Miscellaneous: Kitty Troll, Bird Action and Bee Changes

One of the cheapest cat toys around. Artemis loves to play troll in paper bags.

We've had a pair of jays frequenting the garden for peanuts. They are a lot of fun to watch as they cache the goobers in the lawn, placing a rhody blossom or leaf on top to conceal it. They are so bummed when the lawn mower flings their lunch all over. Now it appears that they haven't been just visiting the garden. The other day I startled a scruffy-looking Jay Jr. during a flying lesson with one of the 'rents. Even after Junior flew safely away, I got seriously scolded by the parent until I put some peanuts out.

This morning we had a pair of flickers come down outside my office (aka the breakfast room). Unfortunately they had split up before I could get the camera. Below is Mr. Flicker looking for ants.




After a bit of a queen explosion this spring, my collection is diminishing a bit. I sold Freyja, my Minnesota Hygenic queen to a friend who lost one of hers. Today another friend decided that she needed to requeen a hive, so I checked on my oldest homemade queen. She's finally laying, and looks plump and lively. She goes to her new home tomorrow.

So now I'm back down to four regular hives, plus two nucleus hives with homemade queens (one swarmed out of a nuc last week). One of those homemades is destined for another friend, if she (the queen that is) starts laying. There's hope yet for getting some honey this year.

Lupine Bloom on Bald Hills Road

There has been a lupine explosion on Bald Hills Road this spring. Larkspur, irises and many other wildflowers are also going crazy up there.

Karin and I drove up Friday afternoon, and stayed until near sunset. The scent of the flowers was intoxicating. There was a gentle hum from wild bees, honeybees and other beneficial insects working the flowers. Barn and violet-green swallows swooped about, and lazuli buntings sang their hearts out.

I'm going up again next week to explore, take more photos, and perhaps do a little plein air painting.

Photos can also be viewed at my Picassa site.

Kinetic Sculpture Race

OK, OK. I know it's now called the Kinetic Grand Championship Challenge Tour de Humboldt Competition or some nonsense like that, but it'll always be the Kinetic Sculpture Race to me.

Karin, Kalen and I joined other Fabulous Babes of the Bee Brigade (the FBBBs) and their spouses (the newly-dubbed SOBBs) at the Saint Mary's Catholic Church parking lot on Janes Road to watch the racers go by. Joy and Steve alerted us to this goodly viewing spot, and we had a picnic party for the event.

For those unfamiliar with the event, the Kinetic Sculpture Race is a three-day race from Arcata to Ferndale for human-powered machines. The sculptures can be as simple or elaborate as one wishes. They must be able to travel on land (asphalt, sand and mud) and water (a bit of Humboldt Bay). Cheating is encouraged, but if an official catches you at it, you must be prepared to bribe them. It's a whole bunch of silliness and fun.


Leading the pack: an insect sculpture.


The Rutabaga Queen and retinue

Duane Flatmo makes some of the best kinetic sculptures. This dragon isn't among his most colorful, but it is pretty nifty.

Dragon, hippo and more.

June Moxon also makes impressive sculptures, like this Kinetic Chicken.



Angler Fish and Octomom

Chris' husband Jim is a local TV weatherman, so of course he suffered many a lame joke about his responsibility for the overcast day. We promise to change the subject someday, Jim.

Claire, Jim, Chris, Joy and Kalen


Joy, Kalen & Karin


Julia, Sheri & Lily-pup. Julia's wishing a swarm would fly by.

One poor team was limping along, probably stuck in first gear. Julia and I gave them a little boost, getting them up to 4 or 5 mph for a hundred feet or so. We hope they made it to the day's stop before dark.


All too soon, the sculptures had raced by, and our little party ended. But a good time was had by all.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

We just got back from a few days in Ashland, where we got us some culture and sunshine. We saw four plays: "Macbeth", "Equivocation", "Dead Man's Cell Phone" and "Death and the King's Horseman".

Equivocation, by Bill Cain was our hands-down favorite. I want to see it again; perhaps I can persuade a friend to go. This play tells about William Shagspeare (one of the Bard's many spellings of his name) and his troupe. They receive a commission from King James I to write a play telling the "true history" of the Gunpowder Plot. It is not a job they want, but can hardly refuse and keep their heads.

The play ties in with Macbeth and Henry VIII, which are included in this season's offerings. I am glad that we saw Macbeth first, especially since I've only known the story in snippets and via Akira Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" and Rick Miller's comic "MacHomer". I've never seen Henry VIII (it opens in June), but I can imagine how Shakepeare had to make that story palatable for Henry's daughter Queen Elizabeth.

