Colorado Newbie

Even after 17 years in Colorado, I still get teased about my Chicago accent. Odd because I started life in "Midwestern twang" country (downstate Illinois), moved to Chicago and lost the twang, moved to Colorado but apparently never lost the Chicago accent. I've read that the Chicago accent is "anchorman's accent," urban American, the accent that non-Americans think of as THE American accent.

Maybe I should go into voiceovers. I have thought about it.

And even after 17 years in Colorado, I still have never been on skis. I have just simply never had the opportunity.

I do say "y'all" occasionally, but mainly because my grandparents were from the south.

greenjay,
How I love the oddities of New Orleans English and Cajun English. Words like lagnaippe, the fish sac au lait. The drink cafe au lait. The mispronunciation of the names of the Greek muses, Terpsicore, Melpomene, etc I miss all of that, not to mention the cooking. But as much as I go back whenever I can spare the time, I am glad I live here in the Rockies. The living is better here.

Not so wet...

True. That is both the good and bad side of the west. The dry air is exhilarating. The lack of water threatens us all the time and threatens to stop us from gardening constantly. The fear of losing my water drives me insane. Los Alamos has a terrific water supply but the county counselors are deeply into saving water and are considering restrictions! I have been working on a drip irrigation system all summer, but I am afraid I still use a fair amount of water. I don't know what I will do if they restrict our water. Give up bathing? For an addicted gardener this is a fate worse than death.
Soferdig is limited by his supply of water. Los Alamos has no such problem. We have a great water supply, but we have a bunch of non-gardening county counselors. They really just don't get that letting people garden keeps them from going nuts and doing something totally anti-social. In this town where we have more than the usual supply of nuts, they should take gardening more seriously.
We have tons of water for football and soccer fields.

I too have a mid western nuance. I call my words like PNWners but I substitute soda, sneekers(east coast), and midwestern sayings that give me away. "I haven't done that since the hogs ate grandma." Dead give away.

"Y'all"is safer than "you folks" in areas of ethnic tension. One of the city council persons in Cupertino was taken to court on discrimination charges for saying "you folks". She was using the collective to refer to a particular family, not everyone of their background. I thought it was fairly clear that her intent was benign and reflective of some of our American language patterns, but it became a rather large brouhaha and legal issue anyway.


edited for spelling

This message was edited Sep 24, 2006 1:54 PM

I used to tell people that living in NOLA was the closest I could get to living in another country, and still use US currency and be "protected" by US laws. Last year (8/29) we all learned how true that was, and all the darker implications of being part of the US, but not. Every single place that I lived, taught, shopped, and photographed there is now gone forever, ditto for my DH. It is as if we have lost the point of orientation for so many years of our lives.

Yes, New Orleans and Hawaii are the places in the US that are most like foreign countries and I love them both. I, too, was devastated to see so many of my most familiar landmarks destroyed and the people driven to other cities. We had considerable damage at my farm in Mississippi, but luckily it didn't flood there. I am 40 miles north of the coast.
I have been back several times and could not believe it when I saw people living in tents in City Park. No electricity in half the city, boats along the side of I 10 and cars in trees. At first the airport was closed and I had to fly through Jackson, MS. Then when they opened the NO Airport months later, I was appalled. I stopped on Veterans Blvd. for groceries, at my favorite supermarket. It was open for the first time since the storm -- this was probably something like March. Restaurants all had long lines in them because so few were open. And from the 17th st. Canal to the I-10 bridge at Slidell there was no electricity. It was so sad.
I have read wonderful stories about people coming from all over the country to help restore New Orleans many public gardens, especially the ones at City Park. There has been tremendous help, but being under brackish water for a week or more will kill almost any plant.
I feel like I lost an arm.

Looky, I'm proud! I saw the what you're growing but "shouldn't" thread, but their brugs look way better than this, so I'm just gonna post it here....It's inside right now because the wind is blowing something fierce. My lone brug that survived the move.

Yay! You will have a wonderful scent in your house very soon! Great job getting it to bloom. I think if anyone can get anything to bloom in the house (african violets included) has done a wonderful job!
I hope you post a picture when its open! I just love them.

Lovely picture, I love the spiralled tendril-tips. I'm just trying to keep mine alive now.

ANG!
Wow! I am so impressed! That flower will be a beauty! I look forward to photos when it opens.

