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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Other Reason I Bought that Growing Stand, and Shame on the NWF


I'm not looking for pity, won't do me any good now

Beware of P90X. Yeah, go ahead and laugh. I'm sure you've seen the infomercials or heard about it on ESPN. It's an exercise program, like Crossfit, Insanity, and Zumba. Well, my exuberance in the plyometrics earned me a bone contusion in my foot and I should be in this boot for 4-6 weeks to let it heal. Luckily it didn't become a stress fracture. I've been hobbling around since last spring, not wanting to "take care" of it until winter, knowing I'd probably be incapacitated for a while. Since I'll be unable to get out in the yard to putter around, I'll be starting seeds and watching plants grow under the lights to pass the time.

This has also given me the opportunity to play with my new camera lenses so I can try to take better photos for this blog. The honeybees were back today and proved a worthy subject for my macro lens...

Not bad, could be better

I like that I can see the pollen grains

So did Sweet Pea's nose...

Now that's detail

I'm also using my newly found down time to catch up on reading everyone's blogs. Well, unless you've been on a bender or out of the country, I'm sure you all know about the Scott's Corp. and National Wildlife Federation unholy matrimony. If not, please look over to the right hand column and peruse my blog list to see an assortment of commentary. There's nothing I can add to the discussion which hasn't been already said more eloquently by the likes of those blog authors. I had already planned to not renew my membership or make any more donations to the NWF because it seems they do little to no actual work in the field and spend all their money on weekly junk mail and junkier free gifts. I plan on keeping my Certified Wildlife Habitat yard sign but I'll be putting a big sticker over the NWF logo.

*OK, before you bust me for bashing the Scott's/NWF union and having a picture in my last post with a bottle of Miracle Grow in the background, I'm not being a hypocrite. I don't use it anymore and it's there to remind me to throw it away, but first I have to figure out how to do so safely.

7 comments:

  1. Amazing picture of the bee! Look at those hairs. And Sweet Pea looks like a LION.

    Hope your foot heals in rapid fashion. I'll send you some seeds tout de suite!

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  2. Congrats on the macro!

    I always figure that an injury is a message to slow down, and try to figure out what stopped me from slowing down b4 the injury...

    Scary pic of the cat...

    First I'm hearing about Scots corp and nwf.

    junky gifts... getting all that rubbish in the mail leaves me wondering where I can donate money that will be spent on the things I want to support, I don't need address labels n christmas cards.

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  3. Hey Gardens..., since it appears that you enjoy this blog, consider sending donations to "asuburbanwilderness.blogspot.com". Here, 100% of your donations will go toward native plant purchases, a course in macro photography, new Felco pruners and much much more! If you act now, we will promise not to send you any junky gifts or requests for more money:)

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  4. lol...
    You had my attention until you mentioned the felcos...
    I will NOT support needless tidying... That senseless destruction must stop!

    While we're discussing donations... Let's discuss seeds... I will plant all I am sent... And post pics of the plants in a xeriscape environment...

    When the flowers die, it's as informative as which butterflies visit them, and what colours result when the bees cross them with related plants.

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  5. You have bees? Geeze. I have to wait 2 months. Heal up fast!

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  6. Ellen, Thanks for the well wishes!

    Gardens..., I DO need to learn to slow down and just "be". I've already got all my seeds for this year cold-stratifying but I'll keep you in mind when I go seed collecting next fall. I'm as much an obsessive seed collector as seed planter.

    Benjamin, The bees come out any time the temps get over 50 degrees or so. It shouldn't be that warm now, we should have snow and 30 degree temps but this bizarre La Nina winter has everything screwed up.

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  7. Gardens: I should have been clearer, I am not allowed to prune or deadhead anything. I am known as "The Help". I have recently been doing battle with miles of Wysteria, Grapevine, and the always popular NNI Honeysuckle vine:-/

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