Bachelor Brothers Seek Hibiscus

That would be the want ad for the Fleming brothers. These three old guys never married and are now famous for their show-stopping Hibiscus Hybrids. Their mother was a naturalist and they all hail from a little town called Lincoln, Nebraska.  They are all since deceased, but their colorful legacy lives on around town and beyond.

When we first got to town, I was astounded by these enormous flowers that were literally everywhere. In the beginning of August (when we arrived), these giants were at the end of a month-long bloom. They took a few weeks off and are now blooming again--one last firework before the cold of fall rolls in. They are incredible to look at, but once a bloom goes south, it looks like the hem of a wedding gown that has been dragged through the rain and mud. Does this image sound familiar?

I went to a greenhouse today to ask about the hibiscus here and learned about the Fleming brothers. I think I picked the most humid day to do this. I had to leave the greenhouse on account of the sweat dripping down my cheeks, arms, and running down the backs of my knees. The only way to describe the weather today here is disgusting, but I found ways to make the best of it. Check out these blooms from our neighbor's garden...

Gratitude...to beings with two legs and four...

I talked with my mother and my mother-in-law today -- both smart, funny, and strong.  Two of my four followers on this blog so far.  Shout out!  

Norma

Carol

These two women are different in complimentary ways, maybe that's why their kids got together. If I'm a mother some day, I hope to be like these two gals.

For now, I'm a mother to this black dog, who loves running around in morning dew.  Check out this pure joy. Cooper and all dogs teach us to live in the moment. They know what's important: food, love, sleep, and a good poop. 

That's it from Nebraskie today. 

An old potter, out in Nebraskie

We went out to see Ervin W. Dixon at his Cedar Creek Pottery yesterday. The place is about 45 minutes outside of town in a little place called Beatrice, Nebraska. The ride out consisted of cornfields. Like this picture.

Ervin bought this old church "before you were born" and has been making a ridiculous amount of pots ever since. This November marks his 33rd annual sale before the holidays.  He was very welcoming but had a bit of Andy Rooney in him. Might be a bit of loneliness there I think.  But then again, we all have that. He said that at one point he had a list of things he would not make including lamps, ashtrays and wind chimes. Well, guess what he's making now, to prepare for the holiday sale.  

Here's a little movie I made about the drive out there.

When we went in, there was a sign on the door, letting us know to come in and turn on the lights.  It also warned of "elegant chaos" ahead...

Here are a few shots of the "elegant chaos"

Finally, here's a little movie about the place. And a short video of Ervin making one of those lamps he said he would never make. 

Thanks for having us, Ervin and thanks family and friends for coming with us. Cheers.

The rules

I found this today and smiled.  Good rules to live by.  My younger cousin Krista put this together for all the Bass girls in my generation.  Last summer in Boothbay, Krista said to my husband when my sister wasn't there, "you could be in the club, just this once, only because Hannah's not here." 

maine.sweet.summer.quick.gone

We all know how fast it goes in Maine.  Even faster when you're robbed of August. In my mind's eye, I see it all with a blurry glow, like this video. Love you Maine and family. 

Simple and good

I always find joy in giving a horse some green grass. It's a simple thing, but they seem to enjoy it.  I love the sound of their lips thumping together when they take the grass out of the air. 

Wind before the Storm...

From ME to NE

A poem this Saturday evening.

Wild Geese

Mary Oliver 

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes, 

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, 

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting  

over and over announcing your place 

in the family of things.

Birds, American Public Media, and feeling at home

              

This morning I saw a Baltimore Oriole and felt at home.  Not because these birds are Maine birds -- because they are certainly not -- but because hobbies make us feel grounded.  Birding does this for me.  No matter where I am, there is a bird, flying, pooping, and being.  Makes me feel good. 

The other thing that makes me feel grounded is listening to Garrison Keillor. Anytime, anywhere, there he is... thanks to American Public Media and NPR. 

F A M I L Y

I'm thinking of family today.  This is a shot from our wedding two years ago next week.  I couldn't ask for more loving, fun, smart, and funny people to call my family. Much love. 

The New Cool

We are all finding ways to be cool when our ocean is nearly 2,000 miles away.  As you can see, Cooper's "new cool" is to lie in his plastic pool.  Mine is to drape a wet washcloth around my neck, sit in the shade, and sip white wine with ice cubes.

This morning I went out to Pioneers Park Nature Center and weeded the herb garden. It was a peaceful morning, but I'll tell you something -- it is humid here!  I was deadheading the tops of basil while beads of sweat from my forehead fell and soaked into the mulch under my knees.  I felt at peace for a few hours--out there in the woods--with my hands in sage, marjoram, sweet basil, and thyme. I got home this afternoon and the scents from the garden were all over my body.  The dog couldn't stop licking my feet and calves. 

A Nebraskan Woman

"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm."

Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark

Lycoris squamigera (resurrection lily)

This lily smiled up at me this morning from a random place in the front yard. Today, I've seen them dotted around town -- in the middle of lawns, in gardens, in grassy places next to alleys.  The common name is resurrection lily, magic lily, or surprise lily. It certainly surprised me this morning.  It looks so naked, without leaves.  I guess the leaves sprout in June then die off. In August, the stalk shoots out of the ground and blooms almost instantly.  Look what plants do! In this new place, I can learn a great deal from this lily. 

Finding beauty, no matter where you find yourself

Growing up in Maine, you understand at an early age that beauty is easy to find.  In the tide pools, in the pines, the moss, the fog, the sky... it is everywhere.  You also believe that you can find beauty anywhere you go, because of this upbringing.  I've been in Nebraska for two weeks now and it seems only fitting that I start this blog with a poem about this place, from a great observer of beauty, Nebraska's Ted Kooser.  Enjoy.


In the Corners of Fields
Ted Kooser

Something is calling to me
from the corners of fields,
where the leftover fence wire
suns its loose coils, and stones
thrown out of the furrow
sleep in warm litters;
where the gray faces
of old No Hunting signs
mutter into the wind,
and dry horse tanks
spout fountains of sunflowers;
where a moth
flutters in from the pasture,
harried by sparrows,
and alights on a post,
so sure of its life
that it peacefully opens its wings.