Maggieno's Journal

The other day, as Steve and I came back from walking with friend Ellen around Green Lake, Steve noticed that a snail had climbed up to the garden Buddha's nose. By the time I was able to take my camera out, Sir Snail had moved.

However, the weather was glorious last Friday and the Buddha was entertaining guests again. For a while, the snails gave him another row of curls. I missed the complete new hair-do, but found my camera in time for a few pictures.

	We all commend the snails on the wisdom of their choice of shelters. The Budda looks pretty content with the on-going party as well. In the evening, I went to the preview event for this spring's Master Gardeners Plant Sale. It didn't cost a great deal and the money supports the Master Gardener program. I figured that I just wouldn't spend as much as I usually do, so it would all even out in the end, and, by the way, I would not have to get up too early Saturday morning to be at the beginning of the line.
	I am going to do this again and again! The catered light dinner (with lobster bisque - sigh) was wonderful, Chateau Ste Michelle served wine samples, and most of all -- no crowds! Plenty of carts for everyone! Time and space to chat with the Master Gardeners behind the tables and with vendors! The night was balmy (for this strange spring) and I just rolled up and down the tables of plants, enjoying myself thoroughly. I WAS good and bought just four non-edible geraniums. I'm not really a big pelargonium person, but these had great foliage.
The edibles are: a grape tomato (Cabernet), a cherry tomato (Sweet Million), and three early tomatoes (Stupice and -- my all time favorite: Northern Exposure, and Momotaro (a Japanese variety that's gotten good press locally the last couple years). Oh, and a Mammoth basil, an "Alma" paprika pepper, and a purple-leaved Japanese parsley (cryptotaenia japonica f. atropurpurea).
	All the new babies have been repotted. The tomatoes will go in their big pots around my birthday; right now, they're in the small portable green house I have on the deck. The pepper will go into it's big black pot in June. The parsley is in its final home and the basil is in the kitchen where it will be safe until June and where we can get at it easily. If the sun stays out, I should be able to seed stuff by next weekend. The soil has just been too cold until now...it'll be a late summer season this year.
All in all, the front yard looks great. The tulips that I transplanted on the parking strip have bloomed vigorously. The cut-leaf Japanese maple is in full young leaf, the Solomon seal is starting to bloom, and the variegated sumac leaves are poking their heads out of their buds. Lots of texture and lots of color; and fragrances, too.

Tonight, with another pair of free tickets in hand, we went to a showing of ALL IN THIS TEA, a 2007 movie about one man's determination in the 1990s to bring Chinese tea straight from the farmers to America.  The film was part of the spring schedule of SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival) Cinema, a year-long program that complements the huge May/June festival, and an early promo for the first Seattle Tea Festival due this fall (I intend to volunteer!).

Anyone who's a tea fanatic will love this documentary. Here's the SIFF blurb:

Veteran documentarian Les Blank takes us into the world of tea by following world-renowned tea expert David Lee Hoffman to some of the most remote regions of China in search of the best handmade teas in the world. Hoffman is obsessed; during his youth, he spent four years with Tibetan monks in Nepal, which included a friendship with the Dalai Lama, and was introduced to some of the finest tea—that golden nectar with which we can taste the distant past. Unable to find anything but insipid tea bags in the U.S., Hoffman began traveling to China to find tea for himself. In the process, he discovered the rarity of good, handmade tea, even in China, where the ancient craft of making tea has given way to mass production. This craft cannot be learned from a book, but has been handed down through generations of tea makers for thousands of years, and in an ironic twist, Hoffman reintroduces Chinese farmers to one of their country’s oldest traditions. Images of farmers standing street side, selling a week’s harvest for three dollars, in the shadow of China’s increasing number of high rises, illustrate the paradox that stepping into the modern world imposes—and what is at stake. Hoffman advocates for fair trade and organics, and despite his at times argumentative manner, we become increasingly empathetic to him; he is only one small voice against a vast and complex machine.

The scenery is great; the shots of the various cups -- bags -- tabletops of tea were incredibly seductive. First thing I wanted to do as soon as I got home was make a good pot of good tea.

The story the film tells takes place in the late 90s and up to 2004. If you've ever had one of Silk Road's teas, you've tasted a tea from the company that David Hoffman founded to sell the teas he found and bought in China. The Golden Monkey tea that Susan likes so much is from Silk Road. They don't have any available at the moment, but here's a site with a discussion of the "monkey" teas: Golden Monkey.
            As we walked back tot he car, Susan and I realized that we were fortunate to be living on the west coast: we were discovering the wonderful varieties of tea even as they were just becoming available in the US. Also, we now more fully understand why so many of the teas we tried and loved were one-of-a-kind experiences.

