Meme (Garden Bloggers Bloom Day April 2024) #AtoZChallenge #GardenBloggersBloomDay

(If you are looking for my Music Moves Me post, please click here.)

It's "M" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  It's also the 15th of the month, when I join garden bloggers from all over the world who show what is blooming in their homes or flower gardens. So my M post is also for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, brought to us by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

My A to Z theme this year is Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected, so why not show you what's blooming in my zone 6a (recently upgraded from 5b) flower garden in the Southern Tier of New York?

Spring arrived early this year, despite some recent efforts on the part of the weather to reinstate winter.  But spring is fighting back and it will eventually win.   Yesterday was springlike, though, with several thunderstorms through the afternoon.  We even got some soft hail.

First, let's go to my backyard.

I used to have three different types of brunnera, but this year I am only seeing two of them. 

This one is brunnera Jack Frost.And my regular brunnera.  I love their blue flowers.

Another brunnera.

Purple lenten rose.

A red and yellow primrose, which we originally got from my late mother in law's yard.

Perennial vinca. 

This is a spring ephemeral, bloodroot. Sanguinaria canadensis, which is a native wildflower.  We bought this years ago at The Plantsmen Nursery in Ithaca, New York. It only blooms for a brief time and this year, apparently, only for a day.  My spouse took this picture on April 12 and I'm breaking a GBBD rule to show you this.

Now, to the front, where bulbs rule.

These hyacinths were bought, forced, at a supermarket several years ago over a span of two or three years.  I planted them after they bloomed indoors, and they've come back.  They don't look as good as freshly planted ones but they smell as sweet.  Here's some in white.

Pink hyacinth.

 One purple hyacinth opening up.

Daffodils.

Jonquils.

A species tulip.

Thanks go, as always, to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the 15th of the month Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Why not visit Carol's site and see what else is blooming?

"M" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.

Post Eclipse Music #MusicMovesMe #ShadowshotSunday

 It's Sunday, and today it is time for a Sunday edition of Music Moves Me, since today is an off day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge).  It's also time for Shadowshot Sunday.  But first, music!

Let's introduce the Music Moves me bloggers:  We blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be removed, or may  be labeled "No Music".)   Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.

Every other week, we have a theme.  On alternate weeks, we can blog on any music theme we want.  Today is freedom of musical choice, so let's get started with several songs I heard on a trip to view a total eclipse of the sun.

This song has been an earworm for several days, so I will try to get rid of the earworm by listening to this song.  From 1979, Poco and Crazy Love.

Talking Heads - Same as It Ever Was, from 1980.

Next, who can resist Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bad Moon Rising?  I was so tempted to try a version performed on Tesla coils (maybe I'll devote a post to that type of music one day), which is something I experienced for the first time where I watched the eclipse.  No worries;  I'll save that for another day and give you CCR's original.

Now a couple of songs I just felt like including.

Tomorrow will be Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, and in honor of that, let's choose a song related to flower gardening.

Simon and Garfunkel - Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall, from 1966.

Finally, because I heard it yesterday, here is Chevelle and I Get It, from 2007.

Now, it's time for Shadowshot Sunday, brought to us by Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures. 

My entry today is a picture I took during a total eclipse of the sun last Monday.  The eclipse was totally blocked by thick clouds but parking lot lights that came on during the eclipse made for interesting and long shadows during the three plus minutes of totality.

One more for you. Both of these taken at 3:22 pm in case you were wondering.

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next Sunday for another episode of Music Moves Me/Shadowshot Sunday.

Lorenzo (State Historic Site) #AtoZChallenge

Last fall, we visited the Lorenzo mansion at Lorenzo State Historic Site in Cazenovia, New York.   The village of Cazenovia was a lake resort community.  It still is well worth the visit.

Colonel John Lincklaen, founder of the village of Cazenovia, had this mansion built in 1807. 

President Grover Cleveland visited and had dinner in the mansion in 1887, had dinner, and spent the night.  Why don't we step in his footsteps?

The walk to the mansion in fall is lined with Japanese anemones.

Closeup of this beautiful display.
 

The outside of the mansion.   Let's go in. (Take the tour; it is well worth the money.)

Unlike many other historic mansions, all the furnishings of this mansion are original to the family.  

A chest. 

Artwork.

Fun fact,  no one knows why it was called Lorenzo, according to the man who gave us the tour.  No one of that name was ever associated with the house, as far as we know.  

