Well, this is a long overdue post about my garden. Not to say I’ve been neglecting the garden, I just forgot to post about it. To begin with, I had a late start at planting this year – I didn’t plant any seeds until we returned from our vacation late April. Then the weather was topsy-turvy, with some excessively warm days (great for germination) followed by cool ones (poor confused plants), including some late spring weeks where I turned on the air-conditioning and the heat in the same week.
We’re solidly into summer now, a surprisingly dry one according to my somewhat brown grass. It’s been just wet enough that I’ve gotten by with minimal plant watering (and I never water the lawn). We’re already harvesting peas, strawberries, mulberries, and blackberries, and the volunteer tomatoes have started producing flowers. There may be okra hidden under the peas… I’m honestly not sure if they’ve survived, though we’ll find out soon as the peas die out in the heat. I planted a few more okra seeds in another bed, just in case.
We’re growing sweet potatoes! After resounding success with purple potatoes last year, we decided on a mixed package of sweet potato plants with three different varieties. It’ll be a while before that harvest, but the vines are sprawling nicely.
Last, but certainly not least, is our “mammoth” sunflower circle. These plants have the potential to be significantly taller than us (up to twelve feet, if I remember right), so the area is intended as a reading nook. There are two rows of sunflowers wrapping around in a circle, with just enough of an opening for someone to walk in.
I was flipping through the newspaper the other day…
“Wait,” you say, “an actual newspaper?”
Why yes, that’s a funny story. I looked outside Sunday morning just as the lady who delivers the newspapers on this block backed up to my neighbor’s and tossed his two bundles mostly onto his driveway. I wondered why she was backing up, then realized there were two bundles on my driveway. I suppose she has extras in case of mistakes, because she didn’t bother to pick them back up.
Anyways, I noticed that while I read most sections of the newspaper like a book or magazine, from front to back, I treat the Sunday comics differently. I read the front page, flip them over and read the back, then open it up to read the insides. I have no idea when I started that.
Other habits are easier to pinpoint. I started carrying a spare pair of reading glasses in my purse – previously reserved for computer use – the time we ate lunch at a dimly lit TGI Friday’s and struggled with the menu. I started enjoying gardening (as opposed to just seeing it as a chore) when I was introduced to vegetable gardening; before that was just weeding and tree trimming. The inevitable gardening planning (a necessity for a project manager’s large garden) followed as the vegetable garden expanded, and is now scheduled for late winter/early spring every year. And as a habit, I sometimes just stand at the window and smile at my garden. (Really, I should go outside and pick some snow peas.)
If you take a moment for introspection, whether you recall how it started, what habit makes smile?
I just realized that the sequel to The Raven Spell is coming out soon, which seems like a good time to share this review of the first book in the Conspiracy of Magic series. This review was originally published in the February 15, 2022 issue of Booklist.
Luanne Smith kicks off a new magical series with The Raven Spell, set in Victorian London where a pair of sisters, Edwina and Mary, run a trinket shop. Living in a large city makes it easier to hide their magic from mortals and avoid the attention of the Witch’s Constabulary, which enforces laws relating to magic. Mary’s ability to capture a person’s memories at the moment of their death, transforming the memories into a small stone, is the catalyst for this story when the sisters find a private detective, Ian Cameron, dying on the shore. When Ian survives, Edwina accidentally restores the wrong stone – with somebody else’s memories – into his mind, then embarks on a mission to help Ian retrace his lost time without magic. As Edwina grows closer to Ian, she becomes aware of the growing distance between herself and Mary and the mystery of Mary’s nighttime activities. Smith wraps up the plot neatly while leaving a clear hook to entice delighted readers back for the next book.
There was another shooting today (9-Jun-2022), this time in Maryland. Early reports say that 3 people were killed. We have enough “mass shootings” (loosely defined as at least 3 victims) in this country that there’s a Wikipedia page specifically for mass shootings in the United States (here), and it includes a link to a “more comprehensive list” of the 2022 shootings (here).
March For Our Lives, a group organized by survivors of the 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting, is organizing marches around the country on Saturday, June 11th, calling for reasonable gun safety laws.
Will you march in the hopes of saving someone’s life?
