Archaeology

OK, firstly, I’m not actually angry at Gurney’s. What’s more, I didn’t send the stuff back for a refund (which they promise) because it wasn’t worth the time. Who knows? It might grow and be the best stuff I’ve ever planted. I seriously doubt that, but anything’s possible. Bush was elected twice by the official count.

I wasn’t going to comment on this, but it’s kind of funny. The previous owners of my house have a web site, and having lived here for some 29 years or so, feel some emotional attachment to the place (which, incidentally, they sold me for money). The first time I saw their site, this page caught my eye:

http://wikigardens.com/bin/view/Home/MichaelPetersonsGarden

In case it changes before you get to see it, my favorite line is:
“The worst experience of leaving a garden is watching what happens after you leave.”

Here’s the garden when they left:

Here it is last year:

Hideous. It’s like looking at a pile of corpses. I can see where it gives them nightmares. To be fair I think, after you’ve stared at something for a couple of decades, you have to start thinking it’s perfect. I imagine that they just meant ‘change’. Still, it’s a funny comment. Also, they’re perfectly nice folks in real life. Damn Internet.

OK, speaking of the yard, we found what appears to be a 100+ year old bottle buried back there yesterday:

From what I can find out, it was a cosmetic called Camelline made by a guy named Wakelee in San Francisco prior to 1906. This bottle doesn’t have Wakelee’s name on it, and I think they were generally blue, but it appears to be for the same stuff.

And finally, an update on the girls:

I haven’t had to snuff anyone else, and they’re growing quickly. I had to make them a new hut to provide 1.5 feet each. They’re already looking like that’s not going to last more than another couple of weeks before they’re elbowing each other. I think I have to wait until at least six weeks (we’re at two) to put them in their outside house– so they may get another addition.