So Narcissistic.

 If it is ancient, if it is obscure, weird, uncommon and hard to find.... in my long long years as a gardener, I've grown it. I feel most attached to the human race when I think of people thousands of years ago seeing, growing and loving a plant I have in my yard.
Green flowers, black flowers, stripes, dots, black leaves, variegated leaves, black tomatoes, white tomatoes, crazy beans and beanstalks.......it's what I love.

One of my favorite heirloom flowers is the Poet's narcissus.....‘Actaea’ is an heirloom beloved for its large and fragrant flowers that open at about the same time as lilacs. The first written description of this narcissus was about 300BC. The poet Virgil  wrote about a narcissus with white single petals and an orange eye.....the Narcissus poeticus. Native to Europe, where it has naturalized it is a breathtaking sight. It is very fragrant, and has medicinal uses that are very well known from ancient times.

As with all narcissus and all daffodils, it is poisonous....don't try to use it to cure any ills...but for the winter time blues......


Narcissus flowers are named for the son of the River God, Cephissus, and mother, Leiriope, a nymph, in Greek mythology.........This boy Narcissus was quite the looker.. according to legend. A prophet told Leiriope her son would live long and prosper if he avoided ever seeing himself in a reflection.
The pretty boy had many women and men (this is a Greek legend) fall in love with him as he grew up into a man, but he chose none of them for a lover.

A nymph, Echo, loved Narcissus, but she had her own curse to deal because the goddess Hera made poor Echo repeat again the last words she heard said to her....... But Narcissus did not have eyes for her!
Ameinias, another hopeful lover was also rejected by the handsome Narcissus, and Ameinias killed himself. Just before taking his life he asked for the gods to punish  Narcissus.
The gods then set Narcissus to gaze on his loveliness in a clear pond......He fell in love with himself....he was so darn pretty!
When he leaned over to touch the beautiful image of himself, he fell in and drowned......or he killed himself also....we're not too clear on that.
The gods thought the tragedy (this is a Greek legend) ought to be commemorated......and so named the lovely yellow late winter flower.......Narcissus.

Home Obnoxious Home

so, there's this new blog/photo/thing.....you take a pic from your past and go back and take the same pic again.....Dear Photograph.
Oh how much has changed.....Yes, you can go home again...but it always hurts. (meaning "pain, ache")
This is why we call it Nostalgia ---
from the wiki entry --
The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of νόστος (nóstos), meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and ἄλγος (álgos), meaning "pain, ache". It was described as a medical condition, a form of melancholy, in the Early Modern period, and came to be an important topic in Romanticism.^[1]

Definition of NOSTALGIA

1
the state of being homesick : homesickness

2

: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also : something that evokes nostalgia

— nos·tal·gic adjective or noun

— nos·tal·gi·cal·ly adverb

— nos·tal·gist noun
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Let's Play.....Here's my mom and dad, me, Jan, and Fritzi in mom's backyard at 2020 Monroe St, Yountville, on Easter 1973.
Simple. Poverty Acres. Somethings to sit on. A barbeque. Quiet. Trees. Weeds. Affordable for the working class.

 

yeah, I'm 19. Notice the little locket on a chain.And the authentic buffalo toe sandals from India. My mom's Keds, and my dad's hippie watchband. Jan's cuteness speaks for itself !

so, then my mom was taken by my sister. Then my sister, her MBA son, and blonde daughter owned the house (surprise!) and then some bigger douchebags bought my moms house and built this....
The furniture on the left side is about where my mom is sitting. Dad is sitting near the open doorway. Jan and I are behind the fountain. (scoot us all backwards a bit)

The "casita" on the left is the size of the house my mom lived in.........the abortion on the right side is about 2700 sq ft. The Real Estate listing  says "The stone walled courtyard, fountain, outdoor kitchen, fireplace & saline water lap pool are ingredients for the good-life."
The Good Life , asshole rich people, is to care about your Carbon Footprint. And Not taking up the same amount of resources of a small African country. For the rich to bastardize Aristotle's, and Helen and Scott Nearing's simple meaningful life philosophy....Is more than sickening...it proves the rich are both illiterate and uneducated in the Classics.

It sold eventually for about a million & a half dollars. Asshole douchebags have this Much Money because they slashed your job, lowered your wages, and denied your right to organize for higher wages, so they have 98% of our money. And this is what they do with it. They build grotesque mausoleums to their banality and lack of care for anyone but themselves. Narcissism. It's the Disease of the Moment.
"Narcissism is the personality trait of egotism, vanity, conceit, or simple selfishness. Applied to a social group, it is sometimes used to denote elitism or an indifference to the plight of others."
Yeah, Dear Photograph, going back is gonna hurt. 
But think of the material I get to work with when I move back home....to the Napa Valley. 

