Sky Watch, Sunset Clouds

Orange clouds at sunset

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I saw these bright orange clouds on the horizon right at sunset while driving, and had to pull over to the side of the road and take photos.

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See more sky photos and join Sky Watch at Wiggers World.

Wild dwarf irises

Dwarf irises in bloom

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The dwarf irises are blooming here now. These little plants are native to our area and bloom in large patches throughout the woods here. This small clump is in my Secret Garden. I dug it out of a much larger patch in the nearby woods. The plants are about 4-6 inches tall maximum, with foliage the same as tall irises only softer and more grass-like. Each little plant produces several iris blooms in deep lavender with dark purple and bright yellow markings on each petal. The flowers get progressively darker lavender in color as they mature. These fragrant little plants are very striking when in full bloom in large patches underneath the trees, and I think they are one of the prettiest wildflowers in our area.

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Click on any photo to enlarge.

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American Idol Top 4 performances and results

Tonite, the final four contestants sang songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”.

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David Cook - “Hungry Like The Wolf” This was good, but not one of his best. I love his voice, but to me, he didn’t seem to ever really connect with the song. I was kinda disappointed in this song choice…and something was missing in his performance tonite. Randy thought it was an ok choice and a solid performance, but just okay for David. Paula said David’s Hungry Like A Wolf left her with a big appetite, and that watching him grow and flourish was remarkable. Simon said he thought it was good but a bit copycat, and that it was good enough to get through another week.

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Syesha Mercado -“Proud Mary” I think she started out way too slow with this song, and then speeded it up way too much. It was okay for me, but not a standout performance. She seemed to be having a lot of fun though, and I like her much more lately than I have in previous weeks. Randy said what a difference a couple of weeks makes, and that she was in the zone. He thinks she’s heated up late in the competition, right when she needs to. Paula said she looked like a star, with a magnetic voice and presence on stage. Simon said it was just a bad, shrieky version, and a bad impersonation of Tina Turner. Syesha interjected that she “had fun”, and Simon said, “Good. I didn’t”.

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Jason Castro - “I Shot The Sheriff” I may be the only person in the country who thinks this, but I liked this. I thought it was very good, he was more energetic than I’ve ever seen him and connecting more with the audience, he looked comfortable and like he was enjoying himself. But, OH, did the judges ever HATE this! Randy said it was really karaoke and nothing special, and not good for him. Paula said that she had never seen him perform with more connection to the audience but she wasn’t crazy about the performance. Simon said it was “utterly atrocious, the arrangement was atrocious, the singing was atrocious”, and that he didn’t know what Jason was thinking in performing -this- song, a BOB MARLEY! song. Wow.

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David Archuleta -“Stand By Me” I totally knew David Archuleta would sing this song tonite. It was good, predictable, and sounded the same as he always sounds. Sweet, but not my favorite. The melody sounded a little weird to me at times. Randy said at least there’s one guy who hits the stage to perform to win it, it was “hot mad vocals, dude, that was hot!”. Paula said she admired the way he delivered, and that he took their advice and the advice of Andrew Lloyd Webber in (using his eyes to connect with the audience), and she thinks he’s “seasoned”. Simon said David could have “whistled a song and it would sound better than (Jason Castro’s) performance”. He went on to say that although David struggled a bit at the end, it was still the best so far.

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David Cook -“Baba O’Riley” A great, great song, and David did a good job with it. He sounded great, started out very slow and then rocked it. I love him, but still, I think something was missing in his performances tonite, I don’t know what it was, just something was off a little. I was very slightly disappointed with both songs, although he is definitely my favorite. Randy said this was more like the David Cook he loves, it was great. Paula said she just wants more David Cook, and thanked him for sharing his soul. Simon said, “Welcome back, David Cook”.

