01/10 is Houseplant Appreciation Day
~~ Houseplant
It's Houseplant Appreciation Day. What can one say, they clean the air, bring the outdoors in, soften the hard edges and change the mood. Enjoy them if yu have them, consider getting one or more if you don't.
It's also Fête du Vodoun, so get with it!
On this day in history:
49 BCE – Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, starting a civil war
9 CE – The Western Han dynasty ended and the Xin dynasty began.
1776 – Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense
1812 – The first steamboat on the Ohio or Mississippi Rivers arrived in New Orleans, 82 days after departing Pittsburgh,
1863 – The Metropolitan Railway opened between Paddington and Farringdon
1870 – John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil
1901 – The first great Texas oil gusher was discovered at Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas.
1901 – Automobile Club of America installed signs on major highways in New York.
1920 – The Treaty of Versailles took effect, officially ending World War I.
1920 – League of Nations Covenant entered into force.
1927 – Fritz Lang's futuristic film Metropolis was released in Germany.
1946 – The first General Assembly of the United Nations met
1946 – The US Army Signal Corps successfully bounced radio waves off the Moon, receiving the reflected signals
1966 – Tashkent Declaration resolved the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
1984 – The United States and Holy See re-established full diplomatic relations
1985 – Sandinista Daniel Ortega became president of Nicaragua
Born this day in:
Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer, Art is all the rest
~~ Donald Knuth
1850 – John Wellborn Root, architect
1891 – Heinrich Behmann, mathematician and academic
1898 – Katharine Burr Blodgett, physicist and engineer
1900 – Violette Cordery, racing driver
1907 – Gordon Kidd Teal, engineer and inventor
1911 – Binod Bihari Chowdhury, activist
1911 – Norman Heatley, biologist and chemist
1916 – Sune Bergström, biochemist and academic
1927 – Gisele MacKenzie, singer and actress
1927 – Johnnie Ray, singer, songwriter, and pianist
1935 – Ronnie Hawkins, rockabilly singer, songwriter, and guitarist
1936 – Robert Woodrow Wilson, physicist and astronomer
1938 – Donald Knuth, computer scientist and mathematician
1939 – Scott McKenzie, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
1940 – Godfrey Hewitt, geneticist and academic
1943 – Jim Croce, singer and songwriter
1944 – Frank Sinatra, Jr., singer and actor
1945 – Rod Stewart, singer and songwriter
1945 – Gunther von Hagens, anatomist, invented plastination
1948 – Donald Fagen, singer, songwriter, and musician
1953 – Pat Benatar, singer and songwriter
1956 – Shawn Colvin, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
1962 – Kathryn S. McKinley, computer scientist and academic
1964 – Brad Roberts, singer, songwriter, and guitarist
Died this day in:
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.
~~ Sinclair Lewis
1552 – Johann Cochlaeus, humanist and controversialist
1654 – Nicholas Culpeper, botanist, physician, and astrologer
1778 – Carl Linnaeus, botanist and physician
1855 – Mary Russell Mitford, author and playwright
1862 – Samuel Colt, engineer and businessman
1917 – Buffalo Bill, soldier and hunter
1941 – Issai Schur, mathematician and academic
1949 – Erich von Drygalski, geographer and geophysicist
1951 – Sinclair Lewis, novelist, short-story writer, and playwright
1954 – Chester Wilmot, journalist and historian
1961 – Dashiell Hammett, detective novelist and screenwriter
1976 – Howlin' Wolf, singer, songwriter, harmonicist, and guitarist
1987 – Marion Hutton, singer
1997 – Alexander R. Todd, Baron Todd, biochemist and academic,
2011 – Margaret Whiting, singer
2013 – Claude Nobs, founded the Montreux Jazz Festival
2014 – Sam Berns, activist
2016 – David Bowie, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor
2017 – Buddy Greco, jazz and pop singer and pianist
Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such:
Fête du Vodoun (Benin)
Houseplant Appreciation Day
Peculiar People Day
Music goes here, iirc, well, With apologies 
Johnnie Ray
Ronnie Hawkins
Scott McKenzie
Jim Croce
Rod Stewart
Donald Fagan
Pat Benatar
Howlin' Wolf
David Bowie
Buddy Greco
Please Note: Please do not post any Covid-19 related commentary in the comments. Thank you. There is a separate OT, aka The Dose, where all such material is welcome. Thanks again.
Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?
Comments
We have 40 YO house plants...
A 15' tall Schefflera (Umbrella Plant) and a couple of large philodendrons
There are many philodendrons but this is the type we have.
I've read spider plants do the best job cleaning your indoor air, but we don't have any. Ferns and a few orchids make up the rest of our indoor plants.
Must admit it is nice to have living greenery in the house in winter. We drag them back out in summer. They much prefer their outdoor life.
So it is a doubly good day since I like peculiar people too. Much more interesting than boring normal types.
So let's all have a good day!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning LO. Great looking plants. We
have some in the dining room, but I have repeatedly failed at getting some going in the office. I read an article once that listed the alleged 3 or 4 best ones at purifying one's air and the only one I recall is "mother-in-law's tongue", or "snake plant", aka sansevieria trifasciata. Per https://www.houseplantsexpert.com/mother-in-laws-tongue.html
Something arguably of interest to those living in urban environments.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
House Plant Appreciation Day
That describes everyday for me. It would not be possible for me to live happily in NYC without my indoor plants and my summer balcony garden.
NYCVG
I suspect iy really does make life better.
My office window looks out of a tree full of birds, so that's my substitute.
be well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Indoor greenery. The best.
We have a 30+ year old aloe, and several dozen of her babies. We also have a 7-year old rosemary bush who makes her tasty way in and out each year (note that rosemary does not attract aphids, fungus gnats, and the various other damnably annoying critters who also like to come in from the cold). But my favorite winter activity is still growing our indoor winter herb garden up from seed (to avoid the aforementioned annoying critters). This year the chives just haven't wanted to play, so I'm restarting them, along with more parsley (there is never enough parsley). But we have basil, cilantro, dill, thyme, tarragon, marjoram, oregano, and a couple of others working happily in pots on a baker's rack in our south-southwest facing sliding glass door onto the deck.
Fresher air and tasty food. One of the best things about growing herbs from seed: when it comes time to thin the seedlings, just take all the culls and pitch them into whatever soup du jour is bubbling on the stove... If they took the time to sprout, I'll take the time to eat them!
Be well, everybody. This unspeakably-named plague thing is slowly getting better (I'm barely coughing anymore, but my throat still feels as if Roto-Rooter has visited it in the recent past). Soups with vinegar and dill seem to help, unsurprisingly, as does a good avgolemono (Greek penicillin). Helpful foods aside, avoid it if you can...
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
morning
I remember your suggestion of a rolling bakers rack from months ago and the only reason that would not work for me is that the balcony door gets too cold in the winter. it faces east and gets only the first sun of the day.
OTOH, my kitchen window is south facing and I have basil and dill flourishing there this year. That has encouraged me to expand this project and find some shelving system that would work. The basil is especially lovely because it keeps sprouting new leaves.
NYCVG
Awesome!
I remember that conversation, and I'm really glad that that is working for you. Parsley and chives are great also, because you can use them to
garnishzhuzh up everything (up to and including takeout Chinese), and make it feel special...Be well!
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Parsley and chives
will be next.
NYCVG
Glad to
hear you’re coming out of it. Don’t push it, take your time, blah blah:
You know what works for you. Keep us posted on your progress? And maybe a brief rundown of your experience when you feel it’s over?
More awareness can’t hurt
Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .
Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .
If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march
I'll talk more about
it in the appropriate topic. Sorry about that- shouldn't have put it here.
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
Good morning antisesquipedalian .