Not fun fact, enslaved men and women were kept and utilized for their unpaid labor at Lorenzo. (You'll have to scroll partway down the page for some information.  While we think of Southern states when it comes to slavery, Northern states did have legalized slavery - and, in fact, New York, while it did pass a gradual emancipation law in 1799,  did not totally emancipate all of its enslaved residents until 1827. (Massachusetts was the first Northern state to free its enslaved residents).

New York has a number of state historic sites.  I hope to feature another one of them later in this Challenge.

"L" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.

Knowing Knowledge - Total Eclipse of the Total Eclipse #SkywatchFriday #AtoZChallenge

We live in New York State,  perhaps 100 miles outside the zone of totality for the April 8 total eclipse of the sun. We knew that if we wanted to see the total eclipse we would have to travel.  But, given our normal weather on April 8 of any year, we also Knew that many early April days are cloudy. We could even have a snowstorm.  Going anywhere was a gamble. Should we travel west or easst, or try to stay within New York State?

After some research we decided on Rochester, New York.  We signed up for a eclipse watching festival at Rochester's Museum and Science Center (RMSC), figuring that if the weather was bad, we'd have plenty of other things to do.  If the weather was good....

Know what?

It was almost good.  In fact, April 7 was beautiful with blue skies.  April 9 was beautiful with blue skies.

But oh, that April 8.  If only we had Known....

Is this a historic building on East Avenue?  I have no idea

It started nice.  Here's the sky at 9:15 am as we walked from the parking garage to the RMSC, where we would view the eclipse.  But it rapidly clouded up.  

With the eclipse starting at 2:07 pm and totality starting at 3:20, we just Knew things weren't going to happen the way we wanted them to.  But that was the chance we took, right?

 1:33 pm.  The festival emcee tries to keep spirits up, explaining that someone he knew had watched a prior eclipse in a rainstorm.  Just before totality the rain stopped and the sun came out.  And we didn't even have rain.  The clouds were from a warm front.

2:50 pm.  The eclipsing sun is in that picture somewhere.  But note how those clouds look.  So far, nothing out of the ordinary.

By 2:59 pm something strange is happening to the clouds. The temperature is noticeably dropping. The clouds are getting - lumpy.  It's also a little darker than the picture shows - my iPhone 13 mini was doing some automatic light adjustment.  I wish I had known how to stop it.

3:09 pm, 11 minutes before totality.

3:18 pm, two minutes before totality.   It was darker than it looks.  Meanwhile, the temperature had dropped even more.  It was getting darker and darker.  I felt a breeze.

3:20 pm.  A shadow swept across the parking lot where we were watching.  This is my fourth total solar eclipse but I've never seen one totally clouded up.   We can't see the sun, but I Knew, with my eclipse experience's Knowing Knowledge that totality has arrived.

Part of the horizon is blocked (it really wasn't a good viewing location) and I can barely see the 360 degree sunset I know I should be seeing.  Meanwhile, the parking lot lights have snapped on.  Aaaargh!  The emcee says they tried to override the lights but couldn't. 

The three minutes and 38 seconds of totality have begun.  Elsewhere in the parking lot, a couple are getting married.  But alas, no sun.  Strangely, I can see two small crescents in this picture.  Can you? 

3:21 pm.

Reverse sunset 3:21 pm.

3:22 pm. and I decide to take several shadow shots on the ground.  Here's one.

As soon as it was over, the large crowd headed right for the exits.  We did, also, even as the sky brightened up.

The eclipse ended - or should I say, the total eclipse of the total eclipse, as my spouse called it - at 4:30 pm.

The sun showed itself again about 5:30 pm.

So, what do we know?

We are not in control.  Not on April 8, not ever.  I feel for the people in the crowd - from the huge buildup on media this is not what they had signed up for and I heard a lot of comments while exiting along the lines of "this was overrated"..  But there is always something to see and learn when you are a Skywatcher.  I can just hope I can view another total eclipse before my time on Earth is over.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers today for #SkywatchFriday.

"K" day at the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.

Johnson (Mill) Johnson, Arkansas #AtoZChallenge

When we moved to Arkansas in the early 1980's, we rented a house for our first year there.  Our landlord was a woman who ran an Italian restaurant in the small town of Johnson, Arkansas called Antonio's.  She ran it with her husband, who died several years after we left Arkansas in the mid 1980s. He was originally from New Jersey and his restaurant smelled just like his mother's kitchen, according to my spouse. 