The play is witty, complex and well-done. "Shag" gets in over his head as he researches the Plot and discovers inconsistencies with the official version. His talent of making everyone happy with a play is put to the test. - Consider "The Merchant of Venice", where the Jews can be satisfied that Shylock and they themselves are wronged, then the Christians can be satisfied that the Jews are put back in their place. Trust is questioned and relationships are strained. Shag learns the fine art of equivocation, and creates a classic.

Although set in 1605, this play also touches on modern themes, such as the efficacy of torture: Why bother if the prisoner will tell you anything you want to hear? Exactly!

The small cast play a variety of parts, ofttimes morphing from one to another onstage: An interview with a prisoner in the dungeon becomes a scene in rehersal.

Shag's daughter Judith sililoquizes about her distaste for sililoquies.

This is Equivocation's world premier. I hope it spreads far and wide after this. Go see it if it comes to a theater near you.


Of the other plays we saw, Macbeth was good but not great. In particular, Macbeth's sililoquy about killing King Duncan and the Witches' famous "Boil, boil, toil and trouble" scene seemed canned. What comes out of the cauldron got lots of creeped-out gasps, though. I don't know why the "Noblewoman" was dressed more like a housemaid or nanny. OSF is overly fond of modern military uniforms in their plays; it gets boring. However, the set and lighting were great, and Lady Macbeth's blood red costumes were gorgeous.

Dead Man's Cell Phone was a good little play that disappointed in the last few minutes.

Death and the King's Horseman is a play based on an incident in 1946, when Nigerian custom clashes with British colonial arrogance. Although a couple of lengthy monologues caused us to lose the point, this play is well worth seeing. This is the first time I've seen an OSF play where the cast is racially typed, except for one Euro-American playing a Nigerian drummer. Usually, they just pick good actors, no matter what their race. I may have seen more racial typing if we'd ever gotten to see any of August Wilson's plays here, but this was different for me.

Kalen Graduates!

My eldest, Kalen graduated from Humboldt State University this morning. She now has a BA in Art. She has an eye for photography, and loves the printing processes involved. She's considering going for an advanced degree soon. She also does very well with graphic design. I'm so proud! Her girlfriend Alyx came up from SF to see her take the walk.

We celebrated with brunch at Golden Harvest Cafe, followed by a matinee to see the new Star Trek movie. Plus, the fog cleared and gave us a warm afternoon. All in all, a grand day!

Bloom Day May 2009: Crazy for Columbines

I am really fond of columbines. They may not be my absolute favorite garden flower, but they are in the top five. I have a lot of varieties, many of which have hybridized with the others. The above is, I think, and example. It's pretty darned punky.


I also love irises. The above Louisiana hybrid is a recent acquisition from Singing Tree Gardens. The Pacific Coast hybrids are nearly done, and I'm waiting for the Siberian irises to start. I'm not sure if my Japanese irises will ever bloom. I probably have them in the wrong place.


The roses are also starting to come into their own. Most of ours have been living in pots for about 20 years because I still haven't made a place for them in the few sunny beds we have. But they are troopers, and are generous with flowers when I keep them fed. Above is a "White Butterfly". Karin got this and two other varieties at a job site many years ago. The property was occupied by greenhouses, and was due to be developed for housing. One tenant, Doctor Moray, told her to take whatever plants she wanted. She thinks he bred this one and another white rose she calls "Doctor Moray". I prefer the "White Butterfly" because it has a scent, but both are lovely.


I once lived in a house that had a mock orange in the garden, and fell in love with it. I discovered this plant in our "jungle" after thinning out the area. At the time, I didn't know what it was, but found it blooming the next spring. It has thrived with a little extra sun. It has a lovely citrus scent.

Until I started this Bloom Day series, I hadn't realized how long some plants had flowers. I would note some start and stop dates on the calendar, but would often forget as one faded and another began rioting. The magnolia, hellebore and wood hyacinth have surprised me with their blooming longevity. Others are very brief, perhaps appearing for only one Bloom Day.

The entire album of May flowers can be viewed in the slideshow below, or at my Picasa site.

Salad on the Root

Finally my lettuces are big enough for a proper salad. From top left to lower right: 1 Salad Bowl, 2 Red Sails, 2 Sucrine, 2 Devil's Tongue with 1 Mascara between, and 2 Flashy Trout's Back.