. Not because of people or that anything will happen, it is just an unusual space, with that huge wall to your right, houses to the left and one oasis. It is clean, quiet, just poor looking, not humble as fools may state, but of poverty, or scarce bucks, found anywhere in any place.
Beer is one of those things that make life enjoyable, if not an Adventist and such.
Corona was the best beer we had. Why can we have a decent beer? Or guisky?
After all in Puerto Rico there is no sugar cane, the molasses for the Puertorican rum are imported, jaha bilingual laugh.
Why can not we make whiskey, bourbon, vodka, gin, whatever? Distillation is distillation. Imagination is what this isle needs, guts and scrotums or cojones If I may.
DISCLAIMER
Since some visitors
just look at the pictures and others
read, not for the ideas, but for composition, grammar and spelling,
do not worry, I know this blog
is, should be about gardening, setting trends, but if you stretch it,
gardens and vegetation are most of the time within the context of a structure...Let the structures be.
BACK TO THE STUDIO
I did not sleep well.. Thoughts came spinning in fast forward. Egypt, India, Mexico, Greece, Peru all those great cultures in ancient times, overpopulated, polluted, falling apart, with no money,
some have resources, but mostly cheap labor. All the above have a common denominator, cities consuming, just consuming what the country side produces, edibles that is.
Puerto Rico just got cheap labor, no resources. Now we import even tubers, bananas and plaintains, a sign of the end of hope. If one can not sustain, feed its population, then what?
There is one opportunity left.
Recycle most of the concrete, asphalt and metal in the over two million vehicles and sell, barter or exchange it.
This long walk is for machos, viriles, masculinos, buahaja bilingual laugh. Just joking. The entrance, after you see the two Pithelobiums in the footer, on Concepcion Street and Callejon Progreso, may put the not exposed or insecure in an edgy state of mind since
once you enter, that is that, no way to run or escape any misfortune. Not because of people or that anything will happen, it is just an unusual space, with that huge wall to your right, houses to the left and one oasis. It is clean, quiet, just poor looking, not humble as fools may state, but of poverty, or scarce bucks, found anywhere in any place.
Beer is one of those things that make life enjoyable, if not an Adventist and such.
Corona was the best beer we had. Why can we have a decent beer? Or guisky?
After all in Puerto Rico there is no sugar cane, the molasses for the Puertorican rum are imported, jaha bilingual laugh.
Why can not we make whiskey, bourbon, vodka, gin, whatever? Distillation is distillation. Imagination is what this isle needs, guts and scrotums or cojones If I may.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
BEYOND ME GHOST TOWN OLD SAN JUAN COBBLESTONES
OUTDOORS REPORT
In the early morning
your humble servant debated
for some time to report on the former Cerveceria Corona, not the watery over rated crap sipped with lemon and great advertisements, but our own. Its
loong and over thirty feet high building, like that wall dividing USA* and *Israel from their neighbors, executed by the Teamsters, or
the Santurce Secret Alleyways.
I decided on the second, but from now on I will try to separate my critical interests in other blogs available or arbitrarily as usual. If interested in architecture, the poor people's, and street trees/botany check puertorikenhadas and the botanical review.
I went looking for a change of scenery, to the overwhelmingly noisy and crowded celebration San Sebastian 2011.
I found the old city rather clean, charming, picturesque as usual, but better, without vehicles spinning foolishly slowly, as a blinded, quadriplegic turtle, in the tight, over 500 year old narrow streets jams. The footer shows promise of that cliche 'better furure' at least for a couple of years with the paved streets.
Before I got there...
The action of crowds climbing down in Sagrado Corazon train stop were similar to watching those African buffalos migrating in search of grass and water.
To hang out in Old San Juan, you better be in good shape, adequate shoes, cobblestones are not pedestrian friendly.
This city, like Boston, is on high grounds, meaning that after you park you go up five, ten, twenty minutes depending on your stamina. \
On both trips I felt really tired. I believe the overpowering amounts of decibels in every direction with different kinds of shitty music and the hyper active crowds, on speed/anphetamine like moves, debilitated like kryptonite your hero blogger fond of setting trends dictator wise fashion..
and that is that
apagad e iros.
*The commies got rid of the one in Berlin, our exemplary democracies
built TWO.
*The commies got rid of the one in Berlin, our exemplary democracies
built TWO.
Friday, January 14, 2011
THOU, THY BLOG THE GARDEN AND I
L ast night I got rid of my social dysfunction cloak, hanging it for a couple of hours, going out to the the SAN SE STREET* celebration. I do not know If should be happy with joy or angrier with my usual critical provoking ways.
The bus, pretty cool for fifty cents, left without any standing passenger, non stop. The loud conversation in every direction from my compatriots during the short ride, felt like diesel trailer trucks idling. The volume intolerable.
But the celebration was organized. That is not part of many cultures in the third world. Trash cans every hundred feet. Not smelly, clean portable toilets with paper, since it was early, in strategic places
Old San Juan is among the first cities in this continent. The restoration of a couple of streets, buildings looks great.
