We Miss You

This is a beautiful student film. It really makes you stop and think doesn't it?


WE MISS YOU from fireapple films on Vimeo.

Snail and slug hunting

We came back from our weekend vacation and found the lettuce we had just planted was gone. Not all of it. About a third of the little starts we had so optimistically planted. The remainders were forlorn and stripped of most leaves.  And of course we could see the telltale silvery trails around the beds.

oh no. we have had a snail and slug attack. We decided against using Sluggo. Yes, I have used it around two of our flower beds and it really works. But I just don't like putting it into our vegetable beds. Even though it is ok for organic gardens. Just overly cautious I guess.

So we decided to try the manual method. The photo above may resonate with a few of you. Have you gone out for an evening of snail hunting?  We did it for 3 nights in a row. I won't tell you how many we had to catch. It was distressing since I basically think that snails are cute. Slugs, not so much. But each night there were much fewer.  We only did it for 3 nights and now our lettuce is growing again. That really wasn't so bad.

So we have won one battle. I know, not the war. But it feels good anyway.

I think that I shall never see....

Marcel Duchamps is generally credited with creating the first kinetic sculpture, Bicycle Wheel, which is pretty cool. He said that watching the bicycle wheel turning calmed him.

I found the most beautiful analog in nature. The Populus tremuloides. AKA Quaking Aspen, Trembling Aspen, or a cute nickname, Quakie. I consider this tree a kinetic sculpture. It's my favorite tree. Ever.

The leaves shimmer and shake in the gentlest breeze due to a long flattened stem. It is truly remarkable to come upon a stand of aspen, or even one, standing alone, as I did visiting Tallac park in Lake Tahoe. A photo wouldn't do it justice, so check out the 30 second video above to see it move.

The range map from Wiki shows its range is North America, but we are lucky that it also grows in the Sierras near Tahoe. According to Wikipedia, a grove of aspens is connected underground through a system of roots. Wow, a hidden life force connecting them all.

Watching this tree is more calming than Duchamps' wheel.

It's also awe inspiring.