Felder Rushing's Blog

January 8, 2018July 13, 2020

Señor Misterioso

Senor Misterioso — Inscrutable Expression

NOBODY really knows who he is. Or much of anything about him, other than the whispered rumors that the Dos Equis guy – who is said to be the “most interesting man in the world” – wants him dead. Don’t know why he wears such an impeccably-tailored glow-in-the-dark suit and fedora. And even less is known about the even more enigmatic Senorita Misterioso – his sister perhaps?

I first found him alone on the second shelf of a dusty VooDoo shop hidden on a side street of New Orleans (true story). For years he stood on the dash above the steering wheel of my antique truck; one stormy night his glow-in-the-dark ability helped comfort and guide me and Dr. Dirt through a Texas deluge so heavy we couldn’t see the edge of the pavement.

When the old truck was temporarily stolen, he disappeared for awhile, along with our dashboard hula girl (a ceramic beauty I rescued from an antique shop in Hawai’i). They have made it back, and while she gyrates around America in the truck, he travels the world with me, occasionally coming out from his special pouch of my canvas murse.

Senor Misterioso in Felder's hand — Pocket Size and All-Weather

With clasped hands and half-hidden smile, his stoic, contemplative, non-judgmental demeanor is immutable.

Oh – and have I mentioned that he glows eerily in the dark?

Other than claiming somewhat cheekily that “I’ve got Señor Misterioso in my pocket – at least for now” there’s really nothing more to say. Either you get it, or you don’t.

Scroll over these images to see where the iconic man has been sighted.

Visits remote towers in the moors of England

Still Dapper in the Jungle

Real Ale Pub

Communing with Gnome

Señor Misterioso Examining the Pomelos

thumbnail — Cavern Club, Liverpool, where the Beatles performed over 300 times

Glows Eerily in the Dark

Quietly Hiding in Snow

Soaking in a beer reputed to be one of the world’s best in the Czech Republic

Admiring a local Czech ale in Prague

Really getting into a local Czech ale in Prague

Southernmost Point in the US - 90 miles from Cuba — Southernmost Point in the US – 90 Miles from Cuba

ADDENDUM: Turns out, as I discovered after an alert follower shared a possible connection, that Señor Misterioso is actually based on a revered Venezuelan physician and popular folk figure, Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, who died in 1919 and has been venerated by the Catholic church (and considered a candidate for sainthood. Striking resemblance, and there are many small statues of Dr. Hernández – including this small one – which pretty much nails him as the original inspiration for Señor Misterioso…

Statue of Dr. José Gregorio Hernández — Miniature statue of Dr. José Gregorio Hernández

January 3, 2018January 3, 2018

New Growth

small pineapple growing out of old pineapple New Growth from old… a pineapple plant sprouts a small new fruit from its faded flower stalk, which in turn will do the same the next year in a never-ending reincarnation…

January 1, 2018April 14, 2018

Swinging Garden Saints

Feel a little oddly uneasy on your garden swing? There’s a saint who may offer comfort.

There are some quirky saints, to be sure, patrons of every imaginable profession or situation, from farming to protecting beekeepers, even keeping ants out of the house. But some are peculiarly suited for gardeners.

One of my favorite garden sculptures is my three-foot concrete statue of a saint – not Francis, the environmental/wildlife guy with the bird on one hand, but St. Fiacre, the most popular and official patron saint of gardeners.

St. Fiacre in Felder's garden — St. Fiacre in Felder’s garden

St. Fiacre is said to have sailed from Ireland to France looking for a quiet place where he could devote himself to God. An obliging bishop offered him as much land as he could turn up in a day, and clever Fiacre, instead actually plowing the expected small plot, used his wood staff to dig a row all the way around and enclosing a larger area. His garden became a hospice from which he shared his vegetables, herbs, and flowers with travelers, some of whom claimed he performed miracles. He is now recognized as the patron saint of gardeners – and, by the way, of Paris cab drivers, whose taxis are called fiacres – because the earliest commercial rides-for-hire in Paris originated near the hotel Saint-Fiacre. Continue reading “Swinging Garden Saints”

December 30, 2017December 30, 2017

Bark Side of the Wood

In spite of my laid-back approach, sometimes I think I notice little details that don’t bother other gardeners. But have you ever run across a wood deck barefoot, or sat on a wood bench, and got splinters? You can blame whoever put the boards on in the first place.