But let the truth show clear. All my pleasure and joy, (words rarely appearing here) was thanks to the absence of motor vehicles, NOT one since most streets were closed to traffic.
The absence of vehicles allows to deal with anything, people crowds, mostly under 25 year olds. The music stunk, since djs cater to the young not with really cool music, but commercial crap.
It is similar to some gardens and blogs in Florida. Just like some garden installations stink, or the chosen inventory from small or chain nurseries.
I will reiterate this. Ficus, any palm out of context, California, Canary Islands for example stinks, particularly in our cities, the concrete/asphalt isle, bromeliads, lawns and hedges stink also.
If you are in USA and feel offended, feeling the need to express your unsophisticated opinion in thy blog or in the comments section in another, cool. But If I visit, casually, finding it, and reading it, get your umbrella ready.\
I will give thou the earned and deserved treatment. There will be no prisoners taken. Anyjuan could/should tell others to their face what they think. Once, being aware of the small fry dissent, could decide to publish or quote whatever comment or not, before running like a chicken with the head cut off , whining to the point of tears, to lame like groupies/fans with similar Swiss cheese common place views in a vacuum, since you want to sell, something. Popularity? Buajaha, bilingual one.
This blog is NOT me, or the garden. It is a tool, some seriousness attached, a way to keep mental sanity, to practice the keyboard and such. Not a popularity contest. Written to provoke, not searching consensus.
I feel some satisfaction when someone collaborates with their opinion agreeing or not, since nine out of ten comments are not from likewise islanders. But I certainly believe that mature audiences understand this blog is about criticism.
If you, unlucky one, practice everything that is not favorable for flora and fauna, with lawns, oil, gas, propane and such is fine with me. Just do not pretend hiding the head below ground all is quiet on the western front, fool.
The bus, pretty cool for fifty cents, left without any standing passenger, non stop. The loud conversation in every direction from my compatriots during the short ride, felt like diesel trailer trucks idling. The volume intolerable.
But the celebration was organized. That is not part of many cultures in the third world. Trash cans every hundred feet. Not smelly, clean portable toilets with paper, since it was early, in strategic places
Old San Juan is among the first cities in this continent. The restoration of a couple of streets, buildings looks great.
But let the truth show clear. All my pleasure and joy, (words rarely appearing here) was thanks to the absence of motor vehicles, NOT one since most streets were closed to traffic.
The absence of vehicles allows to deal with anything, people crowds, mostly under 25 year olds. The music stunk, since djs cater to the young not with really cool music, but commercial crap.
It is similar to some gardens and blogs in Florida. Just like some garden installations stink, or the chosen inventory from small or chain nurseries.
I will reiterate this. Ficus, any palm out of context, California, Canary Islands for example stinks, particularly in our cities, the concrete/asphalt isle, bromeliads, lawns and hedges stink also.
If you are in USA and feel offended, feeling the need to express your unsophisticated opinion in thy blog or in the comments section in another, cool. But If I visit, casually, finding it, and reading it, get your umbrella ready.\
I will give thou the earned and deserved treatment. There will be no prisoners taken. Anyjuan could/should tell others to their face what they think. Once, being aware of the small fry dissent, could decide to publish or quote whatever comment or not, before running like a chicken with the head cut off , whining to the point of tears, to lame like groupies/fans with similar Swiss cheese common place views in a vacuum, since you want to sell, something. Popularity? Buajaha, bilingual one.
This blog is NOT me, or the garden. It is a tool, some seriousness attached, a way to keep mental sanity, to practice the keyboard and such. Not a popularity contest. Written to provoke, not searching consensus.
I feel some satisfaction when someone collaborates with their opinion agreeing or not, since nine out of ten comments are not from likewise islanders. But I certainly believe that mature audiences understand this blog is about criticism.
If you, unlucky one, practice everything that is not favorable for flora and fauna, with lawns, oil, gas, propane and such is fine with me. Just do not pretend hiding the head below ground all is quiet on the western front, fool.
* Calle San Sebastian
Originally some sort of religion celebration. Nowadays, an excuse to drink alcohol, make really loud noises, pretending to be happy, forgetting what the next day will bring.
To the left of Banco Popular, a Deco structure, I found what looks like a perfect street, sidewalk and gutter recently restored, it will appear here soon.
My anger and happiness in the first sentence, is very simple. If the authorities can organize with extreme rarity, anything, so well for a week, why can not they do it every day, for the rest of their lives?
Joy last as long as one of those
Three Star Swedish matches.
Antigonum Cajan
aka
The Humble
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
PUERTO RICO: THE CONCRETE HEAT FACTOR
HAVE you, mostly from faraway lands reader, given any thought about the windshield factor, sorry,
wind chill? Just like I scream and ice cream...At any rate, why those people
in weather broadcasting never thought, mention it?
