A Romantic Tale.

So I'm kind of scratching my head on what to blather on about today. Let's see . . . hmmmmm. We had 1.62 inches of rain this past weekend and with warm weather this week this should be a prime growing week for crops.

OK - I wore out THAT subject to fast . . . . hmmmmmm

I was looking at history last Friday and saw that Kon Tiki, a balsa wood raft completed it's 4,300 mile journey last Friday, 62 years ago. The reason that interested me was I believe Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft was the very first "adult" book I ever read and it hss always had a soft spot in my heart .

The big news about today is that in 1919 the Green Bay Packers were born. Also in Wisconsin Carrie Jacobs Bond was born in Janesville. Never heard of her? Me neither. She became America's premier popular songwriter at the turn of the Century and was the first woman to sell 1 million copies of a song.

Also John L. Gavin was killed near Chateau Theirry near Fismes in the battle for Belleau Wood during WW1. He was leading his company's horses to safety. Gavin was the only solder killed from Cottage Grove during WWI.

Speaking of wars. As you might know I'm reading Horse Solders which is about 12 Special Forces solders who helped the Northern Alliance basically wipe out the Taliban after 911.

I've read many accounts of many wars in the history of the world and to be honest the Taliban, from all the books I have read, are the #1 worst bad guys ever. They make the Nazi's and their crimes look tame. These guys are seriously bad. You can not compare the Nazi's and Taliban as the Taliban are on an entirely different level of evil. You might think this is stupid talk but I've read a good bit about the Holocaust and crimes and while the scope for the Nazi's was hidious, the Taliban take the medal for cruelty. I am 100% behind anything American does to help Afghanistan and it's people.

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See what happens when I have nothing really to say? Sort of scary ain't it.

As for yesterdays "missing the cut" flower photo. The back-story about that photo was that it has been done already.

So you see it was not that I disliked THAT photo, it was just that I liked it's big brother better.

Then last night the light seemed rather perfect as I was wondering around the garden and I was amazed at the amount of bumblebees and honey bees. I was giant buffet. Except for the Black Eyed Susans.

I took this photo after work yesterday and worked on it last night!

After the photo - a story.

I found this on a site called American Meadows

The Romance of the Black-Eyed Susan

Ever wonder about one of America’s favorite wildflowers? Who was Black-Eyed Susan? Her story is one of the grand romantic tales of the wildflowers. And beyond legend, her name graces several of our most important and popular wildflower species. Legend says it all comes from an Old English poem of the post-Elizabethan era entitled simply, “Black-Eyed Susan,” written by a very famous poet of the day named John Gay, 1685-1732.

All in the downs, the fleet was moored,
Banners waving in the wind.
When Black-Eyed Susan came aboard,
and eyed the burly men.
“Tell me ye sailors, tell me true
Does my Sweet William sail with you?”

There are several stanzas, explaining that her William was on board, “high upon the yardarm”, and quickly scrambled down for a fond farewell with his lady love. It seems he was off to the high seas, but promised ardently to be safe and true:

Though battle call me from thy arms
Let not my pretty Susan mourn;
Though cannons roar, yet safe from harms
William shall to his Dear return.
Love turns aside the balls that round me fly
Lest precious tears should drop from Susan’s eye.

This charming poem tells one of the great “Legends of Love” in our wildflowers, and every summer even today, it plays out just as the poem describes. Here’s how it works: If you seed wild Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) with common Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), they’ll bloom beautifully for you at exactly the same time.

So next year I will plant some Sweet William next to my Black Eyed Susan so they may be together again.

I was speaking of the bees before. It's weird, I just walked into the garden not worrying about the literally hundreds of bees. If I didn't bother them they would not bother me - they were to busy.

HOWEVER - one scary bug I did see was like a huge Pirate Wasp - real scary looking dude about an 1.5 inches long. I didn't get a good photo because he was scaring me.

BUT I find out he is called a Great Black Wasp (I prefer to call him a Pirate Wasp) and is not aggressive at all. He is also called a Katydid Killer (Katydid's are considered pests in gardens).

Great Black Wasp are the largest wasp there is and unless physically disturbed, they won't bother you. HOWEVER - do NOT use a flyswatter on them as a flyswatter is unlikely to be sufficient, and will just irritate Mr. Pirate and once aggravated, he will sting (as I would if you hit me with a flyswatter).

So that is the lesson for today!

Shall we try again Friday for a few brews at The Kurth?

Rod M