Big Butterbean

 

This is my 3 year old butterbean plant. It has finally put on a bloom but I wonder if there is going to be enough time to mature a pod. Last yesr it was wonderfully productive, so maybe it needs a rest. Or maybe it is getting too old for a butterbean. You can see my last years picture at the entry Butterbeans, Anyone?

Unknown gourd-like vine

 

 

I found this growing in a flowering quince at Mother's house. It probably thought it was safe there among the thorns, but I thought it looked like something invasive so I ripped all of it out that I could find and threw it in the trash. I was able to name it with help from the Name That Plant Forum at Garden Web. Go here
The site has a lot of helpful people and you can post a picture of the plant in question. I was told it might be Melothria pendula or creeping cucumber and I looked it up in google images and it seemed correct. One reference said it reseeded slowly but another said it was invasive. Typically, when I see a plant that is unknown to me and making seed to beat the band, I worry that it is invasive and it usually is.
I have seen a little vine similar to this in the Butterfly House at Calloway. But in that case the pods were bumpy and the pods were bright yellow to orange/yellow.I wondered if this seed came out of the birdseed as she feeds the birds on that side of the porch. Whatever, a bird may have brought it there.

Gold Hill Warehouse

 

 

 

 

These pictures are of the old warehouse at the railroad tracks in Gold Hill, Alabama, on SR 147. This structure has been here for more years than I have been on the scene. And looks basically the way it always has, except than somone has started to remove the roof tin from the back section. I am sure it won't last much longer now, which is why I decided to picture it while I could. The first yard sale of the contents was several years ago and I was very interested to see what was there. Although there is less stuff than there was at the yard sale, the inside looked a great deal like it does now, a disorderly array of cast off used building supplies. The door is left unlocked now, inviting a look around.I guess the assumption is there is nothing there anyone will want.
At the time of the yard sale it was stated that the foundation at the back corner had given way, so maybe there was no real way to sensibly save this historic icon. I do feel sad about it though. Maybe it is just my basic dislike of change and an underlying assumption that whatever replaces it can't possibly be as good or as intriging.
What little I know of its history came by way of Robert Heath, a recently deceased but lifelong resident of Gold Hill. He said it was a warehouse (he never used the word depot) that was used to store freight that came in by train. It was then distributed to surrounding areas, I suppose by wagon.
The Gold Ridge sign visible on the west side of the tracks at the crossing came about because train freight would frequently be mis-routed because of name mix-ups between Gold Hill and Grove Hill. Changing the name helped freight move more smoothly. Thankfully the name change only applied to the railroad tracks and we still have our original name. If anyone can offer any more historical data about Gold Hill and environs, please let me know, and I will try to post it. The people with first hand knowledge are largely gone now.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

The white flowering vines you've been seeing along the roadsides, yards, and just about everywhere is Sweet Autumn Clematis. They are beautiful, hardy, and smell great, plus the seed heads are beautiful in their own right. What's not to like?.... Well, for starters they reseed so if you want to grow anything else, be vigilant. Don't let it go to seed. When the bloom has finished, but before the seed are mature, give the vine a violent pruning.They bloom on current season's growth, so you will not decrease next year's show.
For years I thought my SAC (Sweet Autumn Clematis) was either virginiana or paniculata, but each year I noticed more seedling plants and this year after doing a little research, I have concluded that what I have is probably C. ternifolia, one of the more invasive types from.. where else...Japan. The taxonomy of the SAC is out of control. Paniculata seems to be another name for ternifolia and that is not the end of the naming mess.
There may be dozens of different ones, but the only native may be virginiana, which is reported not to spread so readily. But I still like them anyway. If you are thinking of getting one, I will be glad to supply you with a plant,freshly dug. But you may want to enjoy them by the roadsides and stop and pick fistfuls of the flowers. They look wonderful alone in arrangements or as filler.
Looking back, I see I am beginning to repeat myself, maybe because the plants I like come around every year. Any way, the pictures are new and some of the ruminations.

Bear Grylls' Funny Moment

You gotta see this!

Unusual Apple

 

 

Unexpected things greet us everywhere. This is a grocery store apple (Washington State) straight out of a bag. The divided coloration is in a precise line as if it had been done with a straight edge. I might have easily overlooked it, but I was glad I saw it because it reminded me of how many marvelous things there are in the world to be seen and enjoyed.
Once at Southern Homes and Gardens store I saw a succulent that was green with a white edge along the edges of the leaf. It was so perfect that a friend thought it had to be painted on. Nature does not need our help to accomplish wonders.

Computer Troubles

I have been having computer troubles for about 2 weeks, and since I have only rudimentary knowledge of computers, I have to rely on someone else to fix it when something goes wrong. I got a Trojan horse which slowed my computer to a very disagreeable degree. Additionally, I kept getting these message that said I had a virus and to go to a website to get the protection. At the website they asked you to pay $40 and I am sure if I had paid it all I would have gotten was $40 less in my pocket. Hiram was eventually able to fix it, but it took several hours. He had to reinstall Windows twice before he got it fixed. He also had to download all the updates from Microsoft for Windows as many of these updates close loop holes that a virus can get into.
Long ago Hiram suggested that I get an external hard drive, and all but the most recent photos had been downloaded to that hard drive. I eventually got a CD burned with the last pictures on it and he scrapped everything else and started over.
In the process of fixing my problems, I found out several pieces of information as Hiram grumbled along on the repair. First, Macs almost NEVER crash. They also last for years and years, unlike PCs which last 4 or 5 years for me. Secondly, Macs almost never get viruses. This is probably because PC's control about 85% of the market and it is just more fun for hackers to mess with more people. There is also a contention that viruses do not even exist, but rather are some sort of malfunction.I don't know enough about that to discuss so I am just mentioning it in passing. If you know more, please post.
So... maybe next time I have to get a computer, I am thinking of trying a mac even though they cost more. The extra cash might be worth the aggravation I feel when trying to deal with all these problems.