What's Blooming in January?

While most of the country is battling snow and freezing rain, a few plants and trees are blooming here in the San Francisco Bay Area. With our Mediterranean climate, and its mild, foggy weather and winter rain, we are blessed with blooms of some kind almost all year round. Even in January!

Manzanita spp. in full bloom

Here are a few that I found in January. Only the Manzanita is native, but the blossoms are still a pleasure to see in the dark, rainy (yes!) days of January.

Mahonia x media - golden fingers

Acacia spp. - just starting to bloom

I’ll be on the lookout for the next few months, for favorite and unexpected blooms, as I carry out daily activities.

Azaleas are loving the January rain

Winter Movies 2016: Dune

Our final movie this winter, with the "water wars" theme, is the science fiction classic "Dune." I read Frank Herbert's Dune trilogy-plus-one in the first summer post-college graduation and loved the rich political drama, storytelling from multiple points of view, and interesting ideas about ecology and human nature. The movie should really be classified as "spice wars", because the plot centers around the mysterious spice substance on the planet Arrakis. Control and distribution of spice throughout the galaxy is the key to political power.

The movie begins with the House Atreides moving from their beautiful water planet, Caladan, to the dry barren planet, Arrakis. Atreides has won the Emperor's favor to replace House Harkanon, who has ruled the planet and spice trade with cruelty and corruption. Arrakis is populated by huge worms, and an ancient desert people called the Fremen, who have adapted to the harsh conditions. Duke Leto Atreides is a wise leader, willing to sacrifice spice for his men; Lady Jessica, his concubine and mother of their son, is a Bene Gesserit who went against her religious training; and Paul Atreides is their teenage son, who does not want to move to their new home. House Harkanon soon stages a coup to regain their power and position on Arrakis, kicking off a series of events leading Paul Atreides to emerge as a new kind of leader, the Maud'Dib.

I especially enjoyed learning about the mysterious Fremen who had adapted to desert life. They wear still-suits that capture and recycle their water; collect the water of the dead in large underground pools deep in the caves; develop farming techniques that capture water from the atmosphere; and live in caves. (Perhaps we should take note here in the west, for ways to live with more harmony with our warming, and drying planet)! They understand their world, but foster a dream to bring green to their planet. I also appreciated the Bene Gesserit, the sisterhood who are genetically engineering their messiah across generations through selective breeding (until Lady Jessica stepped outside plan). Watch the trailer (click "Watch Trailer"):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142032/

I hope you have enjoyed this winter's pick of movies where the plot revolves around water as a scarce commodity. For another movie in this category, see "The Milagro Beanfield War".

Winter Movies 2016: Young Ones

Today’s movie, where water wars are raging, is “Young Ones”, set in post-apocalyptic southwestern United States, where water is a scarcity. The cinematography reminds me of a John Ford movie set in the southwestern deserts, with fantastic dry landscapes and big sweeping skies. I learned the movie was actually filmed in South Africa, close to where our Linnaeus apostle, Carl Peter Thunberg, conducted his botanical research.

The story is told in three acts (one for each of the main male characters), and revolves around the Holms family farm. The once fertile land is now dry and fallow because of a long running drought. Ernest Holms dreams of bringing it back to life, but ekes out a living delivering alcohol to workers who are building a water pipeline for corporate farms. His teenage son and daughter, Jerome and Mary, live with him on the farm, and his paralyzed wife is institutionalized. Mary is courted by neighbor, Flem Lever, who has his eye on the family farm for his own purposes. The final character in the story is Sim, a robotic “work horse” that is key to the unfolding drama as they all try to survive in the harsh dry environment.

Science fiction is a great vehicle for exploring some of the great “what ifs” of our times. What if water was so scarce that everything revolved around controlling it, or obtaining it? What if only the rich and powerful had access to resources? How would we adapt; how would we live? The filmmaker’s vision of how life might be included shipping container inspired houses; unique ways to clean using dirt and air; and a spare, violent approach to life, with some technology and gadgets. I especially loved the grand landscapes, rich with beauty even without water. Watch the trailer (click “Watch Trailer”):  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2693664/

Winter Movies 2016: Chinatown

I’m heading to the movies to beat the dark days after all the holiday fun, and to wait for the longer days of spring. Our theme for this year’s winter movies is “water wars”, the perfect ending to a year spent researching and thinking about drought here in the San Francisco Bay Area. In each of these movies, the back drop to the drama is water as a scarce commodity. I hope you'll grab a bowl of pop corn and join me!