Thanks yall, this one is so far turning out a lot better than the others this summer (who scorched and fell off).
I have it outside most of the time, but with all the crazy wind we've had I've probably had it inside about 1/3 of the time. I thought when I left West Texas that I'd be leaving wind behind me!!! That kinda sounds like I have a flatulence problem lol...sorry long day at work!
I'll keep you posted on the bloom!

Now Texas, That's a Whole Nother Country :-) I did enjoy living there, but I never did understand a word they said! When I moved from TX to GA, I was quite relieved to find that I could understand English speaking people again!

Lol...I can't understand Georgians at all! But then again, I thankfully didn't inherit that awful Texas twang....I do know what you mean.
Here's my brug open at last! I think this is as pink as it's going to get with our highs of 80 this week. It got quite a bit darker last year in Lubbock...but also melted the same day it got full color. Good trade off if you ask me. It is an Ecuador Pink.

Been waiting for that, thanks.
Love that form.

Wow! I am impressed. It's a real beauty, and I'm beginning to like pink better all the time. Like Kenton, I am NOT a lover of pink. Never have grown it in my garden, and probably never will -- unless it looks like that! Good luck keeping it over the winter.

Hooray! I have a comrade. Always thought I was alone.

Lol, thank you! Truth is I don't usually grow pink either, mainly purples reds, and white and yellows if I must. Not that I don't like pink, but I especially don't like pink and purple together, and since I'm drawn to purple I leave the pink out. But I agree, this is worth it!

Lovely brug. I like flowers of all colors. Even pink. I came home with two brugs from the trip. I can't wait for them to bloom. Next year, probably. It is pretty cool here right now.

Beautiful! Ecuador Pink is such a great brug here for me. When the others dont bloom, I can sure count on EP. The leaves look terrible, but the blooms are so great. It is one that doesnt smell as much as the others, but the scent to me is pleasant, and doesnt over power.
What brugs did you get pajaritomt? Sounds like yall had such a great time!

We did have a wonderful time, but I can't tell you right now which brugs I got. The one I bought has a tag on it which I will look at in the morning. The other one was given to me by Kenton and he told me the name, but I have forgotten it. I will have to ask him and let you know. Anyhow, I have a pink and a yellow.

'Frosty Pink.'

Thanks, Kenton! Now I will label it.

Oooh Frosty Pink is a good bloomer, you'll have a great show! I used to have a big one in a pot but then forgot to move it in for the winter and in Lubbock the freezes were hard enough to kill it. Oops.

Holy smoke! My banana tree (musa basjoo) is growing! I thought so a couple of days ago, I am now sure of it. A new data point for those of us in the Rockies!

The one surviving leaf only stuck up one inch before I went to Denver. It is now sticking up 3 inches or more. You were absolutely right, Kenton. It will grow here. I planted it with lots of compost and put more on top as a mulch. Next I will put dried leaves on top. I water it every day but will quit in winter. I am thinking of putting my new hydrangea next to it, where there previously was an overgrown juniper. They both like shade and water. Then I will have to order another hydranga for the place I originally planned for the current one.
The juniper still exists but is much smaller. Still, its days are numbered. I am looking for a suitable evergreen to replace it. Not too tall, slow growing, but able to block the view of my neighbors' house across the street. Bristlecone pine would be nice, but I think it would want sun. This is a semi-shady spot. I can just keep hacking back the juniper until I find something better.

Wow, isn't that great? It will be awsome to be able to cook some latin american dishes in the leaves next year, eh? What fun, what fun...
Didn't I label that Brug? I must have lost it on transit- I'm a reflexive lebeller.
What are you highs/lows of late?
K

Wow I had no idea about the bananas- I saw that one ya'll were talking about at the gardens, but didn't think about it much. Are you going to leave it in the ground over winter?
Oooh, speaking of latin dishes with banana leaves, Kenton- I think it was either on the Today show or something on a PBS cooking show..but I saw a great recipe for tilapia (or some such white fish) cooked in a banana leaf with tomato and lemon. I was wondering where I could get my hands on some leaves.....now I know.... Betty!!! lol

Oh and I meant to post a picture of the crazy sunset we had yesterday. The whole sky was orange and ominous.....but very pretty:

Gorgeous sunset. That's one of the things I love about Colorado. I've never seen sunsets like that where I've lived before.

