TMI of TMTD

Trailing Lantana????

There is an intern in the older episodes of Bones who calms himself by sprouting - or spewing - irrelevant facts. I can relate. I have been at the very least diverting myself of the horror of the news by googling otherwise unnecessary information.

Yesterday I began on identifying the plants in my container gardens of which I am very well pleased. Last year I joined the Angel Fire Garden Club and discovered small white flower which droops was not an adequate identification of my photos. Google Images, already a friend for drawing inspiration, and identification of birds to my yard, is now a reliable source for identification of flowers I bought last spring and forgot to note in my garden journal.

Not just the name but also what I put in what pot. I wander through garden centers and pick flowers on the basis of color and texture and height. They all have those little identification stakes which once planted I promptly toss. They just do not look good in a container garden.

Gazania or African Daisy

Now suddenly I want to know. I want to enter the winners (those which were showy and did not freeze) in my garden journal for next year. I have always had my favorites (those plants which grow like weeds and return every year) like oriental poppies and hollyhocks, neither of which look good in a container. This year, because I had a deck upon which to place them, I got into containers of non-edibles. I just forgot to take notes.

And I currently have an exhaustive to do list, and total chaos in my studio, so why am I spending time on Google trying to find photos of plants so I can attach names to them. BTW a pox on everyone who posts a picture on Pinterest identification. And that goes double for nursery websites who do the same thing. I who has often been accused of too much information is seeking more information.

So when the scene came up on Bones streaming last night I had my answer.  Facts, useful or not, calm me. And especially in this time when our government is behaving like a snake with the head severed, facts are required. At routine doctor's appointment I was asked what I did to control stress, and I rattled off a list of cat, dog, walks, art, gardening, and turning off the news (though if I don't know what is going on that can be more stressful).  I should add Google and instructional videos on YouTube.

My goal for when the United States totally collapses as a democracy is to have all my flowers, birds, and bugs identified. The TMTD list is unimportant. To finish that list would imply I am unnecessary.