A sweet little Lantana (L. camera). In zone 5 it's an annual,but it's a year-round blossoming shrubs here.
We had another night of endless, loud, crashing lightning, thunder, and rain. For several hours there was so much light from the lightning I didn't need the electricity. Lucky for me, since the electricity went out first thing.
Last night Chiquita, my neighbor's wonderdog, wasn't at my house, and I really missed her company during the rain. So, instead on hanging out with Chiquita, I sang my favorite old songs. (One is "Bye Bye Blackbird", another is "La Vie en Rose"). Lots of songs from summer camp. I sang really, really loud. Louder than the constant thunder.
I haven't sang like that since I lived in the US. I can't carrry a tune, so I used to sing with in the car, with the windows rolled up. No car here in Mexico, so I can't do that. It was very fun, singing at the top of my lungs. And not expecting anyone to come visiting in the middle of a storm. So I felt like I had some rare privacy.
I was afraid some of the potted plants might have drowned last night, but I only had to drain a couple of them. I found an old bucket with no bottom in the trash truck this morning. Jose
Manuel drives the trash truck around town every morning, but I just drag my can down to the road on Saturdays. When I saw the bucket in his truck this morning I offered to buy it for 5 pesos (50cents), He laughed and showed me the bottom broken out. But I took it anyway. Better than nothing. I gave him a bunch of aluminum cans I picked up on the paved road yesterday, so he seemed okay with that.
I weeded in the south side of the house this morning. One of the new plants the homeowner put in this winter is looking really beautiful. I think it's a Mussaenda, or Hankerchief Plant. It's really lovely and growing fast, with lots of light pink blossoms.
One of the comments I got this morning (see Comments) was about the wonderful new Puerto Vallarta Botanical Garden, which is located about a half-hour south of PV, on the busline to El Tuito. Closed now until October 1. It's very lovely, and in a beautiful setting. It's not really a plant nursery (yet) except for orchids. Bob is an orchid expert, and has some lovely orchids for display and for sale. And there is a Orchid Club which meets there monthly. He is still learning about plants in Mexico, but it's really worth a visit. There's even a small restaurant with excellent food. I think the website site for the PVBG is www.pvbg.net or .org. Can't remember right now. If you are coming to PV, any gardener should stop there.
Also, during the tourist season there are charity, guided house tours every Wednesday around PV. Some of the places have lovely gardens. You can look in the weekly PV newspapers for more info, or Google the Vallarta Tribune, to study up ahead of time. I've never gone on one, because even if I leave Chacala on the earliest (6:30am) collectivo, the eariliest I can get to PV is about 11:15am, too late for the tour. Partly it's the travel time (and three buses) and partly it's the time change. PV is one hour earlier than Chacala.
Back to work. It's a little cooler today, about 90 but not so humid at the moment (11am).
1 comment:
Thanks for your nice comments on my blog, as you can see I like yours very much too! Thanks for reminding me that the Botanic Gardens fellow is an orchid-lover, I'd forgotten that as I was paying attention to all his new plantings instead (most orchids don't register with me; too hot-house-y) I didn't know they were closed during the summer but it makes sense with the heat and humidity being what it is then!
Which reminds me, how do you fare with the heat during the summer months? I find it a problem even in the winter there sometimes and always admire those who don't seem to mind!
I loved the bottomless bucket story, as you said, better than nothing! It sounds like you have very interesting neighbors and if they even heard you singing in the thunderstorm they were probably amused. Great post!
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