You say "Crassula;" I say "Succulents"

Guess the name of these succulents, which I bought at the Gardening Saturday program yesterday:

You're right! It's a Cruassula 'Pellucida "B" Variegated'

And you're right about the second one too! It is called: Crassula Iycopodioides 'Variegeated Watch Chain'! You're really good at this!

Succulents have long been one of my favorite types of plants. . . . and they don't tend to exactly thrive naturally in North Dakota! (Although I do have some sedum in my yard, which remind me a lot of succulents).

It's 2010 and the Plant Doctors are In

Oh, blissful day! Today was "Gardening Saturday" in Grand Forks, with a number of area nurseries coming together with the Grand Forks Horticultural Society and North Dakota State University Extension Service to present talks and sessions on a variety of gardening topics, and a book fair and exhibit of vendors.

I acquired 10 new little succulents at $3.50 each from Jade Point Succulents. This next week, I'll introduce you to these little babies, as well as more about Gardening Saturday.

Here's a shot of JadePoint Succulents vendor table:





It's hard to stay calm in spring in North Dakota!

"Let the Great World Spin"--The Beautiful Ms. Bonnie's Take

Before I get to The Beautiful Ms. Bonnie's review of "Let the Great World Spin," by Colum McCann, I thought you might like to see how she spins (She likes to try out an enactment of her books when she reviews them):







And now for a well deserved belly rub:



The Beautiful Ms.Bonnie, having just finished reading Colum McCann's "Let the Great World Spin," says that her head is still spinning, almost as fast as her tail.

She says that some books have great characters but limp plots; some have wonderful plot, but dull characters. It's the rare, delicious book that has both great plot AND character.

"Let the Great World Spin" completely slides out of this categorization into a completely different realm; It has ten or so complex characters, each intertwined around the unfolding of events of one single day, August, 1974, in New York City. But the main character of the plot IS this snapshot of New York City on this day in 1974.

It's the day when a tightrope walker, Phillippe Petit, walks a trajectory between the Twin Towers. It's the orbit knitted together through the likes of Claire, who loses her son in Viet Nam, or Tillie, the hooker grandmother who tries to save her heroine-addicted daughter from another stint in jail.

The devastating stories of these people propel them to near-despair, but only as you approach the end of the book do you realize how masterfully MCann paints the picture of their orbit, bound by hope, connection, and compassion. You may think you've finished the book when it ends, but as you find your mind wandering back to it in the days to come, you realize you yourself have come to be within the gravitational pull of this novel.

The Beautiful Ms. Bonnie gave "Let the Great World Spin" only 4 stars out of 5 because there are some parts of the book that drag. It is well worth sticking with the book anyway, but those are the moments in which she found it easy to be distracted and focused more on the mechanics of what it was the author was trying to accomplish, rather than being absorbed in the novel itself. But 4 out of 5 ain't bad!

Welcome! Insidious Garden Invader!

I know scilla can be invasive in gardens, but it's such a welcome sight to see these first blooms in my yard! April can be such a cruel month, giving us that hint of warmth--practically taunting us with a touch of green here or there. This morning, it was 27 degrees when I got up; this would have been total bliss in January or February. . . . but by April, I want tulips and daffodils. I want to see green leaves and even a mosquito might make me happy! (I draw the line, however, on any appearance of those Evil Cedar Waxwings, which can just STAY AWAY this year, and eat someone else's windows. (Sorry, Someone Else.))

The Book Thief

The Beautiful Ms. Bonnie feels honored to review "The Book Thief," by Markus Zusak, a book deserving a 5 star rating, if ever there was one.

It may seem strange to have a book narrated by Death, but then again,you're reading a review of a book by a 15 1/2 year old yellow lab, so why not a book narrated by Death.
Although this sounds grim,"Death" transports the souls of the newly dead with a great deal of compassion and sensitivity, although it is unclear whether the dead are aware of this care.

"The Book Thief" is set in Nazi Germany, and is witness to the life of a girl who steals books. You'll fall in love with the characters, will feel joy in temporarily "knowing" them, but you'll also have to brace yourself for the nightmares of this book.

One passage in the book raises the question of guilt, of how to feel toward the German people. On the one hand, there is sympathy for those caught in the web of war, the Germans. . . . and then juxtaposed, side-by-side, is the gut-wrenching reality of Jews who had even less choice in the wretched massacre called the holocaust.

The author beautifully crafts words, at times making them the subject of the book, at times, using them to animate objects, sky, color, in a way that leads you to feel beauty in even the most despairing of human situations. At other times, the author beautifully teases and foreshadows with words: "Two telling moments, however, were on their way."

Of course a book is of words, but there's a profound undercurrent in this book about words: Words and silence helped create the holocaust; words helped stand against it. In one agonizing scene, Jews are marched through a street near Munich, and the author, or Death, says: "The suffering faces of depleted men and women reached across to them, pleading not so much for help--they were beyond that--but for an explanation." . . .for words.