Not bogging down in all the details, ’cause it’s eye-rolling even to this retired scientist. But in general if you live in a warm, moist climate like mine, wood won’t last long without rotting, and before that happens the boards will probably cup or form raised edges and begin to splinter.

Which way you lay a board can make a difference between smooth and safe, or a butt full of splinters. Continue reading “Bark Side of the Wood”

December 28, 2017September 18, 2018

Fastest Garden on Earth

For the past thirty years – since my now-grown son was still in a child restraint seat – my old antique pickup truck has had a diminutive but productive potager garden overstuffed with flowers, herbs, and vegetables. That’s right, the working truck has a working garden in the back!

I started it out from frustration with one too many people whining about not having a place to garden. Thinking “What’d be the hardest place, the acid test, to give it a go?” I decided to try it in the back of my pickup truck.

Continue reading “Fastest Garden on Earth”

December 23, 2017December 27, 2017

Felder Afield – Western Africa

When fellow board members of the American Horticulture Society approved a venture in which American students would share school gardening projects with those from other countries, I packed my man-purse with seeds, grabbed my worn-out passport, and headed to the airport. First stop: Ghana, West Africa.

Long Story Short: The project involved growing vegetables in portable, water-saving EARTHBOX^® which had been donated for the project. Participants shared experiences and results online.

My job: Make sure the crops were grow-able by young students – in both countries. Continue reading “Felder Afield – Western Africa”

December 22, 2017December 23, 2017

ORIGINAL Reason for the Season

Not saying anything about anything anyone believes or not…

Felder's Winter Solstice at Stonehenge — Felder’s Winter Solstice at Stonehenge

…but WAY before church leaders – both ancient and modern – deliberately started putting their own holy days onto the existing festivals of others (look up syncretism), people noticed and rejoiced on the day the sunshine started coming back…

Regardless of your own beliefs, it’s a good day to celebrate – hope the new sunrise brings you good cheer and comfort through the next year!

December 20, 2017December 27, 2017

England’s German Christmas Market

It’s Grinch Time, but I’m not going there – not after all the cheer I found in the German Christmas Market in Manchester, northern England.

Giant Santa at Gothic Manchester City Hall

This is my sixth or maybe eighth year to celebrate the open-air bazaar, and to suffer the cheesy singing moose that lords over its two-story pop-up beer hall. For two weeks hundreds of vendors in rustic Bavarian-style wooden stalls offer nearly everything imaginable, from local specialty foods and drinks to ornaments, flower bulbs, glass- and wood-ware, and hand-carved nutcrackers.

Christkindlesmarkets, first recorded in Vienna in 1298 (yeah, that’s over 600 years ago), and soon afterwards in Munich by 1310, are hot holiday destinations for locals and international tourists alike. The outdoor markets include a Nativity scene, holiday decorations, traditional Christmas treats, and live music, but I mostly frequent the hand-crafted cheeses, sausages, fudge and other sweets, hand-size meat-and-potato pies – all winter mainstays – and wade through the alluringly fragrant steam wafting from huge cauldrons of savory stews.

Steaming Cauldron of Meaty Broth

Fudge and Other Confections

Meat Pies of Course!

Continue reading “England’s German Christmas Market”

December 17, 2017January 14, 2018

Mississippi Snow Blizzard

Fact: We rarely get snow in Mississippi. Oh, every year or two we get in inch or two. Maybe.

But on December 1, 2017, we got an astonishing six inches, sometime between when I peeked outside at clear 3 a.m. and when I awoke at dawn. It was piled softly atop everything, completely covering decks and glass bottle trees alike, and even utility wires.

It was simply beautiful, and its muffling effect made everything so eerily quiet!

Knowing it wouldn’t last long, I quickly made the rounds, taking photos unspoiled by footprints all around my garden, front and back, and including the completely-buried plants in the back of my truck garden.