Petunias

P. axillaris bears night-fragrant, buff-white blossoms with long, thin tubes and somewhat flattened openings. The species was first sent from South America to Paris in 1823. P. integrifolia has a somewhat weedy habit, spreading stems with upright tips, and small lavender to purple flowers. It was discovered in South America by the explorer James Tweedie, who sent specimens to the Glasgow Botanical Garden in 1831.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petunia

Older varieties of petunias require diligent deadheading or they will stop blooming. Even the newer varieties that say they don’t require deadheading will benefit from a pinching or shearing mid-season. When the branches start to get long and you can see where all the previous flowers were along the stem, it’s time to cut them back and refresh the plant.

Monthly feeding or foliage feeding will give your petunias the energy to stay in bloom. But be judicious with water and make sure the soil is well drained. Too much water will cause the plants to become ‘leggy’, with lots of stem and few flowers. http://gardening.about.com/

Bougainvillae

Bougainvillea was discovered in Brazil in 1768, by Philibert Commerçon, French Botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville during his voyage of circumnavigation.

Bougainvillea are rapid growing and flower all year in warm climates, especially when pinched or pruned. They grow best in moist fertile soil. Bloom cycles are typically four to six weeks. Bougainvillea grow best in very bright full sun and with frequent fertilization, but the plant requires little water to flower. If overwatered, Bougainvillea will not flower and may lose leaves or wilt, or even die from root decay. Source: Wikipedia 07.25.09

Bougainvillea can be heavy feeders: Use high phosphorus with micronutrients, as well as additional iron and magnesium. Slow or timed release fertilizers are acceptable. Source: http://www.plant-care.com/ 07.25.09

The Bridge is Out

When one knows that the bridge ahead is out, one warns family, friends, even strangers of the danger that lies beyond.








Mom tells of a great grandfather who threw his theology books (and Bible?)into the Atlantic as he sailed from Germany to America.

Deuteronomy 5:9
I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found

Joy to the World
--music, G. F. Handel
--lyrics, I. Watts, 1719

Where were you 40 years ago today?

Debbie Simmons and I were 15 years old. We were with her parents and brother enroute to Marblehead, Mass., to compete in the 420 Junior Nationals. We had stopped in Mystic, Conn., for the night. Her parents, Anne and Will, insisted that we watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. I was fairly clueless, but I gathered it was a pretty big deal given the way the adults were acting.

"One small step for man; One giant leap for mankind."

Zac Sunderland and Robin Lee Graham

40 years ago 21-year old Robin Lee Graham (b. 1949) completed a solo circumnavigation in Dove. This was before GPS and satellite phones.

My brother wrote to Robin Lee Graham and received a hand-written response. (Not only didn't RLG have a GPS, he didn't have a computer.) I still have the letter. Very cool.

17- year-old Zac Sunderland (b. 1992) completed a solo circmnavigation in a 35 foot in 13 months this week (July 2009).

Leadership

[Constituents] do not in the long run respect leaders who mirror their own insecurities or see only the symptoms of crisis rather than the long term trends. The role of the leader is to assume the burden of acting on the basis of a confidence in his own assessment of the direction of events and how they can be influenced. Failing that, crises will multiply, which is another way of saying that a leader has lost control over events.
--Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy, p. 136 (1994)