If you haven't read this book yet, if you EVER intend to read another book, let it be this one.

But after you read it, you may need to rest from words for awhile.

Embracing my Irked-ness

Even though, being a typical female socialized to feel guilty when I'm cranky, sometimes I just want to embrace my being irked about something, and cranky away, no matter how trite, and petty, and small. So here goes:

For 20 years, I've walked past this truck, 5 days a week, at the exact same time, on the way to my office. And the same two old guys have been outside the truck. Through rain, snow, (usually snow, and more snow), and occasionally sunshine, we cross paths:

They usually block the path to the building door, being all officious and security-minded, rushing their little handcart with money boxes or whatever, up to the truck. This usually forces me somewhat off the sidewalk and onto the pebbled landscape area. If we're both approaching the same space, they rush their preciousness closer to the truck, in front of me, and glare at me. This is usually accompanied by a little gun-check (very similar to a guy "crotch-check"). I usually smile, walk a wider berth around them (carrying all my own junk, many times walking with a walking-cast because of problems in the past), but having to walk further to get to the warmth of the building because of their work. This may not sound like a big deal, but when it's 40 to 50 below zero windchills here, trust me: it's a big deal! Besides, I'm lazy, and usually late, and don't WANT to walk further to get to work.

Until a few years ago, I really didn't much care--just two old, grumpy guys who looked like they hated their jobs, felt rattled by my dangerous presence, and were jumpy, (with their matching cups of coffee in the front window of their truck.)

Then one day, a "sweet young thing" came out of the bank drive-up building, and crossed their paths. Let the sunshine roll in!!!!! They grinned, and radiated joy, and slobbered with drool in their greeting and body language!

OK, no more Ms-NiceGuy from me!

Now, I don't bother to yield and take a wider berth around them. If they've intruded into my space while I'm walking to the door, doesn't matter if they've glared at me; I usually just smile back, and "obliviously" keep on walking. If they have to hurl their bodies onto their handcart to save it from me, sucks to be them! Once, I even dropped my keys on the ground, and had to stop and pick them up; so clumsy of me! And then last week, from a good-sized distance, I took this photo.

So, if I ever get shot on my way into work some morning, it'll probably be my own damn fault! Kids, don't try this at home! Guess I'll have to label this blog post with my "cranky woman" label!

Gone, but Not Forgotten

Look! Winter is almost gone. Not completely. . . . we have this little patch of snow left:

I went for a walk around my neighborhood, looking for a hint of green, and I found this:

. . . a little patch of chives, growing right next to my house! Nothing else green in the neighborhood, but this--ready to ward off the rabbits once tulip bulbs begin to make their appearance alongside them.

Cherry Blossoms

Being in DC without my Nikon was agony, but it was softened by the beauty of the cherry blossom trees!





I was in DC for a conference, and had very little time to wander about; I would have loved to go along the tidal basin and see the trees. My conference was at the Omni Shoreham and these trees were within walking distance from the hotel.

By the way, did you know that on the DC Metro, the trains can open, pouring a huge mass of humanity out on the platform, but then close before any people are allowed onto the Metro, but long enough for the doors to close on and grab your jacket? It helps to have a few strong hands among fellow passengers who pried the door back open while I did this little tugwar maneuver pulling my jacket back, or I'd have had to return to North Dakota winter-jacket-less. Just thought you'd like to know.

The Final Five

It's been years since I've attended a hockey game, but this one was so much fun! University of North Dakota played against St. Cloud University's team, at the Excel Center in Grand Forks. Coincidentally, the Excel Center is connected to the RiverCentre, where Doug and I attended a conference on Alzheimer's.

St. Paul, Minnesota (Minneapolis' "twin") is a beautiful city, and this is just a view looking out from the parking garage!

The hockey game was such a fun "circus." I liked watching the game, but LOVED watching the fan behavior, weird fan behavior.

A lot of passion for a little puck.

If you don't hear from me again for a few days, it's not that river waters have swept me away, but I have another conference I'm going to in DC. Sadly, to deal with the luggage issues, I'm not bringing my Nikon; Doug's lending me his point-and-shoot.

I'm trying to brace myself for intense withdrawal, and hyperventilating.

Big F******* Deal! Grand Forks Style & DC Style

Remember my bet with Doug? I bet that we would finally see the Christmas lights this past Sunday. These are the lights on Sunday. . . .

and these are the lights today! Actually, they were visible 3 days before my deadline, and 2 1/2 weeks before we reached Doug's date. So. . . . I WON! I WON!

And some of you asked what it was that I would win, if I won. I won the Grand Kahuna, the best-thing-of-all in a bet with your spouse. I won the ultimate pleasure of. . .

I WAS RIGHT AND HE WAS WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And when dealing with dear husbands, that always counts for a lot. Unless we want to change the terms of the bet and let me win a Nikon lens. . . because THEN we'd be talking!

But a real Big F* * * * * * * Deal today was this: