A Tuesday to remember

As significant as Tuesdays normally are (thanks to The Nearly Constant Gardener's weekly tradition of Tuesday Morning Gardening Cocktails), this Tuesday promises to hold a particularly special place in the Annals of Blogging History (which exists only in my imagination). Thirty-one years ago today, (the year was 1981 and only a few of Orwell's worst predictions had come to pass) my parents presented a gift to the blogging world that would prove to alter the very course of human history, yours truly. That's right; it's my birthday.

My birthday Cuba Libre in the pepper garden

As much as I would love to present some fancy and creative gardening cocktail today, I'm lazy. I never made it to the liquor store yesterday, and our liquor cabinet is sadly depleted after last weekend's family-time. We're down to tequila and rum, and those are the sort of pantry staples that we just don't run out of, like coco powder or mustard. Therefore, today we're drinking the old standby, Cuba Libre (aka, rum and Coke with lime). I do have a Birthday Happy Hour planned for this evening at some pretentious bar where they do things like burn orange peels to add a smokey citrus flavor to drinks with names that only a hipster can appreciate (and that the rest of us find irritating). I'll try to remember to snap a photo of one of those fancy drinks.

Rather than show more pictures of large and horrifying bugs from the old Derrich place in New Braunfels, I'll actually show something from my own garden this morning. I complained before (hard to imagine, I know) about the giant crepe myrtles some person planted in my yard long ago and their susceptibility to powdery mildew. Today, however, I would like to celebrate the blooming season of crepe myrtles, which is actually pretty impressive.

A crepe myrtle in bloom,
hiding the power lines running to my house

Keep in mind that crepe myrtles can range in size from small shrubs to smallish-to-medium-sized trees, like this one that is about 25 feet tall, so when in full bloom they can create a huge swath of color. All of my crepe myrtles bloom in this magenta color, but they can have white, light pink, or lavender blooms. I've noticed that the magenta crepe myrtles are always the last to bloom. The lighter colored ones started blooming back in the beginning of May, and then the blooming season proceeds from lightest to darkest. Mine have just recently gone into flower production at full tilt boogie. 

I would also like to thank Heather White, cousin-in-law to The Nearly Constant Gardener, for identifying the unknown bug from yesterday that looks as if it preys on small dogs, cats, and children under the light of a full moon. Turns out, it is a male Dobsonfly, a rather vanilla name for such a hideous bug. I should also point out that Heather White is the daughter of competing blogger, The Master of Horticulture, which is a perfectly fine blog if you're looking for actual, useful information and techniques for gardening rather than the drunken ramblings of a unemployed, mild egomaniac. To each his own.