If wind chill is felt air temperature on skin due to wind, measuring the effect of wind on air temperature and the heat in paved areas of every city of the world is much greater that unpaved areas it would be pertinent, or not?
The enchanted isle of concrete/asphalt has an area of 3,508 miles, 110 long by
40 wide.
Paved surface? Over 8,950 miles of concrete/asphalt (1999). I will not calculate it. Add the total space covered by concrete residences, private and public buildings, back yards and other structures for 3,977,663 (2010) inhabitants.
Now add over 2,000,000 million autos, trucks and gas/diesel/propane vehicles.
A perfect recipe for hell on earth.
I know about UHI, you may too. I just believe that if in other blogs is permissible to photo: ice, snow, clouds and whatever, plus complaints about cold weather...It was my time, the first in over four years to present the issue with numbers. This is hell, but I do not complaint since me garden is designed for it.
The point is that is getting worse, more concrete and asphalt brought kindly to us for progress and speed, however, always forgetting that numbers of vehicles grow geometrically while the space is finite, road repair/maintenance does not exist, and always someone think, plan and built another one to have longer, wider T R A F F I C jams.
wind chill? Just like I scream and ice cream...At any rate, why those people
in weather broadcasting never thought, mention it?
If wind chill is felt air temperature on skin due to wind, measuring the effect of wind on air temperature and the heat in paved areas of every city of the world is much greater that unpaved areas it would be pertinent, or not?
The enchanted isle of concrete/asphalt has an area of 3,508 miles, 110 long by
40 wide.
Paved surface? Over 8,950 miles of concrete/asphalt (1999). I will not calculate it. Add the total space covered by concrete residences, private and public buildings, back yards and other structures for 3,977,663 (2010) inhabitants.
Now add over 2,000,000 million autos, trucks and gas/diesel/propane vehicles.
A perfect recipe for hell on earth.
I know about UHI, you may too. I just believe that if in other blogs is permissible to photo: ice, snow, clouds and whatever, plus complaints about cold weather...It was my time, the first in over four years to present the issue with numbers. This is hell, but I do not complaint since me garden is designed for it.
The point is that is getting worse, more concrete and asphalt brought kindly to us for progress and speed, however, always forgetting that numbers of vehicles grow geometrically while the space is finite, road repair/maintenance does not exist, and always someone think, plan and built another one to have longer, wider T R A F F I C jams.
November, December and January have been really cool, as cool as my almost forgotten childhood days in Savarona, Caguas City or the country of, now a shantytown of illegal invaders from nearby isle.
The pioneers in traffic of illegals from La Espanhola in Caguas, were the families of: Hernandez-Genao and Concepcion-Pabon, both with the Popular Democratic Party or the REDS.
I know. 16 Jimenez Cruz Street in SAVARONA. These noisy, mostly darkies, illiterate bastards arrived in the dark, between 2-5 AM, every thirty/forty days. Waking me up with the racket. Screw them and the irritant memories! The importers of illegals and the importees.
The pioneers in traffic of illegals from La Espanhola in Caguas, were the families of: Hernandez-Genao and Concepcion-Pabon, both with the Popular Democratic Party or the REDS.
I know. 16 Jimenez Cruz Street in SAVARONA. These noisy, mostly darkies, illiterate bastards arrived in the dark, between 2-5 AM, every thirty/forty days. Waking me up with the racket. Screw them and the irritant memories! The importers of illegals and the importees.
I am glad I wrote about it
since heat creates a waste
of electricity with air conditioning moved by oil.
However our environmentalists and pundits within, have never thought about
ways of cooling our ugly concrete plastered towns and cities.
One possibility is to knock down every abandoned building in RIO, Santurce and San Juan and to plant some trees, plants, bushes and vines that I will select.
Apaga i vamonoh.
Monday, January 10, 2011
SEASONAL INSECT REPORT POINSETTIAS
THE people know that I am not fond of buying plants in nurseries or visiting the lame ones in the asphalt/concrete isle. Apparently, nine out of every ten gardeners with blogs practicing their horticultural skills do and write about it.
Euphorbia pulcherrima, a must, for many people during Christmas has become a standard presence anywhere, including, (against my preference), me house.
Out of five Poinsettias, bought in Cayey City, 3 show mealy bugs. I had to waste Antigonum's secret homemade insecticide on these plants.
One of me far away readers replied to my comments regarding these silly hybrids designed to pass away and remain small,.. 'that it was good', since she has a small potted garden.
I do not agree. People should decide to keep the plant or not growing as tall as ancient species did. The whole tradition is absurd. Everyjuan throws, soil and plastic pots away by the end of January.
The pundits on nurseries, bulbs, and gardening related sales issues at Gardenrant.com should discuss the issue as only they could. A real waste of money and resources. Poinsettias should be sold in recycled and/or biodegradable pots. Lets wear a fire engine red ribbon next Christmas if you agree.
I have had problems with caterpillars on Plumerias and Capsicum florescens, white flies with Calliandra haemathocephalla and Murraya paniculata, no longer around.
