I absolutely love having a camera in my cell phone. I don’t carry a purse unless I know I’m going to have knitting time, in which case my little black bag can hold a pair of in-progress socks, but I usually just have a wallet in my back pocket, keys in my front right, and my cell phone in the front left. And I have a camera! Right there, when I need it.
Sure, it’s not great quality, but it’ll do when you need to document George. Remember George? Sweet old George that I loved looking at through my old window, George who’s now outside Lala’s window (handy, that), George who is apparently and very suddenly signaling the Mother Ship.
Mom! Here I am!
I mean, really. What the HELL is going on with this plant? It happened overnight, I swear.
For scale:
Asparagus gone wild. Anyone know what it’s doing? Will it flower? Will it stretch out and grab the BART train off its tracks? Any ideas?
So the cell phone camera thingie is good for that. But we still have the inside camera for catching the important fiber photos.
Look! I Navajo-plied! Sylvia had shown me how, but I hadn’t really GOT it. I did it once and screwed up. This last time (the brown alpaca (from Ann in MN) on the left), I messed about with the wheel and got the hang of it, figured out the motion and how to pedal. Oh, the satisfaction of getting something physically like that. The middle stuff is also an alpaca single from Ann, and the stuff on the right is good ole Blue Faced Leicester, which is turning into my main love.
Have I mentioned I aDORE spinning? Hmmm?
We have plants similar to this here in Texas. I can’t for the life of me remember the name, but after they bloom the plant dies. So be prepared in case that is what happens. There might be small plants around the edge that will grow in it’s place. I’m in a confused state of mind right now so hopefully someone else will have better info.
All right all ready on the spinning……just how much DO you adore it? I am about to clean out some old spinning supplies (some of it quite old) if you really DO adore spinning drop me a line and I will see about sending it to you. I mean since you DO adore spinning and all. 🙂
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Agavaceae/Agave_shawii.html
Is this it? Coastal Agave? “Blooms only when the plant is 15 years old or more. The flower stalk is huge (15 to 40 feet), starting like an asparagus, but its flowers are inconspicuous. The plant then dies leaving suckers that grow into replacement plants.”
I can’t be sure, but I’m sure it’s a member of the Agave family – probably Agave lechuguilla, or the lechuguilla plant.
Be sure to take photos when it blooms!
Hi! The plant is an agave. And yes, they die soon after that big piece in the middle falls (which it will do in not too long. Maybe a couple of weeks, maybe a little bit longer). Tell Lala that the inner piece can be made into an awesome didjeridoo after it falls to the ground. You’re making me miss the desert. I’ve been living in Maryland for the past three years after spending 25 years in Tucson, AZ. There are LOTS of agaves in Tucson. They are really beautiful plants!
What a short time it has been that we knew George! So short and yet so sweet. RIP George and may your suckers multiply freely.
So, what kind of wheel did you get? Did I miss this on your blog?
Yeah, he looks like a damn fine handsome example of a century plant to me…http://www.naturesongs.com/vvplants/centuryplant.html
Geez, that’s kind of sad. We can hold a virtual wake if he lives down to the web-sites cited which say he will pass on after blooming.
Can I say again how impressed I am with how rapid your spinning skills are progressing?
No, I don’t think George is going to kick the bucket. There are plants like George all over Berkeley that keep on giving year after year!
OK, just when I thought George couldn’t get scarier…holy shit! But I am sad to think that he’s not long for this world after this. I hope Sharlene’s right!
What a weird plant, though–growing like that only after 15 years? Evolution is so frickin’ bizarre.
Well, we’re all waiting in breathless anticipation. I hope the death does not occur when you’re in Maryland. That would be sad. Stop rubbing that spinning my face. My wheel is just sitting there unused. Geesh, and you have to be a damn prodigy.
Gee… I guess George is obviously… BOY George! ::snicker::
agave… hmmmm… don’t they make tequilla out of that? if George does go to the great backyard in the sky, I think we should all toast him with a margarita!
I guess I’m a lot slow to the Agave party – but here’s another website that might provide some insight (I don’t think it’s mentioned above)
http://www.succulent-plant.com/agave.html
If George is 100 years old, it would be interesting to see all the things he’s seen sitting on that hillside….a childrens story perhaps.
George is a century plant! http://www.desertusa.com/feb97/du_pcentury.html
You aren’t the only one that obviously digs Lala! George has good taste, no? 😉
Ooooo, that spinning is beautiful! I’m having spinning envy and MWSF envy.
George is getting in the mood, apparently.
holy christmas! George, what’s going on dude? I seriously think he has penis envy.
But the spinning. WOWZERS. I mean I just got the hang of it last niet and you are blowing my mind with your output. I promise to stand back as you load up at MDSW.
Rachael may I say you have taken to spinning like a duck to water?! Fantastic bobbin shot, you are doing so well for a newbie. Your yarn so fine and even 🙂
I think George is just happy to see me.
I did a Google for “wild aloe” and it came back with this photo as a result:
http://www.mauritiusdelight.com/Aloe.htm
So who knows, maybe he’s an aloe plant after all!
George is commonly known as a Century Plant around here, yes, but they do not always wait that long to send up a flower stalk, nor do they always enter the next realm after flowering. If you want, I can ask my dad why (he knows that kind of thing).
The spinning looks WONDERFUL!!! WOW!!! I am totally amazed. You have any memories of past lives where you were a spinner???
Oh, and tequilla is usually made from a special kind of agave (the blue agave?) — there was a special about it on the food channel some years ago back when we had TV.