Friday, September 6, 2024

Hello September

 Cut Care Confirmation

In my last post I gave you 7 tips for keeping
cut flowers fresh. Most unusual was #7 ...
Add aspirin to the water. I purchased the flowers
above at the Farmer's Market last Saturday.
This is how they looked yesterday (Thursday).
Looking good to me for 5 days.

Walk snaps

Fall colors are underway.
Love this leaf!

Most of the plant was was looking done, 
but a couple of blooms were still brilliant.

Could this be true?
Google says this:  Urine has nitrogen and minerals
that will kill carnivorous plants. Golly, I thought
the neighbor was being mean. Guess not.

Critter Watch

Male Anna's Hummingbird at my feeder.
-- See lots more critters at Saturday's Critters --

Sky Watch

Looking over the Marina, across Puget
Sound, to the Olympic Mountains 
in the distance. Wildfire smoke colors
the sky.

Unusual ... the setting sun highlights wind-blown
rain falling from a cloud.


Strange photo of the sun setting behind the 
Olympic Mountains on this smoky day,
September 6, 2024.

Ship Watch

US Coast Guard Cutter POLAR STAR
returning to home port, Seattle.

Fully loaded CMA CGM Container ship
arriving Seattle


Sailboats on Puget Sound

Climate Watch
Washington Post, September 6, 2024
It was plenty hot in Seattle, for sure.

Closing thought ...

Confucius













25 comments:

  1. Hello. Great series of beautiful photos.

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  2. Hello John!
    Thanks for lovely comment on my recent post.God bless you and family!
    This is incredible how tops worked and flowers look fresh surprisingly wow . I don't pluck flowers but in case buying them i will definitely use these ideas.
    The bird is really pretty.
    Sky shots magical as always.the last sunset shot is amazing indeed.
    I liked ship but sail boats look fascinating:)
    Best wishes

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  3. Delightful post as always! Your photos of the fall colors are beautiful.

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  4. Hello John,
    Your bouquet of flower is looking beautiful, your tips are working well. All the flowers and the colorful leaf are beautiful. I love the sweet hummingbird, they are so cute! The views of the harbor and boats are wonderful, my favorite is the sailboat photo. I always enjoy a pretty skywatch, the smoke does make the sky interesting. Great photos and post. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a wonderful weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  5. Those words from Confucius are as true today as when he spoke them so many centuries ago. The problem is we don’t seem to learn from past sagacity and build on it. As for aspirin in the plant water, there is probably a perfectly good reason for its helpful effect, John, and your challenge now is to find out what that is and let us know! Have a good weekend - David

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  6. That's true about dog urine, particularly bitch urine. It creates dead yellow patches in grass. Your flowers are lovely. I know the aspirin trick, but not why it works. If you ever find out, let us know.

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  7. Another lovely and thoughtful post, John. I miss them when you don't show up for awhile. I saw the hazy sky here yesterday, too, and hope today is better. Thanks for all the smiles.

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  8. ...John, fabulous images and profound words. Take care and be well.

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  9. Your sky watch photos are very colorful as well as the flowers.

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  10. And i totally agree with your closing thought John, both complete each other in a way

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  11. I love the sailboats and that last quote is priceless! I hope I can go to the sunflower fields and cut some big sunflowers. They are so beautiful and last a long time. I like to let them dry too and keep them in a tray or on a shelf. Love your post. Happy weekend!

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  12. Your flowers look fantastic after five days, thanks to that aspirin tip! The fall colors are really popping, and it's great to see even the last blooms holding their own. The leaf is stunning and so vibrant!

    I’m intrigued by the urine and carnivorous plants fact—nature always has its surprises!

    Hi, wishing you a happy weekend. I just shared a new post please read: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2024/09/how-to-style-prepreworks-stretchy-slim-round-neck-knit-vest.html.