But the intensity of this pest in such a short time is a sign of warning. If you buy plants from nurseries be on guard, or throw them to the waste basket, particularly in tropical zones.
Euphorbia pulcherrima, a must, for many people during Christmas has become a standard presence anywhere, including, (against my preference), me house.
Out of five Poinsettias, bought in Cayey City, 3 show mealy bugs. I had to waste Antigonum's secret homemade insecticide on these plants.
One of me far away readers replied to my comments regarding these silly hybrids designed to pass away and remain small,.. 'that it was good', since she has a small potted garden.
I do not agree. People should decide to keep the plant or not growing as tall as ancient species did. The whole tradition is absurd. Everyjuan throws, soil and plastic pots away by the end of January.
The pundits on nurseries, bulbs, and gardening related sales issues at Gardenrant.com should discuss the issue as only they could. A real waste of money and resources. Poinsettias should be sold in recycled and/or biodegradable pots. Lets wear a fire engine red ribbon next Christmas if you agree.
I have had problems with caterpillars on Plumerias and Capsicum florescens, white flies with Calliandra haemathocephalla and Murraya paniculata, no longer around.
But the intensity of this pest in such a short time is a sign of warning. If you buy plants from nurseries be on guard, or throw them to the waste basket, particularly in tropical zones.
That is that.
apagad e iros.
CREATIVE ASSERTIVENESS AND THE POWER OF THE FOOL
I could not sleep. Something kept spinning on me head. A couple of days ago, I took some pictures in Santurce, of the work by couple of young masters whose graffitti should be in some museum.
Pollock, Kandinski, Magritte, Bacon and Velazquez came to mind. Why do I like those fellows work, why have they remained in me thoughts for so long?
By the way in Puerto Rico, Mary Ann Jablowski is the best landscaping painter there is, at least with available work in galleries, but not in the web.
Back to the studio. One's likes and dislikes are not always easy to pin point, to explain, justify, but the astute individual will find a way. M.C. Esher, for example is great, but too intellectual.
Perspective developed to the ultimate consequences, but somewhat cold, like in a laboratory for micro propagation.
Gardening, serious gardening could be an example of all the media in art. Texture, color, line, perspective, scale,
contrast of colors, shape, height and so forth. Does it justify landscape architects and such, without any notions of landscape management cost/pollution, entomology, botany, pest control, growth habits, propagation and anything you may add dealing with vegetation? After all, plants are leaving creatures, they are not painting on canvas, wood or whatever but on the ground.
That may explain why island landscape architects may show excellence with models and graphic designs, but lacking
fundamentals of the above, have created
a dull, repetittious, annoying, boring to death urban scene with palms, hedges and turf.
Daniel Velez-Climent is a theoretician- model architect (any real installation anywhere?) who wrote a long article against the fundamentals of Pendejismo Paisajista in (endemismotrasnochado.blogspot).
Gabriel Berriz on the contrary, is a practitioner of this tendency, along Edwin Gonzalez Bauza, an agronomist, from Gramas Lindas in the same bag, addicted to grass and Ficus hedges.
If anyone presents some photos of any installation of merit designed by them, contradicting in anyway what I believe,
with biodiversity in place, I would certainly recant. Not subjective o not theory as Mr. Velez has attempted, walk the talk, with photos.
The characters mentioned do not have anything, not one thing on the web. They are not the only ones responsible, but show no creativity either. Not portfolios or a single photo. Are they concerned of having their 'original' designs stolen or copied? What about the rest of their colleagues?
That is that. The second part of the tittle? You be the judge.
apaga i vamonoh....
Pollock, Kandinski, Magritte, Bacon and Velazquez came to mind. Why do I like those fellows work, why have they remained in me thoughts for so long?
By the way in Puerto Rico, Mary Ann Jablowski is the best landscaping painter there is, at least with available work in galleries, but not in the web.
Back to the studio. One's likes and dislikes are not always easy to pin point, to explain, justify, but the astute individual will find a way. M.C. Esher, for example is great, but too intellectual.
Perspective developed to the ultimate consequences, but somewhat cold, like in a laboratory for micro propagation.
Gardening, serious gardening could be an example of all the media in art. Texture, color, line, perspective, scale,
contrast of colors, shape, height and so forth. Does it justify landscape architects and such, without any notions of landscape management cost/pollution, entomology, botany, pest control, growth habits, propagation and anything you may add dealing with vegetation? After all, plants are leaving creatures, they are not painting on canvas, wood or whatever but on the ground.
That may explain why island landscape architects may show excellence with models and graphic designs, but lacking
fundamentals of the above, have created
a dull, repetittious, annoying, boring to death urban scene with palms, hedges and turf.
Daniel Velez-Climent is a theoretician- model architect (any real installation anywhere?) who wrote a long article against the fundamentals of Pendejismo Paisajista in (endemismotrasnochado.blogspot).
