artHound

The July issue of akronlife magazine featured the Best of the City choices for 2013, based upon nominations from their readers. What a surprise to receive an Honorable Mention in the Favorite Artist category – a recognition that is very much appreciated!

Day One
watercolor
9 x 12 1/2 inches

Although it’s sometimes thought to be a native plant, Hemerocallis fulva, the Orange Daylily, is native to Asia. This flower, which technically isn’t a lily, escaped cultivation in the United States and now seems to be everywhere in midsummer. Common along roadsides, it is also referred to as Ditch Lily. Now labeled as invasive, it’s hard to picture an Ohio summer without these prolific bloomers.

Two years. Sometimes it seems like yesterday – sometimes it seems a lifetime ago.

And somehow I think Gene would approve of the new signage at Glendale Cemetery – seems appropriate for the guy who spent so many years in traffic engineering.

No, this is not a reference to the University of Akron’s sports campaign begun in 2005. Despite urging everyone to Fear the Roo, Zippy the kangaroo is just not that scary. Of course, common rue, as in Ruta graveolens, seems pretty harmless, too. Also known as herb of grace, it’s a hardy perennial herb that, according to folklore, not only repels demons and evil (and insects, too), but can lend second sight and perfect a shooter’s aim. Still, there’s a reason that rue is synonymous with regret: close contact with its leaves combined with exposure to the sun can cause skin abrasions similar to poison ivy.

This plant has been in my herb border for over five years, waiting for a short-sleeved, gloveless gardener on a sunny afternoon, ready to provide a lesson on the meaning of ‘rue the day.’