Mystery Bulb Revealed

A room without books is like a body without a soul. ~ Marcus T. Cicero

Woke up this morning to thunder and rain... and had to go out into it to put the bird feeders out. Whee. Took the dog, who was none to happy, but she needed to go out, too, and misery loves company, right?

In any case, I'm sort of glad it's raining. I worked outside a bit yesterday and moved several plants, plus I was really brutal to some of my creeping phlox that had grass growing into it and ripped a LOT right out by its roots to get the grass and then just sort of plopped it back on top of the dirt (phlox is pretty tough) and it all needed a good watering in.

I also dug up and threw out a TON of dragon's blood seedum, which broke my heart a bit, but I can't find anyone to take it (my neighbors run screaming when they see me now: "No... no more plants!") and it was hearty, healthy and .... growing into the lawn.

In other news, I got the bright idea of taking a picture of the mystery bulb on my phone and showing it to garden lady at Agway (where I bought the bulb last year). I told her what I knew: it was nearly 2' tall and deer resistant. She grabbed her fall bulb catalogue and .... drum roll please....

I know what it is: MEDITERRANEAN BELLS

Here are some pictures of what it will look like when it's blooming.



I also discovered that another name for the plant is "Sicilian Garlic" and that it can smell like its namesake when it's warm (mine's right by a front window ... I may end up craving Italian food regularly) and that it propagates via the bulb AND via reseeding. Things might get a little crazy...

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I've been rereading several of my "keeper" books lately, trying to pinpoint exactly what it is about them that makes them a keeper. They're different authors, vastly different genres (I have YA, straight fantasy, paranormal/vampire, historical, straight suspense, contemporary romance and more) and have little in common except that they're books I love to revisit.

I think it's mostly that I really liked the characters, but there's more. And it's still tantalizingly out of the reach of my brain. I'm going to keep on keeping on, though, and try to figure it out.

What makes a book a keeper for you?

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You Are a Cool Person

You are calm and collected. You don't make much of a fuss - in fact, no one can tell when you're excited. You are not very emotive and expressive. You tend to temper any feelings with logic and rationality. You are steady and consistent. You are a person of your word, and you like to keep to a schedule. Your energy tends to be at the same level throughout the day. You know how to pace yourself.

Are You Warm or Cool?

Pretty much correct, except the energy part.

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