Gabriel Berriz on the contrary, is a practitioner of this tendency, along Edwin Gonzalez Bauza, an agronomist, from Gramas Lindas in the same bag, addicted to grass and Ficus hedges.
If anyone presents some photos of any installation of merit designed by them, contradicting in anyway what I believe,
with biodiversity in place, I would certainly recant. Not subjective o not theory as Mr. Velez has attempted, walk the talk, with photos.
The characters mentioned do not have anything, not one thing on the web. They are not the only ones responsible, but show no creativity either. Not portfolios or a single photo. Are they concerned of having their 'original' designs stolen or copied? What about the rest of their colleagues?
That is that. The second part of the tittle? You be the judge.
apaga i vamonoh....
Sunday, January 9, 2011
GARDENING PRACTICES IN PUERTO RICO
WHAT the hell is that, may the inquisitive, well read and traveled reader may ask.
Not much, says I. However, the idea came after some Blotanist, mentioned something, in a sirupy kind of way after one of my blogs was accepted in those Olympic heights.
THEM CULPRITS
Agronomists
Landscape Maintenance Companies
Individuals and Fly by Night
Landscape Architects
Engineers
Academicians in every field
Monitor Environmentalists
I believe this is the order in which the perps commit their crimes against the environment and surroundings.
Intelligent maintenance and installation and most important, aesthetics, absent.
There is no need for pictures since ALL my seven blogs depict every aspect of what is wrong with gardening installations down these concrete/asphalt prairies for the last four years. Not only with the most complex and elementary concept: COMPOSITION. It is not clear. That is why every thing looks as if thrown without any other purpose than to fill the blank hole or space.
THE CONTEXT
Hotels
Malls
Motels
Streets
Schools
Churches
Cemeteries
Public/Commercial
Buildings
Residences
Public Parks
Highway medians
Gas Stations
Botanical Gardens
Fast Food Joints
But lets save you the time and expense to travel down here to confirm my accusation, check the botanical list of what is planted in ALL the contexts above mentioned, not only in my headquarters Santurce/San Juan Metro Area but in the WHOLE island.
BOTANICAL INVENTORY
FICUS
In every mistakenly imaginable places
side walks and every other context
particularly as hedges, topiary, round, square and rectangles.
In every mistakenly imaginable places
side walks and every other context
particularly as hedges, topiary, round, square and rectangles.
PALMS
All kinds, particularly those intolerant to salt breeze, right by the ocean side.
There are probably less than ten species used, remember in every context. The most aberrant is planting them palms 2/3/4 feet from walls, even
Architects and Landscape Architects
are guilty as charged. Their headquarters are an excellent token of dull plant selection/installation. Not to get into their "Zen" like interior garden pond, with a hedge!
TURF
TURF
THE REST OF THEM
Acaliphas
Chefferas
Ixoras
Rain Joe
Liriopes
Pothos
Arashis
Mussaendas
Almacigos
Eucaliptos
Ucares
Callistemon
Mangle Plateado
This list is about one half or two thirds of the total I observe while driving or during my less frequent strolls. A total shame, ugly and unforgivable.
I could blame the Florida Nurseries, but considering the amount of companies in the yellow pages doing landscape business, over 200, not counting the fly by night one, lets speculate a ball park of 400, dominated by illegal invaders, like USA, where the stereotype gardener is Mexican.
This equals to five landscape companies/persons per town, rounded to 80 municipalities. There is no justification for the crap delivered from ALL the culprits during the last 60 years. In Puerto Rico there not one installation worthy of a grain of salt or a hogs fart if you prefer.
It is time to go. I changed me mind. I will place two photos from the recently installed collection, by the Rio Piedras Botanical Garden entrance. The footer and first picture tell the story. Notice the compacted soil. The grass was placed on it, just like that, believe it or not. You be the judge.
Consider that in such institution there are botanists, biologists that one would expect would know what to plant and where, but let the pictures show the dominant imbecility of the perpetrators and intellectuals authors who hired them.
paga i vamonoh.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
GARDENING IN THE BACKYARD NEWS
IT has being a while since the garden was featured, but before that, let the people know that Chito, the dog next door, apparently was killed by the indifference and weather conditions by repugnant and noisy neighbors, Leo and Ilaine Pillsbury. I just saw the new acquisition, another dog, that will probably get equal treatment. Their cat by di guay, is stray 75 percent of the time.
THE PICTURES
l-ll-1ll
This Plumeria leaf shows a quarter of an inch Tetrio sphinx dcaterpillars discovered discovered while monitoring for insects.
Another picture shows the leaf resting on a Costus. I placed it there since the Plumeria shows no leaves at all for feeding, hoping a change in menu could help these creatures. This is a strange case of nature ill timing. The next day, I could not see any. I never had the opportunity to observe these Plumeria and Allamanda gluttons in that stage. When I find them, once or twice a year, non stop munching, they are already the size of me index finger.