Today, Cutter and Tatra succeeded in playing a game of muzzle wrestling in the morning and another in the evening. This is the first time that they've played together. Sark play bowed and wagged his tail and barked and in general behaved like one of those unsocialized kids who's idea of being friendly is to thrust a favorite game in your face, saying "Wanna play!! Wanna play!!", or who thinks that punching a person in the arm is an invitation to play. For some reason, Tatra did not think that barking in her face and lunging (even while bowing and waving that tail) was good friendly form. Sark, on his part, seemed very confused that she did not return the noise and body slams. Sigh. We hope that eventually he'll watch and remember how he and Cutter used to play like that (and I have the pictures to prove it, Sark).

Cutter and Sark have long had their pages on Susan's web site.

Now Tatra has her own!

Both Sark and Cutter have their songs and chants (and their own web pages). It took a couple weeks, but Tatra now has her first song (by Susan) and a war chant (by me).


Tatra's song:

As I was sitting on the floor, snuggling with the copper-eyed Tatra
          suddenly a thought came into my mind: 
                     I'd like to cuddle the copper-eyed Tatra.
Cuddle her up, cuddle her down, tickling the toes of the copper-eyed Tatra,
          cuddle her up, cuddle her down,
                     make the doggie laugh out loud. 
                               Fresh fish!

(This is to a tune about the One-Eyed Reilly that we learned on a Clancy Brothers record a long time ago.  (Warning: rude songs listed on this page; the song itself is fairly rude. Tatra is not.)  The "fresh fish!" is from the original song.  It is clearly appropriate for Tatra to have a song based on an Irish original, because she's obviously Irish -- she's a redhead.)


Tatra's war chant:

Bee hunter extraordinaire,
          Tatra with the copper hair!
Bee hunter on the fly,
          Tatra with the copper eye!

(No tune for this of course.)

These aren't honeybees, but orchard mason bees (from our very good supplier, Knox Cellars). 
          They look a lot like flies from a distance, but their wings are on straight (not like fly wings that make a vee) and they are Much Much Much Cuter in close-up.  They have no stings.  They're a native American pollinator; they don't hive, but they like to all nest together, maybe safety in numbers. 
          Susan prepares Bee Tubes for them every year and this is their hatching season.  There are a lot of boy bees near the back door trying to score with newly-hatched lady bees.  Susan always carries a few in on her clothing by mistake because they like to hang on, and
          Tatra is very good at locating them and letting us know that they need to go back outside.

My brother David called last night, ranting about the 1 inch of snow on the ground at his place. His cherries! This weather is going to wreck his cherry blossoms!!

Then, this morning, he called back totally morose: he had 5 inches of snow on the ground! He lives about 20 miles of us on the border of Edmonds and Lynnwood. It's a intensely wet snow, too, and there are tree limbs all over the yards and streets. You don't want to know about the condition of the daffodils. He didn't take pictures -- too depressing. The snow's melting now, but the meteorologists are predicting more possible snow falls and then really cold weather from Sunday to Tuesday. I'll be out gathering left-over oak leaves to protect the poppy greens and the peony shoots..

Steve and I went to see the new movie Young@Heart on a complimentary ticket. I had read about the movie (Newsweek) and thought the idea of it sounded charming, but it wasn't really the sort of movie that either of us would actually get up the energy to go out and see.

But -- both Steve and I agreed that we were really, actually, glad that we had seen it. The movie is funny, and charming, and heart-breaking at times. And thoroughly delightful. I was particularly struck by how the songs, written by very young adults mostly, worked so well in the hands of truly elderly people (the oldest singer is 92; most are in their 80s; no one is under 70). This group is not just a bunch of seniors warbling rock 'n roll; they're really singing these songs with intelligence and heart.

In many ways, the movie is like a PBS documentary, but I'm glad I saw it on a theater-sized screen that made me feel as if I were sitting in orchestra seats for a concert.

You might not want to make the movie a date; but if you are offered the chance to see it on screen before it comes out on DVD, go for it. You'll come out with a smile despite yourself.

At least the weather forecast is threatening to set a couple this weekend with a prediction of SNOW/!! And not just in the mountains!! And if not snow, the coldest temps for the middle of April on record!!!

Sheish. And some of my plants are already showing damage to their tender new shoots from this week's cool weather.

