“Stayin’ Alive, Stayin’ Alive”

 

“A-ha-ha-ha…he’s gonna die, he’s way too high”

This is what a 22 inch disco ball looks like!

This one went in at the bottom of the Patch, up in my post oak.

Getting this sparkling beast hoisted up over a large oak bough involved planning, my daughter, and a few near-death experiences at the top of my stepladder.

This has to have been my closest brush with a ‘Darwin Award’ to date.

Not being particularly good with heights to begin with, wrestling with a very large, reflective ball, atop a ladder is ill-advised at the best of times. I kept getting fleeting glimpses of the terror on my face, reflected back at me a thousand times in the tiny reflective squares.

“You okay up there Dad?”

“Doin’ okay”

Attempting to hacksaw the hardened-steel chain to shorten it to the right length was a character building experience to say the least.

That brings the disco ball count to four – not finished yet!

At one point I actually considered using an angle grinder to cut the chain. My internal voice started the Bee Gees refrain:  “A-ha-ha-ha…he’s gonna die, gonna lose an eye…”

I decided against it.

Strung-up, it does look good at night- adding a whole other dimension to our firepit area.

Moving along.

Common Cattails (Typha latifolia) also know as bulrushes.

The final Cattails are offering their own unique light-show right now, especially with our recent winds stripping the seeds from the now over-ripe flowers. The seeds get to some staggering altitudes.

The large, cylindrical, brown spikes are the female flowers. Immediately above this protrudes a smaller, pointed spike of the male flowers.

This small stock tank has contained this stand of Cattails for years, ever since my kids were small.

I keep it moist and throw in some mosquito dunks after a good rain. As a marginal plant, Cattails like their feet to stay continuously wet.

Their roots spread by rhizomes, so keep them contained.

My kids have grown considerably since those early images, but they still can’t resist exploding the Cattails.

With the exception of my opuntia tree, the ‘Front of Patch’ has bounced back quite well after last years freeze. The palm responded well to the brutal ‘pruning’ the city gave it and has grown more vigorously up into the street cables.

This is what my opuntia tree looked like pre-freeze:

Over the course of the past year most of the limbs went into decline and broke off.

“MEDIC!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is now down to a single 10ft trunk, but I think this limb is going to make it!

“Don’t look at the shrunken-head sago palm, don’t look at the shrunken-head sago palm, don’t…”

These grasses put on a dramatic burgundy show this year.

I believe they are Pennisetum ‘Burgundy Giant’?

But I may be completely wrong.

Anyone?

The arching Boa seed heads have some great coloration.

Talking of seed heads…

https://www.eastsidepatch.com/2008/12/purple-harvest/

I used to harvest the seeds from these Celosia seed heads to spread it to other areas, but it does the best job if just left to its own devices. I started with one small bag of seed some 20 years ago from the Natural Gardener and it still pops up in unexpected places to this day.

I will leave you on a rather abstract note with this image of the Fairmont Hotel I snapped hanging out of my trusty steed the other day.

One of my favorite Austin buildings.

I had no idea there was a large pool area on top of the lower platform.

Stay Tuned For:

“Boot Leather Combos”

 

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