Its In Our Hands, It Always Was

A new arrival said apologetically to Chao-chu: "I have come here empty-handed."

     Chao-chu said: "Lay it down, then!"

     "Since I have brought nothing with me, what can I lay down?" asked the visitor.

     "Then go on carrying it!" said the Master.

Earthway

 Esty Mae helped her pops shell some Maine Yellow Eye beans. She got the hang of it after a few tries and stayed focused for over a half hour. That's pretty good for a two year old. A title for this picture could be "Beanie Baby."

 We hatched some praying mantises inside so we could see them better, and then we placed them and their oothecas, which literally means egg cover/container, in the various gardens. With a good eye (or a click to embiggen) you can see plenty of the little insects that M.C. Escher used in one of my favorites of his work: Dream (Mantis Religiosa) 1935.

Thanks to Georgetown University for this one, which is where the engraving resides. In fact, it was the first print that Escher sold in the United States.

 The Wolpertinger garlic is doin' dandy. I've tried to keep up with the weeds but the darn plants just keep on growing. No spray, no way. A little recap on my trials with row spacing and garlic: all of the garlic in double rows with about 9 inches between each clove and about 12 inches between rows grew bigger and faster than the triple rows of the same spacing. Go figure. Some of the pros I've seen grow this ancient crop (we are talkin' many many thousands of years) in single rows! One day, when I get my own land, one row will be the way to g(r)o(w)!

 Summertime makes me want to chop it all off and compost the nitrogen-rich mop-head.

Suenos dulces.

More than one way

Useful information for some: I recently got a new cellular phone and wondered if I could transfer my contacts in any way. The lady I talked to (in India?) said "Oh yes, there is. You can manually transfer each contact, one by one." That answer had been my solution in the past, but I didn't enjoy it...so, a few searches on the webernet and I found the ticket: using Bluetooth, something that I had never used up until now....this worked for an LG phone. It took a little over one minute to complete the information transfer. Sweet.

Idle-a-while

That's me with my real girlfriend (her name is Anastasia Latisha Spiritwind) at Idlewild "Gut Rumble" Park. Since I had already puked up my lunch I was all smiles for this shot. The G forces are so strong that it made my forehead bigger and my hair more normal. Amazing. Estoria and Avah aren't in this picture because they where, again, at the historic landmark Carousel. 

I highly recommend a trip to the Greatest Kids Park in the World (the forest aside). It'll change your life.

David Byrne

David Byrne is radical. 

You must go out and get his music. 

Uh-Oh (1992!) is a pretty good start.

Tree Crickets

Quite interesting this once-every-17-years life cycle of the cicadas.This trailer for a documentary is great. I really like the part when they break out of their shells. Take the hint. These are the genus Magicicada, and magic seems to be at play with their long wait, short life, and rerunning the cycle in a scant six weeks. Enjoy.