Thaddeus has always had a green thumb and loves to foster plants and gardens and trees. In the last few years he’s created a botanical legacy for himself.

Thaddeus Will Leave A Botanical Legacy

I’ve blogged about the Swamp Mallow before. They’re in bloom again right now in my area.

Six years ago, Thaddeus gathered some seeds from wild Swamp Mallow growing in New Jersey. Two years later, he planted these seeds on the banks of the canal in Pennsylvania. The bloomed the following year and have bloomed each year since. They have even started to propagate naturally and there are now two or three patches of these beautiful flowers in bloom.

Fortunately, it’s a native plant to this area and it doesn’t seem to harm the bottom clay lining of the canal. And we look forward to them every year now. Their big, floppy, elegant flowers make us happy every time we see them.

It was nice that the Swamp Mallow was so well-established on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. We can thank Thaddeus for their beauty on this side of the river.

Readers’ Comments/Questions

LauraRose writes:

“I’m halfway through The Fabric of Civilization and it’s fairly engagaing for non-fiction. I’m a history major and even I have trouble finishing non-fiction. 

I excitedly took a screen shot of the covers so I could remember the mystery one but I guess I’ll save my pennies and delete the photo and save my storage space as well. 

If it’s new, it seems pretty likely that it’s AI BS.“

Glad to know I’m not the only one who struggles to get through dense, non-fiction. Even when it’s a topic I relate to. As for AI, the sad part is that I don’t think the LGBTQIA+, fiber-related, murder mystery book is AI. My experience is that AI writes very flat and uninteresting dialog and descriptions. The writing in this book wasn’t that.

I’m planning on taking Fred’s advice:

“Welcome back to reading, Joe! Not that you asked, though you’ve trusted my recommendations in the recent past, you must read this: The Tuxedo Society by the brilliant comic writer Paul Rudnick. It is a spoof of spy and adventure film genres within a gay context. It’s what used to be called a page-turner with laugh outloud humor and cliffhanger sequences. It’s a vacation in a book. Once you discover Rudnick’s way with a story, you’ll want to then read his masterwork, Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style. It’s the story of a forty-plus unlikely relationship of two gifted men.“

Current Knitting/Spinning

I’m almost finished with the last demo swatch for the steeking/zipper Expert Table.

I’ve completed four full diamond motifs and I just need one more to reach a six-inch piece.

I’ve also finished spinning up the singles of the midnight merino.

You’ll note that I’ve also begun to ply the two yarns. Having the lazy kate about six feet from the spinning wheel was something I saw done at the Men’s Knitting Retreat this past May. It lets the twist in the singles even out more before they get plied.

Another example of how I never stop learning.