I’m not sure I can do justice to the Paramount Theatre’s latest production, Hand to God. It is everything live theatre is supposed to be: intense, insightful, and, in its own way, educational.
It is also, according to the Paramount’s own ad on Facebook, offensive. Their website and the ticket reminder both state that its rating is “Suggested for ages 18+ for strong adult language, sexual harassment, simulated sex, simulated statutory rape and violence.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, people were offended. Some were even offended enough to leave at intermission (and then respond to the Facebook ad, so we could all see they were offended). You know, after Act 1, when the characters have done almost every stupid thing they can, and the audience is questioning the characters’ wisdom and sanity, wondering how in the world they’ll recover from their mistakes.
The real problem, as I see it, is other than the possessed puppet, people were offended by things that happen in real life. And while we should absolutely be offended when they really happen, including them in theatre helps bring awareness to these issues. And, as expected, the characters grow and learn in Act 2.
Hand to God is playing at the Copley Theatre through July 10th. I highly recommend it.
The United States is reeling from yet another mass shooting. No, not the one in Buffalo, where a hate-filled racist specifically drove to an African-American neighborhood to kill people. Not the church shooting in Laguna. Those were last week. This week’s mass shooting (yes, that’s a terrible thing to be able to say) was at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
This country clearly has problems, both with hatred and guns, and they primarily stem from our political system. We have politicians offering up “thoughts and prayers” every time who then refuse to consider legitimate gun control efforts or address the increasing issue of domestic terrorism.
Our churches, our schools, even our grocery stores are not safe. What can I do? What can you do?
First and foremost, vote. If you feel a need to be a single-issue voter, let it be a vote to let the living keep living. After all, our Declaration of Independence listed “life” as the first of our inalienable rights. That means remembering that our 2nd amendment includes the phrase “well regulated Militia,” and letting every person who wants a gun buy one does not constitute “well-regulated.”
I don’t think that’s enough. We can work to change our political system with our votes, but we also need to work against hatred. If you read Heather Cox Richardson’s daily letters (and you should), she recently explained the history of the extreme polarization that we’re seeing between our political parties. Essentially, starting in 1990, certain political leaders worked to deliberately vilify the opposition simply for being members of the opposing party, urging party members to label their opponents in deliberately negative terms – using hashtags before they were even invented. This has been exacerbated by radio and TV talk show hosts who have promoted hatred, not necessarily because they believe it, but because it improves their ratings.
Your Democratic or Republican neighbor is not evil simply because they have different political views than you do. Your neighbor who appears to be Middle Eastern (and saw a rise in racism against them after 9/11), Asian (with a rise in racism during the pandemic), or any other nationality has no more to do with their homeland government’s decisions – assuming they’re not US citizens – as you do with ours, and certainly nothing to do with a virus that has killed millions. The United States has been a country of immigrants since the first Europeans invaded and stole land from the Native Americans, and the portrayal of our country as a place where anybody can prosper (however accurate) will always draw new people.
Like revolutions, the United States as a country was built on hope and on the concept that all men people are created equal. Take the time to meet your neighbors, especially if they look or sound different from you. You can combat hatred by learning to appreciate the differences in people around you.
Last year, when I had a subscription to MasterClass, I took several classes relating to writing (not surprising, really), including N. K. Jemisin’s class teaching fantasy and science fiction writing. When we stopped at a bookstore on our Florida trip, I stumbled onto her anthology, How Long ‘Til Black Future Month?.
Both in the MasterClass and introduction to her anthology, Jemisin emphasizes how much representation matters. Science fiction and fantasy as genres are historically white, male-dominated, and heteronormative (that’s a link to the definition) and Jemisin managed to offend some parts of fandom by writing characters that didn’t fall into those categories. You can assume at this point that I’m either rubbing two fingers together, playing the world’s smallest violin in mock sympathy for them, or bouncing those same two fingers in front of my eye for a tiny guy jumping up and down shouting “I give a shit.” I have no patience for toxic fandom or gatekeeping.
