Went outside to feed the cat this morning* and was inundated by the most amazing scent–sweet and delicate and decidedly floral. It was like perfume, but not the bottled, artificial variety, more like perfume the way it’s supposed to smell. And I followed my nose until I came to this flower:
Sprouting from some unnamed and unknown ornamental horticulture specimen in our front yard.
It’s lovely, and it blossoms only briefly. Anyone know what it is?
I started wandering around our yard, marveling at the signs of spring. The holly bushes are flowering, and I discovered this bush full of huge, pink flowers, nestled under one of them. I had no idea it was there, but it was obviously planted by the previous owner of the house, because it’s certainly not a wildflower. Again, I could use some assistance IDing it:
The holly trees/bushes that flank our house and sprawl onto our front porch are some of my favorite flora features. I often cut off sprigs and stick them in water, and they last for weeks inside.
Early morning springtime in Georgia is utterly enchanting; the air’s so soft and cool, and there’s treefulls of avian critters chirping and singing their little hearts out. But it’s already becoming muggy, and it’s not even 9AM yet. I had the windows open in the house to let in the morning, but I’ll probably have to close them up again before too long. I suspect it will be sweltering upstairs in the library when summer hits.
*We’re down to the dregs of leftover ferret food. Looks likely that we’ll need to actually buy cat food. Meep.
Writing Stuff
New Words/Editing:
– 660 words on the collaboration I’m doing with mtrimm1, and after a week’s ball-dropping, I volley it back over the net.
– Finished up the rewrite on “Nothing of Me” that Jason Sizemore requested for Aegri Somnia, lo those nearly three weeks ago. Got the editorial thumbs up of approval and it’s officially stamped, sealed, and delivered.
– Sent off the animal rights interview, going to do one more pass on the Apex one, and then hand it over to merebrillante.
Next up: getting back to that story I was working on for mroctober.
Club 100 For Writers
1
I think I’m going to have to count nonfiction or not count those days as “misses” that I’m working on a freelance project. It’s not like I was just sitting, twiddling my thumbs. But technically, I’m back down to “1.” Pfft.
500/day
22
I was thinking maybe an azaelea, but the leaves don’t look quite right to me. But I’m not very well-versed in plant identification either.
Well, the flower certainly looks right. Thanks for the suggestion! It gives me a starting place, at least.
Ha, I was thinking that the leaves looked right for an azalea, but the flower looked a bit off! 😀 Given the reaction of the other poster, I’d go with azaela.
The first one looked like an azalea to me, too, but maybe some hybrid variety? The other flower is beautiful, but I’m clueless. Wasn’t it nice of the prior owner to leave these for you?
Why not count the non-fiction days? It was writing, after all. Pooey!
(Thanks for buying the cat food, from your secret kitten admirer.)
The first one might be mock orange. They have a very strong, sweet scent. Some people (like my mother) love them, and some hate them.
The first is mock orange blossom. The second is an azalea.
I bow at the altar of your gardeny wisdom
.
cat
It just struck me as I was reading your post that, as I was pulling out onto Nesbitt Ferry yesterday, I saw a “lost cat” sign on the message board as you exit our neighborhood (Rivermont Parkway exit). I only glanced at it for a second; you may want to pull in and take a look or I’ll see what it says the next time I’m down that way.
I do remember it saying the cat was chipped.
Re: cat – nevermind
They just sent out a community e-mail and the missing cat was described as orange-and-white. Not your visitor.
Re: cat – nevermind
Thanks for double-checking.
She’s been popping by less frequently–at least as attested by the amount of food that’s been disappearing. Hey, can you tell me approximately how much I could expect an adult cat to eat a day? I realize it varies a lot depending on cat size, individual metabolism, etc, but a ballpark might give me a better idea as to whether she’s eating only at our trough or someone else is feeding her too.
Re: cat – nevermind
Sorry, I’m not equipped to help you with catfacts (being that I’m more of a dog person and have never owned a cat). I’m sure that puts me in the minority, though, of your LJ friends. I’ll throw the question open to the floor…
Re: cat – nevermind
According to the aspiring vet in the family, the average adult cat should get 1/2 cup of food per day.
Re: cat – nevermind
Thank the aspiring vet for me. That seems to indicate that our cat visitor might indeed be primarily (exclusively even?) dining from our bowl. I might start measuring how much food I put out now.