It was a pretty garden....

 the tiny garden on Broadway last spring, March 2010.





My my my...Industrious little daffs......went from this on February 23.......to.......



This on March 1 !!



The pansies and the primroses are spritely !



I adore how this little daff is folded......so much like a butterfly emerging from a coccoon..


Most of the daffs are King Alfred type, but there are a few renegades mixed in.....I wish I'd have planted a bag or 3 or 7 of Poet's Narcissus...they are my favorites of the Narcissus.......I adore the teeny minis also........




So....Before I retell the story of Narcissus....
All things in my funkomavintage....are on sale until March 23.

Sale! 15THANKS coupon code at checkout

Sale! 15THANKS coupon code...15% off because it's SPRING !
--------------------...15% off because it's SPRING !
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Clicky here....

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>........................
Narcissus flowers are named for the son of the River God, Cephissus and Leiriope, a nymph, in Greek mythology.........This boy Narcissus was a hawt babe according to legend. A prophet told Leiriope her son would live long and prosper if he avoided ever seeing himself in a reflection.
The boy had many women and men (this is a Greek legend) fall in love with him as he grew up into a man, but he chose none of them for a lover.

A nymph, Echo, who had her own curse to deal with, goddess Hera made poor Echo repeat again the last words she heard said to her.......loved Narcissus. But he did not have eyes for her!
Ameinias, another hopeful lover was also rejected by the handsome Narcissus, and Ameinias killed himself. Just before taking his life he asked for the gods to punish the sexy beast Narcissus.
The gods then set Narcissus to gaze on his loveliness in a clear pond......He fell in love with himself!
When he went to touch the beautiful image, he fell in and drowned......or he killed himself also....we're not too clear on that.
The gods thought the tragedy (this is a Greek legend) ought to be commemorated......and so named the lovely yellow late winter flower.......Narcissus.
Let this be a lesson to you Pretty People....Love one another....and don't be stuck-up!

Here's a Poet's Narcissus.....

and clicky here for another sassy sweet blog post about Narcissus.......

Oh My little tiny Greekish garden...

Whilst I was in the tiny garden on Monday planting the nasturtium seeds several folks said Hi ! and let me know they were so happy to see a sweet little thing in the midst of brokeness and leftovers.
Daniel was entranced by this sleepy little bee ! He gave it a voice "Hey you said it was Spring!"
(Nature has been tricking us all lately!)



I don't mind the busted ness of downtown.....it's kinda interesting......I love to look over the edge down to the parking lot next to the Spanish Steps...It's a dizzying view! and then lift my eyes to The Old City Hall......the bluest sky and the cotton clouds.......and the beautiful saltyness.....the industry of burly men and determined women........

My my my...Industrious little daffs......went from this on February 23.......to.......



This on March 1 !!



The pansies and the primroses are spritely !



I adore how this little daff is folded......so much like a butterfly emerging from a coccoon..


Most of the daffs are King Alfred type, but there are a few renegades mixed in.....I wish I'd have planted a bag or 3 or 7 of Poet's Narcissus...they are my favorites of the Narcissus.......I adore the teeny minis also........





Narcissus flowers are named for the son of the River God, Cephissus and Leiriope, a nymph, in Greek mythology.........This boy Narcissus was a hawt babe according to legend. A prophet told Leiriope her son would live long and prosper if he avoided ever seeing himself in a reflection.
The boy had many women and men (this is a Greek legend) fall in love with him as he grew up into a man, but he chose none of them for a lover.

A nymph, Echo, who had her own curse to deal with, goddess Hera made poor Echo repeat again the last words she heard said to her.......loved Narcissus. But he did not have eyes for her!
Ameinias, another hopeful lover was also rejected by the handsome Narcissus, and Ameinias killed himself. Just before taking his life he asked for the gods to punish the sexy beast Narcissus.
The gods then set Narcissus to gaze on his loveliness in a clear pond......He fell in love with himself!
When he went to touch the beautiful image, he fell in and drowned......or he killed himself also....we're not too clear on that.
The gods thought the tragedy (this is a Greek legend) ought to be commemorated......and so named the lovely yellow late winter flower.......Narcissus.

Let this be a lesson to you Pretty People....Love one another....and don't be stuck-up!

Here's a Poet's Narcissus.....

and clicky here for another sassy sweet blog post about Narcissus.......