Tatra started feeling a bit better this afternoon. About 2, she perked up and was definitely put out that she didn't get to go out on a walk although Sark and Cutter did. Right now, she's curled up on her poof. We'll probably do one more session with the bag of frozen peas on her knee, but then we'll find our way to bed. I did manage to do some fang maintenance on all three dogs today, so I'm feeling positive about that. Cutter dislikes having her teeth brushed -- she can really tighten up her lips -- but Sark is easily seduced by the flavored toothpaste. Tatra is not impressed and I'm not going to press it on her for a little while; I do have dental wipes that indicate that there will be future sessions. And, I've got dental chewie strips that they all love. Three cheers for modern chemistry!''

I didn't get to the big machine to play with the pictures. Maybe tomorrow.

Tax day. First time I had to pay up...maybe ever. Withholding taxes have certainly worked for me; I'll be increasing the quarterly estimated tax checks for next year's obligation. Of course, the way the economy is going, I just may get a refund again in 2009!

And this is Tatra's fourth week with us. I'll admit, because of my anxiety over her leg, it feels like a lot longer. Her recovery from the surgery has been on the old "three steps forward; two steps back" schedule; and, just as it seems that Cutter and Sark are getting used to her, they have another snarl session.

Her leg IS getting better. There's more muscle tone and on her (short) walks, she has been walking half the way on all fours. Then, this morning, she managed to twist her knee -- and shriek -- while all three dogs were trying to squeeze their way off the bed down the dog stairs all at the same time. We were due at the vet's for her shot updates so the leg got checked out: yeah, a bit of swelling but no damage to the surgery. Of course, when we got home, she managed to over-extend herself again for yet another squeal and jangle of my nerves. So, we're doing the bag of  frozen peas on the knee for the swelling and the putting of the dog in her crate to KEEP STILL for the calming of the dog mom.

The vet assured me that what we are doing -- integrating a new adult dog who has had serious surgery into a house with older dogs -- is Really Hard. I do think that Cutter and Sark are adjusting to Tatra. Yesterday, Sark was giving her play bows for all that he ran away when she turned to respond. Cutter, in the meantime, seems to have gotten the hang of just a short sharp growl to warn Tatra off one of Cutter's chewies (instead of a major over-reaction that scared all of us). This morning, they both behaved toward her squeal of distress in the same solicitous way they behave toward each other when a Yipe! occurs; and, Sark came running when she squealed this afternoon. When we came home from the vet, they wanted to sniff her all over instead of just bark at her.

Tatra herself seems content enough and is certainly bouncy even when she oughtn't be. She's a Class-A Cuddler and falls asleep easily -- and cutely -- in a person's arms.  I'm really looking forward to being able to really play with her and to take her on real walks -- she's all enthusiasm for going outside anytime. Tatra is simply a very loving dog and I hate the idea that she still can so easily cause herself some pain. Maybe I am just having a harder time dealing with this sort of thing this time around. Maybe part of it is Tatra's reaction to pain: unlike any other dog I've had, she goes cold still and does not want any attention. Lis would be in my lap so fast, and Cutter would be clinging to me; Sark wants to be held and held and held. The dogs of my youth exuded major "I know you'll take care of me" vibes. Tatra, even if you've picked her up, just turns away and is not interested in any interaction. Very different for me. I'm finding it a lot harder to not exude anxiety than when the dog is needy and I can be the one staying cool.

Anywho. She'll have the night to sleep off the sore flank and shoulder from the injections, and to let the knee rest. We'll do a few rounds with the frozen peas, and Be Quiet The Rest of the Day. Yes, we will.  I have plenty of sit-at-the-computer chores to take care of and the weather is a bit cool and rainy to do work in the garden. There's soup in the fridge, and veggies on hand. Ve Vill Be Quiet!!

And I'll download some super cute pictures that I took of Tatra sleeping with all paws in the air and of her gnawing on a stuffed squirrel.

After many weeks of schedule problems, Steve and I finally saw the movie Persepolis tonight.

Great movie! Intelligent movie! Fascinating and evocative animation! Well-matched music! I'm very glad that I saw it in the theater. Usually that matters because of SFX; with this saturated black and white movie, having the dark house around you is really neat.

I had read the books on which the movie is based, but the movie stands on its own as its own complete story. It's definitely not an "American" movie in that the dialog is not role-stereotypical or presented as it would be in an American movie. For example, the grandmother speaks frankly in ways that would be played for a joke, as someone speaking out of turn for her role, in most American movies.  There's nothing polemical about the movie, either. It shows what happened in Iran, presents the characters stories and opinions, but such are just part of the story that the movie is telling; this is the story of one girl/young woman's experience with her family and the audience can make up its own mind about the world she lives in and what she experiences.

Highly recommended, especially before the only way to see it is on a small screen.