I am hoping to cook some fish and some tamales in banana leaves next year -- or whenever it has some to spare. Yes, art_n_g, I plan to leave it outside all winter. It is rated to zone 5 and that is where I live, 5a. Kenton is the expert on this. He is growing them in Clifton, Co. He gave me some special copper compound to put on it so it won't rot in the winter.
And, yes, I was thinking of cooking fish when I got excited about having a banana tree. I have cooked striped bass in banana leaves when I took a Thai cooking class. It is a great way to prepare fish, probably of any kind. We also made coconut salmon mousse in bamboo leaf cups -- made into little cups with an ordinary stapler.
Up until now, if I wanted banana leaves, I substituted aluminum foil -- ugh! - or I bought frozen banana leaves at the Asian grocery in Albuquerque ( 100 miles away). BTW, if you want to try the dish before you get a banana tree, find your local Asian grocery. I don't know about Colorado Springs, but I am suspect you can find one or more in Denver. If Albuquerque has two, Denver probably has 5 and maybe Colorado springs does too.
Lovely sunset picture. One of the great things about the West is the sunsets. And I noticed yours was shot though your pergola. Now that is very special.
And by the way, I wanted to tell you how great I thing your husband is. My husband would never have sat still for all of that garden stuff. Yours is sweet and cute, and a teacher. Believe me, having served as a high school teacher, I admire anyone brave enough to do the same. Our country doesn't give enough credit, or money, to teachers. All high school and jr. high school teachers should get big salaries and free pschotherapy -- IMHO. The elementary teachers deserve the same, but the stress in elementary is less. Maybe they only need to give free psychotherapy to 5th and 6th grade teachers in elementary. First grade teachers are all totally exhausted, but almost always love their jobs because first graders are so sweet.

No Kenton, I didn't find a label on the brug, but you did tell me the name and my sieve like memory lost it. Anyhow, it is very happy near the banana tree. When it has enough to spare, I will start one for Theresa. And our purchase of the yellow brug was a joint one. I will be making some starts of that for her as well. Not only are brugs beautiful and sweet smelling, they, apparently, are easy to propagate.
I bet Judith's brug and your passion fruit vine are happy in their new Botanic Garden home. BTW, you can sometimes buy passionfruit in the grocery store. Hopefully that won't disappoint your quest for home grown tropical fruit.

You may be able to find banana leaves at a mexican grocery also.

That's right, Rev! I hadn't thought of that. If someone wants to start a high end farm, grow fresh banana leaves for sale to specialty stores. I bet you could make a lot of money doing that for a while. Lots of Asians and South and Central Americans are probably longing for banana leaves.

I have thought in passing about having a Saffron farm. Ah, but I have too many projects as it is.

It would take a very long time to pick each individual stamen -- all 20,000 of them -- before you could make aproper paella.

Yeah, banana leaves are easier to pick than the stamens of crocus. The secret with banana trees is that no one thinks they can be grown fresh in the Rockies.

Kenton,
Forgot to answer your question:" What are you highs/lows of late?"

Our night time temps have been in the forties, sometimes high forties, sometimes low ones. Days have been in the seventies, but excursions into the sixties along with some moisture are predicted for this week. Musa basjoo is relatively happy, I think, and the brugs are on my front patio looking good. I will bring them in if there is the slightest hint of frost.

Mmmm paella.
Betty that's really neat that you're trying that! I had no idea there was any kind of banana rated to zone 5. Although if you've seen Tropicman or rootdoctor (they're mainly on the tropical forum) I think they both live in the midwest and both have stunning tropical gardens every year. I think there's an asian market just down the street from me, next to wear I get my morning caffeine fix. It didn't look very large, but I should try it. I've been meaning to go in there to find some bamboo and bok choi anyway.

Thank you so much for complimenting my husband. He really is a sweetie...let's me put him through a lot! He is on a guitar forum online, so he understands what it's all about - and now I owe him one. haha. And I agree, they don't pay teachers enough. I got my BFA in art education and I could be teaching public school- but with the stress and all the mess that comes with a subject that's not "necessary" (which I could argue against successfully all day long) I just didn't want to deal with it.

I understand completely why you chose not to use your art ed certification. You probably make more doing what you are doing. Public School art teachers never have enough supplies, but most kids' favorite class is Art. I know it got me through junior high, high school and college. Art is essential and turns up wherever there are humans. The more art, the happier the humans. Of course, no one seems to think much about happiness these days. How sad!

I think there is a rather large Asian community in Denver and probaby in Colorado springs. I bet there are lots of Asian groceries around. Bok Choi grows very well here in our climate -- in the spring and fall. It likes cold weather, but not freezes.
I would never have started a tropical garden if it hadn't been for Kenton. But I have to admit I did think there ought to be a better way to get bamboo leaves than by driving 100 miles for them.