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Syesha Mercado -“A Change Is Gonna Come” It was good, not perfect but very, very good. I think this was one of her best performances so far. Randy said he loved her first song tonite but didn’t love this one as much. He said he didn’t love the arrangement and felt the song was “trying to be something it wasn’t”, and that she felt disconnected. Paula stood up and clapped for her, and said how Syesha orchestrated her vocals was beautiful. Syesha was crying by this point. I think she was hurt and shocked by Randy’s criticism. Simon said he agreed with Paula and that Randy got it utterly wrong.

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Jason Castro -“Mr. Tambourine Man” Still shaken up by the bus that ran over him after his first performance, Jason sounded pretty good with this, except for forgetting the lyrics once. He played guitar, and I liked his performance. I like him. Randy said he was not in the zone tonite. Paula said, “it is what it is. It didn’t blow us away”. Simon said Jason should pack his suitcases. After getting slammed last week for a song he hadn’t even sang yet, and now being told to pack his suitcases, I think it’s no secret that the judges want rid of Jason Castro.

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David Archuleta -“Love Me Tender” Good performance, sickeningly sweet and tender. Another night, another ballad. Really though, it was good, just not my preference at all. I just don’t like his sound. Randy said it was another good performance, the “hot vocals of the night right there!” Paula said it was one of her favorite performances from David, and that she felt his heart. Simon said he crushed the competition tonite.

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After tonite’s show, I think: 1) Jason’s going home this week, 2) David Cook was the only one tonite to sound “rock and roll”, 3) David Archuleta can sing sappy ballads, and 4) It’s obvious who the judges want to win. What do you think?

Update - May 7
After nearly 51 million votes, Jason Castro was eliminated tonite. This was definitely not a shocker. Even though it was expected, I’m still sad to see him go. But after the feedback he has had for the past few weeks from the judges, Jason was probably relieved to go.

Musical guests tonite included Bo Bice (one of my very favorite Idol contestants ever!) and Maroon 5.

Next week, the Top 3 have their home town visits.

americanidol.com

Snowball viburnum

My old-fashioned snowball bush is gorgeous right now. The huge flower clusters, which start out as green, have now turned almost pure white, and the entire bush is heavy and drooping with them. There must be hundreds and hundreds of blooms, and each individual cluster gets larger and whiter as they mature. I have had this shrub for many years and it is huge, more than 15 feet tall and still growing. I don’t ever do anything to it other than pruning it a bit right after it finishes blooming. I also keep the trunks clear of branches from the ground up to a little more than 5 feet, and pruning it this way keeps it like a standard or small tree with a large canopy instead of a shrub. I can easily stand underneath it.

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Snowball Viburnum blooms

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In late evening and even at night, the white flowers are phosphorescent and practically glow in the dark. The photo at left was taken at twilight (click to enlarge). Snowballs would be great for a moon garden. This shrub blooms for many weeks in the spring and when the petals start falling, they look like snow on the grass underneath it. I always look forward to seeing this large shrub bloom every year. The one drawback to this shrub that I have found is that when it is at peak bloom and the flower clusters are at their largest, heavy rains can be damaging to the flowers and can cause the branches to become so heavy that they droop almost to the ground.

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Click on any photo to view a larger version.

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This shrub is at the edge of my yard and is visible from the road — I’ve had many people stop and ask about it or want to take photos of it when it’s in full bloom.

I have successfully propagated this deciduous shrub for others by rooting semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings from it in the early summer. I simply take several cuttings of about 12 inches long, remove most of the leaves, and place them about 5 inches deep in a rich, sandy potting mix I have in a deep old tub at the edge of the woods. The tub gets dappled sunlight, and I do keep it watered through the summer months. By the following spring and summer, usually more than half of the cuttings are well-rooted and ready to transplant. I’ve had good luck propagating many flowers, shrubs, and even trees this way.

My silly cats

Mama-Kitty and Bonnie playing in the yard :)

Click on photo to enlarge.
More about my cats: Stray cats and how Mama-Kitty got her name

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