Frankly, it’s their loss if they choose not to read her work. I thoroughly enjoyed every story in this anthology. Flipping through it, a couple made me smile just glancing at them again. “Red Dirt Witch,” for example, about a witch (duh, it’s in the title) in the civil rights era and her daughter who sees into the future, including a glimpse of a black man in the White House. “The Effluent Engine” has a steampunk feel, with blatant racism and sexism that was unfortunately appropriate in nineteenth century New Orleans, and turns into a queer romance story. “The Evaluators” follows a different writing style of message exchanges and reviewed transcripts as humanity rushes in to doom itself. I could keep going, but really, go find yourself a copy and enjoy a good read.
I’ve discussed culinary tourism before… when traveling, we like to explore new (to us) restaurants. We certainly managed that in Florida! I’ll mostly let the photos talk here.
Key West:The Cafe – we had walked past several restaurants on Duval Street when this charming restaurant on a side street caught our eye.
Miami:Tapas de Rosa – this was a Google find, looking for somewhere to get a nice lunch between Vizcaya and Miami Beach. Being a tapas restaurant, we selected several small dishes to share.
Miami Beach: the quest for restaurants, hidden inside hotels and apartment buildings, led us (with Google’s help) to the delightful Lola Restaurant & Grill. We likely would have eaten there again if it weren’t for the next day’s lunch.
Coral Gables:Havana Harry’s does not skimp on portions – we ate three or four meals from the leftovers after this lunch! Pictured below are three entrees and one of the plates of side dishes. (Also, arrive early for good parking.)
Melbourne:Pane e Vino, to my delight, had escargot on the appetizer menu. Yeah, I know, that’s a French dish. I had it anyways.
Kissimmee: Last, but certainly not least, was El Tapatio, a Mexican restaurant recommended (and rightfully so) by our hotel. What’s that greenish drink in the photo, you ask? That was a delicious avocado margarita (not to be confused with a key lime milkshake I had near the Everglades).
We had eight days plus an evening, and almost four hundred miles to cover while picking interesting places to visit, ranging from Key West to Orlando. We tried to select a mix of interests, which seems to have resulted in mostly nature and science stops.
Key West: a rooster at sunrise, a butterfly at the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory, a polydactyl cat at the Hemingway House, all set against the background of a rainbow crosswalk
Lego rabbits at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach; a colorful lizard of some sort at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens; an orange flower at Mounts Botanical Garden; part of the garden at Vizcaya; artwork outside the Richter Library at the University of Miami; the fountain and new dorms at the University of Miami; sand and ocean at Miami Beach; part of the Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center; an alligator by the path at the Everglades National Park
The next few days weren’t quite as hectic. We started most mornings whenever we were ready, including the day we went to the Everglades National Park… that involved getting a tire replaced on our rental car, having picked up a roofing nail the evening before. (In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a bit of a shortage on rental cars; they didn’t have a replacement car available nearby.) We started at the visitor’s center just outside the gate (be sure to ask about the junior ranger activities if you have younger kids), paid our admission at the gate (good for 7 days), then drove all the way in to the Flamingo Lodge. We lucked out and saw a single manatee while exploring around the lodge, then drove back out to the Snake Bight trail for a nice, long walk in the heat. (Largely shaded, but still, hot.) Our final stop in the park was at the Anhinga Trail, which the ranger at the entrance visitor’s center had said was the best chance of seeing wildlife. The alligator by the trail clearly hasn’t read the rules that say people should stay at least 15 feet away from animals.
Our next day involved moving from Florida City to Miami Beach, with a stop at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on the way. I had visited the gardens once, when they still hosted a renaissance festival in the spring, but had never been inside the house. What struck me about the style of the house, which was built in the early 1900s but designed to look older, was how similar in style it is to Spanish colonial buildings in Guatemala, with an open courtyard and some garden in the center of the house. Of course, it also has extensive gardens beyond the mansion, which most houses in Guatemala don’t have.
We met a friend at the University of Miami, revisiting my old stomping grounds – mainly the library, though we glanced at some of the new buildings as well. (We went off campus for a lovely lunch, which I’ll cover in my next post.) The visit to my high school was similar, rehashing memories with familiar buildings and amazement at some of the new areas of campus. (The motivation for the trip was my high school reunion.)