The following is a metal frog, and one adult Anolis lizard. There are many and keep the garden healthy, in addition to company in the mornings and afternoons when I irrigate them plants.
lV
That is the flower of a Datura Stramonium, considered a weed, propagated for the first time two years ago. It is a self seeding plant, now appearing in different areas of me garden since I regularly recycle the soil in pots with new compost. A relative of Brugmansias, very popular among gardeners in every continent.
The Passiflora foetida L. pictures are the firsts in any blog as far as I know. It took me a while to discover the botanical name since most gardeners with blogs do not collect. After almost two years I found it in a NY Botanical Garden web site.
As I have stated before, there is no way to research, investigate anything down here, since the people in the Botanical Garden in Rio Piedras City, are into pedantic/scholastic meaningless papers and tasks for themselves, having no web site with that purpose.
Lord Nathaniel Britton spend close to two decades in Puerto Rico, between 1900-1920, if I am not mistaken, identifying and studying our flora. Thanks to his and wife work, and the New York Botanical, the information about this rare vine and others is available for the curious.
If you like this, check the blogs, Caribbean Botanical Review and puertorrikenhadasinmostaza, for a wider glimpse of my concrete/asphalt reality.
For a future project I will present some aerial views of my garden. Something that I have not seen anywhere else. I believe from my experience in Bayamon City, that a garden, could/should be designed from that perspective in mind also, particularly if one lives on a second story.
Almost forgot, the green vegetation wall appearing in the background along the naked Plumeria in the south garden is Passiflora edulis.
The Passiflora foetida L. pictures are the firsts in any blog as far as I know. It took me a while to discover the botanical name since most gardeners with blogs do not collect. After almost two years I found it in a NY Botanical Garden web site.
As I have stated before, there is no way to research, investigate anything down here, since the people in the Botanical Garden in Rio Piedras City, are into pedantic/scholastic meaningless papers and tasks for themselves, having no web site with that purpose.
Lord Nathaniel Britton spend close to two decades in Puerto Rico, between 1900-1920, if I am not mistaken, identifying and studying our flora. Thanks to his and wife work, and the New York Botanical, the information about this rare vine and others is available for the curious.
If you like this, check the blogs, Caribbean Botanical Review and puertorrikenhadasinmostaza, for a wider glimpse of my concrete/asphalt reality.
For a future project I will present some aerial views of my garden. Something that I have not seen anywhere else. I believe from my experience in Bayamon City, that a garden, could/should be designed from that perspective in mind also, particularly if one lives on a second story.
Almost forgot, the green vegetation wall appearing in the background along the naked Plumeria in the south garden is Passiflora edulis.
apaga i vamonoh pal monte.
THE PROPHETS OF DOOM
BAD news for those happy go lucky abundant, disconnected people, gardeners or not. It looks like the world is more
screwed up than it seemed a short while ago. Beyond global warming.
The program in one of those PBS stations had one fool
solving all our environmental problems with robotics and artificial intelligence.
The others, dealt with water pollution and scarcity, the possibility of nuclear terrorism, the world credit mish mash and can not remember what the other two discussed.
But it left a sour feeling on me mind since I have always felt that most of my surroundings, particularly people, are a pain in the ars.
Those living beyond their means, buying on credit, not saving. Having unwanted children. Migrating for a better future, many failing or dying in the attempt.
But what really called my attention is the water issue. In USA with rivers, lakes and ponds everywhere, the levels of pollution are impressive...but other things like caffeine in fish, medications everything we take/drink is not removed in water filtration plants.
The possibility of having to drink filtrated, cleaned fecal waters in the near future. In Australia taken showers over five minutes is illegal and so on and so forth..
Juat the hell my 'prayers will be/are with you'. Take the prayers for long walks in short decks...I will continue propagating, trying to keep a grade of mental sanity, amidst all the imbeciles around.
Meanwhile, I image that those religious/bible freaks must be happy since when they pass away, heaven will be awating.
screwed up than it seemed a short while ago. Beyond global warming.
The program in one of those PBS stations had one fool
solving all our environmental problems with robotics and artificial intelligence.
The others, dealt with water pollution and scarcity, the possibility of nuclear terrorism, the world credit mish mash and can not remember what the other two discussed.
But it left a sour feeling on me mind since I have always felt that most of my surroundings, particularly people, are a pain in the ars.
Those living beyond their means, buying on credit, not saving. Having unwanted children. Migrating for a better future, many failing or dying in the attempt.
But what really called my attention is the water issue. In USA with rivers, lakes and ponds everywhere, the levels of pollution are impressive...but other things like caffeine in fish, medications everything we take/drink is not removed in water filtration plants.
The possibility of having to drink filtrated, cleaned fecal waters in the near future. In Australia taken showers over five minutes is illegal and so on and so forth..
Juat the hell my 'prayers will be/are with you'. Take the prayers for long walks in short decks...I will continue propagating, trying to keep a grade of mental sanity, amidst all the imbeciles around.
