Rose Flowering House Plant from Giant

Finally! We found a flowering house plant that we have been looking for for over two weeks. We usually have luck with Giant, but they didn’t have anything. Then we decided to drive to American Plant. They didn’t have anything either. Then we took a ride to Ginkgo’s in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood - nothing. We checked out the plant and flower shop just down the street from us. Disappointed again - although we found out we could come here for just one or two flowers whenever we are in the mood rather than get a bouquet. We checked another Giant in Vienna - they had a few African violets, but they didn’t look so hot. Then we drove out to Wolftrap nursery - forget it. Then I checked the internet to find out if flowering house plants are just plain out of season. It didn’t seem to be the case. When we went grocery shopping this week we thought we would take another look at the plant supply. And there they were - the little rose plants that we know won’t last very long but will add some color to the plant stand that is primarily green. My husband liked the purply pink color - I would have preferred the white. There was also a red one. The plants looked fresh so we got the purply one. The fading green plant was removed and replaced with this one. There are rocks on the bottom of the pot and the water can drain. The trick is to keep the soil moist but not wet. I’ve never mastered this process and the rose buds start to fade. Unfortunately these roses require a lot of sun and that defeats the purpose of having something on the plant stand. So every day we put it on the west facing window sill and hope it does well. Then in the evening it goes back to where it belongs. Maybe we will have better luck this time - but I have my doubts. 

Storm Damage in the Park

Today we were able to walk along the paths in the park without thinking twice. Yesterday was another story. We lost power from a storm on Wednesday night. Luckily it came back on a few hours later. The rain was fierce and had quite an effect on the trees and the neighborhood. So when we walked over to the park yesterday the damage was quite visible. On the first path a large tree was blocking it, but we were able to get to the other side. One can only imagine what happens to the poor animals and birds at these times. Leaves and branches were strewn everywhere. The water level in the streams must have been substantial - you could see waves of sand - like on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico - cascading along the walkway. One section had two tennis balls, plastic containers, and debris mixed in it. The high brush along another path was completely flattened out by the waves of water. One can only imagine how it looked as it was happening. Today things were sort of back in order. Cleanly cut trunks and branches were pushed to the side. We missed getting hit by a small falling branch by just a few feet. It landed with a huge thud. I’m not a big fan of any sort of storm. I haven’t changed my mind. 

Power Outage From the Storm

Since we moved from Capitol Hill to northern Virginia two years ago we have had four - or five - power outages. At least on Capitol Hill the wires were buried and any power outages were related to human error. Here, the wires are very much above ground and it was a specific question we asked about before moving - is there a generator? Ironically the first two times the power did go out we still had lighting in half of the house and the refrigerator stayed on. Last summer, the lights went out everywhere including the hallways and elevator. It was completely dark. Luckily it was the afternoon and I used my power pack to charge my phone. Last night at around 10 PM it started to lightning and pour rain. The lights flickered, came back on, then everything went out except for the back up battery light. What made it worse was that the lights were on in the building across from us as well as all the street lights. It reminded me of living in the Midwest and our one block was always dark and everyone around us always had light. There was no warning about this storm, and the weather app hadn’t indicated rain - but growing up in the south made me an expert at weather predictions. I felt it coming. So I got on the Old Dominion Power app to report the outage, called the front desk and sent an email asking what happened to the generator. We didn’t hear anything back from anyone - which I thought was odd. The power came back on at 12:30 PM. This morning we got an email from the building that the generator works in the building, but not specific units. Something has changed from when we first moved in until now. I have a feeling we will never learn why. I also found out that my phone and iPad are never charged when these things happen and that I can’t watch any streaming services without Wi-Fi. We certainly depend on electricity for so many things. It seems these outages are happening with greater frequency and storms are expected again tonight. Yippee. We will keep our flashlights at the ready. The light under my flying carpet mobile looked lovely. I suppose we can always get in the car to power up our devices and stay cool if necessary. 

Wildlife in the Park

We drive in to town at least once a week for a change of scenery, a morning walk, and usually to find some interesting images for the weekly 52frames photo challenge. Yesterday we went to the Smithsonian American history museum. On the weekends we walk the concrete sidewalks in the neighborhood. This morning we walked in the park that is just a couple of blocks from the house. Depending on the time of day one can come across some sort of wildlife. Over the last few days we have run in to a few - including a very large red headed woodpecker. He was feasting on some rotted wood in a tree that had fallen. A hawk was sitting high in another tree above the stream that runs under the bridge where we cross. Further along the path was a heron that was too far to get a close shot, and he was well protected from every angle. This morning we ran into a deer and a fawn - I think the same pair we saw a couple of weeks back. I saw an outline of it far in to the woods. They were walking parallel along our same path snd we cross crossed three times. Our beautiful Borzoi loved communicating with the deer in our Midwest backyard. I think she thought she was one of them. There is something about wildlife. I could sit snd watch for hours on end. 

Subaru Tire Replacement With Coupon

We have been holding on to a Subaru coupon since last year. We got it because of a very dangerous circumstance on the freeway in Savannah - our car ran out of gas without any gas light warning and we still had at least forty miles left. It’s a long and scary story. Yesterday we had an appointment for two tire replacements and an on star update. The visit started off a bit rocky when the loaner car we had requested wasn’t available. The person handling our business said we didn’t request it and I showed him the email that stated very clearly that it had been requested. Another service person overheard the conversation and a car appeared out of nowhere. From that point on my husband was really annoyed. Following that problem, every phone call and conversation afterward was more than cordial - I’m sure he was trying to make up for the accusation and he knew he was inappropriate. It was odd because we have worked with him before and the service at this dealership is typically quite good. Anyway, we ended up finally using the coupon for the two tires, and realignment - it covered about a third of the cost. Now we need to have the brake linings checked on the next visit in September. We sure aren’t driving like we used to. Our cross country trips have come to a screeching halt and the car rides around here are limited. Life goes on, but in a very weird way. 

52Frames_Distorted Photo Challenge

As usual, my husband and I never agree on the photo that should be submitted for the 52Frames weekly challenge. Last week the subject was “distorted.” We drove in to DC without anything specific in mind. We parked on the mall and walked a bit trying to think of options. Then I remembered that the National Gallery of Art was now open without timed passes. So we walked over and got right in as it opened for the day. The place was empty and we were the only ones walking about for quite some time - even on the roof with the big blue chicken sculpture. I took a lot of photos of a lot of everything - but some were taken for this blog and not for the challenge. When we moved from the east to the west side the galleries were beginning to get filled with visitors, but the rooms remained “stark.” We love the tunnel and the overhead waterfall that connects the two buildings. We used to routinely come to the gallery when we lived on Capitol Hill and stayed for lunch before returning home. In the end my husband liked the distorted Capitol building; but I selected a blue and gold tinted gallery room with a few people floating by using a slow shutter and then popping it in to the camera+ app to make it crisp. This was the image that got the most attention on Instagram. Having been at this hobby now since October I believe my photos have improved and I need to learn new terms and concepts since my iPhone is my camera and there is only so much it can do. This week will be even more interesting.