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  13. Great photos. We used to put an aspirin in the water in the Christmas tree stand.
    Wasn't the hottest summer where I live. We had a nice comfortable summer! Most days in the high 70's and low 80's.
    Wise words, your quote!

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  14. Hello John
    What a lovely September post this is.
    The flowers all look lovely and I like the hummingbird.

    I love the Sailboats on Puget Sound ... Eddie would too, he always enjoyed watching sailboats/yachts (happy memories).

    We have a very wet weekend in my part of the UK, so no Autumnal walks for me, a little bit of reading and some nice cups of tea though.

    All the best Jan

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  15. Beautiful photos! Especially of the sailboats and hummingbird! -Marci @ Old Rock Farmhouse

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  16. I know someone who thinks, but does not research what they think is true. It is indeed dangerous, especially for those around them. Sailboats on Puget Sound... such a lovely sight. I'm happy to say we have hummingbirds in our garden this year. I have yet to see one up close in my face, but it makes me happy they enjoy the leatherflower clematis and the liatris aspera. Eerie smoke photos, but your bouquet looks so happy. I have never been able to get myself to cut flowers out of the garden and leave the pollinators with less, so I never have flowers in my home. Makes it more special when I do go outside and walk the garden. I don't keep up on your blog as much as I would like to, and I apologize for that, but you always bring a smile to my face when I do visit. Wishing you a very lovely September.

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  17. The flowers kept well! The sailboats are an incredible contrast to the cargo ships. Such variety there! The sky shots are amazing!

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  18. I had a neighbor once that had two huge dogs, they would get out and urinate on my flower bed and it did kill the flowers. But I never heard of them killing a tree. I would think it would take a lot of urine to do that.
    The flowers in your bouquet are absolutely beautiful.

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  19. What a wonderful September roundup!
    Your cut flowers are holding up beautifully—great tip about aspirin in the water!
    I’m also captivated by the fall colors and that brilliant leaf you spotted.
    The photo of the sun setting behind the smoky mountains is both eerie and stunning. And the hummingbird is a delightful touch—thanks for sharing!
    It’s fascinating to learn about the effect of urine on carnivorous plants; it makes you rethink what you hear sometimes.

    Happy Monday, John!

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  20. I both studied and thought about each of your photos and stories attached to them, so neither a waste nor dangerous! From your bouquet, to the fall leaf, to the hummingbird and even to the smoky sunset shots, your post provides much colour. My final thought is that each year going forward will be the hottest year known to science!

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  21. What a beautiful start to the month of September! (Although it is hard to realize that the beautiful sky in our PNW is sometimes the result of our ongoing climate disaster). Loved the flowers and nature photos of course, but also the ships -- our eldest son was both stationed on a cutter in your home port and also after his enlistment and subsequently college, worked in the transportation industry out of the Port of Tacoma for a time. Years ago now, but because of that shipping has remained an interest.

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  22. Great variety of photos. I love cut flowers. Your recommendations for preserving them are right in line with what I have learned over the years.

    I love your skywatch photos and the ship photos. We don't have any ships here (although Tulsa is the most inland seaport in the USA via our Port of Catoosa).

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  23. You make it difficult to choose a favorite photo among so many excellent ones. I like the sailboat photo best because of the unique way you've composed it to emphasize the shimmering with the boats in juxtaposition. Perfect! And the blazing sun photo , if one uses his imagination, looks like an alien spacecraft coming in for a landing. Aspirin to make cut flowers last longer. Would Tylenol work? Ha Ha!

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  24. Hi John,
    How are things going over there?
    I loved your pictures, blogs exist for this
    communication and knowledge. I liked seeing the pictures of the ships.
    Here at home, aspirin is only for plants.
    Urine from dogs, cats and animals in general does kill some
    species of plants.
    I post on the first of each month, but when there are comments I always reply. Sometimes it takes me a while because I'm not always online.
    Your cut flowers are beautiful!
    Have a good week.
    Janice.

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