Meanwhile, I image that those religious/bible freaks must be happy since when they pass away, heaven will be awating.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
BOOK REVIEW AND GARDENING RESEARCH ISSUE
If you have been blessed with that essential virtue, being critical, this post may be fun. This virtue has nothing to do with college education or being humble or exposed, for example by traveling, meeting people from other cultures and so forth. Being analytical, does help to become a self anointed adept to critique.
Too many gardeners are not, and have blogs in addition. One woman, from a not too far island, in these multi-cultural-lingual-ethnic archipelago, proudly displayed a picture of her so so garden with a huge mutilated over fifty year Ficus benjamina.
Too many gardeners are not, and have blogs in addition. One woman, from a not too far island, in these multi-cultural-lingual-ethnic archipelago, proudly displayed a picture of her so so garden with a huge mutilated over fifty year Ficus benjamina.
TO THE PROUD
GARDENER IN THE WEST ISLE
and
COMPANY
If you find caterpillars or any other pest, disease, in your plant, tree, bush or vine follow me.
Go to search, if you know the botanical name of whatever, the ideal, theoretical solution of any problem be at hand/brain, if not dead.
For example: Plumeria+caterpillars +disease. Or Plumeria+disease+photos.
The ability to research will allow you to climb to unimaginable heights if consequent.
Lets imagine for argument sake that you live in Barbados or Gilligan's Island and there is an old Ficus requiring corrective pruning after a hurricane. Or a cane in a hurry.
Instead of renting a truck with a basket+hiring too illiterate fools, you would do the following.
Identify whatever, if the botanical name is not available search with the common name to find it. Example: Trinitaria. If you are fortunate, the local, common name may appear in your language in the www. You could then, I insist, if fortunate, find the botanical+disease+correct pruning+planting+care and so forth.
BOOK REVIEW
WICKED PLANTS
AMY STEWART
Algonquin Books
2009
Fifty Plants that Changed
the Course of History
Bill Laws
2010
If the reader has some interest or training in history, botany or teaching both books will be useful, informative and a reference when unwilling to sit in front of a monitor to investigate.
The first is more attractive, easier to handle when reading in bed, a most in my reading habits.
The second has color pictures, an unfriendly font, in my opinion, giving the book a hateful defect, the text book
feel.
But the problem as a somewhat studious gardener is this type of unnecessary opinion, even if that is what I do most of the time in this blog, I find it intolerable in a book. Extrapolating on historical issues with actual religious, judicial, views is annoying.
Sugarcane
Saccharum officinarum
page 167
...In theory, Spain's rulers after the Reconquista could have adopted the farming methods of their conquered foes to grow and process the sugarcane. But with their attention fixed on foreign conquests rather than on nurturing the homelands, the Spanish, instead of investing in their
agriculture, invested in slavery.
I will not get into the implications of such declaration in a book about plants, since it seems absurd to offer opinions on historical facts that can not be changed. They were and happened, period.
What I will add is that capturing people, making them slaves to sacrifice, to work the fields, mines, to sell, exchange, is very OLD and not a patrimony of Portugal, Spain, England or modern countries if you will.
Almost every relevant culture has had some manner of keeping slaves within their social structure. Take the untouchables in India, 400 million of them. What are they if not slaves? But since their religion and beliefs create that stratification, no one will call them slaves, what they are.
Now as a farewell, in Puerto Rico, USA, (not burkina) things are looking just the same. In 2011, it has been raining every other day, with less than normal temperatures. It is wet and a little cooler than I like it.
On the crime scene, the numbers are moving up and quickly, a good thing for funeral homes and flower industry.
This is something no one dare to write/talk about. Crime and death create jobs. You may not like it but it is a reality.
apaga i vamonoh.
Monday, January 3, 2011
DOWN BY THIS WORN OUT PATH
T O follow one's vocation feels like carrying a heavy load or that fellow in Greek mythology punished in the out doors. You carry the stone up the hill knowing it will roll down as soon you let go. And up again without any rest or peace. Even worse, you are not dying anytime soon.
I just returned from a virtual garden trip to a former British colony with a fish like name. The author, a blog winner in 2009, has some pictures.
One of these pictures, shows a mutilated tree. The crafty work done by a couple of island ignorant tree butchers in a basket. They billed her an arm and a leg, leaving the victim looking like a crippled pirate, missing both arms.
The other picture show some handsome big caterpillars, Tetrio Sphinx, picnicking in a Plumeria. She does not know, or bothered to investigate about the life cycle of these cute insects, the nutritious poop they leave for her soil and plants, or their appetite for Allamandas.
The darkie fool just complained about them leaving the branches naked, and the cost of 'trimming' the Ficus.
The moral of the story? Many gardeners, too many, fools of the pretty pictures, with polluting lawns and inane blogs, including winners of mysterious awards, do not know their ars from their elbows, bragging in a vacuum. Jaha bilingual laugh.
