Persistence of Nature -- #3

This morning I took four views of the same valiant goldenrod.

Dark area is not shadow but recent road patching.

Persistence of Nature -- #2

The enemy: Japanese Knotweed.

Spreading fast along highways, in hedges, backyards, and even at the beach. Long Island public unaware at present how serious a pest this is. Will take over a landscape and crowd out native species. Almost impossible to eradicate. Spreads by prolific seeds or even a small piece of the stem.Will grow four feet or more in a season. Not poisonous, so you can do battle without danger.

#1 in the new series: Persistence of Nature

You can't keep a good willow tree down.

A most important book

Codex Sinaiticus

"Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important books in the world. Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. Its heavily corrected text is of outstanding importance for the history of the Bible and the manuscript - the oldest substantial book to survive Antiquity - is of supreme importance for the history of the book."

The Codex Sinaiticus Project
"The Codex Sinaiticus Project is an international collaboration to reunite the entire manuscript in digital form and make it accessible to a global audience for the first time. Drawing on the expertise of leading scholars, conservators and curators, the Project gives everyone the opportunity to connect directly with this famous manuscript."

The Codex Sinaiticus Website
"The first release of the Codex Sinaiticus Project website will be launched on 24 July 2008. The website will be substantially updated in November 2008 and in July 2009, by when the website will have been fully developed."

http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4387300.ece

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article4387070.ece

Now I realize old manuscripts are not everyone's cup of tea. But as a librarian I can't resist them. (Biddie, you get a week off; nothing to read this time.) The history of this manuscript is exciting in itself and the cultural significance of this book for Western civilization is, well, profound.

The Old Casino, Asbury Park

My photo of the Old Casino. It was standing all by itself

in a cleared area. To the right a footbridge takes you

over the river to Ocean Grove.

A better balanced picture of the Old Casino.

The dome of the Old Casino. Picture from the Internet.

At least they are preserving this structure.

And here's how it used to look:

http://www.side-o-lamb.com/CasinoToday3.html

We drove around but I didn't take any other pictures in Asbury Park. It was too depressing. Mary pointed out the Stone Pony, made famous by Bruce Springsteen ... underwhelming.

Still more Ocean Grove

The organ up close. Five manuals (keyboards) and 10,000 pipes!

Upper right side of the auditorium, which seats 6,000.

Upper left side of the auditorium ...the peanut gallery.

Near the beach.

Soft colors along a fence. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Ocean Grove, continued

Way to meet people...water your garden all day (he was there in the morning and still there when we were going home)

Here's Mary checking out the bookshop.

This is the back of the antique hurdy gurdy that was churning out cheerful tunes.

And this is the front of the hurdy gurdy.

Flowers growing out of some retired shoes.

This is the Great Auditorium where we heard a wonderful organ concert by Dr. Gordon Turk who played everything from Ralph Vaughn Williams to Bach to a piece for tuba stop by someone called Oliphant Chuckerbutty (and that was his real name!)

Every house has a lovely garden in front and they really care about this sort of thing!

I don't know who this is in front of the auditorium, but Mary took the picture with my camera. (This person needs to lose weight!)

Daytrip to Ocean Grove, NJ

On Saturday my friend Mary and I went "down the shore" to New Jersey to the fabled town of Ocean Grove (near Asbury Park), famous for its splendid Victorian houses, fine gardens, camp ground atmosphere, great boardwalk on the Atlantic Ocean, and wonderful concerts on the huge organ that just turned 100 years old. It was a fun day and I took 42 pictures, a few of which are worth sharing. After the concert we walked around even though it was hot. The houses are fantastic The gardens would delight even master gardeners like you guys. The third picture down shows some of the tent city where people live all summer (114 tents with small attached buildings laid out in neat streets). One amazingly friendly lady saw us acting like tourists and immediately took us right into her tent home and showed us around. The picture with the three houses was on Embury St.; each house was grand like that. The street was closed off for a block party. Nice place to spend the day!

The new Poet Laureate Kay Ryan

has just been named. I must admit I am not familiar with her work, but after reading the two short poems in this article I'm intrigued and will read more. Sounds like a free spirit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/books/17poet.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

She has published six collections of poetry. I just previewed the one entitled Say Uncle on Amazon, where they let you read 4 or 5 poems. Interesting!

Imps

My small garden is flaunting its imps trying to intimidate the pansies as they suffer in the heat.

Winged Elm with Disease

Don't know if the leaf blisters show up in these pictures.They are little pointy eruptions. The tree is large and otherwise seems healthy. Another post office area tree.

Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"

A few days ago some students came into the library looking for their next day's assignment for Freshman Composition, an essay by George Orwell, which we were able to find easily on the Internet. Hmm, I thought, Shooting an Elephant? that's something I haven't read. I know Animal Farm (1944) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), great works, but not this essay which he wrote in 1936 recounting an incident that occurred some ten years earlier in Burma. So I printed out a copy for myself and this morning I sat in the garden and read it.

I was astounded by the power of this personal essay, its careful and vivid use of language, the issues it raises, and the piercing self-knowledge of the narrator. He knows he must not do the thing, yet he does it. How much freedom do we ever really have? Implications for the U.S. experience in Iraq?
I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for the discussion in that summer school English class.

http://orwell.ru/library/articles/elephant/english/e_eleph

Make Way for Goslings!

These are my droopy Veronicas. They remind me of a bunch of geese...or, sometimes, little Afghan hounds. Or even the prototype of Big Bird. They are a lot quieter though.

They may be an older variety since improved. Came to me from an older lady fellow-gardener ten or twelve years ago and I don't know how long she had them. The foliage browns in an unattractive way, but the geese make me smile as they waggle in the breeze.

Thank you, Hidayatullah

---------- Forwarded message ----------From: Hidayatullah Neakakhtar / Development Alternatives Date: Jun 25, 2008 7:13 AMSubject: Fw: Remedy For Blocked Arteries The Natural And Inexpensive Way ! To: "Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@gol.net.pk

I am sure this is worth a try .....AN ARTICLE APPEARED IN ONE OF INDIA'S NEWS PAPER, THERE WAS SOMEONE WHO WAS TOLD THAT HIS 3 ARTERIES WERE BLOCKED BUT AFTER THE ANGIO-GRAM, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT 2 ARTERIES HAD OPENED AND THE DOCTOR WAS ASTONISHED. HE ASKED THE PERSON HOW THAT HAPPENED. THE MAN REPLIED THAT HE WENT TO HOMEOPATH FOR HERBAL MEDICINE AND THAT WAS THE RESULT.THE DOCTOR TOLD HIM TO CARRY ON WITH INDIAN MEDICINES.THE SAME ARTICLE WAS FOUND BY MURTAZA BANDALI WHO HAS A BOOK-SHOP IN WATFORD, LONDON. IT HAS HELPED MANY OF OUR BROTHERS AS A MAGIC AND SHOWS THE RESULT IN FEW DAYS TIME.

1 CUP GARLIC (GRIND)
1 CUP GINGER, GRIND
1 CUP LIME JUICE, (NOT LEMON) , ''LIMBOO or limau nipis ''
1 CUP 'APPLE 'CIDER VINEGAR

MIX IT AND BOIL AT LOW HEAT UNTIL 3 CUPS ARE LEFT.THEN TAKE IT OUT FROM THE HEAT AND WAIT UNTIL IT GETS COLD.WHEN IT IS COLD, ADD 3 CUPS OF HONEY,MIX IT THOUROUGHLY, AND HAVE ONE TABLE SPOONFUL, FIRST THING IN THE MORNING BEFORE BREAKFAST. AFTER FEW MINUTES, ENJOY YOUR BREAKFAST.IT REALLY WORKS WONDER!!!KEEP THE BOTTLE IN THE FRIDGE FOR NEXT DAY'S USE--

When God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Book of the week: Sibley's

THE bird book.

This unique species lives in my car, nesting on the floor, ready to spring into service at a moment's notice. I hardly think of Sibley's as a book; it's more like a knowledgeable friend, always there, speaking clearly, telling no lies. You can even find Updates and Corrections on their website.

Besides the cheery Goldfinch cover, mine sports a dozen yellow post-it notes hanging out and inside a few pressed leaves from hikes.

If this sounds like a commercial for a book...it is. Everyone who ever wondered about a bird should get Sibley's, if only to put one over on one's friends with the newer terminology (Old Squaw Duck? No, no, it's a Longtailed Duck now)

There is a version for Western birds as well as a brand new pocket edition which I haven't seen.

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780679451204

Inexpensive Long Island Vacation

Just add book, sunglasses, sandwich, and iced tea.

...that's where you'll find me.

(p.s. Those are not my toes)

Can anyone help me identify this tree?

These four trees are planted on a very pleasant green in front of my post office. The mottled bark reminds me of Sycamore, but ... large flowers? On the ground are many fallen blossoms, indicating a long blooming season. There are many more marble-round buds to open. Each flower has 5 not 6 petals and reminds me of mock orange only larger. The leaf looks something like dogwood. I'm puzzled. It's obviously an ornamental. I thought at first Eucalyptus but flowers are different. The non-flaky bark is much prettier than these pictures indicate. I searched Google Images under "tree mottled bark" with no real luck. Ideas, anyone?