Late Bloomers

I went to go and see the artichokes on 7th Street today.  If you don't know, I'm kind of obsessed with them.  (Previous blogposts here.)

I was surprised to find some blooms amongst dried up flowers on one of the plants, because I think they normally bloom in the summer.  Hello late bloomers!

I very much relate to late bloomers.

Wikipedia says, A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual.

And may I add, not just to others, but to the self?

I remember learning in my art class that the painter Henri Rousseau was a late bloomer - he didn't start painting until he was in his 40s.  Interesting that I held onto that tidbit of info...  Looking him up now, I found this painting of a bunny!  Rousseau claimed he had "no teacher other than nature."

Here is the classic, "The Dream."  I wonder if he liked artichokes...

I Like Dots

Adam calls me the "dot girl." I like dots and circles.

They're everywhere! I went to visit the artichokes yesterday and realized that I've been through at least a whole cycle of their lives now - growth, blooming and dying. I started to look around for other things to look at (I know that sounds strange).






Dots!

Out of curiosity, I found this Doodle Decoder which ways:

FLOWERS & CURVES

Peace, love and understanding are part of flower power, right? Friendly, sociable people often draw these things. Koren also notes that they're "motifs used extensively by social workers." Ever thought about being a counselor?

Interesting...


"You and Me" (circa 2002)
Oil, 30"x36"

Artichoke Way

It's been a couple of weeks since I wandered down 7th Street, which I call Artichoke Way. The artichokes are all dry and brown now, but still gorgeous and interesting...



Hmmm. Still made me feel a little sad.

But as I stood there looking, a man came out of the house beside the artichokes. He was carrying a guitar and was saying something to me - I couldn't hear him at first because I was listening to music (maybe Tears for Fears?). He said, "Hey! Do you want to see the baby artichokes?"

On his porch he had about 20 cups of little baby artichoke sprouts!


I thanked him for planting the artichokes and he went back inside. I don't know why, but that made my day.

The next week I went down 7th St. again to look at the artichokes and saw something I never noticed before - a pomegranate tree. How did I miss that? Pomegranates are also wacky! I love them, their little crowns on the bottom.



You just never know what is right in front of you, if you really keep your eyes open.





Always trying to keep my eyes open. Always trying to make time for friendship.

I have one Follower! I'm thrilled.

Artichokes on 7th St.

Where I come from, crazy giant plants do not grow on the street. I used to walk neighborhoods a lot though, back home, in Japan, in Oz. Looking looking looking. I started to walk again, around Japantown and found it is an amazing neighborhood. Everyday I see something *special* - one day it was a tiny elderly lady staring up into a tree, another day it was a possum waddling through rose bushes.

My favourite find were these artichoke plants, growing wild on the side of the road. They just grow here! I find that wacky. I'm from Toronto, a bustling city with a short growing season. Sure, it's green but trees and nice gardens kind of green. Tulips, sure. Artichoke plants - no way!

Somehow they speak to me...




I also found some giant globe artichokes on the way to Reno. Yumi was my model to show how big they were.


Yes, I do love to eat them too!

"Artichokes on 7th Street" 2008