Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Schlumbergera seedling no. 077 (again again)

This is another "C" seedling (previously: 058C Consternation), which means I'm not sure if it's a legitimate new seedling or just one of the old seedlings blooming in a different color. 077A Grendel is a pretty dark orange, or at least has been previously, and 077B Bad Reputation is orange-red, so this sure seems plausibly different from either of those. But there's only been one bloom so far, and I only have one photo of that bloom, so it's hard to even make guesses. It looked different enough at the time.

Name candidates: Blended Family, Chop Wood Carry Water, Flickering, and Stowaway.


Blended Family and Stowaway are both references to the seedling sharing the pot with two (?) other seedlings; Flickering both refers to the single brief flower so far and to the color and shape -- orange and pointy like a fire or a candle flame.

Chop Wood Carry Water is from the Zen Buddhist saying, "Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water." As I discovered from searching the net, exactly what this means varies somewhat depending on who you ask, but mostly people seem to read it as meaning that being enlightened doesn't free you from the normal everyday activities of being alive; you don't suddenly wake up in a mystical realm where chopping wood for your stove or bringing water home for drinking and bathing are no longer relevant to you or are no longer your responsibility. In the particular context of this seedling, I'm mostly just making a weak joke about the sameness of the orange-blooming seedlings, but it's also meant to be sort of a reminder to myself that even if the world occasionally feels like it's been turned upside down, certain things have to be done anyway. (It's possible that it's also a reference to the monotony of watering all the plants every day; I don't know.)

In any case. Blended Family and Stowaway are referring to the same situation, but Blended Family is a lot more positive-sounding under the circumstances, so I'll drop Stowaway. And I like Chop Wood Carry Water, but it's long (21 characters), and I'm not even sure there is an 077C to be named; I don't want to waste an otherwise-acceptable name on a seedling that I may not still be using this time next year.

Which leaves Blended Family and Flickering, and I think I prefer Flickering. It'll be especially appropriate if it turns out that 077C doesn't exist. Therefore: 077C Flickering.


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