Ten Years of Silliness

 

Ten years ago today, I started this blog as a way to stay in touch with my Mom. She had moved into an assisted living facility where she could get therapy for osteoporosis and the daily help she needed to compensate for her failing eyesight and hearing. Since her new home was a five hour drive from where I lived, we had to figure out a way to communicate without just shouting into the phone. Luckily, the staff were equipped with iPads to help the residents connect with their families. Mom wasn't a fan of FaceTime so I decided to try sending her big photos in a blog form. She always liked my garden so on the last day of June in 2014 I published four photos of plants in our very soggy backyard. It never dawned on me just how long I might keep this blog going!

One of her caregivers asked me to use a unique name so she wouldn't have to scroll through lots of entries to find it, plus Calamitous Botanicus sounded more cheerful than Unfortunate Botanicals. The name was actually inspired by the crabapple tree in our backyard. In springtime one side blooms in pink and the other half is white. It's just two (or possibly more) separate trees that just happened to be growing close enough together to look like one. The most plausible theory for the two colors is that it's a pink flowering tree that was grafted onto the root stock of a white one. At some point a shoot started from the roots and voila, you end up with a twofer.

It's grown quite a bit taller in the past decade and we're happy it's flourishing. There's nothing really calamitous about it, though occasionally the two sides do bloom at different times.

Realizing I couldn't just keep posting photos of flowers and butterflies, I started looking around the internet for inspiration and came across an adorable blog called A Fanciful Twist. Vanessa, its creator, had been hosting an Alice in Wonderland party for several years, and I realized that was also a place where Mom's caregiver could find other blogs. I tentatively asked Nick, my hubby, if he would possibly agree to dress up as the Mad Hatter so I could take some photos for a post. I never actually expected him to enjoy playing The Mad Hatter, let alone become him. When he put on the top hat, he was completely transformed into His Madness. Maybe he really is this alternate personality and Nick is just a disguise?

It wasn't long before madness spread to the whole family.

After Mad Hedge Trimming, there was no going back.

No content lasts forever. As golden leaves gently swirled in a late summer breeze, Target stocked their shelves with Halloween decor and I was saved. Who knew a plastic skeleton named Burt would end up in my cart? Mom didn't care much for him but he got along great with His Madness.

The following year Burt made friends with Kibitz.

Fast forward to 2017 and Ivy joined The Skeleton Crew. Finally, I had an alter ego, too.

As frightening as it looks, they were just wishing Stephen King a happy birthday and showing off a spectacular harvest of cherry tomatoes. Thanks to the fabulous blogger, Marfi at Marfi-topia, creator of Haunted Humpdays and where The King's birthday was always a reason to party; Calamitous Botanicus turned into a year-round celebration of spookiness. 

Eventually, Stewart tentatively got in on the action.

Although, Spenser obviously had his doubts.

We have been plugging along for ten years now, coming alive-ish more in the fall and October but trying to show up every month or so. There's no real message here except to go ahead and be yourself, it's okay to be spooky, have fun and act silly all year round. Whether your mother approves or not!

You can always start wearing a top hat. Stay spooky, see you soon.

A belated Happy Pride Month to everyone who celebrates!

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Dracula and Decor

 

The 26th of May is World Wide Dracula Day so The Crew decided this was a good month to reacquaint themselves with the book. It also sounded like a good excuse to put off the garden chores.

Last fall, Ivy bought this slightly rearranged version of the book that began as a sort of internet read-along in 2021 and is still going strong today. Because Bram Stoker used personal correspondence, diaries and even newspaper articles to tell the tale, every event in the story occurs on a specified date. Matt Kirkland, a web designer, had the brilliant idea to put them all in chronological order and send them out in an email newsletter on the corresponding days. So, not only do you have the excuse of taking six months to read the book but also the fun of looking forward to the next episode. The physical copy of the book isn't really necessary unless you want it for reference or to cut down on your screen time. 

 

 Who can resist a new twist on an old classic?

 Of course, it'a impossible not to wonder how the story develops as it was written. There is an old, abridged paperback gathering dust somewhere in our basement, but Amazon is just too convenient. Not only did they have a fancy edition illustrated by Edward Gorey but also a Toy Theatre version of the sets he designed for the 1977 Broadway play. Since they were delivered a few days before the eclipse, it was only fitting that they should be photographed during the peak. This was as close as we got to totality. The sun was actually being projected as a crescent through our pine trees, but it looked more like bats to me. What do you think? 

 

The Crew is currently enjoying the book in both forms. Ivy is wondering what will happen in June. Burt chose the original version since he has no patience and will probably skip to the last chapter to see how the story ends. 

Soon after the Dracula Daily reading began, the Skeleton Crew were delighted to discover there were outdoor Halloween displays and inflatables for sale at Lowes and Home Depot. This was followed closely by some early, Halloween-ish decor at both Michael's and Joann's! Naturally, they had to check this out as soon as possible.

Calling this "Halloween-ish" is obviously a stretch. Michael's Nevermore Collection is maybe more pastel goth than anything and, like many other Halloween fans who voice their opinions on the internet, The Crew was clueless as to what it's all about. Not that everything needs to have a purpose or make sense, but what is going on with that lace over the eyes of those bubblegum blowing busts?

At least Michael's tried. You have to give them credit for bringing a little variety to a time of year that's usually dominated by overt patriotism and pool noodles. There definitely seems to be more than one theme running through this collection, in addition to the Dark Academia /Cottagecore vibes. Although, this display box would be great for anyone wanting the look of a collection without having to search for it themselves. Naturally, a couple things did to come home with us.

     

Down the street, at Kirklands we found this see-through, faux insect wall art. His Madness felt the need to prove it was actually transparent. 

Next, we moved onto the Eclipse Collection at Joann's. It was definitely more spooky and included a good selection of potion bottles, snakes and skulls. Lots of bling, too. Not that you can tell from this photo. The shelves weren't quite filled up so it may require another trip to see if they add more.

There were a number of pieces that lit up, a crescent moon, some purple pumpkins and signage. We didn't indulge, but I did bring home one of their big ceramic cauldrons to use as a planter.

So, Halloween 2024 has officially begun, months before The Skeleton Crew expected that to happen! They seem to have found enough spooky pastimes to keep busy until the rest of the decor comes out in July. Guess it's time to get those pumpkin seeds in the ground!

See you soon and thanks for stopping by!

 

Halfway to Halloween

 

We've been having a dark and stormy spring that's also been unusually warm. In fact, it's been warm enough to bring all the trees and flowers into bloom weeks ahead of normal. This has made the reality of climate change even more scary!

 We do what we can to but in light of the situation, the Crew decided this might be the time to take a break from worrying, try to to find some stuff to decorate with and celebrate Halfway to Halloween. They even found the perfect flowers. Who could resist pansies with a name like that? They even look spooky in the sunshine and of course we will be reusing or recycling the plastic pots. 

Sometimes it helps to look at things from a different perspective. It can be a good distraction. 

There is one pumpkin leftover from last Halloween that is big enough to carve, but who wants to tackle that?

Don't worry Spenser's, no one is expecting you to do it.

 

Then there's the dilemma of what decorations to use. The coffee shelf is always cluttered with things that  don't get put away when the holidays are over. Currently, these items cover three seasons and six holidays, not counting the seeds and their tin, but there's not much leftover from Halloween. Those Jack-'O-Lantern spoons barely show up, maybe it's time for to unpack a few boxes.

After taking a good look around, Ivy found Mickey and Minnie in their Halloween costumes with the Haunted House in the curio cabinet.

The black metal Jack-'O-Lantern was easy to find, it spent the winter on the patio.

Burt decided to bring in the plants. They're destined to be planted in the urns on either side of the front door but that may be awhile thanks to our freakish weather. Even though it gets up to 80° F. during the day, it ends up being 30°F. overnight.

 

Finally, the Toad Witch has emerged from the linen closet in the hallway, where she has been living, waiting for spring. The green candles were a shipping mistake but they are a good match for her complexion. Looks like she's getting ready to cast a spell by blowing out the candle.

I've been buying ivory, Root taper candles from Amazon for years. They're not cheap but they last longer and don't drip as much as the lower priced ones. Last January I placed my usual order for a box of twelve and received red candles instead of ivory. After realizing that returning them for the correct color involved a byzantine process, I decided to keep them. They worked okay for Valentine's Day and I saved the rest for next Christmas. With that problem solved, I ordered ivory candles again and got green ones this time around. Can't wait to see what color they'll send next! 

With all the candles and the Jack-'O-Lantern lit up, The Skeleton Crew is all set to celebrate the coming of spring. Or maybe it's just the end of winter? Not sure what else they will be doing, but they will probably think of something.

Happy Halfway to Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon.

Plants in the Basement and Flowers at the Museum

Happy Spring and Happy Easter!

It's been so cold and snowy here lately that we nearly forgot that winter doesn't last forever. 

Although there have been years when it came pretty close, this one hasn't been that bad.

Still it's hard to get excited about spring when the first crocus to bloom gets buried in snow. It will probably open once it thaws out.

Since spring is currently more of a concept than reality, The Crew decided to hang out with the patio plants that spend the winter in the basement. They're no substitute for tulips and magnolias but they will do for the time being. 

If they look hard enough they might even discover a primrose bloom or two.

Spencer was a little too enthusiastic in his examination of this begonia. He was forced to give up the search after a stern warning it was poisonous to cats.

He obviously wasn't too happy to learn it could make him very sick.

Fortunately, we have another way to escape from the perpetual winter. Every other year, at the beginning of March, one of our local art centers brings in florists from the area to show off their design expertise. It's called Rooms of Blooms since it's located in an historic home. It's a nice reminder that spring will be here eventually, or in a couple of months for those of us in the frozen north.

We finally remembered to attend the member's preview this year and I have to admit that the evening viewing wasn't ideal. At least on our way out we caught a rare glimpse of a starry night sky. If you look closely you can just make out the constellation of Orion in the upper middle of the photo.

As always, the flowers were gorgeous and there was definitely a natural appearance to the arrangements. This bouquet, combined with the china gave off a very woodsy vibe.

There were some more casual looks, too.

Now we know what to do with all those broken pots!

The gallery exhibit, Mao Lor: A Journey through Hmoob Paj Ntaub featured the intricate embroidery and hand-sewing of textile artist, Mao Lor. Her beautiful work includes both the traditional patterns of her culture and her innovative adaptations of those techniques for contemporary storytelling.  

The one issue I've always had with this event is having to peer around floral arrangements to see what's hanging on the gallery walls. It was especially an issue with the complexity of this embroidered artwork. As in the past, it almost seemed like the arrangements weren't just overwhelming the art, they were competing with it. His Madness and I always go back when the flowers are gone to get an unobstructed view.

 

Fortunately, the rest of the flowers looked absolutely stunning.

There are always a few paintings that have an uninterrupted view.

By far the most unique display was among the fantasy dining tables set up in the Great Hall. How would you like to be seated between this pair of giant fairy wings? Is there enough elbow room?

Wonder if the basement plants could ever look so otherworldly? 

Probably not. Maybe The Crew can give it a try next year, for now we're just happy they're still alive.

Happy Spring everyone and Happy Easter to all who celebrate.

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!