Then we headed north! On our way to meet up with friends in Palm Bay and Melbourne, we sidetracked to Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach (compensating for missing the Miami Beach Botanical Garden because Vizcaya and lunch ran later than we expected). By chance, they were having both a plant sale that day (no, we didn’t buy anything, it was all tropical) and a Lego exhibit. From Melbourne, we continued on to Kennedy Space Center, missing a shuttle launch by a couple days and several hours (even I wasn’t up before 4am on vacation), which was delightful and educational. Or delightfully educational? Something like that.
Orlando – Gatorland: warning sign that reads “Plese Be Safe. Do not carry children on your shoulders or stand, sit, or climb on fence railings anywhere in the park. If you fall in THE GATORS WILL EAT YOU! And that might make them sick. Thank you.”; some baby alligators including an albino; a collection of young alligators on a boardwalk; a bird perched on the back of an alligator
Our final day in Florida was spent in the Orlando area. Instead of visiting the better-known tourist traps, some of which we visited a few years before (pre-blog, sorry), we opted to visit Gatorland. With “over 2,000 American alligators” onsite, the location name is stunningly accurate. Really the only disappointing part was not trying the zipline (yes, over gators) and arriving after they had already picked a “volunteer” to hold a tarantula at the Up-Close Encounters show.
We headed home the next day and were delighted to find out that the cats are all still talking to us. Mostly to say we should feed them, but hey, we’ll take it.
We recently returned from a trip to Florida, which as can be expected in April, was significantly warmer than Chicagoland. It was a busy trip, we stayed in six different cities in nine nights. Every place we stayed was nice enough for us to feel comfortable there, and in a good enough area for us to wander in the neighborhood. In each case, my minimum requirement was space for two people and free parking; where available, I also searched for breakfast included. (Links are through Hotels.com because that’s where I booked through.)
Key West: Wicker Guesthouse – we described this room as “comically small”; as you can almost see from the photo, there was just enough room at each side of the bed for someone to walk. While short on space, this was perfectly located for exploring downtown Key West – on Duval Street, a couple blocks from the Hemingway House. They have two pools, a continental breakfast, and were happy to let us park past checkout time. The hotel emailed a couple days before our trip to see when we expected to arrive, and included information on some of the Key West attractions. Of course, the size of this room became the running joke as we compared other hotel rooms throughout the trip.
Florida City: Quality Inn – this Quality Inn room, including an upgrade from two full to two queen beds, felt huge after the room in Key West. But that’s not why I picked it! Florida City is at the edge of the Everglades National Park, a must-see area of South Florida. We drove up from Key West, unpacked, and bought dinner from the nearby Gator Grill. (Food and attractions will be separate posts.) Every hotel we stayed at had a pool; we didn’t make it into this one. Their breakfast was a “hot” continental, which means a couple warm dishes (eggs, sausage, etc.) and a waffle maker were provided.
Miami Beach: Castle Beach Suites – this section of Miami Beach is strange in that restaurants are buried in buildings (apartments, hotels… or a combination of both). This was a “rental apartment,” with check-in at the building’s security desk, and parking through a consistently backlogged valet service. The apartment itself was nice, but with no information about the surrounding area. We never tried their food – we found a lovely restaurant hidden in the building next door, and went looking for breakfast well before they opened in the morning. We skipped their sizable pool in favor of walking out the back gate to the beach. The first time we retrieved our car from the valet took 15 minutes; the second time had a humongous line and took us almost an hour.
Cocoa Beach: Beachside Hotel & Suites – hands down, this was our favorite hotel of the trip. Our room included a sitting room, kitchenette, and bedroom, with separate doors to the parking lot and patio. Their shallow pool has a lazy river – with tubes provided; the pool bar includes reasonable dinner options; their hot continental breakfast includes a good variety; and the beach is only a block away. After our day’s outing, we unpacked, spent some time in the pool, ate dinner, then spent some more time in the pool.
Orlando: Park Royal Orlando – technically, this hotel is in Kissimmee, but that’s close enough to count as Orlando. We were pretty wiped out by the time we checked in, having spent all day at Gatorland, and just wanted to find food in walking distance before we crashed. The room itself was quite nice, the pool looked lovely, and they even have a tennis court. The lobby staff directed us to a lovely Mexican restaurant for dinner, and we wandered the same direction the next morning to get breakfast at IHop before flying home.
Six cities… five hotels… oh, you noticed that? Yeah, we stayed with a friend one night. No worries, that city will make it onto the food post.
