Peeps Takes A Seat

The cat will seize my chair the second I get up.

Foraging For Greens

Lamb's Quarters, Chenopodium berlanieri, Pittsburgh, 2019

Any manner of thoughts can manifest themselves in our dreams and we are a prisoner to their whims.  I had just such a dream last night where I collected wild greens, namely lamb's quarters, and sauteed them with zucchini, broccoli, onion, and fire roast tomatoes in rendered bacon.  All morning after waking I could think of nothing else.  I told my wife about the dream and she perked up, so I headed out to find some lamb's quarters and was not disappointed.  I prepared what I'd collected exactly as I had in the dream, and served it over a bed of organic brown rice.  Quite and ambitious lunch!  But it was wonderful and with fresh produce starting to come in from our garden, we'll be having more of the same.
For nutritional information on lamb's quarters go here:

Ghost Pipes

Monotropa uniflora, aka Ghost Pipes, aka Indian Pipes, aka the Corpse Plant North Park, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

Monotropa uniflora, aka Ghost Pipe, aka Indian Pipe. Seen during a hike on a trail at North Park. While these plants resemble a fungus, they're an angiosperm (flowering plant), but having evolved to survive on the light deprived forest floor, it lacks chlorophyll to conduct photosynthesis. Because it can't manufacture its own food by converting sunlight to sugars, it is instead parasitic, using the mycelium of fungus to glean the nutrients that they've already broken down. Reportedly used in herbal medicine for nervous conditions, but I don't know about that.

Lettie G. Howard

Lettie G. Howard Schooner Rigging, Erie, PA 2019


Built in Essex, MA in 1893, I toured her in June, 2019, docked off the Erie Maritime Museum in Erie, PA.

The Almost Island, In French, No Less!

USS Niagara, circa 1927, photo by Raymond E. Kaufman, Presque Isle, Erie, PA


We are on our way to Presque Isle on Lake Erie for a few days.  Ever hopeful that it'll stop raining, we've looked up movie times and plan to visit the Maritime Museum.  It's such a short drive, around 2hrs, that I'm surprised we don't visit Erie more often.

Always Where The Wild Things Are

Hawthorn Tree, Crataegus flabellata, Pittsburgh, PA 2019


     Last fall I happened upon a sharp, long-thorned, spindly tree bearing bright red fruit, growing atop a steep ravine that has been designated a bird sanctuary because the land is otherwise useless.  This spring I revisited the tree, too late to photograph it in bloom (mental note for next year), though able to capture an image of the unripe fruit set with those infamous thorns.
     The genus name of this tree comes from the Greek kratos 'strength' because of hardiness of the wood, and akis  'sharp' referring to its thorns.  My God those thorns...reportedly native Americans in the pacific Northwest adapted them for use as fishing hooks.  As for the common name, haw comes from the Old English word for 'hedge', derived from the Anglo-Saxon haguthorn 'fence with thorns'.  I cannot stress enough how one would want to avoid these thorns, and indeed, if these low growing trees were planted densely as a hedge, most creatures would go around instead of through.
     Medicinally the berries are quite remarkable in their use for many heart conditions, though care must be taken to not overdose, which should go without saying, but I cannot account for some people's lack of sensibilities.  Webmd as this to say about its uses:

Hawthorn is a plant. The leaves, berries, and flowers of hawthorn are used to make medicine.

Hawthorn is used for diseases of the heart and blood vessels such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chest pain, and irregular heartbeat. It is also used to treat both low blood pressure and high blood pressure, “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis), and high cholesterol. So far, research suggests that hawthorn might be effective in treating congestive heart failure, but there hasn’t been enough research on other heart-related uses to know if it is effective for them.

Some people use hawthorn for digestive system complaints such as indigestion, diarrhea, and stomach pain. It is also used to reduce anxiety, as a sedative, to increase urine output, and for menstrual problems.

Hawthorn is also used to treat tapeworm and other intestinal infections.

Some people apply hawthorn to the skin for boils, sores, and ulcers. Hawthorn preparations are used as a wash for sores, itching, and frostbite.

You will find hawthorn among the ingredients in candied fruit slices, jam, jelly, and wine.

Before taking hawthorn, talk with your healthcare professional if you take any medications. It has major interactions with several prescription medications.

How does it work?

Hawthorn can help improve the amount of blood pumped out of the heart during contractions, widen the blood vessels, and increase the transmission of nerve signals.

Hawthorn also seems to have blood pressure-lowering activity, according to early research. It seems to cause relaxing of the blood vessels farther from the heart. It seems that this effect is due to a component in hawthorn called proanthocyanidin.

Research suggests that hawthorn can lower cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad cholesterol”), and triglycerides (fats in the blood). It seems to lower accumulation of fats in the liver and the aorta (the largest artery in the body, located near the heart). Hawthorn fruit extract may lower cholesterol by increasing the excretion of bile, reducing the formation of cholesterol, and enhancing the receptors for LDLs. It also seems to have antioxidant activity.

The Scarlet (Orange) Pimpernel

Scarlet Pimpernel, Anagallis arvensis, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

     Today while walking the dog, we happened upon scarlet pimpernel, Anagallis arvensis, an invasive species introduced from Europe and now common throughout all of the Americas. It's quite small, and quite bright orange, not scarlet at all. It's noxious to bird and beast, though fortunately so bitter tasting that animals leave it alone. But not humans. Oh no. Medicinal uses for A. arvensis include, but are not limited to; rabies, leprosy, and dropsy. I wouldn't recommend self treating with this herb for cases of suspected rabies. Or dropsy, for that matter. I'm not familiar enough with leprosy to comment further.

Tide Pool

Tide Pool, St. Andrews, Scotland, 2018

I am on my way to the gallery to drop off new work. 

Falling

Wild Strawberry Blossom, Falling, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

 Photo taken through hand blown glass, which reflects some of the world around it.

Pressed For All Time

Pressed 3 Forms of Common Violet, Scanned, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

I wondered:  What if I press the common violets and then scan them?  What will that look like?  Now I, and you, know.  The vein-y texture of the petals is clearly evident, and the Freckled variety of the common violet stands out more than its non-pressed self.

Exhibits A&B Photo Stamp Tax

Two Photos Found In A Family Bible, Fombell, PA, 2019

I believe that this particular family Bible, the origin of this photograph, came down through my paternal grandmother's mother, nee Anna Catherine Burkhart.  The children are completely unknown and unguessable to me, but I can tell you when the picture was taken.  The US gov't instituted a photo stamp tax in 1864 to help pay for the Civil War.  But it was a very unpopular tax, with both photographers and the people wanting to get their portraits taken using this new technology.  So, the tax was repealed less than two years later in 1866.  Thank you highly unpopular Photo Stamp Tax for helping me date this particular portrait!