Chinatown

The first movie is “Chinatown,” which was released in 1974, and won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (written by Robert Towne). The movie was shot on location in and around Los Angeles. I first saw the movie while attending college in Southern California.

 

The story opens with J.J. Gittes reporting the unhappy results of a matrimonial investigation to his client. The place is 1937 Los Angeles, and Gittes is a small time private investigator, who was once a police officer in Chinatown. A Mrs. Mulwray hires Gittes to find her husband, Hollis Mulwray, who is the Water Commissioner of Los Angeles. In an unexpected twist, the real Mrs. Mulwray also hires Gittes to investigate her husband, whom she suspects of having an affair. Hollis Mulwray turns up dead (drowned in salt water, yet found in a reservoir), so Gittes services are no longer needed. But Gittes won’t quit, and ends up investigating a bigger mystery, involving the Owens Valley water scandal, a water bond, water dumping, orange groves, L.A. city corruption, and a land grab in the Central Valley. “Chinatown” becomes a euphemism on many levels for “things are not always as they seem”.

I love how the movie captures the look and feel of 1937 Los Angeles – the architecture (let's bring back the California bungalow), the hard-boiled detective (think Raymond Chandler), and the style (from hair and clothing, to cars and decor). I was grateful that I had spent a few minutes going over the Owns Valley timeline before watching the movie again. Although fictionalized, the movie depicts the complexities of the water wars of the early 1900s, and is still relevant 80 years later. Watch the trailer (click “Watch Trailer”): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315/ 

 

Holiday Memories with Family & Friends

By now we are all back in the thick of things – working, organizing, and looking ahead to gardening projects when the weather warms up. Seed catalogs and web sites are starting to beckon, but I’m still relishing memories of the Christmas holiday, and our visitors from Seattle, Washington (our son, Jason; his wife, EJ; and their friend and colleague, Blake).

Gathering clouds over the Bay Bridge on the way to SFO airport

We packed a lot into a week, and enjoyed varied San Francisco Bay Area weather, including rain, clear days, winter cold, and days that were almost warm. We had no spare-the-air days, so enjoyed coming home from our walks and outings to build the evening fire.

Coffee run to Nelly's Java in downtown Montclair in the East Bay

Hot chocolate with marshmallow snowman faces!

Food is a big part of the Christmas celebration – from gingerbread and snickerdoodles, to mulled or sparkling cider and hot chocolate. All of which helped us complete a puzzle from my folks in Alaska at record speed. It is hard to beat a good 1000-piece Ravensburger puzzle!

World of Words puzzle kept us busy

We also enjoyed delicious meals. EJ, made fantastic lamb shanks under the broiler, as well as bread pudding with rum sauce, and biscotti (special requests); and Blake made perfectly cooked lamb loin chops using his new Anova sous vide circulator. It was a delight to have the house filled with such talented cooks and foodies!

Lamb loin chop

Sous vide circulator

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I enjoyed two glorious weeks of vacation, dedicated to enjoying Christmas activities, spending time with our out-of-town guests, and bringing in the New Year. Now back to reality, with its demands, deadlines, and pressures. But I feel fortified with many wonderful memories of our time together with friends and family. Bring it on!

Looking Ahead to 2016

Happy New Year! Fifty two weeks spread before us like a blank canvas waiting for an artist. Time to hit the Reset button, start fresh, and dive whole heartedly into a new year. Time to live fully into the moment, but always with a plan and a few goals.

This year I’m turning my attention to plant propagation – the birds and the bees. In short – SEX! I’m hoping to learn more about how plants reproduce, and how to grow beautiful plants from seeds, cuttings, grafting, layering, or whatever methods are available. Some gardening goals for 2016:

• Continue learning about native plants in the Bay Area (and how they reproduce).
• Observe some of the trees and plants that bloom early in the year here in the San Francisco Bay Area (while the rest of the country is blanketed with snow, or pelted by the elements).
• Learn more about legacy trees in Northern California, and why they are important.
• Unpack the explosion of gardening technology and ideas that followed the Landscape Movement in gardening history.

Legacy olive tree in Sacramento	 Early lawn mower from 1888 (public domain)
Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco	  Flower parts (by Maria Ruiz, public domain)

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Of course, I will continue to visit gardens, parks, and wild areas here in the Bay Area, and anywhere I have the opportunity to travel; to read books, and watch movies, where plants are the stars; and to look for ways to create a beautiful, drought-tolerant garden. As always, I hope you will join me on this quest!