Monday, December 31, 2007

I want more...from my holidays than just poinsettias........although the little splashy variegation helps... ......and more than just gifts (but just look at all the coffee my dear friend sent me! Seven pounds!!!)

I want more snow.....
....although when it gets deeper, I have to break out this old plastic cutting board as a platform to keep the seed on the surface for my birdy friends......I want more scenic beauty...but to be out in it, not just wistful observations behind glass.......sure, I even want more catalogs! This was from just one post office trip-bet they're glad I have a P.O. box and they don't have to carry them.

I want more of these....wild birds everywhere! This is a Red-bellied Woodpecker... ....I even want more of these guys, as long as they stay off the bird feeders. Heh..."Got snow?"
My New Year is all about more, not less. Not less weight, or less spending, or less booze, or any other "cut backs" that are popular this time of year...
......I want more....a more involved, tactile, rolling-around-in-it year, filled with more sights like this.....
...and even this-Six Spotted Orb Weaver (Araniella displicata) on my side mirror at Walmart last summer, his body no larger than a pin head. But it's not enough to just follow my macro...I want to be less of an observer this year. Plenty of people say they need to take time to "stop and smell the roses", but for me the opposite is true...

...time to "shake the moss off this stone" and roll already! Happy New Year everybody!!


19 comments:

chuck b. said...

What rousing cheer! I want MORE too!

That little spider--still animated in a frozen world. Amazing.

Happy New Year!

Entangled said...

Happy New Year! I just can't express how good this post made me feel. All the "more discipline, less stuff" resolutions were getting me down. I plan to have more fun in 2008. :-)

lisa said...

Chuck-Oops! Sorry to be misleading, but the spider pic was from last summer. Happy New Year to you, too! Woot woot!

Entangled-Hell yea! Delighted to be a cheerleader! (HA! Never thought I'd say that! ;-)

Rurality said...

I had to enlarge the catalog pics to see which ones you have that I don't, LOL.

lisa said...

Too funny, Karen! I'd actually received a few more 2008 catalogs previously, and I'm sure there's many more to come. (They know who I am, and they know where to find me! ;-)

chuck b. said...

You get a lot more catalogs than I do. Maybe you can highlight a couple of them. Or mention which ones are wastes of paper. :)

I want MORE catalogs!

Marvin said...

I'd say that you have enough caffeine available to propel at least the first week or two of your year-long quest for more, more, more.

Happy 2008!

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

We want more, we want more!!!! Forget all those people who say that less is more, more=more IMO. ;-) Fun post Lisa, love that shot of the squirrel!

A very happy and healthy 2008 to you and yours and wishing loads of all the things you want more of. :-)

lisa said...

Chuck-That sounds like a great post, and I will absolutely gather my entire "collection" and do a review. In the meantime, of the ones pictured, here's the rundown:
Farmers Seed and Nursery-I only ordered once several years ago, and the quality was poor for the price. (Plus I don't care for illustrations instead of color pictures).
Jung-Good quality, average to reasonable prices.
Burpee-Average quality and prices; your basic corporate "box store" in a catalog.
Johnny's-Good quality, good prices, nice mix of standard and less common varieties. I've had good results germinating their seeds even 4 years later.
Heronswood-Box store in specialty nursery clothing (big buy out/overthrow last year). Still some interesting specimens, but the prices are such that I'd do a search and buy elsewhere when possible.
Stark-Nice stuff, reasonable to high prices.
The Cook's Garden-My first year getting this, they have some really cool veggie seeds and the prices seem reasonable. They even have recipies!
Territorial Seed Co.-Very cool catalog, lots of variety, books and other stuff, too.
JL Hudson-You know how awesome THIS catalog is! Wide variety, excellent cultural info, and they even tell you how to pronounce the scientific names!
White Flower Farm-Too expensive for my tastes (the quality isn't worth it), but I like the pictures, and they put together some interesting planter combos that I copy with reasonably priced plants from somewhere else! :)

Marvin-Oh yea, high octane all the way! Happy New Year to you, too!

Yolanda-Thank you! Happy and Healthy New Year to you, too!

MrBrownThumb said...

I want more MONEY to buy more unique plants.

;0)

Oh and a few praying mantids would be ok too.

lisa said...

Heh...you and me both, Mrbrownthumb! Come to think of it, praying mantis is one insect I didn't see around here last summer. Maybe I should order one for spring! Hmmm....

Anonymous said...

Make sure your mantid egg-sack is native to your area! I STILL feel guilty, 15 yrs later, when I consistantly see more of those big green mothers, than I see of our gray/brownish natives. I didn't know about native species etc, when I ordered my egg-sack back in those days. Now I worry the big-ass green ones will eventually take over. There oughta be a law about that crap, ya know?

Love your "More, More, More" post! heh

Annie in Austin said...

What a great post to find as I wander around, trying to catch up after 2 weeks away - Lisa, you picked such cool things to want more of, that I sincerely hope you get your wishes and that "a more involved, tactile, rolling-around-in-it year" is on its way to you.

The snow-stacking post was just what I used to do in IL where an overhang and a western exposure meant dessication for plants - but a few flips of the snow shovel kept stuff protected. Good luck with the carnivorous plants, too.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

lisa said...

Vonne-Excellent point! I never would have considered that....thank you very much! I will do some careful mantid shopping.

Annie-Thank you! We are due for a warming trend/semi-melt again this weekend, and I'm not thrilled! Sure hope to see more insulating snow before the temps drop again...this is shaping up to be an "Indiana winter" in my Wisconsin yard! Grrr!

MrBrownThumb said...

Vonne's point is pretty good. I never would have thought about that. I've never seen one in my garden I saw a big green one in the neighbor's last year and took a pic of it.

David (Snappy) said...

Hi Lisa,Fab post...wanting more of the things you love.Im glad you put the chopping board out so the birds could keep feeding.We are kindred spirits!Happy New Year!!

vergelimbo said...

Lisa-

Those garden/seed catalogs remind me of my undermatress stash of Playboy back in the day...
Interesting how one's tastes evolve as we age.

BTW: I have never seen hummingbirds feeding on Echinicha...nice pic.

Crafty Green Poet said...

great post, great photos, great attitude! Have a great 2008!

lisa said...

MrBrownthunb-Right? That's what I just love about blogging-all these awesome collective garden brains, exchanging info and friendship. Very important point to consider when buying ANY beneficials I'd imagine, and certainly something you want to "buy local" whenever possible!

Snappy-Thank you and Happy New Year yourself!

Vergelimbo-Hilarious! Well, plant porn, human porn, tomAto, toMAHto...whatever. ;-) I liked the pic despite the less-than-sharp quality (it was sort of "on the fly"), but this was late in the season and I'd never seen such a thing, either. More cool (cooler?) was upon enlarging it, there's a crab spider sitting on the petals, like "Dude! What the hell?! I'm trying to catch bees...get lost!"

Crafty grren poet-Thank you! 2008 is gonna' be great, I say...and for you as well!