In 2013 we decided to visit Arkansas for the first time since we left in the 80's.  We wanted to stay in Northwest Arkansas, and one particular motel intrigued us.  It was called the Inn at the Mill, and was located in Johnson.

The motel is in a renovated historic building that was once a mill.  The mill was originally built in 1835, apparently destroyed during the Civil War, and reconstructed in 1867.  It was apparently rebuilt (according to the Washington County Historical Society) by "Jacob Q. Johnson and William Mayes, former Union soldiers, built or rebuilt a “large sawmill, with grist mill and flouring mill attached.” Oliver tells that the overshot water wheel drove the mill until 1898 when it was converted to turbine, likely run by steam. Today the mill has been converted and added on to, making a first class hotel and restaurant. J.Q. Johnson’s two-story brick house built just east of the mill in 1879 still stands."

(More on this history can be found here).

The mill building was converted to a motel around 1992. Two of its rooms are in the old mill (we didn't stay in those - fairly expensive).  The motel itself is still in business, and also contains a highly regarded restaurant.

We stayed there several nights and had a wonderful time.

Waterfall at the Inn, August 2013.

The temperatures were near 100 degrees F, and this Persian Shield plant was in its full glory.

An old machine on display.

The Mill.

Two other views.

The grounds were beautifully landscaped.  This is just a small part of it.

Art tile at the old mill.

Finally, a quilt on display.

In the years we lived in Northwest Arkansas (in Springdale for a year, Fayetteville for several months, and near the small town of Morrow for about four years) we didn't learn that much about the area's history.  I had even worked next to an antebellum building for a time and had no idea, although I knew I passed by two Civil War battlefields on my commute to work once we lived near Morrow.

For the various times we had eaten in Antonio's, we had no idea we were probably not that far from a historic mill, either.  I would love to go back again one day.

"J" day at the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.

Imaginative #AtoZChallenge #WordlessWednesday

For this combo Wordless Wednesday and "I" day for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I bring you some signs that either tickled my Imagination or I thought were imaginative.

But first let's use our imaginations for a minute.  You are at a festival to view the April 8, 2024 total eclipse of the sun.  The day before, the weather was beautiful.  You wake up April 8 and the sky looks good.  But by the time the eclipse starts, the sky is clouded over.  You see the sun briefly for a few minutes, through high clouds, as the moon starts covering the sun (called "the kiss") and the eclipse begins.

Then, nothing. Clouds.  The sun disappears.  It reappears an hour after the eclipse ends.

So, you have to use your imagination. Imagine there is a total eclipse up there.  It should have been near and right above the middle tree in this photo, according to the festival emcee. (No worries, I am going to blog more about my eclipse experience later this week, with photos.  Because it was Interesting in its own ways.).

Anyway, those Imaginative signs.

Plymouth, Massachusetts at a historic mill:  Tell Us Your Corny Jokes.  

Orlando, Florida - Reserved parking for Batman.

At a local plant nursery - Funky Stuff.

Oswego, New York.  If only all wars could be commemorated like this.

Along an old, no longer used stretch of New York's Erie Canal:  Please check vehicles for Stowaway Cats. 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #Wordless Wednesday.

"I" day on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme: Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.

Historic (Coe Hall House Museum) #AtoZChallenge

Coe Hall is a 65-room Tudor Revival mansion located near Oyster Bay, New York (Long Island).  designed by architects Walker & Gillette. These architects are famed for many other buildings, including the Industrial Trust Tower in Providence, Rhode Island (the state's tallest building), Playland in Rye, New York, and some 16 residences on Long Island.

Coe Hall is part of Planting Fields Arboretum State Park, located in an area called the Gold Coast.  The mansion was built between 1918 and 1921 for William Robertson Coe, who made his money in railroads and insurance.

Whether you are a historic homes person, an enjoyer of art, or a flower person (or both!) Planting Fields is a must-see.  Today, I want to take you inside Coe Hall, but there is way too much for one post.

Outside Coe Hall.

Detail Outside.

Let's go inside.  I took the tour almost a year ago, and I don't remember most of the details. 

One of the rooms.

But this mural is something special.

This is the Buffalo Mural, painted by Robert Winthrop Chanler, one of two murals that Coe commissioned for his mansion.  

 

Unfortunately, the materials Chanler picked for his creations (not just the Buffalo mural) have made preservation difficult, and preserving these murals by stabilizing their environment is an ongoing process. 

I am far from an art expert but you can find out more about this mural here. 

I hope to bring you the gardens of Planting Fields in a future A to Z post.

"H" day in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  My theme:  Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.