Fire and Rain

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain,

I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end."

James Taylor

Today was the first day in a long time I saw rain. I also saw the evidence of fire. When I studied the outdoor thermometer early this morning it was below 80 degrees. What a change. When I looked at the sky it was hazy with smoke from forest fires. I am relieved for the cooler weather. It meant I could work in the garden weeding and deadheading without wilting and getting a sunburn. I am also apprehensive for the thunderstorms that may come tonight. It is always a balancing act with summer weather.The headlines of the paper today said that the firefighters got weather help. The Bulldog Fire is north of us about thirty miles. The Tunk Grade Fire further west is close to Omak which is about 100 miles away. It is the largest fire in the area and has burned 16,000 acres. A ban was put on open burning in our county today. Our fire danger is high.

We live in a community with our own water system. The well pump quit working today so our system tank was half empty. All of this is a concern to homeowners that live in a rural area that is very dry. Everyone in the neighborhood is conscientious and ready to help. I love that about Martin Creek Community.

I'll sleep better tonight because the weather has cooled. I will hopefully get to work more outside tomorrow. I will also watch the sky, weather reports, and fire updates to see what is happening in our area. I will lay awake though if I hear the sound of thunder and the sight of lightening. Also I dread the smell of smoke as it fills the night air. This is what the fire season holds for us in northeastern Washington.

All the pictures of the Tunk Grade fire are courtesy of Jed Conklin/The Spokesman Review. The firefighters are seen above through their fire-retardant-covered windshield along the fire line near Omak.

Geraniums: Cranesbills or Pelargonium ?

Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants which includes about 200 species of perennial, succulent, and shrub plants, commonly known as geraniums. Confusingly, Geranium is the correct botanical name of the separate genus which contains the related Cranesbills. Both genera are in the Family Geraniaceae. Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus, Geranium, but they were later separated into two genera by Charles L’Héritier in 1789. Gardeners sometimes refer to the members of Genus Pelargonium as "pelargoniums" in order to avoid the confusion, but the older common name "geranium" is still in regular use. (from Wikipedia)

I don't know about you, but for years I thought the pretty annual red and pink flowering plants that you put in planters and borders were the only geraniums that existed. Then I read an article in a gardening magazine about ten years ago and learned about both types. I always now call cranesbills perennial geraniums and the ones pictures above "just geraniums". These geraniums now come in so many different colors and gardeners can plant Martha Washingtons, ivy, or just geraniums. Our geraniums work well for us because we bring them in each fall and winter them over. We also propagate them for new plants, and enjoy them year round. Each year we try to find a few new or unique types and colors. They are the easiest plants to propagate with some healthy cuttings, some root hormone, and potting soil.

If you haven't grown scented geraniums, they are a treat in any garden. When the leaves are scratched they have the scent of rose, mint, lemon, or other lovely smells. They are said to deter mosquitoes, but I don't know if that is true for sure. We have lots planted around, but we have never had too many of those pesty bugs before. Maybe I should take a plant camping and see if it really does work. Cranesbills are a good choice as a border plant because they spread and have pretty blue or purple flowers in summer.

Just geraniums also seem to be a plant right now in the hot, hot weather that are hanging in there with blooms still opening. Whatever kind you have or whatever name you give them- geraniums are a perfect addition to any garden.

Peaches

A mouthful of language to swallow:
stretches of beach, sweet clinches,
breaches in walls, pleached branches;
britches hauled over haunches;
hunched leeches, wrenched teachers.
What English can do: ransack
the warmth that chuckles beneath
fuzzed surfaces, smooth velvet
richness, plashy juices.
I beseech you, peach,
clench me into the sweetness
of your reaches.
-Peter Davison

Beautiful words for a juicy, delicious subject.

The Many Talents of Z2!

