Re: OT-BIO: Kathy Palmer
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: Re: OT-BIO: Kathy Palmer
  • From: &* t* <t*@cs.com>
  • Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:47:42 +0100
Thanks you so much Christian for this wonderful letter!
I couldn't have imagined my 'innocent' question would trigger such wonders put
into words!

What you're saying is very touching, i really loved every second of my reading
it.
It is now printed and safely stored in my very special file where i keep my
treasures.


Looc


  ----- Original Message -----
  From: christian foster
  To: iris@hort.net
  Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 3:28 PM
  Subject: Re: [iris] OT-BIO: Kathy Palmer


  Loic,

  Foaling out a mare is like meeting a new person at a crowded party.  There
is a lot going on all at once.  You watch all night or all week as the wax on
the udder turns watery and then milky.  There is "romantic" tension as the
mare begins to stir in her stall.  You feel like an intruder when she cocks
her ear toward every sound you make while you are just trying to get a better
view.  You hold your breath and listen with every toss of her tail to see if
that will be the one that finally breaks her water.

  When the foal's hoof emerges you check to make sure the other is nearby, and
that that softer than latex little nose is laying just behind the knee, and on
top.  When the foal finally spills out there is infatuation with the shape of
his blaze or the fine blackness of his coat.  Then there are myriad
differences between how each foal deals with their new life.  Some jump and
squirm and whinny almost immediately and demand the milk they know is
there...somewhere.  Others must be gently coaxed by their dam into every
wobbly attempt to find their legs.

  And through all of this the waiting human must remain just far enough
outside the picture to keep track of the time, each stage must be accomplished
within a certain window.  And then, when all the t's are crossed and all the
i's dotted, there is calm, there is nothing left to do but go on to bed.
Tomorrow and tomorrow you can stand at the fence and watch him as he sleeps,
or plays, or wonder at how quickly he has grown and how big he will grow.  But
it will be many years before you will know if he is all that you hoped for, or
worthy of breeding.


  In breeding horses there is a thoughtfulness about the process of raising
that foal.  Everything you do, or don't do, in preparing to breed and in
raising that foal will have an effect on how he fills out his genetic
potential.  Ultimately, the horse breeder uses genetics as a tape measure to
determine the "usefulness" of a horse, but the horse is nothing if he is never
used.  He has the same needs as an iris; water, food, space, but ignoring them
is at least cruelty.

  I breed irises because I love the consideration of two parents and what they
may bring forth.  I love the "what you see is what you get" quality of
evaluating the offspring.  I love that I'm the only one who gets to decide
what has merit in my breeding program.  I love the idea that if I get bored,
or don't feel like weeding the irises this year, they will probably make it
through anyway.  I love that I can decide that I don't like a particular
seedling and just wrench it out of the bed and toss it, no fuss, no muss.

  I like the process of weeding overgrown beds and I like the process of
planning the crosses and I like the process of watching as the seedlings
bloom.  As a matter of fact, my husband once complained, "You only like those
irises because you like to watch things grow."  I simply could not argue the
point.  But, just as simply, I cannot watch thousands of horses grow every
year.

  Christian




  ________________________________
  From: loic tasquier <tasquierloic@cs.com>
  To: iris@hort.net
  Sent: Sun, January 24, 2010 5:17:43 AM
  Subject: Re: [iris] OT-BIO: Kathy Palmer

  Bill, can you tell us about the night you sometimes spend helping a mare
give
  birth to her foal, and the emotion that overwhelms you on top of the
tiredness
  ?

  I would imagine that compared to the adrenaline that has been pumping
through
  your system then, the sweet shiver that gets down your spine when a new
  seedling opens must seem a bit understated to call it fun?
  So, it would be interesting to know what is it in hybridizing that still
gets
  you so excited?

  Can you share this secret with us ?

  Loic


    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Bill Chaney
    To: iris@hort.net
    Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 3:27 AM
    Subject: Re: [iris] OT-BIO: Kathy Palmer


    Hi Kathy,

    WELCOME, I think you'll find this group friendly and helpful.  I
encourage
  you to try your hand at hybridizing, nothing could be more fun (well,
  almost).

    Bill




    ________________________________
    From: Kathy Palmer <irismilkduds@yahoo.com>
    To: Iris Digest <iris@hort.net>
    Sent: Sat, January 23, 2010 5:25:32 PM
    Subject: [iris] OT-BIO: Kathy Palmer

    Hello,

    This is my introduction to iris-digest.  I grew irises in Amarillo, TX
for
    about 10 years and worked with the North Plains Iris Society; a fun and
    friendly group.  I moved to Santa Fe, NM about 4 years ago and had
nowhere
  to
    grow irises until last season.  So, I have about 50 new plants and am
  eagerly
    awaiting May this year.  So far, it has been very difficult to get
anything
  to
    grow here. (High altitude, poor, high pH soil, cold dry winters and hot
dry
    summers.) I've been with the Santa Fe Iris Society here and just got
  elected
    (coerced) to be VP this year.  (In small groups everyone has to take a
  turn.)
    I'm hoping to retire in the next couple of years and would very much like
  to
    try some hybridizing.  I have been reading 'The World of Iris' and will
  have
    many questions I'm sure.

    Well, I guess that's me.
    Kathy
    (Iris Milkduds)

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