Glad you're getting better. We grow plenty of herbs and such outdoors, none inside, and are very thankful for all they produce. I'm about ready to start up some pea sprouts in the garage to add to the blend.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I won't get into the Fête du Vodoun, no way,
The benin spirits seduced, betrayed and killed my then husband, I am not getting into any of them, I got to know them personally, live and tell you, you better get out before you get
into them.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Good morning mimi. I'll take your word for it,
thanks for the tip.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
you better do, because it is no lie
when I say I never lie. I mean it.
https://www.euronews.com/live
In my nest life, I get a houseplant, a dog and and internet
destroyer. Why haven't those code genius writers not invented a tool to kill the internet?
https://www.euronews.com/live
Herbs
Found a pot in the woods where I had planted some herbs years ago. Everything was dead except for some onion chives. They have lasted over 15 years. Planning on using them a lot this year. I really like the idea of just culling sprouts and throwing them in soup.
I looked up Fete du Vodoun because I had never heard of it. The first thing they do is to kill a goat. As a former pet goat owner, I understand that many countries eat goat, but they are some of the most intelligent and loyal animals anyone could own. In the Bible where it says that God will separate the sheep from goats, I always tell people that I'm on the side of the goats.
There were a few years when I didn't have goats, so I turned the pen into a garden. Talk about great fertilizer. I planted tomatoes the first year and had tomatoes for about five years without every planting another plant. Then I got some more goats. Am thinking about cleaning up the pen again and planting another garden.
Good morning enchantress. I have some garlic chives
in a pot in the front yard that have keep reseeding themselves for at least a decade now. Your tomatoes sound miraculous. Goats are good for clearing brush too.
be well and have a good one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
If we owned this place,
I would dig up the whole yard and replant it in chives. They want to grow here much more than grass does, and mowing days would smell *magnificent*.
So does mint. Mint thinks that it is Kudzu in Colorado, even though it is an annual. We'd have some very happy bunnies.
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
We have an area where the mint from another yard keeps invading
and is a serious pita - not or preferred weed.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Goats could save the ecology.
If you have goats, you wont have fires. They eat everything, Right down to the ground line.
Want a growth industry to invest in? Goat rental. They rent them out. Ask Google, they are a customer.
They eat all the underbrush. They clear out the material that catches fire.
Goats do a fantastic job. And they work for nothing.
Goats have been employed regularly
in Central Park in Manhattan.
They do a great job and are welcomed enthusiatically each year when they arrive.
NYCVG
They even eat poison oak, local regional parks
and park and rec departments use them.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
goats notes
Hi all, and Howdy EL, Hope all are doing well!
Linnaeus was the man. Should be a household word, ol' Carl. What a genius, a hero to me.
EL, thought of you yesterday when I saw this... in case you do Borrego this spring...
google groups: CA - San Diego Region Birding Date: 1/9 7:58 PM
Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Harris's Hawks, Shelter Valley
the post: "Coincidentally being in Borrego Springs for the weekend I was pleased to find Paul's post about the Harris's Hawks in Shelter Valley. Making a short detour to Shelter Valley on the way home this afternoon we counted 13 of them from one vantage point on Grubstake Trail."
I can't believe how Harris's Hawk has expanded into socal. Thirteen!!!
GOATS: about goats people... yes, they can be used for vegetation control. They are real good at it. For example, there are some Edwards Plateau endemic (central Texas only) plants that are threatened or endangered. Why you asked? Because the goats ate them all. Several species only exist now on the vertical cliff faces of the limestone canyons, WHERE THE GOATS COULD NOT GET. So, goats must be strictly controlled when used for such purposes. Most of the Edwards Plateau was grassland (with live-oaks), not bare rock with Prickly Pear and Juniper (Cedar). But the goats ate it down to the rock. No fires, but the ecosystem will likely not ever recover. What we see today bears little resemblance to a hundred and change years ago, pre-goat. P.S. Great birria tacos, but they give me gas.
Be well!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
I had a secretary years ago that raised a few goats.
She mistook the male goat for a little pet, until he rammed her stomach, pinned her against the gate, and pummeled her with his horns. She sold them soon afterwards.
She next tried burros. The male burro gave her a swift kick to the thigh. She sold them soon afterwards.
I would not hesitate to put some goats out on my acreage to get it under control, but they cannot stay here. I am not equipped to keep them perpetually.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
My oldest housplant is a philidendron.
I got it back in 1978. Only a couple of strands have survived, but it still kicks ass.
I have a variety of house plants and most go outside in the warm, inside in the cold. They are beautiful, like having family.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981