Today is my niece Z2's thirteenth birthday. The day she was born was as hot as today . I was staying in Kellogg and Dad and I suffered through the heat while Mom went to help out in Meridian, Idaho where my sister's family lived. My niece has many talents. Above she is spending some quality time with Grandma before a family picture. She has always had a way with fashion and been the one that loved frilly clothes and up-dos... right? She has always been an enthusiastic child, especially when she learned to say "cheese" before a picture was taken. Here my nieces were preparing to celebrate at my wedding reception. Z2 loves the finer things in life. She is a talented musician, vocalist, actress,and dancer. Here, at an early age she took dance lessons from her Uncle Raymond Pert at my house. The outdoors is a place Z2 loves to embrace. A few years ago we went camping and she hiked, swam. and did glamour shots on a log at Sherman Creek. You can't keep her out of that camera lens. Z2 is also very helpful. When her father needed the back-end of a cow in the current melodrama he is acting in and directing- she came to his aid. While he is milking the cow, she had a carefully choreographed part with her leg . Have you ever seen a lovelier cow leg and black hoof?
She is also a good teacher. Here when she was visiting Memorial Day week-end she patiently taught her sister the proper way to make and enjoy a s'more. Finally her sister decided to try a s'more for the first time. We have all been blessed with Z2's talents, sense of humor, love of nature, and enthusiasm for life for thirteen years. It is fun to have another teenager in the family. Have a great year Z2! Happy Birthday!
You can see Silver Valley Girl's post ( her mom!) about her birthday here.

Skull Busters, Dippity Do, and Suffer to Be Beautiful

The topic for Sunday Scribblings this week is hair. I am going to date myself tonight as I think back to what we did to have beautiful hair before the time of curling irons, electric curlers, blow dryers, or those crimping irons. What I know for sure is that we suffered. Women in my age group and older may recall having their hair done up in bobby pins, clippies, brush curlers, multicolored plastic curlers or pink sponge curlers. We then slept on them. Who had time to sit under a hair dryer like the ladies at the beauty shop? Besides, not too many of us in my neighborhood had those fancy portable Sunbeam Hair Dryers at home.

When my mom moved from brush curlers to the plastic ones with a thing that snapped each of them in place, my dad called them skull busters. We laughed recently when we found a picture of Mom in her famous curlers. I didn't think she would appreciate that picture on my blog tonight! For me the ritual was washing my hair on Saturday night and Mom "doing up my hair" in bobby pins. Later I think they fell out too easily so she used silver clippies. If I had a home perm I think the curl lasted quite a few nights. I guess I only had to suffer to be beautiful on Saturday night before Sunday School the next day.

All this hair care required tools. We had to have curler bags, clippie and bobby pin boxes, pink picks to hold brush rollers in place,hair nets to keep our styles intact, and fancy, lacy roller caps. We took our hair styling serious. The worst nightmare at our house often times wasn't the "sleeping with curlers in your hair" torture. It

was the moment my dad was barefoot and stepped on a clippie, a brush curler, or a bag of plastic curlers in the bathroom. We brought out the Cuss Box when that happened. My brother probably had his moments of annoyance as a bobby pin had to be fished out of the toilet or curlers fell in the bathtub. They always seems to be where they didn't belong.

When I was older suddenly everyone wanted just body in their hair. Dippity Do was the product that helped when we rolled our long hair in orange juice cans or huge plastic rollers. We kept our bangs straight with pink hair tape. I remember not having pink hair tape one time and using scotch tape. Not a good idea! The pink mark across my forehead took days to fade away. Then we ratted our hair, smoothed our hair, lightened our hair with lemon juice, and grew out our bangs. It was amazing the rituals we suffered through in becoming a woman just to be beautiful. I laugh now when I hear someone say, " I am having a bad hair day." Try having a bad hair decade! There was relief when it was cool and hip to wear bandannas over your hair and it didn't mean you were in some gang!

Today I'll take an occasional curling iron burn or hair that needs a trim over bobby pins, skull busters, and Dippity Do! To find other Sunday Scribbling posts on hair go here.

Campsis Radicans: The Heat-Loving Trumpet Vine

About four years ago our neighbor and dear friend SH had an incredibly beautiful trumpet vine climbing on the side of her garage. I loved that vivid orange color, but thought this plant was difficult to grow. I learned different. She gave us a start of the vine and the top two pictures illustrate what it looks like today.
" The campsis is a vigorous climber that will cling to wood, brick, and stucco surfaces with aerial rootlets. Use for large-scale effects, quick summer screen. All produce open, arching sprays of trumpet-shaped flowers in August and September. They grow in full sun or partial shade with moderate water." Sunset Western Garden Book
With our temperatures over 100 for the last three days these deciduous vines flourished early. We loved the plant so much we purchased another one a couple of years ago and the pictures on the bottom of the grid show how well it is doing. You can't miss with trumpet vines. They grow in most zones, will bloom in full sun or partial shade, and all we do it hook it to the structure and give it water and nourishment.
Our friend SH died a year ago in March. On days like today I think of her vibrant personality and how much she loved this plant. When I gaze at these gorgeous orange blossoms I can't think of a better way to honor my special friend in my garden.