Don, are you sure you live in the same country as the rest of us?  Where I am, we're experiencing a very cold Dec. 

<<Nonetheless, winter is off to a warm start. And very, very dry.>>

Betty W. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Donald Eaves <d*@eastland.net>
To: iris-photos <i*@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Dec 21, 2010 8:08 pm
Subject: [iris-photos] AB: sdlg

 

The cross is (TENNESSEE GENTLEMAN x SCOTCH GOLD) x ENERGIZER. One I'd like
to get to another generation. The pod parent is unusual in that it sets
seeds quite readily. I've planted more seeds from it than any iris I grow.
The catch, of course, is the seeds seldom germinate. All those seeds have
only resulted in 4 plants and only two lived to bloom. Both did this year.
This one didn't have really appealing form to me and the wind made it worse.
I think it tried, but no pod this year. No pollen to try. Really leans
toward a TB look, but the styles are oversized.

The first day of winter. I started by dragging a cot, sleeping bag and
pillows out to watch the lunar eclipse. I'm in an ideal location for such
an activity. The nearest small town are seven miles away and I'm
essentially in a valley, so even the small amount of light doesn't get here.
The whole 5 hour show was spectacular, right down to a nice meteor shower
complete with streakers, streamers and floaters when the eclipse was total.
It was interesting to watch the night sky fill up with stars as the light
dimmed. However, I've felt jetlagged all day so probably it's the sort of
endeavor I should remember to leave for younger bodies. As for the day, we
hit about 86F which topped yesterday by about 4F. However we are being
promised winter temps in the low 20s by Christmas day. Nonetheless, winter
is off to a warm start. And very, very dry.

Donald Eaves
d*@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA