An antidote to winter
As 2017 traipses to its end, those of you in frigid places might crave a dose of sunshiny warmth ‘long about now. Here from October 21st in my neighborhood is a dreamy look at some flowers on a goldeneye bush (Viguiera dentata). A flowerful 2018 to you all.
© 2017 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
The yellows and golds are lovely. A couple of days ago we wondered about the relationship of the words oro, ore, oriole, orange, aura, and the gold symbol Au. I said I know who to ask. Perhaps you could reply in the other blog.
I hope your 17 ends peacefully and 18 begins quietly.
Jim R
December 31, 2017 at 7:16 AM
Thanks for your good wishes, and likewise to you. A little while ago I pointed out on another blog that 2017 is prime and of course 2018 is not. Curiously, the same holds for the truncated 17 and 18 that you mentioned.
In the “Not all that glitters is gold” department, half of the words you listed are related to gold, and the other half unrelated to gold or to one another. As you said, the details are best given in my word connections blog.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 7:54 AM
Truncated 17 eh? My brain said trumpated 17. Funny how the mind works.
I will watch for the glittering post to come.
Jim R
December 31, 2017 at 11:39 AM
I think the first book I ever encountered, in around 1966, that talked about misreading words was André Breton’s Nadja. As far as I remember, it didn’t include any glittering, but I’ll see what I can do to compensate.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 11:45 AM
Thanks, I needed a reminder of warmth. Happy New Year Steve.
lynnwiles
December 31, 2017 at 7:33 AM
You’re welcome, Lynn. Let’s hope you find 2018 not “a tangled mess.”
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 7:56 AM
Happy New Year to you too. May it be full of flowers and warmth !
gwenniesgardenworld
December 31, 2017 at 7:41 AM
Eventually, yes, without a doubt, thanks. The coming few days, no, without a doubt, as the temperature here is predicted to go solidly below freezing.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 7:58 AM
I’ve seen on the news what the weather is like in the US, it is horrible !! We have unusually soft weather but lots of rain and wind, most cities have cancelled the fireworks cos of the storm winds. We had 10 hours of sun in December !!!
gwenniesgardenworld
December 31, 2017 at 9:07 AM
Arctic air has swept south, bringing freezes down to places that don’t often get them. Compared to just 10 hours of sun in December (yikes!), Austin is doing well.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 9:40 AM
Thank you for these wishes Steven, I hope for you also very many interesting flowering subjects in 2018. I don’t know why or if perhaps global warming is causing this phenomena but in our wintery and very wet garden I already have actually flowering oxslips and purple nettles and they are new flowers, not carried over from summer flowering.
Lindylou
December 31, 2017 at 8:00 AM
Winters this far south are already mild. In addition, some recent winters here have seen flowers springing up before their traditional time or lingering after they’d normally have disappeared. When an unexpected occurrence is far from its usual time, it can be hard to decide whether it’s very early or very late. One example occurred here near the beginning of December:
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2017/12/08/out-of-season/
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 9:48 AM
This is indeed the perfect antidote to wind-chilly weather. Wishing you a wildflower-filled New Year!
Susan Scheid
December 31, 2017 at 8:30 AM
Texas is about to turn New York-ish, even as you in New York are getting “treated” to Canadian weather. We can all do with a dose of sunshine and thoughts of wildflowers in the days ahead.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 9:52 AM
Thank you, that is indeed sunshiny and cheerful. 🙂 Happy New Year!
Robert Parker
December 31, 2017 at 8:31 AM
With my initials, I’ve long laid claim to some extra SunShine. May 2018 be a RePository of good things for you.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 9:54 AM
🙂
Robert Parker
December 31, 2017 at 12:06 PM
And a Hppy New Year to you and yours, too,
Pit
Pit
December 31, 2017 at 8:45 AM
Likewise to you guys. Snuggle up for the freeze that’s almost upon us.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 9:55 AM
🙂
Pit
December 31, 2017 at 10:22 AM
The sunshiny face is good. I guess there’s no emoji for snuggling.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 10:24 AM
Yup, rain lashing down right now! That’s brightened me up. Happy 2018.
Anabel Marsh
December 31, 2017 at 11:14 AM
Sorry to hear about the lashing rain. Hooray for sunshiny wildflowers, now and into 2018.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 11:19 AM
Thank you, Steven, for a beautiful year of nature pictures!
KathyHenderson
December 31, 2017 at 12:24 PM
You’re welcome, Kathy. This was my most traveling year in a long time, and therefore a great source of nature pictures.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 3:12 PM
Beautiful photography as always.
Happy New Year, Steve.
Neil
kestrelart
December 31, 2017 at 6:49 PM
Thanks, Neil, and the same to you.
Steve Schwartzman
December 31, 2017 at 7:24 PM
Truly a warming vision as we are being plunged into cold weather…
Low tonight 12, high tomorrow 28, low tomorrow night 9. Tuesday’s high of 30 will feel like a heatwave after that! Guess I am glad to live in the deep south and not in the northeast, huh? 😉
Happy New Year, Steve.
Lynda
December 31, 2017 at 11:03 PM
Happy New Year, Linda. It’s 25° here now, cold for Austin, not as bad as where you are. That’s why I moved here. Maybe there’ll be some frostweed ice in the morning.
Steve Schwartzman
January 1, 2018 at 1:32 AM
So prime time is over but I hope 2018 will still put on a jolly good show for all of us. And 17 and 18 reminded me of these lines from the Sound of Music
I am 17 going on 18
I’ll take care of you
May we take care of each other and our environments and be good citizens in 2018. Happy New Year to you and Eve.
Gallivanta
January 1, 2018 at 5:06 AM
And while we won’t be in our prime numerically, may we be in our prime and put on a jolly good show in all other ways this year. A happy and satisfying 2018 to you and your family.
Steve Schwartzman
January 1, 2018 at 8:40 AM
Happy New Year to you, Steve. I’m so grateful for all the beauty and knowledge you’ve provided to us through your postings in the past year, and I’m looking forward to the coming year’s assortment.
Given your affection for all things yellow, I’m not surprised you chose this to brighten up these winter days, and it certainly succeeds. I hope your day gets brightened with some frostweed curls, too.
shoreacres
January 1, 2018 at 8:04 AM
Frostweed’s what I’m off to check out now, Linda.
I’ve appreciated all your posts, too, and the way you so often put things in your writing and now also your photography.
Steve Schwartzman
January 1, 2018 at 8:42 AM
And a flowerful 2018 right back at you Steve 😃
Julie@frogpondfarm
January 1, 2018 at 8:44 PM
I’ll gladly accept it, Julie. Thanks.
Steve Schwartzman
January 1, 2018 at 10:10 PM
“…when the party’s gettin’ a glow on…” This is indeed welcome.
melissabluefineart
January 26, 2018 at 9:22 AM
I had to look up your quotation to be reminded of the song it’s from. I don’t think I ever knew it was by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Cool,_Cool,_Cool_of_the_Evening
Steve Schwartzman
January 26, 2018 at 9:34 AM
Ah, it is a wonderful fun song from one of my favorite movies with Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman.
melissabluefineart
January 27, 2018 at 9:54 AM
I’ve never seen that movie. I was surprised to learn Frank Capra made it.
Steve Schwartzman
January 27, 2018 at 10:06 AM
Is it different from his other work? It is a lark of a movie.
melissabluefineart
January 28, 2018 at 10:07 AM
I haven’t heard the movie included when someone mentions Capra’s famous films, so I figured it’s different in some way. Maybe this lark of a movie should be included in a round robin of Capra’s films.
Steve Schwartzman
January 28, 2018 at 10:24 AM
Yes I think so. It is Bing at his best.
melissabluefineart
January 29, 2018 at 9:52 AM
Bing the song engine and not the search engine.
Steve Schwartzman
January 29, 2018 at 10:21 AM
I’m tempted to reply, “Bingo”, but perhaps…
melissabluefineart
January 30, 2018 at 7:20 AM
At https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingo_(U.S.) I found that Bingo in its modern form goes back to the 1920s.
Steve Schwartzman
January 30, 2018 at 7:59 AM
It wouldn’t let me read the article unless I created an account! In the 20’s, I believe, is when P.G. Wodehouse created his character Bingo Little.
melissabluefineart
January 31, 2018 at 9:27 AM
That’s weird because it’s Wikipedia. You may want to try again:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingo_(U.S.)
Steve Schwartzman
January 31, 2018 at 12:18 PM