But even if I could understand ignorance for argument sake, with the above average humility of me character I can not tolerate the ultra stupid shallow comments as in a one voice choir, from 15 of her usual groupies. None noticed the mutilated tree, or mentioned what I have about the caterpillars...
This is mi mission. Archangel Gabriel, or Gaby, was right, it will be a path with thorns, tears, the works.....
apagad e iros...
I just returned from a virtual garden trip to a former British colony with a fish like name. The author, a blog winner in 2009, has some pictures.
One of these pictures, shows a mutilated tree. The crafty work done by a couple of island ignorant tree butchers in a basket. They billed her an arm and a leg, leaving the victim looking like a crippled pirate, missing both arms.
The other picture show some handsome big caterpillars, Tetrio Sphinx, picnicking in a Plumeria. She does not know, or bothered to investigate about the life cycle of these cute insects, the nutritious poop they leave for her soil and plants, or their appetite for Allamandas.
The darkie fool just complained about them leaving the branches naked, and the cost of 'trimming' the Ficus.
The moral of the story? Many gardeners, too many, fools of the pretty pictures, with polluting lawns and inane blogs, including winners of mysterious awards, do not know their ars from their elbows, bragging in a vacuum. Jaha bilingual laugh.
But even if I could understand ignorance for argument sake, with the above average humility of me character I can not tolerate the ultra stupid shallow comments as in a one voice choir, from 15 of her usual groupies. None noticed the mutilated tree, or mentioned what I have about the caterpillars...
This is mi mission. Archangel Gabriel, or Gaby, was right, it will be a path with thorns, tears, the works.....
apagad e iros...
BONUS
antigonum garden accessories
tips, jaha bilingual laugh.
Check the pictures at right and
follow through.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
WIDENING THE SCOPE
D uring the last year one thing became more clear, gardening is not only a matter of me backyard, but a part of a community over a hundred years old.
For this reason I will approach the issues a little different in 2011. Some of the pictures here could easily appear in puertorikenhadasinmostaza, a concept-tribute to a couple of blogs in the insular sphere.
Let me define it as acts, actions, lack of,
implying ingrained stupid cultural train of thoughts, frames of reference that are clearly inferred from the analysis evading the essence of our national chaos in tangibles and intangibles, that academicians with tittles in various fields provide in blogs or tv/printed media about this shitty reality. That will do for now.
For this reason I will approach the issues a little different in 2011. Some of the pictures here could easily appear in puertorikenhadasinmostaza, a concept-tribute to a couple of blogs in the insular sphere.
Let me define it as acts, actions, lack of,
implying ingrained stupid cultural train of thoughts, frames of reference that are clearly inferred from the analysis evading the essence of our national chaos in tangibles and intangibles, that academicians with tittles in various fields provide in blogs or tv/printed media about this shitty reality. That will do for now.
The stupidity shown in these pictures is there for all to see, but, no one does. Only your humble servant. If you see anything like it in your country, perhaps
what you are about to see in the pictures at right, is not an endemic patrimony of these isle aboriginal people and the exotics, those who came uninvited.
This post will have continuity since now all the crap around is observed from a sociological fuck you, sorry, focus.
In essence concrete/asphalt/vegetation
are a whole. Therefore, separating the stupidity of individuals, public and private institutions in their actions and consequences to our society is not necessary. It is a patrimony for humanity.
The pictures with Roman numerals are an example of the brutality toward trees seemingly very normal in these shores.
These trees are being killed slowly by strangulation, the species, botanical names are irrelevant since they will become, what the careful observer may have noticed. Picture lV, reveals how, the tree fades magically becoming a trash receptacle.
On Bouret street, the isle aboriginal owner planted this huge tree five feet from the wall. The leaves clog the roof drains.
Every once in a while, the tree is totally mutilated with a chain saw or machete yielding butcher. The seasonal treatment by tree topping fashion, until the time to repeat it arrives.
If you like this, drop by puertorikenhadas, soon. The REAL ESTATE, ARCHITECTURAL, SOCIOLOGICAL POST WILL BE ON.
The picture show will be related to my recent post regarding housing developers.
apaga i vamonoh. Pa encima en el 2011.
The pictures with Roman numerals are an example of the brutality toward trees seemingly very normal in these shores.
These trees are being killed slowly by strangulation, the species, botanical names are irrelevant since they will become, what the careful observer may have noticed. Picture lV, reveals how, the tree fades magically becoming a trash receptacle.
On Bouret street, the isle aboriginal owner planted this huge tree five feet from the wall. The leaves clog the roof drains.
Every once in a while, the tree is totally mutilated with a chain saw or machete yielding butcher. The seasonal treatment by tree topping fashion, until the time to repeat it arrives.
If you like this, drop by puertorikenhadas, soon. The REAL ESTATE, ARCHITECTURAL, SOCIOLOGICAL POST WILL BE ON.
The picture show will be related to my recent post regarding housing developers.
apaga i vamonoh. Pa encima en el 2011.
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